Features
Raising a White Flag
In the small Belgian town of Hoegaarden the windows of stores and offices are decked out with posters that say in Flemish “Hoegaarden Brews Hoegaarden.” The town is about to lose its brewery and the citizens are deeply angered by the decision to close a plant that revived the “white” spiced wheat beers of the […]
Saké—Japan’s Traditional Brew
Saké, the national drink of Japan, is an alcoholic beverage brewed from rice. By strict definition, brewing from grains (such as rice) makes saké a beer. Rice in beer is shunned by serious brewers and beer lovers, so what’s going on here? Is saké simply light beer?
Good Beer, Great Outdoors
You haven’t seen another person in five miles, and that suits you just fine. You’ve been burning up this trail since the morning sunlight crested over the mountainside. You’re approaching your campsite just as your feet start letting you know it time to call it a day. You unload your gear, sit down and take […]
“Brew Hiking” A Guide to the Beers of the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (AT) runs 2,176 miles between Mount Katadin in central Maine and Springer Mountain, GA. In 2003, Dave Walker covered the trail in one season, an accomplishment realized by only one in five of the thousands who set out.
Little Guys with a Can-Do Attitude
When the craft beer renaissance began in 1977 with New Albion Brewing Co., canned beer was not an option. The main hurdles included the high cost of a canning line, the availability of affordable cans in manageable quantities, plus the perception among consumers that good quality beer could be found in cans.
Columns
Looking for Local Flavor
Among those of us who value the exploration of new terrains above such modern conceits as penthouse condos and SUVs, there exist two distinct types: the Adventurer and the Urban Explorer. Into the first class fall people like my dear cousin Karen, whose idea of an ideal summer vacation is to begin in a near-Arctic […]
Those McMenamins are Still Doing It
For some twenty-three years now, the McMenamin brothers, Mike and Brian, have been working their wonders across Oregon and Washington. And what wonders those have been.
Departments
Scottish Ales
Anyone who has been to Scotland would agree that the country embodies an understated, self-confident mentality true to its agrarian roots and hardy inhabitants. Largely rural and natural, the ales of Scotland symbolize both the people and landscape, which can be at once rugged and pastoral. As Scotland lies in the UK, one would assume […]
Tarheel Brew
Years ago, Maryanne was a frequent business traveler to North Carolina. Having a rental car on the company’s dime resulted in many invitations to favorite faraway lunch spots. The food was always delicious: barbecue, piled high and served with hush puppies and endless pitchers of iced tea. Sitting on picnic tables, in buildings that sometimes […]
with Jim Koch
How did you decide to get into brewing? One might have to ask, why did it take me so long? My grandfather was a brewmaster. My father went to Siebel in 1948. His timing was terrible: he got out of brewmasters’ school when there were probably 800 breweries in the United States. But what they […]
Beer Talk
Chocolate Stout
Bison Brewing Berkeley, CA Available: CA, WA, OR, VA, DC, NC, FL, OH, KY, GA, IN Five organic malts and Dutch cocoa go into the creation of this stout, which won a the silver medal at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival in the Foreign (Extra) Stout category. Alcohol (wt.): 4.85 Alcohol (vol.): 6.1 Color: […]
Chambly Noire
Unibroue Chambly, QC, Canada Imported by: Unibrew USA Shelburne, VT Available: all states except AL, MS, OK, AR, NE, WV Alcohol (wt.): 4.9 Alcohol (vol.): 6.2 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original Gravity: n/a
Pomme Lambic
Brouwerij Lindemans Belgium Imported by: Merchant du Vin Tukwila, WA Available: Nationwide Lambics are fermented via wild yeast—no yeast is added by the brewers. To create Pomme Lambic, Lindemans adds pure apple juice after fermentation. Alcohol (wt.): 3.2 Alcohol (vol.): 4.0 Color: gold Bitterness 6 Original Gravity: 1056 Malts used: barley, unmalted wheat Hops used: aged […]
New Grist
Brewery: Lakefront Brewery Milwaukee, WI Available: CT, RI, NY, PA, VA, NC, FL, TN, OH, GA, IN, MI, IL, WI, MN, IA, CO, NV New Grist is one of a handful of beers produced for consumers who are sensitive to gluten. Currently, the FDA does not allow any beverage to make a “gluten-free” claim until […]
Hops Infusion IPA
Weyerbacher Brewing Co. Available: PA, NJ, MD, NY, OH, VA, RI, DC, MA, CT, NC Weyerbacher is known for brewing an eclectic portfolio of beer styles, including some original and unusual beers. The first brewery to bottle a Belgian-style QUAD in the US (2000), has also developed several bourbon barrel aged beers, using real barrels, […]
Interlude
Allagash Brewing Co. Portland, ME Available: ME, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, NC Interlude, the first release in Allagash’s new experimental series, is brewed with two yeasts: a Belgian farmhouse yeast, followed by a house strain of Brettanomyces. Finally, it is aged in French merlot and syrah oak barrels. Alcohol […]
Castelain Bière de Garde
Brasserie Benifontaine Nord-Pas de Calais, France Imported by: Vanberg and DeWulf Cooperstown, NY Available: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, GA, IA, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI Despite its reputation as a wine-producing nation, France has two regions with strong […]
Urthel Hop-It
Brewery: The Leyerth Breweries Ruiselede, Belgium Imported by: Imported by: Artisanal Imports, Inc. Austin, TX Available: MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA, GA, NC, OH, IL, IN, WI, MN, MI, AK, WA, OR, ID, CO, AZ, OK, IA Alcohol (wt.): 7.6 Alcohol (vol.): 9.5 Color: 20 EBC Bitterness: 80 Original Gravity: 20.5 Final gravity: […]
15th Anniversary IPA
Otter Creek Brewing Middlebury, VT Available: VT, NH, ME, MA, CT, RI, DE, NY. NJ. MD, DC, VA, NC OH, PA, IL. WI Local artist Woody Jackson painted the Vermont scene on the label especially for this release. Alcohol (wt.): 6 Alcohol (vol.): 7.6 Color: 10 Lovibond Bitterness: 65 Original Gravity: 1070 Final gravity: 1012 […]
Brother David’s Double Abbey Style Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Boonville, CA Available: AZ, CA, CO, DE, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, UT, VA, WA, WI Brother David’s Double received the Gold Medal in the Belgian Strong Ale category at the 2006 California State Fair’s Commercial Craft Brewing Competition and was […]
Thunderhead IPA
Pyramid Breweries Portland, OR Available: OR, WA, CA Pyramid was founded in 1984. Today, the company brews over 20 different styles of English-inspired ales, German-inspired wheat beers and lagers and six different sodas. Alcohol (wt.): 5.4 Alcohol (vol.): 6.7 Color: 12 Bitterness: 66 Original Gravity: 1069 Final gravity: 1017 Malts used: 2 Row Barley, Munich, […]
Koningshoeven Quadrupel Trappist Ale
Bierbrouwerij de Koningshoeven Tilburg, The Netherlands Imported by: Artisanal Imports, Inc. Place: Austin, TX Available: NY, NC, GA, FL, OH, MI, CO, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, DC, NJ, OK, TN, TX, VA, OR, WA, CO The Trappist Monks of Gethsemane, KY have asked that “La Trappe” not be used in conjunction with alcohol (even […]