Features
Beer in the European Union
If American readers are confused by the role of the European Union, they are not alone. Many of us who live in EU countries are increasingly reduced to head-scratching disbelief by its activities.
When Fine Dining Calls For Fine Beer
A fervent beer lover I know was sitting in a multi-starred restaurant. He’d made his food selection, and was studying the drinks menu. After glancing at the beer list, he scanned the wine pages before calling the sommelier. “I was looking for something in a jug red,” he said. “I beg your pardon?” asked the […]
Educating the Next Generation of Restaurant Professionals
When Jared Rouben applied to study at the Culinary Institute of America, he was excited to see on the application that the highly-regarded school included a beer club among the various student organizations. “Then I got here and discovered it had been dismantled for a couple of years. I was devastated,” says Rouben. “The first […]
Gastropubs and Fine Beer Dining, European Style
“We use the same fishmonger Gordon Ramsay does,” Mark Dorber says, not even trying to look modest. As the landlord of the White Horse at Parsons Green in West London, Dorber is well known for his cask-conditioned ales. But instead of acclaimed brewers, he is now using a three-star Michelin celebrity chef and culinary enfant […]
25 All-American Beer Cities: 25 for AAB’s 25th
As part of its silver anniversary celebration, All About Beer Magazine asked me to name my 25 favorite American beer cities. Lists like these invite controversy, which isn’t a bad thing. Differences of opinion make for good discussion and are amicably resolved over a pint or two.
Storing Beer: How to Design a Best Cellar
The concept of a wine cellar is well understood, even by people who don’t drink wine. Since the flavor of many wines improves with age, having an appropriate place to store the treasures of the grape is a practical necessity for wine lovers.
Beers for the Cellar—A Selected List
Virtually any beer over 6 percent ABV is a likely candidate for cellaring. Here’s a short list of some of my favorites and when I would recommend drinking them.
Best Cellar Ready-Mades
If convenience is more your concern than cost, there are a number of refrigerated “cellars” on the market that can provide an instant solution to long-term beer storage. Just add bottles, and plug in to an electrical outlet.
The Games Drinkers Play
Everyone recognizes the old ploy to keep us in the pub when the publican places salty foods like peanuts, pretzels and popcorn at the bar. Even though these thirst-causing snacks keep us drinking, they will not keep us at the bar as long as a game will.
Columns
The Hophead’s Guide to Hops
The bar at Widmer’s Gasthaus brewery-pub here in Portland, OR, was fairly crowded as I settled in to relax a bit before going home. The fellow next to me asked what I was drinking, I told him, and he said he was just moving to Portland from Seattle. I genially commented that our (Portland) beer […]
Departments
Belgian Strong Golden Ale
Belgian brewers fairly sneer at convention, as they produce hundreds of idiosyncratic or otherwise inimitable brews. The eccentricity is the norm to the point that lovers of Belgian beers consider the quirks quintessential. The obscure Belgian specialties may be known by few, but ask even a modestly devoted beer lover to name a Belgian brew, […]
Beer in My Backyard
Over the years, people have asked us where we “drink locally.” For us, “local” means Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan town where we’ve worked and played for years. The city’s population is only 114,110—Michigan Stadium could hold them all—but it offers something for every taste. Where else can you watch the Royal Shakespeare Company, […]
Beer Talk
Berghoff Solstice Wit
Joseph Huber Brewing Co. Monroe, WI Available: WI, IL, IN, MO, KS, MI, IA The Joseph Huber brewing Co., the second oldest continuously operating brewery in the United States, is celebrating its’ 160th year in business. The brewhouse is a two-vessel system, consisting of a mash/lauter tun and a brewkettle with an average size of […]
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Brewery Rodenbach Roeselare, Belgium Imported by: Brewery Ommegang Cooperstown, NY Available: PA, MD, MA, DC, NJ, NY, GA The Rodenbach Grand Cru is matured in the oak casks for up to two years, where oxygen diffusion through the wood along with the micro-organisms in the wood contribute to the fermentation and further acidification, and help […]
Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma, CA, Available: CA, OR, WA, ID, NV, AZ, CO, TX, VA, DC, NY, PA, MA Alcohol (wt.): 5.7 Alcohol (vol.): 7.2 Color: 9-12 Bitterness: 42 Original Gravity: 1056 Final gravity: 1011 Malts used: We use Great Western Pale Malt and a variety of other specialty malts for color and texture Hops […]
Wheat Wine
Portsmouth Brewery Place: Portsmouth, NH The Portsmouth Brewery, New Hampshire’s first brewpub, was founded in 1991, four years after its sister company, the Northampton Brewery, opened in Western Massachusetts. Today, it’s “sister company” is Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Warsteiner Dunkel
Warsteiner Brauerei Warstein, Germany Imported by: Warsteiner Importers Agency Cincinnati, OH WarsteinerPremium Dunkel is brewed exclusively of barley malt, hop extract, yeast and water according to the German purity law of 1516. Alcohol (wt.): 4.0 Alcohol (vol.): 4.9 Color: 16.5 Bitterness: 20 Original Gravity: 1046 Final gravity: 1016.4 Malts used: Pilsner pale, crystal, Munich, roasted […]
LaConner IPA
LaConner Brewing Co. LaConner, WA Available: WA LaConner Brewing Co. (established in 1995) is a family-owned brewpub located in the historic waterfront village of LaConner, WA. The IPA is their flagship beer. Alcohol (wt.): 5.57 Alcohol (vol.): 7 Color: 5-10 Lovabond Bitterness: 134 Original Gravity: 1068 Final gravity: 1012 Malts used: Crisp Marris Otter Hops […]
St. Feuillien Tripel
St. Feuillien Brewery Le Rouilx, Belgium Imported by: Artisanal Imports Austin, TX Available: CA, WA, IDAHO, CO, ARIZONA, ALASKA Named for an Irish monk, Feuillien, martyred in the 7th century, this Belgian brewery has been operated by the Friart family on the site of the old abbey since 1873. Alcohol (wt.): 6.8 Alcohol (vol.): 8.5 […]
Rohrbach Scotch Ale
Rohrbach Brewing Co. Rochester, NY Available: NY Alcohol (wt.): 5.25 Alcohol (vol.): 6.6 Color: 11 Bitterness: 17 Original Gravity: 1070 Final gravity: 1020 Malts used: Pale malt and roasted barlye Hops used: Styrian Golding and Willamette
Damnation Golden Ale
Russian River Brewing Co. Santa Rosa, CA Available: CA, PA, DC, VA Damnation is Russian River’s version of a Belgian-style golden ale. The name evokes the Belgian tradition of giving this style of beer a curious or diabolical name. Alcohol (wt.): 5.57 Alcohol (vol.): 7 Original Gravity: 1066
B.B. Bürgerbraü
Budejovicky Metanskyy Pivovar Ceske Budejovice Imported by: Classic Beverages Darien, CT Available: NY, IL, MI, MN, WI, MA, CT, NJ, PA, MD, DC, VA, NC, TX B.B. Burgerbraü was first brewed in 1802, with the name “Budweiser Bürgerbräu.” When the communists took over, they considered Bürgerbräu to be the “German” brewery of the town, and […]
Avery IPA
Avery Brewing Co. Boulder, CO Available: AK, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MA, ME, MN, MA, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA,, TN, TX, VA, WI, WY Hops used: Columbus, Styrian Goldings, Centennial