When Leslie Basalla started working at Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, it had no organized tour program. When someone requested a behind-the-scenes look at the brewhouse, staff would grab whoever was available at the time to show them around. Because of her beer knowledge, more often than not, that person wasBasalla. She... View Article
Fat Head’s Saloon began in Pittsburgh in 1992. It was also then that college student Matt Cole learned to homebrew and started sales work for Pennsylvania Brewing Co. Fast-forward to now, Fat Head’s founders are partners with Cole, who has delivered his now-famous hop-forward beers to the hopheads of Ohio. All About Beer: When did... View Article
Cleveland is enjoying some much-deserved love for its beer scene from the national media. Cleveland has popped up on all those popular “Best” lists when it comes to breweries. The community was No. 4 on GQ magazine’s ranking of “The 5 Best Beer Cities in America.” Thrillist Media Group and the travel website Matador.com ranked... View Article
Not too long ago, the English writer Mark Dredge wrote to me to look over a list of the regional variations in IPAs. It included the classics, like West Coast IPA (super hoppy and bitter, brightly citrusy), East Coast (maltier, more European hop character), Northwest IPA (hop aromas and flavors dominate), Midwest IPA (balance, soft... View Article
It was early 1985, and the Miller Brewing Co. was in trouble. Ten years before, the Milwaukee-based concern had smacked a commercial homerun with the introduction of Miller Lite. The lower-calorie pilsner interpretation made Miller the second-biggest brewer in the nation, with Miller Lite eventually accounting for roughly one in 10 of all the beers... View Article
For one of the first stories I ever wrote about beer, I took two trains and a bus to a city outside Boston to visit a brewery opening in an industrial park. After the bus dropped me off on a busy four-lane highway, I crossed a parking lot lined with condo buildings under construction, took... View Article
Alistair Reece is a peripatetic Scot currently living in Virginia, and a bit of a contrarian. “My dad used to tell me as a kid that ‘if it’s easy, it’s not worth it,’ and anyone can advocate for super hoppy strong ales when they are 10 a penny.” So of course he’s championing mild ale,... View Article
Despite all the ingredients that go into this dish, paella can be relatively simple to prepare. Adding the seafood at the right times ensures that it doesn’t become rubbery. The final product is a lively cacophony of flavors and textures. Delicious any time of year, there is a certain enjoyment that comes with serving paella... View Article
Sam Calagione stood in the cab of the old pickup truck and started to put in place the sign for his new brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Del. His wife, Mariah, had a disposable camera ready to capture the magic moment. First, though, Sam had to remove the sign of the last business at the same... View Article
