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What's going on with craft beer? We've got brewery sales, closures, and some big names making headlines this week.

Mo Mic Nate is back from Mexico, and he's got stories to share. Then we're digging into the troubles at Rogue Ales, the sale and closure of Full Sail Brewing, and the news that Jester King is looking for a buyer. Three well-known breweries, three very different situations, and plenty to talk about.

On the lighter side, we're exploring the wonderful world of beer and cheese pairings. We also find out why the Sharks aren't interested in pickle beer, and we've got a story about a keg from the 1970s discovered in a glacier. That's one way to cold-store your beer.

Finally, we're looking at a study of non-alcoholic beer sales on draft. Is NA beer on tap catching on, or are drinkers still sticking with cans and bottles?

All this and more on this week's Beer Guys Radio!

Cheers!

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.

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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!

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This week on Beer Guys Radio, we're talking rare beer, artificial intelligence, home distilling, and a little science. Plus, we've got some Halloween beer recommendations and one seriously unusual beer-related competition.

3 Floyds Dark Lord is hitting retail shelves! The legendary imperial stout has long been associated with Dark Lord Day, but now it's getting its first retail release. We talk about what this means for one of craft beer's most infamous beers and whether the hype is still alive.

Brian shares his Halloween beer shopping list, because spooky season deserves more than pumpkin spice. Then we dive into some AI drama involving podcasting and brewery marketing. Is artificial intelligence making things easier, or just making everything a little weirder?

On the legal front, the Supreme Court is hearing a case involving home distilling, and the Brews to Barns Act has been introduced in the House. We dig into what these developments could mean for hobbyists, brewers, and farmers.

We've also got some beer science to discuss. Researchers are looking at how beer affects the oral microbiome. Could your favorite beverage be changing the bacteria in your mouth?

Finally, we head to Slovakia for the Sherpa Rallye, an unusual competition that proves beer can inspire some pretty wild adventures.

Grab a beer and hang out with us. Cheers!

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 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Beer Guys Radio – Welding, Rauchbier, and Beer Industry Shakeups

We're firing up the welder and throwing a few insults at AI this week. Because sometimes technology deserves a little tough love.

Untappd has rolled out a major app redesign, and we're talking about what's changed and whether beer drinkers will embrace the new look. We're also diving into the wonderfully smoky world of Rauchbier, the German beer style that tastes like someone invited a campfire to the brewery. Ever wondered what it's like to drink barbecue through your nose? We've got you covered.

There's plenty happening in the craft beer world, too. TailGate Brewery has acquired Yazoo Brewing, bringing together two Tennessee beer names. Meanwhile, Admiral Maltings is closing its malthouse, another reminder of the challenges facing businesses throughout the brewing industry.

We're also celebrating 45 years of Sierra Nevada Celebration, including some talk about Celly Drippins. Dogfish Head is bringing back Midas Touch, the ancient-inspired brew that helped make the brewery famous.

And finally, we're digging into the closure of Guinness Open Gate and asking what really happened behind the scenes.

This week's topics:

• Welding, AI, and a few well-deserved insults
• Untappd's big app redesign
• Style Profile: Rauchbier
• Drinking barbecue through your nose
• TailGate Brewery buys Yazoo Brewing
• Admiral Maltings malthouse closing
• Sierra Nevada Celebration turns 45 and Celly Drippins
• Dogfish Head's Midas Touch returns
• The real reason Guinness Open Gate closed?

Crack a beer and hang out with us. Cheers!

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 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!

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Beer, Billionaires, and Bad Business Decisions

This week on Beer Guys Radio, we're talking beer gadgets, brewery buyouts, and a billionaire who might not be a Guinness fan.

Shock Top and Auntie Anne's have teamed up to create a tailgating vest that keeps your beer cold and your pretzels warm. Is it genius or just another solution to a problem nobody had? Either way, we kind of want one.

Speaking of questionable beer experiences, Mark Zuckerberg went viral after taking a sip of Guinness and making a face that launched a thousand memes. He claims that's just how his face looks. Fair enough, Zuck.

We've also got the results from the 2026 Great American Beer Festival, where more than 7,200 entries competed for medals. We'll check out some of the winners and talk about the festival's new outdoor format.

There's plenty happening on the business side of beer, too. Hardywood and Starr Hill are joining forces in Virginia, while Stone Brewing's original founders are stepping in to keep the iconic Escondido restaurant alive. That leads us into a bigger conversation about brewery acquisitions and why buying a brewery doesn't always work out so well for the buyer.

We'll also take a look at the world's largest brewers, another historic German brewing operation shutting down, and how researchers are turning spent brewing grain into a potential water filtration solution.

Finally, we're talking about changing expectations for breweries and taprooms. It used to be enough to make great beer and have a place to drink it. Now customers want food, entertainment, atmosphere, and a whole lot more. Are breweries becoming restaurants and entertainment venues that happen to make beer?

All that and more this week on Beer Guys Radio. Grab a pint and join us!

Cheers!

This week's stories

• Shock Top's TWIST Tailgater Vest
• Zuckerberg's Viral Guinness Moment
• 2026 Great American Beer Festival Results
• Hardywood Acquires Starr Hill Brewery
• Grain Waste: Water Filtration Innovation
• World's Biggest Brewer & Other Production Stats
• Historic German Brewery Closing
• Stone Founders Taking Over Escondido Restaurant
• Brewery Buyouts Rarely Go Well for the Buyer
• Changing Expectations About Beer & Taprooms

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 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!

Send us Fan Mail

It's pumpkin beer season, and we've got opinions.

This week we're getting into the fall spirit with pumpkin beers. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're a seasonal tradition, and some are definitely better than others. We dig into the history of the style, what makes a good pumpkin beer, and revisit our infamous pumpkin beer bottle share. Some memories are better left in the past.

We also clear up a little confusion about Fest of Both Worlds, check out our Beers of the Week, and show off some new Beer Guys mugs. Because clearly we needed more glassware.

In beer news, Oktoberfest 2026 smashed attendance records with 7.4 million visitors. Meanwhile, Guinness is closing its Open Gate Brewery in Maryland, and the Great American Beer Festival is making even more big changes. Is the new direction a good thing for GABF?

We've also got the latest on the U.S. ban on certain Canadian alcoholic beverages, including what it actually means and where the loopholes might be. Over in Japan, the country's four largest beer companies are under investigation for alleged price fixing. That's one way to get the competition's attention.

Finally, we're talking big beers and big brewery news. The Bruery's legendary Black Tuesday is back for 2026, and Bottle Logic is joining forces with The Bruery and Offshoot. That's a whole lot of barrel-aged goodness under one roof. Well, technically several roofs.

Crack open something good and join us for another round of Beer Guys Radio.

Cheers!

This week's topics:

• Fest of Both Worlds clarification
• Beers of the Week
• Pumpkin beer style profile and our infamous bottle share
• Oktoberfest 2026 sets an attendance record
• New Beer Guys mugs
• Guinness Open Gate Brewery closing
• More changes at GABF
• Canadian alcohol import ban and potential loopholes
• Japanese brewing giants investigated for price fixing
• The Bruery's Black Tuesday 2026
• Bottle Logic joins The Bruery Group

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 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!

Send us Fan Mail

It’s Oktoberfest season, which means it’s time to break out the Märzens, Festbiers, oversized mugs, questionable German pronunciations, and our annual blind tasting.

This week we put 12 Oktoberfest beers to the test with the labels hidden and our preconceived notions tossed out the window. We’ve got German classics, American staples, local favorites, and a few beers that have been through this particular gauntlet before.

Before we start drinking, we talk about what you should expect from Märzen and Festbier, look back at previous years’ rankings, introduce this year’s cast of characters, and dig into some stats from our past Oktoberfest battles.

Then the beers start flowing.

The lineup includes Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, Ayinger, Warsteiner, Sierra Nevada and Hoppebräu, Hofbräu, Six Bridges, Weihenstephaner, Tucher, Creature Comforts, Samuel Adams, and Highland.

Some favorites rise to the top. Some big names don’t land where we expected. And, as always, blind tasting has a way of making you question everything you thought you knew.

Along the way we also dig into the history of Oktoberfest beer styles, learn a few German drinking phrases that you absolutely should not trust us to pronounce correctly, and discover some truly ridiculous Oktoberfest playlist selections.

Finally, we tally the scores, crown our 2026 winners, compare the results with previous years, and see whether the numbers confirm our impeccable beer expertise or expose us as complete frauds.

Prost!

The Beers

• Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen
• Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen
• Ayinger Fest-Märzen
• Warsteiner Oktoberfest
• Sierra Nevada / Hoppebräu Oktoberfest Festbier
• Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier
• Six Bridges Feierabend
• Weihenstephaner Festbier
• Beer 9: Tucher Festbier
• Creature Comforts Fall
• Samuel Adams Octoberfest
• Highland Clawhammer

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 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!

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Oktoberfest season is here, so this week we kick things off with some Oktoberfest beer recommendations. Märzen, Festbier, and plenty of German goodness. Grab your big-ass stein and join us.

We’ve also got some rough news from the beer world. Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse, considered America’s oldest continuously operating brewpub, is calling it quits after 40 years, and Lost Coast Brewery is headed to auction. We look back at their place in craft beer history and talk about what these closures say about where the industry is right now.

Speaking of beer history, we run through a timeline of the beer styles that have been “the hot thing” over the years. From the styles that helped build modern craft beer to the hazies, pastry bombs, lagers, and whatever we’re drinking now.

A beer company is throwing a party at Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania, Heineken has an AI-powered tap that can create personalized beer based on your tastes and mood, and Shock Top teamed up with Spirit Halloween for a Candy Corn Wheat Ale.

Yes. Candy corn beer.

It’s Oktoberfest, artificial intelligence, brewery closures, Dracula, and questionable Halloween candy decisions. Just another week in beer.

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 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!

Send us Fan Mail

This week we’re talking about the important stuff: beach bummin’, bass fishin’, and drinking beer outside. We recently spent some time at Halfway Crooks, and their biergarten is exactly the kind of place that makes you question why you ever drink beer indoors.

On the beer news front, GABF medals are getting a facelift. One of the most recognizable pieces of hardware in craft beer is changing things up, so naturally we’ve got some thoughts.

There’s some pretty crappy industry news, too. SS Brewtech and Wild Goose are shutting down, which is a big deal considering how much equipment from both companies you’ll find sitting in breweries all over the place. Across the pond, though, there’s at least a little good news as brewery closures in the UK have slowed dramatically.

We also take a look at the 2026 Craft Beer Hall of Fame Landmark Beers. These are the beers that helped shape craft beer as we know it, and it’s always fun to look back at the stuff that made people lose their minds before we had 47 different kinds of hazy IPA.

Then we get weird.

Protein beer is apparently a thing now, because somebody finally looked at beer and thought, “You know what this needs? Macros.” We also check out the Wobbly Beer Glass, a wonderfully ridiculous piece of glassware that seems specifically designed to make drinking beer more complicated than necessary.

And finally, Iron Hill is back in the news with an unexpected merger. After everything that’s happened with the brewery, this one definitely caught our attention, so we dig into what happened and where things might go from here.

Grab a beer and hang out with us.

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 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!

Send us Fan Mail

Air conditioning, beer heists, Oktoberfest fights, and questionable science. Just another week in beer.

We kick things off with a little life strategy involving air conditioning and the responsible use of PTO before getting into an increasingly frustrating problem: finding good local craft beer singles. We love trying new beers, but buying a whole four- or six-pack every time we want to check something out gets expensive fast.

Up north, Canadian booze is finding itself on the wrong side of some shelves as the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade drama continues. We also take a look at which beers and beer styles are getting the most attention online based on search traffic. Does what people Google actually tell us what they're drinking? Maybe. Maybe not.

Then, because apparently one Macaulay Culkin wasn't enough, we spend a little time with Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin before moving on to something very serious: another massive beer heist. Beer thieves continue to dream big.

Over in Germany, Oktoberfest is causing its own kind of trouble, with a fight brewing over the world's most famous beer festival. We dig into what's got people worked up and why Oktoberfest isn't always as simple as giant mugs, pretzels, and lederhosen.

We also face the uncomfortable realization that pretty much everything we grew up with is now considered old, which feels unnecessary.

Finally, we look at some research asking whether drinking beer can actually reduce empathy, and Samuel Adams has decided what America really needs is an inflatable beer hall.

Science, crime, international conflict, existential dread, and giant inflatable beer structures. We've got it all this week.

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 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!

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Brian’s A/C is busted, it’s still hot as hell, and somehow Oktoberfest season is already here. So naturally, we kick things off talking about sweating through late summer while drinking beers designed for Fall.

We also get into boilermakers this week, including a couple with a nod to Dolly Parton: The Dumb Blonde and The Jolene.

From there, beer news gets weird.

There’s The Great Pabst Blue Ribbon Heist, which sounds like something we would have made up after a few beers, but apparently not.

We talk about distributors trimming regional craft brands from their portfolios and what that means for breweries that once counted on broad distribution to keep growing.

That leads us into some reminiscing about the old days of craft beer hype, when people would stand in line for hours just to get a few bottles of a rare release. We did it. You probably did it. At the time, it somehow made perfect sense.

There’s also a bit of surprising good news from the Brewers Association: brewery visits are up in 2026. With all the doom-and-gloom surrounding craft beer lately, it’s nice to hear that people are still getting out and drinking beer where it’s made.

We remember Jason Wilson, an Alabama craft beer pioneer who recently passed away and the role early brewers played in building beer culture in places where craft beer had a much tougher road.

Then we go way back for one of the coolest stories of the week: Guinness discovered aboard a 162-year-old shipwreck.

And finally, $10 million in gold found buried underneath a Belgian brewery.

Beer, treasure, shipwrecks, heists, busted air conditioning… pretty standard week around here.

Crack one open and join us.

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 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!

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This week, we’ve got brewery shutdowns, tax trouble, distributor bankruptcies, fading beer brands, political drama, and an endangered brewing tradition involving free candy.

We start with the troubling news that Salted Nut Rolls may be endangered. For brewers, these are more than just a gas station snack. Grain suppliers have been known to toss free Salted Nut Rolls into grain orders, and over the years they have become a bit of a brewing legend. If they disappear, brewers may have to face the horrifying possibility of ordering thousands of pounds of malt without receiving a complimentary candy bar.

From there, we get into the shutdown of Terrapin Brewery and what it means for one of Georgia’s most recognizable beer brands. Terrapin has been part of the craft beer landscape for decades, so we take a look at how things reached this point and what could happen next.

There’s also more drama surrounding Ballast Point. The brewery has changed hands, expanded, contracted, and survived a billion-dollar acquisition that became one of the biggest cautionary tales in craft beer. Now there are new questions about whether Ballast Point is in serious trouble again or possibly finished altogether.

21st Amendment Brewery is dealing with a massive tax bill, Minocqua Brewing has had its license revoked, and Bud Light continues to lose ground. We look at what is happening with each of these stories and whether Bud Light’s decline is finally beginning to level off or if the brand still has further to fall.

We also check in on Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right Beer. The brand arrived with a lot of attention, plenty of political messaging, and big promises about becoming an alternative to Bud Light. So where is it now, and did it ever become a serious beer company?

Meanwhile, the second-largest beer distributor in the United States has filed for bankruptcy. That is a massive development with potential consequences for breweries, retailers, employees, and drinkers across the country. We break down what happened and why distributor problems can ripple through the entire beer industry.

Finally, we lighten things up by asking a very important question: What exactly is a Pennsylvania Swankey? Is it a beer, a cocktail, an old regional drink, or something that sounds far more exciting than it actually is?

Grab a beer and join us as we work through another week of strange, frustrating, and occasionally ridiculous beer news.

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 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!