Our ongoing series on the essential craft beers that everyone ought to know.    There was once a time when you could only get a Belgian-style ale by actually going to Belgium. Sure, one might be able to find a Hoegaarden or Duvel on occasion, but we in the U.S. were missing out on so many of the Belgian ales we now take for... Read more →

Oak smells good. Bourbon smells good. Fermented sugar water extracted from deeply roasted barley smells good. Certain Cannibaceae family members smell good. Combine them in judicious yet balanced measures, and—behold!—the greatest aroma known to any human.  Although putting beer into oak barrels is not a radical idea (see John’s... Read more →

Our ongoing series on the essential craft beers that everyone ought to know.    Ask any ten beer lovers for a list of their favorite IPAs and, chances are, after some gentle disagreements, you can get them to agree on FIRESTONE WALKER’s Union Jack.  From its humble beginnings in a shed on Firestone Vineyards in Los Olivos,... Read more →

Winter has arrived and shelves are stocked with winter warming goodness. ‘Tis the season, and all that, to feast and drink beers that warm the taste buds as well as the heart. Part of the fun is picking out the ales that will see me through the shivery evenings of winter. This year I started with STONE BREWING’s seasonal release,... Read more →

What’s more appropriate to finish off the autumn seasonals than a pumpkin ale? To be honest, I gave up on pumpkin ales a while back. I came to consider them a bit gimmicky. My first one, years ago, was so deliciously well-made that it tasted like a little slice of pumpkin pie in a glass. I chased that dragon for years, expecting the same... Read more →