Whales Eating Fish: Duvel Buys Boulevard

Earlier this week it was announced that Belgian-based craft brewery Duvel would combine their American operations with Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing. A) Can this be compared at all the the AB-InBev … Read More

Dogfish Head – American Beauty

9.0% ABV, 55 IBU

Workingman’s Dead on CD, bought for $5 from the used bin at the local record store my Freshman year of high school. For a short period of time, they were the only band that existed in my provincial teenage mindset. Read More

Jolly Pumpkin – Fuego del Otono

6.1% ABV

Some people drink for education, some drink for relaxation, some drink for inspiration. I have never understood the idea of drinking for any purpose other than pleasure. Sure, I write about the beers, but I only review beer that I enjoy, the beers that I want others exposed to as well. Ron Jeffries, Brew Master at Jolly Pumpkin, says, “We create beers to lighten the spirit and soothe the soul.” Preach on, brother. This is a philanthropic venture on the brewing end and a hedonist venture on the consumption end. Share the joy! And what brings more joy than beer? Well, fire. But fire and beer together. Whoa, whoa, whoa, it’s magic. Literally translated, Fuego del Otono means “fire of the fall” (or “Autumn Fire” as they call it at Jolly Pumpkin). Read More

Blurry Vision: The 2013 MLB Playoffs

The first day of autumn has fallen upon us, and, while most on this blog are comparing the subtleties of pumpkin beers and other fall seasonals, I am sweating out … Read More

Anchor Brewing – Big Leaf Maple Autumn Red

 6.0% ABV, IBU (n/a)

As a relative neophyte to the craft beer world, red beers are one area where I feel I have extremely limited knowledge of flavor spectrums and … Read More

Yanks Marching in Columbus – USA v Mexico

“Oh when the Yanks, go marching in. Oh when the Yanks go marching in. I want to be in that number, when the Yanks go marching in.”

A picturesque sunset … Read More

Roundtable Discussion – Expectations & Anticipation

If you are like me you spent last Sunday sitting in front of the couch paying homage to that golden American idol known as the NFL. The beginning of every … Read More

Arcadia Ales – Sky High Rye

Arcadia Ales – Sky High Rye (6.0%, 55 IBU), Battle Creek, Michigan

Rye is a word that, being of German heritage, means the most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted. I … Read More

Stillwater Artisanal – Cellar Door

Summer is not yet over, my fellow malt-loving marauders of all things craft beer, and though the name may suggest hibernation, I can assure you that this American farmhouse ale … Read More

Barclay’s Premier League Ultimate 6er

As a longtime Liverpool supporter (circa 2000 when European soccer began getting some airplay on American sports television), mid-August marks the beginning of the grueling10-month endeavor known as the Barclay’s Premier League (BPL, formerly the English Premier League, EPL) season. Now much has been made of this upcoming season as NBC Sports has obtained rights to show all BPL games this season, and with that new contract NBC has ramped up their marketing.

Read More

What American Sports Can Learn from English Football

The start of the American football season almost coincides with the start of the English football season, and with it optimism, high expectations, and hope that this will be … Read More

Southern Tier – Live

5.5% ABV

Of all the things that go hand in hand with drinking beer, watching live music tops my list. And it is no secret that a beer (or more … Read More

Porch Trivia

In an effort to interact more with our legions of loyal readers, we are going to start a weekly trivia post on Saturdays. The trivia can range from questions about … Read More

Roundtable Discussion: Best Brewery in America

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Dogfish Head – Burton Baton 10.0% ABV, 70 IBU

For almost a week, I  tirelessly opened my refrigerator door to see a bottle peering at me from the bottom shelf, imploring … Read More

New Belgium Rolle Bolle

New Belgium’s Rolle Bolle (Seasonal) 5.2% ABV, 30 IBU

In the midst of nearly killing ourselves riding our bikes through the Rocky Mountains a few weeks back, my friend Brennan and … Read More

Bell’s Brewery’s Third Coast Old Ale

10.2% ABV

Pale ales, wheat beers, IPAs, pilsners, kolsches, lagers, everybody can’t wait to get their summer on. Give me something light, give me something easy to drink, give me something refreshing. No. With a picturesque wintry Michigan day gracing the label, I grabbed a hanger-on from those lost days of winter, and I can’t believe that this one hung around this long (as it is usually a winter/spring beer). Not on the hottest of days, but on a rainy weekend day or a mild summer night with a fire blazing in the outdoor pit, I often look to the things that comforted me back when seasonal depression had me in its menacing grip. However, they say that Bell’s Brewery’s Third Coast Old Ale ages well and never goes bad, so a few months later than usual may have made it all the better. Read More

Stevens Point Brewery’s Whole Hog Limited Six Hop IPA

Stevens Point Brewery Whole Hog (Limited) Six Hop IPA 8.5% ABV, 87 IBU

The thing I enjoy most about writing beer reviews is doing some homework on the brewery itself. … Read More

Roundtable Discussion: Favorite Summer Activities and the Beers that Accompany Them

As summer weekdays become packed with after work things to do and begin to seem more like weekends, we wanted to know what our staff’s favorite summer activities are…and what are the perfect beers to serve as companion to said activity.

Read More

Great Lakes Brewing – Lake Erie Monster

As long as there have been people living around bodies of water, there have been stories about what lives in the deep recesses of each murky abyss. From Krakens of Greek mythology to the river monsters of the Amazon, to the Crocosaurus of the Sci Fi Channel to the infamous Nessie of Scotland’s Loch Ness, the lore surrounding mythical sea monsters swirls in all corners of the globe and throughout time. The northern Midwest is not excluded from this pantheon of time and geography as Lake Erie’s Bessie (sometimes known as “South Bay Bessie”) has graced this fourth largest of the Great Lakes since its first recorded sighting in 1817. Great Lakes Brewing’s summer seasonal Lake Erie Monster pays homage to the beast with a double IPA that (at 9.1% ABV) will have you telling tales in no time. Read More