Fresh Air in the Mountains

In times like these, I always turn back to mountains. Great, tall peaks of stone, tree, and snow. They rocket into the sky, piercing the clouds and sending an earthly challenge to the heavens. Walking at their base is an experience of sublime wonder. The air is fresh and clear around them, as they abscond …

I shouldn’t be surprised

At this point, I really ought to expect that European beer can really knock your socks off, even if it looks rather plain at the outset. As the crucible of age-old beer recipes, Europe has a wealth of breweries that have been in business for centuries. They have been improved and refined for years, built …

Wide and Open

The First World War is not the sort of historical event I'd associate with beer, but tell that to some brewers. Today's brew is inspired by a veteran and invalid of the conflict, told by a doctor to seek out air and open space to aid in his recovery. Losing a leg in battle can …

King Nothing?

My relationship with Metallica is complicated. At one point in my life, they were my favorite band. I listened to Ride the Lightning thousands of times. I have committed most of that album to memory, including most of the solos. When I was a wee lad, these songs were the loudest, darkest and fastest songs I have …

Brew History: The Pilsner

For today's "review", I want to take things back in time to when the modern beer world was made: the Nineteenth century. Yes, this is when industrialism came about. Indeed, this was the century of the "Race to Africa", which was an exercise in stupidity and snake-eating. Verily, this was the era when that Marx …