Yearly archive for 2019

There’s something about a number with a crowd of zeros behind it that grabs people’s attention. As the calendar approached its version of an odometer rollover, beer magazines, and others, acknowledged time’s passing by compiling lists of “bests”. In General, the tributes focused on notable people, dates, and events, all worthy of recognition, but the most significant contribution to beer in the last century was a simple piece of tin – the bottle cap. When the 1900’s began, most people drank beer in taverns, and seldom at home. Off-premise packaging

Part I. Early colonists of the North American continent had a fairly simple life. The typical immigrant from England had only three things on their mind: where to get food, how to secure shelter, and when would they get their next beer. The most enduring picture of Englishmen coming ashore is the Pilgrims braving freezing surf to land at “Plymouth Rock”. Well documented is their selection of this landfall not by choice, but based upon a dwindling beer supply. They, like those at the other new settlements set their first

The city of Hereford (pronounced Hair’-i-furd not Her’-furd; as our tour guide said, “you Yanks got that bit wrong”) has been in existence since the Romans found it as a convenient place to ford the River Wye in the early 7th century. The city of 50,000 is an eclectic collection of old and new including a thoroughly modern supermarket down the block from a 1000-year-old cathedral. Hereford is the home to the World Hereford Cattle Registry (which we Americans pronounce Her’-furd), and the SAS (Special Air Services – the UKs

Cider styles are hard to pin down because historically, styles had little value to the cider maker. The cider they made was the only cider they had the resources to make. It’s not so different today. But to understand it you have to go back to cider’s roots. Cider is an ancient drink though no one is quite sure when it was first made because of the geography of its main component, the apple. Apples were historically confined to the cooler climes of Western Europe and Britain where civilization was

Breweries in the market for a practical and affordable source of continuing education have no easy shopping trip. Brewing schools focus on the technical aspects of the brewing process, marketing seminars review case studies from other often-unrelated industries and public beer festivals concentrate on product promotion. Only the annual Craft Brewers Conference provides a broad perspective on production and sales strategy for today’s craft beer breweries and brewpubs. Organized and presented by the Association of Brewers (AOB), the three day conference which took place from April 11 through April 13

Sharp-witted Benjamin Franklin once observed there were two guarantees in life – death and taxes. Simple,but irrefutable, that statement touches every facet of life. Franklin’s two constants have continuously shaped everything we love, fear, anticipate, dread, and enjoy – including beer. From ancient times to present, beer, like us, has never escaped far from the shadowy twins known as the taxman and the grim reaper. Civilizations of antiquity and history’s earliest records tell the tale again and again of death, taxes and beer. In the beginning, brewers of the Fertile

Stepping through customs at Ellis Island presented Louis Menapace with a jumble of emotions. He was excited at the new life that lay before him, confusion over the way his name had just been Americanized, and slightly anxious about how long it would take to fit into this new country. Then, a few feet before he was to board the ferry to New York, a young boy had thrust a flier in his hand, it advertised a beer garden that welcomed immigrants. He thought about it all the way across

The name Otto Brothers is well known in the intermountain west especially in the Jackson Hole-Yellowstone area. Now as the Grand Teton Brewery they are becoming the region’s premier name in beer. The story of the Grand Teton Brewery begins about 13 years ago, but the story of its founder begins a few years before. Charlie Otto had lived and traveled extensively in Europe where he developed an appreciation for the styles of beers available there. When he moved back to the States he was disappointed that he didn’t have

Ever listen to a beer? Each has its own, unique story. Some have a familiarity as comforting as an old pair of slippers, others startle you as they leap from behind a cloak and run along a torturous path of twists, turns and surprises. Unfortunately the average bar, dispensing it in frosted mugs, silences beer. But if you know how to listen, and with a little coaxing, beer will talk to you; here’s how. Begin with the obvious, the selection. If you were judging, the beers would focus on one

Only twenty-five years ago few places in America offered a variety of beers. Then, slowly, things changed. With the emergence of microbreweries consumers finally had a choice, but curiously, as the local selection of beer increased, beer enthusiasts began roaming farther and farther afield for beer. It seems odd, but on closer study it makes sense. Their growing interest in great beer ignited a thirst for more. At first, beer travel was simply a search for an adequately supplied homebrew shop, or perhaps a bar that carried more than a