A few days ago, I listened to Moira Gunn interviewing an author on her public radio program, “Tech Nation,” about what technology to expect in the next 50 years. That set me to thinking: what will the craft beer revolution that we have so carefully nurtured be like in 2053?
Imagine my surprise when, one morning at 8:24 a.m., I was interrupted at my labors by a phone call. It was an irate UPS person calling to inform me that I was receiving a shipment of alcohol, an “illegal” substance, and that was more than they could allow—something up with which they could not put.
For some time now, the Slow Food people in my part of the world have acted as though beer did not exist. That’s OK, because until very recently I thought of them as an anti-McDonald’s group and not much else. I could sympathize with them, but I wasn’t ready to squander $60 of my ill-gotten... View Article
Every once in a while, when the room is quiet and I have a freshly poured beer in my glass, I put my beer to my ear and listen. I’ve been doing this for a long time now (20 years or more), and the reader may well inquire about my purpose.
As they finally establish the U.S. as a world brewing power par excellence, our craft brewers continue to improve their beers. At last, we grasp the bitter (as in high IBU) truth: not many of these wonderful ales are low-alcohol. In fact each new beer seems to be stronger than its predecessor.
According a noted brewing text of the late 19th century, steam beer wort is boiled as soon as the bottom of the kettle is covered, and after the kettle is filled. Boiling is continued for one to two hours. The wort is then pumped to the surface cooler, and then over the Baudelot cooler (a... View Article
Sometimes it is good to examine a success story and see what really happened. This is just one such story.
Texas is a great place to visit in the fall; especially if you live here in Oregon, where the air gets nippy and signs of winter creep in. Not so Houston, because in late October that fair city has everything we rain-enriched folks could want. The temperature is somewhere around 75 to 80 degrees, and... View Article
This last July, during American beer month, I was invited to do a beer and chocolate tasting for Oregon’s Rogue Brewing Co. in their pub here in Portland. I declined. I’ve done beer and chocolate all across the country, and American Beer Month didn’t seem like the best time for that, so I recommended beer... View Article
