Beer Guys Radio | Craft Beer Podcast

This week, we’re raising a glass to American Craft Beer Week—because if there’s one thing we do best, it’s drinking local and talking about it loudly into microphones.Tim’s off on a secret beer mission (probably), so Brian calls in reinforcements in the form of Mo Mic Nate— beverage philosopher, and man of many hats (most of them ball caps). The SetupIt’s been one of those weeks. Nate’s fresh off sweating through a Georgia scorcher with a frosty pint in hand, and Brian’s just survived a medieval dental visit where his dentist told him—get this—he has a small mouth. (Cue audience laughter.)But never fear, the mics are hot and the beer is cold.American Craft Beer Week – What's the Big Deal?Craft Beer Week isn't just a clever excuse to drink more (though it helps). It’s a time to:Support local taprooms and breweriesTry something new on the menu (yes, even the rice lager)Remind ourselves why independent beer still hits differentBrian and Nate break down what breweries are doing to celebrate—from limited

"Bitter" Truths, Big Beers, and Bold MovesThis week, we crack open a triple dose of hop-fueled commentary, brewery gossip, and World Beer Cup bombshells. We even got a little salty—literally.In Beers of the Week we pay tribute to a fallen Georgia brewer with Jekyll Brewing’s Big Creek Kölsch. Jekyll, a longtime staple with both supporters and haters, is set to shut down all locations on Mother’s Day. We dove deep into their history, rise, Kickstarter roots, and the harsh economics of brewery expansion in a post-industrial park taproom era.Then came the ESB talk. What the heck is an ESB anyway? Brian broke down the style—medium malt, medium hop, and no, it’s not actually that bitter. We dug into the surprising World Beer Cup win: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale taking gold in the American ESB category. Wait, what? Pale Ale is an ESB now? According to the new guidelines, apparently so. The lines blur, styles evolve, and Brian drops knowledge.Speaking of the World Beer Cup, Georgia showed up big: 6 breweries, 9

Drink Local!We've discovered over the years that local beer can mean different things to different people and that can vary depending on where you are. We're a bit flexible with the term and even our opinions have changed a bit over the years. How do you define local beer?Analyzing beer with your phone. An app has been developed that can measure the level of DMS in beer. Scientifically known as Dimethyl Sulfide, it's presence can give beer flavor of cooked corn, cabbage, tomato juice, and even seafood. There's a bit more to it then just taking a pic of your beer, but it's still pretty neat.Why do we put limes in Mexican lagers? The short of it? We're not sure where or why it started. Maybe it just tastes good. Brian built us up to expect an answer, but didn't deliver. There are a few theories though.1.5 liters of beer for only 67 cents. That's a bargain no matter how you look at it. Aldi in China offers up this insane deal. I can't expect it's a medal winning

I do love a good hotel barHotel bars. Like regular bars (OK, I guess they are regular bars) they run the gamut from super divey to classy. They've got their own vibe though and in some smaller towns they may be the best thing going. What are your thoughts?With all the news of closures lately it was nice to see that Fifty-Fifty Brewing is planning a major expansion. These folks had a lot of hype 8-10 years ago. Their big, barrel-aged bombers commanded a hefty price and were always exciting to see at bottle shares. I haven't heard as much about them lately but maybe that's on me.We can't get away from taxes and tariffs. Honestly, we don't really have a good idea of what is and isn't tariffed and from where. We share with you what we can, but it's confusing. Plus, Washington state is trying to hike up their taxes on beer. I think now would be a good time to chill, it's tough enough as it is.It's not just the US that's feeling the pinch on beer. The German beer in

Everything sucks, but at least we still have beerThe Brewers Association released their 2024 brewing industry stats recently. As expected, it wasn't great, but it could be worse. There are still passionate people opening breweries and us consumers still have more options for great beer than we ever have before. Praise be.\ChatGPT and Beer (and other things)Do you use AI in your job? For Brian and I it's become a daily tool. It's advancing amazingly fast. There are fun beery things you can do with it, too. Get beer recommendations, have it create labels and action figures from your description, or research info on beer and breweries. One caveat - it gets things wrong, a lot, and it states them rather confidently. Question everything it tells you and verify the info. If something doesn't look right then call it out and the AI will take another look to verify its info... but it may tell you something else wrong again.It's hard not to be political these daysY'all, we have been doing

Record setting vintage beer can soldI enjoy breweriana but I always struggle with saying it. Serious collectors will pay big money to add to their collections. Last week, a vintage beer can in excellent condition sold for over $100,000. Now that's a serious brewerianaian.From the "We'll take any good news we can get" files, people are still preferring to go out for beers vs. grabbing them to drink at home. A surprising percentage of the population said they'd still go to a bar or restaurant even if they were tight on money. Hey, we all have to get out every now and then.Utah's alcohol laws have always been a bit... unique. In a big move for Utahans, they'll soon be able to get beer delivered to their car. Sounds odd but it's really just allowing them to get the beer brought out to them when they do a curbside grocery order. Small victories are still victories.In other news, we get an update on what's going to happen with Dry Dock Brewing, talk about the states with

Spring has sprung and everything is covered in pollenWe attended Little Beer Fest in Duluth, GA last weekend and the Atlanta area set a record for pollen count.  The sky was a bit yellow-green hazy.  Madness.  The sneezes and itchy eyes didn't keep us from enjoying a lot of great beers, though.You ever think about the various "eras" of craft beer?  The IBU wars, the race to be the most sour, Haze Craze.  We ponder what the various eras have been and what may be next.The tariffs we've been talking about have finally rolled out, so we share the latest on those.  It's going to hit everything.  Buckle up.Some big news on the buyout front this week with Anderson Valley and Great Divide being acquired.  Locally, our beloved Terrapin Brewpub at Truist Park is now a Blue Moon brewpub.  Since Terrapin was sold and Miller-Coors has rights to beer at the stadium it was kind of expected this might happen.In other news a thirsty gentleman has invented a self-cooling beer can and we find out what e

Craft beer is having some tiny victories.Most of the news about craft beer these days, is not good. Breweries closing, being bought, layoffs. Blech. But there are some tiny rays of hope out there that shows this ol' drink still has life. In some locations craft beer is up. That's right. Up. And in others it's taking market share from wine and spirits. We'll take all the good news we can, now matter how small.We also was poetic about being able to sell beer from your house, which is totally cool in some countries. I'm sure if we'd had this option when we were heavy into brewing we would have sold a few bottles. Imagine the utopia if every neigborhood had 4-5 pubs. <sheds tear>No new tarrif news, how about some tax news?As far as we know there's nothing new to report on the tariffs this week. I'm sure there will be soon. But taxes, we got news on taxes. In the UK there's a proposed tax increase on their beloved, threatening to push the average price of a pint o

Four more beers!We just can't get away from talking about tariffs. The ever changing topic that politicians are using to swing their johnsons around at each other. Well, it's really just one politician, but it's impacting everyone. And, it could impact your beer in a big way. On a lighter note we learn about the highest brewery in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Did you know the records thing was started by Guinness the brewery? Sir Hugh Beaver (seriously) got into a debate about the fastest game bird and commission a book for records and facts that eventually became the Guiness Book of World Records. They're no longer officiially connected, but they do have common heritage.Science! The scientists say hanxiety is a real thing. That anxiety you feel a day (or two) after having one too many. We've got the details on why.Canada is really taking a lot of heat in this political circus. Moosehead has a cure, at least a treatment, they created a Presidential Pack

Grab a pint of Guinness and let's go!!!As you all know, Brian and I are also cologne nerds. In the cologne world (fragcom) you have niche (craft) and designers (macro/Big Beer) but there are a few designers that get a pass by the "niche snobs" as being acceptable. Kind of like Guinness. It's really big beer, but most craft crazies don't mind and will still enjoy a Guinness. St. Patrick's Day is the perfect day for it.You don't have to drink Guinness, there are several other great Irish stouts available. And many local breweries offer up a great Dry Irish Stout for the holiday. We share some suggestions for you to check out. Brian is also a fanboy of the "Half and Half," with the old Black and Tan being the most well known. There are a lot of other options there, too.Outside of the beer we dive into who St. Patrick was, or might have been. Some info on the lore and legends of St. Patrick's Day, and some consumer predictions for this year's celebrations.How

On again, off again tariffs will impact beer pricesI don't know what to say about these tariffs. We record a show and talk about them going into effect, then they're paused again. We can't keep up. However, a lot of folks aren't buying the delays and making big changes to the way they do business. In the end, if they do go into effect, it's going to impact the price of your beer, and mostly likely everything else.Monster Beverage took a huge loss on their beer business. Good. They gobbled up some great breweries and did terrible things with them. Most of the people we cared about at these places have moved on. I don't wish ill will for any that remain, but Monster can go pound sand.We've always said, "It's OK, if it's an a 3-way." It's kind of our motto. Monks took note and there's a 3-way Trappist collaboration brew coming out. Hopefully we can get our hands on it.In other news... pairing beer and chocolate, Teamsters go after Boston Beer Co.,

The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame announces their first inducteesRecently the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame held a ceremony to announce their innaguaral group of inductees. Lots of familiar, and deserving men and women made the cut. I'm sure it wasn't easy to choose.NA beer continues to have lovers and haters. Despite the haters, the popularity continues to grow and the NA beer category continues to break its previous sales records, most recently in January.If you've went to a bar and had a beer that you know you love and it just wasn't hitting, it's likely the bar wasn't taken care of things properly. Storage temps, clean draft lines and glassware, and even the way a beer is poured can have a huge impact on how that beer drinks. The Colorado Brewers Guild aims to combat that by certifying bars that do everything right. We're totally behind the idea and hope it expands.In other news... Brian shares info on the most expensive airport beers, we anxiously await the releas

As craft beer struggles, brewers fight for better beer lawsThe battle for better beer laws is a long one. I've personally been involved in the grassroots efforts for a decade now and many of Georgia's breweries have been at it 3x that long.Beer laws don't get changed easily. The three-tier system is lonstanding and, with one tier have the majority of power (hint: it's not the brewers) they aren't keen on change. This year Georgia's brewers and the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild have put forward Senate Bill 122 to fight for more change. The key elements are allowing limited self distribution, allowing breweries to donate to charities, and raising the to-go sales cap for breweries which is currently at 288 oz, or 1 case of 10 oz cans.Schoolhouse Brewing's Thomas Monti joined us to talk about the bill, and beer laws in general. Thomas knows very well the tough times breweries are going through as he recently closed one location of his brewery. Fortunately, Schoolhouse's origi

Big Beer doesn't love you like craft beer does.We're back and we're ready to party.  We missed a Super Bowl show but we're recapping the game and, more importantly, the beer commercials this week.  On that note, Atlanta's Monday Night Brewing isn't happy about Coors' "Case of the Mondays" campaign.  Monday Night has been selling a mix pack with the name for many years now.  A cease and desist sent to Molson was replied with, essentially, "too bad, it's done now."  In Presidential news... tariffs.  So hot right now.  They're on, they're off, they're back on.  We can't keep up.  If they are on, they could hit your beer prices.  Proposed aluminum tariffs will impact packaging costs for most producers.  And if all these other tariffs go into place it could hit malt, hops, and who knows what else.Some sorta good news as one beer purchasing index shows sales aren't down as much as they have been.  It's a bummer when things bee

Quicksand isn't nearly as prevalent as I thought it would be when I was a kid.Have you ever been stuck in quicksand. I have. Seriously. But, I really expected my adult life to be a constant battle to dodge the killer soup and I'm pretty thrilled that's not the case.Brewers Association and American Homebrewers Association to splitSome big news this week with the BA and AHA announcing they'll split. The two have operated together for decades but feel the split will allow both groups to focus on their members more. It seems amicable and hopefully will mean good things.Brian shares an update on the We Love LA relief beer. The movement has a website now and more breweries are joining the cause.San Francisco's Toronado is up for sale. After 38 years the owner is calling it a day. Sounds like his hope is someone will buy it and carry on the torch.Sapporo news is always disappointed. In the latest punch, they've laid off 2% of their workforce. Par for the course in beer these days, but s

Are you dry, damp, or wet this January?We're not gonna let this one go. It's January, and folks are dry all over. It's almost done though, we'll make it through this. Nate is dry, Tim is moist, and Brian is so, so wet right now.The folks at Pub Beer are fighting back against all this dryness with their Wet January initiative. Leonardo DiCheapio shares cheesy videos, contest, and deals on Instagram @CheapFunBeer.  Check it out.It's not all fun and games though. The TTB is implementing some major labeling changes, and it could impact what and where we get our beer. We'll stay on top of this, but there are some huge changes proposed regarding nutrition labeling.After news of MolsonCoors closing the Leinenkugel brewery broke the original owners offered to buy it back. MC said no, we waited for more info, after we recorded our show it was reported that they plan to use it as a pilot brewery. Sad ending for an OG.Is pounding Guinness the key to a healthy, long life?Probably not, but fo

A bit of good news for beer...Per Brewbound the New Year started off OK for beer. Sales were up double digits for the sector as a whole, and craft beer saw an 8.7% increase.After ringing in 2025 the numbers may dip a bit, as is tradition for January. For those choosing to go dry, NA beer is the beverage of choice. A poll showed 60% of those participating in Dry January chose NA beer over other NA beverages. 10% preferred NA spirits, and 13% chose NA wine. We have sampled NA win but the numbers aren't surprising based on the NA liquors we've tried. They still got some work to do.Brewers come together for wildfire reliefBrewers are the best. As expected, there's a collective effort to support relief for the Los Angeles wildfires, spearheaded by Common Space Brewery. You can get more info at www.commonspace.la.Tilray to eliminate 300 alcoholic beverages from their portfolioTilray just keeps at it, announcing a huge cut to their offerings. They say this will mostly impact products that are "du

You ever done some Zebra Striping?The trend has been around for a while, but now there's a term for it. Alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage is... Zebra Striping. Seems the practice may be a bit more refined than just having glass of water after a few beers, but it ain't new.Is your January still dry?Nate is dry, I'm kinda moist, and Brian is nearly drowning. But if you're still dry we've got a mocktail recipe using Guinness 0 that you might want to try out. If you're in the pool with Brian we also have some tips on pairing beer and whiskey. Now we're talking.Is beer good for you or not?Science can never agree on this, or anything health related it seems. The Surgeon General wants to expand the warning on beer to note that it can cause cancer. At the same time another group of scientists say they've re-confirmed that moderate alcohol consumption can have health benefits. Our suggestion, play it cool and enjoy life.This week in News We Thought Was Done Years

Happy New Year and Happy 9th Anniversary to us!We made it to 9 years. Wild. I know everyone looking back on things says how much they've seen change, but wow, we sure have seen a lot change since we started this thing. What a ride. Thanks for joining us for the trip. Maybe we'll throw a big party for the 10 year celebration.This week we talk about Dry January. Nate's going dry, I'm dry for now due to #DoctorsOrders, and Brian is still very wet. If you do go dry, don't forget your local breweries. Go grab a bite, see if they have any NA offerings, maybe try a mocktail. They need you now more than ever.Big news from the Brewers Association as Bart Watson is appointed President and CEO. Bart was formerly the Chief Economist at the BA and shared all the facts and figures on what was happening in the craft beer world. He joined us on the show back in 2018, you can check that out here. (I have no idea where the Duke's Mayo ad on that show came from.)For the crappy news that seems so co

Oh come all ye faithful, let's have a beer!Once again it's time for one of our most favorite shows of the year, the Interfaith Holiday Craft Beer SPECTACULAR.A few years ago our Jewish friends Michael Syrop and Ron Mitchell of Rainy Day Brewing joined us to help sample our holiday beers. We decided that was awesome and made it a tradition. The Rainy Day crew is back this year to blind taste holiday beers and choose our favorites.The Holiday Beer ListBells Christmas AleBarrel of Monks Father Christmas Holiday AleBreckenridge Christmas AleBronx Brewing Jingle Jangle Holiday AleDelirium NoelFat Bottom NoelHighland Cold MountainN'Ice ChouffeOmmegang Everything NaughtySamichlaus ClassicScaldis NoelShiner Holiday CheerSierra Nevada CelebrationSloop Brewing (No) Santa NEIPASouthern Tier Chestnut PralineSt. Bernardus Christmas AleStraffe Hendrik Xmas Blend (Vintage)Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Elling