Fresh fruit is naturally variable, complicating the challenge of brewing consistently great beer. Jim Crooks, master blender at Firestone Walker Barrelworks, talks sourcing, contact times, fruit-to-beer ratio, and more.
The director of brewing operations for the progressive Wisconsin brewery discusses finding their flavor voice in a way that transcends style.
Lacie Bray and Andy Coates, cofounders of Ozark Beer in northwest Arkansas, explain the stressful process and habitual leap of faith behind their cult-favorite beer, BDCS.
It used to be notoriously difficult to cook with American IPA—it was bitter and challenging—but the continuing evolution of this growing family of styles has created new opportunities for compatibility in the kitchen.
Czech lager’s simplicity is deceptive; there is much more to it than Saaz hops, pils malt, and soft water. Here are five favorites that combine ample character with exquisite balance and supreme drinkability.
This suburban Atlanta brewery is on a broader mission to show that low-ABV beers across the style spectrum can be just as exciting as their stronger counterparts.
Here’s a useful primer on pitching and pitch rates—plus, info on where to dive deeper for more technical details you can apply in your own brewery.
Jim Crooks, master blender at Firestone Walker Barrelworks, explains how one of the few variables that brewers can control when oak-aging beers is the environment, including temperature, humidity, and minimizing oxygen in the porous barrels.
In Prague, Evan Rail visits the Břevnovský Klášterní Pivovar Sv. Vojtěcha—aka the Břevnov Monastery Brewery, home of Benedict—to learn the secrets of “pitelnost,” essential to a great Czech pale lager.
The world’s most influential beer style is also one of the most misunderstood outside its birth country. “Pilsner” took over the world, but the Czech source material is strikingly different and far more alluring.