Tomorrow we feast. Indulgence is the point, not something to be tempered, and as such beers should be hearty, intense, and boozy.
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My rash persists, as does my misery, but—ray of light—beer does not seem to be one of the causes.
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When Yvan De Baets and Bernard Leboucq installed their brewery in Brussels in 2010, it doubled the number in the capital city. Since then, a number of new breweries have followed, but none have focused so single-mindedly on creating hometown beers.
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How East and West Coast IPAs relate, and why the bigger story isn’t their differences, but the way the American IPA tradition has changed brewing.
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A subtle rewriting of American brewing history seems to be underway, and I’m hoping it doesn’t become overly fixed. Hopping beers for flavor and aroma didn’t begin in New England in the late-aughts, and the creeping suggestion they did isn’t accurate.
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Decisions have consequences that may not be evident for years or even decades. Widmer started discussions with A-B in 1995 and the brewery wasn’t fully acquired for another quarter century. Here’s the story of one fateful decision.
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For fans of Portland and Oregon brewing history, it’s depressing news. I’ve long suspected that ABI will have little use for a brewery over twenty years old when it already has huge excess capacity. Selling the site in Portland wouldn’t be a shock and would further discount the total price.
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One of the signature features of American brewing used to be the routine use of caramel malt. It was a major element of pale ales, ambers/reds, IPAs, Scottish ales, and porters. Those days have passed—probably for good.
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We interrupt our regular programming for a personal note from the blogger: in a rather alarming plot twist, I seem to have developed an allergy to select foods. Beer may be on that list. Here's the story.
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As I was preparing to leave for a month in Europe, Portland passed an important anniversary that may hold lessons both about the city’s current condition and also the state of the beer market. On September 1, 1999, the Blitz-Weinhard brewery turned off the lights for the last time.
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Black October in Portland went out with a grim bang. On Halloween, the second of two closures—and the fourth in a week—arrived with news that Coalition Brewing was no more.
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