January 1, 2011 | Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers
A year ago, I mused about the proliferation of specialty beers (i.e. beers made with unusual fermentables or techniques) diluting the very concept of what it means to be a specialty beer. Based on the wide range of “extreme,” fruit ...
November 1, 2010 | Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers
Wheat ales are different, generally lower in hoppiness and higher in frothiness. I know of many otherwise well-rounded beer aficionados, particularly hopheads, that hate them and obversely many beer novices that love them. Maybe it’s the softness of hops that ...
September 1, 2010 | Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers
Continental ale styles in all of their myriad manifestations can be some of the most inspiring and inspired beers in the world. Whether they originate in religious or secular traditions of sustenance or solace, they have become guiding lights for ...
July 1, 2010 | Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers
I always enjoy the British and American Ale round of the World Beer Championships, because it’s great to see how American efforts compare to their British cousins within the same style. What emerges is an interesting snap shot of the ...
May 1, 2010 | Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers
When I ask people to tell me the difference between porters and stouts, even if they can do it, most can’t do it quickly. This confusion is understandable since, of all beer styles, stouts and porters are arguably the twins ...
March 1, 2010 | Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers
It never ceases to amaze me how pervasive lager style beers are. And, as I was enjoying a spicy sushi roll last night that paired brilliantly with a Korean pale lager that I hadn’t had in a long time, I ...
January 1, 2010 | Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers
Every year during the World Beer Championships, we dedicate one session to specialty styles of beer that includes fruit-flavored beers, beers made with unusual fermentables, barrel-aged beers and some Belgian-specialty styles like Lambic. When you open the door for brewers ...