Category Archives: Beer style

NAGBW Award Winner: One Of The World’s Most Obscure Beers Comes To Bend

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It’s almost a good thing I neglected to post this story about smokey, Gotland, Sweden-style farmhouse ale, aka Gotlandsdricke, when it was published in Bend Source Weekly this past year. Why? Because it gives me a chance to share it now, now that it was awarded the 3rd Best Beer Review by the North American Guild of Beer Writers. It’s a real thing!

I neither fell in love with this beer style–perhaps most closely resembling a Polish-style Grodziskie or Lichtenhainer, but those also require high levels of beergeekdom given how obscure they are–neither in Sweden nor here in Bend, Oregon, but in Boston, Mass! That’s the backgrounder on how I played a roll in getting a stab at the style to be made here in Bend…

Not most-hated, most-polarizing beer

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Not sure how aware most people are, but the people who write news stories always suggest headings, but those proposed headlines are rarely used. Case in point: this story I’d pitched about a truly acquired taste in beer–rauchbier, aka smoke beer–which I knew was a perfect fit for The Takeout’s “Aquired Taste” feature focusing on food and beverages that are popular in certain sets or regions without wide awareness or appeal. The headline ran called it “America’s most hated beer” style. C’est la vie. But when it comes to smoky beers, which get very little press, the old adage must be true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Smoke ’em if you brew ’em.

Another love letter to my favorite style: rice lagers

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I didn’t fall in love slowly. It happened all at once. In the middle of the California Brewers Association’s annual festival, where WCIPAs reign supreme, I found about 6 or 7 “Japanese” lagers. AKA rice lagers. That was circa 2019 and I haven’t fallen out of love since. Here’s another love letter to the style, focusing primarily on Portland Metro iterations of the crisp, clean, dry lagers.

All the IBUS, None of the ABVs

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OREGON HOP SPRINGS

The concept of “Dry January” took off a decade ago and finally landed on my radar a few years ago, but as a beer writer, what use have I of non=alcoholic beverages to write about? It turns out, when these soft drinks are hopped, I’ve got at least two occasions to cover ’em. The first was in Drynuary 2020 and then again Drynuary 2022 with a local (to Bend) twist. Here are some great hoppy N/A beverages for a thirsty nation via The Takeout and here’s some available to Central Oregonians via Bend Source Weekly.

Winter Warmers from my Winter Wonderland

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It seems every month offers something new I’m completely pumped about getting to experience for the “first” time as a full-time Bend resident. Certainly, even in Portland, Bend breweries are well represented so it’s not like these are all new to me, but whereas Portland winters are usually dreary, Bend winter is cheery. There were snowmen on every block until the snow turned back to rain these last couple of days. But I won’t let that rain on my parade. Or my batch of favorite “winter warmers.” I tried to limit this round-up to just five, but I sorta snuck in a pair from five different local breweries. Sue me.

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How a Beer Writer Writes About Wine

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In Vinocervisia Veritas: The Rise of Wine Beers

As the great American philosopher Fred Eckhardt declared, “Listen to your beer.” And since beer speaks to people, at least those smart enough to listen and thoughtful enough to hear it, it speaks of hops growing on the bines, amber waves of barley blowing in the field, or yeast hitchhiking on the breeze.

Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk’s beer obviously sings to him. He, along with brothers Brian and Doug Coombs, are the composers behind Alesong Brewing and Blending in Eugene, Oregon. And while they create a wide range of barrel-matured beers from earthy saisons to viscous imperial stouts, no doubt it’s the emphasis on vinous, wild ales that is music to sour beer lovers’ ears. But if their newest GABF medals are any indication, they could almost rename the brewery WineAlesong. And there are others singing similar tunes. For this reason, I got to write about those brewing at the intersection of wine and beer for CraftBeer.com.

I Kinda Have a Thing for Coffee Beers

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Naturally, the guy (me) who puts on a coffee beer festival (Baker’s Dozen) is into putting coffee in beer. And the style(s) that make the most sense is/are stouts and porters because of their innate coffee-ness. But we’ve come a long way, baby. For over a decade, ever since the Brewers Association introduced what was then called the “Coffee Flavored Beer” category at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival, the winners have been exclusively stouts or porters infused with coffee. It wasn’t until 2014 that Milwaukee’s MobCraft Beer broke the streak with a beer I’m not sure I’m allowed to name on CraftBeer.com where I wrote this story…but its “PG-name” would be “Guano” Crazy built on a brown ale base. Suffice it to say, I’m guano-crazy about coffee beers.

Bayou Berry Beers

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Strawberry_HeroThe last story I’d written for CraftBeer.com narrowly focused on beers made with sage. So to zoom in even deeper, I didn’t just write about beers made with strawberries (not a broad category) but zoomed in on strawberry beers made in Louisiana, where they take their strawberry beers very seriously.  In fact, the North American Strawberry Growers Association represents commercial farmers in 40 states, but none of them seem to take up the mantle of celebrating this crop in their craft beers more than the Pelican State. Yeah you right

I’m a beer sage

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epicsageI love herbal beers but I particularly think sage works wonders in the right beer. But good luck pitching a story about the so-narrow-it’s-nearly-two-dimensional field of sage beers. Unless there’s a hook, a peg, an angle. Hence, I waited months until I figured CraftBeer.com would want something on Thanksgiving beers, especially ones to suggest that aren’t flavored like pumpkin pie! And since a good stuffing mix and turkey brine includes sage, well, here’s a round-up of beers so sagey, they’re sagacious.