Columns

German lagers – more than just Oktoberfest

Right now, one can’t enter a package store without tripping over an Oktoberfest beer. Nearly every brewer makes one, and they’re as ubiquitous in the fall months as leaves on the ground, but they’re only the tip of...

The view from the other side of the table

Being behind the table at a beer tasting can be as much fun as being a taster. Perhaps the camels in the background at Roger Williams Zoo’s “Brew at the Zoo” were thirsting for a sample?...

Fine brews will flow at New Bedford Oktoberfest

JENALINA SANTIAGO/Standard-Times Special file He may be known as The Whiskey Poet, but on Oct. 4, Craig DeMelo will be performing at a beer festival, the ninth annual New Bedford Oktoberfest. Don’t be surprised if you...

Don’t be a beer snob

Beer is the drink of the people. It’s relatively cheap, tastes great, acts as a social lubricant, and is good for the soul. Of course, beers differ in quality, but in the end all beer is...

Beautiful beers, beautiful Vermont

Sipping a tasty brew in Burlington, Vt., as the sun sets over Lake Champlain. The Vermont Brewer’s Festival is a must-attend event. Ah, Vermont! The rustic land of mountains, farms, villages, and friendly folk is famous...

Three ways to ruin your beer

Very little ruins a picnic or cookout like bad beer. Even more insidious than a bad beer is a beer that’s been degraded through bad handling. The drinker may not even know that the beer in...

Sessionable beers are perfect for a summer gathering

Americans love their beer on the Fourth of July. There’s something about barbecues, fireworks, and independence from England that makes us a thirsty lot. Beer is a fantastic companion to fireworks and barbecues, at least until...

A look at the ‘super-alcoholic’ beer market

Founders’ KBS Founders’ amazing KBS Look closely at the shelves of any better beer store and you’ll notice some monsters lurking. No, I don’t mean skunky beers or the latest fruit-flavored offerings posting as craft beers...

Intriguing discoveries at the ACBF

The “East Coast’s largest celebration of craft beer” happened last weekend in Boston, when more than 140 breweries came to the 2014 American Craft Beer Fest (ACBF) to share their wares with thousands of thirsty beer...

Spring/summer is here, time for beer

Ah, spring in New England is a thing of wonder: full of promise, renewal, dandelions, and new seasonal brews! I’ll admit right up front that I’m not a huge fan of the fruit and wheat beers...