Celebrating the love of low ABV beers

Last year’s Little Beer Fest provided unusually cold temps in Duluth, GA with a bit of “wintery mix,” aka rain, snow, and sleet.  Fortunately we didn’t see a repeat and this year’s event had plenty of sunshine and temps in the 70s.  Perfect weather for enjoying some low ABV beers.  Huge shoutout to Todd DiMatteo and Good Word Brewing for hosting a great festival.

Matty Hargrove – Blackberry Farm Brewery

As we sipped our way through the festival we talked with Matty Hargrove from Blackberry Farm Brewery.  He brought us Bloody Marys so w were off to a good start.  Matty talked about the farm and the brewery and doing things (brewing, food, service) with intention.  We reminisce about the Nuit Belge festival and how much we enjoy their Classic Saison.

John Holl – All About Beer & Steal This Beer

Fresh off his Lager Panel at Little Beer Fest beer journalist John Holl joined us to chat.  When asked if we were in a lager moment John pauses to remind us that lagers have been king in America for many years, and craft lager is catching up.  We also discuss the rise of hazy IPAs and how it coincides with the popularity of Instagram and other photo and video sites where image is more important than quality.  On the quality note, many craft brewers are focusing on classic European and German lagers where nuance is more important than all that juice.  You can hear more from John, and Augie Carton, on the Steal This Beer podcast.

Lisa Allen – Heater Allen

Heater Allen was an early entry into craft lager with their brewery coming up on 15 years.  Their taproom is currently undergoing renovations and will soon feature beers from a fun side project, Gold Dot Beer – a joint venture with Wayfinder Beer’s Kevin Davey, the creator of the Cold IPA.  Gold Dot will bring IPAs and English styles to the taproom.  Lisa also shares the unique aspects of brewing beer in Wine Country as we ask about wine barrels and grape must in beers.

Augie Carton – Carton Brewing & Steal This Beer

Chatting with Augie Carton was a great way to wrap up the show.  He now holds the record for the most swear words in a segment.  We should get him a trophy.  Augie shares how much he enjoyed his trip to Atlanta as we chat about the need for more pubs in New Jersey, crazy alcohol license rules, and other challenges for the state’s brewers.  Relevant to Brian’s interests, Carton’s Java Bock project pairs a variety of coffees with a Dopplebock, and we discuss the importance of pairing with a good coffee roaster and the huge variety of flavors coffee adds to a beer.

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https://beerguysradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Little-Beer-Fest-cover-with-Lisa-Allen-Heater-Allen-Wide-800x450.jpghttps://beerguysradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Little-Beer-Fest-cover-with-Lisa-Allen-Heater-Allen-Wide-150x150.jpgTim DennisShowsAugie Carton,Blackberry Farm Brewery,Carton Brewing,Good Word Brewing,Heater Allen,John Holl,Lisa Allen,Little Beer Fest,low alcohol beer,Matty HargroveCelebrating the love of low ABV beers Last year's Little Beer Fest provided unusually cold temps in Duluth, GA with a bit of 'wintery mix,' aka rain, snow, and sleet.  Fortunately we didn't see a repeat and this year's event had plenty of sunshine and temps in the 70s.  Perfect...Cold beer, hot conversations, stupid jokes.