Partake Brewing takes their non-alcoholic brews from the Dragon's Den to distribution Partake Brewing founder Ted Fleming was (is) a huge craft beer fan.  He loves hanging out with friends and sharing a brew.  Unfortunately, after a visit to the doctor diagnosed him with Crohn's Disease he had to ease off the alcohol, and eventually give it up all together. But Fleming wasn't ready to give up sharing a drink with friends.  He did some research on the non-alcoholic beer market and discovered there weren't a lot of great offerings to be had at home in Canada, or in North America in general.  This led him to building a website to offer what he did find, many from Europe.  His website turned into a passionate community and when he finally decided to launch Partake he had a lot of support, even though it meant he would have to give up his website. Partake even visited the Dragon's Den, Canada's version of America's Shark Tank. Fleming got a deal on the show but says they were ultimately not able to finalize it.  He did have a strong backing on a Kickstarter with an IPA and got the ball rolling. Now offering a full lineup of core beers as well as seasonal offerings like Lime (an easy-drinking lager'ish brew with a lime hint) and a Peach Gose. The NA beer market continues to grow, and we are all here for it.  You know we love a good, boozy brew but it's nice for those that can't or don't want to have alcohol to still be able to enjoy a craft brew.  They're popular with health-conscious folks and some of the brews have only 10 calories in a 12-oz can.  Madness. With the Cheers to Adulting campaign Partake Brewing is encouraging everyone to consider Sober October.  With the extravagance of the holidays just around the corner that may not be a bad idea.  Maybe next year.  

Beer Guys Radio Craft Beer Podcast

More sexy NA beer talk with Partake Brewing

Big Draft Brewing is helping to bring small town West Virginia back to life Big Draft Brewing is located in the tiny town of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  Population 3,000, give or take. The town, and the larger Greenbrier Valley community, has faced some hard times in recent years.  The opioid epidemic chipped away at the community and the "1,000 year flood" of 2016 caused widespread destruction and loss of life. Our show this week is as much about the tenacity of the residents of White Sulphur Springs as it is about beer.  You'll have to humor me, this one is kind of personal.  My family is from White Sulphur Springs and I spent some of my childhood Summers there.  It's a close community with strong family ties.  Turns out, by complete chance, my family ties run right to Big Draft Brewing.  It's quite a story so make sure to listen in to hear the full scoop. Founders David Bostic, Clay Elkins, and JW Groseclose join us on the show this week to talk about their brewery and the overall revitalization of their town.  They've built up a city block with Big Draft Brewing, a BBQ spot, a cafe and coffee house, and a concert hall and events venue.  They intend to grow it as as destination that reaches far beyond the city line. But we do talk about beer plenty as well.  JW is the brewmaster and his goal is to make classic and approachable beers that everyone can enjoy.  We sampled the Foreman American Lager, Sudsy's Pale Ale, Bo Red Bohemian Red, and the seasonal Festbier and can vouch for all of them.  There are barrel-aged beers in the works, a saison in the fermenters, and some mad scientist brew utilizing ramps (the wild vegetable) in the works. In addition to tasty beer and BBQ the crew tells us about the fishing, hunting, hiking, and off-roading adventures in the area.  Sounds like a great time all around.  I better get on those country roads now. Side note.... you may not know White Sulphur Springs by name but you may have heard of The Greenbrier Resort.  It's got quite a story, you should check it out.  If you're a gamer and a fan of Fallout 76, you might recognize the Greenbrier as The Whitespring Resort.

Country roads taking me home to Big Draft Brewing

Dead Low Brewing co-founder Kyle Havens and investor and member of the board Yvan Demosthenes join us this week to talk shop! We discuss the many faces of dark lager and how a lot of people have misconceptions about lager beers PLUS the wonders of a Country Lager.  We learn what Dead Low means and how that ties in with the brewery, rocking concerts near by, and give some love to Ohio for their support of the show. For our Beers of the Week, we go with a Tiki theme, including: Left Hand Getting Tiki With It  (Pina Colada wheat) Creature Comforts Athena Paradiso (Pineapple, Lemon, Coriander) Great Divide Margarita Gose Destihl Hawaii Five Ale (Blond ale with pineapple, coconut, mango, peach, & guava) 

Getting Down with Dead Low Brewing

It's Oktoberfest, time for some blind beer tasting For the second year in a row, the famed Oktoberfest in Munich has been cancelled.  Sad.  But, the beers are still flowing and there are pretty of great offerings available across the States.  We gathered up with a couple friends and fellow beer lovers recently for our annual Oktoberfest Blind Beer Tasting.  Anthony Storey of Storey Time Construction joined us along with repeat Oktoberfest taster, Nate Scheiber of Cherry Street Brewing. Our rules are pretty simple.  Taste the beer and make some notes on whether or not you like it.  Easy stuff.  We've got Marzen and Festbier in the mix together, it's just all about the season.  We sampled 10 beers for the competition and sampled Bold Monk's Festbier after the tasting courtesy of owner John "JR" Roberts. Listen to the show now to hear our picks.  We'll post our Top 3 list at beerguysradio.com on Monday, September 20th.  Prost! The Beer List (In alphabetical order, not tasting order.) Bells Oktoberfest | Marzen | 5.5% Hacker-Pschorr | Oktoberfest Marzen | 5.8% Hi Wire Zirkusfest | Marzen, 6%  Hofbrau Munchen | Oktoberfestbier | 6.3% Ironmonger Oktoberfest | Marzen, 5.5% Paulaner | Oktoberfest Marzen | 5.8% Sam Adams Oktoberfest | Marzen style, 5.3%.  Generally one of our favs, but has had off years Sam Adams Festbier | 5.8% Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest | Marzen, 5.5%, not a collab this year Yuengling Oktoberfest | Marzen-style And the after party palate-pleaser, Festbier from Bold Monk.  

Annual Oktoberfest Blind Beer Tasting

 A few years ago the Braves made a controversial move to Cobb County, GA... but that's a story for another time. Attached to the ballpark is The Battery.  A live-work-play complex with restaurants and shops and condos, and the Terrapin Atlanta Taproom. Terrapin's Taproom sits just beside the main gate to the Brave's stadium.  You can even get a beer from the taproom from inside the park. (Pro tip, they're cheaper than the ballpark beers.)  Along with the beers they also serve up Fox Bros BBQ, some of the best in Atlanta. Commercial Operations Manager Mark Crouch hosted us at the taproom.  He fed us all kinds of great BBQ and let us sample all the new beers, then we recorded a show.  I think we should have done that the other way around. Mark is one of my favorite people in the beer industry.  Always smiling and friendly, just one of those people that makes feel happy to be seen.  He's a corporate man from Miller, and then their craft division Tenth & Blake, but we don't hold that against him.  He's got passion for the community and for making great, small batch beers, and that's really what it's all about. The Terrapin Taproom is also known as the ATL Brew Lab.  The testing grounds for rookie beers before they get called up to The Show at Terrapin's production brewery in Athens.  When you visit the taproom you'll always find a great selection of lagers plus IPA, stout, some sours, and everything else.  When we visited they'd just put on a fantastic Kellerpils, and tapped their Festbier just as we arrived. You might even catch a beer from some Braves players.  Terrapin collaborated with Chipper Jones for CJ10 Kolsch and Jeff Francouer for Frenchy's Blues, a blueberry Berliner-Weisse made with blueberries from Francouer's farm.  Neat. If you're taking a trip to a Braves game make sure to put the Terrapin Taproom on your list.  Even if you aren't going to a Braves game put them on your list, the taproom is open year round serving up great beer and tasty BBQ. The Beer List Terrapin Atlanta Taproom Kellerpils Festbier One Hopper Mosaic 

Beer and BBQ at the Terrapin Atlanta Taproom

Cask Ales and camaraderie in Athens, GA A lot has changed in craft beer in the last 25 years, and Classic City Brew Fest has been there through it all.  Organizer Owen Ogletree tells us about the changes over the years and the great cause the fest supports. We've been attending this event for several years now.  We always grab a few of the brewers and chat a bit about what's happening with their brewery.  This year we sat down with Carey Charles from Arches Brewing for some hot lager talk.  Arches is one of the first breweries in Georgia to take the bold step of being lager-focused, and they're doing a damn fine job of it. Nick Tanner and Ramsay Florence from Cherry Street Brewing join to talk about Nick's two brewpubs, crazy beer laws, and why that helped them make the choice to open a production brewery across state lines in Chattanooga, TN.  Note:  Chery Street's Halcyon location has some of the best fish and chips I've tried.  I want some more right now. Speaking of crazy beer laws... Joseph Cortes, Executive Director of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, joins us as well.  He was new to craft beer when he took on his role, but not new to politics.  Cortes shares that the political side of beer is a crazy place to be.  We learn about some of the challenges facing brewers and what's on the agenda for the Guild. The Beer List Arches Brewing Bob's Your Uncle ESB Cherry Street Brewing Grease Monkey BBA English Barleywine MAZURT The Time of Returning Nordic Quad And a whole lot more... 

25th Annual Classic City Brewfest

 Neutral Ground Brewing Co. lets you have your cake and drink it, too Ft. Worth... Funkytown, a great place for a brewery.  Friends Stan Hudson and Sean Doublet definitely think so.  When they originally met Sean wasn't even into craft beer.  He noted that Stan came around with growlers pouring 4 oz samples for everyone.  We know this to be likely as we've known Stan for many years and have experienced his proclivity to share his brews.  Interestingly, beer isn't what originally introduced us to Stan, we have cigars to thank for that.  However, we quickly find we shared a common love for craft beer as well.  We've enjoyed beers with Stan around the country.  This was well before Neutral Ground was a thing, but he was a passionate homebrewer.  He's visited us here in Atlanta, I've visited him in Texas, and we've met at cigar meetups in Tennessee, where Stan shipped kegs of his beer up from Texas to share. Sean really didn't have much a choice about being a beer fan around Stan and over the years he developed the same passion.  At the time, he still lived in Louisiana when the two decided to start their brewery.  The name comes from a strip of disputed border between Texas and Louisiana.  We're told sometimes they still stand on opposite ends of the brewery and shake their fists at each other. We chat with Sean and Stan about our history with Stan, and even throw some true/false questions at Sean about some of Stan's adventures.  We chat homebrewing, Louisiana, cajun food, and learn all about their brews.   King Cake beer? It's a bold move to go with a pastry-inspired beer as your flagship, but the King Cake brew is working out pretty well for NGBC.  The fairly light and very drinkable brew delivers on the flavors, and if you visit the taproom in the trendy River North area of Ft. Worth you can even get it in a sugar rimmed glass. Laissez le bon temps rouler! For the full scoop on Neutral Ground Brewing Co. follow them on Facebook or head to ngbc.beer. The Beer List Neutral Ground Brewing Co. King Cake Force Majeur Hazy IPA Renaissance English Mild Juices & Berries IPA Synesthesia Saison (Yep, that Synesthesia Saison!)  

NOLA meets Funkytown at Neutral Ground Brewing Co.

 Bespoken Spirits says they can make a delicious whiskey in days instead of years, while using a fraction of the wood and water of traditional methods.  Sounds like voodoo to me, but founders Stu Aaron and Martin Janousek claim their spirits are voodoo-free. They've taken the art of distilling and aging spirits and added some science to it.  Instead of using barrels, they use "micro-staves" plus some heat and pressure to produce the desired result.  They offer your traditional bourbon, rye, and rum but they can get a bit more creative from there.  When the pandemic had breweries sitting on stocks of unsold beer, Bespoken worked with brewers to turn that beer into spirits.  They distilled the brew then worked with their customers to craft the exact aroma, color, and taste they were going for.   We sampled a couple of these beer-its while we talked with Martin and Janousek.  They offered pleasant aromas of caramel, tropical fruit, butter, floral notes and delivered these flavors as well.  We did feel the woody notes in each offering were a bit sharp.  Unfortunately, we didn't sample the bourbon or rye to make a comparison against ones made in the traditional method.  One note, although they do process their bourbon the same as all of their other spirits, it does spend 3 months in barrels prior to that so it is actually bourbon. Bespoken has stacked up several medals for their spirits, so their method must be working.  We'll have to keep an eye out for the bourbon and rye so we can really test them out. 

Bespoken Spirts makes whiskey in just days

 In beautiful Jackson Hole, WY sits Roadhouse Brewing.  They're one of several breweries in a town of about 10,000.  Although the full-time population may be small, the city welcomes as many as 55,000 visitors every day.  Vacationers enjoying Jackson Hole or on their way to one of the West's amazing National Parks.  And when you're on vacation, you're going to need some beer. Roadhouse Brewing wants you to Live Deep.  We got to running out mouths and forget to find out exactly what that means.  However, we trust Brewmaster Max Shafer gives it to us straight, so we're going to try our best to follow his advice.  We chat with Shafer about the Mountain IPA.  What it is, how it differs from it's NE and West Coast siblings, and what commonalities they share.  We sip on Wilson, their take on the style with a great story on the can, and we're sold. Roadhouse Brewing is a certified B-Corp.  This means they're dedicated to purpose and profit, and they're "legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment."  From our conversation Roadhouse is very serious about their impact on the world, and they've gone to great lengths to embody that.  Shafer shares a few of the things the brewery has done to reduce their impact on the environment. We've never been to Jackson Hole, but if there are more breweries like Roadhouse and more people like Max Shafer then we need to get a trip set real soon. THE BEER LIST Roadhouse Brewing Breath & Bramble Sour Ale with Raspberries and Lemon Highway Pilsner Wilson Mountain Style IPA 

Jackson Hole's Roadhouse Brewing

Exhibit 'A' Brewing with Kelsey Roth Exhibit 'A' Brewing was voted the most underrated brewery in Massachusetts by Thrillist.  When we asked General Manager Kelsey Roth if agreed with the distinction we got a hesitant shrug.  Their Goody Two Shoes Kölsch earned a 96 from Wine Enthusiast and landed in their top spot.  Do these two "awards" go hand-in-hand, or contradict each other?  The world may never know. Roth doesn't seem too wrapped up in either.  He just wants to offer good beer and a great place for people to hang out.  And they want everyone to feel welcomed and comfortable as evidenced by their Autism Welcoming hours that present the brewery in a more sensory-sensitive environment. We chat with Roth about his brewery, crazy-expensive beers, and how to pour a good pint.  If you find yourself in Massachusetts, or you happen to be in one of the states they can deliver beer to your directly, make sure to check them out. The Beer List Ironmonger Naughty Soda Lemon Cucumber Hard Seltzer Switchback Bisounnay Smoked Saison Genesee Red Lager Six Bridges Love Tractor Peach Milkshake IPA Mortalis Hydra Fruited Sour 

Exhibit 'A' Brewing with Kelsey Roth

 Did you know you can turn your shed into a brewery in Massachusetts?  Wandering Soul Beer Co. founder Matt Smith is a gypsy brewer.  Well, he has his own brewery, a small setup in the shed behind his house.  Local laws allow Matt to sell beer from his shed brewery... brewery shed?  He recently held a bottle release and had folks lining up in his neighborhood to grab some of that sweet nectar.  I hope he has cool neighbors. The shed won't meet the demand for Wandering Soul Beer so large batches are gypsy-brewed at a few local breweries.  The original plan for Wandering Soul was to be a one-and-done brewery.  When Matt and his wife suffered a tragic loss, he found peace in brewing.  Eventually, he came up with a recipe he wanted to brew and share with the public, Melody Maker.  The intent was to brew it one time only, but the popularity of the release took him back for another batch.  Now Wandering Soul brews one batch a month and once it's gone, it's gone. We talk with Matt about what led him to brewing, ska bands, love/hate for El Dorado hops, and plans for Wandering Soul in the future. The Beer List Wandering Soul Beer Co. Melody Maker IPA Wandering Soul Beer Co. Things We Don't Say IPA Wandering Soul Beer Co. Young Mouse Belgian Ale with Mango Wandering Sour Beer Co. From Wreckage Imperial Stout  

Wandering Soul Beer Co. with founder Matt Smith

NA beer is here to stay, and Athletic Brewing Co. is leading the way We last talked with Athletic Brewing Co. in 2019.  They were just getting their roots set and spreading the word of their non-alcoholic craft beer.  The last two years of seen explosive growth for them, and the NA beer sector, so we decided to catch up with them for an update. Bill Shufelt and John Walker are the co-founders of Athletic.  Bill man's the fort at their production brewery in San Diego while John watches over their original Connecticut Brewery and taproom.  Both breweries are in the process of expansion. Even though the segment has grown there's still a stigma with many people about non-alcoholic beers.  Some recall the weird taste of previous NA offerings, and some just don't get the point of a beer with alcohol.  Athletic wants to see NA become a choice just because you like it, rather than a "penalty box" decision for designated drivers, pregnant women, and recovering alcoholics. Bill and John share info on their collaborations and charity work, and their involvement in the recent awards of brewing diversity scholarships with Sacred Heart University.  They also talk about their expanded distribution (including Georgia!) and where they are headed next. Bottleshare is helping the good people of craft Christopher Glenn of Bottleshare joins us again as well.  Spreading the word on his non-profit that helps those in the craft beverage industry that fall on hard times, and about the upcoming Nestober Fest on Oct. 2nd to raise funds for Bottleshare.  Chris's organization started as a local project to help craft employees in Georgia but as word spread he stretched beyond the state and Bottleshare is now a nationwide effort.  Look for Bottleshare collaborations from some of your favorite breweries for an easy way to help the cause. The Beer List Athletic Brewing Co. Run Wild NA IPA Athletic Brewing Co. All Out Extra Dark NA (It's like a stout but they can't call it a stout.) Ceria Brewing Grainwave NA Belgian White Ceria Brewing Indiewave NA IPA Craft Beer News Denver Beer Co. Has Sold a “Beer for Life” NFT Taxes on Beer in Connecticut are Dropping 16.7% AC/DC is Getting a Line of Craft Beers 

Athletic Brewing Co. and the growth of non-alcoholic beer

Cannabis in a can with CERIA Brewing's Dr. Keith Villa As state's legalize the casual consumption of marijuana I think we knew a time would come when it found it's way into a beer.  No doubt that homebrewers have tried this combination out a time or two, but for CERIA Brewing THC and CBD is the focus of their brews. Dr. Keith Villa is best known as the inventor of the iconic Blue Moon Belgian White.  Whether you're a fan or not, it's hard to argue the impact this beer has had on craft beer, and the beer world in general.  We promised Villa we wouldn't dominate the show with Blue Moon questions.  We lied.  We get a good segment in on the history of the brew and the small change that launched it to stardom.  It's a pretty great story. But cannabis beers are the them of the day and we talk plenty about them.  They're are multiple levels of illegality in putting cannabis and alcohol together, so all of CERIA's brews are non-alcoholic, and 0.0% at that.  The brewery didn't want to run afoul of any regulations with the 

Brewing with Cannabis - THC and CBD brews with CERIA Brewing

Collaboration makes the (craft beer) world go 'round The pandemic may have made beer collaborations more difficult, but it didn't stop great brewers from coming together to make tasty beers.  Like most things in our lives these days, collaborations have gone virtual with Zoom meetings and emails and text messages getting the job done.  We're thankful for these virtual collabs because it brings us amazing things like Alesmith Brewing and Alvarado Street Brewing's Oso Under.  A West Coast IPA loaded up with Australia and New Zealand hops. Alesmith's Ryan Crisp and (with the last minute tag in) Alvarado Street's Dave Ilderton, aka Party Wave Dave, join us this week to talk collaboration, brewing mishaps, love for those West Coast IPAs, and the trends that have come and gone.  Crack open something packing a few IBUs and join us.

Oso Under with Alesmith and Alvarado Street Brewing

July 4, 1776.  America is born.  There are high fives all around.  Samuel Adams breaks out his homebrew to celebrate.  Life is good. This week we take a look at some classic American craft beers.  American craft is fairly young in the grand scheme of things.  Where many European countries have hundreds of years of tradition, we've got 40ish years - with maybe a couple of exceptions.  A little thing called Prohibition threw us off for a while but when we got back in the game, we went all out.  Anchor Steam hit the scene in 1971, Sierra Nevada in 1980, Sam Adams in 1984.  The 90s gave us bold beers from Dogfish Head and saw the brewpub boom where you could always find a Blonde Ale, a Pale Ale a Porter, and in Irish Red.  There were 90 craft breweries in American in 1978 and today there are over 8,800. Our crafty pioneers brought hoppy beers that not everyone took a shine to.  Many people that were used to their American lagers thought the beers were flawed.  But the brewers pushed on and the people developed a taste for hops and bitterness in their beers.  This led to the IBU Wars with 1,000 IBU beers, the soft NEIPAs, and the fruited glitter milkshake DDH I-can't-even-taste-beer beers we have today.  What a ride. To celebrate this journey we sat down with our friend (and show sponsor!) Adam Silverberg from The Nest Kennesaw.  We talk some about the beers that introduced us to craft, dive into the history of these classic brews, and discuss some of the trendy phases we've seen. Whatever you choose to pack your cooler with this 4th of July there's no shortage of amazing American beer to celebrate with.  I'll drink to that.

Classic American Craft Beers for your 4th of July

We talk beer, we drink beer, we have a good time. A craft beer podcast for everyone from the newbie to the expert. Awesome guests each week talking craft beer, homebrewing, beer science, culture and community, and more. Grab a pint and join us!