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!

2 of Nashville's craft beer podcast teams come together once again. The Foamy Heads and The Brewery Underground Podcast team up to talk about a HUGE acquisition in the Nashville craft beer scene.

Xul Beer Company has purchased Southern Grist Brewing Company, and it's something we all wanted to get together and discuss.

This was more or less an impromptu episode (hence dropping it on a different day than we normally do) as the news had just broken, and Rich had the great idea of us all getting on the mics to talk about it.

We are all fans of both breweries, and as much as we don't want Southern Grist to go away - we are extremely excited to have Xul in Nashville, in hopes that they brew their beer here, as well as in Knoxville.

Not only do we have an in depth conversation about Xul and Grist, we discuss a few other things as well (as we always like to do) .

Things like Rich switching back to an Android phone from iOS after 3 years, how Oktoberfest basically starts in March now, Mitch finishing his Cantillon that he wasn't able to share with breweries in Nashville - which lead to a deeper conversation about sharing outside drinks in breweries.

Sticky Keys was born as a new beer name, will Steve get a tattoo,? Rich has a new addiction called Tavour and he doesn't know this - but he almost has Scott convinced to join as well, did Mitch work on Labor Day?, how many Oktoberfest beers did Steve buy?

BTW, when the Foamies and BUP get together, we actually call ourselves The Foamy Underground.

This won't be the last you hear us doing an episode with The Foamy Heads, as we have something planned at Common John 's Beerfest on 9/20 together.

We welcome Xul Beer Company to Nashville, and we are officially rolling out the red carpet to them.

Stay tuned for more from us and, make sure to check out The Foamy Heads Podcast.

Cheers!

Steve and Scott

There are a lot of great places in Tennessee to drink craft beer. Among them, is Johnson City Brewing Company, in Johnson City, Tennessee.

We caught up with Owner Eric Latham, and Head Brewer Anna McKay to talk about what they do. Eric has been brewing the beer for a long time. Anna, was recently promoted to her position after having spent years working her way up the ladder.

Oktoberfest season has arrived. Johnson City Brewing has several variations of this annual beer. We wanted to find out about each one, including the option with Butterscotch.

Steve recently paid a visit to the brewery and shared his fun experience of going there for the first time.

Anna, talks about being a female head brewer and what that means to her.

Eric is a really busy guy. Brewery owner. President of the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild. And he recently walked through an entire state to raise money for a great charity.

We really appreciated the time they set aside to speak with us.

Cheers!

The winds of change are blowing through Nashville this summer! Talk about an action-packed episode. We have news on Southern Grist Brewing Company being taken over by Xul Brewing Company out of Knoxville. We will share all the details of what we know so far!

That's not all! Bearded Iris has also been acquired by a very large brewery from Memphis!

Stoke Haus Brewing and Barbeque is new to the Nashville brewery scene. But the two guys running it have been around for a while. Scott attended the soft opening and discussed his experience.

Mr. Brews Taphouse in Murfreesboro is opening up a second location in the Middle Tennessee area. In a place, familiar to craft beer drinkers.

Steve recently took a trip to East Tennessee and talked about visiting Xul Beer Company in Knoxville for the first time. His overnight stay, checking out the brewery scene in Johnson City, and Bristol. Plus, his wild experience at the MLB Speedway Classic between the Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves, at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

One of our favorite breweries in Cincinnati, Ohio, recently closed for good. Like many in the craft beer community, we were surprised. Our thoughts on Listermann Brewing Company,

Cheers!

Part 2 of our interview with Fred, John and Zachary of Hoppin' Frog Brewery, picks up where we left off.

The importance of making sure the beer tastes like it says it does, is extremely important to Hoppin' Frog. A chocolate covered strawberry Stout should taste exactly like that! Steve describes the one he had, and you can almost taste it yourself!

Did you know Hoppin' Frog Brewery has distributed to 22 states and 40 foreign countries? From Denmark to Hong Kong to Hawaii and so many more.

We have a great conversation about some of the different laws and taxes they have to navigate between states and different countries. (without going down a rabbit hole :-) )

Taproom events are a big deal at Hoppin' Frog and especially their upcoming Shandy Day which is August 23rd with 16-18 shandy's on tap.

What other events do they have in the taproom? Will Hoppin' Frog be expanding any time soon? How important is can art and brand recognition? All of these questions are answered in this episode, plus a whole lot more - but you have to listen to find out.

Thank you Fred, John and Zachary for joining us on this episode. We truly are appreciative of you and Hoppin' Frog Brewery.

Your whole team is phenomenal. Keep up the fantastic work and keep brewing fun and happiness!

Cheers!

Steve and Scott

Fred Karm, John Humphrey and Zachary Bastin joined us from Hoppin' Frog Brewery out of Akron, OH and we couldn't have had more fun.

Interviews like this is why we love doing this podcast!

We start off talking about Oktoberfest season and Oktoberfest beers, including a story about Hoppin' Frog winning a blind tasting, (which included 18 different Oktoberfest beers), with their Oktoberfest Froggy Style Lager.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery is about to celebrate their 19th Anniversary on September 1st, which is a testament to their leadership, their team, and of course the beer and shandy's they make.

We discuss what the craft beer scene looked like 19 years ago in the Akron area, what it means to Zachary and John to be with Hoppin' Frog for 14+ years, and our experience of visiting their taproom back in May.

We also dive into the (B,T,Q,D).O.R.I.S series and what exactly that is, barrel aging their beers, what types of barrels they've used and how they've come about them, and how Hoppin' Frog's beer styles are perceived in the industry.

Hoppin' Frog is selling fun, and if you spend any time around these guys, visit their taproom, or drink their beer, you'll absolutely know it.

We hope you listen to this episode and share in the fun we had with this great group of guys.

We have a lot more coming in Part 2, next week.

Cheers!

Steve and Scott

- The Brewery Underground Podcast