Tag: Beer Styles

A look at the origins and resurgence of Pumpkin Ale, as the spiced seasonal beer returns to shelves once again.

Steven Pauwels left Belgium for Missouri nine years ago, bringing craftsmanship, tradition, and a relentless drive to experiment. Here’s how Boulevard became the Midwest’s largest independent brewer—and its most eclectic.

Next to Germany and England, no country has had a bigger impact on the American craft beer scene than Belgium. And now with the emergence of Belgian IPAs, at long last, America is returning the favor.

Munich Helles, at first glance, is almost identical to Pilsner. Clear and blond, they both sparkle with carbonation that rises to a creamy, white collar of foam. On a hot and muggy day, you just want to dive in and soak it up.

Nothing from California is “common.” Not its people, its governor or its weather, and certainly not this beer.

With every sip of Saison, you can just taste the romance. Kind of makes you want to grab a hoe and volunteer at your local organic farm co-op.

While we can agree that the IPA style started in Britain, historical brewing and news texts do not make the well-worn story seem so sturdy.

The classic style of smoke is Rauchbier (rauch is German for smoke) from the town of Bamberg.

At its finest, Pilsner is a delicate, refreshing glass with a pure, flowery bouquet and a crisp finish.

Smooth, deceptively rich, yet easy to put back in large quantities even in the summer. Mild’s great advantage to those in need is a speedy turnaround from kettle to keg.

Dark and handsome with a brown collar of foam, this is a deliciously filling beer that seems, well, wholesome. Knock back a couple of them and you can almost feel your cholesterol dropping.

Put a glass of Wheatwine to your nose and you get that familiar malty Barleywine aroma. But hold on. Take a sip and breathe in; you fall into a dizzy swirl of vanilla and apricot and who knows what else.

In a dozen-odd years of professional brewing, Weyerbacher Brewing Company’s Dan Weirback has traded restrained English-style Ales for big, brawling Belgians, bourbon barrels, and imperialized… well, whatever he can make an Imperial, he will.

Spiced holiday brews have a long, flavorful history. Rather than a perversion, Spiced Ale is the original beer.

Witbier goes back 500 years, to a period when beer was made with wheat and typically balanced not by hops but by a blend of herbs and spices known as gruit.

American brewers have taken a beloved British creation to bold, hoppy places.

The free-form movement seeks to overthrow the way brewers categorize their beers. Eschewing the restrictions of traditionalism, these free-form brewers want to change the way people think about tasting beer.

When folks say they like Belgian beer, almost certainly what they mean is Dubbel.

At first glance, it’s hard to tell the difference between the stout and the porter; but collect a few bottles, let them warm to about 50 degrees, and you begin to appreciate the range.

A well-made Dark Lager goes down as easily as a crystal-clear Pilsner, but it’s hardly delicate or flowery.

You could call it a DumbedDown Ale; but take another gulp, and you might understand that what you’ve got is a whole ’nother kind of beer.

Admit it, you probably wish Brown Ale was something “better”—stronger, more assertive, different.

Beer is expropriating one of wine’s most sacred rituals—the high art of methode Champenoise—and coming up with a whole new beer style: Bière de Champagne.

While most beer geeks seem to think they’re totally above the beer image wars, they’re not.