Our pal the Beer Poet shared an interesting link with us on Twitter this morning.  XXXX Gold Brewing Company in Australia has decided that a mancave isn’t a good enough place for dudes to escape the fairer sex – they need an entire island. Starting this October, the brewer will be holding contests for the […]

We rarely get political here on B&WB – how you choose to vote and what candidates you support is your own business.  But there’s a serious matter that has come to our attention, one that has been called perhaps “the most important election of our time!*

Jim and I have talked before about our early childhood experiences with our Dad.  Dad was a Pabst Blue Ribbon drinker through and through.  If he had beer it was PBR.  It wasn’t until the company started to struggle and PBR became a little more scarce on the grocery shelves that he began to branch […]

Advertising Age has reported that Heineken USA and the producers of Skyfall, the next Bond movie, have struck a deal which will have James drinking a Heineken on screen.  Apparently it’s the first time Bond has appeared with a branded brew, and I’m sure Heineken spent a pretty penny to have their product integrated into […]

Wednesday I put together an article warning about Big Beer’s influence on craft beer.  In this particular example I used Old Dominion’s Oak Barrel Stout as a beer that may have been influenced by the Big Beer bean counters.  Turns out all that speculation, was just that…speculation.  Yesterday I received a very nicely worded letter […]

I love having friends that have beer!  And what’s better is I love having friends that have Whiskey!  And what’s better still is I love having friends that have beer and whiskey that I can’t get, and they are willing and eager to share.  So it went last time I went into my local bottle […]

If you’re a kid who lives in New Jersey, you know that a nirvana of finger-popping fireworks lies just across the Pennsylvania border.  But if you’re a beer nerd who lives in New Jersey, you hardly notice all of the FIREWORKS signs as you cross the Delaware, because you’re not looking for bottle rockets, you’re […]

Okay, so this might look like an SAT question, but it’s actually pretty simple, and it’s about beer (BONUS: and bacon!). Stay with me here. I’ve been thinking about how the quality of a craft beer and who owns the brewery that made it affect my purchase-making decisions.  It’s easy for me to say “no” […]

Beyond TODAY is an extension of our weekly column for the TODAY Show food blog. Over there, I talk about my hunt for the much-hyped Pliny the Elder on a recent trip to California. Over here, we’re sharing one from the archives about how hype can effect your perception and enjoyment of a beer.  Click […]

I know I’ve not been around too much lately.  I’ve been trying to secure employment, and my journeys over the last two weeks have brought be all over the State’s of Oregon and Washington.  I told you about the Cascade Barrel house in Portland a while back, but I also went to Good Life Brewery […]

. . I loved tinkering with LEGOs as a kid.   I used gears and pulleys and axles to make some neat stuff, some of which were pretty resourceful feats of kiddie engineering. Look mom, the helicopter blade AND the tail rotor spin when I turn the handle!  I’m totally a genius! Well, looking at the […]

I am enlightened.  I know this because I have found Nirvana, or maybe that should be Beervana at the Cascade Barrel House in Portland, Oregon.  As some of you know I’ve been unemployed for several months now, and looking for work in a bunch of different places.  A friend of mine and I went to […]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’ll have one less hour to enjoy delicious craft beers and artisinal spirits this weekend.  That’s right – it’s time to “spring ahead” and change your clocks from 2am to 3am in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I usually don’t mind this, as I’d […]

Beyond TODAY is an extension of our weekly column for the TODAY Show food blog. Over there, we’re talking about our experiences at the New York City American Craft Beer Festival. Over here, we’re talking about the train ride from hell I had to take to get there!  The first sign that it wouldn’t be […]

I’ve opened beers with many found objects – my favorite being the bottom of a Bic back when I was a smoker – but this one’s new on me. The video above shows a rather furry gentleman opening a rather crappy beer with a very ordinary piece of copy paper.  The trick is simple but […]