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Saturday, February 8, 2014

Overflow crowd of beer lovers awaits Pliny the Younger

Overflow crowd of beer lovers awaits Pliny the Younger

Updated 10:55 pm, Friday, February 7, 2014

Monday, May 6, 2013

8 best beer towns in the USA


8 best beer towns in the USA

By Lauren Passell, for CNN
updated 1:39 PM EDT, Mon May 6, 2013

The nation's civic leaders in making, celebrating and, of course, drinking hop juice.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Portland, Oregon, boasts more breweries than any city in the world
  • San Diego, California, was chosen to host 2012 World Beer Cup -- the "Olympics of Beer"
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a beer explorer's must-see town, despite state controls that regulate purchases of packaged beer
(CNN) -- The history of beer in the United States is a rich one dating back to the colonies, when soldiers were paid in spruce beer and cider. From there beer weathered a Revolution, Prohibition and a right turn at Albuquerque before positively exploding with deregulation of the industry through the early 1980s.
Ever since, Americans have been sampling, celebrating and sophisticating the unofficial national beverage in ways previously unimaginable, and it seems nearly every town's gotten into the act.
But not all cities are carbonated equal. Some have begun to take beer personally, innovating its craft and consumption and throwing festivals to honor the finest ales and lagers -- creating a blueprint for the rest of the country to follow. Still others have been doing this all along.
This is the story of those towns, the top eight cities in America for beer explorers.
We've scored each out of 10 for history, breweries, bars and events, and would like to think every one of you will read the whole piece quietly, captions and all, nodding sagely as the indisputable truth of every line hits home. But, this is the Internet and if there's one place where froth belongs besides the top of your pint of ale, it's the comment box below. Feel free.
Portland, Oregon: More breweries than any city in the world, where you'll find Hopworks Urban Brewery, Alameda Brewing Company, Cascade Brewing and family-owned Hair Of The Dog, all renowned for their care and creativity.
1. Portland, Oregon
History: 6
Breweries: 10
Bars: 10
Events: 7
Portland boasts more breweries (52) than any city in the world. It's also America's largest craft brewing market, with 69 breweries in the greater metro area, owing to state sales regulations that favor consumer tastes over discounts and kickbacks, allowing small brewers to compete with mass marketers.
But the Rose City isn't just about quantity. PDX is where you'll find Hopworks Urban Brewery, Alameda Brewing Company, Cascade Brewing, and family-owned Hair Of The Dog, all nationally renowned for their care and creativity.
Fairs like The Oregon Brewer's Festival, the Portland International Beer Festival, and Portland Beer Week -- America's first organic beer festival -- ensure that beer spirit in the city runs high all year, while Biketobeerfest celebrates two things exalted by the region: bikes and beer. Portland is also home to five of Draft magazine's top 100 craft bars -- Saraveza Bottle Shop & Pasty Tavern, Horse Brass Pub, Apex, Bailey's Tap Room, and Belmont Station.
Top draws: Hopworks Urban Crosstown Pale, Deschutes Hop Trip Ale
The Bay Area is bursting with micro- and nanobreweries that have been experimenting with food-inspired brews like nowhere else. The city's Toronado Pub hosts arguably America's preeminent barleywine festival.
2. San Francisco, California
History: 8
Breweries: 9
Bars: 9
Events: 7
The Bay Area is bursting with micro- and nanobreweries that have been experimenting with food-inspired brews like nowhere else. Take Almanac, which uses seasonal produce in its brews, or Moonlight Brewing Company, which picks redwood twigs and cedar bark from brewer Brian Hunt's own backyard.
There's history here, too. The sale of Anchor Steam Brewery in the 1960s precipitated the production of several signature beers at a time when mass-marketed light beers were the trend. The following decade saw the opening of New Albion Brewing in Sonoma, the first new brewery in California since Prohibition and the first microbrewery in America.
Following suit have been 21st Amendment Brewery, Speakeasy, Drake's, Black Diamond and Social Kitchen and Brewery. Notable bars include La Trappe Cafe and The Toronado Pub, which hosts arguably America's preeminent barleywine festival. And finally, there's San Francisco's Beer Week and the San Francisco International Beer Fest.
Top draws: Moylan's Tipperary Pale Ale, 21st Amendment Brew
With 30-plus breweries in the county and its own IPA category, San Diego's a beacon on any beer explorer's map.
3. San Diego, California
History: 5
Breweries: 10
Bars: 9
Events: 8
With 30-plus breweries in the county and its own IPA category, San Diego's a beacon on any beer explorer's map. For a pint, hit up former firefighter Pat McIlhenney's beer-centric restaurant, the Linkery, which offers brew-paired dinners, and Toronado, which boasts an exhaustive beer list.
A trip to San Diego isn't complete without sampling the suds at Karl Strauss, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, Green Flash, and Stone Brewing Co., declared by BeerAdvocate magazine the "All-Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth."
As for events, San Diego was chosen to host the 2012 World Beer Cup -- the "Olympics of Beer" -- and San Diego Beer Week draws crowds from all over to celebrate 10 days of tastings, pairings and live music. If you visit, don't miss five San Diego bars mentioned in Draft mag's top 100 American beer bars: Tiger! Tiger!, Small Bar, O'Brien's American Pub, Blind Lady Ale House, and Hamilton's Tavern.
Top draws: Alpine Ale, Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze
The Pilgrims built a brewery in Boston because beer was safer than the water -- little wonder the city consumes the most beer per capita in the United States.
4. Boston, Massachusetts
History: 10
Breweries: 7
Bars: 8
Events: 7
The first brewery in Massachusetts emerged not long after the Pilgrims dropped anchor, owing to the fact that beer was safer to drink than the water. Though the Pilgrims were aiming for Virginia, they ran out of brew and stopped in Massachusetts -- thus a beer town was born.
Eventually, Boston was blessed with a number of microbreweries, including the best-selling craft brewer in America, Boston Beer Co. -- producer of Samuel Adams -- and Harpoon Brewery. Notable hits on the bar crawl include Cambridge and Cape Ann Brewing Cos., Deep Ellum and The Publick House, alongside historic pubs like Green Dragon, The Warren Tavern (Boston's oldest) and Sunset Grill & Tap.
With this lively scene, it's not hard to believe that Boston consumes the most beer per capita in the United States. It's also home to the American Craft Beer Fest, the East Coast's largest celebration of domestic micros, featuring 600+ varieties from 125+ American brewers.
Top draws: Harpoon IPA, Beer Works Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale
Colorado is fourth out of 50 states in breweries per capita and while there are only a handful in Denver proper, there are loads of notable breweries outside town and in nearby Boulder.
5. Denver, Colorado
History: 7
Breweries: 8
Bars: 7
Events: 8
Colorado is fourth out of 50 states in breweries per capita, and while there are only a handful in Denver proper, there are loads of notable breweries outside town and in nearby Boulder.
Neighborhoods like Platte Street and the Art District on Santa Fe are peppered with breweries. Elsewhere you'll find Avery, Renegade, New Belgium, Strange Brewing, Dry Dock and others, including Bull & Bush, which writer Steve Body declared "may well be America's best brewpub and restaurant."
Denver's first craft brewery, Wynkoop, was opened in 1988 by John Hickenlooper, who went on to become mayor, then governor, extending Denver's brewer reach to the highest levels of government. Both Wynkoop and Great Divide are a moon shot from Coors Field, and homemade beers at Blue Moon Brewing Co. are found just behind section 112 in left field.
The Mile-High City also stages what is widely regarded the largest, most prestigious beer festival in the country, the annual Great American Beer Festival, drawing sudsmeliers from all over the world to taste more than 2,200 brews.
Top Draws: Denver Graham Cracker Porter, Renegade Hammer and Sickle
Philly Beer Week is the city's most "hoppening" event, but the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Beer Festival, begun in 2011, is already proving a worthy companion.
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
History: 9
Breweries: 6
Bars: 8
Events: 7
In the city of brewery love, outfits like Victory, Sly Fox, Nodding Head, Yards and Flying Fish have been vanguards of local brewing since the city's barley rush of the 1990s. And since 1860, McGillin's Olde Ale House has been a beloved showcase for those and other local brews longer than any in Philly.
Three less-ancient bars made Draft mag's top 100 -- Eulogy Belgian Tavern, Grey Lodge Public House and Memphis Taproom, which enjoys a sterling reputation despite an endorsement by Guy Fieri. And no beer itinerary is complete without writer Michael Jackson's favorite spot, Monk's Cafe, a love letter to Belgian (and other) brews that will awe the savviest palate.
Philly Beer Week is the city's most hoppening event, but the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Beer Festival, begun in 2011, is already proving a worthy companion. One caveat to all this beer-fueled euphoria: complicated state controls regulate the purchase of packaged beer. Don't let them kill your buzz.
Top Draws: Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale, Victory Hop Devil IPA
With one brewery for every 9,111 people, descriptors for Bend include "beervana" and "Beer City, USA."
7. Bend, Oregon
History: 5
Breweries: 8
Bars: 8
Events: 8
With one brewery for every 9,111 people, descriptors for Bend include "beervana" and "Beer City, USA." And that number is constantly changing, with newcomers like Crux Fermentation Project and Worthy Brewing Company recently fattening Bend's ranks.
Already cemented into Bend beer culture is Deschutes, the godfather of local craft brewing, which recently expanded its flagship location. The Ale Apothecary, like its name suggests, blends modern and old-fashioned brewing techniques for what they're calling Bend's only steampunk brewery.
Getting your beer passport stamped at all nine of participating breweries on the Bend Ale Trail will net you a prize, and dog lovers will appreciate Boneyard Beer, where they can try the world's first organic, non-alcoholic brew made for dogs, Dawg Grogg.
Your itinerary's bound to overlap at least one of Bend's annual beer celebrations, like Central Oregon Beer Week, The Little Woody Barrel-Aged Brew & Whiskey Festival, Bend BrewFest, The Fermentation Celebration and Bend Oktoberfest.
Top Draws: Deschutes Inversion IPA, Silver Moon Hound's Tooth Amber
With at least five major beer events, Asheville keeps the party going all year round with its own Oktoberfest, Beer Week and Winter Warmer, Best Firkin, Beer City and Brewgrass Festivals.
8. Asheville, North Carolina
History: 5
Breweries: 7
Bars: 7
Events: 9
Yes, Asheville. It's relatively new to the beer scene, but with 11 breweries yielding the highest per-capita total in the country, it's already building a global rep. A day trip to Asheville offers a chance to try roughly 50 local beers, almost all of which can be tasted at The Thirsty Monk, a must-see on any Ashevillian beer pilgrimage.
But it's less the number of breweries or bars here than it is the culture that earns Asheville its cred. There is serious pride in the local craft, and its small-town appeal means all you have to do is roll over and you'll find yourself in one of the city's renowned breweries, like Wedge, Green Man and Wicked Weed.
The city also pumps beer into mustards, shampoos, ice creams, cakes, dog biscuits, and soaps. And with at least five major beer events, Asheville keeps the party going all year round with its own Oktoberfest, Beer Week and Winter Warmer, Best Firkin, Beer City and Brewgrass Festivals.
Top Draws: Asheville Shiva IPA, French Broad Ryehopper


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

A Sign From Above? Needing New Roof, Monks Sell Rare Beer In U.S.

A Sign From Above? Needing New Roof, Monks Sell Rare Beer In U.S.

Beers made by Trappist monks at St. Sixtus Abbey's Westvleteren Brewery in Belgium are sought by connoisseurs. For the first time, the monks are exporting the beer overseas, including to the U.S.
Courtesy of Mark Lampert
The 12th day of the 12th month of 2012 is not a day of deliverance but of delivery for devout American fans of Westvleteren 12, brewed by the reclusive Belgian monks at St. Sixtus Abbey.
The celebrated beer — often called the best in the world — is usually only available for sale at the abbey, located in the Belgian countryside. But starting Wednesday, buyers in the U.S. and other countries can purchase the beer at select retailers for $84.99 for six bottles.
Why this sudden blessing for beer lovers? The abbey happened to need an expensive renovation recently. But its 21 monks live an austere life — which means, among other things, that they purposely lack cash reserves. So the monks reluctantly made the decision to export small amounts of the precious nectar overseas for the first time.
And, says Mark Bode, the longtime spokesman for the Westvleteren Brewery, "I think it will be the last." Bode is one of very few people privy to the monks' views, as no visitors are allowed inside the abbey.
"They say, 'We are monks, we don't want to be too commercial. We needed some money to help us buy the new abbey and that's it,' " Bode explains. "Back to normal again."
At the abbey in western Belgium's countryside, "normal" entails a life entirely focused on prayer. The monks rise at 3 a.m. to start the first of seven prayer sessions per day. In between, they busy themselves in the kitchen and the garden, and with tasks like painting — and brewing.
The Trappist monks who brew Westvleteren beer are exporting only enough of it to raise money to make renovations to their abbey in western Belgium.
Teri Schultz/NPR
The monks have brewed the same amount of beer every year since 1945 — about 3,800 U.S. barrels, just the amount needed to sustain the abbey. Sales of the beer are tightly controlled.
The resulting scarcity created demand on a regional scale, even before beer websites started an international craze by giving Westvleteren's beers a stellar taste rating.
In the brewery's cafe, beer connoisseur Andrew Stroehlein, who has blogged his way through an estimated 500 Belgian varieties, says he went through, well, hell and high water to get some Westvleteren.
"You call the number over a series of days, weeks, months and nobody answers," he says, recounting how he tried to contact the abbey's beer shop. "Then finally somebody does answer. They tell you when you can come; they tell you what beer you can buy; they tell you how much you're gonna pay. And if you don't like it, then God be with you."
Nevertheless, Stroehlein has eagerly made a second trip on this day to get a taste of the Trappist treat, more than two hours' drive from Brussels deep into Flemish pig-farm country, suitably hard to find at the end of a long, narrow street.
"It's the holy grail of so many beer connoisseurs," he says. "This is where they want to reach. This is it."
Sitting nearby in the brewery's cafe are two patrons who came by train from the Netherlands.
"Because of the whole story, it's worth traveling for ... it's a legend," says John Stienen.
"But even without the whole story, if you take your time and pay attention to it, then you notice the difference," says Theijs van Welij. "And you really think, this is really one of the few quality beers that you should have tried in your life."
Back in Brussels, Stroehlein delivers a bottle of Westvleteren to Christine Frazer, who has been anticipating this first sip for a long time.
"That's lovely," she says, after sampling the brew. She adds with a smile, "It's like a sweetie, like a bonbon. Oh, yes!"
When there is criticism of Westvleteren's taste, it tends to be that it's overly sweet.
Jean Hummler owns one of the most successful lambic pubs in Brussels. The acidic lambic beers require more complex brewing processes — and, Hummler suggests, more sophisticated palates — than Trappist ales such as Westvleteren.
"It doesn't contain any special malt, with a lot of candy sugar. As professionals, we consider Westvleteren as a heavy, dark sweet beer," he says. "It's easy to be famous and popular when you're working on the mild and sweet side."
That criticism wouldn't bother the modest monks at St. Sixtus. Bode says that while they're proud of their product, the hype makes it more difficult to live a life of silence and seclusion.
"They don't want the publicity. They don't need it," he says.
But, he is reminded, that kind of notoriety can come in handy when you need a new roof. "One time in a lifetime, yes," he says, with a laugh.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

1-800-Microbrew has re-launched as a Microbrew Club Comparison Guide

1-800-Microbrew has re-launched as a Microbrew Club Comparison Guide

1-800-Microbrew takes the guesswork out of evaluating and comparing the many options currently available when trying to select the “right” beer club membership. We contacted members of several clubs and evaluated a wide assortment of previously featured microbrewed beers. Our Beer Club Reviews were based on variety and quality of beers, overall value, newsletter content, customer service and website navigation.

For nearly 2 decades, 1-800-Microbrew has introduced beer lovers to a vast selection of hard-to-find, handcrafted beers from across the country and around the world. We’ve reviewed a vast array of craft beers including classic German Pilsners, Bavarian Hefeweizens, Malt-driven bocks, Irish Stouts, Belgian Strong Ales, Strong Porters, English Bitters, Winter Warmers and more.

The Beer of the Month Club with the highest rating is the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club.


  • Microbrewed Beer of The Month Club 
  • Founded: 1994
    • Consumer’s Top Pick and Most Popular
    • Web Site:

      Best user experience, most informative, easy to order,
      most professional.
    • Variety:

      Choice of domestic or international beers.
    • Quality of Beer:
    • Newsletter Quality/Education:

      Professionally written, informative, great tasting notes.
    • Selection Process:

      Clearly defined, professional beer selection process.
    • Overall Value: