All About Beer Magazine March 2015 Issue

Pregnant in the Industry

To New Beginnings

Where’s the Value?

A Single Word: The Case for Beer 

Poaching Brewers

Beer on the Rails: The Simple Pleasure of Train Travel

Beer is going places. Literally—you can now find respectable selections of beer on airplanes, ferry boats and cruise lines. Delta now offers seven new lagers and ales on board its domestic flights, cruise ships are serving custom beers, and the Denver International Airport hosted a pop-up airport beer garden last year, complete with beer flights.... View Article

48 Hours in Duluth: A Superior Outpost in Minnesota

To the uninitiated, Duluth, MN, may seem like an unlikely beer destination. Mayor Don Ness boldly snagged the title “Craft Beer Capital of Minnesota”  for Duluth in 2013. Many would argue that a bigger city with more breweries, like Minneapolis, should get the honor. But Duluth has some brilliant brewers, a burgeoning beer scene and... View Article

Complete Guide to San Diego Breweries, 2014/2015 Edition

Despite recent talk of takeovers, sellouts and nasty hashtags, the independent beer industry has a generally inclusive atmosphere—“99% asshole free,” according to Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione’s famous quip. That makes it jarring, and weirdly refreshing, to read the succinct, smart and occasionally irreverent observations in Brandon Hernández’s guide to San Diego beer establishments. That... View Article

Beer: The Ultimate World Tour

Since Michael Jackson’s first World Guide to Beer, beer writers have tried to embrace the full scope of the third-most-popular beverage on the planet. Not an easy task, but generally very enjoyable for the reader. Bill Yenne continues the tradition with this beautiful and rich survey. When Jackson first wrote his book, the beer world... View Article

Bend Beer: A History of Brewing in Central Oregon

It’s impossible to talk about Bend Beer without acknowledging that Anheuser-Busch InBev recently acquired 10 Barrel, one of the breweries that author Jon Abernathy lauded as part of the vanguard of inspiring, independent, fast-growing Central Oregon breweries. Even Abernathy—the long-time blogger behind The Brew Site, who is accustomed to dealing with last-minute beer news—must be... View Article

Crafty Bastards: Beer In New England from the Mayflower To Modern Day

It’s an often overlooked fact that New England’s beer history dates back to the arrival of the Pilgrims. “Beer was water. It was food, too,” writes author Lauren Clark. Rhetorically, she asks, “What? The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth because they were low on beer?” From there Crafty Bastards: Beer In New England from the Mayflower... View Article

The Homebrewer’s Handbook: An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide

I love two things about this book right out of the gate. First, it is beautiful and feels great. Lovely photographs and nice paper can go a long way. Second, it is designed to take the average beer lover from wondering about homebrewing to making his or her own “jaw-droppingly” great beer. For the first... View Article

Brew Britannia: The Strange Rebirth of British Beer

Brew Britannia (Aurum Press, Paperback, $19.99, 298 pp) charts the course of the tumultuous changes in the English beer scene. Jessica Boak and Ray Bailey, the voices behind a popular blog, tell a very engaging tale of “the strange rebirth of British Beer.” While very similar in structure to the American renaissance, the twists and turns... View Article

Saison: A Simple Luxury

Not too long ago, saison was considered rare and somewhat endangered, a stranger to all but the most enlightened. Things couldn’t be more different today. Those from Belgium are rightfully well-regarded, and North American-brewed versions are among the hottest styles. Saison, French for season, is perfectly emblematic of venerable Belgian and flourishing North American brewing... View Article

Georgia Beer Distributing Company Going Behind the Scenes

Eagle Rock Distributing Co. of Georgia is converting a warehouse into a movie studio. Renovations on Eagle Rock Studios Atlanta, a fully funded $13 million project, are expected to be completed by the end of March, Eagle Rock Distributing CEO Steven Economos told the Gwinnett Daily Post, and production companies have already begun touring the... View Article

Orchestra and Brewery in Harmonious Collaboration

Highland Brewing Co. of Asheville, NC, is partnering with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra on a beer for its 2015 Amadeus Festival, honoring the composer Mozart. The beer, a Vienna lager appropriately called Wolfgang 1756, will be released in 22-oz bottles in March, brewery founder and president Oscar Wong told the Asheville Citizen-Times. A portion of... View Article

End of ‘Beer Tie’ for U.K. Pubs

In a decision that has rattled the U.K. pub industry, U.K. lawmakers voted in November to end the 400-year-old “beer tie” rule that locked pubs rented from large pub groups or breweries into buying beer exclusively from them. Almost half of Britain’s 50,000 pubs are “tied houses,” a deal in which the brewery or pub... View Article

Pull Up A Stool With John Mallett

As a professional brewer going on 30 years, John Mallett of Bell’s Brewery has often been referred to as “a brewer’s brewer,” that is to say, one who makes beer that others in his line of work are eager to consume. An avid outdoorsman, he recently released his first book, Malt: A Practical Guide from... View Article

Great Towns for Pizza and Beer

The following article ran alongside “Pizza and Beer in Milan and New Haven,” which was published in our March 2015 issue.  Don’t miss these pizza and beer combos around the country. New York: Nowhere is more synonymous with pizza. If that’s your sole objective, Brooklyn’s Di Fara enjoys consensus as sliced nirvana. Most slice joints don’t... View Article

Green Flash Acquires Alpine Beer Co.

Alpine Beer Co., a 15-year-old brewery in Alpine, CA, known for its sought-after IPAs like Duet and Exponential Happiness, was acquired by San Diego’s Green Flash Brewing Co. in early November. In the new arrangement, each company will remain independently operated and maintain its distinct brand and culture. Alpine’s Pat McIlhenney will remain president and... View Article

Brewers Association Publishes Food and Beer Course

The Brewers Association (BA) wants to bring beer—properly served and presented—to the table with a new “definitive beer and food course for culinary institutions, food establishments, beverage students and beer educators.” “Culinary and hospitality education has long overlooked the intrinsic value that craft beer can provide in relation to food,” says chef BA culinary consultant... View Article

Amphora-Aged Beers: The Next Small Thing?

Renowned for his traditional lambic production at Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels, Belgium, Jean Van Roy found inspiration during a blind wine tasting a few years ago, prompting him to take his brewing a few thousand years further back in time. Some of the Italian wines he sampled had been matured in amphorae, ceramic fermentation vessels... View Article

New Glass for Wheat Beer

Shaker pints, move aside. Michigan’s Bell’s Brewery and Austrian glassware manufacturer Spiegelau recently launched the American Wheat-Witbier Glass. The glass, designed to elevate the experience of drinking American wheat ales , features a voluminous bowl that “harnesses and retains the delicate aromas” of wheat beer and an open-bottom glass base that “drives beer and aromatic... View Article

Pizza and Beer in Milan and New Haven

What with airplanes and social media, the world is one big cultural exchange program. Ideas, like people, ebb and flow like the tides, but even faster now that we don’t actually rely on ocean travel that much. A recent visit to Italy got me thinking about such things and how, blessedly, Italians gave America pizza... View Article

Beer in the Grand Duchy: The Breweries of Luxembourg

Frank Zappa famously said, “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.” Luxembourg, ergo, qualifies as a real country. Then again, Luxembourgers refer to it... View Article

Worth the Risk: Homebrewers Playing with Coolships

T.S. Eliot once said, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” Homebrewers are doing just that in their exploration of open fermentation. Case in point is Johnnie Leroy Compton III, a homebrewer who goes the distance for his wild beers. After moving into a spacious... View Article

A Retrospective on Homebrewing

I was in college in the late 1970s, and believe me, things were bleak and desolate in beerdom. Where we stand today is a truly remarkable situation. I have been keenly interested in beer for the entire journey and homebrewing for the majority of it. This makes me no more of an expert than many... View Article

Rye Research Project

North Dakota State University (NDSU) is undertaking a new malting rye research project. The study will analyze different varieties of rye to determine the best properties for malting, growing and brewing. Researchers will examine rye genotypes and environmental factors. The department of plant sciences is asking growers to send 1-pound samples to the NDSU cereal... View Article

A-B InBev Acquires 10 Barrel Brewing

Anheuser-Busch InBev added a new brewery to its portfolio in October, when it purchased the Bend, Oregon-based 10 Barrel Brewing. 10 Barrel’s co-founding partners, Chris Cox, Jeremy Cox and Garrett Wales, announced the sale via a video released on social media, in which they assured drinkers that the beer would not change, the brew team,... View Article

Golf Pros Launch Beer Line

A new beer has found its way to the putting green with the launch of GolfBeer Brewing Co. Founded by three professional golfers, Freddie Jacobson, Keegan Bradley and Graeme McDowell, GolfBeer’s starting lineup consists of Freddie Jacobson’s Scandinavian Style Blonde Ale, a light ale brewed with crystal malt and European hops; Keegan Bradley’s New England... View Article

California Farmers Markets Add Beer

California shoppers can now pick up their local kale, carrots and beer in one trip, thanks to a new law enabling brewers to sell packaged beer at farmers markets. The law, which had bipartisan support and passed the Senate and Assembly chambers without opposition, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in early October and is... View Article

Best and Worst Cities for Your Beer Budget

Drinkers looking to stretch their beer budget might want to consider a move to Baton Rouge, LA. The city has the cheapest beer in the U.S., according to a survey by the website WalletHub, which analyzed 18 key metrics of the 150 most populated U.S. cities to find “the best and worst foodie cities for... View Article

In Georgia, Craft Brewers Guild Asks for Lobbying Support

The Georgia Craft Brewers Guild is turning to crowdfunding to raise money for lobbying efforts. The organization launched a campaign on IndieGoGo and hopes to raise $30,000 by early January to help fund a lobbyist to push legislative reforms in the Peach State. “Georgia continues to lag behind because our state laws and regulations are... View Article

Lacons Audit Ale

Lacons Audit Ale Lacons Brewery Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, United Kingdom Lacons Audit Ale is a modern expression of a beer originally brewed for the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford’s annual audit feasts. It was exported to United States in the 1930s. ABV: 8.0 ABW: 6.4 COLOR: 17 BITTERNESS: 50 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1072 AVAILABLE:... View Article

Forest Bacuri

Forest Bacuri Amazon Beer Belém, Brazil Forest Bacuri won a bronze medal at the 2014 International Beer Challenge in London. ABV: 3.8 ABW: 3.0 COLOR: 2 BITTERNESS: 9 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1030 AVAILABLE: BRAZIL, DENMARK, FRANCE, GERMANY, SWEDEN, UK

Superior IPA

Superior IPA Fyne Ales Cairndow, Argyll, Scotland Superior IPA is brewed with Maris Otter Pale Malt, Cedarex Light Malt Extract and wheat malt, and hopped with Citra and Cascade hops. ABV: 7.1 ABW: 5.7 COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: 50 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1064 AVAILABLE: UK

Fuller’s ESB

Fuller’s ESB Fuller’s Brewery London Imported by Paulaner HP USA Fuller’s pioneered the Extra Special Bitter style in 1971. ESB features Pale and Crystal malts balanced by a blend of Northdown, Target, Challenger and Goldings hops. ABV: 5.9 ABW: NA COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: 35 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: NA AVAILABLE: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE,... View Article

Brawler

Brawler Yards Brewing Co. Philadelphia Brawler won a silver medal in the English Mild category at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival. ABV: 4.2 ABW: 3.3 COLOR: 22.6 BITTERNESS: 12 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1044 AVAILABLE: DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA

Fully Adrift Double IPA

Fully Adrift Double IPA Pinthouse Pizza Craft Brewpub Austin, TX Originally named Fallen Cask “Batch 69” Double IPA, Fully Adrift Double IPA won second place at the 2014 Alpha King Challenge. It is brewed with Citra, Mosaic, El Dorado and EXP 05256 hops. ABV: 10.5 ABW: 8.4 COLOR: 7 BITTERNESS: NA ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1096 AVAILABLE:... View Article

Daily Wages

Daily Wages Brasserie Saint James Reno, NV Daily Wages won a gold medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival in the French- and Belgian-Style Saison category. ABV: 6.04 ABW: 4.73 COLOR: 3.69 BITTERNESS: 22.5 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1059 AVAILABLE: CA, NV, CANADA

Orval

Orval Orval Trappist Brewery Villiers Devant Orval, Belgium Orval was founded in 1070 and the current brewery was completed in 1929. The Trappist ale is dry-hopped and fermented and bottle-conditioned with an ale yeast and Brettanomyces. ABV: 6.9 ABW: 5.5 COLOR: 10 BITTERNESS: 32 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1055

EOS Hefeweizen

EOS Hefeweizen Nebraska Brewing Co. Papillion, NE EOS Hefeweizen started as a homebrewing recipe that Nebraska Brewing founder Paul Kavulak started brewing in 1993. EOS is the Goddess of Dawn and is also the name of the computer system Kavulak worked on while developing this beer. ABV: 5.2 ABW: 4.2 COLOR: 3.6 BITTERNESS: 9 ORIGINAL... View Article

London Homesick Ale

London Homesick Ale Oasis Texas Brewing Co. Austin, TX Winner of a gold medal in the Ordinary or Special Bitter category at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival, London Homesick Ale is brewed with English Challenger hops and an English yeast strain. ABV: 4.9 ABW: 3.9 COLOR: 3.2 BITTERNESS: 27 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1050 AVAILABLE: TX

Ballantine IPA

Ballantine IPA Pabst Brewing Co. Cold Springs Brewery; Cold Springs, MN Pabst relaunched Ballantine IPA in 2014 after a two-decade absence. The beer is brewed with pale, Munich and caramel malts and hopped with Magnum, Columbus, Brewer’s Gold, Fuggle and Cascade hops. ABV: 7.2 ABW: 5.7 COLOR: 14.8 BITTERNESS: 70 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: NA AVAILABLE: MA,... View Article

Genesee Cream Ale

Genesee Cream Ale Genesee Brewing Co. Rochester, NY Genesee Cream Ale is brewed with six-row malt and Apollo hops and a top-fermenting yeast. The beer has been brewed since 1960 and has earned two gold medals at the World Beer Cup. ABV: 5.2 ABW: 4.1 COLOR: 3.5 BITTERNESS: 12 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1050 AVAILABLE: AL, AZ,... View Article

Hop Hash

Hop Hash SweetWater Brewing Co. Atlanta Hop Hash is brewed with two-row, Pilsner and wheat malts and Centennial hops, including pure hop lupulin (hash). ABV: 7.8 ABW: 6.2 COLOR: 4 BITTERNESS: 100 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1075 AVAILABLE: AL, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, NC, OH, SC, TN, VA

Dantalion

Dantalion Upland Brewing Co. Bloomington, IN Dantalion is a sour ale fermented on the same selection of yeasts and microbes as Upland’s base lambic. It is aged for at least eight months in white oak barrels. ABV: 8.3 ABW: NA COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: NA ORIGINAL GRAVITY:NA AVAILABLE: IN

IPA

IPA Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. Elmsford, NY This IPA is brewed with Columbus, Centennial, Citra and Bravo hops and dry-hopped with Centennial, Citra and Bravo. ABV: 6.5 ABW: 5.2 COLOR: 6 BITTERNESS: 65 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1062 AVAILABLE: CT, NJ, NY, PA

Yuengling Porter

Yuengling Porter D.G. Yuengling & Son Pottsville, PA Yuengling Porter is one of the original Yuengling beers and has been brewed since 1829.  ABV: 4.7 ABW: 3.71 COLOR: 85 BITTERNESS: 20 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1048 AVAILABLE: AL, DC, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV