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Talk hops with the modern American brewer and the conversation will likely drift to the Pacific Northwest. The region boasts the perfect growing conditions for hops, so whether you’re in Cleveland or Albuquerque, you’re probably enjoying a beer brewed with hops from that area. According to the Hop Growers of America, in 2011, 100 percent of commercial hop production in the United States came out of Washington (78%), Oregon (14.5%) and Idaho (7.5%).

Flash back a century and that was not the case. Believe it or not, there was a time when Central New York ruled the hop industry. The state attained national leadership in hop production in 1849, and was selling over three million pounds annually by 1855.

Sadly, the Empire State lost its footing in the hops market when Prohibition slayed all things beer related in the country. A killer fungus in the early 20th century also played its own role in putting the nail in the coffin of New York’s hop industry.

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Genetic engineering and synthetic biology are making it easier to create everything from food ingredients to scents using unexpected sources.

That’s where genetically engineered yeast comes in. A recent article in the New York Times explored its larger implications and how companies like Amyris continue to push the scope of what engineered yeast can produce.

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As the beer industry descended on Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, signs of the craft beer boom were all around.

In attendance were more than 630 breweries, the lucky ones able to quickly snag a spot before registration closed in just an hour and 40 minutes. Hundreds more breweries were on the wait list.

The brewers in Denver represented just a portion of the more than 2,500 breweries operating in the United States—the most since Prohibition. What’s more, there are 1,500 other breweries in the planning stage.

With all the growth, many in the craft beer industry attending the festival frequently turned to the same question: How far can the craft boom go?

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Deep Ellum Brewing Co. is under fire for its controversial promo campaign to mark the alcoholic brew’s first birthday.

Critics say bosses are relying on “rape culture,” with the catchphrase and logo of a doll wearing a blond wig to sell the product.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/critics-slam-dallas-blonde-beer-promoting-rape-culture-article-1.1492524#ixzz2iTk5cJXR
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This is depressing… PGA

When it comes to beer, the northeast loves Sam Adams, Pennsylvania opts for its native Yuengling, and California picks Corona.

Blowfish, a “hangover cure” that promises relief after a night of heavy drinking, recently conducted a poll with AMP, a third-party research firm, to learn about people’s drinking habits across the U.S. The survey included 5,249 drinkers over the age of 21 from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

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Sip a beer, ale, stout or porter and after that first cool refreshing sensation the sweet grain flavors bloom and make good on the promises of the aromatics experienced just before you took that first sip. Then there is another flavor that can take a bit of looking for. Should you be sipping something called an India Pale Ale brewed in the United States or Canada you might find the roasted grain flavors hard to find, replaced by perhaps the flavor of grapefruit of lemon zest. If the India Pale Ale was brewed in the United Kingdom the flavors might resemble blackberry or a sharp mineral tang. Welcome to the world of hops.

Before I go any further let’s get two things understood to be indisputable information. First; the use of hops to flavor/preserve fermented malt beverages was first done by brewers in the Low Countries of the European Continent. Today this area is claimed by the Dutch and Luxemburgish. The second item is that a king of England did not decree the use of hops to be a capital crime. He simply imposed an onerous tax on the use of the herb. These two items of information can be verified by consulting the Royal Society of Chemists. I would be pleased to provide more sources for those interested in contesting the above.

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Move over, bitter IPAs and chocolaty stouts. There’s a new kid on the craft brewing block, and it’s going to knock your salivary glands into action.

They’re called “sour beers.” When you take a sip, it’s like biting into a Granny Smith apple that’s soaked in a French red wine: crisp, refreshing and a bit odd.

Sour beers are probably the oldest style of brewski in the world, but they’re just starting to get popular in the States. They were all the buzz at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. And with hundreds of brewers now dabbling in sours, it’s easier than ever to find them at a local bar or grocery store.

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