On this Thanksgiving week I mention what fills me with gratitude. (Are your ears burning?)
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In the spring, Dan and others from the brewery head off to a forest just west of town. The trees must be a certain height to harvest, and they can’t pick too much of the new growth. “We bring a load of grain bags out with us—it’s beautiful,” he said. “I love it.” It takes more than one visit to collect 200 pounds of tips.
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If you are an average human—I was, it turned out—you will stop dead in your tracks and goggle at the massive abstract harp sculpture that floats over the central bar. It has churchy swoops and rises, recalling a pipe organ, and, like a cathedral, draws the eyes up.
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About six weeks ago, Guinness launched their second brewery/pub, this time in Chicago. This continues a pub- and pint-first approach that other large breweries haven’t adopted. More than that, it acts as a lens on the larger beer world, and how much things have changed since they launched their first American brewery.
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John Harris posted a note this evening announcing he had sold the Ecliptic brand and that the brewery would close in ten days.
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It was barely more than a decade ago that craft beer finally made it to Chicago in a real way, so it’s time to ask some penetrating questions about where it stands today. This one is all you, hive mind.
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Craft beer isn’t only about beer. Leave the brewery and you can find people crafting malt-adjacent objects like the prints Dave Selden makes at 33 Books. I visited his workshop to see our collaborative beer-glasses print go through a 1908 letterpress and was charmed by his steampunk operation.
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Are hazy IPAs the most transformational style in the craft era? A comment on Bluesky—yes Bluesky!—got me thinking, and whether the answer is yes or no, the choices for the title are few.
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I distinctly remember saying the words “people like what they like” and feeling something click. At the time, it was more in resignation: “People like what they like, so what can you do?” But having said it out loud, it became a challenge and then an affirmation. “People like what they like, and isn’t that fascinating?”
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Don’t fear the pumpkin. Find a local brewery making something that looks interesting and give it a try. Celebrate the season. Enjoy yourself.
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The annual North American writing awards were announced yesterday, and I’d like to shine a spotlight on some of the brightest lights working in beery letters today. They don’t make much money, but they help us understand this beverage we love.
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In 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.
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Is American craft beer liberal? Conservative? Neither? One of the curiosities of 2023 is that mass market beer has become an increasingly visible marker for political identity. That in turn may have made craft breweries seem more liberal, even as they took no special action to suggest so.
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This week, the UK-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) announced they were creating a professional certification for beer. But with the preexisting Cicerone Program, is there enough interest in beer education to support it?
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If you see the phrase “Czech dark lager” on a taplist, you may wonder about the story behind the style. To find the source, you have to start at a brewpub that has been making beers for over five centuries at the center of Prague.
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We’re three weeks into the NFL season and commercial breaks are notably thin on beer advertising. What’s going on and what does it say about beer, advertising, and this moment in US culture?
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Stray facts don’t help us understand the world. Meaning comes when they are woven together with themes, personality, and drama. A recent biography has got me thinking about how we tell stories and understand the world.
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The Brewers Association announced the winners of the annual Great American Brewers Fest this morning, and I have some of the big winners, the trends, and other interesting tidbits.
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Fresh 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.
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I have a hot alternate take for you on this fine Wednesday before the GABF. Yes, it’s a decades-old competition, but its value isn’t static—and now it may be as valuable as it’s ever been.
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