From Andy Crouch's BeerScribe: For Charlie Papazian, founder of the Brewers Association, inspiration struck twice in remarkably similar ways. In the late 1970s, Papazian traveled to London, England, to attend the British Beer Festival. While sampling stouts, porters, and cask conditioned ales from around the United Kingdom, Papazian, an avid home brewer, started thinking about beer in the United States. When Papazian wondered aloud about whether Americans could host a similar festival, famed beer writer Michael Jackson famously quipped, Yes, but where will you get the beer?  read more »

I apologize for the tardiness of this post. Over a month and a half late, I'm beginning to feel like Ward. Jadyn and I went to the afternoon session of Beer Advocate's Belgian Beer Fest on the 27th of October. We arrived early enough to be within a half-block of the doors. This year's fest seemed less crowded than last year's. The middle row of booths was removed and replaced with seating. Overall I think this was an improvement, there's still more than enough variety and it's far less crowded. As with other fests the notes are more general, abbreviated and are probably to be trusted less as the fest progresses. 715. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout Beer Stats: Brewery: Brewery Ommegang Alcohol: ?  read more »

From Forbes.com Once a magnet for those looking for a free beer, brewery tours have gotten much more sophisticated in recent years. Along with that gratis beer, breweries the world over are offering everything from in-depth tours to lessons in beer-making. Some have even built restaurants or brewpubs where visitors can lunch on a Kobe burger and wash it down with a German-style ale. Add it all up, and you have more than just a free beer; you have a perfect Saturday afternoon.  read more »

Is American beer any good? TheStar.com - living - Is American beer any good? The idea of weak American suds is being laid to rest by the boom in indie ales, stouts and pilsners Buffalo's Premier Gourmet has become a magnet for Canadian beer lovers by stocking around 1,000 beers, half of them brewed in the U.S. Where does the best beer come from?  read more »

May 13, 2008 Chewing the Fat: The Brooklyn Brewery's Garrett Oliver The SAVOR Beer and Food Festival takes place this weekend and for the past week, D.C. has been crawling with several top figures in the beer crafting industry. To kick off this week's beer festivities , DCist got a chance to sit down and talk with Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster, food and beer pairing expert, author, and though maybe not as glamorous as the St. Pauli girl the face of top-notch, traditional beer brewing. We caught up with him before an Italian beer tasting at the National Geographic.  read more »

Craft is growing but some struggle.A land grab is taking place in craft beer as some brewers struggle with higher input prices and others -- at least for now -- manage robust growth.Thats the observation of some leading leading beer industry trade magazines as they look at the impact of the rising costs of hops and other inputs on craft brewers and gauge what's happening on the ground. The growth of craft has been one of the hottest beer industry trends. Everyones trying to figure out whats next.An article in the latest orange sheet edition of Beer Marketers Insights recounts the great two year run by Boston Beer Company, which has led the growth of craft beer.  read more »