Features
Beer as Good Food
by Gregg GlaserTraditionally, beer has been viewed as a nourishing household product like bread, based on grain. One style, doppelbock, was even dubbed “liquid bread” by the monks who relied on it for sustenance during Lenten fasts. In earlier times, beer was the healthful mealtime beverage for young and old alike and a source of valuable nutrients.
A Tale of Three Brewers
by Stan HieronymusIf Mickey Finn’s Brewery ever invites its brewing alumni back to Libertyville, IL, for a reunion, one can only guess how many brewers there will be. And will they all have as much in common as the first three, including the fact that they have all won Great American Beer Festival medals in the German... View Article
What’s It Take to Become a Brewer?
by Stan HieronymusAs the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch obviously offers plenty of employment opportunities. “We look for specific things, some science background, life sciences or engineering,” Mitch Steele said. “You have to have the ability to learn to brew. We look for people who are passionate about brewing and interested in learning how we do things.”
Everybody Wants to be a Brewer
by Stan HieronymusDan Carey knew early on that he wanted to be a professional brewer when he grew up. He remembers family car camping trips from their San Francisco home north to Victoria, BC. They would stop at the Olympia Brewery in Tumwater, WA, an expansive lakeside red brick brewery with church-like windows. Inside, the glistening equipment,... View Article
Getting a Handle on Your Hobby
by Dave GausepohlIn the period after Prohibition, many taverns engaged in a classic bait-and-switch: They would advertise a particular brand of beer but serve a lower grade. To stop this practice, many states passed laws calling for taverns to identify the beer being served on draft.
How Does Beer Change?
by Charles D. CookWhat is the effect of time and good cellaring on a beer? There are two ways to find out. One is to lay down a number of bottles of a promising beer: sample one each year, keep comprehensive notes, and hope you have a good, consistent palate.
On the Road with Beer and Fat
by Stan HieronymusNew Belgium Brewing Co.’s Tour de Fat is not a single bicycle “tour” across the West, but it sure would make an interesting beer trip. Start in Lawrence, KS, angle down into Texas Hill Country, head north through the Rockies, on to Seattle, then back to Montana, and down through Colorado to Flagstaff, AZ.
Travelling to Belgium?
by Charles D. CookBelgian cafes: Afspanning ‘t Waagstuk, Stadswaag 20, Antwerp. Tel: (03) 2250219, fax (03) 2263370. Open 10 am-2 am Mon-Thur, 10 am-4 am Fri, 2 pm-2am Sat, and 2 pm-2 am Sunday. About 80 beers. Le Bier Circus, Rue de l’ Enseignement/Onderwijsstraat 89, Brussels. Tel:(02) 2180034. Open Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm and 6 pm-midnight, Sat 6 pm-midnight. More... View Article
The Art of Aging Gracefully: Vintage Beers at Belgium’s Beer Cafés
by Charles D. CookAged beer? The very concept of deliberately aging a beer contradicts everything we hear and see in beer ads. One megabrewery touts its “born on date” to encourage people to buy its beer. Local micros stress that fresh beer is the best beer.
You’re Better Off With Beer: Beer and Your Health
by Gregg Glaser“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” So said Benjamin Franklin. Happy? Certainly. But healthy as well? Maybe.
Hemp Gets a Reprieve
by Greg KitsockHemp beer—is anyone out there still brewing this style?—remains legal as of this writing, as a result of a court challenge to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Columns
Departments
Ode to Köln
by K. Florian KlempA beer may not make a city great, but certainly it can enhance its identity. In the Rhineland of Northwest Germany, this is especially true, as many such cities are known for the specific beers they produce. Dusseldorf (albtbier), Dortmund (Dortmunder), and Köln (Kölsch) all have a style they call their own.
Beer Talk
Mad Hatter Ale
by aabNew Holland Brewing Company Holland, MI Available: MI, IL A combination of Cascade and Centennial hops is used in both the kettle and an ample amount for dry hopping. This beer also has an abundant malt bill to balance out the hop character. The beer was first created on the 10th of June and is... View Article
Dead Horse I.P.A.
by aabBrewery: McNeill’s Brewery Place: Brattleboro, VT Available: MA, VT This beer is bottle fermented aged one year in their cellars and can be kreuzened or conventionally carbonated. At the pub, the beer is served “cask” via beer engine. McNeill’s Brewery is housed in a 19th century fire station, which then became the town offices and... View Article
Finger Lakes Nut Brown Ale
by aabIthaca Beer Company Ithaca, NY Available: NY This ale is brewed with a combination of roasted malts (Munich, Victory, and Chocolate) and balanced with Northodown and Fuggles hops. Alcohol by weight: 3.7 Color: 35-40 Bitterness: n/a Gravity: 1050
Castle Lager
by aabSouth African Brewery South Africa Imported by: S.A.B. USA, LLC Laguna Niguel, CA Available: AL, CA, CO, KY, OH, OR Castle Lager has been brewed since 1895. The original recipe and the art of brewing has been passed through generations of brewmasters. Alcohol by weight: 3.98 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Gravity: n/a
Fairweather IPA
by aabMoose’s Tooth Brewing Co. Anchorage, AK Available: AK Named after the sheer granite peak in Denali National Park, this brewery has grown from a 7 bbl system to a 30 bbl system in six years. Each 30 bbl batch of the IPA contains over 60 lbs. of 6 varieties of hops, and is only available... View Article
Doppel-Hirsch Bavarian-Doppelbock
by aabDer Hirschbräu Sonthofen, Bavaria, Germany Imported by: HDT Importers, Inc. Portland, OR Available: AK, CA, ID, MT, NJ, NY, OR, WA Der Hirschbräu Brewery is one of the oldest privately owned breweries in Bavaria, situated in Sonthofen in the Alps. This doppelbock is brewed with Hallertau hops. Alcohol by weight: 5.4 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a... View Article
Bhagwan’s Best IPA
by aabBig Time Brewing Company Seattle, WA Available: WA This beer comes from the Seattle’s original and oldest brewpub. Bhagwan’s was among the first of the northwestern IPAs. It is brewed with 5% Munich malt, a little bit of crystal, and a lot of Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial hops. Alcohol by weight: 5.6 Color: 7 Bitterness:... View Article
Organic Amber Ale
by aabEel River Brewing Company Fortuna, CA Available: CA, ID, NV, OR, WA This brewery is the first certified organic brewery owned and operated in California. Their amber ale is brewed using certified organic Pacific Gems and Hallertau hops, imported from New Zealand. Alcohol by weight: 3.82 Color: n/a Bitterness: 20 Gravity: 1052