S.U.D.S., formerly known as the Decatur Beer Festival, is coming back to its new home at Decatur’s Legacy Park on Oct. 28.
S.U.D.S. – or Simply Us Doing Our Share – is a beer event that evolved from the original Decatur Beer Festival, founded by Dave Blanchard, Tom Moore, and Mike Gallagher, who also founded Brick Store Pub. The Decatur Beer Festival was founded in 1998, but took a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival returned last year as S.U.D.S.
“The world of craft beer – what we’re seeing in our stores and from an event standpoint, the idea of a big, blow-it-up beer festival – has kind of changed over the years,” Gallagher said. “With the rebranding, we wanted to kind of dial it in a little bit more as a craft beer experience … A beer festival just seems like this big sort of party affair, and we wanted to do something a little more refined.”
General admission tickets will include entry at 1 p.m. with unlimited pours from over 25 breweries, including Three Taverns Brewery, Halfway Crooks Beer, Creature Comforts, and more. VIP tickets include early entry at noon and access to a VIP tent with complimentary bites from The Bougie Grazer.
Gallagher said two breweries that are new to the lineup this year are Nashville’s Bearded Iris and Belgium’s St. Bernadus. While last year’s beer lineup focused more on local and national breweries, he said this year’s list has expanded to include some international picks.
“Rather than constricting it to just American craft, we’re gonna have some other hand-selected inclusions that ‘ll be a lot of fun too,” he said. “Stuff that’s kind of hard to come by.”
In addition to beer, there will be food options for purchase. Brick Store Pub’s Chef Grant Crain, La Chiquiada’s Catherine Zuber, and The Deer and The Dove’s Chef Terry Koval will all be serving up delicious bites. Live music will also be playing from the likes of Penelope Road, DJ Blaq Mozart, and Walker’s Bluegrass Band.
According to a press release, 100% of the funds from the event will be donated to Legacy Park’s group of nonprofits. Current nonprofit tenants at Legacy Park include AJC Decatur Book Festival, the Decatur Education Foundation, and the Refugee Women’s Network.
“Moving the festival from the square to Legacy was really a chance to put it in that beautiful park that Decatur now has as their nonprofit center,” Gallagher said. “It’s just really a lot more green space, a little more shade. It’s just a really beautiful setting.”Tickets can be purchased online.