PODCAST: Everything in Moderation? The Intersection of Craft N/A & Little Beers

We explore Duluth, Georgia’s Little Beer Festival, a celebration of low gravity brews, in search of whether the craft non-alcoholic movement may crossover with fans of little beers.

We set out to explore the middle ground between N/A and the big, boozy imperials and extra-hopped beers that helped make American craft beer famous, and figure out if it offered any clues as to where non-alcoholic beer could be headed. While IPAs and the like aren’t going anywhere, in the traditional brewing world there’s undoubtedly been a movement toward lower gravity lagers, pilsners, English ales and related styles that dare to come in at 5% ABV or lower, at least inching a bit closer to their under .5% counterparts.

We start our episode sitting down with the creator of Duluth, Georgia’s Little Beer Festival, having recently celebrated its 4th iteration this month. Todd DiMatteo is also the owner/brewer of Good Word Brewing & Public House, which itself focuses on these low gravity styles. Similar to a few other festivals that have popped up in recent years to focus on lighter brews, Little Beer offers festival-goers the opportunity to sample hordes of beers that won’t knock you over with alcohol, which may go against some perceptions of a beer festival.

At the event we also talk with Aaron Zierdt, Head Innovation Brewer at Lupulin Brewing in Big Lake, Minnesota, Mason Swierenga, brewer at Phoenix’s Wren House Brewing, as well as Nate Ormand, General Manager of Asheville’s The Whale Craft Beer Collective. All shared their own perspectives of non-alcoholic beer, where and how it’s going for them, and whether there may be an intersection of these movements within an overall trend toward moderation in craft beer consumption.

Those getting a shout-out in this episode include:

Wren House Brewing (0:58 / 14:36)

Good Word Brewing & Public House (2:18)

Brick Store Pub (3:18)

Leader Brewing (brief mention @ 12:06)

Generation NA (brief mention @ 12:13)

Lupulin Brewing (12:42)

The Whale Craft Beer Collective (20:50)

Untitled Arts (22:27)

Go Brewing, RationAle, Surreal Brewing (brief mentions @ 22:52)

Sierra Nevada (23:37)