Andy Crouch's BeerScribe.Com

Fighting Beer Fatigue

Andy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:38:12 +0000

Fatigue is a dangerous thing for a beer lover. It plays with your mind, causing you to question what you know to be true and second guess your old friends. The symptoms of such worrisome weariness are familiar and difficult to avoid, even for the most optimistic craft beer enthusiast. The longer I am part [...]

Looking Back, Looking Forward To A New Year Of Beer…

Andy — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:23:22 +0000

End of the year predictions have become de rigueur in the beer world. I’m not much for prognostication, especially in an industry as diverse as the increasingly international world of craft beer. It’s better to reflect on where we’ve been over the past year to get a sense of what is to come. Reviewing the [...]

Hey, Wanna Hear Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione Talk Microbes And Drink Beer?

Andy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:20:11 +0000

Living in Cambridge has its perks, including access to nearby Harvard University and its core of interesting programming. In between looking up the next Harvard hockey game and perusing the David Brooks lecture, I came across this unexpected and unusual gem that I have not seen elsewhere on the web. “Man and microbe: Exotic ales [...]

The Cult of Beer…

Andy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:57:53 +0000

Ever wonder what it takes to piss off a monk? Try talking to him about eBay. For nearly 175 years, the pious monks of Westvleteren in the western Belgian Poperinge hop region have quietly gone about brewing what have become some of the world’s most heralded and sought after beers. Without trying, the monks scored [...]

Saving Oktoberfest…

Andy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:52:35 +0000

Oktoberfest is an unavoidable tourist trap of a beer drinking holiday in much of the world, with perhaps no greater faux revelry than in the United States. With no ties to any continental or European history or tradition, bars simply stock up on some half-liters (often plastic, ugh), some white and blue checked flags, and [...]

A Beer Language Problem…

Andy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:17:37 +0000

We have a language problem in the world of beer. I’m not talking about our over-use of four-letter words or an inability to speak after too many pints. Instead, we lack a cohesive and agreed upon central terms for discussing our shared are of passion. Let’s start with the term whose popularity continues to grow [...]

Should Beer Writers Stop Writing About History?

Andy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:38:26 +0000

There have been a flurry of blog posts this week decrying the recent release of the Oxford Beer Companion, edited by Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at the Brooklyn Brewery. As part of this near-encyclopedic series, the publication is being touted as “[t]he first major reference work to investigate the history and vast scope of beer. The [...]

The GABF That Was And Wasn’t…

Andy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:00:30 +0000

I’ve just returned from my 15th annual trip to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. That number still boggles my mind and I’ve seen the fest (from its days at Currigan Hall), the City of Denver, and the attendant brewing and drinking communities change greatly in that time. Taking a cue from another beer [...]

Welcome Chronicle Viewers…

Andy — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:12 +0000

The local ABC affiliate (WCVB) ran an episode on its excellent Chronicle program this evening profiling the wide variety of fantastic brewers that we have in Massachusetts. For those viewers who made their way here, I welcome you and hope you enjoy BeerScribe.com and local craft beer. I’ll try and post the video when it [...]

A Love Of Garage Drinking…

Andy — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:07:20 +0000

I like drinking beer in garages. I’m not talking about sitting next to lawnmowers, beat up Ford Escorts, and discarded tools in your buddy’s man cave. I prefer brewery-garage outfits where the drinking environment is about as deconstructed and scaled down as you can imagine. In most cities around the United States, breweries exist in [...]