Beer Guys Radio | Craft Beer Podcast

Good Word Brewing is serving up great beer and food in the Atlanta suburbs When Good Word Brewing opened in Duluth, GA the sleepy Atlanta suburb was just beginning to see some revitalization.  The town has welcome new neighbors offering craft beer and great food to the area and Good Word is making its mark on craft beer. On this week's show Good Word Brewing's co-owner and brewer Todd DiMatteo joins us in the studio.  We've known Todd a long time, back when he was the general manager at the famed Brick Store Pub in Decatur, GA.  His partner at Good Word, Ryan Skinner, also worked many years at Brick Store as the Beer Manager. Good Word has been making waves recently.  They were invited to this year's Shelton Fest in Buffalo, NY and they've received praise in the press from Thrillist and Hop Culture for their amazing beers.  We talk with Todd about what this means for their brewery,  Asheville breweries and beer bars, their upcoming 2nd anniversary, and we get his suggestions for pairi

The Chicago Brewseum highlights history and culture through beer Beer and brewing have been a part of America since before our nation was founded and the Chicago Brewseum wants to share "the dynamic culture and innovative history of one of the world’s most vibrant industries." Liz Garibay, Executive Director of the Chicago Brewseum, joins us this week to share more about their mission and projects.  Their current exhibition at the Field Museum, Brewing up Chicago, tells how beer transformed the city through the 19th century.  Outside of Chicago they've presented an exhibition on Beer + Glass at Seattle's Pilchuck Glass School and more projects are in the works over the next two years. We also sample All the World is Here, a Cream Ale inspired by the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.  The brew is a collaboration with the Chicago Brewseum, the Field Museum, and Temperance Beer Co. Beer Culture Summit Chicago Brewseum will host the first Beer Culture Summit October 24-27, 2019 in Chicago.  Thi

Beer, cheese, and baseball legends with AleSmith's Peter Zien We caught AleSmith Brewing owner and CEO Peter Zien right after his return (and medal win) at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.  Zien serves as a judge at the beer competition where a record number of beers were presented this year.  AleSmith was founded in 1995 with Zien purchasing the brewery in 2002.  The brewery has grown a lot in that time and boasts one of California's largest tasting rooms. After purchasing the brewery, Zien tells us he missed homebrewing.  He's tried many hobbies since then including curing olives, candle and soapmaking, and cheesemaking.  The cheesemaking stuck and CheeseSmith now shares space with the brewery. We also talk about San Diego Pale Ale .394, a collaboration brew with Padres legend and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.  We hear how AleSmith got the called up to the mound for the collaboration and the progression of the beer after the unfortunate passing of Gwynn. Of course, we sample some beers

What's better than rock and roll and a good, cold beer? When you've got to go on stage and drum your heart out it's hard to load up on big, boozy beers.  Manchester Orchestra's Tim Very has learned his lesson and prefers to reach for a good, crisp drinkin' beer before a show.  Stella and Bud Light are stocked for them when on tour but during his downtime, he's a regular and his local craft beer bar and even has a few collaborations under his belt.  A new one is coming soon with Creature Comforts and Bearded Iris, which will launch just before (and be on tap at) The Stuffing festival in Atlanta this November. We share a few craft drinkin' beers with Tim as we chat about beer and band collaborations, playing shows at breweries, the growth of the Georgia beer scene, beards, and what's in store for Manchester Orchestra in the near future. Tim Very Podcast Tim has recently launched a podcast where he talks with creative people doing awesome things, you should check it out. 

Prost!  We're talking and drinking Oktoberfest this week with Tucker Brewing This is one of our favorites shows of the year.  We cook up some brats, some soft pretzels, break out the spaetzle and obatzda, and taste through a sampling of Oktoberfest beers while talking about the history and tradition of the OG Oktoberfest in Munich. Tucker Brewing Co. joins us for this time around.  With a focus on German-style lager and Georgia's largest beer garden they are primed and ready for Oktoberfest.  Brewmaster Tucker Eagleson and owner Ashley Hubbard share their beers and their story as they help us taste and rank nine Oktoberfest beers.  NOTE:  Yes, the brewmaster of Tucker Brewing is named Tucker, he started there about a year after they opened, and the brewery is in Tucker, GA.  TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER! The end result of this year's tasting is that we have a lot of great beers available to us in the US these days.  There were no losers here.  Well, OK, there were some losers, but we're trying t

Diving into the Abyss with Deschutes Brewery Deschutes Brewery was founded in 1988.  For a craft brewery, that's a long time ago.  Kyle Matthias, the Assitant Brewmaster at Deschutes' Pilot Plant tells us that innovation and agility are key for their continued success. We're joined this week by Matthias and Brewmaster Brian Faivre to hear more about what's going on at Deschutes.  While sipping a few of their amazing beers we discuss beer trends, staying ahead of the game as a bigger brewery, their new flavored malt beverage Modified Theory (NOT a hard seltzer!), brewing beer in the land of legal weed, and Deschutes' new Reserve Club.  Craft Beer News Constellation Brands is Closing Its Ballast Point Taproom in Daleville, Virginia The Beer List Deschutes Abyss 2015 Deschutes The Dissident Deschutes The Stoic 2015 Creature Comforts Eukaryote Monk's Mead Abstinence in the Abbey Next Week on Beer Guys Radio It's time for our annual Oktoberfest show!  Join us as we sample so

14th Star Brewing is craft beer Brewed With a Mission 14th Star Brewing co-founder Steve Gagner tells us how a late night of drinking led to a WalMart run for soapmaking supplies, and how this all ties in with his eventual interest in brewing and opening his own brewery. Despite the humorous roots, Gagner takes his beer very seriously and strives to serve his community, especially veterans. The original business plan was jotted on the back of a notebook while Gagner served on the battlefields of Afghanistan.  Upon returning home, the plan was refined with the help of his best friend and fellow soldier Matt Kehaya.  14th Star opened their doors in 2012 with a 3.5-barrel brewhouse.  As demand for their beer grew, 14th Star moved their current location in 2014 and upgraded to a 30-barrel brewhouse. We talk with Gagner about hazy IPAs and the difference in a Vermont IPA and NE IPA, maple beers (we kind of had to), and we talk about his efforts to serve veterans, common misconceptions the public has about veterans

Stan Hieronymus knows a thing or two about hops Stan Hieronymus has forgotten more about the beer industry than most of us will ever know.  He's typically leaned on for his knowledge of hops, but his expertise extends to many other areas in craft beer.  Hieronymus relocated to the Atlanta area about 1 1/2 years ago and we bend his ear every chance we get.  He joined us in early 2018 (BGR #120) and we thought it was about time to have him on again for an update. Naturally, we talk a lot about hops in this episode.  We get the update on the hop harvest across Europe and the Pacific NW and discuss hop terroir, a topic that hasn't been mentioned often but is generating more buzz after recent tests.  Some yeast talk happens as well, and we talk about our latest obsession - kveik.  We hear about the durability of true kveik strains and how real Norwegian farmhouse brewers make their beer, and it's likely nothing like what you've had at your local brewery.  With Hieronymus's recent trip to S

Beer Archaeologist Travis Rupp is bringing history back to life one beer at a time As far as cool job titles go, Beer Archaeologist is pretty high on the list.  Travis Rupp holds that title, as well as R&D Manager at Colorado's Avery Brewing Co.  In addition to his boozy life, Rupp is also a professor of classics, art history, and anthropology at University of Colorado Boulder and he's currently working on a book - Brewing in the Ancient World.  I'm not sure if he ever sleeps.Rupp joined us this week to talk about the history of brewing around the world.  We discuss the beers of ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt, Viking brews, monastic ales, and George Washington's penchant for beer and wine.  Attitudes towards beer varied in each culture with some celebrating it as the drink of the goods, while others imbibed in secret as they decried beer as the beverage of Plebians.We also dig into the ingredients and methods used and the difficulty some of these ancient additions impose when trying t

Lawson's Finest Liquids is always ready to share a little Sip of Sunshine When Sean Lawson founded Lawson's Finest Liquids in 2008 he wasn't sure if his "hobby" would work out.  His original brewhouse was built to accommodate his fallback plan, a sugar shack to process maple syrup.  He never had to execute the backup plan and today Lawson's beers are distributed to nine states in the northeast with appearances at bottle shares and gatherings across the country.Lawson tells us that although Sip of Sunshine got their name out to the masses, Double Sunshine was the first beer that folks started lining up for.  Each release brought the crowds in earlier, grabbing breakfast and sitting up their chairs.  Outside of New England, most people probably still know the brewery for their hoppy beers.  However, in addition to amazing IPAs, the brewery produces several maple beers, stouts, pilsners, and more.  Lawson even collaborated with a local distiller to make a spirit dubbed Hop Scotch.We

Load up the golf cart and bring your friends to Line Creek Brewing Co. Line Creek Brewing Co. was the first brewery to open in Peachtree City, GA.  Their small community has a bit slower pace than Atlanta, and golf carts are a common mode of transportation.  You're likely to see a few in the parking lot if you visit the brewery.  PTC'ers have welcomed Line Creek with open arms in their first year.  Their spacious taproom offers plenty of seating as well as TVs for watching the game and a large window to watch the magic happening in the brewhouse. We sat down with Paul Costick (Co-founder), Jason Carroll (Head Brewer), and Alex Knoll (Asst. Brewer and Lead Cellarman) at their anniversary party recently to find out how things went in their first year, what they've learned, and what's in store for the future.  They give us the scoop on the three variations of their anniversary stouts, we talk (more) about kveik, Jason's background brewing in Ireland, and adding seaweed to beers.  Plus, P

NXNW has been a part of the Austin beer scene since 1999 NXNW Brewing Company was founded in 1999 and built on the tradition of the great breweries in the Pacific Northwest.  They still brew on the original copper brewhouse that head brewer David Manley said is like a "big homebrew system." David is new to the head brewer position, assuming the role at the end of June, but he's got big plans.  He's going to up the barrel-aged and sour beer production at the brewpub, and experiment with various styles.  They've recently tapped a kveik-fermented beer and we dive into this new, hot yeast trend. We also discuss homebrewing roots and David remembers those days fondly.  Brewing beer for his friends' underground parties and living it up at NYC's Pony Bar. NEXT WEEK: Tune in for our conversation with Peachtree City, GA's Line Creek Brewing Co. Craft Beer News Craft Beer Drinkers Are Less Adventurous Than They Used to Be A List of the 5 Hottest Beer Trends of 2019 The AB InBe

Wooden Robot Brewery combines Belgian traditions and American innovation Wooden Robot's robot's name is Albert Beerstein.  That's what the people voted for and it stuck.  But we hear his friend's call him Woody Barrelson. Co-founder and CEO Josh Patton joins us this week to talk about his urban farmhouse brewery.  Their brewing is inspired by Belgian tradition while also leaning on the innovation and technology of American brewers.  They produce a variety of wild, funky, fruity, and hoppy beers and aren't concerned with being the biggest kid on the block. We talk about what it means to be an urban farmhouse brewery, using local and foraged ingredients, balancing taking care of yourself with taking care of your retail partners, and the pros and cons of self-distribution. We also discuss the results of our Twitter poll on hard seltzers and share some stats on the rising popularity.  We even sample a few, for science. NEXT WEEK: Tune in for our conversation with Austin's NXNW Brewin

Ale Sharpton is living the life we all want to live As Ale Sharpton joined us in the studio he'd recently returned from a trip to Montreal to take in the city with the goal of letting others know about their city.  Earlier, he was given the grueling task of evaluating a new Corvette.  Outside of travel and cars, he's well-versed on craft beer, gourmet food, fashion (especially sneakers), and a variety of other topics. We sat down with Ale to talk about his travels, diversity in craft beer, staying fit while still enjoying great food and beer, and his quest for the world's best crab cakes, and meeting the Rev. Al Sharpton. Ale doesn't sit still for long, there's too much to see, do, and drink.  He's already off on his next adventure to Baltimore, where I'm sure he'll take on more contenders for best crab cakes. Follow Ale Sharpton's adventures on his website, Cruisin' for a Brewsin', and on Instagram and Twitter. Craft Beer News Founders Brewing now avail

Asheville's Highland Brewing Co. just celebrated 25 years.  In American craft beer, that's a long time.  They've got a new look and some new beers, while balancing consistency of their classics for their long-time fans R&D Brewer Trace Redmond and Communications Specialist Eeva Redmond made the trek from Asheville to Atlanta to join us in the studio.  We talk about the new brews from Highland, get nerdy with some yeast talk, get some info on the brewery's relatively new barrel program, and find out the unique tool Trace uses to process one of the additions for their Slow Crush Tart Spritz Ale. Plus, we discuss the results of our very first Twitter poll on coffee beers and Brian gives us some craft beer news. Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher  | RSS Visit our website: https://beerguysradio.com Follow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Support the show: Patreon | Swag Shop | Our SponsorsSee omnystudio.com/listene

Lonerider Brewing celebrates 10 years of "Ales for Outlaws" At 10 years old Lonerider Brewing is part of the Old Guard in North Carolina craft beer.  Like many southern states, North Carolina was slow to change outdated beer laws.  They plan to celebrate throughout the year, the big party was in April but they'll continue to brew up special beers to mark the milestone. Head brewer Galen Smith joined us this week to talk about his time with Lonerider.  We discuss going from homebrewer to pro and what his tips are for the aspiring homebrewer.  Smith also shares his thoughts on beer trends, including the Brut IPA and whether it's fading fad or here to stay.  We sip some Pistols at Dawn and discuss its evolution, get the scoop on their new Wake Forest taproom, and just bit of mention on their newest venture, Lonerider Spirits. Craft Beer News UPDATE: Celis Brewery Has Filed For Bankruptcy, Causing Foreclosure Auction to be Canceled Thousands of Barrels of Jim Beam Bourbon Were Burned in a Wa

Beer. BBQ. Fireworks. Freedom. Right there in their name 21st Amendment Brewery celebrates one of the greatest freedoms of beer drinkers.  Just in case you aren't aware, the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition in the United States, bringing beer (and other booze) back to the people on December 5, 1933, Repeal Day.  Although the 4th of July is a big party for the brewery, co-founder and brewmaster Shaun O'Sullivan tells us Repeal Day (understandably) is their biggest celebration of the year. O'Sullivan joins us this week to talk about all those amazing freedoms.  With label art that is all about America any of their beers are ready for the holiday.  We talk grillin' out and get the scoop on their new Sparkale, a sparkling Rosé Ale and O'Sullivan's pick for the best Independence Day beer.  Homebrewing and recipe development, the early days of canning craft beer, and reminiscing on some 21st Amendment beers of the past all come up in the conversation. If you're in San Franciso sto

How two friends went from education to inebriation Schoolhouse Brewing's founders Thomas Monti and Justin Waller became friends when they were both teachers.  They both shared a love for good beer and brewing, and educating others.  Schoolhouse started as a bottle/growler/homebrew shop where the guys continued a strong focus on the educational aspect.  Recently, they graduated to the pros with the opening of their taproom in Marietta, GA. Monti and Waller join us in the studio this week (along with a surprise visit from our friends FishScales and Skinny DeVille of Nappy Roots) to talk about their journey, share some brews, and reminisce on some mostly forgotten beer styles.  We also learn about their open-source brewery concept, all of Schoolhouse's recipes are available on their website.  If you have a question on one of the recipes they'll happily give you some advice. Craft Beer News Miller Lite Has Made a Functioning Game Controller out of a Beer Can Experts Say that the Latest Trend of

Innovation and collaboration at Boulevard Brewing Back when Georgia had very few craft beer options Boulevard Brewing was always a favorite.  Our cellars are well-stocked with vintages of Saison-Brett, Love Child, and Rye-on-Rye.  Brian still cries a little that Harvest Dance Wheat Wine has been retired, but he'll get over. Steven Pauwels is the man behind many of those amazing beers.  He's been with Boulevard for 20 years and won many awards for his creations.  Pauwels is from Belgium and is one of the very few Belgian breweries in the United States.  His career in beer started when he was young, working at Brouwerij Krüger in his hometown of Eeklo.  After completing a Biochemical Engineering degree he worked at other breweries in Belgium before making his way to the US. Pauwels joins us this week to talk about his craft beer journey and what enticed him to come brew here in the states.  He shares his passion for the innovation and creation at American breweries and how important that is for contin

Mother Nature can't tell us when to drink our stouts With the temps hitting the 90s in Atlanta we thought this was the perfect time to do a show about stouts.  Big, boozy, malty, delicious stouts.  Since Orpheus Brewing brewmaster Jason Pellett shares our love of stouts in the Summer (he released several at Orpheus's anniversary Memorial Day weekend) we invited him to join the fun. We talk about the varieties of stouts available for Summer sippin'.  Dry Irish, Foreign Export Stout, Tropical Stouts... the list is a long one.  Plus, Jason tells us all about the benefits of a long boil (like, really long) when brewing his stouts, we talk about barrel-aging, pastry stouts, and dumping beer.  We also get into an in-depth conversation about plums. Don't let the heat scare you away, crack open a barrel-aged stout the next time you're hanging poolside. Craft Beer News Seattle brewery apologizes for Crips and Bloods themed beers The Beer List Orpheus Stouts All the Way Down Vol 8 (BBA with