Wine Before Beer
ShareRecently, a lot of brewers have followed the same routine for new releases: Brew a big beer, throw it in a bourbon barrel for a few months, release limited quantities at a high price, and watch...
View ArticleCanned Answers
ShareCanned beer used to be the bad beer your dad drank while he mowed the lawn. But with more craft breweries offering canned versions of their beers and breweries opening up that are 100% dedicated...
View ArticleHop Cross Brews
SharePhenotype, genotype, genetic crosses, controlled pollination. These might not be the first terms that come to mind when browsing through the beer store, but the genetic background of the hop...
View ArticleGood as Old
ShareThe story goes like this. Sometime around the year 1070, the Tuscan Countess Matilda was passing through the Belgian countryside when her wedding ring slipped off of her finger into a pond. As...
View ArticleBeyond the Farmhouse
ShareIt’s springtime. The April rain is falling, the flowering trees are in full bloom, and the quintessential seasonal ale know as saison is hitting the shelves at the local beer store. The production...
View ArticlePerfect Pairings
ShareBeer and pretzels. Specifically, a big American stout and some hard and salty sourdough pretzels. This is my perfect food pairing. Why? Well, because I think they taste good together. It’s as...
View ArticleRed, White, and Brew
ShareI have a vivid image in my head of a typical Fourth of July celebration. There’s a sun-drenched backyard with perfectly green grass, littered with family and friends decked out in red, white, and...
View ArticleBeer On the Half Shell
ShareTell anyone who hasn’t heard of the style that you’re drinking an oyster stout and you’re sure to get strange looks. These looks are usually followed with questions like “Is it slimy?” and “Why...
View ArticleOutside Oktoberfest
ShareIt’s happening again. A gradual chill is settling into the air, the abandoned storefronts are transforming into Halloween emporiums, pumpkin is finding its way into everything edible. As summer...
View ArticleGo Sour
ShareI’m tired of all these pumpkin beers and their silly names. When did it become a requirement to brew liquid pumpkin pie two months before fall even starts? Sure, the first few you drink when they...
View ArticleIPA to Z
Share“I don’t order IPAs anymore because I never know what I’m going to get.” This sentiment from one newcomer to the craft beer scene is becoming an issue for others in a similar position. Fueled by...
View ArticleDeck the Hops
ShareAh, the holidays. They’re a special time for giving thanks, giving gifts, and enjoying the company of loved ones. Oh, and they’re also a time for spiked egg nog, champagne, mulled cider, punch...
View ArticlePours from the Past
ShareSometime between 7,000 and 5,600 BC, along the banks of the Yellow River, an early inhabitant of modern-day China left behind a jug that was once filled with the earliest known example of a...
View ArticleThe Coolships Have Landed
ShareYeast is everywhere. Taking refuge in wall and rafters, on the skins of hanging fruit, and even floating along the breeze, it’s an omnipresent and essential element of any location’s native...
View ArticleBreaking Bud
Share“Gimme a lager.” Where I’m from, speaking this phrase at your average neighborhood drinking establishment results in a very specific response: a glass of Yuengling Traditional Lager placed in...
View ArticleNew Order
ShareThe disciplined lifestyle of a Cistercian monk is structured by a steadfast routine. The first prayer starts well before sunrise. A simple breakfast follows, maybe toast and jam, before the next...
View ArticleCask, Nitro, Bottle, Tap
Share“The beer here is flat and warm!” I overheard this statement being exclaimed by a confused and disappointed patron at my neighborhood craft beer bar recently when greeted by a friend. He was...
View ArticleHops & Change
ShareThe Great Margarita Disaster of 2014 is upon us. People are panicking, dipping into their savings accounts, even, to shell out the 50 cents to a dollar it now costs to purchase a single lime....
View ArticleI Don’t Mead You
Share“Good enough for Zeus…good enough for you!” reads the 16-ounce pounder cans of one of the most popular American craft mead producers. This can of carbonated, 8% ABV honey wine represents an...
View ArticleEverything’s Coming Up Gose
ShareThere’s no contending the trend: salt is hip. To be more exact, the addition of saltiness to typically unsalty food items is hip. Falling victim to it is almost unavoidable. Within a recent...
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