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Since 1997, when I was first invited to participate, a jolly bunch of us in the Philadelphia area have gathered every holiday season to assemble what has come to be called The Christmas Mix. Steered and organized by beer writer Lew Bryson, with help from several other passionate beer geeks, its has been, for us, the ultimate beer Christmas present: 24 winter/holiday/Xmas beers, one per case, a case of joy for 24 lucky people. We are doing the same this year, assembling at the Grey Lodge Public House in Philly(www.greylodge.com) on Monday, December 29 and making up these cases. This is not a money-making venture of any kind, and several of us are already out purchasing the cases at distributorships all over the place, as far away as Maryland, to be ready for Dec. 29. The case price every year has averaged between $32-35 usually, and I expect, from initial purchasing so far, for that price to continue. We have some slots available this year, and I want to open it up to the folks here, especially to the ones within geographic range for pickup on Dec 29. For those interested who live further away, I'm sure we can calculate shipping, but there is always the risk of damage, and, of course the consideranble expense of shipping a case of beer. It's been done, but that's just the caveat. Just to whet your whistle, this is what we have planned for the Christmas Mix, with some possible changes due to availibility etc.: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Troegs Mad Elf Wild Goose Snow Goose Bert Grants Deep Powder Anchor OSA River Horse Frost Bite Harpoon Winter Warmer Victory Old Horizontal Old Dominion Winter Appalachian Susquehanna Stout Monk's Cafe Sour Clipper City Winter Pyramid Snow Cap Penn St. Nikolaus Avery Old Jubilation Geary’s Hampshire Winter Bell’s Java Stout North Coast Wintertime Weyerbacher Winter Pivovar Winter Lager Otter Creek A Winter’s Ale or Alpine Ale Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Harvey Christmas Ale Heavyweight Old Salty Flying Fish Grand Cru Lancaster Winter Warmer E-mail me here for details on payment in advance when possible, and get a case of beer like no other. Joining us all at the Grey Lodge, on December 29, will be (check out their current beer menu!) even more special and fun, if you can.

I probably have the name wrong, but hey, it was a long time ago! I was an exchange student in Hannover Germany once upon a time ago back in the early 80's. We took a side trip to West Berlin and stayed in a youth hostel for a week and also some bar nearby within stumbling distance, whose name escapes me now, for obvious reasons. I enjoyed a drink I was told was unique to Berlin. It was a beer of some sort, mixed with a raspberry (I think) syrup. It was kind of frothy and pink in color. Has anyone ever had, or heard, or knows how to make such a thing? I'd like to recreate the taste if I can, if only for nostalgia's sake.

I disliked beer until I tried Chimay Red (unpasteurized Belgian ambrosia made by Trappist monks) a couple of weeks ago. I was totally blown away. Since then, I have sampled both Chimay Blue and Chimay Triple, but I like the Red best. I still dislike most other beers that I've tried, though. Any suggestions for beers that I might seek out, knowing that I love Chimay? Anybody else adore this stuff?

In a PRNewswire story from yesterday, (these never seem to be directly linkable) this announcement appeared. Gist of it here in a short cut and paste: Busy, busy bees at Skyy -- new flavoured vodka on the way, too. Before anyone states a solid YUK to the product concept, those Mike's Hard Lemonade types sell very well in the summer. In fact when I really couldn't commit to a glass of wine, a beer or a Margarita, a tall cup of ice and one of these sorts of beverages (I like the Mike's Cranberry Lemonade and Skyy Blue) are quite refreshing and very relaxing poolside. I just can't drink more than one....

click here to play

Hard to find Point beer (brewed in Stevens Point, WI but now Augsberger has shown up on the shelves after a long, very long absence. Anyone know the scoop on these two brews?

here it is from their website, of course ... This is supposed to be the newest breakthrough in offering beer to one's guests ... it does have a certain appeal and from their "press" it is catching on .... visually appealing? will not break during everyday use ... Seen one? Hope you never do? Think it has any merit? Feedback?

Hey all, I've been playing with marinades alot at home in the kitchen. I here that beer makes a great marinade for fish. I am very fond of cod and halibut. Anyone know any good beer recipes for these two? Thanks

Bob, just saw on the home page that it's your birthday... Hope it's happy! Keeping this on topic, are you drinking (or brewing) anything special for the celebration? Best wishes to you. Cheers!

Wow! Hazed & Infused, Rockies Brewing Company, Boulder, Colorado ...A beer new to me, which I actually found here in Florida. When I saw this with its catchy name in a Whole Foods Market in Winter Park, I had to try it. I'll definitely get more, even if I can find it no closer to us than Winter Park, which is about an hour away. According to the label, it is the first release in the Looking Glass Series of specialty beers by this company, and is an unfiltered dry-hopped ale which is "hazed" and "infused" with Crystal and Centennial hops. I must say the first adjective that came to mind as I tasted this was orgasmic. But for some more traditional descriptions... This nice hoppy beer is so flavorful, dry -- not even hinting of being too bitter, citrusy and piney, and aromatic. It is all about hops, and I am all about hops, so I love this. It ranks up there with Hop Devil, Tuppers Hop Pocket, 60 Minute IPA, etc. for me. I'm wondering if this beer has been around for a while, and I just lost touch with what's new since I moved to Florida three years ago. I will go visit the Rockies Brewing Company web site, but please do comment if you know of other good beers by them to recommend.

Okay, I have to admit it. I don't much like beer, but I am willing to admit it might be the beers I have tried. *Some English ales, a Danish thing I can't recall, the usual American suspects...* I know that this is a good area for me to expand my culinary education, and that beer is fast becoming as important with food pairing as wine is. So I really want to "get it". So, what would you recommend as a good "start" for someone who wants to learn to enjoy beer, but is not happy with bitter sensations or the taste of yeast (per se)?? And thanks for the suggestions!

Hello eGullet Beer Forum folks! The beer forum has been kinda slow lately, covering a few homebrew projects and a few beer events. Let's see what we can do about livening things up with some talk about what we've actually been drinking recently. Since we're now a Society for Culinary Arts and Letters, I think we're up to the challenge of writing clearly and meaningfully about the beers that we choose to drink. While the wine world is notorious for the verbosity of its descriptions, beer more often than not falls into the Tonto, Tarzan and Frankenstein school of reviewing: This beer GOOD!, or That beer BAD! Fire BAAAAD! Let's see what we can do about raising the level of discourse here about our favorite liquid bread substitute. I'm not the ideal person to kick this subject off, since I've been drinking mostly my own homebrew lately, so almost nobody here is going to have a chance to engage me on the merits of my observations, since nobody else can go pick up a bottle of the stuff. However, there has been an out of the way commercial lawnmower beer in my beer fridge recently that I'll start up a thread on. In this thread, we should engage in the meta-discussion about beer tasting and reviewing and what a beer tasting note should look like and include. I'll start with some of my own thoughts on the subject. Please argue with me if you think I'm wrong, crazy, both or otherwise. I think that a beer review should concentrate on the aroma and flavor of the brew in question. Lots of reviewers spend time describing the visuals... the head and how long it lasts, the lace left over after it subsides, the color. These should, as far as I'm concerned, take up no more than a sentence. Aromas are a tough subject to write about, since there really isn't structured vocabulary for describing things that the nose picks up. Everything here is an analogy to other things we expect people to know about. Just like in the wine world, with its leather and barnyard and violet descriptions, we're going to have to pick out a set of words to capture what we're taking about. That is why I think that each beer should have its own thread here. That way when tasting the same beer, we can work towards a standardized vocabulary that describes what we're experiencing. Hops aromas especially need some work to build a vocabulary that captures them. Saying "that is a hoppy beer" is really almost meaningless, since hops contribute so many different possible flavors. Some hop character is citrussy like grapefruit, while others are orangey or grassy, or sharp, or just really bitter. We must work The body of the beer should get some analysis, but in the context of what it does to the flavor. Is the body too thin for the malty sweetness that comes across on the palate? Is the body too thick to harmoniously coexist with the sharp hoppiness. Beer flavors go all over the place... at the NJ BBQ my homebrew contributions were intended to challenge people's conceptions about the nature of beer and show how broad the world of beers can be. Several "people who don't like beer" tried my offerings and discovered that they liked it, despite the preconceived notion that they wouldn't. Getting to the point where people can read a beer review and decide whether this is a beer they'd like or not should be the goal of this project. We should try to avoid numerical scales if at all possible (God forbid one of us become the Robert Parker of beer), for either summary purposes or for descriptions of specific elements of a beer. In homebrew circles there is a shorthand for how bitter a beer is-- how many IBUs does it have. I'd like to avoid pigeonholing this description as a simple numerical score, and describe the nature of the bitterness instead. I'd like to see descriptions put forth by one taster discussed and debated by others who have tasted the same beer... lets work through the meaning of the description and come to a consensus on what the words mean. Tastes are, after all, subjective. And beers do change over time. Even though they aim for constitency, they don't always hit that goal. Should one find a funky bottle of something, that would also be a welcome addition to the thread, since the odds of getting a spoiled bottle are something any potential beer consumer would want to know. Finally, I'd like to save the judgement for last, since it is the most subjective part of the review... when describing the flavor try to tell us about the taste, not whether you like it or not. After a description of the flavors and aromas, then let us know whether the combination worked for you or not. Too much tartness for so sweet a beer? Too bitter for your palate? etc... If several people write reviews of the same beer, it could be quite helpful to everybody, since what one person notices when they taste may be totally different from what another notices, even when they're tasting the same thing. Seeing what somebody else got out of the same experience could well broaden the perceptions of somebody who noticed something but couldn't put a finger on exactly what it was. I'll sign off for the moment, but would love commentary on your thoughts on the project.

the story Do Trevithick's findings surprise you? Check out the article for the details because too much beer is not good for your health ... Devil's in the details? or just plain good news? You decide! and you thought beer just tasted good.

The Wichita Chapter of The American Institute of Wine & Food is presenting a beer festival October 8-9. See the website for details: www.midwestbeerfest.com

They're HERE! The beverage store shelves are starting to show this season's Oktoberfest beers, and it's a wonderful time of the year. SO far I've grabbed sixers of local Flying Fish Oktoberfish (had a glorious glassful of the stuff at Philly's Grey Lodge Pub the other night, and baby, it's a winner) and Lowebrau's Oktoberfestbier, and am planning to sample them tonight in our weekly beer chat on www.starchat.net (click on StarPirch, Channels, the "No Bull Inn") at approx 11:30 EST. Tasting notes to follow..... So what have you found out there, Oktoberfest-wise? Tasting notes, please!

Found at State Line in Elkton, MD yesterday: Avery Brewing's The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest. Yes, an imperial oktoberfest.

Me and my friend went and raided State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD this morning and made a pretty good haul. I was very impressed with the selections and the prices. I instructed my friend to keep me on a 45-minute time limit to find and choose items. In the end, these were the selections I made. I want to say thanks to LJDolan for his earlier post and recommendations. Items included were as follows: 6 pack Avery India Pale Ale 6 pack Otter Creek Octoberfest 4 pack Dogfish Head Midas Touch 4 pack Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA 1 btl. Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA (12 oz) 1 btl. Dogfish Head Olde School Ale (12 oz) 1 btl. Heavyweight Lunacy (12 oz) 1 btl. Heavyweight Perkuno's Hammer (12 oz) 1 btl. Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot (12 oz) 1 btl. J.W. Lees Moonraker Ale (.500 l) 1 btl. Cisco Brewers Moor Porter (.750 l) 1 btl. Cisco Brewers Bailey's Ale (.750 l) 1 btl. Stiegl Pils (.500 l) 1 btl. Ommegang Three Philosophers (12 oz) Was hoping to nab a bottle of Dogfish Head Liqueur De Malt, but was told 5 cases had sold out in about a week. Just opened a Midas Touch. A lot of fruit and sweetness with this one, and a nice kick at 9% ABV. Here's to some good beer drinking for the next couple of weeks.

Here is the list of Great American Beer Festival winners for the just concluded 2004 gathering in Denver this past weekend. As a side note, I am endlessly fascinated by the creativity displayed in some of the beer names, alwasy worth a good chuckle. My favorite this year: "The Legend of the Liquid Brain", from the Bull & Bush Brewery in Denver. To wit: Great American Beer Festival Awards 2004 Category: 1 Non-Alcoholic (Beer) Malt Beverage-5 Entries Gold: Old Milwaukee NA, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Silver: Coors NA, Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO Bronze: Odoul's Amber, Anheuser-Busch Inc., St. Louis, MO Category: 2 American Lager/Ale or Cream Ale-23 Entries Gold: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI Silver: Special Export, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Bronze: Genesee Cream Ale, High Falls Brewing Company, Rochester, NY Category: 3 American-Style Wheat Beer-20 Entries Gold: Summer Solstice Wheat, Chelsea Brewing Company, New York, NY Silver: Bullfrog Ale, Issaquah Brewhouse-Rogue Ales, Issaquah, WA Bronze: Shiner Winter Ale, The Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX Category: 4 American-Style Hefeweizen-25 Entries Gold: Hefeweizen, Pyramid Ales & Lagers, Seattle, WA Silver: American Wheat, Upstream Brewing Company, Omaha, NE Bronze: Mueller Unfiltered Wheat, Springfield Brewing Company, Springfield, MO Category: 5 Fruit and Vegetable Beer-36 Entries Gold: Raspberry Tart, New Glarus Brewing Company , New Glarus, WI Silver: Chile Beer, Six Rivers Brewery, McKinleyville, CA Bronze: Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, WI Category: 6 Herb and Spice Beer-49 Entries Gold: Somer Gras Citrus Ale, Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver, CO Silver: Heather Ale, Amherst Brewing Company, Amherst, MA Bronze: Santa's Lil' Helper, Newport Beach Brewing Company, Newport Beach, CA Category: 7 Coffee Flavored Beer-18 Entries Gold: "Cup of Mud" Java Porter, Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Topeka, KS Silver: Cup of Joe, CJ's Brewery & Grill, La Jolla, CA Bronze: Double Espresso Stout, Barley Brothers Brewery & Grill, Lake Havasu City, AZ Category: 8 Specialty Beer-13 Entries Gold: Dubbel Down Brown, Santa Barbara Brewing Company, Santa Barbara, CA Silver: Morimoto Soba Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR Bronze: Maple Wheaten, Pyramid Ales & Lagers, Seattle, WA Category: 9 Rye Beer-12 Entries Gold: Rye On, Chama River Brewing Company, Albuquerque, NM Silver: Roggenbier, Rock Bottom Brewery-Des Moines, West Des Moines, IA Bronze: Right on Rye, Rock Bottom Brewery-Bethesda, Bethesda, MD Category: 10 Specialty Honey Lager or Ale-20 Entries Gold: Midas Touch, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE Silver: Thunderstorm, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN Bronze: Orange Blossom Pilsner, Unique Beers, Orlando, FL Category: 11 Experimental Beer-29 Entries Gold: Samuel Adams Millennium, Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA Silver: Benevolence, Cambridge Brewing Company, Cambridge, MA Bronze: Palm Island Porter, Big Horn Brewing Co. @ The Ram 1, Tacoma, WA Category: 12 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer-47 Entries Gold: New Glarus Brown Ale, New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI Silver: 2002 Casked Barley Wine, Schooner's Grille & Brewery, Antioch, CA Bronze: Bourbon Russian, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant #2, Wilmington, DE Category: 13 Beer With Yeast-8 Entries Gold: Triumph Kellerbier, Triumph Brewing Company of New Hope, New Hope, PA Silver: Moonmen, SandLot Brewery at Coors Field, Denver, CO Bronze: The Detroit Dwarf, Detroit Beer Company, Detroit, MI Category: 14 Smoke-Flavored Beer-19 Entries Gold: O'Fallon Smoked Porter, O'Fallon Brewery, O'Fallon, MO Silver: Triumph Rauchbier, Triumph Brewing Company of Princeton, Princeton, NJ Bronze: Alaskan Smoked Porter, Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau, AK Category: 15 German-Style Pilsener-37 Entries Gold: Provo Girl Pilsner, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT Silver: Ptarmigan Pilsner, Backcountry Brewery, Frisco, CO Bronze: Sierra Nevada Summerfest, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA Category: 16 Bohemian-Style Pilsener-29 Entries Gold: Gordon Biersch Czech Lager, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, Chattanooga, TN Silver: Pallavicini Pilsner, Pug Ryans Brewery, Dillon, CO Bronze: La Plata Pils, Carver Brewing Company, Durango, CO Category: 17 Münchner-Style Helles-25 Entries Gold: B.S. Helles, SandLot Brewery at Coors Field, Denver, CO Silver: Helles, The Cowboy Restaurant & Brewery, Scottsdale, AZ Bronze: Augsburger Golden, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI Category: 18 European-Style Pilsener-25 Entries Gold: Mueller Lager, Springfield Brewing Company, Springfield, MO Silver: Pilsner 500, Prescott Brewing Company, Prescott, AZ Bronze: Herman Brau, SandLot Brewery at Coors Field, Denver, CO Category: 19 American-Style Light Lager-33 Entries Gold: Rainier Light, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Silver: Old Milwaukee Light, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Bronze: Michelob Light, Anheuser-Busch Inc., St. Louis, MO Category: 20 American-Style "Light" Amber Lager-9 Entries Gold: MoJo Lager, Starr Hill, Charlottesville, VA Silver: Henry Weinhard Amber Light, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI Bronze: Coastal Light Pale, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA Category: 21 American-Style Lager-14 Entries Gold: Old Milwaukee, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Silver: Milwaukee's Best, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI Bronze: Schlitz, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Category: 22 American-Style Premium Lager-14 Entries Gold: Coors Original, Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO Silver: Miller High Life, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, WI Bronze: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Category: 23 American-Style Specialty Lager-19 Entries Gold: Samurai Malt Liquor, Rock Bottom Brewery-Long Beach, Long Beach, CA Silver: Schlitz Malt Liquor, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Bronze: St. Ides Malt Liquor, Pabst Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX Category: 24 Vienna-Style Lager-25 Entries Gold: Genesee Red Lager, High Falls Brewing Company, Rochester, NY Silver: Schild brau Amber, Millstream Brewing Company, Amana, IA Bronze: Vienna Lager, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT Category: 25 German-Style Märzen/Oktoberfest-52 Entries Gold: Oktoberfest, Sprecher Brewing Company, Glendale, WI Silver: Octfest, Old Dominion Brewing Company, Ashburn, VA Bronze: Oktoberfest, Stoudt's Brewing Company, Adamstown, PA Category: 26 American-Style Amber Lager-31 Entries Gold: Old Scratch, Flying Dog Brewery, Denver, CO Silver: Extreme Amber, BJ's Restaurant & Brewery-Woodland Hills/Oxnard, Huntington Beach, CA Bronze: UBER BRAU, Big Horn Brewing Co. @ Humperdink's, Addison, TX Category: 27 European-Style Dark/Münchner Dunkel-21 Entries Gold: Dunkles Bock, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA Silver: Dark Munich Lager, Rock Bottom Brewery-Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ Bronze: Penn Dark, Pennsylvania Brewing Company, Pittsburgh, PA Category: 28 American-Style Dark Lager-9 Entries Gold: Beau Rivage Bock, Coast Brewing Company/Beau Rivage Resort, Biloxi, MS Silver: Michelob Amber Bock, Anheuser-Busch Inc., St. Louis, MO Bronze: Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, WI Category: 29 German-Style Schwarzbier-28 Entries Gold: Black Forest Schwarzbier, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT Silver: Kings Peak, Uinta Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, UT Bronze: Goose Island Schwarzbier, Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL Category: 30 Bock-15 Entries Gold: Butt Head Bock, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO Silver: Hops 15th Anniversary Bock, Hops Grillhouse and Brewery, Madison, GA Bronze: Mai Bock, Sprecher Brewing Company, Glendale, WI Category: 31 German-Style Strong Bock-20 Entries Gold: Capital Autumnal Fire, Capital Brewery Company, Inc., Middleton, WI Silver: Broken Keg Ice Bock, Port Brewing Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA Bronze: Eisbock, New Glarus Brewing Company, New Glarus, WI Category: 32 Golden or Blonde Ale-38 Entries Gold: All Nighter, Chicago Brewing Company, Las Vegas, NV Silver: Mother Lode Golden, Laurelwood Public House & Brewery, Portland, OR Bronze: Big Horn Blonde, Big Horn Brewing Co. @ The Ram 2, Wheeling, IL Category: 33 German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch-36 Entries Gold: Guido's Kolnerbrau, Snake River Brewing Company, Jackson, WY Silver: Biloxi Blonde, Coast Brewing Company/Beau Rivage Resort, Biloxi, MS Bronze: Mammoth Gold, Mammoth Brewing Company, Mammoth Lakes, CA Category: 34 Classic English-Style Pale Ale-22 Entries Gold: Starr Hill Pale Ale, Starr Hill, Charlottesville, VA Silver: Millennium Ale, Coast Brewing Company/Beau Rivage Resort, Biloxi, MS Bronze: Pitchfork Pale Ale, Jarre Creek Ranch Restaurant and Brewing Company, Castle Rock, CO Category: 35 English-Style Summer Ale-26 Entries Gold: Cascade Golden Ale, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR Silver: Chasing Tail Ale, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT Bronze: Surfer's Summer Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR Category: 36 English-Style India Pale Ale-26 Entries Gold: Squatters India Pale Ale, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT Silver: Goose Island India Pale Ale, Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, IL Bronze: Newcomb's IPA, McCoy's Public House and Brew Kitchen, Kansas City, MO Category: 37 American-Style Pale Ale-74 Entries Gold: Duckdive Pale Ale, Bill's Tavern & Brewhouse, Cannon Beach, OR Silver: New River Pale Ale, New River Brewing Company, Atlanta, GA Bronze: Dillon DAM Extra Pale Ale, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO Category: 38 American-Style Strong Pale Ale-37 Entries Gold: Avery India Pale Ale, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, CO Silver: Boss IPA, Laurelwood Public House & Brewery, Portland, OR Bronze: Fairweather IPA, Moose's Tooth Brewing Company, Anchorage, AK Category: 39 American-Style India Pale Ale-93 Entries Gold: India Pelican Ale, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR Silver: Wipeout IPA, Port Brewing Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA Bronze: IPA, Schooner's Grille & Brewery, Antioch, CA Category: 40 Imperial or Double India Pale Ale-48 Entries Gold: DoHeny Double IPA, Pizza Port San Clemente, San Clemente, CA Silver: Frank Double IPA, Port Brewing Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA Bronze: Pliny the Elder, Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA Category: 41 American-Style Amber/Red Ale-67 Entries Gold: Hoptown Paint the Town Red, Hoptown Brewing Company, Pleasanton, CA Silver: Red Nectar, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, CA Bronze: Arch Amber, Angelic Brewing Company, Madison, WI Category: 42 Imperial or Double Red Ale-19 Entries Gold: Hop Whompus, Oggi's Pizza and Brewing Company, San Clemente, CA Silver: Hog Heaven, Avery Brewing Company, Boulder, CO Bronze: Shark Attack, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA Category: 43 Bitter-29 Entries Gold: Drop Top Amber, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, OR Silver: Buckin' Bitter, Bottoms Up Brewing Company, Pinedale, WY Bronze: Sunnyside Pale Ale, Snipes Mountain Brewing, Inc., Sunnyside, WA Category: 44 Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter-41 Entries Gold: The Wise ESB, Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA Silver: Alaskan ESB, Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau, AK Bronze: Bachelor ESB, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR Category: 45 Scottish-Style Ale-20 Entries Gold: Smokin Scottish Ale, Calhoun's Restaurant & Brewing Company of Harrisonburg, VA, Harrisonburg, VA Silver: Hope & King Scotch Ale, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN Bronze: Charlie's Barley, Ham's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Greenville, NC Category: 46 Irish-Style Red Ale-26 Entries Gold: Fountain City Amber, 75th Street Brewery, Kansas City, MO Silver: McIlhenney's Irish Red, Alpine Beer Company, Alpine, CA Bronze: Casco Bay Riptide Red Ale, Casco Bay Brewing Company, Portland, ME Category: 47 English-Style Brown Ale-42 Entries Gold: Buster Nut Brown, SKA Brewing Company, Durango, CO Silver: Nut Brown Ale, Island Brewing Company, Carpinteria, CA Bronze: Nut Brown Ale, Long Valley Pub and Brewery, Long Valley, NJ Category: 48 American-Style Brown Ale-37 Entries Gold: Bitch Creek ESB, Grand Teton Brewing Company, Victor, ID Silver: Bearcat Brown Ale, Big Horn Brewing Co. @ The Ram 1, Tacoma, WA Bronze: Slow Down Brown, Il Vicino Brewing Company, Albuquerque, NM Category: 49 German-Style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf-Style Altbier-26 Entries Gold: Alt, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, OR Silver: Four Alarm Alt, Pumphouse Brewery & Restaurant, Longmont, CO Bronze: Otis Alt, Elk Grove Brewery & Restaurant, Elk Grove, CA Category: 50 South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier-55 Entries Gold: Hefeweizen, Yazoo Brewing Company, Nashville, TN Silver: Weathervane Weissbier, Jarre Creek Ranch Restaurant and Brewing Company, Castle Rock, CO Bronze: Liquid X, Rock Bottom Brewery-Bethesda, Bethesda, MD Category: 51 German-Style Wheat Ale-17 Entries Gold: CBC Ultimate Weiss, Chicago Brewing Company, Las Vegas, NV Silver: Nodding Head Berliner Weisse, Nodding Head Brewing Company, Philadelphia, PA Bronze: Wasatch Hefeweizen, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Salt Lake City, UT Category: 52 Belgian-Style White (or Wit)/Belgian-Style Wheat-34 Entries Gold: Nit Wit, BJ's Restaurant & Brewery-Boulder/Chandler/Clear Lake, Huntington Beach, CA Silver: Katerina Wit, Main Street Brewery Lamppost Pizza, Corona, CA Bronze: Celis White, Michigan Brewing Company, Webberville, MI Category: 53 French- and Belgian-Style Saison-21 Entries Gold: Cave Aged Hennepin, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY Silver: Saison de Carbs, Rio Salado Brewing Company, Inc., Tempe, AZ Bronze: Farm House Reserve, Fitgers Brewhouse, Duluth, MN Category: 54 Belgian- and French-Style Ale-15 Entries Gold: Oro De Calabaza, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, MI Silver: Grand Cru, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN Bronze: Bavay, McKenzie Brew House, Glen Mills, PA Category: 55 Belgian-Style Sour Ale-18 Entries Gold: Le Woody, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA Silver: Southampton Belgian Red Ale, Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY Bronze: Sour Prick, Bitter End Bistro & Brewery, Austin, TX Category: 56 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale-38 Entries Gold: Abbey Belgian Style Ale, New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, CO Silver: Bishop's Tipple Trippel, Main Street Brewery Lamppost Pizza, Corona, CA Bronze: Tripel, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant #1, Wilmington, DE Category: 57 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale-27 Entries Gold: Sterk Wit, The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT Silver: Damnation, Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA Bronze: Cuvee De Tomme, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA Category: 58 Robust Porter-48 Entries Gold: Snipes Porter, Snipes Mountain Brewing, Inc., Sunnyside, WA Silver: Black Sand Porter, Kona Brewing Company, Kailua-Kona, HI Bronze: Edmund Fitzgerald, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, OH Category: 59 Brown Porter-41 Entries Gold: Pete Brown Tribute Ale, Bear Republic Brewing Co., Inc., Healdsburg, CA Silver: St. Charles Porter, Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery, Nashville, TN Bronze: Pyramid Porter, Pyramid Ales & Lagers, Seattle, WA Category: 60 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout-25 Entries Gold: Seaside Stout, Pizza Port Solana Beach, Solana Beach, CA Silver: Boulevard Dry Stout, Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO Bronze: Blarney Sister's Dry Irish Stout, Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa, CA Category: 61 Foreign (Export)-Style Stout-32 Entries Gold: Custer's Last Stout, Montana Brewing Company, Billings, MT Silver: Tsunami Stout, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City, OR Bronze: Obsidian Stout, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR Category: 62 British Stout-49 Entries Gold: Snowplow Milk Stout, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, OR Silver: Oatmeal Stout X, Rock Bottom Brewery-Long Beach, Long Beach, CA Bronze: Barney Flats, Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Booneville, CA Category: 63 Imperial Stout-43 Entries Gold: First Date Stout, Steelhead Brewing Company-Burlingame, Burlingame, CA Silver: Imperial Stout, Silver City Brewing Company, Silverdale, WA Bronze: The Legend of the Liquid Brain, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO Category: 64 Strong Scotch Ale-23 Entries Gold: Scotch Ale, Sprecher Brewing Company, Glendale, WI Silver: Founders Margarets Scotch Ale, Founders Restaurant & Brewing Company, Alexandria, VA Bronze: AleSmith Wee Heavy, AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego, CA Category: 65 Old Ale/Strong Ale-31 Entries Gold: Fat Tuesday Strong Ale, Redfish New Orleans Brewhouse, Boulder, CO Silver: XXX Exultation, Eel River Brewing Company, Fortuna, CA Bronze: Freeride, Big Horn Brewing Co. @ The Ram 1, Tacoma, WA Category: 66 Other Strong Ale or Lager-26 Entries Gold: Dragonstooth Stout, Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA Silver: Roggenbock, Il Vicino Brewing Company, Albuquerque, NM Bronze: Small Craft, Clipper City Brewing Company, Baltimore, MD Category: 67 Barley Wine-Style Ale-37 Entries Gold: Big Woody, Glacier Brewhouse, Anchorage, AK Silver: Old Bounder, Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, WA Bronze: Old Crustacean, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR 2004 Great American Beer Festival Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards: Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year: Miller Brewing Company Dr. David S. Ryder Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year: Widmer Brothers Brewing Kurt Widmer Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year: Sprecher Brewing Company Craig Burge Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year: Elysian Brewery & Public House Dick Cantwell Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year: Pizza Port Solana Beach Tomme Arthur

i don't know what to say. and i'm a big fan of sweet-ish crappy beers like Bud. Brewer Anheuser-Busch says it will introduce a caffeinated, sweet-flavored beer for twentysomething club goers to compete with the flavored rums and vodkas gaining ground on the dance floor

I've long maintained that my local pub, The Bridge Inn, is the best pub in the world and my friends have allowed me this seemingly indulgent statement. It's quite simply a totally unspoiled, unmodernized 14th century inn by the banks of the tiny Clyst River. The inn has been run by the Cheffers family for more than a hundred years, and the present landlady, Caroline Cheffers-Heard, keeps the place as it always has been, as her mother Phyllis, father Norman, and her grandparents before them always did. You won't find fruit machines or a juke box or cajun chicken here: what you will find is quite simply the most outstanding range of cask-conditioned ales served properly and with good cheer in a rather ramshackle and old-fashioned Devon building. What more can you ask for in a pub? But don't just take my word for it. The Bridge Inn has just been acclaimed 'Beer Pub of the Year' in the The Good Pub Guide 2005. This is a wonderful national award and I am delighted. The beers here are so outstanding quite simply because they are sourced and kept with immaculate care. Drawn direct from the cask (so no taint of pipes), the beers are always at their freshest and Caroline keeps an impressive and ever-changing range, mainly from local West Country breweries, include Branscombe Vale, Exe Valley, Otter, O'Hanlons, Palmer's, Moor, Teignworthy, Blackawton, and Topsham & Exminster. There are guests beers, too, from further afield (Adnams Broadside makes a regular appearance), and now as winter approaches, there will soon be some dangerously potent high-gravity 'winter warmers'. No lager is available. Says Caroline, "Our ale has always been kept in the traditional manner and we are proud to have this recognition for the cellarkeeping skills that have been handed down through the generations of my family in the inn." There is always the fear that such national recognition could spoil a place, and attract the hoardes, the hooray henrys and henriettas descending on this quiet backwater pub to spoil our local. Well, the Bridge was momentarily famous as the first - and only - pub ever visited by HM the Queen and it was busier for a while. But things soon settled back down to normal and nothing has changed since. So here's raising a glass (mine's a Branoc) to Caroline, Rhiannon, Nigel and all at the Bridge. It's a great place and I urge all beer lovers to make your way down this way (but not all at once, please). Marc

I've put up today some of our surplus apple juice to ferment for cider. No great problem - the juice will ferment on it own, given a chance. However I once had (and made) a recipe that was delicious, that put spices and extra raisins in with the cider to ferment. It came form an old book and said something like "To make the best cider, take a barrel of indifferent cider and add the spices and raisins", and let ferment again" Problem is I've lost the recipe, and can't remember the proportions or the spicings It is not hot mulled cider or cider with added spices - the spices were in the ferment. Can anyone help?

Good to see that CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale (a group that we have in the UK) - is trying to persuade the Czech government not to sell Budvar, as more likely than not to Anheuser-Busch who would then close down, what CAMRA call, a unique "brewing gem". http://www.camra.org.uk/SHWebClass.asp?WCI...owCat&CatId=370

finally, a team where i could make a difference. http://www.msnbc.com/news/947292.asp?vts=080220032230

I've got my ticket.....and I'm working on getting some brewmaster tickets too. Has anybody been to the Great American Beer Festival? Any pointers for a first timer? Cheers!

New beer to be designed with women in mind. Insert sexist joke here!