Beyond The Pale Ale
Got customers who’re jaded? Who wants something really different, and doesn’t mean lambic or Baltic porter, . . . been there, drunk that? Help is on the way. Get those geek some beers that will make them go “Huh?” Beers from the Outer Limits. Beers from Beyond the Pale. Beyond... Read More
Tennessee Whiskey
It takes a lot to be Straight Bourbon Whiskey. There are rules about what grains can and must go into the mash, rules about how strong it can be coming off the still, how strong it has to be going in the barrel, how strong it has to be to... Read More
US beers go south of the border.
The folks at Miller Brewing have evidently been thinking about that cultural trend, the booming success of both Corona and tequila, and a previously little-known Mexican beer ‘cocktail’ called the chelada: a salt-rimmed glass of light lager with ice and a squeeze of fresh lime. Throw that all in the... Read More
Winter Beers
Winter beers! Just the tonic for cold weather: big and hearty, sweet and spiced, something special to celebrate the holidays. Just thinking about them makes you feel warmer; you don’t even need a sweater. Brewers move to a different calendar. They do winter beers way before it’s wintertime. “It’s a... Read More
Irish Beer
“We had a limited range of beers in Ireland,†Seamus told me. “We went from a lot of local breweries in the 18OOs to . . . well, to Guinness. They began to die off in the late 18OOs, and the process continued. The canals and the railways had an... Read More
Irish Spirits
I was recently out on the road visiting bars in, of all places, central New Jersey, for a drinking book I’m working on. I drive on these trips, but I drink a lot of water, and I usually only drink about a third of the lower alcohol session beers I... Read More
Beer: Why Not Women?
Suppose your store has two doors There isn’t really any difference between them, just that one is on the wine side of your store, and the other is on the beer side (we’ll assume you have your spirits in the middle). When someone comes in the beer door, you show... Read More
Great Beer!
Well, I’ve got some choices for you. There’s a rich smooth porter, a crisp and spicy witbier, an all-organic pale ale, a brisk and bitter IPA, a pumpkin-and-spice ale that’s perfect for fall drinking, and a big 8% bruiser that was aged on a bed of roasted cocoa beans. What... Read More
Can Tradition Be Saved?
I’ve been thinking about the movie Silent Running a lot lately when I look at the shelves in my favorite beer stores. The 1971 sci-fi classic was the story of an ark in space, studded with artificial habitats to save examples of Earth’s plants and animals from a world ravaged... Read More
Showing It’s Metal
Actually, chances are, you won’t. Because this bottle is made of aluminum, more than three times as thick as an aluminum can’s wall. “If you smack a full one against your desk, you’d put a dent in it,” said Ed Delia, who does PR for CCL Container, an Ontario-based firm... Read More