Thirty years ago, I made my first trip to Denver. It didn’t start out as a beer tour but I made my acquaintance with the then-exotic Coors on the plane ride out (remember Continental’s “Flying Pub”?); with Mexican food, still a rarity in the Midwest; and in the local bars. And, like thousands of other... View Article
It was the middle of January, and our Michigan subdivision had turned into a polar ice cap. My neighbor couldn’t fathom why an otherwise sane person was headed for the Far North.
Why does so much great beer come from small states? Case in point: Vermont, population 608,827. Vermont ranks number one in breweries per capita, and its residents spend almost one-fifth of their beer money on in-state products. It couldn’t be easier to find micros, either; there are specially priced 12-packs in gas station beer coolers... View Article
Ann Arbor, MI, in my student days ranked first in the nation in per-capita Molson consumption. Molson Golden was our first step toward appreciating better beer. That was back in the Seventies, before the craftbrewing revolution got started.
Have you ever sent a beer back at a specialty beer bar? Have you ever gone ahead and finished a questionable pint when you knew from the outset you should have sent it back?
Mike’s American Ale House 5737 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL 773-282-3150 We don’t really need another place in Chicago to visit, but Mike’s regularly features regional beers, serves cask-conditioned beers, and the food also gets high marks. R.F.D. 810 Seventh St. NW, Washington, DC 202-289-2030 Dave Alexander, manager of the well-known Brickskeller Restaurant, and... View Article
We have a friend who is devoted to blues—music, that is. For years he has been talking about traveling to Memphis and then heading south into the Mississippi Delta for a tour deluxe, visiting historic spots and listening to the blues in steamy juke joints.
Frank Boon flashed a knowing smile last fall in Denver, as he sampled beers at the Great American Beer Festival. That’s not to say he loved everything he came across. Boon, who owns Belgium’s popular Brewery Boon, does not casually pass out compliments. Perhaps the brewer could have used fresher malt, he suggested of one... View Article
It was the spring of 1996, the sun was shining, and the car was on cruise control as we rolled west on Interstate 84 from Massachusetts into Connecticut.
