| Vol. #12 Issue #3 | Thursday, November 21, 2024 |
Beer 101 for Beerknurds in training. Or, perhaps you may need a refresher of the basics.
Forget wine. Beer pairings are where it’s at for holiday feasts. When done correctly, beer pairs more favorably with food and can enhance the entire meal in ways wine cannot. But you want to pair wisely so as not to lose the flavor of your beer. That’s a waste of beer, money and calories. So, don’t…
Look. Beer floats are awesome. They’re frothy, refreshing, damned tasty, sinful, and give you the ability to literally chew your beer. Whether you have an “official” reason such as celebrating National Ice Cream Day or you’re just looking for a cool treat to get you through the dog days of summer, indulging in a beer…
In this world where everything and everyone gets a holiday, here’s one that we can really get behind: National Beer Day. History of National Beer Day Now, before you say: “Isn’t EVERY day National Beer Day?” (to which we say “Exactly!”), let’s get to the roots of this most beautiful of holidays and learn a…
Aging beers is always a gamble. Each beer is different, even within the same style, and as such will develop differently over time. There are many factors that play in the flavor development of each bottle — original structure, where, when, how long, etc. On top of that, is the beer even meant to be…
Trappist beers all began in the year 530. According to Stan Hieronymus’ Brew Like a Monk, this was the year that the rule of Saint Benedict was written, mapping out the expectations of monastic life with an emphasis on poverty, simplicity and—to the delight of future beer drinkers everywhere—manual work. The Trappist order originated in…
The vogue for IPAs whose IBUs are off the charts may make it hard to believe, but hopping is a relatively recent innovation in the history of brewing. In fact, an argument can be made that the flowers of the vine-like Humulus lupulus have no place in the most authentic of ales. But this is…
There’s no question that Americans love beer. But, like the other great beer-producing regions of the world (Germany, Belgium, the UK), can the United States stake a claim to a signature beer style? On the one hand, ours is a young nation, and our brewing traditions have been imported from other places. On the other…
So it’s IPA Day, and you’re staring at your local tap wall wondering what the hell is about to come out of that tap marked “IPA.” Sometimes it’s hard to know what a new IPA might taste like, and it especially sucks when you think you’re going to imbibe a hoppy brew that’s snappy and…
To drink beer is to travel. Think about it: with even just that first sip of your favorite Trappist ale, you are temporarily transporting yourself to a very specific region of Belgium where a very specific assortment of local ingredients have been converted into a unique refreshment by brewers who have inherited a very specific…
In general, there are five Belgian beer styles: the mouth-puckering tart lambic, the pungent and acerbic oud bruin and Flanders red ales, the smooth and yeasty abbey ales, refreshing farmhouse ales and the beer style that almost went extinct the Belgian witbier. Here’s what you need to know about each one before you take a sip. What are…
