The Beer Nut: Steinberg is Blatant About His New Beer
Written by Norman Miller for GateHouse News Service
Complicated beers are fine, but sometimes simple can be good, too.
That is the idea behind Matthew Steinberg’s brand-new Blatant Brewery: brew beers simply and good.
“It’s all in good humor,” said Steinberg, a veteran of the Massachusetts brewing scene. “I said, ‘Let’s not start a beer marketing company, let’s start a liquid company.’ We don’t need to get fancy. The idea of this brand is strikingly simple. There is nothing fanciful about our labels. There is nothing fanciful about us, except for our beers. Be blatant, be clear, and be up front about what you’re doing.”
Steinberg has been involved in brewing for years. He is the former brewer of what is now known as Rapscallion Brewery in Massachusetts. He was the head brewer at the Offshore Ale Company. He was also the first brewer at the Mayflower Brewing Company.
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The Secret Life of Hops
Written by Andy Sparhawk and the staff at craftbeer.com
You probably know that hops provide much more to craft beer than just bitterness, but how much do you really know? After a recent trip to Hopunion’s Hop & Brew School in Yakima, WA, CraftBeer.com’s Andy Sparhawk returned with his mind officially blown! Here are just a few of his revelations about this amazing plant:
1. Hops grow clockwise, but not on vines. -Whaaahh?!
Hops are vigorous growers, averaging several inches a day at minimum. Maybe they shoot up because they plan their route? Hops always grow clockwise. On hop farms, they grow up heavy twine or rope, but in the wild they use other plants for support to get to sunlight. Oh, and hops are not vines, they’re bines. Whereas vines have suction cups and tendrils for support, hop bines have strong stems and prickly hairs to help in their ascent.
2. Some hops are alpha and others are “aromega.”
The hop market can be divided into two categories, alpha hops and aroma hops. Alpha hops refer to the higher percentages of alpha acid in certain varieties’ lupulin glands. Alpha hops provide more in the way of bitterness, while aroma varietals are lower in alpha acids and have a higher percentage of essential oils, which impart the characteristic flavors and aroma to beer.
Who Needs Pumpkin Pie—Pumpkin Beers are Here!
Written by Meghan Storey for craftbeer.com
Even thinking about baking a pie from scratch is making me tired! First it’s the fancy French baking terms—personally, I think à  la mode is the only important one! Then it’s the obscure ingredients that you know you don’t just have lying around the kitchen—can we say finely chopped crystallized ginger?
For those of us who aren’t best friends with our convection ovens (or even acquaintances), fall brings a beer with flavors so much resembling a favorite autumn dessert it’s often referred to as “a slice of pumpkin pie in a glass.”
Pumpkin beers, which surprisingly can be made with or without actual pumpkin as an ingredient, are often added to a brewery’s menu during the fall months. This style relies heavily on the seasonal flavors and aromas of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and allspice.
To find the latest and greatest of the pumpkin beers available this fall, we asked Brewers Association member breweries to share their pumpkin lineups. Here’s what they shared with us.
Rumpkin Pumpkin Ale | Avery Brewing Co.
Boulder, Colorado
Rumpkin is brewed with pumpkin and spices and aged in Gosling’s Old Rum barrels. We wondered what would happen if a monstrous pumpkin ale, plump and full of spicy gourdiness, was aged in fine, fresh rum barrels to add suggestions of delicate oak and candied molasses—Rumpkin is what happens!
Continue reading “Who Needs Pumpkin Pie—Pumpkin Beers are Here!”
Devils Backbone Brewing Company
Written by Meghan Storey for craftbeer.com
With an arsenal of awards on par with some of America’s oldest and most respected craft breweries, Devils Backbone Brewing Company (DBBC) has made quite a name for itself in its short existence. Founder and Owner Steve Crandall and the DBBC crew have won more medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup than any other brewery in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region combined in its two-year history!
To add a little icing to the cake, in 2010, DBBC also took home the coveted award of World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster Small Brewpub—after just one year of production, producing 800 barrels annually.
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Freaks, Monsters & Sour Beer this Halloween Weekend
Once again, while this is local to San Fran it does reflect celebration of the season as it relates to beer-The Professor
Written by Brian Stechschulte for bayareacraftbeer.com
Have you spent months creating a costume, but still need a place to go this Halloween weekend? Here’s a selection of parties at Bay Area breweries and bars that include freaks, costume contests and most importantly, craft beer.
Friday, October 28
MONSTERS OF ROCK Halloween Festival
4:00pm – 9:00pm, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers,1195 Evans, San Francisco. (map)
Costume contest, food from the Fogcutter food truck, $3 beers and live music from Midnight Chaser, Hell Ship and Fear the Fiasco. Free entry.
Continue reading “Freaks, Monsters & Sour Beer this Halloween Weekend”
The Halloweek in Beer: Plenty to Do and Drink
Written by David Bardallis for annarbor.com (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
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While this is primarily a local story, it does feature some interesting beers and a seasonal flair- The Professor
I know your fear because I’ve shared it, too. But this Halloween, I can assure you it’s going to be all right. We are not going to run out of beer, not even close. Just one look at your abundant Halloweek in Beer ought to put any horror you feel to rest. Have a safe and happy Halloween, and I’ll see you… on the other side.
Friday, October 28
>> The new Cucurbita Smiles Pumpkin Lager will be pouring from the taps of Wolverine State Brewing, 2019 W. Stadium, when the doors open at noon. Two things you may notice right away that differentiate it from other pumpkin beers you may have tried: First, it’s a lager instead of the usual ale. Second, it’s “spiced†a little differently, with brown sugar and rum-soaked vanilla beans. My impression was an unusual dry and woody taste — not in a bad way but an unexpected way. It’s different enough that you may enjoy this beer even if you normally stay away from pumpkin beers.
Continue reading “The Halloweek in Beer: Plenty to Do and Drink”
Want Ice Cream? Beer? How About Both?
(Cleveland County, North Carolina)
Written by Bernie Petit for shelbystar.com
You want beer. You want ice cream.
Why not have both?
The fall is filled with craft beers brewed with cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar and other traditional flavors of the season. Combine one of these tasty brews with two or three scoops of premium vanilla ice cream – or better yet, one of the quality pumpkin ice creams that you can find in the freezer section of the grocery store this time of year – and you’ve got a beer float reminiscent of a pumpkin pie.
Continue reading “Want Ice Cream? Beer? How About Both?”
It’s Beer, People: Grassroots Group Mobilizes Craft Beer Consumers to Speak Out in Austin
The board members of Open the Taps at the Bay Area Mashtronauts’ annual competition, Lunar Rendezbrew.
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Written by Dana Guthrie for yourhoustonnews.com
To force political change, you need either big money or a big voice.
Where the Texas beer industry is concerned, big money has the biggest voice. But one group of craft beer consumers, Open the Taps, is gaining ground and hopes to bring about a shift of power in Austin.
Craft beer is no longer a fledgling industry in the United States, but here in Texas, state laws protect big beer distributors and make it difficult for smaller breweries to be successful.
For example, a brewery can sell its beer from a restaurant or distribute beer to bars and retail outlets, but not both. That’s why you can’t bring home a six pack after the St. Arnold’s brewery tour.
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