Over the years I have spilled much cyber-ink over the issue of styles and the misappropriation of style names. I know I am not alone in my frustration at the confusion created by Alexander Keith’s and other such marketing misdirections…. Continue Reading →
One of the most hyped/talked about beer series in recent years has been the launch of Stone Brewings’ Enjoy By… series of double IPAs. This series incorporates into the beer’s name the date before which Stone wants you to consume… Continue Reading →
I think I have been fairly clear over the last few months just what I think of New Belgium Brewing (if you are not sure read here and here). Their entry into Alberta has been nothing short of fascinating for… Continue Reading →
…The Edmonton Journal runs a page 3 article in the business section on the changing BJCP style guidelines, including a monster-sized photo of yours truly. Seriously. This past Saturday. Check out the online version here. The back story is that… Continue Reading →
In July the Beer Judge Certification Program, the leading amateur beer education and style defining organization, released the draft of its 2014 Style Guidelines (you can find a link to the PDF here). The changes are huge. Massive. Dis-orienting. So, … Continue Reading →
Anyone who spends any time doing beer education – hell, anyone with a cousin or uncle – knows that the trick to getting a mainstream lager drinker to be open to craft beer is to take it slowly. Offering a… Continue Reading →
Mead is a fascinating, elusive, enticing and frustrating beverage. It seems so simple at first – it is just fermented honey – yet displays such utter complexity while defying easy categorization. Never mind that I have never successfully brewed a… Continue Reading →
A few months back I was commissioned by the Continental Treat Bistro to present a video educating beer drinkers about Trappist Ales. Trappists are, of course, the small cluster of monasteries that produce Belgian-style ales. As famous as the Trappist… Continue Reading →
A recent Vue Weekly review (I am a bit behind due to my recent travels) looked at the Brooklyn-Schneider collaboration beer Hopfenweisse, a hopped up weizenbock. I am fairly bullish on the beer (you can read the review here). I… Continue Reading →
I normally don’t write much about my homebrewing. I have been a proud homebrewer for almost 23 years, but I want this to be a broadly accessible site of interest to many types of beer appreciators. As much as I… Continue Reading →