Beer Guys Radio | Craft Beer Podcast

Cheers to 7 years: Turning the page to BGR 2.0This episode is the final episode we will record in the Beer Guys Radio studio and the final radio broadcast of the show.  We're not going away, BGR 2.0 is around the corner, but it is a bittersweet moment as we say goodbye to the old and get excited for what's next.We reminisce about our favorite moments from the past seven years, including meeting Beer Archaeologist Travis Rupp, talking to Dan Carey, and interviewing Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog.  We also discuss the decline in craft beer sales and ponder the reasons behind this decline. Additionally, we explore the closure of Mikkeller's final US location and Heineken cutting draft sales to five states due to supply chain issues. Join us as we celebrate the end of an era with our last studio session and radio broadcast, featuring a special appearance from our friend Fish Scales of Nappy Roots and Atlantucky Brewing. And remember, we'll be back as a podcast, so be sure to subscribe on your

Craft beer is always on fire for April Fools.  I have to admit, not a fan.  But Brian is, so he made a Twitter thread with as many as he could find.  Ham beer, dried beer, exxxtra long cans.  But then you have the ones that are supposed to be jokes, but actually exist.  Pickle beer and cucumber Kolsch?  Come on, Y'all gotta give it more than that.It was a spicy week for Bud Light after their partnership with a trans rights activist.  Kid Rock broke out the guns and a lot of folks dumped their Bud for Coors Light, which probably didn't work out as well as they thought.We reminisce about last weekend and our first trip to a biergarten Kolsch service at Halfway Crooks.  If you've never been to a good Kolsch service, you should change that.Guinness is making big moves.  Baltimore brewery is closing, and Chicago brewery is coming soon.  Sounds expensive.  But NA is doing OK.  Our friends at Athletic Brewing continue to grow and are on track to be a Top 15 brewery.Is it beer healthy?  That's one

The last time I was in Colorado was for the Great American Beer Fest back in 2016.  I know how much Georgia's craft beer scene has changed since then and no doubt it's the same for Colorado.  Outside of the festival we visited awesome spots like Mockery, Trve, Crooked Stave, Great Divide and a few more.  I need to get another visit soon to try some of the stuff I missed last time.Jagged Mountain's Chad Bratt and Executive Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild Shawnee Adelson  join us on the show this week.  We learn about the challenges facing Colorado's brewers and a couple of fun events like the recent Collaboration Fest and upcoming Colorado Pint Day, and protecting good beer laws.The Beer ListOf course we have some Colorado beers on deck with Weldwerks Juicy Bits IPA and Odyssey Beer Works I'm Not Dead Vienna lager. We got some sad news this week that one of our favorite local spots Orpheus Brewing is closing it's taproom.  We opened their The Bridge (Wild Ale with botanical

New Brewmaster brings fresh take to Steady Hand's offeringsSteady Hand Beer Co. just celebrated their 4th anniversary with the first batch of brews from Andrew Wenk.Andrew joined the team in December after 5 years at Three Taverns Brewing.  We've enjoyed many of Andrew's brews during his time at 3T and didn't even know it.  Now, his brewing is in the spotlight at his new home.  He's revamped favorites like Lager, Cloudland Hazy IPA, and Flower Business DIPA as well as offering new beers like Nuts, Nuts, Nuts, and an Oreo Stout.Andrew shares how he got into brewing as a hobby and as a career, we talk about the controversial Tonka bean,  long boil stouts and the counterpoint of no boil beer.Other hot topics on deck include the annual Orval Day and some stats on SWD - Shopping While Drunk.If you haven't been to Steady Hand in a while stop in and try the new brews from Andrew soon.Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate &

Homebrew competitions are a great place to get judgmentalThe Peach State Brew Off, organized by the Covert Hops Society, is Georgia's oldest and largest homebrew competition.  We've competed in the comp a few times but this is the first time we've taken the show on the road to the event.Georgia's got some weird homebrew laws and the event has struggled to find a home in recent years.  Legislation was passed that was supposed to legitimize running these events, but it added some rules and hoops to jump through that made it more difficult with required permits and forbidden locations.  No matter, the  event has persevered. As the sampling goes on we talk with Scott Lathrop about homebrewing, the event, and the club then we dive in a bit deeper with Covert Hops President Nate Watkins as we sample the Best of Show winners from the meads and ciders categories.Phil Farrell joins us for a bit of a deep dive into judging beers and why a beer may get the score it does, even if the brewer (it's

It's almost time for us all to turn Irish for a day.St. Patrick's Day.  Another great holiday for Americans to kick back some beers.  I'm not arguing, it's a great excuse to grab some nitro stouts and red ales.In keeping with tradition, we share some of the legends and history of St. Patrick and St. Patrick's Day while cracking into a few brews.  There's talk of breakfast beverage booze, and where the hype went for craft beer.In our glass this weekThe classic St. Patrick's Day beer - Guinness, along with...SmithwicksHarpLeft Hand Dry Irish Stout (Nitro)Sullivan’s Irish Ale (Red) and Irish GoldWant more Beer Guys Radio?  Follow on the socials or support the show!Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher  | RSSVisit our website: https://beerguysradio.comFollow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTubeSupport the show: PatreonThanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with produce

What's the best sandwich in the world?Sandwiches.  So hot right now.  A chart circulated around Twitter claiming to list the World's best sandwiches.  We disagree with some of the answers, and so did many others, so we discuss (gripe) about on the show this week.Big news from Heineken this week and their promised exit from the Russian market.  Well, they're not gone yet.  Also big news that Bill Gates just snagged a huge Stake in the company.In our Big Beer Just Can't Catch a Break series we discuss drama from Miller-Coors and some whining from AB-InBev about watery beer.And from the world of NA beers, Athletic is launching a pre-workout brew.  NA for pre-workout and all the ABVs afterward.  On that note, should you drink beer every day?  If so, how much.  We'll tell you what happens to your body if you're a daily drinker.President Carter is in the news as his health is declining and he's entered hospice.  Beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike have been talking about him

We're channeling our inner punk this week.If there's one thing you think of when you think of Beer Guys Radio, it's punk.  Then beer, but we're sure punk is first.  With that, we reminisce on our punk days and talk about the punkest of punks and their latest totally punk move.We also talk about discontinued beers we'd love to see come back.  Inspired by a Tweet from the folks at Untappd.  Not to spoil the show, but we really need Boulevard's Coffee Ale to return so we can try it with some king cake.  Please hurry.Terrapin's Wake-N-Bake Off is this Saturday and we've been invited to judge the competition.  It's a good time and you an join as well, so hopefully you see this in time and grab your ticket right here.  We wouldn't mind seeing some of the one-off WnB variants come back as well.More brewery buy outs/mergers are going down with Drake's buying Bear Republic.  Brian used to love that Racer 5 but it's been a minute since we got into that one.Som

In this week's episode of Beer Guys Radio......We're not sure if we manifested this with our minds or if we saw something about it subconsciously and then talked about it.  Either way, NoDa has released a Cheerwine Ale, and we need some of it.  We recap the beer commercials in the Super Bowl.  Even without exclusivity, AB InBev still ran more than any other brewer.With Mardi Gras upon us we talk King Cake beers and beer pairings.  I've never paired a beer with a King Cake, but I gotta try that out.More union news with the brewers at Widmer Brothers joining the Teamsters.  We'll get an update on Georgia's BUG soon.  But, in Georgia news, we've got a new beer bill and we run down the high points of what's in it.We're seeing some big beer fests go away.  Sad stuff.  So we share some news on one in Georgia and one in Oregon, plus some drama in the Oregoin bourbon world.Plenty happening this week and some good beers were shared.Beer of the WeekDeschutes Black Butte PorterIro

It's time for the Super Bowl and if there's one thing we're big fans of, it's Super Bowl parties.  Wings, pizza, plenty of beer, and chili cheese dip.  Great news, this year you can have your dip in a bowl or a glass thanks to Hormel and Modist Brewing's Chili Cheese Brew.  We tried it, and we can say it definitely delivers as promised.  For better or worse.We've got our party plans for the weekend and we're pulling for the Eagles.  Should be a close game either way, the Chiefs are hitting hard this year, too.  We also sampled the old and the new Fat Tire side by side and share our thoughts.  Whether or not it ends up a winner, the re-launch was definitely great marketing.  A little more under the radar, Sam Adams is tweaking their Boston Lager recipe.In the news we talk about the Brewers Union of Georgia.  It's a fiery battle right now between the much-loved brewery Creature Comforts and a group of employees who say they're playing dirty in an effort to discourage

Foam Brewers Robert Grim enjoys a good lager but he admits that it's still all about the hops in Vermont.Foam is in Burlington, VT where you can swing a hop bine and hit a handful of breweries making great IPAs.  When making your choice of where to visit, you should know that Foam is a James Beard semi-finalist for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.  How about that?We kick things off discussing underrated beer styles.  Shout out VinePair for inspiring this discussion. We learn about Bob's brewing background and how he came to co-found Foam.  We celebrate the end of Dry January and find out if anyone at Foam gave it a shot and Bob tells us about the Woman of Foam's recent Amber Ale brew.In addition to Foam, Bob's other business include a restaurant (Deep City), farm winery (Natural Hack), and mixed ferm brewery (House of Fermentology) and there's a cannabis beverage company (Taunik), too.We've got to get up and visit Vermont soon.  We're going to drink all the beer

Hey Folks!  We ventured out last week to the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting and spoke to a handful of really cool people.A bit of a change up from our usual ACAT shows where we typically have a few of Georgia's soon-to-be breweries.  Maybe a sign of the times, but this year we didn't find anyone new in attendance.No worries, we still have some great guests.  Owen Ogletree, festival organizer and owner of Brewtopia Events joins us to talk about cask ales, the festival, and beer tours.Mitch Steele of New Realm Brewing sits with us for a spell to chat more on cask ales, their 5th anniversary, and whether or not he's forming a brewers band in Georgia.Charlie Meers of Magnanimous Brewing joins us.  We just met Charlie at the event but we have several mutual friends that said Charlie was cool and we needed to chat wit him.  So we did.Wrapping up the show Joseph Cortez, Executive Director of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild shares some of what the Guild is up to this year and Steve Hamburg, Chicago's Ca

Wild Leap Brew Co. launched their brewery in LaGrange, Georgia.  A town of, give or take, 5,000 people.  It wasn't a small brewery either.  Their building was an old tire shop and service station.  A big building with great, vintage architecture.  Despite the location Wild Leap took off quickly.  People were soon searching for their beers across the state.  When you make great beer people will find it.Fast forward 5ish years and WIld Leap has recently opened a taproom in Atlanta just across a walking bridge from Mercedes Benz stadium.  They'll be a great pre-game location for Atlanta United and Falcons games.  Their expansion into spirts and canned cocktails, knows as RTD (Ready to Drink) cocktails, has helped fuel their growth.Chris Elliot and Rob Goldstein from Wild Leap joined us in the studio this week to talk about their growth and a few other random topics, like Watermelon Hard Mt. Dew.If you want to see what the buzz is about stop by the LaGrange or Atlanta location.  Atlanta's Grand Ope

What's up, Party People?We're back with more beery info to share.  This week we sample a few brews and talk about some of the hot stories happening in craft.On this week's episode...Is Beer Getting More Expensive?  (USA Today)Rough Start to 2023 for Constellation Brands (The Drinks Business)The Huge Number of Small Breweries Creates a Beer Glut  (WSJ - Paywall)BrewDog’s James Watt Pays ~$570K To Gold Can Winners (BBC)Beer Journalist Josh Noel Departs Chicago Tribune (Brewbound)Stone Ruination IPA Returns (via Press Release)Reclosable Beer Cans Are Here (Packaging Digest)Beers of the WeekDelirium Black Barrel Aged (Aged in bourbon barrels)Untitled Art N/A Italian Pilsner.Unibroue 30 Anniversaire (Belgian-Style Stout, with maple syrup, nat flavors).Silver Bluff Golden Isles IPA.Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson and occasional appearances from Becky Smalls.Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on yo

We're here to help you make it through Dry JanuaryWe've made it through another year and here we are with our livers beaten senseless through the holiday celebrations.  If you're giving the body a break and trying to go dry we have some good news.  There are some pretty decent options available now to allow you to still have drink with your friends.People always have questions about the Beer Guys drinking NA beers.  Hey, we like beer, but we know that too much of it is not a good thing.  We also like the taste of beer so having an occasional day, week, month where we ease up on the alcohol can be a good thing.  Speaking of just doing a day or so... we heard of Damp January this year.  That's kind of the principle we've been going by.  It can still be beneficial to take a break even if you don't go totally dry.With that in mind... here are a few of our favs.NA BeersAthletic Brewing - Most of what we've tried from Athletic is solid.  They are our favorite all around NA brewerP

You've (almost) made it through another year.  Congrats.  There was a lot going on in 2022 and you may have missed some of the beer stories with all <gestures broadly> this going on.PBR started off the year with some interesting Tweets.  We saw some big acquisitions and mergers, a few major closures, and we lost a legend.  NA beer continued to grow, and it continues to be highly-debated whether or not the sectors growth is meaningful.West Coast IPA came back around for a visit, and we're guessing we'll see more of it.  Brian's betting on more rauchbiers, but I'm not so sure about that one.Our biggest concern is that breweries are out of Covid money and some that may have been ready to call it quits in 2020 are facing that now, along with others.  I'm afraid we'll see a lot of closures in the new year.Well.  Whatever happens.  We'll be at the studio having a nice, cold pint and waiting for it all to blow over.Cheers and Happy New Year!Thanks for listening to Beer G

It's the most wonderful time to drink beer...Winter beers are the best beers.  I know it, you know it, we all know it.Our holiday beer blind tasting has become a tradition.  Last year our friends from Rainy Day Brewing joined us for the tasting.  They commented that you know it's getting bad when they have to "Call in the Jews" for a Christmas beer tasting.  We liked their style so we rolled with that this year for the 2nd Annual Interfaith Holiday Craft Beer Spectacular, cause we're inclusive like that.Rules are the same as always.  Blind taste the beer and pick your favorite.  Simple.  At the end of the show we tally everyone's favorites for an overall Top 3.This year's holiday beers included...Abita Christmas AleSt. Bernardus Christmas AleHighland Cold MountainBold Monk LeonAnchor Christmas AleShiner CheerRogue Santa's Private ReserveDelirium NoelN'ice ChouffeBell's Christmas AleSouthern Tier 2XMASSamuel Smith's Winter WelcomeSierra Nevada Celebration2

When I first experienced beer cocktails I don't think that was even a term at the time.  As a kid my parents used to enjoy what they called "Tomato Beers."  It their simplest form it was simply tomato juice and a macro lager over ice with some salt and pepper.  To fancy it up they may use V8 juice or shove a celery stalk in the glass.  Sort of a podunk Michelada.  I stole sips at the time and I guess I enjoyed it; I sure do enjoy a Michelada now.It's likely you've dabbled with beer cocktails as well.  A simple Boilermaker or Black & Tan are technically beer cocktails.  Now we've got a whole variety to check out liked the Dublin Iced Coffee, Hazy Day Afternoon, or maybe an El Chapo.Beer cocktails can be pretty simple or overly complex.  But they're a fun way to mix things up with your beers.  If you've got a favorite let us know!And here's one to get you started...Hazy Day AfternoonIngredients1.5oz light rum0.5oz guava nectar0.5oz pineapple juice0.5oz orange jui

We survived Thanksgiving and are back in the studio this week with our friends from Printer's Ale Manufacturing Co. Printer's is located in Carrollton, GA, about 50 miles west of Atlanta.  Not a bad trip for ATLiens on a weekend but far enough they don't get as much hype as some of the in town breweries.  That's too bad, because they are making some great beers and doing a lot of other cool things in Carrollton.On this visit we introduced their Woodcut Wild series of beers in Kriek, Framboise, and Peche.  After brewing, the mash for these heads to Printer's coolship but does get a little punch up with some commercial strains when going into barrels.  Oh yeah, they also brew with aged hops grown right at the brewery, and future beers will use fruit from their orchard.  Neat.We chat with Specialty Brewer Josh Watterson and owner Greg Smith about the importance of terroir in brewing, something that was previously (mostly) ignored by American brewers.  We discuss the Qatar/FIFA World Cup

I promise we didn't mean to talk about knives so much...OK, just listen to the show and you'll see why knives get such a prominent spot this week.  I met Sam Riggins of Cosmic Eye Brewing on a knife forum.  (Shout out to to the Spyderco Millie, PM2, Para3 Club!) We had to at least mention our love of knives, but it ended becoming a whole segment.  If you're just here for beer talk, pop on over to the 2nd segment.  But there is some hot knife chatter to start things off.Plenty of beer talk, too.  We discuss a Twitter initiative to rebrand the Amber Ale, Thanksgiving beers, and learn about the beer scene in Nebraska.  Sam shares about his artwork and rebranding, and we learn about Dampfbier.Oh yeah, and Smalls joins us to talk about her Alaska adventure and share some BIG news.Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!Thanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio! Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson and occasional appearances from Becky Smalls.