If I were to ask you what beer has the strongest brand equity in America, you’d probably grimace a bit and reply with a dejected “Budweiser.” And I say, “nope.” “Coors Light, then,” you might say. “They have those stupid frozen train ads during football, where they blast through neighborhoods, probably running down pets and […]
From the Cellar
Charlie Papazian Q&A; Why is “Big Beer” Invited to the World Beer Cup?
My post this week for the Today Show Online is about how I went a little nuts when I saw that out of 39 entries, Coors Light won gold at the World Beer Cup for “American-Style Lager or Light Lager.” I know the big boys have been winning this category for years, but it still […]
Call Scotland Yard! BrewDog in the Center of Another Scandal…How Can This Be?
I know it is HARD to believe, but BrewDog is in the middle of a Media Kerfuffle. I know…what are the odds…right? Well to set it up properly, BrewDog has been doing some pretty wonderful things to change the beer culture in their native Scotland. They have introduced the Brew Pub in a totally unique and […]
New Holland Artisan Spirits: Who’s Ready for Some Double Dragon?
If science has taught us anything, it’s that everything is better when it’s wrapped in bacon. I won’t support this assertion with examples, because we all know it’s true. The folks over at New Holland Artisan Spirits have been fooling around with whiskey for a while now, and the results have been very good. But […]
Why Churchkey Can Co. Makes Me Mad
What is old is new again. Truer words were never spoken where Churchkey Can Co. brewing is concerned. The other night I went to Brewforia and my buddy Rick had picked these up on a recent trip through Washington. The concept is simple and as old as metal packaging itself. Put a liquid in a […]
The Hardest Beer Habit to Break
I’m in full-on get-in-shape mode right now. I’m waking up at the crack of dawn to work out, I’m watching what I eat like a hawk, and I even got one of those Nike+ Fuelband gizmos to remind me to get off my ass and move around. On the beer front, I’ve gotten very rigid […]
The Three Best Vacation Beers I’ve Ever Had
My most recent post for TODAY.com is about the Big River Brewing Company at the Boardwalk Hotel in Disney World. I was down there last week with the family, and Big River was a life saver – a lush desert island of craft beer in an otherwise barren sea of industrial light lagers. While I […]
Mississippi Updates Beer Laws, Joins the 21st Century (sort of) – How Does Your State Stack Up?
Good news for beer nerds trapped in the Magnolia State – starting July 1st, you’ll be able purchase beers with up to 8% alcohol by weight (roughly 10% ABV) without playing Smokey and the Bandit and making a run to Alabama or Louisiana (or eBay). The previous limit was 5% alcohol by weight (about 6.25% […]
Finally, a Beer That Lives Up to the Hype
Hype can ruin a beer, because few brews can live up to the expectations heaped upon them by mad beer geek love. Hype ruined Pliny the Elder for me, and it screwed up my approach to sour beers – had I know they tasted like week-old laundry left in the washer, I would’ve expected less. […]
What Is the BEST Beer City in America?
Charlie Papazian wrote an interesting article for the Examiner .com a couple of days ago asking people what the best beer city is for 2012. This got my head spinning as there are so many great beer cities out there as is evident from the map above (I know its a state map, but play along). […]
Q&A With Sam Adams 2011 LongShot Winners
For this week’s Today post, I explore whether or not Sam Adams kept intact the home brewed essence of the winning LongShot recipes when they ramped them up to an industrial scale. As part of preparing that article, I did email interviews with this year’s winners, but only used a few snippets in the actual […]
Uinta Birthday Suit: Some Things Are Better With Their Clothes On
Uinta Brewing had their 19th anniversary this year. In celebration of this momentous occasion they brewed Birthday Suit a slightly sour ale brewed with cherries. Now you’re talking my language when you say sour ale and cherries together. Throw that sucker in a barrel for a little while, and I’m in heaven…or so I thought. […]
Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout: Finally Epic Lives Up To Their Name
This was one of the best beers I’ve had from Epic Brewing. I’ve had a few others, and was less than impressed, but they have completely redeemed themselves with their Exponential Series Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout. This was a beautiful beer. It poured a thick inky black with a relatively thin and lightly colored […]
Busy Brothers Make Bad Bloggers
Believe it or not, Jim and I do take this blog pretty seriously. We really enjoy ourselves here, but we also have to put up new and semi interesting things for you to read in order to get the conversation we love going. This week the wheels have fallen off of the blog, and it […]
Win a Trip to Sausagefest Island
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 […]
The Brothers
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 