The Brewery Tourist

"Two Brothers Brewing Company was founded by Jim and Jason Ebel in late 1996. The business was..."

osmundsen — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:12:23 -0500

“

Two Brothers Brewing Company was founded by Jim and Jason Ebel in late 1996. The business was envisioned by the brothers based on their entry into entrepreneurship with The Brewer’s Coop, a retail store catering to home beer and wine making. In 1993 The Brewer’s Coop opened its doors in Naperville, IL selling retail ingredients and equipment for the homebrewing community.

The more they were surrounded by brewing, the more passionate they became about opening their own microbrewery. In early 1996 they decided to take the plunge and start writing a business plan. Several months later their dream became reality. Two Brothers Brewing Company is still 100% family owned.

”

- Two Brothers Brewing Company website

Two Brothers in located in a non-descript industrial complex in Warrenville, Illinois, just a little west of my hometown. Their beers are conveniently sold at Costco in cost-effective 24-packs for only $24. A buck a beer cannot be beat!

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

The Case for Beer: An Infographic from Frugal Dad Click the link...

osmundsen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:13:00 -0500

The Case for Beer: An Infographic from Frugal Dad

Click the link above to view it in its full glory!

Source: FrugalDad.com

"When Ben presented the opportunity to join with him to help Finch’s Beer Company become a reality,..."

osmundsen — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:56:54 -0500

“When Ben presented the opportunity to join with him to help Finch’s Beer Company become a reality, Paul realizing Ben’s passion for the craft brewing industry saw it as an opportunity to do something fun and different. This endeavor has opened his horizons to great craft beers and the great community of craft brewers.”

- Finch’s Beer Co. website referring to its owners, Benjamin and Paul Finch

Paul is actually Ben’s father, not the putt-putt lovin’ Paul Finch from the American Pie movies. Finch’s is a promising up-and-coming craft brewer in Chicago. I have tasted their product on many occasions and have never had reason to complain.

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

Know the Basic Beer Ingredients

osmundsen — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:18:00 -0500

Written by Richard Jacobs

To be able to brew the perfect beer, it is important to know the basic ingredients and what they do for your beer. Apart from the basic ingredients that you will have to use like malt, fermentable sugars, hops, water and yeast, you can also add extra ingredients to affect the taste, smell, color and mouth feel of your beer. You will be surprised to know that there are numerous additives which you can add to change the properties of your beer. But before you decide the additive you will use in your beer, you must first understand the basic ingredients and how to get them.

Malt - Malt is made from barley which is easy to find. You can buy dried or germinated barley from the local brew store or even purchase it online. Some people prefer to get fresh barley from a farmer and germinate and dry it themselves. However, only true beer pioneers will go through the entire process of doing everything themselves instead of buying germinated and dried barley which is easily available.

Hops - Hop is a plant that flowers annually and needs to be added to the beer for some bitterness, aroma, flavor and to add preservative qualities to your beer. Hops are an important ingredient of beer and hard to just go out and pick. There are different kinds of hops which you can buy, varying in taste and smell. You can order them online directly from the growers. If you use different hops with each batch of beer you make, the recipe will turn out different. So make sure you use the same hops with your favorite recipe for it to turn out the same.

Yeast - Yeast the most important ingredient of your brew. It adds the alcohol content and keeps the bubbles moving. Just like with hops, it is important that you use the same yeast with each batch of brew for your favorite recipe. Since it is the most important ingredient of your brew, it is not easy to choose. You cannot simply go to your local grocery store to get the yeast you need for your brew. Spend some time and do your research to find the right yeast for the type of beer you are brewing. Remember that yeast is alive and it will add character to your beer, so try using different kinds of yeast for different types of beer. You will see the difference in the results yourself.

To help choose the perfect yeast for your beer, get some recommendations from friends or read them online before ordering. You can also get suggestions from your local brew shop and they will even help you find whatever special you need for your brew.

Apart from the main ingredients mentioned above, you also need to choose water wisely as it is very important to your beer’s quality. You need to understand the water’s pH balance as well as the affects of chlorine. Some people prefer to use boiled water or spring water to use in their beer.

Understanding the different ingredients and using then in different batches will help you customize your brewing experience. If you are a beginner, you can also buy pre-packaged beer kits which are easy to use.

Author Bio

Richard Jacobs is a chief editor since early 2007, and he currently works for MyDUIAttorney. A website that helps you to find the right DUI lawyer, you can search for a Phoenix DUI Attorney or for Mesa DUI Attorney online, anytime!

"Three Floyds Brewing Company LLC was founded in 1996 by brothers Nick and Simon with their father..."

osmundsen — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 06:41:36 -0500

“Three Floyds Brewing Company LLC was founded in 1996 by brothers Nick and Simon with their father Mike Floyd. The original brewery was built by Nick and Simon in a run down warehouse located in Hammond, Indiana. The first beers brewed by the brothers were designed to be a departure from the fairly bleak craft brewing scene in the region. Nick and Simon brewed intense balanced beers that were and still remain “not normal” by conventional standards.”

- Three Floyds Brewing Team

Now located in Munster, Indiana, Three Floyds is infamous for their overwhelmingly popular annual Dark Lord Day festival, traditionally occurring in late April.

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

As a follow-up to the post I wrote about the debut of Goose...

osmundsen — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 09:21:19 -0500

As a follow-up to the post I wrote about the debut of Goose Island 312 cans, check out this unofficial promotional video created to celebrate their launch. Gotta love the Hall & Oates!

I drunkenly stumbled upon these amazing beer paintings and had...

osmundsen — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:11:55 -0500

I drunkenly stumbled upon these amazing beer paintings and had to share them with you all. They’d make a classy addition to any bar or man cave.

Show your love for your favorite beers in a unique, elegant way. Commission an original painting of 1-4 caps from your favorite beers/breweries (or individual hop cones can substitute caps).

Visit the artists’ Etsy page or official website for more details on how to order!

"From its earliest time under the Shiner Brewing Association in 1909, to that fateful day in 1914..."

osmundsen — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:37:51 -0500

“From its earliest time under the Shiner Brewing Association in 1909, to that fateful day in 1914 when Kosmos Spoetzl saw an opportunity to bring classic Bavarian brewing traditions to his fellow immigrants, through the Great Experiment of Prohibition and the Great Depression, the Little Brewery has stuck to what they know the best — handcrafting the finest beer! Tucked away in the scenic Texas Hill Country between Houston and San Antonio, Spoetzl Brewery is the heart of Shiner.”

- Spoetzl Brewery website

If you’re like me, you know Spoetzl Brewery better by the name of their flagship beer, Shiner Bock. Now I’ve learned that Shiner is actually a town in Texas. Beer road trip, anyone?

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

Anheuser-Busch recently launched a new website and accompanying...

osmundsen — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:09:00 -0600

Anheuser-Busch recently launched a new website and accompanying iPhone app called Track Your Bud. I was initially skeptical, but this turned out to be kind of cool.

Basically, you enter the “born on” date and code from your bottle of Budweiser-branded beer and the website or app tells you the life story of your beer: when and where it was born, the brewmaster in charge, and a little background on the brewing process.

My particular Bud Select had been brewed 102 days ago in Columbus, Ohio by Jason McKibben. Not a ton of in depth info, but nifty nonetheless. Another cool extra … If you are the first person to “track your Bud”, then you get to name the batch. Mine was “Chitown Bound”.

The iPhone app is free, so you have nothing to lose. Download it and check it out for yourself!

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin gives one of the best...

osmundsen — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:19:23 -0600

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin gives one of the best brewery tours in the nation … or so I’ve read. Since I have not yet had the chance to travel north to experience it myself, I visited their website for more info and discovered their nine-part video brewery tour online. The above clip is only the first one. Watching these videos is almost like being there, except no free beer. So, I suggest cracking open a chilled Lakefront beer to enhance the realism.

"The Boulevard story begins in 1988, when founder John McDonald started construction of the brewery..."

osmundsen — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:52:32 -0600

“The Boulevard story begins in 1988, when founder John McDonald started construction of the brewery in a turn-of-the-century brick building on Kansas City’s historic Southwest Boulevard. A vintage Bavarian brewhouse was installed, and the first batches of beer were produced in the fall of 1989.”

- Boulevard Brewing Company website

Boulevard is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and has grown to become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Their most well-known beer is their Unfiltered Wheat Beer … and I can attest to its tastiness. Plus, I hear they offer an amazing brewery tour, which I need to go on someday.

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

Video

osmundsen — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:15:00 -0600

"Located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery overlooks the wild and scenic Deschutes River...."

osmundsen — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:49:00 -0600

“Located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery overlooks the wild and scenic Deschutes River. It’s home base to our adventurous, award-winning lineup of pioneering beers.”

- Deschutes Brewery website

Named after the river that “bends” near Bend, Oregon, the Deschutes (pronounced “duh-SHOOTS”) brewers must be inspired by nature’s beauty to produce such quality beers.

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

As has been reported elsewhere, Goose Island will be offering...

osmundsen — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:42:00 -0600

As has been reported elsewhere, Goose Island will be offering cans of their top-selling beer, 312 Urban Wheat Ale, very soon. I, for one, am excited about this. I personally think that cans are a great beer receptacle and would love to see more beers offered this way.

Furthermore, in combination with Goose Island’s much-publicized sale to AB-InBev, I see these 312 cans as a potentially clever vehicle for spreading this quality wheat ale to the rest of the nation. In my mind, I could totally see this logo with a huge 314 with the St. Louis skyline featuring the Arch in the background. Or a big 206 with the Seattle cityscape and the Space Needle poking up.

In addition, the 312’s description as an “Urban Wheat Ale” also fits in with this area code plus city skyline motif. It all just seems to make sense. To me, at least.

Want to learn more? Check out the scoop from the Red Eye newspaper in Chicago with some early glimpses of the actual physical cans. Can-tastic!

"My husband, Randal (Randy) Sprecher, started Sprecher Brewing Company in 1985. It is the first..."

osmundsen — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:28:28 -0600

“My husband, Randal (Randy) Sprecher, started Sprecher Brewing Company in 1985. It is the first brewery established in Milwaukee since Prohibition.

Randy moved to Milwaukee to brew for Pabst. He’d been a homebrewer for many years then studied fermentation science at UC-Davis, which is where Pabst found him.”

- Anne Sprecher, PR and Marketing at Sprecher Brewing Company

Sprecher is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and are as well known for their great craft beers as their delicious sodas. I especially enjoy their famous root beer in a homemade float. Mmm!

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

Awesome new logo for the Double Daisy Cutter Pale Ale by Half...

osmundsen — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0600

Awesome new logo for the Double Daisy Cutter Pale Ale by Half Acre Beer Company in Chicago. If it’s like all the rest of their kick-ass beer art, this piece of work was designed by the very talented Phineas X. Jones. Read their post about this limited edition beer’s release.

Brewery Tour Recap -- Early 2012

osmundsen — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:30:00 -0600

We have toured and reviewed many breweries (and even one root beer bottleworks) here on The Brewery Tourist over the past year. Here’s a recap of all of those reviews along with hints about some upcoming ones to look forward to:

Our complete list of brewery tour reviews can always be found on the BREWERY TOURS page, accessible via the link to the right. Enjoy!

You may have seen this very creative video about Beeri, the...

osmundsen — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:02:15 -0600

You may have seen this very creative video about Beeri, the Siri/Twitter powered R/C car that “pours” your can of beer. But, if you look closely, you’ll notice that it features two breweries: a can of Dale’s Pale Ale from Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, CO and a logo pint glass from Yazoo Brewing Company in Nashville, TN.

Check out the official Beeri website, including an educational “making of” video.

"In Aztec mythology, the 400 Rabbits or Centzon Totochtin were the children of Mayahuel (the goddess..."

osmundsen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:18:00 -0600

“

In Aztec mythology, the 400 Rabbits or Centzon Totochtin were the children of Mayahuel (the goddess of maguey) and Pantecatl (the god of fermentation).

5 Rabbit was one of the leaders of the 400 Rabbits, and was also one of the five deities, known collectively as Ahuiteteo, who symbolized excess and over-indulgence. 5 Rabbit and the other Ahuiteteo – 5 Flower, 5 Grass, 5 Lizard and 5 Vulture – bore the names of specific days in the Aztec calendar where cycles of day number 5 were associated with excess and loss of control.

”

- 5 Rabbit Cerveceria press release kit provided by Isaac Showaki, co-founder

5 Rabbit is the first Latin microbrewery in the United States and happens to be located in my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. They brew some ambitious and delicious beers.

“Why It’s Named …” is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names

Time for a little “show and tell” … Heidi, my...

osmundsen — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:53:00 -0600

Time for a little “show and tell” … Heidi, my fiance and blog post editor, bought me these totally awesome Moleskine notebooks for Christmas. She had them personalized with “The Brewery Tourist” debossed into their leather covers. Very official looking.