Author: Jerald O'Kennard

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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  Lagers

  March 1, 2012 - Jerald O'Kennard Our most recent lager tasting of the World Beer Championships brought forth a host of fine lagers from around the world. As expected, European lagers showed strongly, but what was remarkable this year was how many of the top lagers were domestic craft brews. The explosion of the craft beer market has been largely driven... View Article
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  Specialty Beers

  January 1, 2011 - Jerald O'Kennard A year ago, I mused about the proliferation of specialty beers (i.e. beers made with unusual fermentables or techniques) diluting the very concept of what it means to be a specialty beer. Based on the wide range of “extreme,” fruit flavored, smoked, herbed, spiced and “alternately grained” beers we reviewed from around the world in... View Article
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  Wheat Beers

  November 1, 2010 - Jerald O'Kennard Wheat ales are different, generally lower in hoppiness and higher in frothiness. I know of many otherwise well-rounded beer aficionados, particularly hopheads, that hate them and obversely many beer novices that love them. Maybe it’s the softness of hops that fuels the passions of both groups, but whatever the cause their appeal is singular.
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  Continental Ales

  September 1, 2010 - Jerald O'Kennard Continental ale styles in all of their myriad manifestations can be some of the most inspiring and inspired beers in the world. Whether they originate in religious or secular traditions of sustenance or solace, they have become guiding lights for the imagination and artistry of generations of brewers around the globe. Every year we dip... View Article
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  2010 British and North American Ales

  July 1, 2010 - Jerald O'Kennard I always enjoy the British and American Ale round of the World Beer Championships, because it’s great to see how American efforts compare to their British cousins within the same style. What emerges is an interesting snap shot of the import ale market: traditional, session ales that one would expect from the Old World, along... View Article
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  Stouts and Porters

  May 1, 2010 - Jerald O'Kennard When I ask people to tell me the difference between porters and stouts, even if they can do it, most can’t do it quickly. This confusion is understandable since, of all beer styles, stouts and porters are arguably the twins of the beer world. Originally they were more or less identical, and now more or... View Article
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  All The World’s a Stage for Lagers

  March 1, 2010 - Jerald O'Kennard It never ceases to amaze me how pervasive lager style beers are.  And, as I was enjoying a spicy sushi roll last night that paired brilliantly with a Korean pale lager that I hadn’t had in a long time, I could see why. While often criticized or mocked as either boring, insipid, industrial, etc., the... View Article
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  Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

  Specialty Beers

  January 1, 2010 - Jerald O'Kennard Every year during the World Beer Championships, we dedicate one session to specialty styles of beer that includes fruit-flavored beers, beers made with unusual fermentables, barrel-aged beers and some Belgian-specialty styles like Lambic. When you open the door for brewers to send in their most unusual creations, you can be sure that you will receive... View Article