When we talk about great beer cities, the name Atlanta rarely comes up. After a visit to five excellent breweries in town—New Realm, Bold Monk, Monday Night, Halfway Crooks, and Elsewhere—I was convinced it should.
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Larry Bell announced that he was selling his 36-year-old brewery, Michigan’s Bell’s, today. The language was weird and somewhat concealed the actual details. Yet unlike so many bloodless M&A announcements, the reason may have everything to do with the difficulty of this sale.
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Are Citra/Mosaic-hopped IPAs becoming codified as the classic combo brewers must use to attract customers? My rambles around the country over the past month suggest that may be the case.
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During my book tour, I’ve been spending time in city downtowns across the country, and what I’ve discovered has been alarming. In terms of bustle, they range from sort-of normal to eerily post-apocalyptic. Has Covid permanently remade American cities?
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I carved out three days in San Diego to catch up on a city I’ve neglected too long. I saw old classics and fascinating new upstarts. Here’s a report.
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What happens when a company does something they admit was wrong and damaging? For customers and industry partners, it means a time out in the penalty box until they clean up their act.
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The last stop on my swing through the Midwest took me to Chicago, where I visited Half Acre, Middle Brow, and Dovetail. I managed to finagle a tour of Dovetail, and witnessed the old-world processes seemingly transplanted from Franconia to North Chicago.
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When the discussion on national leaders arises, a few predictable states elbow their way to the front of the line: Colorado, Vermont, Oregon. Fans from Midwestern states, the heart of the last great brewing boom, sit humbly on the sidelines.
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My recent rambles have taken me from Metuchen, NJ to NYC to Baltimore--and I've discovered interesting breweries and beers along the way. And had a few adventures to boot. Here's a report.
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The North American Guild of Beer Writers announced awards in 14 categories this afternoon for excellence in writing. Who won? Well, let’s just say it was a good day for Irish expats living in Belgium. A round-up, plus a little horn-blowing.
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I am midway through the first leg of my book tour and I have some reports. Unexpectedly, cask ales have been the early stars of the show.
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On Friday, I visited pFriem in Hood River. It was brew day for a project on which we’ve been collaborating: a full-flavored Vienna lager like Anton Dreher made in the 19th century.
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It’s hard to imagine a time before bourbon-y imperial stouts were our trusty winter fortification, and yet it’s a relatively recent development. Here’s the story.
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A report on the book tour launch (a full house, many smiles, great performances by Ben and Van), and a note about upcoming stops.
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In the latest Sightglass article, I explore the remarkable ways barley varieties affect the flavor of beer and how craft malthouses, producing malt in small batches, are transforming American brewing.
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The Beer Bible 2nd Edition will be available a week from today. Here’s the skinny on everything that’s new. It’s a lot!
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You may have noticed that the site has been less active than usual around here lately. There’s a reason for that, and now that things are beginning to look more normal going forward, I wanted to comment on it.
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Writers and brewers have identified most of the useful frameworks we use to understand beer. An important one, often hinted at but never fully explored, is national tradition. It’s never been more important to understand, though—especially now amid the birth of the American tradition.
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The Brewers Association announced the winners of the GABF last night, and here’s a brief, Pac NW-centric recap.
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