Happy Hour continues at Big Hoffa’s Barbecue in Westfield, Indiana, and things only get louder, looser, and more opinionated.

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy are still on location, still surrounded by barbecue, and still working their way through Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond, this time with a full room behind them and brisket disappearing by the pan. Joined again by Madison Tragesser from Old Forester, the conversation shifts from tasting notes to bigger questions—history, hype, and what actually matters when people buy bourbon.

They dig into:


why Old Forester is a brand everyone knows… and some people still skip


how “heritage” competes with Instagram marketing


whether high proof is overrated (and who that opinion offends immediately)


how suggestion and groupthink creep into bourbon reviews


and why some tasting notes deserve a little side-eye

From there, Happy Hour does what it does best—wanders.

The brisket conversation turns serious with Adam Hoffman, owner of Big Hoffa’s, breaking down:


what makes Midwestern barbecue different


why trimming matters more than people think


how smoke, heat, and fat actually work together


and what it takes to turn out 50–60 briskets a day without losing consistency

Then the episode swerves again—into NFL chaos, coaching patience (or lack of it), and finally a casino story that starts with a quiet 7 a.m. gambling floor, briefly becomes profitable, and ends with a sentence no human should ever overhear before breakfast.

There is bourbon.
There is brisket.
There are opinions.
And there are two hot dogs that were, allegedly, worm-free.

Happy Hour, Part 2 from Big Hoffa’s.

Eat. Drink. Smoke.
More at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.

Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!

X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke
Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke
IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Happy Hour continues at Big Hoffa&rsquo;s Barbecue in Westfield, Indiana, and things only get louder, looser, and more opinionated.
Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy are still on location, still surrounded by barbecue, and still working their way through Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond, this time with a full room behind them and brisket disappearing by the pan. Joined again by Madison Tragesser from Old Forester, the conversation shifts from tasting notes to bigger questions&mdash;history, hype, and what actually matters when people buy bourbon.
They dig into:
<ul data-start="807" data-end="1135">
<li data-start="807" data-end="881">
why Old Forester is a brand everyone knows&hellip; and some people still skip
</li>
<li data-start="882" data-end="934">
how &ldquo;heritage&rdquo; competes with Instagram marketing
</li>
<li data-start="935" data-end="1017">
whether high proof is overrated (and who that opinion offends immediately)
</li>
<li data-start="1018" data-end="1078">
how suggestion and groupthink creep into bourbon reviews
</li>
<li data-start="1079" data-end="1135">
and why some tasting notes deserve a little side-eye
</li>
</ul>
From there, Happy Hour does what it does best&mdash;wanders.
The brisket conversation turns serious with Adam Hoffman, owner of Big Hoffa&rsquo;s, breaking down:
<ul data-start="1292" data-end="1522">
<li data-start="1292" data-end="1336">
what makes Midwestern barbecue different
</li>
<li data-start="1337" data-end="1384">
why trimming matters more than people think
</li>
<li data-start="1385" data-end="1436">
how smoke, heat, and fat actually work together
</li>
<li data-start="1437" data-end="1522">
and what it takes to turn out 50&ndash;60 briskets a day without losing consistency
</li>
</ul>
Then the episode swerves again&mdash;into NFL chaos, coaching patience (or lack of it), and finally a casino story that starts with a quiet 7 a.m. gambling floor, briefly becomes profitable, and ends with a sentence no human should ever overhear before breakfast.
There is bourbon. There is brisket. There are opinions. And there are two hot dogs that were, allegedly, worm-free.
Happy Hour, Part 2 from Big Hoffa&rsquo;s.
Eat. Drink. Smoke. More at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.
Follow Eat Drink Smoke on social media!
X (Formerly Twitter): @GoEatDrinkSmoke Facebook: @eatdrinksmoke IG: @EatDrinkSmokePodcast

Eat Drink Smoke is the bourbon and cigar review show for everyone!
You'll get reviews you can use, in a way you can understand them. There's also great takes on the stories dominating the week, but without the anger of social media. Eat Drink Smoke is the podcast that fits into your life because it's just like you - interested in new things, good people and honest, funny conversation.
Eat Drink Smoke is hosted by long-time radio host and entertainer Tony Katz, with co-host Fingers Malloy.

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy talk amazing spirits, brilliant cigars and great food.

Eat Drink Smoke

Happy Hour — Old Forester Night at Big Hoffa’s (Part 2)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/78a347aa-3282-4ac5-837c-a72300032082/clips/dd03e246-c959-4abb-b46f-b3d6011f7a1d/transcript