As I’ve written before, one of the categories here is Beer and Wine, not Beer versus Wine. When we have people over for dinner there will be men drinking wine and women drinking beer (and vice versa), and there might be a little conversation about one or the other but not why one is better [...]

This morning I received an e-mail newsletter from Natalie MacLean, a wine writer whose work I like enough that I subscribed to the newsletter (and have a link to her site under wine sites to read). This time I got a silly diatribe about beer and wine that invited comment. It read like one of [...]

First, at Hop Talk, Al suggests what he think are 5 essentials for a good brewpub, starting with “An old building, especially with a lot of exposed brick.” Then at Beervana, Jeff Alworth discusses Beer Cred in Portland, Oregon. Beer is a working-class beverage. Drinking beer is a working-class activity. Oregon brewers, who until ’99 [...]

These two words either mean something to you or they don’t. Cask Fred. Are you smiling or are you looking a little perplexed? Hair of the Dog will be pouring cask-conditioned Fred on Saturday for FredFest, a Portland, Oregon, mini-festival of sorts that marks the 81st birthday of groundbreaking beer writer Fred Eckhardt. Hair of [...]

Snekse, of the Gastronomic Fight Club, has chosen the theme for Session #4 and it’s not a style. He wants us all to taste local beers. His guidelines: You can pick anything commercially made within 150 miles of your house, but try to pick the brewery or brewpub closest to your house. You can select [...]

(This is my contribution to our monthly Session. Jay Brooks is recapping this month.) Britain’s Campaign for Real Ale has designated May as Mild Month – and tomorrow as National Mild Day. What does this mean? From the CAMRA web site: “We ask licensees to come on board by stocking this style of beer, encouraging [...]

It starts with a quote from Louis Nizer, the noted lawyer, author and a guy celebrities hung out with. He said: “A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain [...]

This Saturday the best party around will be at Port Brewing/Lost Abbey, but it seems like there are great celebrations every week. For instance, last weekend Stoudt’s Brewing Co. in Pennsylvania threw a party to mark 20 years in brewing. In California, Russian River Brewing Co. brewer/co-owner Vinnie Cilurzo put everything but the kitchen sink [...]

I’m beginning to realize there is a chance I will break down and try Miller Chill. Got to be curious, right? Check out the number of posts at Beer Therapy. Somebody is feeling the passion. Saturday is Cinco de Mayo and since I can’t be in San Diego for the Port/Lost Abbey Anniversary Party (you [...]

Don’t forget to stock up on some Mild ale for Friday. What’s Mild, you ask, and why Friday? Jay Brooks tells us everything we need to know about the elusive style. May is “Mild Month” in the UK and Friday is Mild day for a monthly virtual gathering of beer bloggers that we call The [...]