The Best Beer & Breweries Awards presented by The Beer Connoisseur^® magazine & online is the epic annual celebration of the world's top-rated beer, non-alcoholic beer, cider, mead and seltzer as reviewed in the publication's esteemed Official Review.

Every January, the magazine's editorial department compiles the highest-rated products from the year into a best-of-list for national and international publication in print and online.

It then compiles the top three-rated products from brewers and producers to award the top three breweries of the year.

Furthermore, it acknowledges the best products in the most populous style categories within the year.

Learn more about the most recognized independent media review for the beer and adult beverages industry below.

HOW TO ENTER (Beer, Non-Alcoholic Beer, Cider, Mead, Seltzer)

The Official Review is a highly controlled single-blind format that ensures unbiased evaluations of your brands.

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Biggerstaff Brewing Co. in Atlanta, Georgia has announced the release of its first-ever canned beer, called Family & Field. Full details are below.

ATLANTA, Georgia – Biggerstaff Brewing Company will celebrate its first anniversary on Friday, September 16 with the launch of their first ever canned beer, Family & Field.

Owners Clay and Sarah Davies, along with Biggerstaff Brewer Ian Brown, shared, “As a team, we thought it would be most appropriate to name our first-anniversary beer Family & Field. The name pays homage to the Biggerstaff family’s farming history and our team’s family and friends who have stuck with us through the first year of opening our brewery and restaurant. The beer is a New England style Double IPA, 8.5%, made with Citra, Idaho 7, and Zamba hops. And the coolest fact about it is that it will be our first Biggerstaff Brewing canned beer!”

A limited supply of Family & Field will be served in a commemorative glass on the anniversary day only. Also available, a newly released beer, named Pauline–a tasty Pilsner.

About Biggerstaff Brewing

Shiner Beer in Katy, Texas has announced a collaboration with Academy Sports + Outdoors. Full details are below.

KATY, Texas – Shiner Beer and Academy Sports + Outdoors are launching an exclusive collaboration to turn outdoor activities into celebrations. The first-ever Magellan Outdoors x Shiner co-branded line will be available exclusively at Academy Sports + Outdoors beginning Friday, Aug. 19.

Customers can quench their thirst for adventure with Magellan Outdoors x Shiner gear including t-shirts and fishing shirts, boat shorts, hats, coolers, koozies, outdoor games, grill accessories, a canopy, armchair, and a keg-shaped charcoal grill.

“The first-ever collaboration between Shiner and Magellan Outdoors offers unique assortments and creative designs to capture the fun of getting outdoors with friends and family,” said Lawrence Lobpries, Academy Sports + Outdoors’ senior vice president of marketing. “This limited-time offering is the ultimate symbol of helping our customers quench their thirst for adventure and fun.”

“At Shiner, we think there’s no better place to enjoy a cold beer than the great outdoors,” said Matt Pechman, Shiner’s Head of Marketing. “That’s why we’re thrilled to join forces with Magellan Outdoors and Academy, for a collaboration made in beer heaven. We hope our new co-branded merch and functional gear will inspire our fans to get outside and make their next outdoor adventure one to remember.”

High Noon Hard Seltzer in Modesto, California has announced the release of a new limited-edition mixed-pack just in time for football season. Full details are below.

MODESTO, California – Spirit of Gallo’s High Noon, the #1 selling spirit-based hard seltzer, is kicking off college football tailgating season with the release of a limited-edition High Noon Tailgate Pack, the perfect companion for gearing up for a game day against rivals or enjoying homecoming weekend at your alma mater.

High Noon, made with real vodka and real juice, believes in always living like the sun is out, especially as the days get chillier this fall. To add a bit more sunshine to the tailgate experience, the Tailgate Pack features two new flavors – Pear, a crisp and juicy offering with a delightful, tangy-sweet zing and a hint of apple, and Cranberry, which tastes like fresh, delicious cranberry juice, bursting with red berry flavor – as well as fan favorites Black Cherry and Grapefruit.

High Noon wants to elevate every aspect of tailgating – from your hard seltzer choice to your tailgate accessories. So, to ensure fans’ are living their best life under the sun, the brand is giving away the first-ever High Noon Tailgate Cooler – a solar-powered cooler that will keep your High Noons cold without the need for ice, allowing more time to enjoy the festivities and more space for High Noons!

Reformation Brewery in Canton, Georgia has announced the release of a culinary-inspired Key Lime Pie sour called Forage. Full details are below.

Forage.
Forage arrives! This week we welcome welcome the first in a series of culinary inspired, small batch experiments.

 In a nod to the famously Floridian, Key Lime Pie, graham cracker, key lime puree, cinnamon, and Philly sour yeast gather in this 4.7% Tart Ale. Find this unique offering from your neighborhood Reformation starting Friday, 8/26.
GET YOURS

Mother Earth Brew Co. in Vista, California and Nampa, Idaho has announced the release of its newest Project X release called Synpatic Plasticity. Full details are below.

Vista, CA & Nampa, ID – Mother Earth is continuing its every-60-day release schedule of Hazy IPAs with a new Simcoe and Mosaic hopped brew that’s a tongue twister both inside and out and impresses visually with the fluid creations of the artist known as pxEYES – an LA based visual and 3D artist known for his work with musicians like Steve Aoki, Zed’s Dead, and others.

Synaptic Plasticity (Pronounced /səˈnaptik/ /plaˈstisədē/), in contrast to several of this year’s previous “Project X Series” releases, leans more toward the West-coast style of Hazies, finishing drier and slightly more bitter, in addition to being more unfiltered than milky, on the sliding scale of Hazy. Make no mistake, though; what it lacks in New-England qualities, it more than make up for in its flavor and aroma. 

Mother Earth’s brewers went heavy-handed with Simcoe and Mosaic, a pair of classic domestic hops from the Pacific Northwest known well for their key roles in some of the categories most storied IPAs. 

Wallenpaupack Brewing Co. in Hawley, Pennsylvania has announced that its flagship cream ale Paupack Cream Ale was named the world's best cream ale at the 2022 World Beer Awards. Full details are below.

August 25, 2022 - Hawley, Pennsylvania –The World Beer Awards, one of the most respected global beer competitions, today unveiled its style and category winners for their annual competition and has named one of Wallenpaupack Brewing Company’s flagship beers (Paupack Cream Ale) as the World’s Best Cream Ale.

Today’s announcement follows the Country winners where Wallenpaupack Brewing Company achieved three Gold Awards signaling they were the best beers in the United States in those particular styles of beer.  The gold medal country winners then competed head-to-head with all other winners in the category where awards and certificates were given to the best beer in each style and the overall best beer in each category. 

Paupack Cream Ale was named the best beer in the world under the Cream Ale style, and was one of only a handful of other beers produced in the United States that achieved such recognition.

The leaves are falling (as are the temperatures) and beer is flowing freely – fall is the perfect season for a beer event, so we sifted through all the events we could find in the Atlanta area and beyond for our Fall 2022 beer events calendar. Mark your calendars accordingly!

SEPTEMBER

Every Weekend in September
Helen Oktoberfest

We’ve already covered this event in-depth in this issue, but Helen, Georgia is home to one of the best Oktoberfest celebrations in this hemisphere. The party is on for every weekend in September, so if you get a chance, saunter up north from Atlanta to soak up the authentic German “bier” as well as the lovely atmosphere.

September 9
Butterflies and Brews
@ Dunwoody Nature Center

While this might not sound like the most obvious pairing, this interesting event at the Dunwoody Nature Center is perfect for the beer fans that like a little natural world with their brews. Tickets include a delicious picnic box from Morty’s Meat and Supply and local sips from Moondog Growlers as well as unlimited access to butterfly tents, which will be full of beautiful native Georgia butterflies. Magical!

While the fall season is full of plenty of events, sports is usually what springs to mind the most as leaves begin to change their hue and temperatures start to cool off a tad.

However, sports are not the only thing going on in Atlanta and the great state of Georgia during the fall as the following music and arts events clearly showcase.

Read on to explore some of the most interesting shows and hottest tickets in town for the beginning of fall.

September 8
Kevin Hart: Reality Check

One of the biggest comedians in the world (not in physical stature, of course) makes his way to the home of the Atlanta Hawks in early September to deliver his trademark brand of humor.

A truly gifted storyteller and one-of-a-kind comic talent, Hart is sure to deliver the “lolz” on this Thursday night, but if you miss him, don’t worry, he has another show the next night on September 9. Don’t wait too long, though, as this is his first major tour in four years – and during 2018’s Irresponsible tour he sold over a million tickets!

State Farm Arena
1 State Farm Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30303