Features
Bières de Garde: France’s Road Less Traveled
by Mike TessierEveryone remembers that one bottle of beer that awakened their thirst for beer knowledge. Mine was Sans Culottes from La Choulette. At the time I had no idea what a bière de garde was, but with my high school French I knew that the beer’s name literally meant “without underwear” and it bought back memories... View Article
Memoirs of a Beer Roadie
by Owen OgletreeWith sheets of rain blanketing our SUV, windshield wipers pounding out a mind-numbing rhythm, a stream of crimson brake lights ahead to the horizon and two stressed-out beer reps in the back seat on their Blackberries, all I could think was, “Man, I really need a beer.”
Cheeses Using Beer as an Ingredient
by Julie JohnsonBeer can be added to the milk or the curds, before the cheese is pressed. Frumage Baladin Le Fattorie Fiandino, Villafalletto, Italy Beer from Birreria Baladin in Piozzo is added to the raw milk before the curdle stage is complete to produce this “beer scented” cheese. Frumage Baladin has a dark brown rind, due to... View Article
Washed-rind Cheeses Ripened with Beer
by Julie JohnsonWashing the outside of a cheese as it ripens keeps the rind from cracking and exposing the interior. It promotes the growth of pinkish-orange Brevibacterium linens (B. linens), which produces the “stink” in stinky cheese, and meaty, pungent flavors. The liquid used for the wash—brine, wine, beer or spirits—contributes its own flavors. Pike Brewlaggio Estrella... View Article
Craft Beer and Artisan Cheese
by Julie JohnsonWhen Cindy West left a career in accounting, she and her husband Dorian spent a year in Paris, where she trained as a chef. Back in her home state of North Carolina, she worked in restaurants until the demanding schedule of a professional chef collided with the needs of young children. The couple bought a... View Article
Beer Geek? Meet Curd Nerd
by Julie JohnsonYoung Zwickel beer, fresh from the maturation tank, or new ale Fresh cheeses, such as mascarpone or crème fraiche, curdled by acid, not microorganisms Smoky German rauchbier, some Scottish ales made with peated malt, smoke porters Smoked mozzarella, gouda and others aged over smoke or in a smoke house American originals Cream ale, steam beer... View Article
Sampling Bière de Garde
by Mike TessierLa Bavaisienne Ambrée A straight forward bière de garde from France’s oldest farmhouse brewery, Theillier. This bière has a rustic simplicity that speaks volumes. La Bavaisienne Ambrée embraces earth, caramel, dust and holds a slight iron taste with some barnyard funk. This is a bière de garde by which all others should be measured. (7%... View Article
Travel
by Mike TessierFor those planning on visiting the region, this is not a touristy part of France; being able to speak some basic French would be very helpful. The French don’t even visit this area, as they prefer the sexier south of France. Nord-Pas-de-Calais is often described as the industrial part of France, but nothing could be... View Article
Eight Reasons for a Saison
by Adrian Tierney-JonesSaison Cazeau (Brasserie de Cazeau) Refreshing nose with definite notes of elderflower coming through, though they are not overpowering; creamy mouthfeel, more elderflower fruitiness and a sharp finish. 5% ABV Saison Deluxe (Southampton Publick House) Flinty, peppery and herby on the nose with an undercurrent of tropical fruit (pineapple) mellowing things out; a creamy mouthfeel,... View Article
Saison: Flavors of the Countryside
by Adrian Tierney-JonesIn his magisterial The Brewmaster’s Table, Garrett Oliver wrote that if he were forced to drink just one beer style with food for the rest of his life it would be a Wallonian saison. Such a sense of certainty makes perfect reasoning when you ask him what he means by a saison and hear his... View Article
Farmhouse Ales
by Phil MarkowskiLife on a farm a few centuries ago probably possessed few luxuries outside of a warm fire and a tankard of house-brewed ale. It was likely a simple brew made with no thought to dazzle, be pondered or least of all, taste consistent from batch-to-batch. It was brewed for a basic purpose—to refresh, sustain and... View Article
Columns
Departments
with Liam Hanlon
by Julie JohnsonOver here, we tend to think of brewing in Ireland as being dominated by one very big brewing company and two smaller ones. Tell me about the rise of craft brewing culture there. These days, it’s really one big company and one smaller one, Diageo and Heineken. Craft brewing really took off in Ireland in... View Article
Lambic
by K. Florian KlempBelgium is synonymous with brewing eccentricity and whimsy―its brewers’ penchant for unusual ingredients, methods and historical usage is still very much alive. To them though, it is business as usual. Their most distinctive beer is lambic, which relies on the ancient method of spontaneous fermentation, a natural microbiological ambush for inoculation, fermentation and maturation. The... View Article
A View From the Golden Gate
by Paul RuschmannSome cities have charm, some have beauty and some make you come back again and again. San Francisco has all of those attributes. To paraphrase an old lyric, you really can leave your heart in San Francisco.
Beer Talk
Great White
by - -Lost Coast Brewery Eureka, CA Available: TN, OR, WA, AZ, CA, NC, NY, FL, IO, OH, HI, OK, WI, PA, NV, VA, KS, NM, IL, IN, Canada The Lost Coast Brewery and Café began when Barbara Groom, a pharmacist, and Wendy Pound, a family counselor, wondered what it would required to start their own brewpub.... View Article
Tawny Owl
by - -Cotleigh Brewery Somerset, England Imported by: C2 Imports Los Angeles, CA Available: NC, GA, FL, PA, MD, DC, VA, NY, MA, AZ, CO, CA, WA, OR, IL, IN, OH, MO, OK, KY, TX, LA, MN, TN Cotleigh Brewery was founded in 1979 and is situated in the historic brewing town of Wiveliscombe in Somerset, England.... View Article
Ozzy Ale
by - -The Brewer’s Art Baltimore, MD Available: MD, DC A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this beer goes to bat conservation efforts. ABV: 7.3 ABW: 5.8 Color: 3 Bitterness: 40 Original gravity: 1067
Oatmeal Porter
by - -Highland Brewing Co. Asheville, NC Available: NC, SC, TN, GA, FL, VA, AL Owner/Founder Oscar Wong and Vice President/Brewmaster John Lyda have been at Highland since its inception. What began as a three-person operation has grown to a staff of 18. ABV: 5.8 ABW: 4.64 Color: 57 Bitterness: 43 Original gravity: 1054
Port Royal
by - -Cerveceria Hondurena San Pedro Sula, Honduras Imported by: G.K. Skaggs Irvine, CA Available: CA, WA, NJ, NY, PA, VA, MD, NC, FL, AL, IL, MI, MN, LA, TX, NV, CO Cerveceria Hondurenas is a SABMiller subsidiary located in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. ABV: 4.8 ABW: 3.82 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original gravity: n/a
Lift Bridge Brown Ale
by - -Keweenaw Brewing Co. Houghton, MI Available: MI, WI Keweenaw Brewing Co. opened in 2004 in the middle of downtown Houghton, on the historic Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. ABV: 4.8 ABW: 3.8 Color: 20 Bitterness: 16.1 Original gravity: 1051
Old Yankee Ale
by - -Cottrell Brewing Co. Pawcatuck, CT Available: CT, MA, RI Besides their own line of beers, Cottrell brews beers onder contract for Newport Storm, Narraganset and Trinity Beer companies. ABV: 4 ABW: 3.18 Color: n/a Bitterness: 26 Original gravity: 1050
Island Hoppin IPA
by - -St. John Brewers St. John, Virgin Islands Available: FL, MA, RI, VI St. John Brewers is located in the in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Owners Kevin Chipman and Chirag Vyas created island-inspired ales at their local brewery and pub, The Tap Room. ABV: 6.2 ABW: 4.94 Color: 16.8 Bitterness: 53 Original gravity:... View Article
Colorado Kölsch
by - -Steamworks Brewing Co. Durango, CO Available: Al, AZ, CO, MS, NM, PA, TX, VA, WI Colorado Kölsch is derived from the German Kölsch style, an ale-lager hybrid that was created in response to the popular pilsners being produced in the Czech Republic in the 1840s. ABV: 4.8 ABW: 3.82 Color: 4 Bitterness: 22 Original gravity:... View Article
Witte Noire
by - -De Proef Brouwerij Lochristi, Belgium Imported by: SBS Imports Seattle , WA Available: AK, WA, OR, CA, AZ, CO, ID, MN, WI, IL, MO, KS, MI, ME, MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL Brewing professor and engineer Dirk Naudts founded De Proef in 1996. Witte Noire (“dark wheat”) ale... View Article
Red Wagon IPA
by - -Fire Island Beer Co. Ocean Beach, NY Available: NY Fire Island Beer Co. started as a homebrew on Fire Island, NY in 1999 by two brothers and their cousin. Red Wagon IPA is dedicated to the grounded residents of Fire Island who only need what they can fit on the back of a red wagon.... View Article
Saison
by - -St.Feuillien Le Roeulx, Belgium Imported by: Artisanal Imports Austin, TX Available: AK, CA, CO, CT, GA, ID, IL, IA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MN, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, WA St-Feuillien Saison is what the Belgians call a beer of the terroir, a traditional farmhouse ale originating in the fertile land of southern Belgium. ABV:... View Article
Domaine DuPage
by - -Two Brothers Brewing Co. Warrenville, IL Available: IL, MN, WI, OH, IN, MA, PA, NY The brewery was founded in 1996 by brothers Jim and Jason Ebel, initially as a draft-only production brewery. The brewhouse was produced in Vancouver; the balance of the brewery was mostly donated; the brothers’ grandfather, a retired dairy farmer, donated... View Article
Merry Monks’ Ale
by - -Weyerbacher Easton, PA Available: PA, NJ, CT, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NE, NY, NC, OH, RI, SC, VA, DC, WI Merry Monks’ is a bottle-conditioned Belgian-style abbey tripel, available year-round. It can be cellared to mature. ABV: 9.3 ABW: 7.4 Color: 3.5 Bitterness: 15 Original gravity: n/a
Imperial Porter
by - -Southampton Brewery Southampton, NY Available: nationwide This is Soutthampton brewmaster Phil Markowski’s interpretation of how an imperial porter would have tasted back in the 18th century. ABV: 7.2 ABW: n/a Color: n/a Bitterness: 35 Original gravity: n/a
Terminal Gravity IPA
by - -Terminal Gravity Brewing Enterprise, OR Available: OR This IPA is made with spring water and snow melt from high in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. It was named Beer of the Year by The Oregonian. ABV: 6.9 ABW: n/a Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original gravity: 1060
Odyssey
by - -Allagash Brewing Co. Portland, ME Available:ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI, NY, PA, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, OH, IL, MI, CA, WA, OR, TX, NJ Allagash Odyssey is aged in a combination of new American oak and stainless steel for 10 months. ABV: 10.4 ABW: 8.28 Color: n/a Bitterness: 25 Original gravity: 1086
St. Martin Blond Ale
by - -Brasserie De Brunehaut Brunehaut, Belgium Imported by: C2 Imports Los Angeles, CA Available: AZ, CA, IL, NY, OR, WA Founded in 1096, the Abbey of Saint Martin at Tours (Tournai) in Belgium perpetuated the teachings of its namesake saint. ABV: 7 ABW: 5.57 Color: 4.5 Bitterness: 16 Original gravity: 1060