Andy Crouch

FROM HUMBLE ORIGINS of homebrewing in California garages to selling to a multi-national corporation for a cool billion dollars, the American craft beer industry offers the unlikeliest of underdog stories.  For more than 3O years, a small cadre of upstart brewers slogged in an unlikely fight against a system built... Read More

IN A WORLD so dominated by IPA, it is refreshing to see an old, much maligned classic make a serious comeback. From the very beginning of the craft beer movement, the pilsener style seemed destined to become a laughingstock, an also-ran in beer history. Seen as the antithesis of everything... Read More

THE SEASONAL CHANGES in beer offerings is one of the industry’s strongest sales tactics. Beyond merely pushing beer during big holidays and trying to get by during the rest of the year, the introduction of seasonal beers allows breweries and retailers to offer consumers something fresh and new. Each release... Read More

Knowing a little bit about a subject tends to spark a desire to learn more. Whether a detail about the playing style of John Coltrane, the brushstroke methods of Georges Seurat, or the hand-eye coordination of Peyton Manning, a little extra knowledge adds a new level of appreciation and fun... Read More

INDIA PALE ALE was not always such a big deal. Hops were once anathema to what drinkers wanted. Whether in the form of bold aromas, citrusy and herbal flavors, or big, bold bitterness, American beer drinkers did not gravitate towards the hoppier end of the spectrum. During the earliest days... Read More

AROUND St. Patrick’s Day, one of the Holy Grails of beer sales holidays in the United States, thoughts turn to Ireland and beer. In writing about Irish beers over the last decade, the story used to be that brewing was a dying trade. The modern day story has long been... Read More

DESPITE its relative late start compared to other great brewing nations, America has quickly, over the course of thirty years, become one of the world’s pre-eminent brewing countries. Mixing a healthy respect for traditional practices with a New World curiosity for experimentation – bundled together with passion for their craft... Read More

BEER CONSUMERS have never before enjoyed such a wide selection of different styles from so many breweries from around the globe.  In terms of flavor, aroma, body, and balance, we live in a time of unparalleled quality in the production and enjoyment of beer.  With this exciting exploration comes questions... Read More

AMERICANS DO NOT have much experience in consciously limiting their alcohol intake.  Out history has been punctuated with periods of government enforced moderation or prohibition and our doctors have informed us of the health benefits surrounding limited alcohol consumption.  But as a drinking populace, we have not yet embraced the... Read More

THE CRAFT BREWING revolution  has always been about one beer, a single experience that shatters decades of programming from big brewery advertising and changes the way people perceive beer.  No longer is beer a drink of last resort, something to settle for, a mere interchangeable widget easily replaced with another... Read More