This was originally Episode 39 of our Podcast, and since it's Oktoberfest season and it officially starts on September 20th, we decided to re-release it.

We recorded this episode at Blackstone Brewing Co. in Nashville, TN and we were joined by the person who might know the most about Oktoberfest - Scott Mertie.

Scott is the owner of Nashville Brewing Co. in Nashville, TN and all of their beers are made with all German ingredients and brewed in the style of German beers.

Their Festbier is one of the best you'll find in this country or even in Germany.

Think I'm kidding? The outro song to this episode was written and performed by a German Metal band (BKC - Beer Killing Company) who wrote that very song called "Nashville Brewing Company", because they love Nashville Brewing Co.'s beer so much. They said it's the closest beer they've found in the U.S. - that rivaled German beer. I'd say that's a solid selling point.

Enjoy this episode (again)

Prost!

The Brewers Association is a nonprofit trade organization based in the U.S. that supports and promotes small and independent American craft brewers.

In this episode of Brewery Underground, Steve and Scott sit down with Matt Gacioch, staff economist at the Brewers Association, to dig into the numbers, trends, and future of craft beer.

Matt breaks down the Brewers Association’s role in supporting independent breweries, shares insights from the 2025 mid-year production survey, and explains how consumer shifts, tariffs, and “beyond beer” products are shaping the industry.

From the rise of non-alcoholic options to breweries experimenting with ciders, seltzers, and even pickleball courts, this conversation highlights the creativity and challenges facing today’s craft brewers.

We also dive into beer style trends (IPAs, lagers, and even nostalgic throwbacks), industry consolidation, and what defines a “craft brewery” in 2025.

Whether you’re a brewer, a beer lover, or just curious about where craft beer is headed, this episode is packed with stats, stories, and plenty of laughs over a pint.

We had a lot of fun with Matt and learned quite a bit. We love stats and appreciate that Matt does too. To quote him in this episode "An ideal world would be all numbers and beer". We love that!

Thank you Matt for joining us and spending so much time with us.

Prost!

- Steve and Scott

The Brewery Underground Podcast

Welcome to Episode 90 of The Brewery Underground Podcast!

Since it's Oktoberfest season, we thought we'd comprise a montage of clips from previous episodes, where we talked specifically about Oktoberfest beers and the season.

In this episode we feature clips from our conversations with The Hilltappers, Esoteric Brewing Company, Johnson City Brewing Company, Hoppin' Frog Brewery and Steve and Scott have their own discussion about it.

This is our favorite time of the year for beer, hence wanting to do a little something different for this episode.

What are your thoughts on Oktoberfest season and Oktoberfest beers?

Cheers!