Though Belgium is revered as the kingdom of sanctified abbey and monastic brews, the majority of its beers spring forth from secular breweries. One Belgian beer style mischievously plays on this earthly angle with brand names depicting the foibles and temptation of life itself. These are the strong golden ales. The touchstone is Duvel, fittingly... View Article
Newcomers are often surprised that smoked beers even exist, but beer made with smoked malts are one of our most tangible link to the 18th century and before. At one time, most beers made with kilned malt had a smoky tinge, and maltsters strove to eliminate it. The exception is a handful of brewers in... View Article
Porter doesn’t have the fame of stout, the thunderous hops of IPA or the quirk of barrel aging, but once upon a time, it boasted all three. Largely relegated to ordinary status, porter was designed as a populist brew in London.
The term “pilsner” is attached to many pale lagers worldwide, some of which are worthy imitators of the Bohemian original at best, or pale imposters at worst. The clear-cut roots of pilsner are in Bohemia, a phenomenal convergence of science, imported brewing talent and ideal ingredients. The success of pilsner is extraordinary and by far... View Article
The resurrection of languishing stylistic gems might be America’s greatest contribution to brewing in the past 30 years. This would most certainly be the case with Russian imperial stout. Imperial stout is synonymous with lofty status, and its bold, brawny character is a natural for the attitude and taste of New World microbrewers. Fortified, exported... View Article
Though beer styles have evolved relatively recently, all have tangible connections to more ancient brews through ingredients or methods. Brewers were bound by resources and climate on one hand; and regional heritage, pride and individualism on the other. For altbier, the indigenous brew of Düsseldorf, it is a combination of all those factors. Obliged to... View Article
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
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
Stout evokes images of the bitter black and mysterious ale synonymous with Ireland. The Emerald Isle may indeed be famous for the inky drink, a style the Irish brought to the forefront two centuries ago, but most stouts today are the progeny of contemporary London stout. Sitting between the lithe Irish dry on one end... View Article
