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Jim Koch Interview

A pioneer of the craft brewing movement, Koch transformed a small business operation into one of the largest breweries in America. His story is firmly ensconced in beer lore: the recipe for Sam Adams in his attic, six generations of brewmasters in his family and humble origins peddling beer bar...
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Primivito? Zinfandel?

During the 197Os, the California wine trade touted Zinfandel as its very own grape variety while it was quietly aware that its origin lay somewhere else. In the last few years, researchers have discovered that not only has this variety had a longer commercial history in Italy where it is...
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East Craft West Craft

With multiple Great American Beer Festival medals and two Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year awards to his credit, Tomme Arthur’s brewing talents are self-evident. A pioneer in the wood and barrel aging movement, Arthur has long worked as the head brewer at the Solana Beach location of the Pizza...
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Rita d’Angelp and Marisa locco

MARISA IOCCA and RITA d’ANGELO • 4Os • EXECUTIVE CHEF and GENERAL MANAGER of BRICCO and UMBRIA • BOSTON PROFILE Marisa Iocca and Rita d’Angelo get a gleam in their eyes when they talk food and wine, which is almost constantly – they get possessed, conspirational, gleeful. These two Adriatic...
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Prosepcts for Imports

What happened? Hard to say. Promotions remained big, there were no blows to consumer loyalty. The beer market in the US overall was weak, but that never slowed the overseas brigade before. There is a possibility that things just reached a natural ceiling, but that doesn’t seem likely. A likely...
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Western Wineries (MA, that is.)

The four wineries range from northerly, near the border of Vermont, to westerly, near New York State, to southerly enough to approach Connecticut. They share the terrain and climate of the Berkshire Hills, too severe for home-grown vinifera grapes, but, as we’ll see, they make laudable potables from fruit other...
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Sun Stroked

Recent tastings have caused me to reflect upon the unique 2OO3 growing season in Europe, for many of the wines of that torrid vintage are in bottle and now available for assessment. The Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico has just passed through Boston, providing an array of attractive wines to taste:...
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Lighten Up!

If you have any solid answers, there are some very large brewers who want to meet you. They have a problem that is defined by these questions. Two of the world’s largest brewers think they may have found some answers already: Heineken and Anheuser-Busch. They’re making major moves into the...
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Terroir

I studied for the Master of Wine exam during the early 199Os. At that time, the concept of terroir seemed to be a flash point for all sorts of discussions. As a fledgling blind taster, I desperately wanted to know more about the connection between a wine’s organoleptic profile and...
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