Barrel to Bottle, The Binny's Podcast

You might think that all Oktoberfest beers are the same, but Roger is here to show you that's not the case. The Barrel to Bottle Crew will help you clear up some of the confusing aspects of Oktoberfest, starting with why it's in September. They'll run through a sampling of German and American offerings, as well as give you some great food pairings. Plus, in a very convenient Q&A session, a listene...

Resident wine guy Chris takes the Barrel to Bottle Crew through some of the lesser known appellations of the Rhone Valley. The Rhone Valley offers wines that are easily accessible or very complex, so it's the perfect region to start your wine journey.   Dink along at home with the following wines: Domaine Vincent Paris Crozes Hermitage 2018   Jean Louis Chave Selection Saint Joseph Offerus 2017 Xa...

Stanley Tucci has a lot to learn about making a Negroni. The question is, does he hunger for knowledge on this classic cocktail, or does he just want to play games? As Roger runs through all the ways in which The Tooch screwed up this cocktail, the Barrel to Bottle spends their big night screwing up this cocktail. But the great thing about a Negroni is you can transform it into almost anything.  M...

At this point it's pretty obvious that hard seltzers are more than just a passing fad. One of the biggest questions we get at Binny's is "what are these things exactly?" Hard Seltzers can be made many different ways , as Odd Side Ales' plant manager Joel Brower explains to the Barrel to Bottle crew. After the interview, Roger, Pat and Chris sample through different brands and flavors of hard seltz...

It's hard to believe Half Acre Brewing Co. is now considered a veteran of the Chicago craft beer scene. But 14 years will change a lot of things. Co-founder Gabriel Magliaro sits down with the Barrel to Bottle crew to discuss the history of the brewery and the challenges they've faced over the last decade plus.  Drink along at home with these beers: Half Acre Bodem Half Acre Tome Half Acre Fully S...

We couldn't fit all our time with Geoff and Marcy Larson into our weekly episode, so we're sliding into your feed with a bonus ep. Hear about some of the other creative ways Alaskan Brewing has survived and thrived in the Last Frontier. 

Geoff and Marcy Larson have faced many unique challenges brewing beer in landlocked Juneau, Alaska. In addition to a stable of core beers, they've branched out and kept up with the latest trends in craft beer.  Drink along at home with these beers: Alaskan Amber Alaskan Smoked Porter  

The Barrel to Bottle Crew is looooooooong overdue for this episode. Luckily, we've got someone to guide us through this unexplored category; Binny's Buyer Jack Spethman. Jack takes us through the basics, including some tips for cutting and smoking. Then Pat and Roger run through a few sticks that Jack gave them to sample. Also, a listener Q&A about how to pair with spirits.   

It's You Don't Know  Jackfruit , the Barrel to Bottle game show. Your contestants this week are Pat, Chris and Greg, who go head to head taking on the hardest fruit questions presented by your host, Roger. Fruit notes are frequent descriptors in the world of wine, spirits and beer. But why do your favorite beverages have these tasting notes? Play along and see how you stack up against the Barrel t...

 Is this the Summer of Rosé pt. Deux or should it be Rosé All Year? Alicia and Chris take us on a journey around the world of Rosé. From California to France and back again, these refreshing wines (porch pounders, really) are great in the warm weather, but they're excellent to drink year-round as well.  Drink along at home with the following rosés, all day or all year.   Tables Creek Patelin de Ta...

The Highball is the ultimate lazy cocktail. By definition, it should only be two ingredients. Pat's not even sure it deserves its own episode. But-not ones to leave well enough alone-Roger and Chris are here to prove that you can get a little fancy with a Highball, elevating it from a two-ingredient cocktail to something a little more complex.  Mix along at home with the following cocktail ingredi...

The beer scene is dominated by flavor-blasted IPAs and stouts, but the German Helles style has been making a quiet comeback. Roger and Chris, the masters of nuance, are here to show you that subtle does not equal boring. The Barrel to Bottle crew has 5 refreshing beers that are perfect for the hottest summer days. In the listener Q&A, the Barrel to Bottle crew tackles the loaded question of beer e...

OK, so maybe you aren't going to brunch very often right now. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy these cocktails on your own, whatever time of day, wherever you are. Greg, Roger, Alicia and Chris take you from the basics to the more advanced. As always, the Barrel to Bottle crew is more than willing to offer up a few variations to suit your ingredient list.   Drink along at home with the follow...

It doesn't get any cheddar than this. It's unbrielievable that it took this long, really. The Barrel to Bottle Crew is finally doing cheese pairings. Chris has some bonafides in this department, so he'll be leading us through a selection of wine and cheese pairings. Roger isn't forgetting about the beer-loving curd nerds either, he's got some great IPA, Belgian, sour and cider pairings. We promise...

The Quarantini series rolls on with a twofer: The Gold Rush and the Margarita. While Greg and Pat stick with the basics, Roger and Chris get very fancy with several variations. It wouldn't be a cocktail episode without The Fruit King making an appearance to Tiki things up. Then, a listener wants to know the Barrel to Bottle Crew's favorite champage cocktails.   Mix along at home with the following...

The Lange Family are pioneers of Oregon and Willamette Valley wines, an aisle that continues to grow in our stores. Jesse is the winemaker and general manager at Lange, taking over from his father, and the founder of Lange Family Vineyards, Don Lange. Stick around for a listener Q&A about the conundrum of White Zinfandel.  Drink along at home with the following wines: Lange Pinot Gris 2019 Lange C...

We're all kind of on our own desert islands right now, so it's a great time to run through the Barrel to Bottle crew's desert island beers. These cans and bottles have stood the test of time, be they tall cripsy boys from the land of sky blue waters, or malty and spicy Belgian classics. These are the beers that mean something, the ones that we'd want to be stranded with. During Q&A, a listener wan...

Barrel to Bottle is dropping into your feed with another bonus episode. We had a little extra time with Mr. Black co-founder Tom Baker, so Roger wanted to play "Ask an Australian". 

Mr. Black is the best coffee liqueur the Barrel to Bottle Crew has ever tasted. So it was a no-brainer to have Tom Baker, co-founder of Mr. Black, on the podcast. This is our first international and intercontinental episode of Barrel to Bottle as Tom is dialing in all the way from Australia. The crew will also be making cocktails using Mr. Black. Plus a listener Q&A about what makes whiskey so spe...

Everyone is making quarantinis, which can really be anything (including a can of PBR if you're Pat). The Barrel to Bottle Crew was inspired to go back to the actual old school martini, which itself can be almost anything these days. Roger runs through some of the classic recipes including the original martini with sweet vermouth, the Vesper and more. Plus, a rousing listener Q&A about guilty pleas...

We're jumping into your podcast feed with a bonus episode of Barrel to Bottle. We've been hosting a series of virtual tastings on Zoom. In this week's bonus episode Alicia and Barb, along with Lincoln Park wine manager Gabriel, taste through their favorite canned wines and canned wine cocktails.  For more information about our virtual tastings, please visit our website . 

Beaujolais is gonna work for you. They're not in plastic bottles any more and they're not your father's Beaujolais. This week on Barrel to Bottle, Pat is joined by Binny's educator Alicia along with wine manager Ben to help set the record straight on Beaujolais. The Barrel to Bottle Crew will taste through the entire Beaujolais region while discussing its history and sharing Beaujolais food pairin...

Make do with what you have, that's the theme of this week's episode. You might not have all the ingredients for your favorite cocktail, but there's almost always a substitute you can make. This week the Barrel to Bottle Crew scours their respective basements for ingredients that will still make an excellent cocktail. At the end, Greg, Roger, Pat and Alicia each put their own quarantini spin on a n...

Alsace, an underappreciated wine region and the Barrel to Bottle Crew would love for our customers to know more about. Alsatian wines are food-friendly and budget friendly. Binny's Wine Educator Alicia tastes through five wines from Alsace, and throws in some trivia along the way. She also has some excellent food pairings. Plus, a customer wants to know what to do with a bottle of wine they don't...

Since we're all at home looking at all the beers we've been collecting for years, it's a good time to open some more of them. Because of the breadth of their collections, the Barrel to Bottle Crew was lucky enough to have some overlap. Except Greg, who likes to actually drink the beer he buys.