From the Editor, Issue 87
Story by:
Chris Guest
Hello and welcome to Issue 87 of The Beer Connoisseur Magazine!
A great beer can do quite a bit. It can introduce you to a new place, send you down a rabbit hole of brewing history, or keep you talking with someone long after your glass is empty. This issue explores all three, along with some of the challenges and opportunities facing the wider drinks industry.
We begin with a question that’s becoming increasingly relevant: Can breweries help bring back America’s third places?
Brewer and entrepreneur Colby Cox certainly thinks so. From his work with Roadhouse Brewing in Jackson Hole to an ambitious community development project in Delaware, Cox has spent decades exploring what makes people want to gather. Jim Dykstra spoke with him about the disappearing spaces between home and work, the importance of welcoming environments, and why a great taproom can offer considerably more than a memorable pint.
Speaking of gathering places, the 2026 Great American Beer Festival took things outside for the first time, trading Denver’s convention center for the grassy hillside of Levitt Pavilion. With roughly 200 breweries pouring some 1,500 beers, there was certainly no shortage of options. Nathan Rooen revisits the weekend with ten of the most intriguing pours he sampled, including exceptional lagers, bold IPAs, inventive food pairings, and a 30-year-old barleywine that was an absolute treat to encounter.
From there, we head west to Rocklin, California, where Moksa Brewing continues to make an impressive case for its place among the country’s premier producers of barrel-aged beer. Its latest creation, Iteration, is a double barrel-aged imperial stout nearly three years in the making. Two distinct base beers, four varieties of bourbon barrels, and an extraordinary amount of patience went into this ambitious project. Naturally, we were eager to see how it all came together, and Eric Griffin has the whole story.
For a different perspective on brewing history, N.C. Stevens takes us south of the border in The Dark Side of Mexican Beer. Famous omnipresent lagers might dominate the international conversation, but Mexico’s brewing heritage is considerably richer and darker than its most recognizable exports suggest. Stevens traces the country’s early European brewing influences and the amber and dark lagers that have been part of Mexican beer culture for generations.
We’re also making a little room on the shelf for whiskey. Whether you’re simply curious about bourbon and Scotch or particularly interesting in hunting limited releases, our beginner’s guide to whiskey collecting offers practical advice on getting started, choosing bottles worth keeping, and avoiding expensive misfires along the way. After all, collecting should be enjoyable, even if your wafer-thin wallet sometimes disagrees.
Of course, it’s impossible to discuss the drinks industry without acknowledging the difficult market conditions facing producers and distributors. Kearney’s Sean Ryan and Mike Ooms examine the end of beverage alcohol’s easy-growth era and explain why rethinking operating costs, capital allocation, and emerging technologies has become increasingly important. It’s a timely look at the business decisions that will help shape the industry’s future.
If there’s a common thread running through Issue 87, it’s that the world of beer and spirits has plenty of history worth appreciating, even as the people producing and enjoying them continue forging new paths forward.
And whether that means rediscovering a traditional dark lager, experimenting with an ambitious barrel-aged stout, or simply meeting a friend for a beer, there’s certainly no shortage of good reasons to keep exploring.
Thanks for joining us this Holiday issue. From the BC family to yours, here’s to great beer, good company, and a few worthwhile discoveries along the way.
Cheers!
Chris Guest
Editor
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