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Hello beer lovers! I hope you don't mind a question about cider in your forum … I've just discovered cider, and as someone who's never really liked beer, I'm really excited that I can now go down to the pub and order a pint (of something that I actually like!). The only kind I've had so far (seems to be standard in Oxford pubs) is Strongbow, which I like (well, it's the only kind I've ever had), but is apparently not supposed to very good, according to some cider-drinking friends. So does anyone here have any recommendations? I was eyeing a kind called Scrumpy Jack today in Tesco, but I thought maybe I'd consult the palates of eGullet first. Thanks!

I was dismayed the other night when I found my previously opened bottle of Chimay ale was flat. I used a closure that was designed for Champagne bottles, but the closure didn't help with the Chimay bottle to any great extent. What kind of closure could keep beer from going flat? Consuming the entire bottle in one sitting would not be the best suggestion.

Prologue With little one having almost two weeks of „Pentecost“ (Pfingsten) school holidays and last years hiatus from major holidays due to a new job, we decided to start up our holiday season already in May. My idea was to go to Ireland, because of the lovely nature, the food (of course) and also because I studied at UCD Dublin some 25 years ago … As my parents are not up to holidays on their own anymore, but my mom really wanted to see Ireland again, we took then along as well. So, here we go …

I've read about it and I've heard the rumors of KVASS ("Russian Cola") being brewed in Pittsburg and Brooklyn but I am unable to find any. Does anyone have an opiion about this brew, or better yet, a place to procure such beverage?

I'm trying to track down the current brewers of Macksons and have been all over the 'net but cannot find any reference to the parent company...Thanks !

Post about noteworthy stouts here! I am loving having the beers that we have on hand right now. This was one of the best beer shoppings ever, and in the midst, I'm realizing how much I love stouts. To add to the oatmeal stout discussion, two others from the recent shopping that I have enjoyed are Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Rogue Shakespeare Stout. The Youngs was real good, but it's hard to beat Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout. Really noteworthy to me was last night's match of Rogue Shakespeare Stout and Pepperidge Farms Orange Milano cookies.

Is there anything better than Founders KBS or CBS? Those are two amazing beers.

The mead thread makes it sound as though there is both interest and experience in mead brewing to be found here on eGullet. Why don't we try to get together a communal meadmaking project sort of like the Chef's Beer thread from last winter? Mead is a lot easier to make than beer, though takes a long time to be ready to consume. I've brewed lots of beer, but have not even tried mead. I'm curious, and I know that I can get honey at reasonable prices around me. My inexperience, however leads me to want to try a sampler batch of a number of different styles, rather than a five gallon vat of one thing I might not even like. Anybody else up for taking part in this sort of experiment? The Chef's Beer thread worked out pretty well, I think, despite the fact that we never got around to swapping tastes of each others' brews.

Right here in GR, aka Beer City USA

The question though simple might be really complicated from the biological process. How do you best control acidity when adding a juice to a beer? How do you make it stable?

I love minor league baseball: great seats close to the action, reasonable prices (at least around here), no parking hassles, silly between-innings activities, and hey, it's still pro ball. Here in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Best Beer Town for 2014, in a USA Today poll, and Beer City USA for 2013 and 2012, not to mention the home of Founders Brewing Co.), we have the West Michigan Whitecaps, the mid-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The Whitecaps' park has always had a few good beer options in addition to the usual swill, but the owners have outdone themselves this year, with the Craft Clubhouse. From the Whitecaps' web site: What's also very cool is that on opening day, the Clubhouse will offer the 100-point (from Beer Advocate) Founders KBS on tap, for a very reasonable $7 for a six-ounce pour. Their other selections are also very reasonable for a ballpark: $7 for 20 ounces and $9 for 32 ounces.

Schlafly Bottleworks will soon be brewing their Raspberry Hefeweizen. This is a seasonal beverage, and the beer is made with real raspberries. I think that the natural ingredients make it taste better than beer brewed with artificial flavors. The beer has a tangy taste that goes well with bratwurst. I usually don't drink to excess, but if I decide to knock back a few, it's good to know that The Schlafly Tap Room is a five minute walk from my house! Cheers!

I have decided to go for my first level of Cicerone, Certified Beer Server. Is there anyone here that has taken this test? If so what should I read to study for the online test? Are the questions upfront or do they throw in a few where you have to really stop and think about it? All of this is to further my knowledge for my customers where I work. I already have my first level sommelier under my belt and am wanting to expand my knowledge. We have serious beer customers coming in the liquor store, especially with all the new craft brewers popping up here in Oklahoma. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. I do have 3 bottles of Prairie Pirate Bomb stashed away in my closet to celebrate when I pass the test.

Have you tasted this stuff? https://www.guinness.com/en-us/our-beers/guinness-nitro-ipa/ I had the unfortunate experience tonight. I don't know what Guinness is trying to foist off on the world as an IPA much less a Nitro much less a beer but it is crap. THere is no IPA in the dreck. It has no flavor and no taste. I don't know who wrote the stuff for that link to their site but they should be dismissed as well as the brewmaster who thinks the beer drinkers of the world are such sheep they might think they might like this garbage. Save your money and if you want a decent nitro beer, look for Left Hand. IPA, not even close. Being a retailer, my customers have grown to trust my opinion and tastes. I will never recommend this bilge water called a beer. If someone trys to buy it from me I will work very hard to dissuade them from wasting their money. There is no substance, there is no taste, there is none of the hoppiness that makes an IPA what it is. I am sort of pissed off that Guinness would even vaguely think that this stuff might be drinkable. Rant over. Dont waste your money. This stuff will be gone before the end of the year. Guinness should be required to buy back all the stuff they have sent out on the world. And if your one of those beer drinkers who think I might not know what I am talking about, hey it is your money your wasting. If there is a Guinness rep out there that would like to sit down and explain this stuff to me please, I am available.

Has anyone here tried this technique? What are your go-to resources? Home brewing is such a vast topic, I don't have a good handle on where to even start!

This article on Mike.com made me laugh: How to make a pumpkin keg - you know you want to. I like the cheekiness of both the title and the idea. I wish I'd thought of it! I think the beer would have to be carefully chosen to benefit from the pumpkin. What say you, beer connoisseurs? Has anyone tried this? Would this treatment augment some special autumnal brew?

500 years ago, Martin Luther started off the Reformation. In a way, this not only changed religious affairs in Europe, but also changed our beer. Article here.

Hi! I'm just trying to make a "glass" or container out of Beer for an event I'm doing. Trying to figure out the best way to make them and thought I'd ask the community if any of you had any ideas. If this is a go then I need to make 400 for the event. It's a big Gala so only 1 Item per chef. I would love to hear some differnent ideas on this, because so far the ways I've figured out how to do it won't work for that kind of event.

Five or six weeks ago I read that Boulevard Brewing here in Kansas City was releasing a run of chocolate ale in Feb. The newpaper said that two years ago was the last time they made some and liquor stores were mobbed with lines around the block. A week or so later I asked a local store if they knew if they were getting some and leaned that there was a sign-up list with a limit of two bottles. I got a call today that mine were ready to pick up. I'll share them with my son and his fiancee on Valentine's Day.

Lasr time I made beer I used carbonation drops. This time I am being steered in the direction of batch priming: 120g sugar to 20l of beer, the sugar dissolved in boiling water. I've been told I can use malt extract for this purpose. I want that flavour profile. Would I just use 120g or would I need more/less based on, say, malt extract's Brix rating as opposed to table sugar's Brix rating?

[Host's note: To avoid an excessive load on our servers this topic has been split. The discussion continues from here] A couple of beers from a relatively recent trip to London. Yakima red ale on draft. Yakima is brewed by Meantime, a brewing company located in Greenwich, using five hop varieties from the Yakima valley in Washington state. The beer was moderately hoppy with a good malt to bitterness balance. Very nice. Beavertown 8 Ball rye IPA, an American-style IPA brewed in London. Love the wild label. It was caramel-colored and had a nice mix of spicy rye and resinous hops. I liked this a lot and want to try the rest of their line.

Hello All, I'm looking for a store to buy bulk orders of alcohol and liquors in London. Where do I go? What is the best option for me? Am having a big event based in London soon so any recommendation would help a lot. Thank you in Advance!

The Chicago Tribune reports on some pairings

I've read a few allegations and disputes in the American craft brewing news about macho "bro" culture, in recent months. Now the Scottish brewery whose PR quickly capitalised on Boris Johnson's senior advisor Dominic Cummings travelling from London to Barnard Castle for a claimed eye test, (while everyone else was in lockdown and the elderly were dying in care homes) swiftly launched a beer to celebrate such hypocrisy called 'Barnard Castle Eye test' https://www.brewdog.com/uk/barnard-castle-eye-test This week however former and current employees signed an open letter highlighting the companies array of low quality manoeuvres all in the name of their Espirt de Corps "Beer, People and Planet.... But in response 'The Tsar didn't know' https://www.instagram.com/p/CP-2JyiJtvb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

It seems that the legendary traditional appearance and accoutrements of witches may have actually risen because they were conjuring up beer rather than malign entities from beyond. The full article is here.