February 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the federal legalization of homebrewing in the U.S. The modern homebrewing movement spans casual hobbyists and dedicated technicians driving craft beer culture and trends. Its strength is proven in numbers: The American Homebrewers Association, founded in 1978, currently claims 46,000 members. There are many ways to make your […]
Unless you’ve been living under a beer-repellant rock, you’ve likely heard the word “brut” thrown around the beer world lately. This is mostly due to the recently emerged, rapidly spreading brut IPA category. But “brut” is not new to brews. Brewers have been experimenting with the sparkling-wine-inspired method for at least a decade. Called bière […]
As you may recall from high school chemistry class, alcoholic fermentation is the conversion of sugars (like glucose, fructose, and sucrose) into ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide. Or, put simply, without sugar we wouldn’t have booze. The ability to calculate sugar levels in a liquid, such as grape must or a wort, allows winemakers and […]
After “juicy,” the word most often associated with New England IPAs is “crushable.” Yet 4-packs of 16-ounce cans run for more than $20 at some craft breweries. That’s a lot to spend on an ephemeral crush. The same factors that make New England IPAs (NEIPAs) popular also contribute to their higher price points.
Chris Cuzme has two life goals: to make beer and play music. ”I’ll never, ever be or feel like a complete person if I’m not doing both at the very least,” he says, sitting at a communal table in the taproom of Fifth Hammer Brewing Company in Long Island City, Queens. Cuzme, the brewer and […]
Tonya Cornett is a fruit fiend. The research and development brewmaster for 10 Barrel Brewing in Bend, Ore., Cornett is often inspired by cocktail menus — especially those “made with fruit.” Her award-winning kettle sours, called Crush, are Berliner weisses infused with farmers-market favorites like raspberry, apricot, lemon, and cucumber.
Though two people officially own Part Faite, the Marseille microbrewery chugs on community. Born from a successful crowdfunding campaign, Part Faite is run by Gonzalo and Laure Araque-Goy, a couple whose love of beer is only surpassed by a fierce love of community. Gonzalo and Laure launched their line of three organic brews by enlisting […]
The majority of beer produced in North America is brewed with grains grown on a large scale, often far from where the brews themselves are made. So while “local” breweries might be physically making beers onsite, most of their ingredients are shipped from far and wide. Now some breweries are flipping that script.
In the greenwashed ecosystem of conscientious consumption, few words are as bastardized as “local.” Your Stumptown coffee might be locally roasted, but the beans weren’t grown in Oregon or New York. The way we use the word seems disingenuous. Can a neighborhood brewery call itself “local,” then, if few, if any, of its ingredients are […]
