RateBeer.com Articles, Advice, Interviews and Op-Edhttp://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News.aspSat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Magicdave6. Alrighty Cellaring cask ale is something I’ve been doing for many years now and it’s possibly one of the most rewarding parts of my career in the pub trade. There’s no specific art to cellaring cask ale, it’s just something you get a feel for and begin to understand it over the course of time... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-757.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-757.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Cliff. This past Saturday, Matt Cole, head brewer at Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon in North Olmsted Ohio, graciously let me follow him around as he brewed a batch of their Oktoberfest. As I sipped on some deliciously hoppy Hop JuJu Double IPA, I was able to ask Matt some questions about how Fat Head’s... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-756.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-756.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: satan165. 2009 marked the seventh consecutive year I have visited Orlando for a week’s vacation in late summer. Since 2003 I have been slowly investigating the area more with each season. In the past couple years, my growing interest in beer has taken my travels of the metropolitan area many miles further... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-755.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-755.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. Most fans of Franconian beer culture have probably at some point wondered how these little village breweries sustain themselves. Some, such as Barnikel in Herrnsdorf or Heckel in Waischenfeld seem to be planted firmly in the 19th century, existing simply because they always have. Their... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-754.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-754.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Radek Kliber. [img src="/images/features/praga.jpg"] Those of you that know me are aware of the fact that I was preaching Lager Love since early days of Ratebeer. Back then circa 2001 before I was better known to the Ratebeer world I even got hate mail for spreading such blasphemy. But that was then and... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-752.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-752.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Dogbrick. 1.The first question I always ask is how brewers got their start. Why don’t you give us your background in brewing and how you ended up the Brewmaster at Jackie O’s. a.During my freshman year at OU I started to try a lot of craft beers. This was when I started to really build an appreciation for... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-753.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-753.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: JorisPPattyn. It has become something of a tradition – once a year CK organizes a tasting at his home, for a small number of “invitees ”. Oh yes, “CK”, that is the CK as in “SloCK”, a beer you can find under De Graal. With a long history of serving at GBBF together, as well as judging a bit around the globe in... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-751.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-751.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. Last week I couldn’t help but get the diacetyl thing off my chest, but this week I want to explain how crazy Franconia is when it comes to beer. You’re all familiar with the reputation that Bamberg has and you all know about the rauchbier. If you’re been here, you probably know the rest of what I’... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-750.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-750.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Franconia. Beer wise, it has been amazing. In addition to the usual German styles and the famous rauchbier (actually hard to come by outside of Schlenkerla) there is one major type of beer. On Ratebeer we call it Zwickel/Keller/Landbier but it could... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-749.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-749.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. The Mumme Experience Braunschweiger Mumme was, according to the few Internet sources available, one of the world’s biggest beer styles a few centuries ago. It was a viscous, highly hopped and highly alcoholic beer. This helped it in export markets since it kept very well, even in summer. For... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-748.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-748.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. Following the Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation was an overnight bus ride to Nuremberg, which included an unscheduled 5am change of buses in Frankfurt. Not that it mattered as it was already light out and sleep was off the menu anyway. There were issues with our apartment in Bamberg so we... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-747.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-747.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. The first part of this beerier version of our blog - accessible here: http://singlesteppers.blogspot.com/ - was actually supposed to be about Dublin. But a funny thing happened on the way to St. James’ Gate. I distinctly remember when we arrived at Dulles we went to our gate to make sure we... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-746.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-746.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. American Craft Beer Week is upon us again, and for many it’s a time to hoist a few at a local event, hit some brewpubs, or just give a little extra thought to the choice of six-pack. So without further ado, I’m going to crack an American Craft Beer and write a little bit about the event and the... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-745.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-745.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. The 2009 Beer City USA results were posted today, based on an informal poll. It seems that the comments came fast and furious with respect to the accuracy of such a poll. Never mind that the notion of “Beer City USA” is hardly something that can be empirically tested anyway, people want to gripe... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-744.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-744.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: pantani. Jamaica has beaches, Ireland has pubs, Antartica has Igloos, and America has [url="/Place/oregon/ashland/siskiyou-micro-pub/1760.htm"]Siskiyou Micro Pub[/url]. In the current state of the brewing industry that has developed in the United States one thing that isn’t lacking is money. Money... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-741.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-741.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: joet. RateBeer has detailed a process for craft beer distributors to cash in on our popular and highly effective shelf talker program. Distributors are encouraged to add their logo and company name to the bottom of RateBeer shelf tags to increase product and brand visibility. Read more more about this [ur... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-740.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-740.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: CheersMate1. Even though the introduction might seem a bit discouraging, relax. What I have to say has nothing to do with Ulysses S. Grant (the man loved his Old Crow), or Robert E. Lee. What I have to say should be uplifting for all Southerners. Hell, I was born in Connecticut, so don’t judge... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-739.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-739.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: BeerVirgin72. As I sit here amongst my moving boxes, having just wrapped over 300 bottles of beer in prep for another move, it suddenly occurred to me how very different my life has become in the last few years. My journey into craft beer officially started two and a half years ago. That is when Ratebeer was... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-737.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-737.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: joet. We’ve reduced "dynamism" in our Bayesian formula today. The admins had discussed and formulated this plan weeks ago to increase the "validity" of our beer scores. We’d run a few tests and came out with a factor that worked best for us. It’s shaken up the... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-738.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-738.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Beershine. Caribbean women don’t drink stout in public because the black stuff boosts male potency. We all know stout is liquid love, but come on, bone in a bottle? I’ve drank the stuff for years and never once had a rocket in my pocket unless it belonged to someone else. Yet no other... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-736.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-736.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. As the plane flew over the windwards on the approach to St. Lucia, we marveled at what we’d come for. Green-cloaked Dominica jutted sharply out of the Caribbean, followed by Martinique. Then finally we flew down the coast of St. Lucia, our destination. We passed the majestic Pitons, twin towers... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-735.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-735.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: JoeMcPhee. Friday A few of us were chatting a few weeks ago, and we realized that we had never been to Philadelphia… even though it’s only a short two-hour drive down the road. In an attempt to remedy this, puzzl, feedmecookies, and I met up at New York’s Penn Station and caught a ten dollar bus to... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-734.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-734.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: mj. Time: 8am Wake up in an uncomfortable hostel bed. Mix one part jeg-lagged lethargy, one part hangover and one part upset stomach caused by an excessive amount of lambic the night before, this is a hell of a way to start the morning. Stumbling around the hostel, there’s kids everywhere... 20, maybe... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-733.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-733.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: mj. Three classic Trappists, a monster sour from California and a slew of high gravity stouts populate this week’s list of performers. It should be noted that 9 out of the 10 highest rated beers this week are all within the top 100 active beers on the site, with only Chimay Blue falling outside of... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-732.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-732.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: kmweaver. If my wife and I were back in the States, there would probably still be boxes of beer arriving on our doorstep every morning and afternoon, like alcoholic clockwork. In Bluefields (on the less-traveled Caribbean side of Nicaragua), you will never get packages at home (they’ll... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-731.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-731.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: glkaiser. For those not familiar with Bottleworks, it is a world-class bottle shop located in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. In past years, they have celebrated their anniversaries by commissioning various breweries to produce an exclusive beer just for release at Bottleworks. Participating... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-729.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-729.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Soonah. I joined this site in March of 2006. I had been talking with a coworker who was better versed in the ways of hops and grains about what the world of craft beer had to offer. I was used to drinking mostly BMC type products and thought Sam Adams Lager was high end. I was truly ignorant as to just how... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-728.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-728.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: mj. A healthy mix of classic and new releases continue to populate the best-of lists this week. Though these days it appears that the collective dialogue of beergeekdom remains exclusively focused on the experimental and the rare, the old world and the classics of craft beer continue to remain... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-727.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-727.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: mj. Avery Brewing Company has released Brabant, an 8.65% dark, unfiltered, Belgian-inspired creation, fermented with Brettanomyces and aged in Zinfandel barrels for nine months. The chilly release night featured a warm house and a packed crowd. Avery delivered a few surprises at the bar, including a... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-726.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-726.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: mj. With close to two million beer ratings and thousands of active raters constantly adding their notes and numbers, we have the ability to track trends in taste and popularity. In this feature we’ll look at a breakdown of what’s hot, what’s new, what’s gaining in popularity, and what beers are... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-725.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-725.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: ToddB. Every year on the second weekend in September, Victoria, British Columbia plays host to the Great Canadian Beer Festival. The increasingly popular event has kept true to its vision and evolved at a rather slow pace, but the two-day GCBF has become one of Canada’s best beering events. The... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-719.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-719.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Magicdave6. So my first proper beer trip in over 6 months was a day’s tour of the Lake District. Since I’m moving down to London soon, a fellow cellarman from the Three Judges, Ronnie, had said he’d drive down and give me a tour of place I’d otherwise never see. It was a very generous offer and one I couldn’t... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-718.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-718.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: MartinT. Rodinny Pivovar Svaty Florian, in Loket While Velichov might not be the most romantic getaway (to be polite), the postcard town of Loket, situated halfway between Karlovy Vary and Cheb, should have you and your beloved smooching in no time. The view from the bridge, the village’s main entrance,... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-717.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-717.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: MartinT. When touring the Czech Republic’s beery destinations, everyone goes through Prague and Pilsen, and heads for the renowned brewpubs and bars such as U Fleku, U Medvidku, U Zlatého Tygra, U Parkanu, etc. The first time around, one cannot help but try out these immemorial drinking venues and see what... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-716.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-716.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Beershine. I almost didn’t make it to the Lost Abbey. Some kind of bug knocked me out and was trying to get the better of me. It was egged on by more than 12 hours of traveling from Miami to San Diego and then waking up at 6:30 AM for three days straight to steward the World Beer Cup (WBC). On top of it all... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-715.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-715.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. I’d never been to San Diego before, and for a time I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get there. You see, Miami is the gateway to Latin America and as such the Miami Airport strives to provide an authentic Third World experience. The décor is from the 70s, your baggage takes an hour to arrive at... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-714.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-714.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. I initially resisted the overtures to attend a recent beer and chocolate tasting. After all, the whole beer & food thing really isn’t my bag. The venue, the Alibi Room, looks to be the first proper beer bar in Vancouver since Fogg n’ Sudds jumped the shark. That was a big part of the... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-713.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-713.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Dogbrick. Dogbrick: Let’s start with your history in brewing. Can you tell us how you got started, and where you were prior to opening Weasel Boy? Jay Wince: I started into amateur brewing in 1995. A friend introduced me to the hobby and I thought it would be fun to brew my own beer. I must admit... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-712.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-712.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: argo0. This past Saturday, nine of us gathered to conduct a blind tasting of 23 Imperial Stouts involving 25 separate samples (two of the beers had two vintages among the samples). I had never participated in a blind tasting before, and I admit that I was a bit nervous about what I would learn. Would I... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-711.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-711.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. I can’t decide if I like the big push I’m seeing when it comes to beer and food pairings. I mean, I get it. Beer goes with food. But something doesn’t sit quite right with me. First, it’s old news being dressed up as new news. OK, my old news isn’t everybody’s old news but I just thought I’d... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-710.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-710.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Dogbrick. Ohio Brewmasters: 10 Questions with Fred Karm of Hoppin’ Frog 1. First of all, what is your assessment of the beer scene in Akron right now? a. My take on the scene is that it is getting better and better. Three years ago, the brewpubs where I was corporate brewmaster for 8 years... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-709.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-709.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: mullet. Franconia is a little bit crazy. There are just far too many breweries and never enough time. How do you choose which ones to visit? Random guesses seemed as good a plan as any. Looking at the maps in the Good Beer Guide to Germany we found a nice line running northwest from Pottenstein towards... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-708.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-708.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Oakes. I knew going in that 2007 would be a relatively slow year for me in terms of beer hunting. I’ve been going pretty hardcore since 1997 and needed to branch out a bit in life. Plus I had to major travel plans. In fact, to my recollection I didn’t leave Cascadia even for a minute. Wow. Anyway,... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-707.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-707.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: MartinT. Moving out of the greater Sapporo area, we now head towards the very center of Hokkaido, namely Asahikawa (reportedly the coldest city in the country) and Furano, a ski resort town surrounding a few scenic lavender fields. We know that our trip is coming to an end, but there are a few days of... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-706.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-706.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: JCW. JW: Mike, please tell the users of Ratebeer.com who you are (and who your brewery is): Background, capacity, initial capacity etc. MD: Hello, my name is Mike Dewey. My wife Kathleen and I founded Mt. Carmel Brewing Company in 2005. My background is in office, medical, and retail development... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-705.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-705.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: DJMonarch. From October 9th to 15th I enjoyed an excellent, fun packed trip to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival 2007. Here’s what I got up to :- Tuesday 9th October 2007 An early start today as I needed to be at Manchester Airport by 0900 to check in for my flight to Chicago. I had finalised... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-702.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-702.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: bierkoning. Is there any reason to spend time in the Oberpfalz? It is hardly mentioned in travel guides: Windischeschenbach. A very small town in the Oberpfalz, in de Freestate of Bavaria, close to the Czech border, surrounded by hills, woods, petty farms, partly destroyed castles, endless fields, small... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-701.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-701.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: MartinT. Getting to Hokkaido is something most continental Japanese people don’t even consider doing. “Oh, maybe one day”, they say. Its freezing winter temperatures, vast wilderness areas and many lacklustre outpost towns are indeed not the blast to your senses and cultural displacement the rest of... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-700.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-700.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Chuck Cook. To really get a feel for what the beer scene is like in a particular area or country, it is often most insightful to get the opinions of local enthusiasts, beer writers and members of beer promotion organizations. I contacted a number of Belgians recently to ask them about what they do to... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-699.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-699.htm Sat, 7 Nov 2009 08:21:59 CST Posted by: Rastacouere. So I woke up the other morning just like I try to do every other day. It was a morning of serenity this time. Everything fitted and I thought of nothing. Moreover, it was a morning of serenity because I thought of nothing. Then, stepping out of the shower, I rammed opened the curtains and as the... http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-698.htm http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-698.htm