In the latest Beervana podcast, Jeff Alworth and Patrick Emerson recount a history of the American IPA. They begin with the birth of the style in England and disprove a few myths before tracing the style’s evolution in America. With the stage set, the two time travel through 35 years of IPAs by tasting classics from three distinct... View Article
On the morning of April 7, 1997, Kirby Shyer, the owner of the recently shuttered Zip City brewpub at Fifth Avenue and 18th Street in Manhattan, poured 3,100 gallons of Belgian tripel down a sewer drain. A New York Times reporter was there to witness the carnage. “Once it was over, it was over,” Shyer... View Article
In the latest episode of the Beervana podcast, Jeff Alworth and Patrick Emerson try to answer the question, “Is craft beer doomed?” It’s a discussion inspired by a recent New York Times editorial by Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Co. Leaning on Emerson’s experience as a professor of economics, the two use Koch’s... View Article
Matthew Reich’s goal for his New Amsterdam amber lager in the summer of 1982 was fairly modest. Here it was in a nutshell, according to the business plan that the Hearst Magazines executive and wine aficionado drew up: “To sell 4,000 cases per month by the end of the first operating year; 6,000 cases per... View Article
In the thirteenth episode of After Two Beers, John Holl sits down with Stephen Hale, founding brewer of Schlafly Beer (The Saint Louis Brewery). The two discuss classic beer styles, where the industry is when it comes to innovation, the best country in which to drink beer, how inconsistent beer ruins a brewery’s reputation, and... View Article
In early 1973, Mike Royko was at the top of his game as a newspaper columnist. Fiendishly prolific, the 40-year-old Chicago native and Air Force veteran wrote five columns a week for the Chicago Daily News. In 1972, he won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary and his work often found its way into other newspapers... View Article
In the latest episode of the Beervana podcast, Jeff Alworth and Patrick Emerson discuss Jeff’s recent trip to Mexico, where he learned about Mexico’s craft beer scene while interviewing Enrique Aceves-Vincent Ramirez, brewer at Cerveza Loba Artesenal in Guadalajara. They also taste beer made with lupulin power, a new hop product from Yakima Chief. Jeff Alworth is... View Article
In March 1982, Anheuser-Busch rolled out its new Bud Light in 40 states. It was the nation’s largest brewery’s long-awaited return salvo to Miller’s 1975 introduction of Miller Lite. That beer had propelled Miller from a relative also-ran in the increasingly consolidating American beer market to the No. 2 brewery behind Anheuser-Busch, a position it... View Article
