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.
Two new releases from California’s Sierra Nevada — a no-longer-experimental IPA, new to the market, and a seasonal essential. Let’s go! Sierra Nevada Cryo Fresh Torpedo Wet Hop IPA – This IPA is made by flash freezing wet hops at harvest, thus perfectly (presumably) preserving them for the time when they’re used to make beer.…
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It was less than a year ago that we reviewed the first batch of this exciting collaboration between (otherwise unrelated) Breckenridge Brewery and Breckenridge Distillery in which they shared barrels used for their beer and whiskey. (As a refresher: Breckenridge Brewery brewed an Imperial Oatmeal Stout which was aged in Breckenridge Distillery Bourbon barrels. After…
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Vermont’s Lawson’s Finest Liquids recently released its first black IPA, Big Poppy, which is made with five hop varieties and seven malts — all of them apparently well-roasted into dankness. Black IPAs can be a curious undertaking, and this beer is no exception. Heavily blackened with notes of coffee grounds and burnt toast, it at…
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Bravo, Cashmere, and Mosaic hops… and fresh mango(!), all in a single IPA from Deschutes. The mango here isn’t overblown, adding a light tropicality to a straightforward burst of orange-fueled citrus, piney bitterness, and layers of modest sweetness. Increasingly bitter on the finish, the mango manages to eventually muscle its way into the picture, but…
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For over a decade now, Firestone Walker has offered an impressive variety of barrel-aged beers as part of its Proprietor’s Vintage Series, and all of those brews were available exclusively in glass bottles. But not anymore. For 2022, the California-based brewery has released its first-ever canned Vintage beer, Parabolita. As the name suggests, this beer…
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Ordering a draft beer or canned saltzer in Texas? There’s a solid chance it’s a Houston-brewed Karbach — and probably one of these. Here’s a look at a collection of Karbach’s most notable offerings as of 2022. Karbach Hopadillo IPA – A darker style IPA than we’ve become accustomed to in modern times, this beer…
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Two new IPAs from Los Angeles-based Golden Road Brewing, both canned under the brand new “Ride On” sub-label, which appears to be devoted to the peculiar culture of surfing and the VW minibus. Let’s drink. Golden Road Brewing Ride On 10 Hop Hazy IPA – Made with 10 types of hops, for Golden Road’s 10…
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Our friends at Texas’s Shiner are back with three new seasonals, including the second release in the Tex Hex line (think Voodoo Ranger, but from the south). Shiner Tex Hex Desert Mirage Hazy IPA – This hazy IPA, the second in the Tex Hex series, is brewed with cactus water. I can’t say that it…
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Summer’s in full swing, and many a young man’s mind turns to beer if for no other reason than to cool down a bit. Our fourth annual Top 10 Beers of the Year list is here to help you make sense of an increasingly crowded market with a look at 10 top brews that made…
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It’s another sports-themed beer from Boston’s Harpoon, this one brewed in collaboration with three Massachusetts native hockey players — Matt Grzelcyk, Chris Wagner, and Charlie Coyle. It’s a pilsner that’s triple dry-hopped to make for an unusual combination of lager and IPA styles, made with Cascade, Sterling, Citra, and Mandarina Bavaria hops. A portion of…
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