Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. | Prickly Pear

In a way, it is fortunate that President Thomas Jefferson wasn’t able to read his distant successor’s “The Art of the Deal.” If he had, he might have learned that one does not kick the tires after making a $15 million purchase (as providence would have it, Jefferson’s profligacy was vindicated and the French ended up looking like suckers). So it was that in May 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark boldly commanded their corps to paddle furiously upstream from St. Louis, Missouri.

One full year later, Lewis and Clark found themselves in present-day Montana. By August 1805, two events critical to the expedition had happened: Lewis and Clark successfully navigated the Missouri River past Great Falls and what is today known as Helena, Montana; William Clark celebrated his 35^th birthday with nary a beer in sight.

Luckily for you, the extended family at Lewis and Clark’s namesake brewery have labored so you do not have to be so deprived. For your next expedition (e.g. trip to the bottle shop) or special occasion (e.g. Tuesday), we suggest Lewis & Clark’s Prickly Pear Pale Ale.

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pFriem Family Brewers | Pilsner

Pilsners tell the truth about a brewer’s acumen and prowess as there is no place to hide within pilsners; many beer connoisseurs rely on pilsners as a litmus test for a brewery’s overall quality. If beer styles were musical compositions, then pilsners would be the Inventions and Sinfonias of Johann Sebastian Bach. And trust us when we say that discerning beer lovers want to give pFriem Pilsner a careful listen.

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The OGs of Craft Beer | Russian River – Pliny the Elder

Neither Vinnie nor Natalie Cilurzo are likely to read this piece about Russian River Pliny the Elder.

Not that it is anything personal; it is just that when you are in the nonstop process of brewing world-class beer while expanding from a 17,000 BBL system to a 70,000 BBL system, you tend to lack the time to Google yourself. Read More

Ultimate 6er | College Football Season 2018

Welcome to the tailgate, college football fan! Pull up a lawn chair; the chili should be ready shortly. Put that red Solo cup away; you won’t be needing that. The season is far too short for you to drink swill, and we have some proper glassware here for you besides.

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Three Magnets | Big Juice Smoothie

Guy Fieri may be an unconventional catalyst toward opening a successful brewery, but when a video store manager and a truck stop bartender marry and open a restaurant in Washington’s capital, you may as well expect the unexpected. So when Nathan and Sara Reilly’s restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2013, they decided to capitalize on their 15 minutes of fame — Three Magnets Brewing was born, and Big Juice Smoothie was not far behind.

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Ultimate 6er | Therapeutic Beers

Sheryl Crow. Brian Wilson. J.K. Rowling. Tony Soprano. If you are considering therapy, just know you are in good company. And in our present climate characterized by collective anxiety and presidential stupidity (“He tweeted what?!”), therapy is well within the margins of sanity.

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Zipline Brewing Co. | Copper Alt

It is paradoxical that a long and happy life means you get to watch your parents age and die. It should be said that death is—hopefully—still years off for my parents, but it now lingers under every conversation like a guest who has long worn out their welcome. February brought for me an unplanned and unscheduled trip to my home state of Nebraska to look after my ailing parents. In a strange coincidence, all of this took place during the church season liturgical Christians observe called Lent, during which, among other things, we embrace the reality of our own mortality.

Countless others before me have had to navigate the vast, barren seascapes of the wintry Midwest in order to be delivered the gut-punch of their parents’ transience. But when it comes to commiseration in a glass, what is a craft beer lover to do? Thanks to the craft beer explosion, even in the more sparse stretches of America’s breadbasket, one is rarely more than 30 minutes away from solid craft beer. Enter Zipline Brewing Company’s Copper Alt. Read More

Ultimate 6er | The Six Best Ballard Beers That Are Not IPAs

Ballard, Seattle: home of canal locks, Golden Gardens, farmer’s markets, overpriced housing, beards, sandwich boards, and, oh yeah – a gaggle of breweries. But if you want to brew in Ballard, you gotta be handy with the hops, if you know what I mean. Earn your keep.

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Crucible Brewing Company | Molten Peaches

Like any story worth sharing, it started with a night of drinking wine with his grandparents. The moment of clarity slapped Dick Mergens out of sleep at 3AM, and he saw it immediately through a boozy haze: “I should open a brewery.” The 23-year-old Lowe’s employee crawled out of his grandparents’ basement the following morning and shared his vision with his coworker Dylan. Soon enough, two other longtime friends were on board. It was only a matter of time before I walked into their brewery to taste Molten Peaches.  Read More

Beery New Year’s Around the World

Confession: New Year’s is my favorite holiday of all the holidays. I have long been drawn to the celebration of turning the page, leaving the previous year behind and the anticipation of new beginnings. (I would be lying if I denied that my love of the holiday has nothing to do with the excess.)

Several years ago, a good friend of ours in Wisconsin invited us to an epic New Year’s Eve party. Starting at 8:00 in the morning, every hour featured a traditional food or drink from a country within that time zone.

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