Stingo in fall

As pumpkin beers and fall seasonals flood the shelves, for me, this time of year is really only marked by one beer, Samuel Smith's Yorkshire Stingo. This unique brew is released only on August 1, Yorkshire Day. This holiday is exactly what it sounds like, a day that honors the county of Yorkshire, where Samuel …

Pioneers of Pale Ale

Since we are in the midst of American Craft Beer Week (May 13-19), this week I have been thinking of craft beer's origin story. While there are countless people who have contributed to the movement, American craft beer was really founded by three people, one hop and one beer style: pale ale. Those cascades though …

The classic brews of winter

Up until the past two hundred years, many beer styles were identified by the season in which they were produced. Although commercial refrigeration has allowed most beer styles to be brewed year round, winter ales remain one of the few styles that are still only released during their own season.  For millennia there has been …

Warm beer in the cold winter

The holidays are over but technically winter is only getting started and the gray drizzle that has accompanied us these past few weeks has not made going outside an inviting prospect. Cold weather often inspires a desire for a warm beverage next to a toasty fire. Winter is often not seen as the time of …

Triple Rock: Pioneers of craft beer

My sister offered to host the family this year for Thanksgiving so I found myself heading up north for the holidays. Her apartment is located in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto, a historic section of town that is accredited to founding the local and organic food movement.  As you walk by the legendary Chez Panisse and countless …

The season of beer

In the modern days of air conditioning and refrigerators it is often easy to forget about the seasons. Heating something up is usually not a problem but keeping them cool is a whole other part of the thermodynamic cycle. Before artificial refrigeration was invented, ice blocks, caves, and cellars were the common way of keeping …

Beer espionage in March

March always makes me think of October. No, it's not that I've forgotten what month comes next. Before refrigeration, brewing was a seasonal affair. March and April marked the end of the brewing season. Summer brought warm weather and an increased microbial presence in the air that encouraged beer spoilage. The summer months were so …

Bewitched by beer

For Halloween the History Channel recently released a video discussing the link between female brewsters, the common image of the witch, and how males used this to push women out of the brewing industry. It mentions the black cauldrons used by brewsters, the cats they housed to keep rodents out of the grain, and the …