Professor Good Ales

Small craft brewers are bucking the recessionary trend, increasing production to meet demand from thirsty (and discerning) consumers who are making room in their tight budgets for the specialty suds.

Business is booming at Ontario Street’s Flying Bison Brewing Co.

“We’re up close to 100 percent over a year ago,” said Tim Herzog, a founder of Flying Bison. “It has been absolutely amazing to watch.”

Flying Bison opened in 2000 with four 20-barrel tanks. As demand increased, tanks were added. The brewery now has seven 40-barrel tanks, two 20-barrel tanks and three conditioning tanks. They are always full, Herzog said.
Continue reading “Craft Beer Brewers Hop to it to Meet Customer Demand”

Written by Kara Yorio for northjersey.com

America: Baseball, apple pie and pumpkin ale.

It’s time for the seasonal brew that is a distinctly American style, a domestic craft beer that, for some, says fall as much as colorful foliage or hay rides and corn mazes.

“It just ties into the whole harvest, fall, Oktoberfest time of the year,” says Hugh Cohen, general manager of The Office in Ridgewood, which has three pumpkin flavors on tap. “It’s a great flavor profile for a beer. A lot of people who normally wouldn’t drink beer will taste this.”
What’s on tap?

Area bars are serving pumpkin ales alongside Oktoberfest beers. Here is what some have on tap (note: beers on tap can change day-to-day so call ahead if looking for something specific):

THE OFFICE BEAR BAR AND GRILL
Continue reading “Pumpkin Ales are a Distinctly American Brew”

Written by Jay R. Brooks for the Bay Area News Group and mercurynews.com

When you look at the pioneers of the craft beer movement, many trailblazing men and women spring to mind. But this weekend marks an important anniversary: Former Navy engineer Jack McAuliffe incorporated his New Albion Brewery, the first modern microbrewery, in Sonoma on Oct. 8, 1976.

I’ve written about McAuliffe before, but his brewery marks one of two major milestones in the short history of craft beer in America. The other, of course, was Fritz Maytag’s purchase of San Francisco’s only remaining pre-Prohibition brewery — Anchor Brewery, which dates back to 1896.

Brewery from scratch
Continue reading “Brooks on Beer: Jack McAuliffe, Craft Beer Pioneer”

Written by Norman Miller for GateHouse News Service and milforddailynews.com

The Stone Brewing Company brews brash, hoppy, bitter and big in-your-face beers.

Now the founders of the Escondido, Calif., brewery and its public relations director have written a book that details Stone’s history and discusses the various beers. It also includes homebrew recipes for a number of beers, as well as recipes for different dishes from the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens.

“The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance,” by Greg Koch, Steve Wagner and Randy Clemens, was released last week.

The book itself is a beautiful hardcover. Published by Ten Speed Press, the 201 page book retails for $25. It’s also full of quality, glossy photos — a perfect coffee-table book.

“Things are almost universally better when people do something the way they think it should be done,” said Stone co-founder and CEO Koch, who founded the brewery in 1996 with Wagner.

“Brewing tasty beer in our particular way; taking advice and supporting our vision; sharing the story of our unique style of success … that’s why Stone has been such a fast-growing company for so long.”

“The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.” is split up in four separate parts. The first part includes A Story Called Stone, which tells the history of the brewery and how Koch and Wagner came together to form it.

Want to read more? Please click…

HERE

By 2010, Hungarian beer was almost a thing of the past, while 90 per cent of Hungarian beer-drinkers did not even know what they were missing. We – beer-bloggers, journalists, craft-brewers – were determined to turn around the disreputable image of beer in Hungary, with the ultimate selfish goal of making good, real beer widely available. So we organised Fõzdefeszt – the first Hungarian Craft Beer Festival – in May.

What beer drinkers want

After the spectacular success of that first festival, the hidden popular interest in Hungarian craft beer became evident. Something like a beer revolution is under way: in one season half a dozen quality beer festivals sprung up, new breweries were founded and more than 20 new brews were born to meet the demands outlined from our spring festival.
Continue reading “Craft Beer Festival’s Second Round (Hungarian BEER!)”

Written by Bryce Eddings for About.com

Did you know that certain doctors in certain hospitals sometimes prescribe beer for certain patients under certain circumstances? Apparently, they do.

I don’t know why I find this surprising but, I do. Perhaps it’s because I’ve just never come across it personally. Perhaps it’s because I was raised in the US where we can be a little puritanical about all things alcohol. The appearance of a can of beer on a hospital tray would just seem out of place.
Continue reading “Prescription Beer”