They start filling up before five and buzz with the chatter of conversation, the clack of cue balls, and the clink of glassware until long after my bed time. Brewery taprooms are struggling, but my local dive bars are flourishing. Why is this?
Read MoreThe magazine for which I write, Craft Beer & Brewing, has an annual round-up of writers discussing the best beers and experiences they had that year. I didn’t submit one to the mag, which means you can only find it here.
Read MoreDid you know that there’s an American Oktoberfest, distinct from the kinds of beers you find at Munich’s famous fest? Did you further know that it’s a more characterful and interesting beer? Well, it is, and here’s why.
Read MoreFH Steinbart, the 106-year-old Portland institution, has been sold. This should ensure that the nation’s oldest homebrew shop will carry on for years to come.
Read MoreOne of the great artifacts of brewing culture was saved from history’s dustbin when Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya bought Anchor recently. If you had Chobani money, which other important breweries would you save? Our researchers have investigated hte question and have a definitive list.
Read MoreIn my nonscientific surveys of the pubs in which I drink, it seems there has been a transition underway: pilsners replacing pale ales as the standard session beer. I decided to check my work to see if this was really true.
Read MoreCask ale is on life support in its home country, and it’s not because the beer isn’t delightful. When fresh, it is. The problem is that old orthodoxies have defended an indefensible method of serving, one that guarantees the beer goes stale very quickly. It never had to be this way.
Read MoreWhen a brewer tweaks the formula and gives a name to their new creation, we tend to want to use the lens of “style” to understand what’s happening. That’s not always the best way to think about things, though.
Read MoreIs May the season of our discontent, or is there just something in the air? Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of grumbling about hazy IPAs, a sense of lost fun, and a generalized mood of dyspepsia. But I think things are pretty good.
Read MoreWinning awards and accolades isn’t enough to make a beer a classic, like Harvey’s Sussex Best or Saison Dupont or Schneider Weisse or Pliny the Elder. It takes decades of time, thought, and refinement. pFriem’s Pilsner is a case study in that unfolding process, and why it’s such a long journey.
Read MoreA wonderful little trend has been building in Portland for years, but I’ve been hesitant to draw attention, lest the harsh sunlight prove fatal to the delicate shoots. But now it seems safe: cask ale has become a real thing.
Read MoreAdam Milne started Old Town Brewing in 2011, but it stood on the shoulders of a Portland institution, Old Town Pizza. This month the downtown landmark turns 50, giving us a chance to reflect on a half-century of life.
Read MoreI have spent the last ten days in Central Europe catching up on the local beer scenes and talking to brewers from the region. Here’s an overview of what I found.
Read MoreMy third visit to Prague is really the first I’ve gotten to know the city, even superficially.
Read MoreThat one post every year when I silence myself and let the pictures do the talking. With these amazing little cameras we keep in our pockets, even a hack like me can make the world look beautiful.
Read MoreIn a new study published yesterday, researchers assessed the effect of climate change on hops grown in Central Europe. The results were alarming—but the authors offer some hope for mitigating the worst effects.
Read MoreFresh hop season is underway, and it has so far proven to be unusual—and enlightening. Here are a few early lessons I’m taking away from the selection I’ve found.
Read MoreIn case you can’t make it to the hop harvest this year, I’ve got you covered. Here are all the sights and sounds of a harvest—everything but the intoxicating aroma.
Read MoreWith the release of pFriem’s West Coast IPA this week, I’m taking the opportunity to delve into the style—if it can be called that—more deeply. Soon we’ll discuss how pFriem interpreted the style, but first, how do customers understand it?
Read MoreWhether or not you have been to Oklahoma or ever plan to go, it’s worth taking an ethnographic look at a young and developing beer scene that contains its own character and lessons. You’re doing fine, Oklahoma!
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