Barrel To Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

Hot cracker, it’s another edition of BOOZE IN THE NEWS! Our correspondents have traversed the globe to bring you, our listening public, fresh off the presses news about suds, hooch and vino! [prod. note: this episode was recorded before Sapporo announced that it would be completely shuttering Anchor Brewing] Big news from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco New Belgium has changed both the packaging and recipe for their flagship Fat Tire beer Hahn Winery sells to Gallo A movement in Beaujolais for Premier Cru status A push in the Rhone to double production of white and rosé wine August is Washington Wine Month Whiskey fungus encrusts a Tennessee town The Supreme Court rules against the makers of Bad Spaniels dog toys The makers of Fireball were sued for false advertising American Single Malt comes of age If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s

Firestone Walker’s Matt Brynildson is a legend in the brewing community. Roger is a big fanboy but this won’t be an episode of the Chris Farley Show. Not only is Matt an award-winning brewer, he’s a hop evangelist. This week on Barrel to Bottle we’re talking brewing and hops with a craft beer icon, as well as sampling Firestone classics and new releases. Firestone Walker Pivo Pils Firestone Walker Double Hopnosis  Firestone Walker Cali Squeeze Blood Orange If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

It’s another Whiskey Hotline episode! Bruce Joseph is the master distiller at Hotaling & Company, formerly Anchor Brewing & Distilling. Hotaling is best known for their Old Potrero ryes. Bruce started working at Anchor Brewing straight out of college in 1980. He was a brewer for 13 years until they got licensed to distill and he switched over. Fritz Maytag was interested in making rye whiskey, particularly its historical ties to Colonial America. Also he liked taking on products that were unpopular and at the time, rye wasn’t very popular.  Old Potrero 6-Year-Old Straight Rye  Old Potrero Cask Strength Straight Rye Finished in Single Sherry Cask 8 14 #1 Binny’s Handpicked  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

How did an outwardly Italian man end up in Eugene, Oregon making amaro? This week we’re talking to Andrea Loreto, co-founder of Elixir Spirits about his journey to making botanical liqueurs in the Pacific Northwest. Andrea’s love of cooking led him to discover liqueur recipes in his grandmother’s cookbook. After three years of tinkering he had his first product, Calisaya. Elixir Spirits Calisaya Chinchona Liqueur  Elixir Spirits Ver Liquore d’Erb  Elixir Spirits Fernet dei Fratelli Loreto  Elixir Spirits Iris Root Liqueur  Elixir Spirits Caffé Corretto  Elixir Spirits Féte Vodka If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

It’s summer, the perfect time to drink hot coffee and barrel-aged coffee stouts, right? This is part three of Roger’s coffee beer trilogy. This time, we’re trying four classic coffee beers that have stood the test of time. Roger still loves tea, but he has gotten really into coffee even if he doesn’t like the fussy process of brewing it.  Just like previous episodes, we’re going to try the beers then drink the coffee that was used to make the beer.   Founders Breakfast Stout Founders KBS  Central Waters Cassian Sunset Off Color Brewing Coffee Dino S’mores  Also today, we crack open the mailbag for a question about American Single Malt Whiskey. If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

A few weeks ago, Roger had us trying different beers out of different glasses. It was an enlightening experience and inspired Pat to do a similar episode with various spirits in three different glasses, along with a control plastic tumbler. The Spirits: Clark & Sheffield Bottled in Bond Bourbon  Rye & Sons Rye Whiskey  Bruichladdich Scottish Barley ‘The Classic Laddie’  Lagavullin 8 Year Old  Terralta Tequila Reposado  The Glasses Glencairn Crystal Blenders Malt Nosing Glass  Glencairn Malt Mixer  Glencairn Spirits Copita  Also this week, a listener wants to know what about the upper limits of aging beer in wood. If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.  

Roger is always reliable for predicting the latest trends in beer and beer-adjacent drinks, having  previously predicted Ranch Water and Long Drink. Now, declaring this will be the Summer of Chelada. Micheladas have already been popular for a while, but now cheladas are all the rage.   We’re going to try a Brophy-sized quantity of ready-to-drink versions, then we’re going to make one from a mix and finally make one from scratch. Get ready for a lotta chelada, all summer long. Cheladas Modelo Chelada Limón y Sal Dos Equis Lime & Salt Shiner Sea Salt & Lime  Cruz Blanca Lime & Sea Salt Chelada Half Acre Green Torch Stone Buenaveza Modelo Chelada Variety Pack  Micheladas Modelo Chelada Original  Bud Light Chelada  Budweiser Chelada Picante  Victoria Vicky’s Chamoy  Michelada Love! Michelada Mix  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 B

Saké, don’t sleep on it. That’s the theme of our first ever saké episode. To help us dive into the world of rice wines, we’re welcoming wine consultant Neeve from our Lincoln Park store. Greg sat next to the saké buyer for four years, tried a bunch of saké, and never retained anything so she has her work cut out for her. Saké is made from rice, water, yeast and koji which is a type of mold. Koji was naturally occurring on rice, but these days there are special starters. For yeast, they have many common strains that give the saké different aromas and flavors. We’ll be tasting saké by how polished the rice grains are for each batch. Manotsuru Junmai Ginjo Nigori Countless Visions 30204   Tentaka Kuni Junmai Hawk in the Heavens 360605 Fukucho Seaside Junmai Sparkling Saké 967144  Toko Sun Rise Junmai Ginjo 978876  Toko Divine Droplets Junmai Daiginjo 978877  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer

Chris is making daiquiris, we’ve got a table full of rum, several rum enthusiasts and most importantly, Marc Farrell. Marc is the CEO and founder of Ten to One Rum.  Marc was frustrated with the public perception of rum, so he decided to do something about it. Ten to One is a blended rum brand that sources from Caribbean distilleries. He combines pot and column still rums, Agricoles, dark and white rums and rums of various ages into his blends. Ten to One Caribbean Dark Rum  Ten to One Caribbean White Rum  Ten to One Black History Month Artist’s Edition 2023 Limited Release Caribbean Dark Rum Ten to One Caribbean Dark Rum Finished in ex-Uncle Nearest Casks If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

Binny’s is committed to finding world class wines for its customers, so every year we send a small group of wine consultants and buyers to En Primeur. Here, at a marathon pace, we sample hundreds of wines still in barrels to make the difficult decision of what to offer our customers as Bordeaux Futures This week on Barrel to Bottle, we’re welcoming Bordeaux buying legend Barbara Hermann, along with wine buyer Bill Newton, Wine Educator Alicia Barrett, and Lincoln Park wine consultant Ben Madeska. Fresh off their trip to France, they’ll tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 Bordeaux vintage, and about Binny’s robust futures program. While the 2022 wines aren’t available yet, there are still some great, affordable wines that are relevant to this year’s vintage: Le C des Carmes Haut Brion Pessac Leognan Rouge 2019 Haut Bailly II Pessac Leognan 2020 La Dame de Montrose Saint Estephe 2019 Chateau Berliquet Saint Emilion 2018 If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments

Barrel-aged beer, lots of cheese, warm weather; that seems like a perfect combo. This week on Barrel to Bottle, we’re revisiting the 2022 Bourbon County Stout line-up with some fun easter eggs and easy food pairings. We sent Roger on a treasure hunt to track down the single-distillery variants of Bourbon County Brand Stout that saw limited release in 12-ounce four packs. Beer aged in barrels from those distilleries-Heaven Hill, Wild Turkey and Willett-was blended and bottled for the majority of 12-ounce four packs. Additionally, this is a different blend then what was in the 16.9-ounce bottles. Confused? Don’t worry, we’re going to walk you through it. When you’re pairing food with any alcohol you can go one of two ways; complimentary or contrasting. Roger brought some examples of each, with bleu cheese, chèvre, fig butter, dried apricots, and Fig Newton-like fig cookies. All these pair with today’s beers in different way. While some of these bottles might take a little work to track down, Sir Issac's is stil

Here at Barrel to Bottle, we’re big proponents of tasting blind. We’re also big proponents of additive-free tequilas, which are becoming more and more popular with consumers. Without a government oversight body, it’s up to producers disclosing it and tequila fans tracking it. Pat has brought nine blanco tequilas and two reposado tequilas. Additive-free, no crap on tap, all bangers.    Blind taste along at home with the following additive-free tequilas Tequila Ocho Plata Don Fulano Blanco 80 Proof Tequila Villa Lobos Blanco Tequila PM Spirits Single Oven Blanco Tequila  Tequila Codigo 1530 Blanco  El Gran Legado de Via Blanco Tequila  Volans Blanco Tequila Primo Tequila Blanco  Atanasio Tequila Blanco  Siete Leguas Reposado Tequila  Mijenta Reposado  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wher

This week, Alicia has nine wines that showcase the variety and incredible value of California's Central Coast.  Monterrey County Cru Wine Company Unoaked Chardonnay Arroyo Seco 2021 Tatomer Riesling Steinhugel 2021 San Luis Obispo County Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Wolff Vineyard 2020 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc Cherry House Red Blend by Villa Creek 2020 Vina Robles Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Road Reserve 2019    Santa Barbara County Margerum Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Sandhi Pinot Noir 2021 Beckmen Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard 2020 If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

This isn’t the first time we’ve discussed the importance of glassware. But today we’re doing a deeper, more scientific dive specifically on beer glasses. We at Barrel to Bottle firmly believe you should always drink your beer out of a glass. But will one of those straight-sided pint glasses suffice, or is it worth spending some money on a beer glass that had fluid dynamics test performed on it? We’re here to definitively answer that question today. Roger brought in three beer glasses that we will be comparing to the straight sided shaker pint control glass: Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass Duvel Chalice Dogfish Head IPA Glass We’ll be sampling these three beers in each of the four glasses: Sam Adams Golden Pilsner Duvel Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA After our scientific sampling, we’ll also try some of the new innovations from Sam Adams, Duvel and Dogfish Head, each in their brewery’s respective glass: Sam Adams Boston Lager (Remastered) Duvel 6.66 Dogfish Head Citrus Squall If you have a question for the Barrel to

This week on Barrel to Bottle, we’re sitting down with retiring wine consultant Gregory Fulham. Gregory has been with Binny’s for the better part of the last four decades. In that time, he’s become both a Binny’s institution and a Hyde Park institution. In celebration of his retirement, we’re opening wines from two of his favorite varieties: Riesling and Port. Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese 2019 – This one is still a baby, but it’s drinking great. You could also sit on it for years. Taylor Fladgate 30-Year-Old Tawny Port – We took the years Gregory has worked for Binny’s and rounded up a bit and decided on this 30- year port. Both Riesling and Port are incredible values, relatively speaking. What would you pay for a 30-year-old Scotch? Gregory's other recommendations include: Xoriguer Gin de Mahon Clark & Sheffield Bottled in Bond Bourbon Koval Cranberry Gin Liqueur Quinta da Fonte Souto Branco 2020 d’Arenberg Viogneir Marsanne The Hermit Crab 2021 Nolet Gin If you have a questi

This is a Chris episode, which means it’s esoteric but fun and someone will probably get well actually’d. What's more esoteric than port cocktails? It's probably not as far-fetched as you think though. We cracked open a bottle of Clark & Sheffield 10-Year-Old Tawny Port for these cocktails that range from simple to complicated and would be perfect for Elevenses, brunch or even a night cap. Check out all the cocktail recipes on our blog.  The Q&A portion of Barrel to Bottle is back this week! Today's question comes from Michael, who wants to know everyone’s favorite method to transport cans and bottles. He really just wanted to show off a picture of his Hamm’s Sack, for storing Hamm’s. If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podca

Because Pat is Pat, we had to turn What Does That Taste Like vol. 3 into a two-parter. For part two, Pat has brought a wide range of spirits from all over the world. What the hell do these taste like? Find out! Honkaku Reserve Special Selection Amagi 9-Year-Old Rum Single Cask #3094 Binny’s Handpicked Honkaku Reserve Special Selection Amagi 9-Year-Old Rum Single Cask #3097 Binny’s Handpicked  Nevada Distilling Smoke Wagon Straight Rye Bottled in Bond Nevada Distilling Smoke Wagon Malted Straight Rye  Alpine Distilling Lafayette Spicy Bourbon  Vice Rei Ginjinha  Select Aperitivo  Opal Icelandic Liqueur  Elixir Spirits Ver Liquore d’Erb Boomsma Claerkampster Cloosterbitter  Laphroaig 8-Year-Old ex PX Sherry Hogshead #807494 Binny’s Handpicked If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you d

It’s time once again to answer the world’s oldest question, “What the Hell Does That Taste Like?” Have you ever seen a bottle of some wine, beer or spirit at Binny's and wondered what it is? This is the episode for you. And because Pat can’t help himself, this ended up being a two parter. Roger’s Beers: Weihenstephaner Vitus  WarPigs Divine Huntress  Weihenstephaner Korbinian  Maplewood Silver Morning Winter Lager Chris’ Wines: Pardevalles Albarin 2021  Zlatan Otok Pošip 2021 Pilizota Winery Babić 2016 Stone Hill Norton  Terrassous Hors d’Age 12 Ans Rivesaltes ­ That’s it for beer and wine. Join us next week for part two, What the Hell Does That Taste Like? Spirits. If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

Elliot Hughes of is the managing distillery director for Dingle Distillery. What started as a bar outside of Dublin has become a distillery in Dingle, in the southwest corner of Ireland. Dingle is far-flung, but it’s also a popular tourist destination with mild weather perfect for aging whiskey. Dingle’s yearly releases pay homage to the town’s connection to Celtic pagan traditions, which include various festivals, equinoxes and solstices. This week on Barrel to Bottle we sampled: Dingle Distillery Samhain Single Malt  Dingle Distillery Lá Le Bríde Single Malt  Dingle Distillery Bealtaine Single Malt  Dingle Distillery Single Malt  Dingle Distillery Original Irish Pot Still Gin  Dingle Distillery Vodka  If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us

The last time we took on a major celebrity and their absurd cocktail, it was Stanley Tucci’s shaken Negroni with vodka. Things didn’t so great for The Tooch, but will America’s Dad fare better? Earlier this year, Jim sent the group an article about Tom Hanks appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Hanks is not a big drinker, but he will add a splash of champagne to his Diet Coke. And that’s how an episode topic is born.   If you have a question for the Barrel to Bottle Crew, email us at comments@binnys.com, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. If we answer your question during a podcast, you’ll get a $20 Binny’s Gift Card! If you like our podcast, subscribe wherever you download podcasts. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.