Beer Guys Radio Craft Beer Podcast

Are you ready for an extra long Oktoberfest?

The official Oktoberfest celebration in Munich is 18 days long this year, an extra 2 days over the typical 16 to include German Unity Day.

If you're celebrating in America that doesn't matter because we start celebrating in September and run all the way through October, and sometimes November. Because if there's a drinking holiday we're going to stretch it out as long as we can.

To get the party started we headed to Der Biergarten in Atlanta for the firs day of Oktoberfest. The celebration included a whole roasted pig, an official "first" keg tapping, oompah music, and plenty of beer.

We talked with Austin Edwards, head brewer at STATS Brewpub (STATS and Der Biergarten are both part of the Legacy Ventures family) and Jay Toxey, the Southeast Regional Manager for Paulaner USA. We enjoyed Paulaner's Festbier and Marzen and STATS Oktoberfest during the festivities. In keeping with tradition we learn a bit about Oktoberfest - fun facts, stats, and trivia, and about the beer served at Munich's festival.

If you're in Atlanta and looking for some great German beer and food to celebrate then head to Der Biergarten, get you a liter of bier, and party on.

And if you haven't listened yet, be sure to check out our 6th Annual Oktoberfest Blind Beer Tasting!

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

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If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

We're so busy festin' this year that we had to do an extra episode to work in our annual Oktoberfest blind beer tasting. But, we're dedicated so we made it happen.

We (OK, Brian) grabbed 5 German and 5 American takes on the the Festbier and Marzen styles and we blind tasted them and picked our favorites. In keeping with tradition we had some big, soft pretzels (praise be to QT) and some brats, and a bit of fish dip. We enjoyed these before and after tasting so we didn't mess up our delicate palates, and had some plain crackers and coffee to clear out our taste and smell.

As always, this was a fun show to do. Hard to argue with drinking through some great Oktoberfest beers. There were some definite surprises this year, and a few that performed as expected. Prost!

The Beer List (In alphabetical order)

• Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen - Märzen
• Bell's Octoberfest Beer - Märzen
• Hacker-Pschorr Oktboberfest Märzen - Märzen
• Hofbräuhaus München Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier - Festbier
• Paulaner Oktboberfest Märzen - Märzen
• Sam Adams Octoberfest - Märzen
• Sierra Nevada / Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei - Festbier
• Victory Festbier - Festbier
• Warsteiner Oktoberfest - Märzen
• Yuengling Oktoberfest - Märzen

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
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If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

Our beer fest tour continues...

Last weekend we took our happy selves to Duluth, GA for the Les Bon Beer Festival hosted by our good friends at Good Word Brewing.

Good Word always puts on a great event and this highly-curated selection of brewers and oyster farmers was no exception. We enjoyed a variety of saisons, mixed fermentation brews, and oysters as we chatted with some of the events participants.

We always love to learn more about things we don't know about. Ed Mera of Mera Brothers Oysters joins us to drop some general knowledge on oysters, the impact of hurricanes on oysters, green gills, and merroir.

Averie Swanson from Keeping Together tells us about her brewery and the journey from Texas, to Chicago, to New Mexico while educating us all on mixed culture beers. We get a shot of Underberg to keep our digestion in check, and discuss the wonders of Malort.

There are a few people we know well and always have good conversations with. Orpheus Brewing's Jason Pellett is one of those people. Jason's been on the show a handful of times over the years and was one of first guests wayyy back in 2016. Jason recently closed his taproom in Atlanta and is in the process of moving to Amsterdam where he'll open a much smaller brewery, The Hollows, thanks in part to more friendly brewing laws. We talk with Jason about these changes, the "protections" of the three-tier system, and why everything is so damn expensive these days. FYI... even though the taproom is closed you can still find Orpheus beers at retail and on draft thanks to their partnership with Bevana.

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

Did you see all the madness going around last week over the rumor that the Biden administration was going to tell Americans they can only have 2 beers a week? It was crazy and, from what we read, seemed to be an off the cuff comment blown out of proportion, but it made for some good discussion.

Larry Horwitz, currently with Crooked Hammock Brewery, but with a long resume, joined us on the show this week. We learn a bit about his brewery and what they're up to, talk about the changing craft beer industry, and ponder the impact that legal weed has on craft beer. There's some lager talk, and Larry debunks his nickname of the Light Lager Whisperer, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy them.

As part of the Brewers Associations draft beer committee Larry tells us about the challenges facing draft and the "state of the industry" for draft beer. We also get a great story about (the beer writer) Michael Jackson and peanut butter beer. Good times.

Annnnnnd.... we are now OFFICIALLY able to get into Oktoberfest beers! We did exactly that last weekend and there's more to come. Happy Holidays!

The Beer List

• Crooked Hammock Brewery - Wide Eyed Wit
• Ommegang - Gnommegang Belgian-Style Blonde Ale
• Other Half Triple Mylar Daydream
• Victory - Prima Pils

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

Last weekend we hung out with the crew at Terrapin Brewery Atlanta for the Live at the Battery beer fest. It was an awesome time filled with BBQ, beer, and great conversation.

Joining us on the show we had Terrapin co-founder Spike Buckowski and lead brewer Chad Martin. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation.

We discuss the art of whiskey blending. It's not easy to produce a consistent product, or to put out a new one that's a winner and offers something unique.

Spike gives us the scoop on Terrapin's 25th Anniversary beer, BBA Old Snapper Barleywine. We can't wait to get our hands on some of that one.

We open a few Terrapin vintage beers from Brian's cellar and talk about the fortress of wax on Terrapin's early wax-dipped bottles. Tiramisu Hoo, Cinnamom Roll'd WnB, and a Tart CherryWnB.

We reminisce about Belgian beer and how for many of us that was our gateway to the wonderful world of craft.

Spike share's info on his travels to Canada and the malty adventures there and Chad chats about brewing with some fun ingredients, like Phantasm and thiolized yeast.

We get in some hot Cold IPA talk, more reminiscing on macro beers, lagers, and Malort. Ahhh, Malort.

Terrapin Beers of the Week

• Clara Bell Kolsch
• Just a Bit OTP
• Tripel Buzz
• Tiramisu Hoo VINTAGE!
• Cinnamom Roll'd WnB VINTAGE!
• Tart CherryWnB VINTAGE!

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

Apparently Germany has a raccoon problem. Drunken ones at that. The population has exploded in recent years and the furry troublemakers are breaking into homes, tearing stuff, and getting lit. They sound like they'd be cool to hangout with.

We got a new beer style, or do we? I've been using my skeptical face lately with some of these new beer styles. Apparently, West Coast Pilsner is a thing. But it sounds like the flavor isn't what you'd expect from something with "West Coast" in the name.

British Brewers battered by Brexit. In addition to the standard issues facing brewers today it sounds like Brexit is causing grief for some of Britain's brewers. Many are noting huge losses of export sales due to Brexit, and some are closing. That'll teach 'em.

Billy Busch Wants To Make Bud Light Great Again. Ol' Billy claimed on a recent interview he'd buy back the brand. Sounds like just some puffing of the chest for attention, but who even knows these days.

Vintage... fish? You know Brian and I are currently going through a tinned seafood phase. As dive into this more we are learning so many fun things. Like there are "vintage" tins of sardines. Apparently the flavors mellow with a few years age on them and soak up more of whatever they're canned in - oil, tomato sauce, peppers.. From what I've seen so far about 5 years is as you want to go. I'm curious to try some cellared fish, and a bit scared.

IT'S BEER FEST TIME Y'ALL!!! Atlanta peeps! Come join us this weekend at Terrapin Brewery Atlanta where we'll be getting our beer fest on and talking with Terrapin founder Spike Buckowski. On 09/09 catch us a Les Bon at Good Word in Duluth, GA and on 09/16 we'll be at Der Biergarten in Atlanta for some hot Oktoberfest fun. Wooooo!

The Beer List

• Bitburger Pils
• Fonta Flora / AZ Wilderness - Doom Tree Kölsch (Aged on fresh lemon zest and local elderflower)
• NoDa Brewing - Hop Drop ‘N Roll West Coast style IPA
• Monday Night - Surround Sound American Pilsner
• Dalton Brewing - Space Cow Milkshake NEIPA
• Jack’s Abby Post Shift Bavarian Pils

Sources

• https://twitter.com/Beervana/status/1692313696226427269
• https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/aug/19/craft-beer-boom-uk-firms-bust-brexit

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

Maui Brewing is leading efforts for wildfire relief

Earlier this week a fire ripped through the town of Lahaina on Maui. The losses were devastating, a nearly total loss of the entire city. Maui Brewing is leading the initiative for relief efforts through direct contributions, sharing resources, and starting the Kokua Project for a collaborative brew inspired by Sierra Nevada's Resilience project. Follow the links below for more info on ways you can support these efforts.

• TS Restaurants Legacy of Aloha - which will help the affected employees and their families
• Makai Foundation - which will support rebuilding efforts
• Maui Brewing Fire Fund - which will raise funds to deal with additional needs on the ground.

And if you’re a brewery and you would like to sign up to participate in the Kokua Project, you can find out more on the Maui Brewing website.

Go to: MauiBrewingCo.com/kokua

What's the price for a case of beer in your state?

Beer prices across the country vary greatly. Taxes, shipping, and other silliness can all impact cost. A survey from Alcohol Delivered shares the average cost of a case of macro brews across the US.

Take a trip to Treehouse for nine holes and a hazy

Breweries are always trying to come up with new ways to attract guests. For Treehouse brewing, that's opening a location with a 9-hole golf course. The move isn't unprecedented, Strange Duck Brewing here in Georgia has a (mini) golf course on site as well. FORRRE!

Ocean aging alcohol never seems to work out

A winery in California recently had the authorities step in and put a stop to their underwater aging efforts. The FDA said the wine was adulterated and not fit for human consumption. This reminds us of a story from a few years ago when a brewery tried aging a barrel of their beer on the ocean floor. The end result? The barrel of beer was stolen. Bummer.

The Beer List

• Oyster City - Tates Helles
• Prairie Artisan - Spicy Pickle Monster
• Terrapin - Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout
• Captain Lawrence - Citra Dreams
• Jester King - Queen’s Order
• Sierra Nevada Summerfest (Cause Su

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

We had to wing it this week...

Unfortunately, our guest had a last minute emergency this week and we'll have to reschedule Larry for another time. It's cool, we've got this. We can always talk about beer.

Canned Fish and Beer Pairing?

One of our latest obsessions is tinned seafood. Sounds like we're kind of late to the party here but at least we made it to the party. I've always enjoyed a nice kipper or some tuna salad but there's a whole world out there I had no idea about. Fish lovers have their own forums, inside jokes, and memes just like beer nerds. Weirdos. We offer up some pairing suggestions for those that want to explore this salty world with us. Grab yourself some deens (that's what the cool kids call sardines) and grab a brew. If you've got any favorites please let us know.

Tilray Buys a Bunch of Breweries

The big news in beer this week is Tilray's purchase of 8 brands from Anheuser Busch. There's plenty of debate on whether this is a smart or dumb move for Tilray. It seems they got a great price on the package, less than AB paid for just one of the breweries when they acquired them.

The purchase of Sweetwater started Tilray (Aphria at the time) down the beer path and they acquired a few others since then. Here in Atlanta we've enjoyed Alpine and Green Flash brews on tap at the Sweetwater taproom. Maybe we'll see a cornucopia of these legacy brands there in the future.

German beer sales down, Guinness has a record year

Sounds like our German friends are easing up their drinking as sales are reported to be down 2.9% compared to last year. The country saw a bit of a boost once Covid restrictions lifted but that has gone away. In contrast to that, Guinness had it's best year ever with sales up 9% across all regions. Truly a lovely day for a pint.

The Beer List

• Deschutes / Bitburger - Dry Hop’d Zwickl
• Meier’s Creek - Dark Logger
• Decadent Ales - AC/DC PWR⚡UP Juicy IPA (6.66%)
• Bluejacket - They Both Melt (Dunkel)
• El Segundo - Greetings from El Segundo Anniversary Ale (TIPA)
• Three Taverns Beeps - Lager

Sources

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/hudsonlindenberger/2023/08/08/tilray-brands-deal-with-anheuser-busch-inbev-sets-them-firmly-on-the-national-stage/?sh=6d317f4424a8

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

We had to wing it this week...

Unfortunately, our guest had a last minute emergency this week and we'll have to reschedule Larry for another time. It's cool, we've got this. We can always talk about beer.

Canned Fish and Beer Pairing?

One of our latest obsessions is tinned seafood. Sounds like we're kind of late to the party here but at least we made it to the party. I've always enjoyed a nice kipper or some tuna salad but there's a whole world out there I had no idea about. Fish lovers have their own forums, inside jokes, and memes just like beer nerds. Weirdos. We offer up some pairing suggestions for those that want to explore this salty world with us. Grab yourself some deens (that's what the cool kids call sardines) and grab a brew. If you've got any favorites please let us know.

Tilray Buys a Bunch of Breweries

The big news in beer this week is Tilray's purchase of 8 brands from Anheuser Busch. There's plenty of debate on whether this is a smart or dumb move for Tilray. It seems they got a great price on the package, less than AB paid for just one of the breweries when they acquired them.

The purchase of Sweetwater started Tilray (Aphria at the time) down the beer path and they acquired a few others since then. Here in Atlanta we've enjoyed Alpine and Green Flash brews on tap at the Sweetwater taproom. Maybe we'll see a cornucopia of these legacy brands there in the future.

German beer sales down, Guinness has a record year

Sounds like our German friends are easing up their drinking as sales are reported to be down 2.9% compared to last year. The country saw a bit of a boost once Covid restrictions lifted but that has gone away. In contrast to that, Guinness had it's best year ever with sales up 9% across all regions. Truly a lovely day for a pint.

The Beer List

• Deschutes / Bitburger - Dry Hop’d Zwickl
• Meier’s Creek - Dark Logger
• Decadent Ales - AC/DC PWR⚡UP Juicy IPA (6.66%)
• Bluejacket - They Both Melt (Dunkel)
• El Segundo - Greetings from El Segundo Anniversary Ale (TIPA)
• Three Taverns Beeps - Lager

Sources

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/hudsonlindenberger/2023/08/08/tilray-brands-deal-with-anheuser-busch-inbev-sets-them-firmly-on-the-national-stage/?sh=6d317f4424a8

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!

Black is Beautiful Vol. 2 is coming

Marcus Baskerville of Weathered Souls Brewing didn't intend to start a movement when he created his Black is Beautiful beer. Intentional or not, the movement happened, with 1,200+ breweries across all 50 states and 22 countries brewery their take on the Imperial Stout. Vol. 2 is underway, this one will be a NEIPA.

National Black Brewers Association

Less than 1% of the nearly 10,000 craft breweries in the US are black-owned, the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) aims to change that. Through raising awareness the organization aims to the number of African Americans in brewing while raising awareness of the African American brewing history, opening more opportunity and resources for black brewers, and much more. Listen as Marcus shares about the organization and their goals.

Seasonal Creep and Pumpkin Hate

It's going to happen. I can't stop it. But we don't have to like. Hear our takes on seasonal creep of all things and our exception for a bit of Christmas in July.

You will never see a pumpkin beer from Weathered Souls. We can appreciate that. Marcus shares about his early, explosive experience with pumpkin that solidified his stance.

Learn more about Black is Beautiful and the National Black Brewers Association

There's a lot more than we could cover in an hour. Check out the links below for more info.

• https://www.nationalblackbrewersassociation.org/
• https://blackisbeautiful.beer/
• https://weatheredsouls.beer/

Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson.

Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS
Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon. Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!