<p>Learn what happens when a homebrewer starts with barrel-aged barleywines, defies style rules, and stocks up on high-end bourbon.</p><p>Ricky Cervantes, Founder and Director of Brewing Operations at Foreign Exchange Brewing Company in Aurora, Illinois, explains how he went from aging barrels in a climate-controlled apartment closet to building a homebrewing reputation that led to 400 people lining up for his first commercial batch. He explains how Foreign Exchange’s beers deliberately float between styles, and breaks down barleywine for newcomers.</p><p>After the break, Ricky covers the brewery&#39;s full range from 4% lagers to a 17% ABV imperial stout, the fermentation-science origin of the name &quot;Foreign Exchange,&quot; cocktails on tap, a serious bourbon program, and the story behind Aurora Beer, a German-style golden ale honoring a pre-Prohibition Aurora brewing giant, hand-bottled with a paper label for historical accuracy. Plus: Foreign Exchange’s unique Indian-Mexican fusion food menu and future plans, including wild ale experiments and a homebrew side project.</p><p>0:00 Intro</p><p>1:07 Welcome to Foreign Exchange Brewing Company in Aurora, Illinois</p><p>2:08 What Makes Foreign Exchange Different From Other Breweries?</p><p>3:31 Aurora Beer: A German-Style Tribute That Floats Between Styles</p><p>5:53 The Pre-Prohibition Brewery That Inspired Aurora Beer</p><p>7:33 Why Ricky Cervantes Built His Brewery in Downtown Aurora</p><p>8:22 How Ricky Got Into Contract Brewing Without a Professional Background</p><p>10:17 The Home Brewer Whose Beer Drew 400 People to a Release</p><p>11:52 What Black Tuesday Taught Ricky About Barrel Aging</p><p>12:28 How to Build a Barrel Room Inside an Apartment Closet</p><p>15:00 Finding the Right Imperial Stout Recipe (With Help From Energy City Brewing)</p><p>16:27 What Is a Barleywine, Exactly?</p><p>17:52 How Word of Mouth Built Ricky’s Homebrewing Reputation</p><p>22:35 Beer Break</p><p>23:28 Brewer’s Choice: Clockwork English-Style Barleywine</p><p>25:07 English vs. American Barleywines: What’s the Difference?</p><p>26:15 Running a Beer Program From 4% to 17% ABV</p><p>28:17 How Kittywampus Converts Dark Beer Skeptics</p><p>30:04 Why Foreign Exchange Added a Kitchen to the Taproom</p><p>32:04 Cheese Curds, Tacos, and Indian-Mexican Fusion at a Brewery?</p><p>38:18 How Indian Business Partners Inspired the Food Menu</p><p>41:29 The Nerdy Fermentation Reason the Brewery Is Called Foreign Exchange</p><p>42:08 How Cocktails Work on Draft (And Why the Old-Fashioned Separates)</p><p>43:10 Why a Craft Brewery Has an Entire Bourbon Program</p><p>44:13 What’s Next for Foreign Exchange Brewing?</p><p>45:23 Slow Magic, Wild Ales, and a Barrel-Aged THC Barleywine</p><p>46:38 Ricky’s Next Barrel Aging Goal: A Library for Blending</p><p>47:46 Final Four: Barleywine Is Life, and Kettle Sours Can Wait</p><p>49:11 The Beer With a Cursed Origin Story Ricky Will Never Brew Again</p><p>50:53 Ricky’s Go-To Beer When He’s Off the Clock</p><p>52:37 The 100-Year-Old Bottle That Changed Aurora Beer’s Packaging</p><p>56:14 Favorite Beer and Food Pairings</p><p>60:20 Final Toast: Good Beer and Being True to Yourself</p><p><br></p><p><strong>About Foreign Exchange Brewing Company:</strong> A microbrewery specializing in innovative small-batch and oak-aged ales, this Aurora, Illinois brewery was named 2020’s Best New Brewery in Illinois by PorchDrinking.com. Learn more at <a href="https://www.foreignexchangebrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.foreignexchangebrewing.com/</a> </p><p>—</p><p>Learn more about Crafty Brewers at <a href="https://craftybrewerspod.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://craftybrewerspod.com</a> </p><p>Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers</a> </p><p>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 <a href="https://quantum-podcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://quantum-podcasts.com/</a></p><p>Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/codygough/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Cody Gough</a>. He says that in this episode, you’ll learn about: Kittywampus coffee milk stout, Primo Pils jalapeño lime pilsner, triple IPA, Sweater Weather old-fashioned on tap, habanero lime Chicago-ish, Church Street Brewing, Energy City Brewing, foeder mixed culture fermentation, Riverlands Brewing.</p>