Glassware – it makes a difference. So do beer snobs. Continue reading
you wouldn’t hit a man with glasses
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Category Archives: philosophy
Svetlé 12°
Decoction is a meandering path to take to arrive at a beer; you can get a fermentable wort (not the same wort, though) into the boiler with less time and effort, but I think it’s safe to say that for most homebrewers, this whole thing we do is about the journey at least as much as it is the destination. Continue reading
feels like the first time
The recent opportunity to try Westvleteren 12 (thanks, David!) got me thinking: what makes a beer memorable? There are objectively great, world-class, special occasion beers – like the Westy – and then there are your personal favorites, and the overlap (or lack thereof) is interesting. Continue reading
on Minnesota hops
A reader posted this question to the “About” page of this blog:
I’m curious about your thoughts of the hops industry, or lack thereof in MN. It seems that there are breweries opening every month, but virtually no one in MN is growing hops at even a semi-commercial scale. Do you think this is a needed industry in MN, and do you think that the local brewers would prefer to brew with locally sourced hops?
… and as I’ve written and rewritten my thoughts on this, the response turned into something that needed more than a one-paragraph reply to a thread on a different topic. Continue reading
2013
Happy new year, citizens.
I am not big on resolutions – when I make a to-do list, I like to include items that I’ve already completed so I can start crossing things off right away and bask in the glow of my own incredible efficiency – but I do believe in the importance of intentionality and not waiting for things to happen all by themselves. So, with that in mind, here are my brewing resolutions for the 363 days to come:
- Read in a timely fashion these good books that Santa brought me.
- Renew the bonds of friendship with some yeast strains and beer styles that I haven’t visited in years … Dortmunder, Witbier, straight lambic, Wyeast 2565 …
I’d love to hear what you guys have planned for your fermentors and kegs this year.
cheers
Merry Christmas, citizens. Be safe, be happy.
bubbles in my beer
Last week there was a spate of social media posts and articles in the national media about the state of craft beer in America. I’m just now getting caught up on my reading because I was brewing a bunch. Continue reading
zeit für brauen: 21st century American amber lager
Beer style guidelines: some homebrewers I’ve encountered in the past two decades don’t want to brew anything that can’t fit into an established category (or even deviate from a fixed recipe), while others hate them with an ad-hoc and improvised passion (and can’t or won’t stick to a recipe no matter what). Continue reading
mission statement
Beer is a miracle, a window to the past, a stolen moment, a vehicle for insight and connectedness. It’s the story of civilization. It belongs in a mouth-hole. It’s been a sacrament, a commodity, contraband, sustenance, trend, badge, relic, engine of industry, vocation, hobby, passion, causer of burps and insight and laughter. It’s a drinkable koan, simultaneously unfathomable and simpler than you think. More serious but more fun, too. Have a drink with me.
the beer engine 