Category: Beer News

The worlds of beer and chicken have been aligned for ages, but it wasn’t until 2021 that chimaek, a Korean portmanteau for fried chicken and light beers, was welcomed into the Oxford English Dictionary. This culinary coupling of bird and brew is broader than wings and lagers, though—roasted, grilled, and chile-coated chicken finds local Pilsners, pales, and IPAs to fill that bucket.

At Shy Bird in Boston, an all-day rotisserie, bar, and cafe, all-natural, pasture-raised birds are transformed into full-flavored spinning showpieces that can be matched with one of six beers on tap, or a dozen by the can.… Read the rest “Bird + Brew: A Culinary Coupling”

Luck—or lack thereof—can make or break a visit to Las Vegas, but fortunately that rule need only apply to gamblers. The thousands of brewing industry professionals headed there for the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference April 21-24 won’t need good fortune to navigate their way to high-quality local beer. We’ve combed the desert and laid out a stellar septet of Las Vegas breweries to visit when the seminars let out. They all make for reliable starting points, but feel free to venture beyond this “lucky seven” as the craft beer scene in Sin City (and in neighboring Henderson) is on the rise thanks to a rising-tide mentality.… Read the rest “Vegas (Beer), Baby!”

American brewers are known for experimenting with all kinds of wild ingredients, from breakfast cereals to tropical fruit, but “wild” usually isn’t meant to be taken literally. Some brewers, however, are looking to the actual wild places around their breweries for their next unusual ingredient, often finding unexpected flavors growing right outside their doors, from mushrooms to pine tips. While foraging for brewing ingredients is nothing new, many breweries are using this ancient brewing tradition to create unique and surprising modern beers.

Only Scratching the Surface

Perhaps the best-known example of this practice is Scratch Brewing, a small brewery nestled into the wooded hills near Ava, Illinois.… Read the rest “Foraging For Beer’s Wildest Ingredients”

I was drinking at a Brooklyn bar last spring when I first saw the navy blue hat stitched with “LAGER LAGER LAGER LAGER” in a gold sans-serif font. “That brewery sells more hats than it does beer,” a knowledgeable friend told me as he pointed at a scruffy man wearing it. As I would continue to see the hat’s seeming ubiquity at various breweries, beer bars, beer festivals, and the like as I traveled the globe, it became easy to believe that was the case.

“When we came up with the branding, we wanted to make lager very cool.… Read the rest “How Lager Hats Became a Signifier of Beer Cool”

“Always offer at least a glass of water to your guests.” As a child of immigrants, I understood this simple maxim to be a baseline for good hosting. I learned secondhand that India was a place where unexpected visitors and open-door policies are the norm. I couldn’t have anticipated how these ways of moving through the world would translate within my professional life in the craft beer industry.

I cut my teeth bartending in Seattle’s Ballard Brewery District, where converted warehouses and a lingering spirit of maritime culture color the neighborhood with an approachable brand of grittiness.… Read the rest “Freely Given: Water as a Hospitality Tool in Craft Beer Spaces”

Consider the jewels of the New Orleans crown: the Sazerac, the Ramos Gin Fizz, the Pimm’s Cup, and the Hurricane. They are a testimony to the city’s position as a top drinks destination. Ingredients such as Peychaud’s Bitters altered cocktail culture forever, and bartenders around the globe have long looked to New Orleans for inspiration. The major beverage alcohol category noticeably absent from the city’s resume, though? Craft beer. Until relatively recently, that is.

For a town visited by millions of thirsty imbibers each year, it may seem surprising that New Orleans’s craft brewery scene is both young and small.… Read the rest “Beer in a Cocktail Town: How Craft Breweries Have Enriched NOLA”

A great way to explore a new destination is through its local beverage scene, and many areas are making this experience even easier with the creation of beverage trails. While there are plenty of designated beer trails out there, those that highlight a mix of businesses—such as breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, and mead makers—can provide a unique and eye-opening experience.

Beverage trails benefit these local businesses with increased exposure and marketing opportunities, encouraging co-marketing and collaboration. For customers, having a trail that offers a variety of beverages allows for groups with different favorites to spend time together, with the bonus of introducing people to something they otherwise would not have tried.… Read the rest “Mixed Drinks: The Lure of Beverage Trails”

It’s no secret that Asian Americans have transformed the American palate over the past century. Per the National Restaurant Association, 19% of all restaurants in the U.S. are Asian-owned—the largest share among minority groups. In the past decade, this influence over food has extended far beyond Chinese takeout, Thai restaurants, and sushi bars.

In 2015, matcha madness swept the country. The following year, ube—the subtly nutty and sweet Filipino purple yam—went viral. Today, you can find gochujang-flavored potato chips (inspired by the Korean red chili paste), calamansi (Philippine lime) sparkling water, and lychee hard seltzer in grocery aisles.… Read the rest “Redefining Craft Beer: Asian Americans Brewing Up Heritage”