All About Beer Magazine November 2014 Issue

The Brewer in His Natural Habitat

Exporting a Sense of Home

Better Together

It’s About the People

Searching for the Perfect Pint in Dublin and Belfast 

The Irish not only gave us dry stout porter, they also gave us classic drinking songs to sing whilst hoisting proper imperial pints (buy the MP3 of the Clancy Brothers’ “Beer, Beer, Beer”) and the full Irish breakfast (with “black pudding,” aka blood sausage, among the four breakfast meats on the plate) to sop up all... View Article

Fermenting Faith: Beer as a Path to Spirituality

When a group of young adults from Congregation Rodeph Shalom gathered at Rabbi Eli Freedman’s home for a “sha-barbecue” one summer evening, he did not say kiddush over wine. Instead, he recited the traditional Sabbath blessing over beer. No one was shocked. In fact, the swap made total sense, since many of those at the... View Article

The Elegant Doppelbock

Traditional beer styles are often closely identified by cities, regions, strength or particular moment of invention. Doppelbock (double bock) can claim all of those. Its roots lie in the North German city of Einbeck, but is now synonymous with Bavaria. More specifically, the prototype is a monastic creation, designed for sustenance during Lenten deprivation. The... View Article

California BrewMasters: Portraits and Profiles of the Golden State’s Brewing Icons

Soon after falling in love with specialty beer, Nicholas Gingold surveyed the world of beer books and noticed something was missing. There were plenty of guidebooks to breweries and books on styles and tasting, but few books focused solely on the people behind the beverage. So Gingold, a native Californian who had recently returned home... View Article

Beer Trails: The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest

As a journalist focusing on travel and, often beer, Evan Rail has been witness to some pretty amazing sights and experienced diverse flavors. His easy-flowing prose and sharp eye for important details have earned him many followers and have helped set a standard for beer journalism. In Beer Trails: The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest,... View Article

So You Want to Start a Brewery?: The Lagunitas Story

We are getting inundated with books on the new brewing industry, but So You Want to Start a Brewery?: The Lagunitas Story (Chicago Review Press, Paperback, $17.95, 224 pp) will take readers places no other beer book has gone. Tony Magee is quite the craftsman, not only with beer, but also with this wonderful and revealing read.... View Article

American Sour Beers: Innovative Techniques for Mixed Fermentations

Hang out at enough beer events these days and it’s possible to hear the theories people have about the overall industry. Some turn out to be true, like the rumblings in years past that session beers would gain ground on the more extreme, high-alcohol beers. Others are a little more far-fetched, like those who say... View Article

48 Hours in St. Louis: New Growth in the King’s Realm

As the American headquarters of Anheuser-Busch InBev and the birthplace of Budweiser, St. Louis has long been seen as a bastion of big beer. But a number of well-respected smaller breweries have recently opened within the city limits alone, with more coming online soon across the metro area. All told, there are more than two... View Article

Pull Up A Stool with Chris Lohring

Chris Lohring began his brewing career at Kennebunkport Brewing and then co-founded Tremont Brewing in Boston in 1993. He now brews Notch beers, which are all session strength, at three New England breweries: Ipswich Ale Brewery in Massachusetts, Two Roads in Connecticut and Kennebunkport in Maine. AAB: You don’t have a brewery; you don’t call... View Article

BJCP Releases Draft of Updated Style Guidelines

A draft of the updated 2014 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines, the beer style guidelines used for beer judging exams and certification, competitions and education, has been released for public comment. The revisions are a reflection of new and evolving styles, a renewed interest in historical styles, changing ingredients and expanded international use... View Article

New York State Creates Craft Brewer Workgroup

In an effort to further the growth of the New York state craft beer industry, New York has created a Craft Brewer Workgroup, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced late this summer. The work group was organized as a result of the Second Wine, Beer, Spirits and Cider Summit in April. It plans to improve communication between... View Article

Pilsner Urquell Returns to Brown Bottles

In a move that harkens to the brewery’s roots, Pilsner Urquell is rolling out its iconic Czech pilsner in brown bottles for the U.S. market. While the beer was originally packaged in brown bottles, in the 1980s the brewery made the switch to green bottles, which offer less protection from UV rays that can damage... View Article

U.S. Brewery Count Tops 3,000

The number of breweries operating in the United States continues to climb higher and higher. The total count, as of the end of June, was 3,040, according to the Brewers Association economist Bart Watson. The announcement noted this was the first time there have been more than 3,000 breweries in America since the 1870s. Additionally, there... View Article

Harpoon Becomes Employee-Owned; CEO to Step Down

The Harpoon Brewery is now an employee-owned company after a shareholder group transferred 48 percent of Harpoon’s shares to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The company currently has 187 full-time employees between its Boston, MA, and Windsor, VT, breweries. “Employee ownership is the embodiment of what Harpoon stands for,” said Harpoon co-founder Dan Kenary... View Article

Self-serve Beer Machines Debut at Ballpark

Minnesota Twins fans can now pour their own draft beers at Target Field, thanks to self-serve beer machines that dispense beer by the ounce. The machines, which debuted ahead of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in July, are the first of their kind in major ballparks. To pour a pint, according to TwinCities.com, fans have... View Article

Ninkasi Launches Yeast into Space

In July, a rocket carrying, among other things, yeast from the Ninkasi Brewing Co. and the ashes of the late Don Younger, publican of Horse Brass Pub in Portland, OR, blasted off from the Nevada desert. The goal was to see what zero gravity and the upper reaches of the atmosphere would do to the 16 yeast strains... View Article

Stone Brewing to Open Berlin Brewery

Five years after announcing its intentions to open a brewery in Europe, San Diego’s Stone Brewing Co. has closed on a deal, recently revealing plans to open a production brewery and restaurant in Berlin. The $25 million project is expected to open by late 2015 or early 2016 and will include renovating a former gasworks... View Article

Fenrir IPA Nr. 26

Fenrir Taðreyktur IPA Nr. 26 Borg Brugghús Reykjavík, Iceland Imported by Total Beverage Solution, Mount Pleasant, SC This India pale ale was brewed with malt that was smoked over sheep manure.  ABV: 6 ABW: 4.8 COLOR: 14 BITTERNESS: 54 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1065 AVAILABLE: CO, FL, GA, Iceland, IL, LA, ME, NJ, NY, WA

Saison 1858

Saison 1858 Du Bocq Brewery Purnode, Belgium Imported by Merchant du Vin  Saison 1858 is a classic Belgian saison brewed by Du Bocq Brewery. Founded in the Condroz region of Wallonia, Belgium, the brewery is owned by the same family that started it more than 150 years ago. ABV: 6.4 ABW: 5.1 COLOR: 3 BITTERNESS:... View Article

London Sour

London Sour The Kernel Brewery London Founder Evin O’Riordain opened The Kernel Brewery in 2009 under a railway arch. He was named the Brewer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers in 2011. ABV: 3.2 ABW: 2.55 COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: NA ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1026 AVAILABLE: UK

Colomba

Colomba Brasserie Pietra Furiani, Corsica, France This white beer is brewed with a mixture of arbutus, myrtle, juniper and other herbs found in the Maquis, a shrubland in Corsica. ABV: 5.0 ABW: 3.9 COLOR: 5.3 BITTERNESS: 13 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1052 AVAILABLE: BRAZIL, CA, CT, FL, FRANCE, IL, ITALY, JAPAN, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, NC,... View Article

SunSpot Golden Ale

SunSpot Golden Ale SanTan Brewing Co. Chandler, AZ SunSpot Golden Ale was the first beer brewed at SanTan and is a recent addition to the brewery’s lineup of canned beers. It is brewed with two-row barley, wheat, Vienna and Munich malts and hopped with Columbus and CTZ hops. ABV: 5 ABW: 4 COLOR: 7 BITTERNESS:... View Article

Broken Auger Lager

Broken Auger Lager Broken Bow Brewery Tuckahoe, NY Broken Auger Lager is brewed with pale, crystal and Munich malts and hopped with Santiam and Hallertau hops.  ABV: 5.2 ABW: 4.1 COLOR: 8 BITTERNESS: 20 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1052 AVAILABLE: NY

Islander IPA

Islander IPA Coronado Brewing Co. Coronado, CA Winner of a 2014 World Beer Cup gold award in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale, Islander IPA is brewed with Nugget, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook and Columbus hops. ABV: 7 ABW 5.6 COLOR: 7 BITTERNESS: 75 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1060 AVAILABLE: ALBERTA, AZ, BRAZIL, CA, CHILE, CT, FL, HI, ID,... View Article

Menagerie

Menagerie Pine Street Brewery San Francisco Menagerie is a saison that is dry hopped with Falconer’s Flight hops. ABV: 5 ABW: 3.98 COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: NA ORIGINAL GRAVITY: NA AVAILABLE: CA

LBIPA

LBIPA New Jersey Beer Co. North Bergen, NJ The brewery’s first IPA is brewed with Columbus, Centennial and Amarillo hops and dry hopped with Falconer’s Flight hops. A portion of the proceeds from sales of LBIPA goes to the Alliance for a Living Ocean. ABV: 7 ABW: 5.6 COLOR: 7 BITTERNESS: 60 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1063... View Article

Hop Slayer

Hop Slayer Wild Onion Brewery Lake Barrington, IL Hop Slayer is brewed with English and North American pale malt along with Caramel Pils for the malt body and five hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest. ABV: 8.2 ABW: 6.5 COLOR: 6 IBU: 99 OG: 1083 Available: IA, IL, MO, NE, NJ, NY

Crabbie’s Original

Crabbie’s Original John Crabbie & Co. Edinburgh, Scotland Imported by St. Killian Importing Co., Everett, MA Crabbie’s Original is a ginger beer that is fermented but not brewed or boiled. The ginger used in the beer is cold-steeped for up to six weeks in lagering tanks. ABV: 4.8 ABW: 3.82 COLOR: 5 BITTERNESS: 2 ORIGINAL... View Article

Old Chub Nitro Scotch Ale

Old Chub Nitro Scotch Ale Oskar Blues Brewery Lyons, CO and Brevard, NC This is the first nitrogenated version of a canned beer from Oskar Blues. Our panelists tasted an 8% version of the beer, but future releases will be 6.9%. ABV: 6.9 ABW: 5.5 COLOR: 70 BITTERNESS: 30  ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1068 AVAILABLE: AK, AL,... View Article

Barrel-Aged Framinghammer

Barrel-Aged Framinghammer Jack’s Abby Brewing Framingham, MA Founded in 2011 by brothers Jack, Eric and Sam Hendler, Jack’s Abby Brewing specializes in lagers. Barrel-aged Framinghammer is a Baltic porter aged in bourbon barrels. ABV: 10 ABW: 7.96 COLOR: NA BITTERNESS: 55 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1094 AVAILABLE: CT, MA, NY, VT

St. Lenny’s

St. Lenny’s  Shmaltz Brewing Co. and Cathedral Square Brewing Clifton Park, NY Shmaltz and Cathedral call this beer a Belgian-style double rye IPA. Brewed with eight malts (including rye ale malt, torrefied rye and Crystal Rye 75); hopped with Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook and Centennial hops; and dry hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo and Crystal... View Article

Chimp

Chimp Blue Moon Brewing Co. Denver From Blue Moon’s Graffiti Collection (and short for Cherry Imperial Wheat), Chimp is brewed with more than 1,000 pounds of cherries in each batch.  ABV: 9.5 ABW: 7.56 COLOR: 19 BITTERNESS: 12 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1079 AVAILABLE: Nationwide

California Dry Hop Lager

California Dry Hop Lager Sudwerk Brewing Co. Davis, CA Brewers at Sudwerk experimented with hop blends for four years before deciding on this combination of Amarillo, Simcoe and Cascade hops. ABV: 5 ABW: 3.98 COLOR: 4 BITTERNESS: 28 ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1048 AVAILABLE: ca