Malt Couture

Batch 312: New England Mosh Pit*

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

EVERYONE GET IN THE PIT! It's a New England throw down with beers from Treehouse Brewing, Trillium Brewing, Alchemist Brewing, and a homebrew from Mas...

Batch 311: Stupid, Sexy White Diddly Whales

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In one of the wildest Power Ranking throwdowns, a white whale from the year 2000 by De Dolle Brouwers finds itself up against barrel-aged barleywines ...

Batch 310: Bottles with Backstories

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Alex won his first ever razzle in order to put this episode together when he sources a hazy DIPA from Threat Beer Company. A mysterious benefactor sel...

Batch 309: Cool Aunts and Ice In Your Wine

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We all had one. She'd buy you tickets to R-rated movies or go on pre-Thanksgiving dinner walks. She adds Coke and ice to her red wine and smokes slim...

Batch 308: Geriatric Millennial Grifters

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Alex tracks down another White Whale as Surly Darkness Batch 1 lands on the show and finds itself in the mix with Holy Mountain Brewing Company's Summ...

Batch 307: PRRRTing in the Wind

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Returning to their old way of ranking beers, Alex's video game and Stephen's wrestling rating systems are back for this batch's motley lineup of beers...

Batch 306: The Top 5 Whiskeys of 2025

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Alex hunts down the best and most sought after whiskeys released in 2025! E.H. Taylor BTAC, Russell's Reserve 15 Year, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Spe...

Batch 305: Barleywine is Life 7: The State of Barleywhales

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen start 2026 with a visit from Lord Maris for the seventh Barleywine is Life episode with four Barleywhales that have been lighting up ...

Batch 304: Good For The Goose, Good For The Gander

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After braving the Black Friday crowds outside Binny's and pissing in bottles in now temperate weather, Alex and Stephen have sourced a horizontal of ...

Batch 303: The State of Whales Today

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Call us The Malty Boyz™. Some years ago--never mind how long precisely--having little or no malty bucks in our purse, and nothing particular to inte...

Batch 302: Sober Due Diligence

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a run of White Whales, Old Money, and lots of fresh hops, Alex and Stephen return to the NA space to Power Rank an XL line-up of beers (and a so...

Batch 301: When Old is New

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex looks into some old dogs learning new tricks as Brasserie Au Baron, Kern River Brewing Company, 3 Fonteinen, Brasserie Fantôme, and Yazoo Brew...

Batch 300: The Oldest Currency

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen celebrate 300 episodes by cracking open tried and true old money staples and one not so old money beer. Beers from Brasserie de Blau...

Batch 299: Pacific Northwest Fresh Hopstravaganza

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's fresh hop season and Alex sources four of the best fresh hop beers from the heart of hop country: the Pacific Northwest. Beers from Fremont Brew...

Batch 298: Oops! All White Whales

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex busts out his trusty ticking harpoon and hunts down four beers off the White Whale list. Lost Abbey Veritas 006,  Stone Brewing Vertical Epic 02...

Batch 297: New Releases, Old Money Brewers

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In one of the most competitive Power Ranking episodes, new releases from Pulpit Rock Brewing Company, Russian River Brewing Company, Mcilhenney Brewi...

Batch 296: Alex Kidd and the Amazing Technicolor 8.4 oz Can

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex praises the recent Sierra Nevada Pils releases in 8.4 oz cans! But does he really believe what he says or is this another #nostrilgate? Then Alex...

Batch 295: Sober Summer Refreshers

30 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It was a summer of boozy beers but Alex and Stephen hop back on the NA train with four summer "refreshers." Not quite a cocktail, not at all beer, p...

Batch 294: Trappist Punjabi Prison Match

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen approach completion in trying all the Trappist beers out there as they tick Zundert Trappist, Engelszell Trappist, Mount Saint Bernar...

Batch 293: Alex & Stephen's Trappist House

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's a Trappist beer showdown as Alex sources four Trappist beers from three different Trappist breweries that have never been featured on the show, t...

Batch 292: Sacramento West Coast IPA Shootout

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen head to the capitol of their home state to seek out the best West Coast IPAs that haven't been featured on the show. WCIPAs from Slic...

Batch 291: Colorado West Coast IPA Shootout

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex sources a line-up of four mostly from Colorado West Coast IPAs that have never been featured on the show to see who reigns supreme in the Centen...

Batch 290: Just Add a Big Ice Cube

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen are back in the NA realm as they put 4 NA cocktails through the Power Ranking treatment. The line-up consists of perennial favorite S...

Batch 289: We're All Here Together

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's the most sacred of all weekends in the Maltyverse as the Malty Boyz™ descend upon the Malt Mansion. You heard that right, the Malty Boyz™, wh...

Batch 288: Well, It Was A Good Day At Pebble Beach For Us

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Grabs your clubs, we're cracking NA beers and putting up bogeys! Alex and Stephen try a wholesome foursome of NA beers from Resident Culture Brewing, ...

Batch 287: This Is An All-American NA Shootout

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex assembles four NA domestic beers featuring Schlafly, Fremont Brewing, Boulevard Brewing Co., and Bonn Place Brewing. How will the two Missouri f...

Batch 286: International NA Showdown: Canada vs. The UK

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the Triple IPA series in the rearview, it's time to dive into the world of NA beers again and this time it's an international affair as NA beers...

Batch 285: Triple IPA Showdown Part 4

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To close out the Triple IPA series, Alex and Stephen go back to the beer that inspired this series: Russian River's Pliny the Younger. They also drink...

Batch 284: Triple IPA Showdown Part 3

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the third installment of their Triple IPA Showdown series Alex and Stephen try a foursome of California TIPAs from Everywhere Beer, Beachwood Brew...

Batch 283: Triple IPA Showdown Part 2

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of the Triple IPA Showdown, Alex and Stephen try TIPAs from Alvarado Street Brewing, El Segundo Brewing, North Park Beer Company, and Tree H...

Batch 282: Triple IPA Showdown Part 1

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's Pliny the Younger season so Alex and Stephen sourced 12 of the highest rated Triple IPAs and are putting them head-to-head for a three-part serie...

Batch 281: NA EuroTrip

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen head back across the pond to sip on three NA beer offerings from Europe. For the Top of the Show beer, they take it all the way back ...

Batch 280: Just Another Manic Black Tuesday

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex sources a yet-to-be-bottled single barrel Black Tuesday aged in a 10-gallon rye whiskey barrel. How does it hold up against three non-alcoholic b...

Batch 279: Into the Play-Doh Mines

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen put on their hardhats, grab their plastic yellow tubs, and head into the Play-Doh mines in search of apple brandy barrel-aged stouts....

Batch 278: Professor DDB and the Curious NA UK Stouts

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two beer memelords team up for this special batch of Malt Couture as Wort Wrangler joins Alex and tackles a lineup of NA UK Stouts. In the Beer News, ...

Batch 276: The Malty Boyz™ Get In Line

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You think waiting in line for hours and hours is your ally. But you merely adopted line culture, The Malty Boyz™ were born in it, molded by it over ...

Batch 275: NA Drippins

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ are making this batch an international affair with NA beers from France and one with roots in London care of Tom Holland. Plus, Coor...

Batch 274: It's Time To Relax

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ah, it's time to relax. You know what that means. A glass of NA RTD cocktails, your favorite easy chair, and of course, this podcast playing on your...

Batch 273: The NA Craft Beer Titans Face Off

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this batch, craft beer titans Firestone Walker, Lagunitas, New Trail Brewing Co., and Lakefront Brewery collide as their NA offerings are put throu...

Batch 272: The Hunt For Sober October

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Alex and Stephen try a line-up of NA beers which are all from breweries unknown to them. Find out with nepobaby money can compete aga...

Batch 271: The Most Suggested NA Beers

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Does the algorhythm know us better than we know ourselves? The Malty Boyz™ try 4 of the most commonly suggested NA beers by online NA retailers and ...

Batch 270: NA Best Sellers

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's a globetrotting NA beer episode as Alex and Stephen drink some of the best selling and most requested NA offerings available before putting them ...

Batch 269: The NA-ortheast

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen head to the land of lobster rolls and pizza-by-the-slice and terrible sports fans and people that yell "Hey, I'm walkin' here!" and ...

Batch 268: NA Cocktail Hour

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Put on your smoking jacket and pack your pipe, it's time for the Malt Couture NA Cocktail Hour! Alex and Stephen sip on NA cocktail offerings from St....

Batch 267: Oops, All NA Fruited Beers

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another set of NA beers get put through the Power Ranking treatment and this time they're all NA Fruited Beers... oops! Sorry, not sorry. Offerings fr...

Batch 266: Listener Recommendations

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The NA train continues to roll on Malt Couture and in this episode Alex and Stephen crack open NA beers recommended by Malt Mavens! NA beers from Broo...

Batch 265: The Old Guard

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen crack open some OG NA offerings and put them through the Power Ranking treatment including Buckler and O'Doul's. In the Beer News, Ca...

Batch 264: Hot Import (NA)-ights

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ pull up to the Carl's Jr. parking lot to show off their hot import NA beers. This episode features NA Corona, NA Tsingtao, Estrella ...

Batch 263: European NA Beer Battle Royal

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ are literally closer than they've been in months as they pit four European NA beers against each other and then put them through the...

Batch 262: Malty Boyz™ Enter Their Macro NA Era

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This will likely be the first of many episodes where the Malty Boyz™ feature a lineup of macro NA beers and put them through the Power Rankings tre...

Batch 261: Zyn, Zap, Zop

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ have their first Bottleshare together in almost a year and it's all craft NA beers! They drink NA so you don't have to and see if al...

Batch 260: The Malty Boyz™ Are Back With a NA Bottleshare

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in almost a year all three Malty Boyz™ are back on a main batch episode of Malt Couture! They'll be recording from multiple timez...

Batch 259: The Alex and Stephen Beer News Hour

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen tackle a supersized Beer News as Michael's driving across the country back to Ohio. The Malty Twosome cover the state of non-alcoholi...

Batch 258: The Mailbag Returns

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's the return of the Mailbag as Stephen and Michael tackle all the important questions and issues sent in by the Malt Mavens. In the Beer News, Wisc...

Batch 257: The Perfect Beer Glass and Sex Positive Vegans

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's a super sized Beer News as Stephen and Michael tackles all the major headlines! A design studio in Japan claims to have invented the perfect beer...

Batch 256: Pop-Up Dinners with Susan Song

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Song joins the Three Timers club as she joins Michael and Stephen at Chainsaw, a Los Angeles pop-up dinner. They discuss all the curries, breads...

Batch 255: With Your Host, Michael Gabriel!

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in Malt Couture history, Michael takes a seat in the hosting chair as he guides all the Malt Mavens through Batch 255! Michael runs...

Malty Bonus: Life Updates and Hyperlocal Food (A)Mus(bouche)ings

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen and Michael give updates about Alex's latest round of successful surgery. Then they dive into Stephen's travel experiences through Asia before...

Batch 254: Alex and Michael Ride Again!

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Michael get the Zoom fired up one more time before Alex's next step in his battle against colon cancer. In the Beer News, Angry Chair collabo...

Batch 253: Return To Tradition, Almost

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alex's long-awaited return to an OG episode is here! He joins PMG for a duo episode while Stephen is away on vacation. Alex and Michael talk beer news...

Batch 252: The Malt Couture Holiday Gift Guide

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Looking for that perfect gift for the beer lover in your life? Well, ditch the listicles as The Malty Boyz™ give you their personal recommendations ...

Batch 251: The Origins, Creation, and Legacy of the White Whale List with SpeedwayJim

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Few lists demand as much reverence in the beer world as the White Whale List. The Malty Boyz™ have based many episodes around ticking these rare, so...

Batch 250: Homebrewing and Experimental Hops with Vinnie Cilurzo

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's a mega sized batch as Vinnie Cilurzo jumps in the Malt Seat to talk about his homebrewing days, being at the forefront of the experimental hop ga...

Batch 249: The Roast of Steal This Beer

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When another beer podcasts decides to sponsor Malt Couture and tells them they want to be made fun of... well, let's just say they're going to get the...

Batch 248: White Whale Missed Connections and GABF '23

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alex has had A LOT of beers, but as a completionist the White Whale List is a hill still left to climb. While he's had a lot of beers off the WWL in t...

Batch 247: Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Beers

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's the return of the Bottleshare as Stephen drinks and power ranks four Oktoberfest appropirate beers. Alex shares his top 5 pumpkin beers of all ti...

Batch 246: Woodshop and Masumoto Family Farm Peaches with Chris Quiroga

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The founder of the underground-ish Bottleshare/Beer Festival and the keeper of Masumoto Family Farm peaches Chris Quiroga sits down in the Malt Seat t...

Batch 245: Foodie Boyz™

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alex and Stephen tag team this episode and talk about their recent food experiences. Alex talks about his experience at Addison, California's only 3-M...

Batch 244: DDB's Top 10 Beers of 2013

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Step back in time as Alex digs up an old review about his top 10 beers from 2013 plus the worst beer he had in 2013. The Malty Boyz™ also decide if ...

Batch 243: Wine and Basketball with Devin Reed

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the second installment of The Malt Seat, sommelier, founder of 59Wines, and host of Wine and Culture LA, Devin Reed takes a seat and answers spicy...

Batch 242: Fear and Loathing at the Great American Beer Fest

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time ever it's a solo hosted episode with Stephen taking the reigns of an entire episode. He shares some never before told details about...

Batch 241: Hop Water and NA Beers with Doug Veliky

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode introduces a new segment called The Malt Seat! Stephen sits down with @BeerAficionado himself, Doug Veliky, the mind behind Beer Cruncher...

Batch 240: "Life" International Barleywine Collab with Drew Pool

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen and Michael interview Drew Pool of Wren House Brewing about the "Life" International Barleywine collaboration to help fundraise for Alex and s...

Batch 239: The Whole Gang is All Back Together!

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Michael returns to Malt Couture. That's good! Then Alex finds out he has cancer. That's bad. But you can support Alex through the links below. That's ...

Batch 238: One GigaBier, Please!

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla releases GigaBier, a pilsner inspired by the Cybertruck, that honors the traditions of Reinheitsgebot beer brewing and uses Cyberhops and featur...

Batch 237: The 4th Annual 420 Episode: Mead Edition

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's that time of year again when the The Malty Boyz™ celebrate the coolest holiday: 4/20! This year Stephen's indulging his sweet tooth and assumbl...

Batch 236: The Hop Water Era Has Begun

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While The Malty Boyz™ are no stranger to hop water it looks like this delicious non-alcoholic beverage is trending towards becoming a new staple in ...

Batch 235: 100% Beer, 0% Podcast

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's a double dose of non-barrel aged barleywine when Alex brings in Life from Breakside Brewing and Stephen finds a dusty Canadian classic lurking am...

Batch 234: Don't Be Like Water

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Don't be like water making its way onto endcaps. Do be assertive, but adjust to the customer's preferences, and you shall find a way onto shelves and ...

Batch 233: Just 2 Sweet!

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's Alex and Stephen for the next couple months and this episode starts off with a callback to the "spritz tasting" Patreon episode before Alex bring...

Batch 232: And Then There Were 13 Trappist Breweries

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Achel loses it's trappist title after the last monks depart from the abbey. The Malty Boyz™ do make one last ditch effort to entice a monk to stay b...

Batch 231: Batch 1 Was Better

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The podcast has come around full circle as the 2017 Straight Jacket Barleywine from Revolution Brewing Co. was the very first beer ever featured on Ma...

Batch 230: New Year, Same Ol' Malty Boyz™ (unforch)

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ kick off 2023 drinking a crispy collab from Humble Sea Brewing Co. and Firestone Walker and recap what they did to ring in the new y...

Batch 229: Alex's First In-Person Trade

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alex takes Michael and Stephen on a trip down memory lane as he recounts his first ever in-person trade for a bottle of Midnight Sun's 2010 Barfly bat...

Batch 228: A Beersmas Carol 3: The Kidd Ultimatum

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The ghosts of Beersmas Past, Super Past, Present, and Future make their annual haunting of ol' Ebenezer Kidd and this year Alex must confront some har...

Batch 227: Hometown Heroes West Coast IPA Edition

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ explore some lesser known West Coast IPA brewers based off the suggestions of the Malt Mavens. Hoppy offerings from Ghost Town Brewi...

Black Friday Bonus: 5th Annual-ish Bourbon County Preview Review

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's that time of the year again to leave Thanksgiving dinner early, put on your warmest winter coat, and stand outside in the freezing cold with gran...

Batch 226: Fantôme Batch Zero

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ drink perhaps the rarest tick ever when they pop a never released Fantôme homebrew from 1988. Individually hand labeled by Dany Pri...

Batch 225: The Malty Boyz and the Giant Crack Apple

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When the Beer News brings the Malty Boyz™ a story about a Grateful Dead themed brewery with a cocaine dealing bartender it unlocks a tale from Alex'...

Batch 224: Alex's Freudian Slip

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After years of typing away on a keyboard in a damp, sour smelling basement, Alex vocalizes his inner craft beer shitlord to Stephen and Michael in the...

Batch 223: Concrete Eggs & Dark Lord

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hair of the Dog is selling their brewing equipment including the iconic concrete egg, an ovoid specialty fermenter, and The Malty Boyz™ listen in on...

Batch 222: Paninis Will Save the Brewery, Grandma!

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A brewery makes an accounting blunder and needs to sell $24,000 worth of food in order to stay open. The Malty Boyz™ take a look at their panini cen...

Batch 221: Dooby Dooby Doo...

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

IT'S HAPPENING! The Malty Boyz™ drink Bud Ice! But it comes with consequences when a 90s marketing campaign comes back to haunt them. In the Beer Ne...

Batch 220: QUINTUPLE TIME!

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bufflo, New York has a broken table problem thanks to the sale of draft beers quintupling during the NFL's opening weekend. It's another heatwave in L...

Batch 219: Midwest Legends!

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Malty Boyz™ nestle up with 5 legendary beers from the Midwest beer scene. All of them were bottled between 2010-2012 and at one time held a spot...

Batch 218: Now With More Kratom!

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alex experiments with kratom to unlock his potential while Michael resorts to smelling salts. In the Beer News, Mikkeller says they're closing their S...

Batch 217: Levi Funk of Funk Factory Geuzeria & Untitled Art

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Levi Funk finds himself in Southern California and ends up in the Malt Seat drinking with the Malty Boyz™. Levi starts off with a blind tasting for ...

Batch 216: Mr. Olympia Mumford & Sons

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when bodybuilding and folk rock collide? What if they also included breaking baseball bats in the name of evangelism? It's almost like a ...

Batch 215: Stephen's Alive!

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen returns to Malt Couture but before The Malty Boyz settle back into their old ways of drinking barleywines, flanders reds, and shelf turds, Ste...

Batch 214: Sunken Treasure Tax Evasion

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another episode, nice. Alex and Michael do this one. They talk about Miller Lite doing a collab with J Balvin, the new Modelo Oro light beer, and Lagu...