Features
The Bureau Formerly Known as ATF
It’s the end of the line for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as that agency has existed for the last 30 years. Under the terms of the homeland security bill passed by the US Senate, the ATF’s law enforcement functions—including most of its “bombs and bullets” operations—will be transferred to the US Justice […]
God Is Good
If yeast didn’t exist, Douglas Adams would have had to invent it. Among a host of imaginary species, the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy created the babelfish, a creature that feeds on the soundwaves of one language and excretes the soundwaves of a different language. The interplanetary traveler slips a tiny babelfish […]
Tasting Beer to Learn About Yeast
The best way to learn what flavors different yeasts contribute to beer would be to have a friendly brewer agree to make several batches of beer, identical except for the yeast strain. Lacking a tame brewer, the next best thing is to choose beers that are famous for their yeast character.
Drinking Dutch
To start at the beginning, and not to create any more confusion than is necessary, there is no country named Holland. There used to be, years ago, but today North and South Holland are provinces in a country named the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Cask Ale in America
What is it about real ale that evokes such unrestrained passion among beer lovers? In a word: flavor. Beer that is brewed and served following classic real ale techniques has an unmatched depth of flavor and softness of palate.
Beer Trays
Probably when consumers decided that lager or ale was their cup of tea, the need for a serving tray was born. Early examples of beer serving trays—made of brass, copper and nickel-plated steel—resembled the platters of the prized tea sets our ancestors used to cherish. As both a beverage service tool and a form of […]
Columns
Slow Food and Beer: A Tasting From Heaven
For some time now, the Slow Food people in my part of the world have acted as though beer did not exist. That’s OK, because until very recently I thought of them as an anti-McDonald’s group and not much else. I could sympathize with them, but I wasn’t ready to squander $60 of my ill-gotten […]
Departments
Altbier
Most beer styles are, in one way or another, connected to their past. Collectively, the roots are ancient; stylistically, more modern. Even today’s nouveau styles are based on traditional beers. Only two reference their antiquity in their name, the British old ale, and the German ale known as altbier. Altbier, meaning old beer, is so […]
Brewing Tours
Frank Boon flashed a knowing smile last fall in Denver, as he sampled beers at the Great American Beer Festival. That’s not to say he loved everything he came across. Boon, who owns Belgium’s popular Brewery Boon, does not casually pass out compliments. Perhaps the brewer could have used fresher malt, he suggested of one […]
Beer Talk
Bell’s Java Stout
Kalamazoo Brewing Co. Kalamazoo, MI Available: MI, OH, IN, IL, MN, MO Bell’s Java Stout, a “single batch” beer, is one of a range of six additional stouts the company releases each year in the month of November. Java Stout combines elements of both stout and coffee in this full-bodied beer. Kalamazoo Brewing Co. is […]
Sante Fe Pale Ale
Santa Fe Brewing Co. Santa Fe, NM Available: NM, CO The Santa Fe Brewing Co. began in 1893 as the Terrace Bar, a watering hole for Mexican frontiersman, cowboys and Eastern traders. Almost 100 years later, the Santa Fe Brewing Co. was opened on the same site, in a gutted livery stable, with hand-made equipment. […]
Drake’s IPA
Drake’s Brewing Co. San Leandro, CA Available: CA Drake’s Brewery is a small, family-owned business, established in 1989 as one of the first microbreweries in the Bay Area. Alcohol by weight: 5.6 Color: n/a Bitterness: 75 Gravity: 1066
Oderbolz Bock
Pioneer Brewing Co. Black River Falls, WI Available: WI, IL, MN, FL Oderbolz Bock is brewed in the German tradition, with noble hops balancing a large amount of malt. This traditional bock was named in honor of the pioneering spirit of the previous owners, the Oderbolz family, who owned the brewery from 1856 to 1915, […]
Jolly Scot Scottish Style Ale
Appalachian Brewing Co. Harrisburg, PA Available: PA, MD Jolly Scot Scottish Ale has been brewed at the Appalachian Brewery since its opening in 1997, the first brewery to produce beer in Pennsylvania’s capital city. The name “Jolly Scot” is a tribute to the R. H. Graupners Brewery, where a beer of the same name was […]
Winter Warlock Oatmeal Stout
Bristol Brewing Co. Colorado Springs, CO Available: CO Winter Warlock is brewed with two-row, chocolate, and highly roasted malt, flaked oatmeal, and Perle and Cascade hops. Alcohol by weight: 5.2 Color: Black Bitterness: 44 Gravity: 1064
Naughty Nellie’s Ale
Pike Brewing Co. Seattle, WA Available: WA, OR, AK, ID, MO The name “Naughty Nellie” Ale was given to the beer after Nellie Curtis, an enterprising woman who once ran an infamous “Bawdy House” at Pike’s original brewery location. Founded in 1989, Pike Brewing operates a brewpub in Seattle’s historic Pike Market. Alcohol by weight: […]
Montana Nut Brown Ale
Whitefish Brewing Co. Whitefish, MT Available: WA, OR, AK, ID, MO Whitefish Brewing Co. is located in the North Flathead Valley at the foot of the Big Mountain ski resort in the Montana Rockies. The company began brewing beer in 1991, after contract-brewing for the four previous years through Montana Beverages in Helena. Montana Nut […]