Over the last half-dozen years, Virginia’s capital city has become a hotbed of brewing and beer appreciation. Richmond’s demographics, a moderate cost of living and a pro-business, pro-brewery governor, Terry McAuliffe, have all helped shape the current scene. The city is located in the central part of the commonwealth, two hours south of Washington, D.C.,... View Article
One balmy spring evening, the white dogwoods and pink redbuds are in full bloom, and a soft floral fragrance lingers in the air. At Creature Comforts Brewing Co. (271 W. Hancock Ave.), the garage doors in the tasting room are up to take in the season, and the crowds sifting through to sample beer and... View Article
“How We Changed the Law to Make the Real Polar Beer” is the official slogan of the world’s northernmost brewery, but it takes one of the 2,000 residents of the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen to understand it. I first saw the words in the middle of winter on a T-shirt worn by Svalbard Bryggeri’s brewmaster,... View Article
Warily and cautiously, Billie the French bulldog approaches, but then if you’ve given your name to one of Antwerp’s most engaging beer cafés—Billie’s Bier Kafétaria (Kammenstraat 12)—maybe you’ve got every right to scrutinize a stranger when he passes through the door. Having only opened in 2013, this compact street corner “brown bar” has quickly become... View Article
With its rolling hills, lush foliage and sparkling river views, New York’s Hudson Valley is certainly a tourist destination. Apple orchards, artists’ communities and even a culinary school dot the region. In the past few years, the area along the Hudson River south of Albany to the tip of Manhattan has become a cradle of... View Article
Kansas City’s beer scene is that indie band that is about to go mainstream. The local brewery count has doubled to 14 in the past two years, and another three microbreweries are slated to begin serving in 2016. KC is also often the first Missouri market to receive new releases from breweries operating elsewhere in... View Article
On Fridays they bring out bacon. Twenty pounds of it. More if the crowd is expected to be big. The crispy strips are heaped high on a flat white platter that’s placed on a high counter. The mound is backlit by the picture windows dividing the brew house from the taproom. There are two ways... View Article
When Andy and Sean Arsenault decided to launch Brewery ARS, the 33-year-old twins were certain about two things. First, they would focus on producing distinctive, cold-conditioned saisons. Second, they would build their brew house in Philadelphia. Not the suburbs, not the “Philadelphia area,” but somewhere in the heart of the urban streetscape. “We always wanted... View Article
Milwaukee has long been synonymous with beer. Its storied brewing heritage dates back to the 1850s when German farmers settled in the area, bringing their thirst with them. Agriculture flourished and a decade later Wisconsin was producing over three-quarters of the nation’s hops. Milwaukee burgeoned into a beacon of industry on the shores of Lake... View Article
