A week ago I was really worried about how COVID-19 would affect pubs and restaurant business—and the jobs that depended on them. As recently as Friday I was out in the pubs to help out, one pint at a time. Now It seems clear everyone needs to stay at home.
Read MoreThe final numbers from the OLCC for 2019 are out. They show legacy breweries losing ground while newer breweries pick up the slack in an otherwise flat year.
Read MoreAs British drinkers are increasingly seduced by hazy IPAs and other “craft” offerings, some of the old breweries continue to make characterful, handmade ales in an older tradition. Harvey’s Brewery in Sussex is an exemplar.
Read MoreWhat a dark Monday this is. Be well, everyone—
Read MoreFive years ago I spent an afternoon with Dave McLean of Magnolia Brewery. Since then, the beer industry, San Francisco, and Magnolia—later purchased by New Belgium, which was itself purchased by Kirin—have all gone through major changes.
Read MoreThe US hasn’t had to deal with a pandemic in decades. Now, as more and more cases are reported and the first US deaths are announced, it’s fair to ask how many people will keep hitting the pubs.
Read MoreHow much haze is too much? What about color and liveliness? Are we anywhere near an agreed standard?
Read MoreA few years ago, Lagunitas’s Tony Magee took to the internet and proclaimed over a series of posts that that his brewery’s sale to Heineken was a triumph for American craft beer. Why has he gone silent?
Read MoreAmerican beer fans have become too insular. Even if one only wants to deepen their appreciation of IPAs, it’s important to see the places our tradition started.
Read MoreLast night, winners of the Oregon Beer Awards were announced. A few comments on why they matter—plus a couple of very worthy Hall of Fame inductees.
Read MoreFor decades, the non-alcoholic beer segment has been tiny, anemic, and honestly, studded with sub-par products. As a consequence, it constitutes a rounding error in terms of total beer volume. New breweries like Athletic and Surreal are making craft-inspired non-alcoholic beer now, but will they find a market?
Read MoreBranding and marketing—boring. Maybe so, but it’s also essential, and Brewers Association economist Bart Watson tells you why. Also, a helpful guide from a branding agency.
Read MoreI asked folks on social media about their favorite hops in IPAs and the result both confirmed and subverted the conventional wisdom. Care to guess which hop was the clear favorite?
Read MoreSeltzer is made with buckets of highly processed “natural” flavor, which doesn’t seem very crafted. But that same flavor is used in some beer—does that mean it’s not crafted, either?
Read MoreI’m trying to create a roadmap that captures all the various IPAs a drinker will encounter in the wild as a part of my Beer Bible reboot, and I’d love your help.
Read MoreExactly one decade ago I went into writing full-time. It’s funny, but looking back, I see I had no idea what that entailed.
Read More“Pig is ragged, like a two-a.m. buzz. Pig is dangerous. But most of all, Pig is a whiff of nostalgia, the yearning for our more badass years. That younger me drank them in fours and fives, loving the thrill.”
Read MoreA very sad announcement today that Czechia’s Pivovar Kout na Šumavě has closed. It was one of the most interesting breweries in the world.
Read MoreGreat Notion is a polarizing brewery, but for an unusual and—for some—unsettling reason. Both fans and critics of the brewery agree they make beers that taste uncannily like a blueberry muffin, stack of pancakes, or scoop of sherbet. Where they disagree: whether the beer should taste like those things.
Read MoreCraft beer has sparked an amazing wave of hop breeding, both among private companies and government-supported agencies. It started in the US but has now spread around the world. Here is a list of all the new hops you might encounter, from home and abroad.
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