Features
Judging New Styles
by Alan J. WaxSince the first style medals were awarded in 1987 (from the inaugural Great American Beer Festival in 1982 through 1986, awards were decided by popular vote rather than professional judging), the number of styles has exploded nearly sixfold. The Brewers Association (BA), the Boulder, CO-based trade group that runs the festival, may tweak one or... View Article
Classic Brewing Cities and the Dogma of Virgin Water
by John PalmerTo borrow from Jane Austen, “it is a truth universally acknowledged that a brewer in possession of pristine water must be in want of an appropriate recipe to brew with it.” It is also popularly stated that the classic beer styles, such as pilsner, stout, porter, pale ale, etc., were developed by brewers working with... View Article
Striking A Deal For More Water
by Christopher ShepardGrowing breweries depend on local governments for a wide range of necessities, from zoning changes to promotional activities to utilities, like water. But the last time Bear Republic Brewing Co. asked Cloverdale, CA, for approval to expand its production facility, the city didn’t grant building permits because it didn’t have the water infrastructure to support... View Article
Gold Rush: Looking Back at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival
by Heather VandenengelOn the Saturday morning of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) weekend, the energy is electrifying. Hundreds of brewers, brewery owners and founders, and others in the craft beer industry sit in the Mile High Ballroom of the Colorado Convention Center, perhaps somewhat anxiously, sipping beers and looking up at the screen in the front... View Article
The Class of ’88
by Stan HieronymusFifty-six American breweries began operating in 1988. By necessity, 55 of them started small. That they all started 25 years ago was mostly coincidence. Noteworthy breweries opened in pretty much every one of the years before and after. But ultimately, as Goose Island Beer Co. founder John Hall put it, “It was a special year.”... View Article
Conserving Water: The Fight to Protect Beer’s Main Ingredient
by Nate SchweberFrom Larry Bell’s college days in Kalamazoo, MI, when he homebrewed by mixing clean water with good yeast inside 15-gallon soup kettles, his beer business has only grown. A South Chicago native, Bell loved Kalamazoo so much that he decided to build his life there. In the mid-1980s he opened what would become his namesake... View Article
Columns
Departments
Beer in the Land Down Under
by Max BrearleyAn ice-cold light lager in the heat of the outback. For many, this is the idea of Australia and its drinking culture. Foster’s and Tooheys, the quintessential drop for the Crocodile Dundee stereotype of Aussie manhood. It’s a country you’d visit for almost everything but the beer. It’s true that Aussies enjoy a beer on the... View Article
The Complete Beer Course
by Mary IzettToday, many craft-brew bars offer beer lists that run the length of wine lists at Michelin-starred restaurants. While a well-trained staff may help, a proper beer education goes a long way, and Joshua M. Bernstein has created a valuable resource to aid craft drinkers in wading through the myriad of craft beer choices in his... View Article
Craft Beer World
by John HollKeeping up with all the new breweries, styles and beers offered these days can be daunting even for the seasoned professional or enthusiast. For those coming into the growing world of beer, it can be like staring up the face of a mountain from the base. So thank goodness for Mark Dredge, the British beer... View Article
Stormwatching
by Brian YaegerBeachgoers go to the beach in the summer. But why let all that spectacular coastal real estate go to waste in the winter? As giant swells overtake the Pacific shoreline, winter storms generate thunderous waves on the sandy, or rocky, coast, providing a free waterworks display courtesy of Mother Nature that no Hollywood director could... View Article
American Brewers Make Their Mark on British Cask with Caskerator
by Sarah AnneseFor those who enjoy cask ale but wish it could stay fresh a bit longer, Hugh Sisson, founder of Maryland’s Heavy Seas Beer, has a solution. He calls it the caskerator, and it looks like a standard kegerator. But instead of hooking it up with a regular draft tower, Sisson and his team created a... View Article
Märzen/Oktoberfest
by K. Florian KlempOnce again, the fall seasonals have come and gone. Pumpkin and fresh hop ales, both of which fit the bill of “harvest” beers, have recently become eagerly anticipated offerings for many. But it is the venerable Märzen/Oktoberfest genre that has served autumnal revelers for centuries. Märzen, the historical designation, was made in the waning cool... View Article
Brewing Big
by K. Florian KlempIt is always assumed that subtle, low-gravity beers are the greatest challenge in homebrewing. But high-gravity, boldly flavored beers also present some difficult hurdles. Nearly every aspect of their construction, from recipe formulation to proper maturation, entails some prudent, crucial considerations that more modest brews do not. I consider anything above OG 1080 to be... View Article
Pull Up A Stool with Phil Leinhart
by Julie JohnsonDevoted to brewing Belgian-style ales, Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY, was founded in 1997 by Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, in partnership with three Belgian breweries. Duvel Moortgat, brewers of Duvel golden ale, has been the sole owner of Ommegang since 2003. Phil Leinhart became head brewer in 2007, and has presided over steady expansion... View Article
Beer Talk
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
by - -Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland, OH Named for the great ship that tragically sank in Lake Superior in 1975 with many Ohioans on board, this porter is brewed with Harrington two-row, Crystal 77 and Chocolate malts and roasted barley. It’s hopped with Northern Brewer, Willamette and Cascade hops. ABV: 5.8 ABW: 4.7 COLOR: 62 BITTERNESS:... View Article
Dark Horse Lager
by - -Elevator Brewing Co. Columbus, OH Dark Horse Lager won a bronze medal at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival. ABV: 5.3 ABW: 4.22 COLOR: 20 BITTERNESS: 15 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1047 AVAILABLE: OH
IPA
by - -Odell Brewing Co. Fort Collins, CO Brewed with American hops, this IPA won gold medals at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival and the 2008 World Beer Cup. ABV: 7.0 ABW: 5.57 COLOR: 12.5 BITTERNESS: 60 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1062.6 AVAILABLE: AZ, CO, ID, KS, MN, MO, NE, NM, SD, TX, WY
Kortrijk-dUtsel
by - -Brouwerij Kortrijk-Dutsel Kortrijk-Dutsel, Belgium Imported by Artisanal Imports Inc., Austin, TX This bottle-conditioned aperitif beer is brewed according to an old recipe from the family-owned brewery. The brewery recommends serving the beer in a cold, fluted glass. ABV: 8.9 ABW: 7 COLOR: 3.46 BITTERNESS: 25 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1064 AVAILABLE: NA
Green Bullet
by - -Green Flash Brewing Co. San Diego Originally brewed as Green Flash Brewing Co.’s ninth anniversary ale in 2011, Green Bullet is a triple IPA. Its namesake is a robust New Zealand hop. ABV: 10.1 ABW: 8 COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: 100 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: NA
Elevated IPA
by - -La Cumbre Brewing Co. Albuquerque, NM Elevated IPA is a labor of love for brewer Jeff Erway. “For over a decade, it has been my life’s work to please my wife (Laura), and I have attempted to accomplish that through her love of IPAs,” he said. The beer is brewed with seven hop varieties from... View Article
Shotgun Betty
by - -Lonerider Brewing Co. Raleigh, NC This hefeweizen is one of three year-round offerings from Lonerider, which also brews seasonal and limited-release beers. ABV: 5.8 ABW: 4.6 COLOR: 4.2 BITTERNESS: 12 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1085 AVAILABLE: GA, NC, SC
Our Dark Secret Double Black IPA
by - -Moylan’s Brewery Novato, CA Brewed with North American two-row, Cara Pilsen, Munich, Carafa, Cara Munich and black malts and hopped with Galaxy, Stella, Summer and Victoria Secret hops. ABW: 6.4 ABV: 8.0 BITTERNESS: 92 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1072 AVAILABLE: AR, Australia, CA, MN, NM, OR
Cogway IPA
by - -603 Brewery Campton, NH Cogway IPA is brewed with Vienna and a blend of crystal malts for color, body and flavor. These malts are combined with multiple hop styles during the boil and then dry-hopped. ABV: 6.6 ABW: 5.3 COLOR: 14.5 BITTERNESS: 50 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1060 AVAILABLE: NH
Me and the Dev Ale
by - -Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. Kiln, MS A rustic beer inspired by the Mississippi Delta Blues and its folklore, Me and the Dev Ale is brewed with Maris Otter, two-row pale, Aromatic, 15 Luv, Special B and Rye malts and hopped with Nugget, Simcoe and Falconer’s Flight hops. ABV: 8 ABW: 6.4 COLOR: 22 BITTERNESS: 60... View Article
Brett Saison Extreme
by - -Seventh Sun Brewing Co. Dunedin, FL Brett Saison Extreme is a high-gravity French saison, finished with Brettanomyces bruxellensis. ABV: 10 ABW: 8 COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: 23 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1045 AVAILABLE: FL
Heady Topper
by - -The Alchemist Brewery Waterbury, VT The Alchemist is a small, family-run brewery focused on brewing Heady Topper, an American double IPA. The brewery produces 180 barrels of Heady Topper each week, and regularly sells all of its inventory before the weekend. ABV: 8 ABW: 6.37 COLOR: 6 BITTERNESS: 75 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1076 AVAILABLE: VT
483 Pale Ale
by - -Great River Brewery Davenport, IA Brewed with generous amounts of Northwest hops, 483 Pale Ale is named after the mile marker on the Mississippi River where the brewery is located. ABV: 5.3 ABW: 4.22 COLOR: 4 BITTERNESS: 48 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1050 AVAILABLE: IA, IL, MN, NE, SD, WI
Mexican Chocolate Stout
by - -Copper Kettle Brewing Co. Denver Inspired by a 500-year-old Aztec recipe for hot chocolate, Mexican Chocolate Stout is brewed with dark malts, bittersweet chocolate, a blend of three Mexican chili peppers and cinnamon. It won a gold medal at the 2011 GABF in the herb and spice category. ABV: 7.0 ABW: 5.6 COLOR: 47 BITTERNESS:... View Article
Mr. Brown
by - -People’s Brewing Co. Lafayette, IN One of People’s Brewing Co.’s most popular beers, Mr. Brown is brewed with pale, Caramalt 60, Chocolate and Black malts and hopped with East Kent Goldings and Columbus hops. ABV: 7.0 ABW: 5.5 COLOR: 27 BITTERNESS: 47 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1068 AVAILABLE: IN
Elevation
by - -Renegade Brewing Co. Denver This IPA is brewed entirely with Summit Hops. ABV: 11.2 ABW: 8.9 COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: 100 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: NA AVAILABLE: CO