Matt and Friends Drink the Universe

Send us a message! Budweiser is everywhere and Josh takes over to tell the real story is how it became The King of Beers. We take a boozy, history-forward look at one of the most recognizable American beers ever made. Budweiser isn’t just a drink, it’s an industrial blueprint. We walk through how Adolphus Busch and Eberhard Anheuser turned beer from a fragile local product into a national brand by...

Send us a message! Jack Daniel’s is one of those names you can recognize from across the room, even if you’ve never taken a sip. So we decided to go past the black label and square bottle and tell the story that actually built the brand, as part of our Red, White, and Booze run-up to America’s 250th birthday. For this installment, our friend Keb Pound from the Stupid History Minute hands us a tigh...

Send us a message! Nine bottles. One table. Zero patience for boring wine. Andy, Josh, and Siobhan join Matt to drink, enjoy, and evaluate white wines! We’re back with a white wine tasting where we rank everything rocket-style and say the quiet parts out loud: some wines are perfect “patio pounders,” some are interesting but polarizing, and one local Riesling goes so candy-sweet it resets the enti...

Send us a message! Elvis drove what? Madonna got fired from where? What famous artist wore a chicken suit to work? Jen, Jordan, and Rob join Matt for a "Think Or Drink?" showdown around wacky music trivia like that, and it turns into the kind of game night where one risky lifeline can send your score into the negatives. We bounce through categories that mix pop culture, music history, an...

Send us a message! Reviving your hero requires one simple move: finish your drink. That is the core rule that turns our table into pure chaos as we play Drinking Quest, the Dungeons and Dragons inspired drinking game built for party nights, bad decisions, and big laughs. Matt takes the dungeon master seat while Andy, Chris, Siobhan, and Rob roll for initiative, argue about house rules, and immedia...

Send us a message! Guinness has one of the most unlikely résumés of any beer on Earth: an 18th-century Irish origin story, a masterclass in industrial brewing, a global export giant, and even a quiet role in shaping modern science. We walk through how Arthur Guinness grows up around practical brewing in a time when beer is safer than water, then turns a £100 inheritance into a real business that r...

Send us a message! A St. Patrick’s Day celebration deserves a master storyteller! We sit down with Seamus Kennedy, Irish singer, song writer, and comedian to relive so of his most unforgettable moments at our local Celtic Classic festival and beyond, including the night a planned onstage proposal gone very wrong, the tornado that ripped through a festival tent mid-set, and the surreal evenings he...

Send us a message! Sparkly moonlight, cotton candy clouds, and a snap of flame—our Anime Booze Battle brings big fandom energy to the bar. We have each crafted original cocktails inspired by Sailor Moon, One Piece’s Gear Five Luffy, Fullmetal Alchemist’s Roy Mustang, and a nod to Sword Art Online’s Black Swordsman Kazuto Kirigaya. Then was argue, laugh, and debate our way to a winner. First up, Sa...

Send us a message! Ten bourbons, one table, all the hype, and no mercy! Andy M., Chris, and Josh join Matt for another bourbon extravaganza! We lined up everything from a $20 Bottled-in-Bond workhorse to beloved Buffalo Trace labels, a sleeper single barrel, a stave-finished Maker’s Private Selection, and a cask strength closer—and let the flavors fight it out. With four palates in play, we tracke...

Send us a message! Josh and Matt bring you visions of a bright red glass, a room full of friends, and a recipe that earns its place at the table—our cranberry whiskey sour brings seasonal flavor to a timeless form while telling the story of how a humble template shaped cocktail culture. We start with the build: rye for spice, cranberry for tart depth, fresh lemon for lift, real maple for warmth, a...

Send us a message! A frosty glass, a warm toast, trivia, and a roomful of music nerds trying not to cry-laugh over a slide whistle—our holiday special brings the good stuff. We start with a cookies-and-cream Sugarlands concoction and buttery-nipple shots poured into Matt's Grandpa’s vintage shot glass set, then raise a heartfelt toast to departed friend. From there the energy jumps: holiday m...

Send us a message! A herd of buffalo carved a path across Kentucky, and that same path led to one of the most storied distilleries in America. We follow that trail from frontier stills to a modern distillery campus, unpacking how Buffalo Trace became a benchmark for bourbon history, science, and hype—often all in the same bottle. We start with the unlikely origin story: prehistoric buffalo trails...

Send us a message! A special thank you to the Sugarlands Distilling Company for sending us 4 jars of their sipping create and a bottle of High Rock Vodka! Andy, Rob and Siobhan join Matt to line up four Sugarlands Sippin’ Cream flavors—Orange Dream, Peanut Butter, Birthday Cake, and Eggo Waffles Brunch in a Jar—taste them straight, then put them through a cocktail gauntlet to find out which is our...

Send us a message! Strike a match, pour a fall old fashioned, and settle in for a Halloween watch-along that blends 90s chills with grown-up sips. Andy, Chris, Rob, and Siobhan join Matt and cue up two Are You Afraid of the Dark standouts—The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle and The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner—and unpack why these kid-friendly scares still hit. We start at the campfire with SNICK nos...

Send us a message! Christa, Josh, and The Fish join Matt for a casual stout tasting that quickly transforms into a fascinating exploration of craft brewing's darkest frontier. Diving headfirst into ten distinct stouts ranging from modest 5% session-friendly options to formidable 14.2% bourbon barrel-aged behemoths, our panel discovers that ABV numbers and fancy descriptions don't always...

Send us a message! Chris, Josh, and Siobhan join Matt as fate takes control of the cocktail shaker in this hilarious second round of our drink-based Russian roulette. Armed with nothing but dice and questionable courage, Matt and friends submit themselves to the whims of chance as they roll for cocktail ingredients that no sane bartender would ever combine. The dice show no mercy as rolls produce...

Send us a message! Prepare to enter a tavern where fate determines what's in your glass! In this hilarious and chaotic episode, Chris, Josh, and Siobhan join Matt to play "Roll for Cocktail," a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired drinking game where dice decide every element of their drinks—from base spirits to garnishes. The adventure begins with dramatic character introductions worthy...

Send us a message! The mysterious Green Fairy beckons you into a world where art, controversy, and botanical alchemy collide. Absinthe has captivated and terrified in equal measure throughout its storied history, and we're pulling back the emerald veil to reveal what makes this spirit so enduringly fascinating. Discover the botanical trinity that forms absinthe's soul. From ancient Egypt...

Send us a message! Christa, Josh, and The Fish join Matt to explore how the first sip can transport you back to great memories. From a campfire, to the bar that saved a girls' weekend in Ocean City, or back to college hallway where your nickname was born in the craziest way possible. "A good drink can be an experience, and a good experience can call for a good drink," sets the tone...

Send us a message! Armed with nothing but a $4.99 MTV Throwback Music Party Game from Five Below, Josh, Rob, and Siobhan join Matt and dive headfirst into a chaotic game of music trivia that tests our musical knowledge and performance skills across decades. Players have just 15 seconds to name songs containing specific words, perform interpretative versions of hit tracks, or recite lyrics from mem...

Send us a message! The beer landscape in America has shifted dramatically, and Modelo Especial now wears the crown as the nation's best-selling beer. This remarkable transformation—from a Mexican import to America's favorite brew—speaks volumes about changing consumer tastes and the evolving American identity. Born in Mexico City in 1925, Modelo's origin story defies expectations. A...

Send us a message! Join Matt and Jon from Poppin's Travel on an EPIC adventure! What happens when two theme park enthusiasts are granted VIP access to Universal Orlando's Epic Universe before its grand opening? A 19-mile walking marathon, 25+ attractions, and an evening of complimentary food and signature cocktails that transformed us into living testimonials for the park's perfectl...

Send us a message! Ready your wands and prepare your potions as Christa, Chris, Josh, and Siobhan join Matt to embark on a magical journey through the wizarding world with an epic Harry Potter-themed trivia night. This butterbeer-fueled showdown transforms our regular "Think or Drink" game with special Hogwarts-inspired power-ups like the Marauder's Map and the Pensieve, allowing pl...

Send us a message! Ever wonder what happens when science, celebrities, and craft beer collide? Welcome to Invertase Brew Company in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where every pint comes with an extraordinary tale!  Our conversation with owner Steve Zolnay reveals how a Father's Day homebrew kit led to a family-owned brewery founded by a biochemist, and a mechanical engineer. The scientific precisi...

Send us a message! Andy, Josh, and Rob join Matt for a riotous episode, as we play a trivia game that tests our ability to identify fabricated names among genuine, albeit ridiculous, real-world counterparts. Get ready for the inappropriateness!  The game comes with high stakes – each incorrect answer means spinning our shot spinner to determine our fate. With tequila, bourbon, vodka, and the infam...