Mighty Fine Comes to the Duluth Town Green for Good Word's Ninth Birthday

Todd DiMatteo had planned to open his brewery inside I-285. Then he went to a concert on the Duluth Town Green. In Southwest Gwinnett Magazine's 2022 profile of local breweries, the magazine reports that show is where he saw the potential for a brewery and pub in the middle of a growing downtown.

Nine years later, the brewery he opened with Ryan Skinner is throwing its birthday party on that same lawn. A Mighty Fine Invitational and Good Word Brewing's 9th Anniversary takes over the Town Green on Saturday, November 7, from 1 to 5 p.m.

A brewery the city built a home for

Good Word sits at 3085 Main Street. The brick building looks like it's stood there for a century. It hasn't. Southwest Gwinnett Magazine reported that the City of Duluth built it and handed it to DiMatteo and Skinner to turn into a brewery and restaurant, and Atlanta Magazine's 2018 review also called it new construction.

The founders didn't arrive as rookies. Both came from Brick Store Pub in Decatur, one of the best-known beer bars in the Southeast. Atlanta Magazine also listed Dave Blanchard, Mike Gallagher, Tom Moore and Andrew Case as co-owners. Good Word also took a route most area breweries skip. It runs its own kitchen and full bar, and Atlanta Magazine wrote about tortillas pressed in-house every day.

Allen Parker, Good Word's general manager, described the change around the brewery to Southwest Gwinnett Magazine in 2022:

"I've watched this place grow. Five years ago, none of this was here. Now it's a place where if you travel out here, you can make a day of it."

That same article said restaurants like Local on North and Sweet Octopus had done well nearby since Good Word opened. The city built a building, a brewer took a chance on a concert lawn, and the blocks around them filled in. On November 7, the brewery brings its party back to the lawn where that chance started.

Mighty Fine grew up fast

This is only the second Mighty Fine, and it has already changed shape. The first one ran June 21, 2025, and Good Word billed it on its own calendar as a West Coast IPA Fest. Forbes previewed that debut in May 2025 as a West Coast IPA festival.

The 2026 version moves in three ways:

1. It moved to November so it lands on Good Word's anniversary. The brewery's own words: "we are gonna do it up BIG!"
2. The beer list is open. Good Word says it's inviting its pals and asking them to bring whatever they want to share. Expect hop-forward beers, some saison, and, in the brewery's words, "of course there will Be lager!"
3. VIP tickets are new this year.

The lawn will host more than beer. The schedule includes pro wrestling on the green, music from DJ BlaqMozart, and an artist market.

In July 2026, Good Word shared that DiMatteo had been featured in The Beer Connoisseur's story on hazy IPAs and the craft-beer downturn.

Picking your ticket

There are two tiers, sold through EventSprout. The festival happens rain or shine, all sales are final, and there are no refunds.

VIP costs $20 more. It gets you 30 extra minutes, a glass you'll actually keep, a tent with oysters, and a beer back at the brewery. If you're the type who wants a quiet first lap before the lines build, the early entry is the real draw. If you mostly want to work through the pour list, GA gets you the same breweries.

As of this writing, the event pages don't list an age minimum, parking details, or food vendors beyond the VIP tent. Check the Good Word event page before you go.

Who's pouring

The count depends on who you ask. The City of Duluth's event page says more than 50 breweries, and Good Word says 40+. EventSprout names 43 confirmed brewers.

A sampling from that confirmed list:

• Creature Comforts
• Monday Night Brewing
• Three Taverns Brewery
• Halfway Crooks Beer
• Variant Brewing Company
• Schilling Beer Co.
• Eckhart Beer Co.
• Orchestrated Minds Brewing
• Other Half
• The Veil Brewing Co.
• Hop Butcher for the World
• Burial Beer
• Fonta Flora Brewery
• Ology Brewing
• Pinthouse
• Yazoo Brewing
• Freigeist Bierkultur

The City says many of the brewers will come in person. Good Word's own lineup this year has included No Mirrors, a 5.5% Puerto Rican pilsner it made with Little Lager in St. Louis. Good Word announced it in January.

Before and after the festival

Mighty Fine runs four hours, and downtown is open well past that. The Downtown Duluth directory lists Local on North at 3085 Main Street, the same address as Good Word, along with Sweet Octopus on West Lawrenceville Street, plus Noona Meat & Seafood and Maple Street Biscuit Company in Parsons Alley.

On any regular downtown day, keep the open container rule in mind. The City of Duluth explains that the downtown entertainment district lets you buy a to-go drink from a licensed downtown merchant and carry it on the green, along Main Street, or through Parsons Alley. You can't bring alcohol from home or from a merchant outside the district. The same page says the rule covers most city-sponsored events, and that "Open Zone" events allowing outside alcohol are marked on the city's event pages. The ordinance itself is Sec. 3-268 of the Duluth code. This is general information, not legal advice. If you're unsure whether something is allowed, ask the city or the merchant.

The rest of the Town Green calendar

Mighty Fine falls in the middle of a busy stretch on the lawn that brought Good Word to Duluth:

• Howl on the Green, Friday, October 23, 6–9:30 p.m. It's free, the theme is "Mad Science: Project Zombie," and it includes Trunk or Treat, a science show, a costume contest and a cirque finale.
• Duluth Farmers & Artisan Market, Sundays, November 1 and 15, 2–5 p.m. on the Town Green.
• Mighty Fine, Saturday, November 7, 1–5 p.m.
• Deck the Hall, Saturday, December 5, 2–7 p.m., with live entertainment, kids' crafts, snow play, Santa photos, a holiday market and light installations.

That's four events across five dates between October 23 and December 5, and one of them is put on by a business that chose Duluth after a night on that grass.

At The Cole Team with REAL Broker, we like a good local story, and a brewer picking a suburb because of a concert is a great one. If you'll be on the Town Green on November 7 and want to talk about what downtown Duluth's growth means for your own plans, Schedule a Call. We'll happily talk Duluth over a taster glass, or a good cup of coffee.