I suppose it was preordained that would eventually become a beer lover, because from early childhood I have been a lover of pretzels. For some reason, beer and pretzels simply go together. There are some crazy theories, but it seems pretty simple to me – pretzels are salty and delicious, making one thirsty for something else delicious, and beer fits that bill.
Unfortunately, I’m sitting here in the state which manufactures 80% of the US’s total pretzel supply and which has a long history of pretzel baking, but my pantry has only the most mediocre of pretzels. Ok, not the most …read more

As a beer lover, I’ve often considered brewing my own beer. The possibilities seem endless – brown ales, pale ales, stouts, fancy Belgian-style beers – all for a little effort and at a significantly lower cost than the same number of cases of beer. That, and I’d truly understand and know my beers.
Then I looked a little closer, at a whole lot of cleaning, lugging pots and bottles around, more cleaning, stirring and mixing, more cleaning, some sterilizing for good measure. You get the idea. It was the thought of sterilizing a whole bunch of bottles that finally persuaded …read more

   
It’s coming up on that time of year, and I’m here to help with a list of gifts for the beer geek in your life. Now, it’s not really that hard to come up with gift ideas for your malt beverage-drinking friends, and I’ve already suggested a few possible gifts (glasses and the “lagerhead” come to mind). Over the course of the next month, however, I’ll suggest a bunch more, so if you love beer or someone who does you’ll need to stop in frequently! 
My first suggestion is one which beer lovers will look at with some scepticism, but bear with me …read more