Got to keep this short. I can tell you the Harry S Truman presidential library is outstanding, that I’m looking forward to learning all about Boulevard Brewing’s many wheat beers tomorrow morning, and that after that we’ll head off for Norman, Oklahoma, in a dead sprint. Because Wednesday we’re touring the National Weather Center. Cool, [...]

Think you know where in the beer world this photo was taken? Please leave your answer as a comment. Given recent comments, not just here but from Alan and others, I thought a picture of beer “on sale” might be interesting. You’ll have to decide if you consider $1.50 a deal for a half-liter of [...]

It seems that beer is no casual acquaintance of people who read this blog. So were I to conduct a poll — say how much money you send on beer — the results likely wouldn’t necessarily reflect the buying habits of the “average” beer drinker or even the casual “craft beer” drinker. So it’s interesting [...]

A bit of culture shock for Daria on Saturday. We stopped at Parti-Pak Discount Liquors in Indianapolis, mostly to see what sort of beers make their way into Indiana and what they cost. Heard a guy behind the counter say they stocked 2,100 beers and that is easy to believe. Rather complete lines of plenty [...]

When I read stories about beer and when I talk to brewers and brewery types I have I have this little list of personal hot button topics. (It’s me; you may not care.) One is what’s local about beer and does it matter? Another is the danger that beer could become an elitist drink ala [...]

A canary in a coal mine? Jeff Alworth has been trying to figure out how the recession is influencing craft beer sales. My gut feeling is that he’s on to something. Look, I’m not predicting that a bunch of craft breweries are going to go out of business, but stories like this one, “Craft brew [...]

I stand corrected. You can buy a liter of all-grain, full-flavored beer for less than you’d pay for a liter of gas. Here’s proof, a photo taken at a small grocery store in Wertheim, Germany (at the junction of the Main and Tauber rivers, and with terrific castle ruins). Beer is .66 euro (or less) [...]

Don Russell has an excellent little interview with Boston Beer founder Jim Koch today. As well as everything you could want to know about Samuel Adams Light he addresses the matter of rising beer prices. As always, Koch offers some great sound bites: – “But you can’t reduce costs by taking ingredients out. People will [...]

Tired of hearing about trading up? How about a little trading down? This from the Association Press: Cash-strapped drinkers are starting to trade down to economy beers, the chief executive of Miller Brewing Co. said Thursday. The Milwaukee-based brewer saw some shift between higher-priced, premium beers and economy beers such as Miller High Life and [...]

A few beer related thoughts to help you shake free of any turkey-infused haze remaining after a long weekend: – The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines if a surprising surge in sales of Coors Banquet means full-calorie, mainstream, premium-priced beers can end their 21st century slide (Budweiser sales, for instance, fell 21% from 2002 to 2006). [...]