This is how I always imagine these in my head… With Spring finally starting to…uh…spring, it’s time to turn our attention to one of my favorite outdoor activities – going to beer festivals.  It used to be that there were a few key events and a few also-rans and that was it.  But as craft […]

The art of aging beer is something for which I have very little patience.  Jim and I make no bones about the fact that we don’t really age beers and that we think if beer is supposed to be aged that the brewers ought to age it before releasing them.  Some do, most do not. […]

Every once in a while I run across something that makes me realize what a happy little bubble we have here.  This site is frequented by some of the most opened-minded and knowledgeable beer geeks around.  Frankly, I forget that there are other folks out there, some of them very intelligent and articulate, who really […]

I picked up a six pack of Schlafly Irish-Style Extra Stout on Friday night and have to say it’s a wonderful beer.  It has a dry, chocolatey flavor and a creamy, satisfying mouth feel. It’s a total treat, and is only available for a limited time, so go snap some up if you’re a stout-loving […]

Unable to turn down an opportunity to do something “outlandish” for attention, Brew Dog has created something special for the upcoming royal wedding.  It’s a 7.5% ABV beer containing Viagra, chocolate and horny goat weed called Royal Virility Performance.  Ugh. The beer will be available for purchase on Brew Dog’s website on April 29th (the […]

If you have ever doubted that the heart of a beer geek beats inside the chest of the Boston Beer Company, look no further than the Latitude 48 IPA Variety Pack that Sam Adams should be releasing in the coming weeks (or months – the 8 Ball is still fuzzy on this, but we’ve heard […]

Its Baseball Season officially now.  All the clubs are playing in their home fields, and not down in Florida or Arizona (except for the clubs that belong there), and things are starting to happen.  Boston is off to a horrible start, people are breaking arms, Manny retired because he didn’t want to face the humiliation […]

Lately, I’ve been too “busy” (a nice way of saying “lazy”) to keep up with the beers I have in primary fermentation.  I also broke a plastic airlock trying to pry it free from a stubborn bung, leaving me short this key piece of equipment.  This remarkable combination of laziness and manual inadequacy has led […]

Many folks are disgusted by the recent behavior of Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall, who relieved himself into two beer glasses at Bangers and Lace in Chicago on Friday.  Baternder Matty Eggleston (pictured above) was left behind to clean up the mess, and decided to contact the Chicago Tribune and make a PR mess for […]

Our pal Adam over at BeerNews.org is reporting that current Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall was caught urinating into two beer glasses at a birthday party held at Bangers and Lace in Chicago.  The incident happened Friday evening. The fact that Anheuser-Busch is in the process of purchasing Goose Island creates lots of opportunities to […]

There has been some discussion on Facebook and Reddit lately about the role ABV plays in craft beer.  I’ve really only been exploring this world for about 2 years now, so I consider myself a newcomer.  But what I think I knew was that higher ABV meant more flavor.  And to some extent I still […]

Whatcha doin’ this weekend?  My world has been all about basketball for about 5 months now.  My 16 year old son has always loved the sport, and is getting pretty good at it.  So as a loving parent that wants the best and most for his kids, I have indulged his love with basketball camps, […]

Last night I realized I have a fragile mind, one easily swayed by the little demons a P.R. person can put in your head.  In this case, I succumbed to the story about Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch being banned in Michigan – a story I wrote! Some longtime readers will remember that I had written […]

“If you get shot at, you can have a shot.” That’s the thinking of Alaska State Representative Bob Lynn (R-Anchorage), a Vietnam vet who’s behind a bill that would lower the state’s drinking age to 18 for every person who can show a valid armed forces identification. He’s also calling for lowering the tobacco buying […]

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has deemed a beer label as inappropriate and forbid the sale of Flying Monkeys Brewing’s Smashbomb Atomic IPA.  No, there is no obvious swear word, there is no inappropriate sexual images, just a cartoony label that depicts an explosion on the bottle.  I’m sure when the brewers at […]