Welcome to my blog. I write about beer and brewing through the lens of a science educator and craft brewer. I hope that you’ll find a similar interest in the science and history of brewing.
German "craft beer"? Why would they need that? For a country that oozes "craft" in everything that they do, and a history that is steeped in strict traditions when it comes to brewing, it seemed unlikely that we would ever see German brewers joining the craft beer revolution. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the most diverse and international city in Germany would serve as a catalyst for this new German craft beer movement.
For some reason tourism in Iceland has been blowing up in recent years. Maybe it's the unique, other-worldly, volcanic landscapes, or the winter Northern Lights, or the summer midnight sun, or the Game of Thrones filming locations - or maybe it's the emerging craft beer scene....
On Sunday, March 19th at The Globe in Central there was a small gathering of around 20 people who came to take part in a tasting led by a gentleman whom, undoubtedly, most of the rest of the patrons in the bar had never heard of. Their ignorance was my gain as I had probably the most memorable and interesting beer tastings of my life!
On February 24th we opened our doors for our first tasting event featuring brews from Founder's Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The tasting featured a range of their full-bodied, full-flavoured beers including: PC Pils, All-Day IPA, Azacca IPA, Dirty Bastard, KBS, and Lizard of Koz. The crowd favourite was the KBS, or Kentucky Breakfast Stout, which came as no surprise. In this post I share my thoughts on these brews as well as some of the things I learned about Founder's Brewing in preparation for the tasting.
Since my wife hails from the "O.C." (Orange County) we find ourselves visiting regularly. Over the years we've seen an impressive growth of craft beer in her neck of the woods. While Huntington Beach, CA is known as "Surf City USA" and is typically a summer destination for campers, beach-goers, and surfers alike, it is also starting to build a reputation as a craft beer destination.
As an American living in Hong Kong, once you make it to November and are finally rewarded with a drop in temperature then you can't help but start thinking about the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays on the horizon. Over the past several years my wife and I have been fortunate to host or attend Thanksgiving gatherings with friends which always include staples of turkey, breaded stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie. This holiday always reminds me to reflect on what I'm thankful for, and beer is definitely on that list! In the past I've never brewed a beer for a specific holiday, but in this post I will share a few recipes that I brewed for this year's Thanksgiving celebration!
