Features
Kiwi Kerveza
When most people today think about New Zealand, beer is probably not the number one image conjured up. Instead, the Lord of the Rings film trilogy probably springs first to mind, and they did wonderfully showcase the island nation’s wide and varied landscapes and unique native flora and fauna. In the years following the release […]
What’s Brewing Down Under?
Americans who are told that Fosters is “Australian for beer” may scratch their heads with confusion when they land on our shores expecting to be greeted with barbequed shrimp and “Australia’s beer.” They would be hard-pressed to find the blue, white and gold label during their visit Downunder and they definitely won’t find the famous […]
The Wild Bunch
In a world of refined and sophisticated beercraft, the most cutting-edge beers today may also be the most reckless. They shun laboratory yeast strains. They scoff at sanitation. They are ancient, magical and funky—almost mythological. They are known as wild ales.
Retro Beer
Ten years ago, some junior poli-sci major at Reed College in Portland, OR, slapped a dollar bill on the bar at the Lutz Tavern and raised his middle finger to the whole corporate/yuppie beer establishment. Heineken? Budweiser? Microbrews? Bleep that shit—Pabst Blue Ribbon, man! And, thus, one of the most perplexing trends in American consumerism […]
Shrines to Retro Beer
Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion. The 19th-century home of the man who gave us PBR is open for tours. On Oct. 10th, it will host Retro Night, a dinner featuring grilled brats and a walk down memory lane. Tickets and info: 414-931-0808.2000 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. Yesterbeer.com. The born-on date at this Web site is pre-1960, […]
Not All Retros are Created Alike
Classic Retros: the same as they ever were Utica Club “We drink all we can, the rest we sell.” Pabst Blue Ribbon “Thirty-three fine brews blended into one great beer.” Miller High Life “The Champagne of bottled beers.” Point Special “When you’re out of Point, you’re out of town.” Huber Premium “Premium means exceptional quality.” […]
Small Wonders
Every glass of beer holds a number of miracles: the malt, so willing to turn its own starch reserves into fermentables; the perfect bitterness of hops that just happens to be a passable preservative as well; the complex protein chemistry that allows foam to form and remain just so, until the glass is drained. But […]
Columns
The Beer Tinkerer
I’ve always been a tinkerer. Before I could walk, my mother tells stories about me taking apart the toaster, or dismantling light covers and sticking bobby pins into wall sockets. I was a busy boy.
The Joy of Beer and the Lupulin Effect
Years ago, I hosted a beer tasting for a large wine appreciation group. They were ready to sniff, swizzle and sip the beer the way wine tasters do. Those wine people were going to sip a little and then spit it out! Spit it out? Of course, it wasn’t long at all before they were […]
Departments
Hefeweizen and Dunkelweizen
There is no denying the popularity of wheat beers these days, but they are as old as beer itself. Bavarian weizenbier, Berliner weisse, Belgian witbier, American wheat ales and lambic are all familiar wheat-based beers. Wheat even finds a supporting role in odd brews, adding complexity and lending its matchless ability to enhance head formation […]
with Uli Bennewitz
Nearly two decades ago, as he took up a job as an agricultural consultant in Manteo, NC, Uli Bennewitz was persuaded by his brother back in Bavaria that a restaurant that brewed its own beer—a brewpub—would be a sure winner in his new home in America. The brewing equipment was en route to North Carolina […]
A Buckeye Beer Tour
It’s easy to overlook places close to home. Maryanne’s dad used to lament how many people who grew up just a short bus or train ride from New York City and never visited the Statue of Liberty or the observation deck atop the Empire State Building. The same goes for beer traveling. With the soaring […]
Beer Talk
Feuerwehrmann Schwarzbier
Pennichuck Brewing Co. Milford, NH Available: NH, MA, RI, CT, NY; soon in VT, PA All Pennichuck beers have police, fire or EMS-related names, in recognition of brewery founder Phil Jewett’s career as a firefighter and paramedic. “Feuerwehrmann” is German for fireman. Alcohol (vol.): 4.9 Alcohol (wt): 3.9 Color: 24 Bitterness: 23.8 Original gravity: 1050
Squatters Organic Amber Ale
Salt Lake Brewing Co. Salt Lake City, UT Available: UT In 2004, Salt Lake Brewing Co. was named environmental company of the year by the Recycling Coalition of Utah. Alcohol (vol.): 4 Alcohol (wt): 3.2 Color: 24 Bitterness: 26 Original gravity: 1041
Rejewvenator
Schmalz Brewing Co. San Francisco, CA Available: CA, AK, AZ, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MD, DC, DE, MA, MI, MN, MO, NB, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, WA, WI, AB Described as half dopplebock, half Belgian-inspired dubbel, this beer is brewed with lager yeast, Trappist ale […]
Miltenberger Helles Hefe-Weizen
Brauhaus Faust Miltenberg, Germany Imported by: Schwelmer Beer Imports Brooklyn, NY Available: MA, PA, NY, VA, NC, GA, FL, IL, NJ, CA, WA Brewed in the scenic town of Miltenberg, famous for its well-preserved half-timbered houses, some dating back to the 12th century. This beer is sold in Germany under the family name “Faust.” Alcohol […]
Mojo IPA
Boulder Beer Co. Boulder, CO Available: CO, FL, MN, PA, MA, AZ, NM, IL, KS, VA, OR, WY, NE, NY, MI, WA, CT, OH, TN, NJ, IN, RI, GA, SC, WI, SD Boulder Beer Co. got its start in 1979 in a building shared with a goat, called the goat shed. Alcohol (vol.): 6.8 Alcohol […]
Farmhouse Summer Ale
Flying Fish Brewing Co. Cherry Hill, NJ Available: NJ, PA, DE, MD A highly drinkable “every day” beer style from French-speaking Belgium meets an English Summer Ale. Alcohol (vol.): 4.6 Alcohol (wt): 3.7 Color: 3.5 Bitterness: n/a Original gravity: 1046
Hell and High Watermelon Wheat
21st Amendment San Francisco, CA Available: CA The 21st Amendment Brewery is named for the amendment to the constitution that repealed Prohibition in 1933. Alcohol (vol.): 5.2 Alcohol (wt): 4.1 Color: 6 Bitterness: 17 Original gravity: 1047
Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout
Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant Novato, CA Available: CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA, AK, ID, CO, MN, OH, IL, MA, NY, RI, MD, PA, VA, DC, BC and Guam As popular London porters came to be brewed in stronger versions, they were initially described as “stout” porters. In time, the porter and stout styles diverged. Alcohol […]
Holy Mackerel Mack in Black
Gordash Brewing Co. Ft. Lauderdale, FL Available: FL, NC, PA This beer is a hybrid of an Imperial stout and a Belgian black ale, with an addition of pomegranate juice. Alcohol (vol.): 8 Alcohol (wt): 6.4 Color: black Bitterness: 24 Original gravity: 1073
Belgian White
Long Trail Brewing Co. Bridgewater Corners, VT Available: VT, NY, NH, RI, ME, NJ, MA, PA, CT Long Trail’s new summer seasonal is modeled after original Belgian witbiers, spiced with coriander and orange. Alcohol (vol.): 4.7 Alcohol (wt): 3.7 Color: gold Bitterness: 14 Original gravity: n/a
Double Simcoe IPA
Weyerbacher Brewing Co. Easton, PA Available: PA, NJ, NY, MA, OH, CT, RI, VA, MD, NC, SC, FL, DC, GA Simcoe hops are a relatively new American variety released in 2000. Alcohol (vol.): 9 Alcohol (wt): 7.2 Color: n/a Bitterness: 90 Original gravity: 1092
Pale Moon Ale
Blue Moon Brewing Co. Golden, CO Available: CO, IN, MN, AZ, NC (limited distribution) A Belgian-style pale ale, flavored with small amounts of hibiscus and orange peel. Alcohol (vol.): 5.4 Alcohol (wt): 4.3 Color: rich copper Bitterness: 20 Original gravity: n/a
Goose Island IPA
Goose Island IPA Goose Island Beer Co. Chicago, IL Available: IL, AR, MN, MI, MO, OH, IA, IN, WI, NY, KY, KS, ND, SD, NE, CO, WV, CA, GA, LA, ME, NV, NM, SC Goose Island Brewing Co. was founded in 1988 by John Hall and his son, Greg, who is now the brewmaster. Alcohol […]
Pack-It-In Porter
Pagosa Brewing Co. Pagosa Springs, CO Available: CO This coconut porter is brewed with flaked coconut hand-toasted at a nearby baking company. Alcohol (vol.): 5.5 Alcohol (wt): 4.4 Color: 29 Bitterness: 26.3 Original gravity: 1055
Meckatzer Gold
Meckatzer Löwenbräu Heimenkirch, Germany Imported by: Bavaria Imports Brooklyn, NY Available: MA, PA, NY, VA, NC, GA, FL, IL, NJ, CA, WA This brewery is probably the only one in Germany that still uses a wort filter to remove trub particulate before fermentation. Alcohol (vol.): 5.2 Alcohol (wt): 4.1 Color: gold Bitterness: 25 Original gravity: […]
Napa Smith Pale Ale
Napa Smith Brewery Napa, CA Available: CA The winemaking regions of California, such as the Napa Valley, also support a healthy community of microbreweries, including the new Napa Smith Brewery. Alcohol (vol.): 5.3 Alcohol (wt): 4.2 Color: 16 Bitterness: 21 Original gravity: 1051