By K. Florian Kemp
Published March 2013, Volume 34, Number 1
Those of us “experienced” enough to remember the beer wasteland before the brewing Renaissance cut our teeth on rather pedestrian European imports. Mostly, they were English or German in origin, with the odd Belgian bauble. There was no special release hoopla or festival hysteria, nor discussion of wild fermentation, new cultivar ale or barrel-aging. We beer hunters were happy just to see a nonfamiliar macro label, anything but the vapid status quo.
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By K. Florian Kemp
Published January 2013, Volume 33, Number 6
We, as beer lovers, are constantly being introduced to the next great infatuation, permutation or trend as the brewing industry rapidly rambles on.
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By K. Florian Kemp
Published November 2012, Volume 33, Number 5
In recent years, there has been a particular fondness for brews with “extreme” qualities. Intense hoppiness, rugged roasted flavors, wild funkiness and alcoholic potency all fit this bill. Sour flavors have most recently become a desired affection. Berliner weisse features a reserved lactic sourness as its keynote, the supplementary fermentation resulting in an effervescent, bone-dry beer, placing them among the most refreshing beverages, beer or otherwise. Rare even in Berlin, the recent general delight in sour beers has put them on our collective radar. Daring American brewers are dabbling in Berliner weisse, nouveau German artisans are reinventing it, and traditional brewers of the style are holding firm.
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By K. Florian Kemp
Published September 2012, Volume 33, Number 4
The appreciation for Belgian beer and Belgium’s brewing culture has never been more keen than right now. One could even argue that it is currently the most influential force in North American brewing. This well-deserved affection has helped sustain and nourish both the fledgling North Americans and venerable Belgians. Beer lovers have taken a particular liking to the biggest and brawniest of them, and Belgium’s answer to those are quadrupels and strong dark ales.
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By K. Florian Kemp
Published July 2012, Volume 33, Number 3
The lineup of beer styles available today is quite impressive, but the lines between them are often blurry. The difference between porters and stouts might only be a matter of brewer’s discretion. These two form a virtual continuum, the minor differences barely justification for designating them one style, or sub-style, versus another. Avid beer fans love to debate such things, but with milk stout there is no such debate. The style can mean only one thing, that there has been an addition of sweet and unfermentable lactose. Milk stout is a mere century old, though much longer in the making. It’s a revolutionary, popular invention and cunning solution to a quandary. Its brewers capitalized on the shifting tastes of their patrons, who were tiring of aged beer and demanding more fresh beer, and usurped the long-popular porter, England’s 19th century stalwart. Milk stout was actually influenced more by a preference for mild ale rather than one for black beers. Today’s milk stouts, or mild ales, are essentially the same as their early 20th century ancestors, quietly stamping their mark in a quest for less extreme, yet satisfying brews.
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By K. Florian Kemp
Published May 2012, Volume 33, Number 2
Those of us fortunate enough to have experienced the North American beer renaissance would never have imagined anything like this in the 1970s. But there was no stopping the growth of craft beer once the ball was rolling . Now that growth has taken us from a foundation of British, German and Czech classics through an era of extreme beer and barrel aging and into the cutting-edge realm of wild beers.
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