Mix it up

If variety is the spice of life then the mix pack is as spicy as it gets in the beer world. Assorted 12-packs have become incredibly popular with craft brewers and drinkers alike. One of the most exciting things about craft beer is the exhaustive number of beers available to beerdoes. While there are plenty …

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 …

Stouts for St. Patty’s

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Any celebration that rotates around drinking beer and whiskey is always going to be a winner in my book. The addition of corned beef and cabbage just confirms the day's place in my heart (historical accuracy and origins of the holiday be damned). But to me …

What’s brewing in Japan

When you think of Japanese beer, the rice-driven lagers from such breweries as Sapporo, Kirin, and Asahi, are often the first to come to mind. While these certainly are nice beers for their respective style, they hardly represent the ingenuity and expressive flavors that come from the smaller Japanese brewers. Look for Japanese beers in …

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 …

Citrus IPAs: The flavor of summer

Orange juice isn't just for mimosas. From the bitter orange peels used in the brewing of witbiers to the lemon soda blended with beer to make a shandy, and especially the ever growing citrus IPA style, citrus fruits have often found their way into beer. Citrus fruits and beer make a particularly potent combination during …

The vermouth heritage

Vermouth. This quirky, aromatic fortified wine often remains a mystery to the average drinker despite its presence in some of the most popular cocktails in the world. Vermouth is usually a side thought, often treated as the “other thing” in a martini. Even someone as cultured as James Bond is going to have a preference …