50 Impactful Stories from 50 Issues of The Beer Connoisseur
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Editorial Dept.
With our 50th issue in the books, we thought now would be a good time to peer backwards into our history and parse out 50 impactful stories from 50 issues of The Beer Connoisseur magazine.
Within this compilation piece, you’ll find engaging travel stories from all over the world, fascinating education pieces that answer important questions about beer and brewing, notable profiles of major figures in beer and brewing as well as a bevy of other pieces to slake your intellectual thirst.
We hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane as much as we did, and we look forward to 50 more issues of all the brew that’s fit to drink. Cheers!
A Beer Tour of Belgium
by Charles Cook
België. Belgique. Belgium.
By whichever name you call it, be it Dutch, French or English, Belgium is the world’s best beer country. A place the size of Maryland with more than 130 breweries and 600-plus superb beer bars, Belgium is indeed a beer lover’s nirvana. But with so much to choose from, even savvy beer drinkers can be a bit daunted visiting the country. Fear not beer fans, The Beer Connoisseur is here to help. What follows is a road map to Belgium’s beer offerings, an expert guide to the best of what the country has to offer. Put away the guidebook and pour yourself a brew. We have a lot of ground to cover… CONTINUE READING
The Czech Republic: Searching for the Heart of Bohemian Beer
by Evan Rail
Normally, I’d say don’t come to Prague. At least don’t come to the capital of the Czech Republic to find a Bohemian beer paradise. Come to Prague because it’s one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Come here to see 10 centuries of perfectly preserved architecture. Or to gawk at those few beautiful locals who haven’t yet left for modeling careers in Paris. Come here to watch a production of Don Giovanni in the jewel-box Estates Theater, where Mozart himself conducted the opera’s 1787 premiere, or come here to walk on the banks of the Vltava River and stare at the spires of the St. Vitus Cathedral, soaring above the very same castle that inspired Franz Kafka. Come here for any number of reasons, but just don’t come for the beer.
Because even though Prague is the capital of the world’s greatest beer-consuming country, I’ve often said I don’t think it’s the epicenter of Bohemian beer culture. I’ve called the city home since… CONTINUE READING
Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing
by Brandon Hernandez
For Vinnie Cilurzo, pushing the envelope is an everyday affair. Widely regarded as the inventor of the Double IPA, the forward-thinking owner and brewmaster at Russian River Brewing Company unleashed this ferocious beer style on the imbibing public in the mid-90’s. Most would have stopped there, but for Cilurzo, introducing the world to the tongue-buckling intensity of over-the-top hops was just the beginning.
In the decade and a half since, he has continued to elevate his status as one of America’s foremost brewing pioneers by using barrels, bacteria, Brettanomyces and a touch of Belgophilia mixed with equal parts brains and guts. His many accomplishments are made all the more impressive by the fact that he has built such a respectable reputation… CONTINUE READING
Thomas Keller’s Culinary Empire
by Brandon Hernandez
Stepping unaware into the dining room of Thomas Keller’s flagship restaurant in Yountville, California, one would never guess the intimate six-table space occupies a former steam laundry. The room’s interior, from the kiva-style fireplace to the fresh flowers atop each table, is more evocative of a cozy living room. But it is here, under soft lighting and the watchful eye of an exactingly efficient staff, that foodies of the highest order come from far and wide to sup on morsels from a kitchen regarded by many as the most forward-thinking in the country. This is the French Laundry, where food is art and dinner is a theatrical tour de force… CONTINUE READING
Italy’s Craft Beer Awakening
by Zak Avery
If you look at a map of the wine, beer and spirits belts, you’ll see that Italy is almost exclusively designated as a wine country, with only a small region in the north, bordering on Switzerland and Austria, that gains admittance to the beer belt. Relying on this long-held model as a basis to plan your next beer-themed vacation, you might make the mistake of missing Italy altogether – and it would be a grave mistake, because there has been something of a whirlwind revolution happening there.
The global reach of that revolution is partially signaled by the recent opening of a branch of Eataly in New York City, the mammoth food hall imported by the restaurateurs… CONTINUE READING
Michael Jackson: The King of Beer Writers
by Jay Brooks
On the morning of August 30th nearly three and a half years ago, I woke up in my hotel room in Yakima, Wash., a little hungover, having spent the previous two days attending Hop School. With a pounding head making it impossible to sleep, I gave up trying and opened my laptop to check my e-mail. After deleting the usual spam, I saw an unexpected note from a friend and colleague. It was short and to the point. The subject line… CONTINUE READING
Intoxicating Bangkok
by Ben Keene
In the capitol of Thailand, there’s a new kind of temple in town dedicated to matching traditional dishes with beer and food styles more common to points west.
Since the House of Beers opened its doors, Bangkok has seen the arrival of upscale beer bars and brewpubs with English, Belgian and German themes. Not to be outdone, Thailand’s flagship brewer Boon Rawd is leading a homegrown movement with Est. 33 – a $1 million brewpub.
Would you like a Copper ale made with germinated brown rice to accompany your buffalo wings… CONTINUE READING
Innovators Series: Charlie Papazian
by Dan Rabin
Thousands of beer enthusiasts descend upon downtown Denver each Fall for the Great American Beer Festival, because, 30 years ago, beer-loving guy had the offbeat idea people would pay good money to sample a collection of American-made beers. Fortunately, in addition to the right instincts Charlie Papazian had the savvy and tenacity to make the GABF a reality.
When Charlie Papazian has an idea, big things often follow. With an infectious enthusiasm for beer and beer making, plus the impetus to translate ideas into actions, he has pioneered efforts resulting in profound and even life-changing consequences for scores of beer lovers across the country. Papazian can be credited for launching careers, introducing many thousands to the joys of beer making, and building a foundation upon which a fledgling American craft beer movement could grow and flourish… CONTINUE READING
HOLIDAY / WINTER 2011-2012, ISSUE 9
The Influence of Whisky and Wood
by Carolyn Smagalski
Although not the first to use oak to impart flavors to beer, a practice that goes back to at least the 19th Century, Innis & Gunn became the first to inspire a line of oak-matured beers that have subsequently become a modern style across the beer landscape.
In the early part of the 20th century, Scottish men commonly drank “half-and-half,” a mix of half beer and half whiskey. Back then, cheap whisky was a nasty drink that could set a roiling fire in the throat, but adulterating it with malty sweetness tempered the heat with palatable results… CONTINUE READING
Coming of Age: The Nuances of Cellaring Beer
by Owen Ogletree
A somewhat disorganized, novice beer enthusiast discovers a six-pack of pale ale and a four-pack of imperial stout tucked away in the very back of his pantry. Realizing these brews were probably purchased more than two years ago, he decides to crack open a bottle of each on a whim. While the pale ale tastes like dull, stale hops and wet cardboard, the imperial stout offers up surprisingly pleasant, smooth aromas and flavors of chocolate, toffee and dark fruit intermingled with mild sherry notes. Why is that? Cellaring beer is the answer.
How is it that age can be so cruel to one style of beer and so forgiving to another? What environmental factors influence beer aging? What type of experimentation can be done to witness the effects of father time on a variety of brands and styles? Is setting up a cellar to age beer really worth the effort… CONTINUE READING
The Farmhouse Brewing Traditions of Lithuania
by Martin Thibault
After driving through empty stretches of flat land lined haphazardly with half-collapsed barns, passing by the odd town or city still surrounded by the concrete vestiges of communist rule, filled with aging populations still carrying strife on their curved backs and scarred foreheads, it is difficult to believe a real farmhouse brewing movement, promoting unpasteurized and unfiltered brews, is alive and well in Lithuania. Yet that is the conclusion one inevitably comes to after visiting many of the country’s quirky beer bars and countryside breweries and sampling its many delectable beers… CONTINUE READING
HOLIDAY / WINTER 2012, ISSUE 12
Up a Notch With Emeril Lagasse
by Brandon Hernandez
Like many, my introduction to celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse came via television. As the host of “The Essence of Emeril” and “Emeril Live,” Lagasse inspired scores of viewers to “kick things up a notch” in their own kitchens, myself included.
Before happening across an episode of Lagasse building an authentic New England lobster roll, I’d been a fan of food, but never felt inclined to manipulate ingredients with my own two hands. His trademark enthusiasm for cooking was so infectious it flowed through the TV screen, inoculating me with an insatiable hunger for knowledge and the desire to create my own inventive dishes… CONTINUE READING
Innovators Series: Sam Calagione
by Carolyn Smagalski
At Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware, sunlight glistens through a window of the tasting room, spotlighting three decrepit, stainless steel vessels – remnants of the tiny, ten-gallon rack system that Sam Calagione used in 1995 when he opened the “first brewpub in the first state.” Along with Sir Hops-A-Lot, the system lingers as a soft reminder of Sam’s entrepreneurial spirit, one that began “in the naiveté of youth,” he explained.
As a legend among American craft brewers, Dogfish Head Founder and President Sam Calagione sets the bar for innovative ways of doing business. From day one, his off-centered mantra helped gain him the following of a rock star, the allegorical bad boy with enormous self-confidence – the ultimate connector, savvy with the media and oozing with appreciation for his off-centered fan base. He is their David among the Goliaths in a world of corporate globalization… CONTINUE READING
The Blossoming Of Ji-Biru
by Martin Thibault
In Ushiku, an hour outside Tokyo via crowded trains where people are stacked up like slices of fresh fish on a sushi counter, a microbrewer is isolating the yeast found on cherry blossom flowers in order to ferment his yearly Sakura Kobo, or cherry blossom yeast wild ale, part of the country’s thriving ji-biru movement.
In Shibu Onsen, a couple miles into the mountains east of Nagano where snow macaques bathe in natural thermal pools, another brewer is walking through his rice, hop and fruit fields, planning the brewing season ahead, inspired by his crop yield.
In Kofu, where the southern point of view is dominated by the elegant giant that is Mount Fuji, yet another brewer is throwing ume plums into his 14 percent ABV barleywine in order to give his wine yeast some extra fodder… CONTINUE READING
Innovators Series: David Blossman of Abita Brewing Co.
by Jonathan Ingram
David Blossman president of Abita Brewing Co. has been on the cutting edge of craft brewing most of his life.
When he won his first medal for homebrewing, Blossman was below the legal drinking age in his home state of Louisiana. By time Blossman was eligible to drink legally, he had become an investor – albeit a one percent owner – in Abita Brewing, the first craft brewery in the Southeast and only the 13th in the U.S. at the time. Now age 46, he is closing in on two decades as president of Abita, the largest craft brewer in the Southeast and among the top 20 by volume on the Brewers Association list… CONTINUE READING
In Search of Norway’s Brewing Traditions
by Martin Thibault
Such was the importance of beer in the majestic fjords of olden Norway, the idea of spilling one’s own homebrew was appalling, even while traversing the country’s typically vertical terrain. Beer played such a significant role among Norwegians that ailing people used to make sure homemade malt was ready for brewing when sensing oncoming death. One would not want to serve unworthy beer at one’s own funeral, right?
But more importantly there was beer to be shared at Christmas. Families throughout the country made beer for the holiday season, a potent, malty-sweet brew that was shared with neighbors as well as relatives, made through age-old methods passed from generation to generation.
These fascinating traditions, alongside many others, are thoroughly documented, region per region and process by process, in author Odd Nordland’s study of brewing in Norway published in 1969… CONTINUE READING
HOLIDAY / WINTER 2014, ISSUE 17
Pete Coors Talks Craft Beer
by Jonathan Ingram
The western view from the office of Pete Coors in Denver is a spectacular vista of the rugged snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains’ Front Range. “You can’t see Golden from here, but you can see the gap between the two mesas where the road goes,” said Coors.
Coors literally grew up at the family brewery in Golden, living within its confines until he was seven years old before his father finally broke the German tradition of maintaining a house at the brewery and moved to one overlooking it. “I grew up dodging trains and sneaking into the malt house,” said the fourth generation beer executive – now rugged and snow-capped himself at age 68. “You can’t do that anymore.” … CONTINUE READING
Larry Bell of Bell’s Brewery
by Owen Ogletree
During the fledgling days of Bell’s Brewery, founder Larry Bell found himself in a bind. He needed to drive around Kalamazoo, Michigan to complete deliveries of his popular Amber Ale, but his seven-year-old daughter Laura was sick and home from school. While Bell labored to get the brewery off the ground, his wife worked a regular job to help pay the bills. So, he strapped Laura into the van with some paper and crayons and hit the road.
Shortly after driving past Laura’s school, Amberly Elementary, Bell looked over and noticed his little girl had sketched a beer label called Bell’s Amberly Ale. “This label included a logo and everything,” he recalled. “It featured a guy with crazy eyes and hair sticking straight up. Laura called him ‘Mr. Ale.’ If the school ever saw this, I knew I’d be in trouble.” … CONTINUE READING
Ralph Steadman and the Gonzo Art of Flying Dog Brewery
by Bob Townsend
Suddenly, it feels like a seance. I’m staring at the ink-spattered, bug-eyed image of a snarling dog that seems poised to fly out of my computer screen on bat wings. On the phone from his studio in Kent, England, artist Ralph Steadman is channeling the grumbling voice of his departed friend and famed Gonzo journalism cohort, writer Hunter S. Thompson.
Steadman as Thompson is telling the artist that he might like to think about doing some art work as a favor to patron and neighbor, George Stranahan, the co-founder of Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland.
“Come on, ah, Ralph. Ah, ah, this will be good,” Steadman says, searching the past for the shadows of Thompson’s halting Kentucky drawl… CONTINUE READING
Chicha: Bolivia’s Tart Beer
by Martin Thibault
Gentle tartness from citrusy and lactic acidity. Straw-like cereal flavors and very low carbonation. A dry mouthfeel, a rustic juxtaposition of ingredients and no herb or hop presence. If this description sounds familiar, that is perfectly normal. These are flavor and texture characteristics that the Western beer world has already accepted. But it has never quite adopted chicha as a proper beer style.
Sure, the word chicha has broad shoulders in Central and South America, referring to many kinds of beverages, alcoholic or not. Let’s not allow this all-inclusive terminology to blur the understanding and appreciation of what can sometimes be a tantalizing tart brew. If unblended lambic, Berliner Weisse and other olden styles of the sour sort are considered to be beer, the traditional chicha made by the Quechua people in the Cochabamba valley of Bolivia also deserves to be recognized as a bona fide beer style. From malting their own corn to conducting decoction mashes, from letting the wort sit at lukewarm, acidifying temperatures to geeking out on serving methods and levels of drinkability, the Bolivians who still honor their Incan brewing roots are every bit as much of beer brewers as those we revere on the other side of the Atlantic… CONTINUE READING
Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Co.
by Jay Brooks
As the one-day “Sensory Evaluation of Beer” class began, students filed into the UC Davis classroom. Homebrewer Steve Wagner, who’d spent the better part of the 1980s playing music, primarily with the I.R.S. Records-signed band “The Balancing Act,” looked around the room and thought he recognized someone. Wagner walked up to the familiar face and asked him, “Aren’t you Greg Koch from Downtown Rehearsal?”
That was the early 90s, and by 1996, the two musicians opened Stone Brewing Co. in San Diego County, which today is the eighth-largest craft brewery in America, based on sales volume, and the 14th biggest brewery of any kind. Stone operates two breweries in the San Diego area, with two more currently being built; one in Richmond, Virginia and another in Berlin, Germany. They also operate a tasting bar in their local airport and grow some of their own food served in their restaurants at Stone Farms. Their beer is distributed in 41 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico, and exports small amounts of its beer to eight different countries… CONTINUE READING
Hugh Sisson of Heavy Seas Beer
by Owen Ogletree
Hugh Sisson, founder of Heavy Seas Beer, definitely makes the cut on any list of the most influential American craft beer pioneers. Hugh guided his fledgling brewery through the troubled waters of the late ’90s when the first craft beer “bubble” burst. In his words, “In those days, we were playing the game not to lose, instead of playing the game to win.”
Throughout the years, Sisson has employed creativity, business smarts, adaptability and a deep adoration of magnificent beer to guide his brewery plan and remain successful, even in today’s wild and wacky craft beer market. For almost 35 years, Sisson has been instrumental in introducing craft beer to the Mid-Atlantic region, influencing brewery legislation and setting the tone for today’s craft beer culture… CONTINUE READING
Keith Schlabs of Flying Saucer
by Jim Dykstra
There are infinite points of entry into the beer business, but one you won’t see too often is “Beer Guru.” As a successful beer-focused restaurateur with more than twenty years of experience, Keith Schlabs has watched the metamorphosis of craft beer from a one-of-a-kind vantage point – interacting with brewers, distributors and the public at large – and gauging the ever-changing tides of taste. He spoke with The Beer Connoisseur about the state of the industry, and what it takes to be successful in life and beer.
“EXTRA-BEER-ESTRIAL”
Before co-founding the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, The Meddlesome Moth and four other restaurant concepts, Schlabs was a young restaurant manager in Texas. The year was 1993, and the beer universe was still fighting its way out of the primordial booze… CONTINUE READING
Bob Leggett: Founder of Artisanal Imports
by Jim Dykstra
For Bob Leggett, 1977 was a landmark year. It was the year he broke into the beer business, and the year he started sporting a beard. Bob’s been around ever since – as a natural storyteller, he’s a perfect fit for a profession where sales are based on the strength of a product’s story. The beard has also remained. It’s a fitting symbol of the man and his commitment to both time-honored tradition and the growth of the beer industry.
We talked to Bob about the “locals only” mentality in beer, how he helped shape the Corona bottle, and the surprising cultural exchange that craft beer has spurred.
Finding Spirit in Beer
Before founding Artisanal Imports, which has prided itself on bringing some of Europe and South America’s most carefully cultivated beers stateside since the turn of the millennium, Bob was fresh out of Austin-based St. Edwards University with a business degree but no particular direction… CONTINUE READING
The Role of Coopering in Barrel-Aged Beers
by Jim Dykstra
At this point, wood-aged beers are far from obscurity. They are the Bender in The Breakfast Club of trending beer styles: brooding, powerful and often surprising in their character arcs throughout the aging process. For most, the flavors imparted from wood aging is where the line of focus is drawn. However, the path to wort on wood action is anything but dull, requiring expertise in an esoteric profession whose fate teeters on the brink of obsolescence.
The profession is coopering, which involves the creation of wooden, staved vessels held together with hoops and flat heads. Though the technological revolution has whittled it down to an oaken shell of its former industrial glory, coopering has found new life in the craft brewniverse, blending the line between art and science. Throughout upcoming issues, we’re going to pull the nail, open the bung and take a look at the intersection of wood, beer and the proud few who burn the torch of a bygone era… CONTINUE READING
Chad Yakobson of Crooked Stave
by Jonathan Ingram
The image of the brewer who is part mad scientist and part artist has long been one of the iconic images of craft brewing lore. With Chad Yakobson, it seems to work the other way around. He’s more of a pure scientist who gets a little crazy on the artistic side with his Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, where the specialty is mixed-culture fermentations and Brettanomyces beers.
While earning his master’s degree at Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University in the school’s distinguished center of brewing and distilling, Yakobson wrote his dissertation on Brettanomyces yeast, which is now beer-world famous. The idea was to isolate strains of Brettanomyces, then study how they worked in the fermentation of wort and what compounds they produced in the process. Available online, the dissertation reads scientifically, but is totally engaging for anyone interested in the process of making beer. It also serves as a great introduction to the underlying appeal of sour beer as a more creative vessel for brewers… CONTINUE READING
The Great Taste Adventure of Swedish Beer
by Jim Dykstra
Sweden is exactly the kind of place where you could imagine fairies flitting flower to flower, or mountains and streams speaking to you in whispers and grumbles. It’s the kind of place of where you may trip over an obstruction in a forest pathway only to realize it’s actually a Viking longsword.
Whether in the bustling southern region where Stockholm, and more than seven million of the country’s ten million total inhabitants are located, or the old rustic North, it all feels like hallowed ground. And it is, in a way. Swedish common law of allemansrätten dictates that all men and women have the constitutional right to legally wander land, whether public or private. Of course this excludes criminal or otherwise destructive activity, but the result is a country that treasures all of its land, and the difference is noticeable… CONTINUE READING
What is Brettanomyces?
by Jim Dykstra
Mr. Brettanomyces lurks where you’d least expect – perching in the rafters of your brewery, watching. He moves almost weightlessly, soaring effortlessly with the lightest breath. He consorts with the insect kingdom, most notably fruit flies, who transport him without question, and worms his way into your wort, finding refuge in the dank crevices of your whiskey barrel or gradually inching along your pipes until he finds his prey. He guzzles your sweet nectar, leaving a reeking wake of questionable by-products in your beer. Yet, by many he is loved. Who is this mysterious, shadowy figure and what does he want with our ales?
Brettanomyces is the most notorious yeast in the game. Aficionados heap praise at his ovoid or sausage-shaped feet while the uninitiated run for the nearest clothes-pin to bar their noses from his odor… CONTINUE READING
Talking Beer in 2017 with Fred Bueltmann of New Holland
by Jim Dykstra
New Holland’s Fred Bueltmann embodies the best of the craft movement – preaching an ethos of values-driven business, collaboration over competition and a deep-rooted passion for sensory experience. We spoke with Fred to get an idea of how the game has changed for breweries navigating the Heraclitean marketplace, how craft ideology dictates decision-making and how his company has kept itself a step ahead of the curve.
A Philosophy of Quality
For Bueltmann and New Holland Brewing Co., the craft consumer’s experience is the ultimate goal – making it comforting and rewarding with really thoughtful, high-quality food and drink all the way around. This mindset extends not just to beer, but food, liquor and everything in between, and is on full display at their destination brewpub and restaurant The Knickerbocker, which opened in Grand Rapids late in 2016… CONTINUE READING
Japanese Delicacies Paired with Golden Ale
by Sherry Dryja
A dinner menu inspired by the fresh flavors of Japan is a fun way to travel to the other side of the world without leaving your own kitchen. Our menu abides by the traditional flavors of Japan while being mindful of what’s in season closer to home. For instance, our version of Kenchinjiru, a vegan vegetable soup, uses asparagus in lieu of the traditional burdock root as a way to take advantage of the abundance of the season. This earthy soup can accommodate almost any combination of vegetables, so you can enjoy it every season of the year. It works well as an appetizer before the meal, as a hearty lunch, or even as a filling dinner on its own.
Our Teriyaki Salmon is another way to bring Japanese flavor to the table this time of year, especially if you’re itching to dust off the grill. This recipe is as easy as whisking together a marinade of five simple ingredients and marinating the salmon for an hour or two before cooking it up on the grill or in the broiler. The end result is salmon that is sweet and savory as well as moist and tender… CONTINUE READING
Real Ale In Rock & Metal
by Jim Dykstra
Rock music has been associated with excess since its inception. Along with its companion activities, sex and drugs, the genre’s hallmark characteristics have been about going big, bold, and beyond societal expectations. But it’s made to be enjoyed by all, and much of it takes considerable technical ability, often discernable only to the trained ear.
In many ways, American craft beer has followed a similar trajectory. Bucking the trend of the mass-produced lager, brewers began to question what they valued in a beer, and what it means to drink one. The result has been a revolution of significant cultural impact that is still unfolding, both an expansion and liberation of tastes.
No one wants a soulless product shoved down their throats. People crave authenticity, and they thirst for what truly speaks to them. Enter the artists to give voice to those who have not been heard, and to reanimate an integral part of life that has been bastardized and commoditized by those who value the dollar above all. Are we talking about brewers or musicians now? Are they really any different?… CONTINUE READING
What Is Original Gravity?
by Jim Dykstra
As Mythbusters’ ballistics expert, Adam Savage, has said: “Remember kids, the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.” During the brew day, one of the most important things to write down and one of the very last things to write down is Original Gravity. Original Gravity dictates whether the desired ABV will be achieved in a brew. It dictates whether the hop additions will provide the desired balance. It determines whether or not the brew day went as planned. Ultimately, it’s a measure of how well the brewer knows their brewery.
Gravity is a key measure in physics and petroleum as well as brewing and winemaking. In physics gravity is the force bringing objects together. In the contexts of petroleum and fermentation, gravity is the measure of a liquid’s density relative to water at a specified temperature. Within brewing and winemaking, the difference in density is a result of dissolved, fermentable sugars. Each increment (1/1000th) on the specific gravity scale represents a .1 percent increase in density – a 1.100 specific reading indicates a wort that is 10 percent denser than water. Most 5 percent ABV beers have an original gravity around 1.050. Bigger beers like American Barleywines and Imperial Stouts can surpass 1.100 with smaller beers like an American Light Lager or Berliner Weisse rarely exceed 1.030… CONTINUE READING
How Are Hops Grown and Harvested?
by Brian Yaeger
Beer lovers know that hops are the most important element of any good brew, but how are hops grown and harvested? Let’s delve into a hop harvest in the Willamette Valley to provide the answer.
The Harvest
Third-generation hop farmer Gayle Goschie can finally rest. The harvest is over. The Crystal Zwickle pale ale from Central Oregon’s Crux Fermentation Project tastes of freshly zested oranges and fresh-cut wood, which is to say it tastes amazing and vibrant. That’s because the Crystal hops used in its making were still growing at Goschie Farms in Silverton, Oregon the very morning the beer was brewed… CONTINUE READING
Beer Shipping Laws Deconstructed
by Bob Barnes
Beer shipping laws are inscrutable at best and completely opaque at worst. Why are they so confusing? We hope to clear up some misconceptions in this piece.
With the passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933 ending Prohibition, states (and in some cases, municipalities and counties) were given absolute power to enact their own laws regarding the production, distribution and sale of alcohol. It’s common knowledge that alcohol is highly regulated through every phase of its production, and its marketing and distribution must comply with a host of rules and regulations regarding how businesses can distribute their products – including how they are shipped.
Shipping Beer Between States
While all states allow the production of beer, the laws surrounding the shipment of alcohol vary from state-to-state. A handful of states allow shipments into and out of the state, while some only permit shipments from breweries within the state. Others restrict sending beer from breweries in-state but allow beers to be sent out of state, and still more only allow shipments sent out of state. There is little to no consistency on these states’ decisions, and requirements are often vague, convoluted and unclear… CONTINUE READING
The Chemistry of Hops and Beer
by Bob Barnes
With IPA as the leading craft beer style in America, even casual craft beer drinkers are aware that hops provide the bitter flavor in their favorite beers. But the way that hops are selected and their flavors and aromas are extracted is less well-known – more the territory of “mad chemist” brewers, who must draw on a knowledge of biology, chemistry and math to craft the next big thing. In fact, the ever-evolving chemistry between hops and beer is one of the most fascinating and intricate aspects of the craft beer universe. Here’s an in-depth look at the science behind hops as well as how four popular hop varietals affect the flavor, aroma and other characteristics of beer.
THE BASICS
Hops are the cone-shaped female flower of the vine-like plant humulus lupulus, and the important ingredients are concentrated in the cone’s lupulin glands. Hops are harvested, then dried and processed into pellets, plugs, extracts, or left in their cone form… CONTINUE READING
Jim Koch on 10 Years of Brewing the American Dream
by Jim Dykstra
In the past few decades, few industries have epitomized the spirit of American entrepreneurialism like craft brewing. In times of recession, brewing kept booming, serving as an avenue for upward mobility in a stagnant economy. Stories of successful brewers who started in the garage or basement and ended up on the public stock exchange read like working-class fables. Such is the case for The Boston Beer Co. (BBC) founder and original Sam Adams brewer Jim Koch, a sixth-generation brewer who launched what would become one of the most iconic craft brewing operations of all time in 1984 from a kitchen stove pot.
Unlike the relatively craft-conscious world of today, Koch brought Samuel Adams Boston Lager into a market that viewed “craft” as a term for macaroni pictures held together with Elmer’s Glue.
In some ways, building up The Boston Beer Co. resembled such a craft project. Koch had to piece together accounts one by one, bar to bar. How well his product would “stick” depended on consumer education – sharing the humble origins of Boston Lager, a 4.2 percent ABV Vienna-style lager based on great-great grandfather Louis Koch’s family recipe… CONTINUE READING
Where on Earth is the Best Water for Brewing?
by Tiffany Koebel
Hops and yeast are the two ingredients that often get the most attention in craft beer culture today, but water can also impact a beer’s flavor, appearance, aroma and mouthfeel. After all, it makes up about 90 percent of beer! So where on Earth is the best water for brewing? That’s a good question for a beer connoisseur to ask, but turns out it’s the wrong one.
Historically, water profiles in eight European cities were key to the rise of dramatically different beer styles because certain elements in those cities’ water supplies interacted with the other ingredients in beer (malt, hops and yeast) in specific ways. While most brewers now treat their water – and any style can be brewed anywhere – different types of water are ideal for particular styles. This article will focus on the effect that water has on brewing as well as where to find the best water for brewing different styles around the world… CONTINUE READING
The Lambic Basket
by Bryan Richards
Much like the vineyards of Bordeaux and the peat-covered terrain of Islay carry centuries-old wine and scotch traditions, the region surrounding the Senne River in Belgium is steeped with one of the oldest beer traditions in the world: lambics. Until the past couple of decades, lambics were drowned out by the mystique of Belgian Trappist ales. Thanks to the global craft beer movement’s interest in sour beers, the once dying style – along with its singular storage container, the lambic basket – has not only been rejuvenated in its homeland of Brussels but replicated the world over.
“The style almost died at the end of the 1990s,” says Luc De Raedemaeker, director of the Brussels Beer Challenge and chief editor of Bière/Bier Grand Cru. “Now it’s quite popular again.”
Both brewers and beer servers have sought to maintain the traditional methods of brewing the style: an ale brewed from unmalted wheat, malted barley and aged hops that’s spontaneously fermented via open air vats called coolships and aged on wood for up to three years. They also have kept alive the practice of serving the style in its traditional, distinctive basket… CONTINUE READING
Top US Skiing Destinations for Beer Lovers
by Kristen Kuchar
Outdoor adventures and craft beer are a perfect duo. We love to crack open a beer after our hike or ride or whatever other activity we’ve enjoyed to celebrate with our companions and commemorate just how awesome it was. Skiing is no different. While skiing and craft beer don’t mix in a literal sense (i.e. don’t drink and ski), these U.S. skiing destinations feature craft brews that serve as a perfect accompaniment to a long day on the slopes. Whether you’re an expert skier or have never put on a set of skis, here are the top U.S. skiing destinations perfect for beer lovers… CONTINUE READING
Top Emerging Beer Styles for 2019
by Josh Weikert
So much beer, so little time. It almost makes one nostalgic for the days when there were only a handful of craft breweries and even fewer that engaged in wide distribution. “Keeping up” with the beer scene was pathetically simple, but nowadays we face the challenge of not only keeping up with an exponentially larger number of breweries but also a growing number of categories, styles, and renditions of beers. It’s in that spirit that we take a moment to think about the top emerging beer styles to seek out in 2019.
Some are already firmly established in the minds of craft beer lovers even if they aren’t yet widely available in the marketplace, while others are lurking quietly in the shadows and sporting alien-sounding names. They represent new styles, rediscovered styles, augmented and enhanced styles – and even a return to the most basic styles. Craft beer is anything but static, and keeping up can be exhausting, but it is definitely worth the effort… CONTINUE READING
The History of Samuel Adams Utopias
by Jay Brooks
Every sip of the unique beer Samuel Adams Utopias is quite literally a step back in time, into history. You’re not just tasting the beer that The Boston Beer Company made last month, or the one that’s been aging in a barrel for six months or even a year. Every bottle of Utopias contains a portion of every Utopias edition that came before it, and that means going all the way back to 1992’s Samuel Adams Triple Bock, the progenitor of today’s Utopias.
The story of Samuel Adams Utopias starts a little further back than 1992. While Samuel Adams’ popular Boston Lager was the first beer created by Jim Koch and The Boston Beer Co., their second beer was Samuel Adams Double Bock, which was first brewed in 1989 as their first seasonal offering and for many years was released each spring. At over 9 percent ABV, and a lager, it was for the time, a very unusual choice, but was quite successful nonetheless. It helped that it was delicious, and bocks have a long-standing history in the spring… CONTINUE READING
Top 104 Beers of All Time
by Editorial Dept.
With the thousands of beers that are imbibed on a daily basis around the world, let’s take a look at the best beers that have ever been reviewed by The Beer Connoisseur in our Top 104 Beers of All Time.
Beer – it’s just the best, isn’t it? Here at The Beer Connoisseur, we certainly think so, and we hope that we convey that affection we have for the greatest beverage of all time to you on a daily basis.
Our Official Review features all of the beers that we have ever had the privilege to judge, and over the years, our judges have bestowed World Class ratings of 96 or above to upwards of 100 beers… CONTINUE READING
The World’s 15 Rarest Beers for Collectors
by KC Morgan
Sure, everyone’s tasted those beers that you can get anywhere, the ones that are always on tap, and you’ve probably tried some seasonal favorites that only come around a few times a year from your favorite craft breweries. But the serious collectors know that there are extremely rare beers out there in the world, beers that come only once in a blue moon — so to speak. Some are so hard to come by, in fact, that you have to travel to a remote monastery or well-hidden brewery just to get a taste. Read on to explore the 15 rarest beers for collectors.
For collectors, these beers are like the Holy Grail. Sipping them won’t grant you eternal life, but it is something of a miracle if you manage to get a bottle of your own… CONTINUE READING
Big Beards in Beer
by Kristen Kuchar
Not all great brewers sport facial hair, but there seems to be a link between craft beer and beards. Take Großen Bart Brewery in Longmont, Colorado for instance. The brewery – its name literally meaning Big Beard in German – is devoted to all types of facial hair. A majority of the brewery’s award-winning beers have beard-related names, including Chin Curtain IPA, Stubble Kölsch, Friendly Mutton Chop Marzen, and Hulihee Irish Ale.
Head Brewer Walter Bourque points out that brewing is a busy and physically demanding job, so since brewers don’t need to shave, many opt not to. “We could spend 10 extra minutes shaving or 10 minutes sleeping before going in,” he says. The brewery hosts a beard competition each year in July, with categories ranging from mustaches to a lady’s category, where participants create a beard to sport out of beer boxes, feathers, yarn and more. There’s also an award for beard of the month, beard oil for sale and a barber who is available every Thursdays for customers to have a pint while they get a trim… CONTINUE READING
Flying Saucer Celebrates 25 Years of Craft, Food and Fun
by Jessica Zimmer
In June 2020, national “neighborhood pub” Flying Saucer Draught Emporium will celebrate its 25-year anniversary, and in April 2020, Dallas gastropub Meddlesome Moth will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. These innovative restaurants have enhanced awareness about local craft beers from Texas to North Carolina. This year, the Flying Saucer and Meddlesome Moth are planning a slew of special events in honor of the milestones and offering anniversary beer experiences at each location.
Flying Saucer operating partner and Meddlesome Moth co-founder Keith Schlabs said “Beer Knurds,” members of the Flying Saucer’s “UFO Club” of loyal customers, can expect tastings, happy hours, beer festivals and special guest appearances. The restaurants will also hold beer dinners with guest speakers from the Saucer’s and Moth’s favorite breweries. The Flying Saucer restaurants are organizing some events in coordination with craft brewers, including Dogfish Head Brewery founder Sam Calagione and Avery Brewing founder Adam Avery… CONTINUE READING
Jim Koch & Sam Calagione Talk 2020 Trends
by Editorial Dept.
When The Boston Beer Co. and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery announced their merger in the summer of 2019, it came as seismic news in the craft brewing community. While mergers are common occurrences in a craft landscape pockmarked with acquisitions, the two names involved were heavy hitters: Jim Koch of Boston Beer and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head.
With 2020 upon us, we sat down with Koch and Calagione to discuss the pending trends for the new year as well as to reflect on what the year 2019 meant for the industry. The brewing giants provided plenty of insight on what proved to be an interesting year for the industry… CONTINUE READING
The Best Brewery in the World: pFriem Family Brewers
by Editorial Dept.
While many breweries operate around the world, there is one clear-cut top spot for brews according to our copious Official Review: pFriem Family Brewers in Hood River, Oregon has produced some of the finest beers that our judges have ever had the privilege to imbibe. As such, pFriem can be called the Best Brewery in the World.
As the number of breweries in the world continues to climb (over 19,000 according to a 2017 survey by The Brewers Journal and Alltech), so too does the competition for which brewery makes the finest beers. Is it one of the storied Trappist breweries, helmed by Trappist monks with generations of knowledge and brewing tradition behind them? Or perhaps it is one of the pioneering American craft breweries that helped spearhead the movement that continues to grow unabated over 30 years later?
With over 7,000 breweries in the United States, beer is among the most important aspects of the country’s economy and culture. While beer (and alcohol in general) has had its ups and downs, clearly the fermented malt beverage is experiencing its peak during these heady days of craft beer variety and engaging flavor combinations… CONTINUE READING
The Global Impact of COVID-19 on the Beer Industry
by Jessica Zimmer
COVID-19 has dramatically reduced beer production and consumption around the world, hitting craft and independent brewers extremely hard. Almost everywhere, taprooms and pubs that provided a base of support for the majority of smaller businesses have been shuttered or reduced to carry-out and delivery operations only.
Even a bump in “to-go” sales will not make up for the loss of revenue from taproom and retail sales, said Mary Macdonald, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association… CONTINUE READING
The Oldest Breweries in the World
by Jessie O’Brien
Beer has been around for millennia, but dedicated breweries are a far more recent invention. Read on to explore the oldest breweries in the world.
It’s believed that beer was first discovered by accident in ancient Mesopotamia as a by-product of breadmaking. The happiest accident to serve humankind rivals other world-changing inventions of the time like mathematics and the wheel. One of the first written records of beer’s existence appeared as hieroglyphs on ancient Egyptian papyrus, documenting beer used in religious ceremonies at the time. But the drink became a staple of the Medieval food pyramid once it made its way to northern Europe. There were plenty of raw ingredients like barley that grew in the area, and alcoholic beverages were considered healthy. Some say that beer was all that was available to drink at the time due to contaminated drinking water, but this is most likely a myth. Beer was popular, whether or not it was necessary for survival… CONTINUE READING
Is Beer Healthy?
by Michael Thacker
With the dramatic influx of craft breweries across the globe it is no wonder that craft beer and brewing is becoming increasingly popular and mainstream. Alongside the popularity of high-quality hops and malts is the increased interest in health and fitness as well. Both of these industries have seen substantial growth over the past couple of decades with both movements seeing some commonality among their following as running clubs and bike groups mark their weekly meet ups with visits to their local brewery. But is there any link between beer consumption and a healthy lifestyle? More broadly, is beer healthy?
Beer brewing and consumption has its roots as far back as 7000 BCE in China where the first evidence of beer brewing took place. This alcoholic trend made its way through time where the process itself began to resemble a more modernized brewing process around 3500 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia. From there, beer began… CONTINUE READING
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