Features
Storing Vintage Beer
by Rick LykeThe fact is that most beer is best when it is consumed young. Like bread, lighter color and weight brews are best fresh. However, there is a range of higher gravity beers that can actually improve in complexity thanks to a year or two (or even more) of storage under the right conditions. Barleywines, Scotch... View Article
Home Bar Ingredients
by Rick LykeTraditional English Bars Now you don’t have to spend the money on that British Airways ticket. Just walk down the hall and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into The White Horse Tavern or the Dirty Duck. Dozens of features will have you tending bar like the finest London public house landlord. $2,980 and up; www.englishbars.com... View Article
You Can Take it With You
by Rick LykeYou have the perfect home bar, but now its time to head to the big game, the family reunion or neighborhood picnic. Short of loading everything on the back of a flatbed truck, you need to come up with a solution that works. A cooler is a good place to start, but let’s face it:... View Article
Your Home Bar
by Rick LykeThere is a deep-seated human instinct, most commonly found in the male of the species, fueling a powerful desire. It may not be as pronounced as those that cause us to hunt for food, shelter or a mate, but it is a yearning that can simmer for years until it is unleashed in a rush... View Article
Green Bay Bratwurst from the Kitchen of the 225 Club
by Kerry J. ByrneThere are two places in the world where you can reasonably expect to get a damn fine bratwurst. One place is Germany. The other is Wisconsin. With its German heritage and die-hard football fans, Wisconsin is the natural place to find the world’s best tailgate bratwurst. In German, bratwurst simply means roast (brat) sausage (wurst).... View Article
Meats I Have Made
by Kerry J. ByrneSimple Winter Pork Sausage These are incredibly aromatic sausages that make your whole house or tailgate smell like porky holiday heaven. You can bang out a season’s worth of sausage in a couple hours. Spices here are heavy handed—reduce (or increase) to suit your own tastes. 10 pounds fresh pork butt (with a thick fat... View Article
Great Places to Eat Meat
by Kerry J. ByrneViktualienmarkt, Munich; www.viktualienmarkt-muenchen.de—I cried when I first saw Munich’s “victuals market,” for there were no more meat worlds left to conquer. The outdoor market is filled by butcher shops, food stalls, beer gardens and plenty of Bavarian specialties. Zeughauskeller, 28a Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich; www.zeughauskeller.ch—One of Europe’s great restaurants and sausage-specialists is found in the atmospheric setting... View Article
Meats I Have Loved
by Kerry J. ByrneAnvers ham—Tender, dry-aged Flemish prosciutto, made from horse meat. Recommended beer: De Koninck. Cob-smoked bacon—A tradition in the farms and smokehouses of rural Vermont; pungent, sliced thick and often cured with maple syrup. Recommended beer: Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter. Landjaeger—Germany’s dried, smoked hunter’s sausage notably spiced with caraway; often called gendarme in French-speaking countries. Recommended... View Article
The Meat-Lover’s Library
by Kerry J. ByrneBasic Butchering of Livestock & Game by John J. Mettler (Storey Publishing, 1986)—An easy-to-follow, hands-on guide for turning rabbits into roasts and steers into steaks (along with plenty of animals in between), including the tools needed for each job. Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas—The Bible for the do-it-yourself sausage-maker is sold,... View Article
Practical Tips for Acquiring Your Own Pig
by Kerry J. ByrneThere are a surprising number of farms that raise pigs for the public, even around major metropolitan areas. Look up pig farms in your area and contact them in the spring or early summer and ask if they’ll save a pig for you in the fall. An ideal butchering pig will weigh about 200 pounds,... View Article
Pleasures of the Flesh—A Celebration of Meat and Beer
by Kerry J. ByrneThe first problem with butchering pigs is transportation—that is, assuming you don’t live on an actual pig farm, which, admittedly, would be nice.
Pleasures of the Flesh—A Celebration of Meat and Beer
by Kerry J. ByrneThe first problem with butchering pigs is transportation—that is, assuming you don’t live on an actual pig farm, which, admittedly, would be nice.
Organic Beers: The Best of the Greenest
by Jay R. BrooksNothing shows how far organic beers have come like winning medals at the Great American Beer Festival in direct competition with non-organic brews. Here’s a six-pack of medal winners worthy of your attention: Mothership Wit Organic Wheat Beer, New Belgium Brewing, CO: Bronze Medal 2007 Organic Farmhouse Ale, Bison Brewing, CA: Gold Medal 2006 Organic... View Article
Green Practices
by Jay R. BrooksEmissions, Energy Efficiency & Generation Ammonia refrigeration Buying power credits Creating biodiesel from used cooking grease Creating ethanol from alcohol in stale beer Dense foam insulation Electrical cogeneration Energy-saving fixtures Energy-saving lightbulbs Eternal wort boiling system Foam insulation Heat recovery system on boilers & kettles Landfill gas power Merlin high-efficiency brew kettles Planting trees to... View Article
It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Green: The Greening of America’s Breweries
by Jay R. BrooksWhat does it mean to be green? Does it mean adding food coloring to your beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Does it mean, perhaps, being too young? Or too hoppy? If you’ve been conscious the last few years, you already know the answer to all of those is an emphatic “no.” Being and thinking... View Article
A Look at New Belgium Brewing Company
by Jay R. BrooksWhen they first started a new brewing company in the basement of their home in 1991, social worker Kim Jordan and engineer Jeff Lebesch made a commitment to be conscientious stewards of the business and the environment. Today, a visit to the gleaming New Belgium Brewing Co. in Ft. Collins, CO, shows the durability of... View Article
Columns
Departments
Wandering the Windy City
by Paul RuschmannMention Chicago to most people, and what comes to mind? Conventions, sports and, oh yes, unpredictable weather. Not long ago, a convention landed us in the city, and Mother Nature greeted us with 90 degree heat and humidity to match. Oh, the hardships of beer traveling.
Barley Wine
by K. Florian KlempThe status of quality beer has never needed validation among its devotees, but lately there has been a movement afoot to equate beer with wine with respect to class and culinary eminence. The concept of beer as cuisine may cut across many styles today, but barley wine owes its very name—given some three hundred years... View Article
with Karl Ockert
by Julie JohnsonYou’re practically synonymous with BridgePort Brewing Co. Haven’t you been with the company since the very beginning? Yes, I basically built it. I got out of UC Davis with a BS in Fermentation Sciences in 1983 in June, and I hired on with Dick Ponzi at Ponzi Vineyards in July. The very first time I... View Article
Beer Talk
Otra Mundo Red Ale
by - -Otra Mundo Brewing Santa Fe, Argentina St. Killian Importing Co. Kingston, MA Available: MA, NY, MD, DC, FL Although Latin America is generally the land of lagers, this Argentine microbrewery makes a line of ales. ABV: 7.5 ABW: 6 Color: 18 Bitterness: 20 Original gravity: 1072 Final gravity: 1016 Malts used: 94% Argentine pilsner; 6%... View Article
La Tabachera Brown Ale
by - -Amarcord Falciano, San Marino Elite Brands USA Kalamazoo, MI Available: MI, OH, WI, MN, NY, PA, NJ, MA, SC, NC, TN, GA, IL, CO, MO The Amarcord brewery, located in the Republic of San Marino, the oldest republic in the world, was named to honor Federico Fellini and his film of the same name. ABV:... View Article
Backdraft Brown
by - -Hook and Ladder Brewing Co. Silver Spring, MD Available: CT, MD, RI, DE, MA, VA, DC, PA As a tribute to co-founder Rich Fleischer’s 20 years as a firefighter, the brewery’s “A Penny in Every Pint” program supports local hospital and firefighter burn units. ABV: 4.5 ABW: 3.6 Color: brown Bitterness: 24 Original gravity: 1044... View Article
Prelude Special Ale
by - -Shipyard Brewing Co. Portland, ME Available: n/a Prelude Special Ale was originally introduced in 1993 at Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub to celebrate the holiday season in Kennebunkport. Prelude is the name of the town’s annual holiday celebration. ABV: 6.7 ABW: 5.3 Color: 28 Bitterness: 48 Original gravity: 1070 Final gravity: 1017 Malts used:... View Article
Ola Dubh 16 Year-Old
by - -Harviestoun Brewery Alva, Scotland Imported by: B. United Inc. Redding, CT Available: MA,CT,RI, ME, NJ, NY, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, IL, MI, WI, IN, OH, CO, MO, AZ, WA, OR, CA, IA, ID, LA, PA Based on Harviestoun’s Old Engine Oil, Ola Dubh (“Black Oil”) is a collaboration between Harviestoun Brewery and... View Article
Imperial Hefeweizen
by - -Pyramid Breweries Seattle, WA Available: n/a This limited-edition ale may be the first example of an “imperialized” hefewizen, created by the brewery that pioneered the American wheat beer style. ABV: 7.5 ABW: 6 Color: 10 Bitterness: 32 Original gravity: 1079 Final gravity: 1018 Malts used: 60% malted wheat, 35.5% two-row pale, 4.5% Munich 20 L... View Article
Pig’s Eye Pilsner
by - -Pig’s Eye Brewing Co. St. Paul, MN Available: MN, ND, WI, IOWA, CO, PA, OK Legend has it that the original name of St. Paul, MN was “Pig’s Eye,” named by a French visitor after a visit to Pierre Parrant, a one-eyed bootlegger of that nick-name. ABV: 4.5 ABW: 3.6 Color: 4 Bitterness: 12 Original... View Article
Imperial Nut Brown Ale
by - -Tommyknocker Idaho Springs, CO Available: CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MA, MI, MN, NEBR, NC, ND, OH, RI, SC, TX, VA, WI, WY Miners believe that Tommyknockers are little elf-like beings who lived in the cracks and crevices of the mines. Some are mischievous, some helpful, but miners also believed that their tapping... View Article
Xtra Gold American Tripel
by - -Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. Pleasantville, NY Available: NY, NJ, CT Founder Scott Vaccaro discovered brewing during his senior year of high school and studied brewing at UC Davis, despite his family’s skepticism. Today, three family members work at his brewery. ABV: 10 ABW: 8 Color: light golden Bitterness: 35 Original gravity: 1084 Final gravity: 1012... View Article
Old Richmond IPA, Batch No. 11
by - -St. George Brewing Co. Hampton, VA Available: VA Olde Richmond Beer Co. is a new brand developed by the St George Brewing Co. ABV: 6.7 ABW: 5.3 Color: 7 Bitterness: 65 Original gravity: 1068 Final gravity: 1017 Malts used: two-row pale, caramel 30, Munich Hops used: Centenial, EK Goldings, Cascade
Harvest Ale
by - -Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chico, CA Available: nationwide Eleven years ago, Sierra Nevada was the first American brewer to experiment with fresh hops, using only hops that had been harvested the same day. This year, the beer is bottled for the first time. Read more about the origins of Harvest Ale. ABV: 6-6.5 ABW: 5... View Article
Leffe Blonde
by - -Abbaye de Leffe Dinant, Belgium Imported by: Import Brands Alliance St. Louis, MO Available: AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, VT, WA,... View Article
Oatmeal Breakfast Stout
by - -Founders Brewing Co. Grand Rapids, MI Available: MI Breakfast Stout is an oatmeal stout brewed with Kona and Sumatran coffee and a generous amount of chocolate. ABV: 8.3 ABW: 6.6 Color: 58 Bitterness: 25 Original gravity: 1080 Final gravity: 1020 Malts used: chocolate, de-bitterized black, roasted barley Hops used: Willamette, Nugget
Falkensteiner Ur-Schwarze
by - -Privatbrauerei Bischoff Winnweiler, Germany Imported by: Import-a-n-t Wines, Inc. Venice, FL Available: IL, WI, CT, NY, PA, FL, AZ, NE, ME, MA, NC, TN, SC Brewing water for this beer comes from the brewer well at the Donnersberg (”Thunder mountain”). ABV: 5.2 ABW: 4.5 Color: n/a Bitterness: 11.5 Original gravity: 1050 Final gravity: 1009 Malts... View Article
Knight’s Head Pale Ale
by - -Round Table Brewing Co. Miami Beach, FL Available: PA, NY, NJ This brew is mashed in at 135 degrees F and quickly ramped to 170 degrees F to produce enough non-fermentable sugars to help balance the alcohol bite that is created from our in house ale yeast. ABV: 7 ABW: 5.6 Color: 16.3 Bitterness: 35... View Article
Hop Angel IPA
Chelsea Brewing Co. New York, NY Available: NY Founded in 1996 at the Chelsea Piers with sunset views of the Hudson River, Chelsea Brewing is the only brewery in Manhattan with brewing equipment on the premises. ABV: 7 ABW: 5.8 Color: 8 Bitterness: 45 Original gravity: 1052 Final gravity: 1007 Malts used: Crisp Europils, Wheat... View Article