Style profile: IPAs keep pushing the envelope
India Pale Ales, or IPAs, are like your your quick-witted buddy from school who always has a sarcastic zinger AND your back in any battle – they keep you on your toes, and keep you coming...
Columns
Thanksgiving beers part two – Go for the stronger stuff
There are way too many leftovers from last column’s Thanksgiving beer feast, so I’d like to share more brews that would look great on your dining room table this coming holiday. Hopefully you’ll find these beers worthy...
Thanksgiving beers part one – Pour a satisfying brew to complement the feast
It’s time to talk turkey about beer. While wine is the standard Thanksgiving drink, beer has more variety and can actually pair better with certain dishes. Below are some excellent autumnal offerings that would be the...
Making hard cider, part 2
My last column went into detail on the basics and equipment you need to make hard cider. This week, you’ll learn what needs to be done to brew a better cider. Making the Cider To get good...
Making hard cider, part 1
The only thing better than hard cider is hard cider you make for yourself. Americans have homebrewed hard cider since the early days of colonization, and it’s a remarkably simple process that I’ll detail below. Books...
Strategies for finding great beers
Let’s be honest: the mutitude of beer choices is intimidating. Standing in front of a well-stocked beer aisle can be dizzying for even the most experienced beer geek. One could spend hours with a smart phone...
Autumn beers and their malty goodness
It’s late-August and the fall beers have arrived in force. Until recently, autumn offerings focused almost exclusively on rich, amber, malty brews based on the traditional German Oktoberfest style. Nowadays, fall beers feature enough pumpkin ales...
The benefits, and hazard, of canned beer
I write this column while enjoying the complex, yet easy-drinking Barstool American Golden Ale by the extremely promising Foolproof Brewing from Pawtucket. The beer is unusual not because they manage to squeeze so much flavor into a 4.5% sipper, but...
Ales and lagers – their differences and similarities
The terms “ale” and “lager” are often used interchangeably, but the two are, in fact opposite sides of the same beer coin. While they can both be light or dark, low-alcohol sippers (often called “session” beers)...
Brewery tours: take a fun peek behind the curtain
One of the most interesting and enjoyable ways to sample beers is to tour the brewery. Mrs. Hunting and I always scout out breweries to tour when on vacation, and often gain all sorts of new...