Features
Denmark
by Mikko MontonenFive years ago, Denmark was all international-style pale lagers with green labels in similar bottles. Little wonder: Copenhagen’s Carlsberg brewery is a landmark in brewing technology and history. Here, Jacob Christian Jacobson established Danish lager brewing in 1845, built upon yeast he (may have) smuggled from the brewing mecca of Munich. The lager tradition is... View Article
Norwegian Novelty
by Mikko MontonenScandinavian Brewers Make Their Mark On the way from the airport, Carsten S. Due, the Honorary Consul of Finland, stops to pick up a couple of bottles of Nøgne ø beer he’d left to cool in the river, so we can have a sip of their saison. The sun is shining. Life could be worse.
Remembering Michael Jackson
by StaffPioneering beer writer Michael Jackson, the “Beer Hunter,” died at his home in London on August 30. Author of numerous books on both beer and whiskey, he wrote the column “Jackson’s Journal” in this magazine for 23 years. We can’t do credit to the volume of thoughtful tributes that memorialized Michael Jackson on our website... View Article
Gone But Not Forgotten
by Owen OgletreeUnfortunately, several southern craft breweries of the early ‘90s were perhaps ahead of their time and not able to survive. New Orleans’ Acadian Brewing (closed in 2002) produced a crisp, hoppy pilsner for a time and offered a pleasant beer garden for visitors. A delightful brewpub that featured live jazz, Port City Brewery in Mobile,... View Article
A Taste of the Southeast
by Owen OgletreeHere’s a handful of distinctive brews you can find only in their home region. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale, Terrapin Beer Co., Athens, GA Medium gold in color with a crisp American hop nose and flavor. Finishes dry with touches of rye spiciness and light bitterness that fade quickly, leaving a clean palate.
Beer in the New South
by Owen OgletreeWhile Oregon and Washington, Colorado, Maine or California amongst others saw explosive craft brewery growth, the Southeastern states seemed trapped in light lager culture and a persistent prohibitionist mindset. Beer remained stuck at sports bars and tailgating parties.
No Brews for the Road
by Susan ZimmermanThe laws in Norway are the strictest in Europe—way tougher than those in the United States. Even one glass of wine or beer can put a driver over the legal limit, since anything over 0.02 percent blood alcohol content can mean trouble (the BAC limit in the United States is 0.08 percent). If you’re caught... View Article
Back at Mack’s
by Susan Zimmerman“Ludvig Mack wanted to start the brewery so people would have something else to drink—all that was available was wine and hard liquor,” says Pederson about this brewery founded in 1877. “Back then it was not normal to get beer that tasted good. It was sour when you got it from Hansa in Bergen or... View Article
Back at Mack’s
by Susan Zimmerman“Ludvig Mack wanted to start the brewery so people would have something else to drink—all that was available was wine and hard liquor,” says Pederson about this brewery founded in 1877. “Back then it was not normal to get beer that tasted good. It was sour when you got it from Hansa in Bergen or... View Article
Brewed on the Roof of the World
by Susan ZimmermanThough it was bragging rights that first enticed me to head to the Norwegian town of Tromsø to whet my whistle at the northernmost brewery in the world, my tune soon changed. Here in these arctic climes, getting the low-down on this beer-biased nation’s attitudes is all a part of the social call.
Columns
Departments
Heaven, North of the Bridge
by Paul Ruschmann“And if you’re looking for heaven, it’s north of the bridge.” That’s the way we see it in Michigan.
Dubbel Talk
by K. Florian KlempOften, when beer lovers venture into the realm of Belgian brews, they experience an epiphany. Even without an experienced or refined palate, it is apparent immediately that there is something different, something beyond the familiar flavors and aromas of other offerings. Be it depth, complexity or nuance, we are presented with the unexpected manifestation of... View Article
With Brian MacIsaac and Rebecca Kneen
by Julie JohnsonYou have a true farm brewery, on an organic farm. What’s unusual about your brewery? B: I thought about putting together a diagram: it would start with us growing the hops—it’s less than 30 feet away from the brewery. So we bring the hops into the brewery, we use them, then we put then back... View Article
Beer Talk
Oktoberfest
by - -Warsteiner Warstein, Germany Imported by Warsteiner Importers Agency Cincinnati, OH Available: nationwide Founded in 1753, the Warsteiner Brewery is one of Germany’s largest private breweries. ABV: 5.9 ABW: 4.7 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original Gravity: n/a
Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
by - -Trout River Brewing Co. Lyndonville, VT Available: n/a Trout River Brewing, located in the northeastern region of Vermont, was founded in 1996 by Dan and Laura Gates ABV: n/a ABW: n/a Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original Gravity: n/a
Estrella Damm
by - -SA Damm Barcelona, Spain Imported by United States Beverage Stamford, CT Available: nationwide Two Dam/m beers in one issue? This lager has been produced in Barcelona for 125 years. ABV: 5.4 ABW: 4.3 Color: 7.6 Bitterness: 26 Original Gravity: 1052
Miner’s Gold Hefeweizen
by - -Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. Helena, MT Available: MT According to Lewis and Clark’s diaries, the explorers brought casks of Woodsford’s Whiskey on their 2,000-mile journey, but there is no record of beer. ABV: 5.2 ABW: 4.1 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original Gravity: n/a
Panil Bariquée
by - -Birrificio Torrechiara Parma, Italy Imported by Shelton Bros. Belchertown, MA Available: n/a This sour barrel aged beer, a style native to the Netherlands and Belgium, is made in Parma, Italy. The beer is aged for three months in cognac barrels from Bordeaux. ABV: 8 ABW: 6.4 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original Gravity: n/a
Sweet George’s Brown Ale
by - -Dillon Dam Brewery Dillon, CO Available: CO This ten year-old brewpub is one of the largest in the country. It has no shortage of puns available based on the word “dam.” ABV: 6 ABW: 4.8 Color: 23 Bitterness: 17 Original Gravity: 1052
Discovery Amber Ale
by - -Green’s Beers Lochristi, Belgium Imported by Merchant du Vin Tukwila, WA Available: nationwide This gluten-free beer is brewed from millet, rice, buckwheat and sorghum instead of barley. ABV: 6 ABW: 4.8 Color: amber Bitterness: 32 Original Gravity: 1056
Winter Haze Doubly Common Ale
by - -Dale Brothers Brewery Upland, CA Available: CA A California common-style beer, but with extra hops and malt. ABV: 6.4 ABW: 5.1 Color: 10.9 Bitterness: 25 Original Gravity: 1061
Kill Ugly Radio
by - -Lagunitas Brewing Co. Petaluma, CA Available: CA Released in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the release of “Absolutely Free,” by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. ABV: 7.8 ABW: 6.2 Color: n/a Bitterness: n/a Original Gravity: n/a
Rocky’s Revenge
by - -Tyranena Brewing Co. Lake Mills, WI Available: WI, MN American brown ale with a portion aged in bourbon barrels..Rocky is said to be “a great saurian” that lives in the depths of Rock Lake—though not seen for over a century. ABV: 5.75 ABW: 4.6 Color: 27 Bitterness: 30 Original Gravity: 1060
Stiegl-Weizengold
by - -Stiegl Brewery Salzburg, Austria Imported by Glunz Imports Licolnwood, IL Available: AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, PA, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, RI, MO, NV, NY, OR, OH, UT, VA, WA, WI (pending: AL, GA, CT, KS, MT, SC, SD, WY) The Stieglbrauerei dates back to 1492. The word “stiegl,” or “steps”... View Article
Fred from the Wood, 2007
by - -Hair of the Dog Brewing Co. Portland, OR Available: WA, OR, CA, NY, also Denmark Brewer Alan Sprints works by himself and produces about 5000 cases of beer a year. Fred from the Wood is aged in new oak barrels for six months before being bottled. One hundred cases are produced twice a year, and... View Article
Stegmaier Oktoberfest
by - -The Lion Brewery Wilkes-Barre, PA Available: DE, MD, NJ, NY, OK, PA, VA Charles Stegmaier began brewing in his native city of Wurtemburg. After moving to the United States in 1857, he established the Stegmaier Brewery. The brand was purchased by Lion, Inc. in 1974. ABV: 6.1 ABW: 4.86 Color: 16.5 Bitterness: 22 Original Gravity:... View Article
Hard Tail Ale
by - -King Brewing Co. Pontiac, MI Available: MI, WI, NC, SC King Brewing Co. was formed in 1994, reviving a brewing tradition in southeastern Michigan that had ceased in the early 1950s when the last small brewer was forced to close in Pontiac. ABV: 6.5 ABW: 5.2 Color: 10-12 Bitterness: 38-45 Original Gravity: 1060
Duveneck’s Dortmunder
by - -Barrelhouse Brewing Co. Cincinnati, OH Available: OH, KY, IN, NY, IL, MO, GA, MI Frank Duveneck was a famous Cincinnati painter who produced such masterpieces as “Old Man In a Fur Cap,” which is featured on this beer’s label. ABV: 4.5 ABW: 3.9 Color: golden Bitterness: n/a Original Gravity:1050
Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale
by - -Gordash Brewing Co. Melbourne, FL Available: FL, NC, PA Company founder Robert Gordash was the 1996 winner of the Samuel Adams World Homebrew Contest for his special English bitter. He formed his brewing company this year. ABV: 8.5 ABW: 6.8 Color: 6.3 Bitterness: 24 Original Gravity: 1077