Barleycorn’s isn’t exactly a brewery, but rather a brew-on-premise shop where customers can come to the store, buy their supplies and ingredients, and turn out a 15-gallon batch within a few hours.
Though it’s the northernmost brewery in the contiguous 48 states, you’d think Alpine Brewing Company was 5 miles from Bavaria, not Canada. The German-owned, German-built brewery brews Bavarian-style beers exclusively. Owner Bart Traubeck prefers it that way.
Every West Coast city has a beer scene to make you sing, but not Los Angeles. That’s not to say bastions of beer excellence don’t exist in this humble burg. In Pasadena, Mark Jilg operates one such outlier—Craftsman Brewing Company.
The Tröegs brothers were able to create their diverse array of ales and lagers by traveling and studying both nationally and internationally, immersing themselves in the craft beer culture. Their philosophy is to brew the beers they like rather than brewing to a particular style.
Co-op breweries, with their minimal costs, democratic involvement and intensely local feel, look a hell of a lot like craft beer’s militia. They represent a community no longer simply using its buying power to steer the market, but one empowering itself to join the fight.
With its large French-speaking populace, this Canadian province has a distinctly European mindset for all things gustatory. Whether it is great food, great wine, or most importantly, great beer, they are passionate about all!
Some may think to themselves that the last thing the craft beer world needs is another brewer taking a lot of malt and a lot of Cascade hops, and acting like it’s brand new; well, Andris Veidis tends to agree.
To say that O’Fallon Brewery is a collection of homebrewers might be an oversimplification, but it is not that far from the truth. That is not say that the brewery is amateurish—it’s not. Rather, the brewers and the atmosphere of the brewery is one of innovation and, yes, passion for beer.
There are still unknown beers and craft breweries out there that are slowly emerging to find a following in America. Take the new craft beers being produced in a country not typically thought of when it comes to beer: Italy.
When they opened in 2005, the place was so small that the grill had to be pulled from the kitchen on brew day to make room for the brew kettle. Since then, Goularte has added a covered porch to accommodate an expanded brew house that now produces all of 90 gallons per batch—just under three barrels.
The welcoming staff, warm atmosphere, scrumptious Euro-Asian menu and outstanding range of house beers combine to create an unrivaled brewpub experience that has become an essential ingredient of the vibrant local beer scene.
