Category: Front Page

 I’m still trying to figure out if I made a mistake. I stepped away from a mini-BOS table because I had what I thought was a prejudice towards an entry. Some considered the entry a tad problematic. My view was different.
 It happens.
 We were judging in the brewery at Star Spangled Brewery in Clarksville for The New South Brewoff. Always a grand time when I can do it, if not a grand time for those who do like Millie, my wife. BTW: apologies to those at NSBO: at least for a while I am getting away from individual reports on each competition. I think it more interesting to judges to bring up judging questions rather than what I judged, number of entries, etc.
 When it comes to one entry, did I make a mistake? I can only give you my perspective; especially when takes on that entry were so different. Continue reading “A Beer Judge’s Diary: A Hoppy Question”

STOP RELEASING PUMPKIN BEERS IN JULY, DAMMIT!
Ok so it wasn’t really all that eloquent, but I know a lot of people feel the same way, so I decided to finally share (for those who don’t know), why we see pumpkin beers hit the shelves earlier and earlier every year.

Psst! Check out our Halloween glass, Dead Men Drink No Ales.

Why are pumpkin beers released so early?
The short version is most people don’t buy a lot of pumpkin beers. The average consumer buys his or her first six pack or two, and then doesn’t purchase any more. That means competition is fierce, and it becomes a race to see who can get their beer on the shelf first. Over time this led to breweries releasing them earlier and earlier to beat others to the punch.

Want to read more? Please click… HERE!!!

Written by Franz Hofer

Augustiner is Munich’s retro-hip brewery. That wasn’t always the case. Until relatively recently, Augustiner-Bräu was considered a dusty old brewery. There’s no denying its age: Founded by monks in 1328, Augustiner is Munich’s oldest brewery. But conceptions of tradition change. Today, the brewery’s use of wooden barrels, its retro bottles and labels, its rejection of mass advertising, and its engagement on behalf of Munich’s architectural heritage has garnered the brewery a cult following thanks to its sense of tradition.

Want to read more? Please click… HERE!!!

Sam Adams Utopias is a spirited blend of multiple batches of our extreme beers, some held in reserve for just this coveted biennial release. In fact, some of the beer dates back nearly three decades, aging in wooden bourbon casks. Brewers then finish the blend in a combination of Carcavelos, Madeira, Ruby Port, and Sherry Oloroso barrels. This year, for the first time, brewers also aged a portion of the blend in Sauternes French oak wine casks which brings subtle notes of honeyed apricot and caramel to the rich layers of flavor.

“We pioneered the barrel-aging and blending process of Utopias almost thirty years ago and continue that time-honored tradition today,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. “Since the introduction of Utopias in 2002, brewers have explored uncharted territory with each brew, experimenting with different kinds of aging barrels, new flavors, and different blending techniques. The result is always special, spirited, and worth…

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I have to confess that late Spring/Summer ’21 has not been a great time for stuff that I have tasted. I got samples but the deal has always been the same: if I like it enough to rave about it, I write it up. If not, I just don’t mention it because I don’t – EVER – write negative reviews of any independent producer of adult beverages. Why, in this, the Gold Plated Age of Snark? Because A) I think it’s tasteless and crass, B) I like small businesspeople and have no desire to take shots at ’em, and C) I see no reason to even mention mediocrity. So, if I can assign 90 points or better, I write it…but not always. If I give it 90 and it should be higher, that stays out, too

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Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankard

So many great beers and breweries, so little time. It’s no wonder cities like Augsburg get overlooked when you could easily spend an entire vacation sampling the liquid delights of Munich or Bamberg. But not only is Augsburg worth visiting for its cathedrals and cobblestoned lanes, it’s also a beer town rich in history. And you can make it there from Munich in as much time as it takes to reach beer pilgrimage sites like Kloster Andechs.

Want to read more? Please click… HERE!!!

Ahead of International Women’s Day, and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, nine pioneering and innovative women in craft beer gathered at a media event in Manhattan Thursday, March 5. During the event, organized by the Brewers Association, publisher of CraftBeer.com, the brewery leaders talked about the beer community, mentoring, and the value of building strong relationships.

From Mari Kemper, who opened Thomas Kemper Brewing in Seattle with her husband in 1984 and now co-owns Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen in Bellingham, to Tamil Maldonado Vega, who launched Raices Brewing in Denver five months ago, nine women reflected on topics ranging from the need for gluten-free beer to the surprising number of women working in Mexico and Turkey’s craft brewing industries. That said, much of the session revolved around ways the women make their US-based businesses more inclusive to females and ways they recommend women get ahead in their careers.

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Minneapolis-headquartered Indeed Brewing has struggled with internal bias against female employees and fostered an “‘us vs. them’ mentality” between leadership and rank-and-file staff, according to the findings of an external HR investigation the company published on its website last week.

To combat this, Indeed said it plans to hire a people and communities leader via a search that has already begun, overhaul its internal operations system, develop a management training program, and realign the internal company vision.

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(Buellton, CA) – From the fields of Poland to the coast of California comes UnderCurrants — an inaugural cross-continental wild beer from Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks.

“We have been toying around with the idea of a currant-infused beer for several years now,” said Barrelworks’ Master Blender Jim Crooks. “We finally decided to strike when we were able to score beautiful whole black currants from a farmer in Poland, which is renowned as one of the world’s finest currant-growing regions.”

The result is a wildly flavorful beer that is bursting with rich currant goodness.

Want to read more? Please click… HERE!!!