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Latest Reviews

17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA
Great Divide Brewing Co.
All Day IPA
Founders Brewing Co.
Diabolical
North Peak Brewing Company
Weissbier Bock
Weissbräu Haag
Amon Amarth — Ragnarök
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Good Humans
Short’s Brewing Company

Scarcity Tactics

Release events of hard-to-get beers are fun, but are brewers creating unrealistic expectations? This seems to be a trendy thing now for a bunch of geeks to load up and make a pilgrimage to stand in line for some magical beer release. I’d have to think our own Larry Bell was one of the innovaters with this, as Eccentric Day has taken place over two decades now and his Solson/Oberon seasonal spring release has long inspired “release parties“ and such.

Other breweries hopped on the scarcity train as well … by Rings —published May 14, 2012 full article »

17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA, Great Divide Brewing Co.

Rings gives 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA, Great Divide Brewing Co. 4 mugs. I was perusing the shelves at one of my favorite beverage stores—and I try to patronize the local guys as much as possible, as they’re consistently more responsive to customers than the “manager” in some chain store—and stumbled upon a couple cases of Great Divide, out of Colorado. They’re not often seen ’round here and apparently this has led to a decision to pull distribution out of this state, along with several others in the … by Rings —published May 7, 2012 full review »

All Day IPA, Founders Brewing Co.

Eddie gives All Day IPA, Founders Brewing Co. 4 mugs. “You can’t drink all day unless you start in the morning.”

So sayeth the classic ad from Founders for their sublime Breakfast Stout. The only problem with that ad is if you decided to drink Breakfast Stout all day—what with its 8-plus ABV and silky smoothness—at about 11:30 a.m. you’d be lying face-first on the floor. No, for that kind of hanging out, you’d need what is called a session beer, one of the many mini … by Eddie Glick—published April 30, 2012 full review »

Diabolical, North Peak Brewing Company

Rings gives Diabolical, North Peak Brewing Company 3 mugs. During a recent weekend of debauchery with a few of the lads “up north” in Traverse City, Michigan, we decided to take a break from our typical “guys weekend” hijinks to enjoy a bit of culture … we toured a few breweries!

North Peak’s production facility is hosted in the former Bowery, behind the Bowers Harbor Inn, which had been a semi-famous tourist inn on Old Mission Peninsula, just north of town. Now a brewery and … by Rings —published April 25, 2012 full review »

The Biggest Breweries In America

The Brewers Association and their lists. The Brewers Association released their list of the 50 biggest breweries in America last week. We’ve reprinted it below, along with some pithy commentary, and their rank from when I last did this whole list thing, two years ago.

The list is based on beer sales volume from 2011. No explanation on what constitutes a “sale.” For instance, Minhas “Craft” Brewery (my quotes) is the 14th largest brewery, but most of their production is contract brewing … by Eddie Glick—published April 23, 2012 full article »  (4 comments)

Chicago

Finally, the Windy City is starting to become our kind of town. Chicago is by a wide margin the largest city in the Midwest. A lot of people don’t realize that it’s the third largest city in the country. And it’s always been—and, most likely, always will be—a beer town. But until relatively recently, it hasn’t been a good beer town. Shit beer has been king, and there’s been many a tavern, whether it’s a blue collar neighborhood pub, trendy lounge, or giant sports bar, where the … by Eddie Glick—published March 26, 2012 full article »

Why Craft Breweries Are the Best

Baby-boy makes a visit to Breckenridge’s Tasting Room. Last week, I was in Denver, Colorado, and made a point of visiting the Breckenridge Tasting Room in Denver. Once again I got a preview of a fantastic beer and a lesson on why craft breweries are the best.

First, the beer: the company will soon be distributing its 72 Chocolate Cream Stout in four packs around the country. Now, it is no secret that I love their Vanilla Porter, and the Chocolate Cream Stout is … by Baby-Boy Jackson—published March 6, 2012 full article »  (1 comment)

Beer Dorks News

Final results of the 2012 "Beer City USA" poll. As a side note... has anyone actually been to Asheville, NC?? Asheville welcomes a new partner as "Beer City USA": Grand Rapids, MI. Yes, the pollsters claim it's a tie. Latin-influenced 5 Rabbit plans a brewing facility in the Chicago southwest ’burbs. G'zapft ist! Still clueless after 37 years. The craft beer boom is going strong in tiny Wyoming, which will push its craft brewery total to 14 in 2012. Let There be Cake! Chicagoans: put your money where your mouth is and kickstart this new brewery. Breckenridge may move out of Colorado because of shit beer distribution laws. The economic impact of craft beer.