Beer
First brewed at least 5,000 years ago, beer is one of the oldest and most universally consumed alcoholic drinks. It is usually made from cereals, most frequently malted barley, but other ingredients can be used, such as wheat, corn, or rice. In the majority of cases, hops are added to the process (originally as a preservative), although in centuries past other flavorings were used. Today, a whole host of flavored beers exist, ranging from conventional ingredients such as fruit to crazier additions including bacon, donuts, and rocky mountain oysters (aka bull testicles). The most popular beer style, however, is the easy-drinking pale lager style. It used to be thought that beer in cans was inferior quality to beer in bottles, and that there was a safety worry over the use of aluminum, but that is no longer the case. Cans are perfectly safe and sales of canned beers are growing while bottles are on the decline.
Top Beer Posts:
Lager? Ale? Beer? What’s the Difference?
6 Beers from Melvin Brewing, 2018
12 Beers from New Belgium, Early 2017 Releases
7 Beers from North Coast Brewing Co.
I’d imagine anyone that likes hard cider, or alcohol, or has simply been into a gas station, grocery, or bodega in the last decade has at least a passing familiarity with Austin Eastciders’ branding (and font), if not their product. The stuff is everywhere. Given its ubiquity I was surprised to find that, 30-something releases…
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For just about forever, “light beer” was synonymous with a thin, pale, flavorless lager. California’s Anderson Valley Brewing Company challenges that with the launch of Black Light, a low-cal beer that pours as dark as any porter you’ve ever tasted. The brewery in Boonville makes Black Light with pale two-row, chocolate, midnight wheat, and black…
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Making a good Belgian white is tricky enough. Now make it without alcohol. Karbach’s rendition of an NA Belgian pulls it off fairly well: Boldly flavored with lemon, orange, and that inimitable coriander character, the palate is bright and acidic — like it’s already had the orange slice expressed and dropped into the glass. The…
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Stone’s latest concoction is a holiday favorite that takes Imperial Stout and brews it with coffee, chocolate, pasilla peppers, cinnamon, and nutmeg to make a finished product that’s inspired by Mexican hot chocolate. Don’t drink beer? You can also get the experience in coffee form, with Stone launching its own lines of fresh beans and…
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Skål! For the Nords, spring has sprung. The inaugural entry in Dogfish Head‘s 2024 Off-Centered Art Series, this is actually a rerelease of a beer that first debuted in 2022. Snazzed up in Moominian garb by Atlanta screen printers Methane Studios, this hazy IPA is brewed with Norwegian Kveik yeast, wild juniper berries, orange peel,…
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As was the case with the 2022 release, New Belgium’s 2023 Oakspire bottling is barrel aged in Four Roses casks, a decidedly minimal departure compared to previous years’ shifts. However, per the brand: This year’s edition of Oakspire has been brewed through a proprietary infusion method to extract the rich flavors from the bourbon-soaked charred…
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Firestone Walker never met a beer style it didn’t like, and while it is constantly churning out sours, barrel-aged expressions, iconic lagers, and more, it’s the IPAs that Firestone really seems to gravitate to. Lately, the brand has dropped three different mixed-IPA cases, all featuring something new and something old. Today we look at 6…
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Dutton Estate recently dropped two collections of wines, and we’re combining them all into this one mega-review that spans 11 bottlings — plus the latest release of Dutton’s canned apple cider. Let’s jump right in to the lineup! 2022 Dutton Estate Chardonnay Morelli Lane Vineyard – Incredibly fruit-forward, melding melon and tropical notes with elements…
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Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Ops is back again in pint-sized cans — again relying on Four Roses barrels to age its hearty Russian Imperial stout for nine months before release. I found the 2023 expression rather fruitier than prior editions, and quite a bit less fizzy. Brooding with notes of prunes and macerated figs, the beer…
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At the end of 2023, Oregon’s Deschutes dropped a handful of new (and re-) releases, including the re-revamped version of its highly prized Dissident sour, tasted here next to a vintage version of the same beer from 2019, the last time it was made from this recipe. Let’s check them out. Deschutes Brewery The Dissident…
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