Sipping Social Podcast

And....  we're back! After taking the summer off we are eager to get back at it. In this episode we chat about how our summer went, the opening of Proof No. 5 in Wheaton, IL and reviewed a couple of nice beverages. Let's go!

In this episode we sat down at the Underground Studio West (aka Garrett's basement bar) in Geneva, Illinois to discuss and taste the recent Bourbon Belly collaboration with Solemn Oath (Hidden Hand). Director of Operations, JP Vander Veen and Sales Director, Nick Scofield gave some great insight into their Hidden Hand brand. It was great night! 

Greg Metze became Old Elk Distillery's Master Distiller in 2016 following a 38-year career at Seagram's Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, one of the world's largest distilleries. We had the amazing opportunity to sit down with him at Maize+Mash in Glen Ellyn. It was a great conversation about his career and all things Old Elk.

In this episode we try a Larceny barrel proof bourbon and some delicious beers from the Hidden Hand series by Solemn Oath brewery in Naperville, IL. Customer of the week was a touchy one for Mike. We had been drinking and brewing beer all day with the Solemn Oath crew so we may sound a little toasted on this one. 

Let's go! In this episode we celebrate Garrett, he just hosted his 100th whiskey class! Congratulations on this huge milestone Garrett. We celebrated with a delicious Michter's limited release barrel strength rye. The beer this week was Ride or Die Pale Ale from Hopewell Brewing out of Chicago, IL.

We tasted a delicious couple of brews from Solemn Oath Brewing from their Small Wave series. The Private Barrel Select from Russell's Reserve was not surprisingly wonderful. It was a fun, romantic, candle-lit spring night at the Underground Studio. Let's go!

In this episode we're back in the Underground Studio after some amazing live events. We discuss the new restaurants in Wheaton that are about to open and New Belgium changing the recipe of Fat Tire. We reviewed Tighthead's Scarlet Fire and Great Lakes Conway Red Ale on the beer side, both were good but one stood out. The  whiskey was a Bull Run 13 yr bourbon aged in Pinot Noir casks for 2 years that is super tasty, especially for the proof! Listen up and drink up!

In this episode we recap our amazing trip to Denver, Colorado. We visited the Old Elk packaging facility in Fort Collins with their rep Erik. He was also able to get us a private barrel tasting in their rickhouse which was an amazing experience. We also toured Laws Whiskey House distillery and rickhouse to pick a barrel for the Chicago based restaurant group Bourbon Belly Hospitality.

It this episode we wrap up 2022 with some delicious bourbon and beer and chat about all the great things we accomplished this year. The Hop Butcher Telehopic Double IPA was amazing and the Early Times Bottled-in-bond did not disappoint. Looking forward to 2023! Silent Night (Holy Night) by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode we recorded remote at the Dovetail Brewery in Chicago, IL. Dovetail Brewery merges continental European styles and techniques with American creativity to produce amazingly unique beers that are typically found in small, family-run breweries in Europe. We had a great discussion with owners Hagen & Bill and their sales director Dan. Lets go!

Hopleaf has been a both a mecca for craft beer fans and a relaxed neighborhood pub in Andersonville. For over 15 years, Hopleaf has also offered thoughtfully sourced, in-house prepped, chef-inspired dining. We had the pleasure in talking to Michael Roper, the man who started it all.

In this episode, we sipped on Hoptopus Imperial Hazy IPA and Dunkel Lagar from Crystal Lake Brewery in, you guessed it, Crystal Lake. Garrett also brought a winner that stayed at the Underground Studio from Russell's Reserve, their Straight Rye Single Barrel. We apologize for the slight fuzzy audio quality in this one, we will dial it in next episode.

In this episode we chat with the owners of Noon Whistle Brewing out of Lombard, IL. They brought everything they have in stock for us to try, and we tried it all. Listen up for some great insights and new techniques in the brewing industry. These boys were fun to hang out with and had a lot of interesting knowledge to share. Let's go!

Phase Three seems to never disappoint, but did they in this episode? You'll just have to listen up and find out, ha! We also try a Nulu single barrel barrel from Justin's House of Bourbon. Everyone was in great spirits coming off our previous live show recording, it was a fun one.

Sean Josephs is a founder of Pinhook and the Master Blender. We chat with him about a couple of unique bourbons, one of them being an barrel pick by Bourbon Belly Hospitality Group. It was a fun night in front of a packed viewing audience at Burger Social in downtown Wheaton, IL.

In this podcast we venture out to our very own Garrett's underground bar, "the office" in Geneva, IL. Mike and Johnny had to opportunity to hand select a couple of very nice bottles of whiskey to down while enjoying the look of disgust on G's face. All jokes aside, he shares. Cheerful Whistling by Free Music | https://soundcloud.com/fm_freemusic Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

In this episode we sat down with Mario, the owner of 93 Octane Brewery and his head brewer Alex. 93 Octane Brewery opened in 2019 and is out of St. Charles, IL. They are doing some pretty great things over there. Be sure to listen till the end of this episode, where Alex does some pretty interesting things to their stout beer.

In this episode we try a funky farmhouse ale from Illuminated Brew Works called Watermelon Gun. Garrett outdid himself on the whiskey side and brought in Joseph A Magnus Cigar Blend, a phenomenal whiskey outfit out of Washington DC. Listen up to hear when the next live show is and drink up so we sound good!!

We had the opportunity to record in mikes favorite brewery of all time and he's on cloud nine. Garrett "kind of likes" Half Acre as well and unfortunately for Johnny we're not at the Captain Morgan Distillery. Sipping Social welcomes Matt Gallagher on the show, he's the owner, co-founder, and engineer of Half Acre. We talked about a lot of shit. Listen up!

On this episode we reviewed a Traverse City Whiskey Co. single barrel store pick from Pride Liquor. This barrel proof whiskey was selected by producer johnny and came in at around 113 proof (Garrett was happy). We also blind tasted three random beers that sounded like they'd be good to crush while boating. We hated one, loved one and passed on one. Listen up, we had a blast!

Our very own Mike Carl took an epic trip to Colorado and hit up some great breweries and distilleries you should check out! If your in a ski town in Colorado, these are some joints you should definitely check out. Mikes story about river rafting while it's snowing is something to hear, it was quiet the once in a lifetime experience. Hellfire by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On this episode, we recorded in front of a live audience! It was a private event hosted by Burger Social in Wheaton, IL in their amazing bar space on the second floor. The event was a huge success and we are so thankful that we have such a wonderful listening audience. The night was energetic and so fun, we can't wait to do it again. Thank you to our sponsors Hidden Hand Brew, Michters Whiskey and Burger Social for helping us out big time!

On this episode we jam out with Matt Brown from Blaum Bros, he's fun. We also drank and reviewed a delicious Hazy IPA from Solemn Oath, thanks friends who made this!! Join us next time for more beer and whiskey shenanigans… Listen up and drink up!! Cheers!

In this episode we get to taste a single barrel rye from Old Pepper Distillery, to go along with Noon Whistle's Dub Dub freshie fresh from a crowler. The customer of the week was something, #togoqueen. Pour a good one, the episode starts out a little slow but for sure ramps up! Thanks for listening!

This episode we review some great stuff by Elijah Craig & Exile Brewing Company out of Des Moines, Iowa. We had a great time talking about interesting news in the restaurant industry, listed a few great places to check out downtown Chicago (if you have a vax card.... still) and told a great story about some recent customers at Burger Social in Wheaton, IL.

This week we got to sip on the Old Elk wheated bourbon store pick by Malloy's Liquors and Transient Artisan Ales Hazy Like A Fox IPA. Both were delicious. We also talked about new places popping up in the western suburbs of Chicago. We had a great time!

This week we try some fresh beers right off the canning line from Hop Butcher and also get to chat with the owner of the brewery, Jude La Rose. Jude and his business partner Jeremiah Zimmer stared their adventure in one day owning and operating their own brewery in 2012. Listen to how they they've become one of the most sought after makers of brew in the Chicago-land area.

On this episode we have Jack Waters, one of the owners of Bourbon Belly Hospitality Group. We talk about how he became a partner in one of the most successful restaurant groups in the western suburbs.

We just joined WGN Morning News Around Town. This is the aftermath and it's a little drinky. We reviewed a New Riff Single Barrel bourbon and Pipeworks NvU vs THE HAZE. We apologize for how many times the word penis was yelled into the mic. We promise the next podcast won't be so penisy.

In episode 35 we would like to first apologize for the level of intoxication we achieved while recording. We reviewed the Old Pepper Distillery bourbon coming in at very high alcohol by volume and compared three different years of Goose Island Bourbon County. It's no wonder we ended-up slurring our words!

We're back together in the Underground Studio in the new recording room. We talk about some national restaurant news and we also give out some good gift ideas for the holiday. The beer review is Surly Darkness Imperial Stout, and the whiskey review is the new Pinhook High Proof Rye!! Listen up and drink up!! Cheers.

Last time we recorded we were remote and now we're back in the underground studio together. We're talking about the state of the restaurant industry and our experiences going out in the last year. The beer review is Hop Butcher's Neon Green Relish and the whiskey review is a Weller Antique 107 Single Barrel Pick from Doti's Liquors. Thanks Jude and George!! Listen up and drink up!!

In this episode we review the BIB from Old Bardstown from the Willet's distillery in Kentucky and a Flanders Red Ale from Rodenbach. Rodenbach is a brewery in Roeselare, Belgium. We also chat about a special evening we had over zoom with co-workers from Keller Williams real estate company and also bad news for the restaurant industry, again.

This week we try the 94 proof Toasted Barrel by Elijah Craig, Hop Rich by Riverlands Brewing and Sailor's Kush by Half Acre.

After a long COVID hiatus, we are back together again. In this episode we review some beers from the Dovetail Brewery and try the 114 proof rye cask strength whiskey from Pinhook.

In this long awaited episode, we talk to Sam from the Mississippi River Distilling Company out of Le Claire, Iowa. Sam brought us their Cody Road Bourbon line up for us to sample. We tasted the Cody Road Single Barrel Bourbon, Cody Road Rye Whiskey and the Cody Road X Experimental Series. Which one was our favorite? Listen up to find out!

Today on the podcast we had the opportunity to meet (virtually) with 2 of the 3 owners of Phase Three Brewing out of Lake Zurich, Illinois. We discusses their startup story, the brewing industry and their stellar beers.

In this podcast we talk about Maize+Mash bottle sell off and making some cocktails at home. The beer we sipped on was Daisy Cutter from Half Acre Beer Company from Chicago, IL. The whiskey we featured in this podcast was the Bourbon Belly Hospitality Group barrel pick from Makers Mark.

In this podcast we talk about how the Coronavirus has impacted our local restaurant businesses. Mike did his part and did a remote podcast from his home office. It was a fun night.

In this podcast we got to try the illusive Bell's Hopslam Ale as well as Bardstown Bourbon Company's "The Prisoner". Bardstown partnered with The Prisoner Wine Company for a collaborative bourbon finished in red wine barrels.

In episode 24 we get to sip on Boogie Bus, a delicious Hazy IPA from Revision Brewing near Reno, Nevada. This weeks whiskey is Angels Envy Finished Rye, a tasty one finished 18 months in Caribbean rum barrels. Our customer of the week: tax season receipt collectors, get out of here. We also took a well deserved smoke break and talked about Ubers Eats, “I didn’t sign up for this”.

In this episode we had the unique opportunity to interview Denny Potter, the master distiller at Makers Mark and Greg Butera, their midwest brand ambassador. We chatted about their new RC6 product, the unique production line at Makers Mark and their commitment to operating as an environmentally sustainable company.

In episode #022, we had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Joe Henry from J. Henry & Sons Bourbon Company. They exploded into the whisky world with their 5 year bourbon in 2015. Over the last 5 years they've won gold and double gold awards at the San Fransisco World Spirits Competition. They are a farm to bottle operation, growing 90% of what goes into the bottle on their family farm in Dane, WI.

In this podcast we talk about Mike and Garrett's trip down to the Bourbon Trail in Louisville Kentucky. They visited the Michter's, Makers Mark and Buffalo Trace distilleries as well as some tasty restaurants in the area. We tasted some award winning beers from Old Irving Brewing & Crystal Lake Brewing. Also, Garrett and Mike brought the Makers Mark RC6 Wood Finishing Series back from their trip to Kentucky for us to review.

In this podcast we had the incredible opportunity to interview Master Distiller Steve Nally from Bardstown Bourbon Company. Steve was on a marketing tour to promote his new line of bourbons, Fusion & Discovery Series along with a Collaboration Series with Copper & Kings, to the Chicagoland area. Listen to a legend talk about the bourbon industry as well as the great new products he’s produced.

In this episode, we take the time to reflect on our experience at FEW Spirits in Evanston, Illinois. It was our first remote podcast and we learned a lot from it. We hope you enjoy this quick recap!

In this episode we focused on FEW ownership and their whiskey portfolio. The sipping social crew went on the the road for their very first remote podcast at the FEW rack house in Evanston, Illinois. The setting was in a massive, yet unassuming, red brick building built in the early 1900's for an ice distrubution company. We recorded with six thousand barrels of aging whiskey surrounding us and the sweet smell of whiskey nectar was in the air.

In this very special two part series, the sipping social crew went on the the road to do their very first remote podcast at the FEW rack house in Evanston, Illinois. The setting was in a massive, yet unassuming, red brick building built in the early 1900's for an ice distrubution company. We recorded with six thousand barrels of aging whiskey surrounding us and the sweet smell of whiskey nectar was in the air. In this episode we focused on operations and FEW Spirits gin portfolio.

In this episode we review four different Oktoberfest beers, almost too much beer for one episode but we got through it. Garrett brings us another great whiskey, the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year! He also tells us about his greatest customer experience that involves a professional Chicago sports team. We tried to keep this one short as well but ended up having too much fun. Our next episode will be a two part remote podcast at the FEW distillery in Evanston, IL

This week we have the privilege of sipping on some delicious beers with the Production Manager at Solemn Oath, JP Vander Veen. JP has been in the beer business for most of his adult life and we are excited talk shop with him. This week amongst other industry news, we say goodbye to our old stomping ground, Muldoons Irish Pub that lasted in Wheaton, IL. for 17 years. Sit back, listen in and grab something to sip on with us.

We are gearing up for more interviews! So, this episode we kept it short with a tasting of Lunar Form by Half Acre Brewing and delicious rye whiskey from Mammoth Distilling. Next week we interview JP Vander Veen. JP is the head brewer at Solemn Oath in Naperville, IL. We hope you enjoy this quick listen!