Something good is brewing in the Lowcountry.
Bluffton's own lot 9 brewing co. took home "Best of the Southeast" for its Mai Lord Mai Bock beer in The United States Beer Tasting Championship. The locally-revered nano-brewery also received two honorable mentions in the awards for Dana's Big DIPA Imperial Hazy IPA, as well as its Lil' Slice of Hefen Wheat Beer.
This is the first award the brewery has won for a beer since opening its doors last summer. Lot 9's head brewmaster, Walter Trifari, has won several awards from previous crafts at other breweries, but this was his first with the lot 9 team.
After just over a year on the local beer scene, lot 9 is quickly gaining a reputation as a fun and casual place to dive into a range of interesting craft beers.
"We wanted to create a cool place here where the focus is on beer," Trifari shared. "Our passion lies in the education of styles and exposing people to new styles and tastes. We wanted our taproom to be a welcoming community where good people could come, always find something new on our tap, and always enjoy great beer."
Lot 9 rose to the top at USBTC’s 27th Annual Competition which analyzed a total of 775 beers from 177 breweries across 18 different beer categories. Within each category, the competition crowned both a Grand Champion and the best entry from each of seven U.S. regions.
The award-winning beer, Mai Lord Mai Bock, is a traditionally strong, malty Bavarian lager that typically comes out in the month of May. The lot 9 team describe it as a lighter, bock beer which is a stronger version of a German Helles. What lot 9 brewers say sets it apart is its balance of malts with a hint of pepper, which comes from the hops.
"Our version was clean, malty, and has a nice hop bite without being too overpowering," Trifari added.
Lot 9 brewing co. is a brewer-owned and operated craft brewery, where staff say they are devoted to bringing people together for the love of great beer.
As a nano-brewery, the team gets to make small-batch brews which allows them to introduce guests to many new varieties and styles, with every visit delivering something new and different.
The group hosts monthly beer release parties and on Oct. 1 and 2, the brewery will be throwing an Oktoberfest party, fittingly named "Lotoberfest." The passionate team is proud to be part of a growing community of craft beer makers that is garnering more attention for the region on a national level.
"The Lowcountry is a great place to spread the love of great beer," Trifari said. "There are new breweries popping up all over South Carolina and Georgia by many talented brewers."
At the end of the day, that's what the lot 9 team says it's all about, introducing their growing following to new brews to satisfy their thirst.
"We love spreading our love of beer to the community," he added.
Lot 9 brewing co. is located in the shopping center at 258 Red Cedar St., in Bluffton, S.C. Discover more by visiting: lot9brew.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Best beer in the Southeast? Bluffton's lot 9 brewing co. currently owns the title
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