In England they head to the pub for a session. The stammtisch is a German beer hall tradition where regulars gather at the same table each week. In Ireland they crave craic on Saturday night. In America, we meet with friends at happy hour.
Over the last few years we’ve seen a veritable boom in the number of craft beer establishments around the country, including many that specialize in artisanal foods. And with this growth, we’ve also seen another development: a newfound appreciation of cask-conditioned beer.
Everyone remembers that one bottle of beer that awakened their thirst for beer knowledge. Mine was Sans Culottes from La Choulette. At the time I had no idea what a bière de garde was, but with my high school French I knew that the beer’s name literally meant “without underwear” and it bought back memories... View Article
La Bavaisienne Ambrée A straight forward bière de garde from France’s oldest farmhouse brewery, Theillier. This bière has a rustic simplicity that speaks volumes. La Bavaisienne Ambrée embraces earth, caramel, dust and holds a slight iron taste with some barnyard funk. This is a bière de garde by which all others should be measured. (7%... View Article
For those planning on visiting the region, this is not a touristy part of France; being able to speak some basic French would be very helpful. The French don’t even visit this area, as they prefer the sexier south of France. Nord-Pas-de-Calais is often described as the industrial part of France, but nothing could be... 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
Four thousand miles away from Manhattan, in a northern Italian village, Birrificio Troll owner Alberto Canavese was celebrating because his beers had just gone on sale in New York, New York. Only one of the particularly strong beers he shipped off, the 9 percent ABV Palanfrina brewed with chestnuts, was available in his own pub... View Article
