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Four wartime icons walk into a bar... Andy, Big Z, and Rob join Matt and we take history way too seriously to keep it simple. We’re back with a Wartime Leaders Booze Battle where each of us brings a leader, their signature drink, and a case for why that person matters long after the last battle ends. Expect real tasting notes, real history, and the kind of arguing that only friends can get away with.

We start with Ulysses S. Grant and a high-proof Kentucky bourbon, tasting it straight and then with a few drops of water to see what actually changes in the nose and the finish. From there we hit Grant’s Civil War reputation, the complicated reality of his life after office, and the Mark Twain connection that turns his final years into something both brutal and inspiring.

Then Big Z swings in with Harry S. Truman and a dangerously drinkable old fashioned, using it to trace the end of World War II and the decisions that shape everything that follows: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Truman Doctrine, the formation of the United Nations and NATO, and the early blueprint of the Cold War. We also get a deep appreciation for “breakfast cocktails” that may just belong in the past.

Andy takes us medieval with Joan of Arc and a French Bordeaux that changes minds about red wine, price tags, and why drier Old World bottles can feel smoother and more food-friendly.

Matt closes with Tokugawa Ieyasu and a sake cocktail called The Patient Slice, built with sake, yuzu, and honey syrup, and it might be the best drink he's ever brought to the show.

Hit play, pick your winner, then subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more history and cocktail nerds can find us!

The Patient Slice

• 3 oz chilled Junmai Ginjo sake
• ¾ oz yuzu juice
• ¾ oz honey syrup (1:1 honey + warm water)

Floating slice of lemon

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America’s oldest brewery has a survival story that reads like a crash course in U.S. history, and we’re pouring it up as part of our Red, White, and Booze celebration for America’s 250th birthday. From the jump, Yuengling is not just a brandbto us. It’s a living thread that runs through history, industry, and the way certain beers become part of a place’s identity, especially here in Pennsylvania.

We follow the brewery back to 1829, when German immigrant David Gottlieb Yuengling picks Pottsville, Pennsylvania and starts what was first called the Eagle Brewery. Coal country demand, cool storage caves for lagering, a devastating fire, and a relocation that still defines the brewery’s home base all shape the foundation. Along the way, the company becomes D. G. Yuengling and Son, locking in a family legacy that keeps the story personal and surprisingly resilient.

Then comes the big test: Prohibition. We talk through how Yuengling stays alive by brewing Near Beer and even running a dairy that makes ice cream, plus the celebratory flex when Prohibition ends in 1933 and beer gets sent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. We also trace the modern era, from Dick Yuengling Jr.’s expansion beyond Pennsylvania to the return of the amber lager in 1987, the flagship green bottle that helped turn “lager” into a shorthand order at bars across much of the East.

If you love beer history, American lager culture, or the behind-the-label business moves that keep a legacy brewery thriving, you’ll get a lot out of this one. Subscribe, share with a fellow lager drinker, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

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Visit www.mattandfriendsdtu.com for links listen, support the podcast, and more!

Check out our sponsor, Poppin's Travel Company, for all of your travel needs! Their highly qualified agents are ready to book your next big adventure or dream vacation.

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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 solving the biggest problems of the era: spoilage, heat, and distance. If you’re into business history, supply chains, or the evolution of American consumer culture, this part hits hard.

Then we get nerdy about what’s actually in the glass. We break down why Budweiser uses rice, how that choice shaped the “American adjunct lager,” and what beechwood chips really do during conditioning (hint: it’s not about tasting like a barrel). From Prohibition survival tactics to the Budweiser Clydesdales and the post-war explosion of TV ads, sports sponsorships, and Busch Gardens, we trace how a beer becomes a cultural institution and why it still matters in the age of craft beer.

Subscribe, share this with a beer-history friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the Red, White, and Booze series. What’s your personal “first Budweiser” memory?

Support the show

Visit www.mattandfriendsdtu.com for links listen, support the podcast, and more!

Check out our sponsor, Poppin's Travel Company, for all of your travel needs! Their highly qualified agents are ready to book your next big adventure or dream vacation.

Visit our merch store

We'd love to hear from you on social media! Like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and X.

Cheers, and thanks for listening!