The next time you order a coffee or a chocolate drink, you might not be in a coffee house. Starbucks may not like to admit it, but a growing number of people are turning to brewers instead of baristas for their daily fix.
Belgium is synonymous with brewing eccentricity and whimsy―its brewers’ penchant for unusual ingredients, methods and historical usage is still very much alive. To them though, it is business as usual. Their most distinctive beer is lambic, which relies on the ancient method of spontaneous fermentation, a natural microbiological ambush for inoculation, fermentation and maturation. The... View Article
Saison Cazeau (Brasserie de Cazeau) Refreshing nose with definite notes of elderflower coming through, though they are not overpowering; creamy mouthfeel, more elderflower fruitiness and a sharp finish. 5% ABV Saison Deluxe (Southampton Publick House) Flinty, peppery and herby on the nose with an undercurrent of tropical fruit (pineapple) mellowing things out; a creamy mouthfeel,... View Article
In his magisterial The Brewmaster’s Table, Garrett Oliver wrote that if he were forced to drink just one beer style with food for the rest of his life it would be a Wallonian saison. Such a sense of certainty makes perfect reasoning when you ask him what he means by a saison and hear his... View Article
Life on a farm a few centuries ago probably possessed few luxuries outside of a warm fire and a tankard of house-brewed ale. It was likely a simple brew made with no thought to dazzle, be pondered or least of all, taste consistent from batch-to-batch. It was brewed for a basic purpose—to refresh, sustain and... View Article
Gilden Kölsch: Straw colored beer with a grainy aroma. A subtle and soft kolsch that ends on a dry note. A bit more complex than most of the other Kölsch beers tasted. Früh Kölsch: A light, crisp drink that leaves you wanting more. Hops are at the forefront of this golden beer, but they announce... View Article
If you have ever taken a wine-tasting class, chances are you have been exposed to the “Flavor Wheel.” This handy tool is meant to give tasters a common vocabulary. You might not know it, but the same thing exists in the beer world.
Black beers have been winning over the hearts of craft beer devotees for 30 years now, but until quite recently, stout and porter have dominated the affair. In the past few years though, the unusual black lager known as schwarzbier has been crashing the party with both American microbrews and German originals. Schwarzbier, literally “black... View Article
In 1994, Chicagoans were treated to an extraordinary beer created to celebrate the 1,000th batch brewed at the Goose Island brewpub: Bourbon County Stout, an intense, black stout that brewer Greg Hall had aged in oak barrels fresh from the Jim Beam bourbon distillery.
