Explore double-barrel bourbon-and-rye stouts and the science behind a perfectly balanced hazy IPA.

Brothership Brewing Co-Owner Tom Soltis and Head Brewer David Basile break down why their signature stouts go through two barrels instead of one, the vanillin compound that ties barrel-aged beer together, and what turbidity has to do with a well-balanced hazy IPA. Plus: New Zealand Peacherine hops, a hot take on THC seltzers, and a blueberry beer brew day gone hilariously wrong.

0:00 Intro

1:00 Meet Brothership Brewing's Tom Soltis and David Basile

1:46 Is the Taproom UFO Real?

2:53 Celebrating Six Years in Mokena

4:40 Why They Picked Mokena, Illinois

5:37 Is Chicago Water Really the Best for Brewing?

6:45 How Brothership Got Its Name

8:29 From Chicago Kitchens to Head Brewer: David's Origin Story

9:47 The First Beer David Ever Brewed

10:25 Cooking vs. Brewing: The Biggest Difference

12:56 Who's the Boss, You or the Yeast?

13:53 David's First Brewing Job at Mad Hatchet

14:42 The Sour Beer David Won't Recreate

15:46 From Werk Force Brewing to Head Brewer at Brothership

17:47 How Tom Decided to Hire David

20:10 Tasting the Experimental 008 Hazy IPA

20:32 What Happened to the Orbit 6 Anniversary Beer

21:16 Bright Lights, a 4.5% Light Lager

23:02 Why Lagers Are Harder to Brew Than Hazies

24:56 Brewer's Break

25:47 Brothership's Full Beer Lineup (Sours, Lagers, Oktoberfest)

26:48 Inside Brothership's Award Case

28:05 Tasting Anti-Matter Hazy IPA with Peacherine Hops

28:58 What Makes a Truly Balanced Beer

30:50 What Is Turbidity in a Hazy IPA?

31:56 Anti-Matter vs. Experimental 008: What's the Difference?

32:58 Wait, Is Alcohol Actually Sweet?

34:19 Introducing the Double Barrel Space Debris Stout Series

36:50 What Sets Brothership's Barrel Program Apart

38:02 Why These Stouts Take Nearly Three Years

39:44 David's Approach to Blending Barrels Like a Chef

41:47 How the Barrel “Speaks” to a Brewer

42:52 The Rum Barrel Secret: Pina Colada Seltzer

44:11 DBVR: A Stout Made With Vanilla From Three Countries

47:25 The Science Behind Vanilla in Barrel-Aged Beer

47:29 Why the Messier Series Is On Hold

50:58 A Shoutout to the Launch Sequence Anniversary Stout

51:12 Key Lime Pie Sneak Peek

53:03 Short Pour: Tom's Most Overrated Beer Trend

55:23 Short Pour: David's Craziest Brew Day Mishap

56:42 Outro and How to Support Crafty Brewers

58:28 Final Toast

About Brothership Brewing: Brothership Brewing is a craft brewery and taproom in Mokena, Illinois, brewing IPAs, DIPAs, sours, stouts, pilsners, and barrel-aged beers under the motto “Believe in Beer.” Learn more on their website at https://www.brothershipbrewing.com/

—

Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com

Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers

Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, an enterprise podcast growth and attribution consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/

Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you'll learn about: New England IPA, hazy IPA brewing science, bourbon barrel aging, rye barrel aging, barrel-aged imperial stout, vanillin flavor compound, beer turbidity, American light lager brewing, Peacherine hops, New Zealand hops, homebrew to professional brewer, craft beer competition medals, Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer (FOBAB), Mexican lager craft beer, kettle sour beer, Chicago craft beer scene, Mokena Illinois brewery, coconut stout, craft beer yeast pitching, small-batch experimental beer series.

Brian and Cody preview all six 2026 Goose Island BourbonCounty Brand Stout variants just as they are announced.

On this special preview episode of Crafty Brewers, Brian andCody break down the entire 2026 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout lineup. They cover all six bourbon barrel-aged beers in this year's release: the Original Stout, Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout, Apple Crisp Stout, Triple Oak Barleywine, Toasted Barrel Rye Stout, and Proprietor's Stout (Pineapple Upside-Down Cake), discussing tasting notes, barrel programs, and what makes each variant in this year's Bourbon County Brand Stout release worth seeking out.

0:00 Intro

0:53 2026 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout

3:27 2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout

5:31 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout

7:13 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine

9:15 2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout

10:53 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor's Stout(Pineapple Upside-Down Cake)

14:43 Recapping the Full 2026 Bourbon County Lineup

15:20 Why You Should Still Support Your Local Brewery

17:33 Oak Park Micro Brew Review Preview (Aug 22, 2026)

About Goose Island Beer Co.: Founded in Chicago in1988, Goose Island created the original bourbon barrel-aged stout for the brewery's 1,000th batch in 1992. Learn more on their website at https://www.gooseisland.com/

—

Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com

Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers

Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, anenterprise podcast growth and attribution consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/

Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you'll learn about: Bourbon County BrandStout, bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, Goose Island barrel program, Black Friday beer release, Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout, rum barrel finished beer, Apple Crisp Stout, Triple Oak Barleywine, Angel's Envy Triple Oak Bourbon, Chinkapin oak beer aging, Toasted Barrel Rye Stout, Elijah Craig rye whiskey barrels, Proprietor's Stout Chicago-only release, pineapple upside-down cake beer, panela sugar beer, Montmorency cherry beer, Buffalo Trace barrel beer,Heaven Hill barrel beer, Four Roses barrel beer, Wild Turkey barrel beer, and craft beer barrel aging.

A mission-driven brewer explains why "beer alone isn't enough" — and how a 45-year-old wedding invite, an accidental World Beer Cup medal, and a legendary Czech dark lager came together in Batavia, Illinois.

Sturdy Shelter Brewing Owner and Head Brewer Frank Mercadante shares the personal story of a brewery built on a Catholic scripture — one that was unknowingly already on his 45-year-old wedding invitation. He discusses the community-first mission that drives every decision at Sturdy Shelter, the international brewery trips that led Frank to the legendary U Fleků in Prague, the science behind why Hefeweizen is the hardest style to brew, and why his phone started flooding with congratulatory messages when he least expected it.

0:00 Intro

2:15 The Historic Building and Mark Twain

2:47 Introducing Frank Mercadante

3:17 How Every Beer Tells a Story

4:32 The Francesco Italian Pilsner

9:22 The Scripture Behind "Sturdy Shelter"

11:10 The 45-Year-Old Wedding Invitation

12:38 From Youth Minister to Brewer

14:33 Getting Serious About Homebrewing

16:36 Entering Homebrew Competitions

17:54 What Youth Ministry Taught Frank About Running a Brewery

19:10 Why Frank Needed More Than Beer

20:45 The Food Pantry and Giving Back

23:36 Brewer's Choice: Dancing House Dark Czech Lager

24:15 What Is a Dark Czech Lager?

25:12 Sturdy Shelter's International Brewery Trips

26:55 How U Fleků in Prague Inspired the Dancing House

29:14 Two Years to Perfect the Czech Dark Lager

31:11 Why Dancing House Became Their #1 Beer

35:17 Why Hefeweizen Is So Hard to Brew

36:45 Sweaty Yeast, Circus Peanuts, and Hefeweizen

39:08 Winning a World Beer Cup Medal by Accident

42:03 What Makes a Great Dunkel?

44:26 Why Frank Chose Batavia

45:27 Batavia's Inferiority Complex

46:10 "This Is All Ours"

46:37 Why All Their Merch Says "Batavia"

47:10 How Frank Found (and Afforded) This Building

50:56 What's Next: A Riverfront Deck

53:05 The #1 Mistake People Make Judging Beer

54:03 Frank's Most Emotional Moment

55:37 Final Toast: Cheers to Community

About Sturdy Shelter Brewing: Sturdy Shelter Brewing is a community-driven craft brewery and taproom in a historic mid-1800s building on the Fox River in Batavia, Illinois, where the mission is to create a "treasured and genial" gathering space one person, one conversation, and one highly crafted beer at a time. Learn more on their website at https://sturdyshelterbrewing.com/

—

Learn more about Crafty Brewers at https://craftybrewerspod.com

Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers

Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, an enterprise podcast growth consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit https://quantum-podcasts.com/

Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: Italian Pilsner brewing, dark Czech lager, Czech dark lager history, decoction mashing, Bohemian lager ingredients, Saaz hops, ferulic acid rest, step mashing Hefeweizen, Munich Dunkel brewing, World Beer Cup 2024, spirituality of hospitality, homebrewing competitions, community-focused brewery, brewery international trips, Iroclia Weyermann malt, Zuppersaser hops, Italian Pilsner malt profile, Carobohemian malt, homebrew to commercial brewing, barrel aged stout, and Klüber IPA.