Buried deep in the cellars of Britain’s oldest brewery, records of recipes from Victorian times stored in a dust-covered box were found to be written in a code that would baffle modern spy masters. The brewers’ books—large leather-bound tomes like those used by Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—were discovered by John Owen, historian... View Article
One day in August, 1965, a 27-year-old former graduate student in Japanese studies at Stanford walked into his favorite bar, the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Francisco’s trendy North Beach neighborhood. He ordered his usual: an Anchor Steam. The bar’s owner, a World War II veteran and local eccentric named Fred Kuh, ambled over. “You... View Article
Driven by the never-ending nostalgia craze, several old-time brands have risen from the grave, including: Duquesne (1899-1972) Once king of western Pennsylvania, the Duke returned a couple years ago, calling itself “the Prince of Pilsner.” Falls City (1905-1978) Formed as an attempt to break Louisville’s beer monopoly, the brand was once the official beer of... View Article
Anchor Brewing San Francisco Founded: 1896 Current rank: 32 How it survived Prohibition: Shut down for duration. How it survives today: Fritz Maytag’s legacy. Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Founded: 1852 Current rank: 1 How it survived Prohibition: Grape soda, ginger ale, carbonated coffee. How it survives today: Resistance is futile. Cold Springs (formerly Gluek) Cold Springs,... View Article
“Brewing since 1907.” For an industry that spends millions to emphasize the freshness of its product, there’s still some attention to be paid to dusty, sepia-shaded history. “Made in San Francisco since 1896.” It takes some looking, but if you shuffle through the cooler at your local beer store you’ll find labels that proudly boast... View Article
A mug is more than just something to hold a cold brew. The iconic beer stein, for instance, was developed using one part industrial progress and one part public health emergency.
Just out of the subway and trudging through freshly fallen snow, my sights were set on Radegast Hall and Biergarten in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. Fighting against a bracing wind, I focused on what I thought lay ahead of me: liters of lager brought to tables in bunches by—perhaps—a kind woman in a dirndl, in the... View Article
Most of us have had a beer so good that drinking it was “like a religious experience.” But when was the last time you were served a bowl of murky grog at church? Early people from Mesopotamia to Mesoamerica celebrated everything with beer—from their daily prayers and good harvests to human sacrifice and their gods.
Following the lead of pop-up restaurants, where a dining experience appears in a place it had not previously stood and is gone before you can make reservations for a return visit, a Los Angeles group has introduced the pop-up beer garden. Brain child of four beer bar owners in the L.A. area, the ColLAboration Craft... View Article
