Summer 2026, Issue 85
From the Editor
Chris Guest – Managing Editor
Issue 85 explores the many ways beer becomes more than what is in the glass. From sensory analysis for everyday drinkers and Venn Brewing’s behind-the-scenes drainage challenges to Boon’s Oude Geuze, AleSmith’s Speedway Stout, taproom economics, beer ratings, Chinese-American sandwiches, and Horus Ales’ Convocation Year 9, this edition looks at flavor, infrastructure, culture, hype, and history. As always, we have fresh reviews, Brewer Q&As, and beer news you may have missed. Thanks for joining us!
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Opinions
Are Craft Beer Ratings Ruining the Experience?
Bil Corcoran takes on beer ratings, asking whether scores and check-ins help drinkers navigate the shelves or quietly flatten the whole experience into a number.
Are Brewery Taprooms Hurting America’s Great Beer Bars?
Owen Ogletree digs into the complicated relationship between brewery taprooms and great beer bars, where growth, survival, loyalty, and thin margins all collide.
Meet Me in the Middle: In Praise of Mid-Strength Beer
Ben Keene makes the case for mid-strength beer as the sweet spot between full-strength IPAs and NA options, where flavor, balance, and drinkability meet.
Feature Stories
Sensory Analysis for Everyday Use: Finding What You Like to Drink
Josh Weikert makes sensory analysis feel useful instead of fussy, showing everyday drinkers how to better understand what they like, why they like it, and how to find more of it.
A Hidden Strain on Brewery Facilities: How Venn Brewing Solved Its High-Temperature Drainage Challenges
Venn Brewing Co. takes us behind the pint, where high-temperature drainage, production flow, and durable infrastructure become essential parts of keeping a brewery running.
Inside the Cellar at Horus Aged Ales
Horus Ales’ Convocation Year 9 brings barrel-aged ambition, bottle-club mystique, and coveted-release energy into focus through one of beer’s more obsessive corners.
Chinese Americana: Historical Sandwiches and Beer Pairings
Chinese American sandwiches get their due as hyper-regional edible history, with beer pairings that help bring these wonderfully oddball creations into sharper focus.
Breweries & Beer
World Class Beer Highlight: Oude Geuze Boon
Brouwerij Boon’s Oude Geuze Boon gets the World Class Beer Highlight treatment as a lambic classic: tart, layered, oak-kissed, patient, and still wonderfully alive in the glass.
World Class Beer Highlight: AleSmith Speedway Stout
AleSmith’s Speedway Stout gets the World Class Beer Highlight treatment as a massive, coffee-charged benchmark that remains bold, dark, intense, and impressively controlled.
Official Review
Our certified tasting panel evaluates standout beers from around the world, offering detailed notes, scores, and insights for discerning drinkers.
