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Force carbonation defined...

2012-04-30T23:56:06Z

Here's a little semantic bonus for the home brewers/keggers amonst us: force carbonation.

Force carbonation defined... originally appeared on About.com Beer on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 23:56:06.

A few thoughts about brewing a chili pepper beer...

2012-04-30T23:48:19Z

Homebrewers, ever consider brewing a chili pepper beer? Here are a few thoughts about doing just that...

A few thoughts about brewing a chili pepper beer... originally appeared on About.com Beer on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 23:48:19.

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New beer articles for March

2012-03-31T17:27:55Z

I've been busy churning out some more beery goodness. Check out my latest articles:

Beer just can't get no respect!
Is German beer superior to all other beer?
Beer ads
Beer brand loyalty
Unit of alcohol
Bottle conditioned
Alcohol by volume (ABV)
Esters

New beer articles for March originally appeared on About.com Beer on Saturday, March 31st, 2012 at 17:27:55.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2012-03-16T09:13:36Z

So, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and this year it happens to fall on a Saturday so it should prove to be a big one!

A while back I put out a poll asking "Which holiday do you most closely associate with beer?" St. Patrick's Day remains the clear champion. Do you have any strong feelings on this one? Cast your vote. Trust me, it will be the most important vote of 2012! And, when you're done sharing your feelings on this issue, check out all the other beery issues that need to be resolved on my beer polls page.

You want my advice for St. Paddy's this year? Avoid the green beer; it's usually just bad beer of a different color. Drink stout. Use a little common sense. Finally, have a helluva time!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, March 16th, 2012 at 09:13:36.

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New beery articles for February, 2012

2012-02-29T18:59:30Z

I just published a handful of articles for February. Check 'em out:

New beery articles for February, 2012 originally appeared on About.com Beer on Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 at 18:59:30.

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A couple of beer firsts

2012-02-03T09:41:43Z

For a long time, Redhook and Spoetzl breweries shared an interesting little quirk. They each only brewed one type of beer. Rehook brewed only ales and was proud of that fact. I remember touring the brewery a few years ago and listening to the tour guide expound on the virtues of ale.

Spoetzl, the brewery that makes Shiner beer, lived on the other side of the beer world. The brewers there brewed only lagers. Their beer rose out of the German lager tradition which was popular when they opened over a hundred years ago.

But, recently, both breweries decided to take a ride on the other side. Redhook introduced a one off, summer seasonal Pilsner in 2010 that was such a hit that it's now in their regular line-up. And just this month Spoetzl is introducing their first ale.

Both breweries sent me samples of their beers so check out my reviews of Redhook Pilsner and Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale.

A couple of beer firsts originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 09:41:43.

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The first extract homebrew beer recipe?

2012-02-03T09:30:31Z

This is not exactly extract but it seems fairly familiar to those of us who have brewed with the thick, syrupy wort extract sold in homebrew stores. It's a homebrew recipe from 1825 found in a working man's notebook.

Thomas Denton was tired of paying for his favorite beer, London Porter, so he came up with this "Recipe for Cheap Beer." It calls for a peck of barley, 7 pounds of treacle and 4 ounces of hops. The barley, which I'm presuming shouldn't be malted, is toasted and soaked in hot water. Then the water is drained off and boiled with the treacle and hops. Not unlike a typical extract/partial mash recipe that homebrewers are using today.

I'm tempted to try this. I'd probably use sorghum molasses which isn't quite the same thing as treacle but close enough. Here in the States, I can only find treacle locally in little half pint tins so I'm not buying 7 pounds worth that way. Otherwise, though, this looks pretty doable and could just make a tasty beer. Well, if not exactly tasty it would be at least interesting.

The first extract homebrew beer recipe? originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 09:30:31.

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January beer articles

2012-01-31T17:03:23Z

Here's a round up of the articles I've been working on for this month. Hope you enjoy them!

January beer articles originally appeared on About.com Beer on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 17:03:23.

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And the biggest US brewer is...

2012-01-13T09:45:16Z

I must admit that I was a little surprised to stumble across this headline. I remember back when Anheuser-Busch became a Belgian property it occurred to me that the Boston Beer Company, which makes and sells Sam Adams beer, was the largest American beer company. The other big players like Miller and Coors had already been sold off to foreign drinks corporations years before so it came down to little, comparatively speaking, Sam Adams.

Not so anymore. D.G. Yuengling and Son, the famously old and independent brewer from Pennsylvania, now holds that title after surpassing Boston Beer in sales last year. That makes it both the oldest and the biggest American brewer. Pretty impressive, especially when you consider that Yuengling only distributes to 14 states.

And the biggest US brewer is... originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 09:45:16.

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How Beer Saved the World review

2012-01-13T09:30:16Z

If you live in the US you might have noticed a program on the Discovery channel last year called "How Beer Saved the World." The basic idea is that beer is responsible for nearly every bit of progress that humans have made since the dawn of civilization. For everything from the wheel to modern medicine and almost advancement in between, we have beer to thank.

It's out on DVD now and the company marketing it sent me a copy. From the first email to the press release and then on the DVD box and plastered prominently throughout the program was that "quote" from Ben Franklin that you know I tend to go on about a little too much. My expectations weren't high. But, the film is actually quite entertaining. Was it accurate or even believable? Check out my review here.

How Beer Saved the World review originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 09:30:16.

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