I had tried to avoid going straight to a lager brewery when I walked into Wild East, thinking even then I was on target. I planned on seeing Finback and painting my tongue green with hops. But beer cares nothing for my plans. It has its own agenda.
Read More“I love these beers and this tradition,” Ben told me (I didn’t take notes and I’m paraphrasing.) “But it feels a bit strange to be making a perfect recreation of a German beer. I wonder what an American lager would look like if we developed a tradition as rich as Franconia’s.”
Read MorepFriem put together a great video of our Wiener Lager collaboration. I look old and haggard, but there are many shots of sparkling golden lager you can’t miss.
Read MoreLast year about sixty brave and generous readers joined me in a social experiment I called the Beervana Community. Here’s a report about how it went, good and bad, and a proposal for how it might continue in 2022.
Read MoreI was pleased to see his eyebrows shoot up during his first sip, and I caught him murmur “this is good” as he placed the glass back on the bar.
Read MoreIn my previous post, I tried to convey the difficulty I’ve had evaluating hazy IPAs. But in case there’s any confusion, this isn’t a criticism. I love IPAs of all hues and opacities. IPAs are awesome.
Read MoreHazy IPAs are the most polarizing of beers—some people think they’re unique works of genius, and others spit them out with contempt. The problem is, we haven’t yet found mutual agreement about how to evaluate them. Also, a couple of inarguably excellent non-hazy IPAs from New England.
Read MoreThe Wiener has landed! Just before Thanksgiving, pFriem debuted their version of a 19th-century Vienna lager like Anton Dreher would have made. It was a tremendous beer, and I’m delighted to say I was a collaborator. This is the story.
Read MoreI spent more than a month on the road, passing through several regions in the US, including stops at something like 44 breweries. Here are some notes on what I found in common in the US, and how regions differed.
Read MoreIn the latest Sightglass post, we hear from biochemistry professor Colleen Doherty about research she’s been conducting on plants and the changes warmer nights are having on them.
Read MoreA note on my upcoming New England stops, plus a couple of ways you can find signed editions of The Beer Bible no matter where you live.
Read MoreInternational giants like AB InBev and Molson Coors have made no secret of their strategy to pursue seltzers and FMBs—even if it hurts their beer business. So why is Kirin doubling down on beer, and especially, craft beer?
Read MoreWhen 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.
Read MoreLarry 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.
Read MoreAre 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.
Read MoreDuring 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?
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreWhat 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreWhen 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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