Brewing in monasteries is a practice that dates back to the Middle Ages. As noted before, some monks brewed to produce a beverage to sustain themselves while abstaining from solid food during fasting. Some brewed to produce a safe beverage, as unsanitary water was common in those times. Another reason comes from a rule laid […]
Taking its name from the enigmatic spiritual advisor and supposed faith healer for the House of Romanov, Old Rasputin from the North Coast Brewing Company is the feature of this week’s review. Old Rasputin is a Russian Imperial Stout, a big, black, and bold style originally from England. North Coast started in 1988 as a […]
Our beer this week comes from a brewery that has played an important role in popularizing craft beer in the U.S. Like many other craft breweries, the Lagunitas Brewing Company has its origins in homebrewing. From a humble kitchen setup in Lagunitas, CA in 1993, founder Tony Magee worked his way up to a 15-barrel […]
The region of Upper Franconia in northern Bavaria, Germany has the highest number of breweries per capita in the world with some 200 independent breweries located within its borders. Nine of those breweries can be found in the town of Bamberg in the southwest, including Schlenkerla and today’s featured brewery, Kaiserdom Privatbrauerei. The history of […]
In 1849, some 90,000 people rushed to California in hopes of finding gold. While profits from gold were substantial for some, the sudden explosion in California’s population created business opportunities for others. Shrewd businessmen profited in such areas as shipping, entertainment, lodging, and transportation. Some, such as Gottlieb Brekle, who landed in San Francisco with […]
Our beer this week is Paulaner Salvator, the original doppelbock. Samichlaus Classic from a few months ago was also a doppelbock, but it is brewed to an extraordinarily high strength. Schneider Meine Hopfenweisse is made with wheat and an inordinate amount of hops. Schlenkerla Eiche is made with smoked malt. So, I’d like to go […]
This week’s brewery is a major player in the Japanese craft beer scene. Originally established in 1823, Kiuchi Brewery got started as a brewer of sake (Japanese rice wine). As collectors of rice as tax for the ruling family at the time, founder Kiuchi Gihei used surplus rice to begin brewing. After World War II […]
This week, we have another beer from Japan, Kirin Ichiban Shibori Stout. Kirin had its beginnings in 1885, when it took over the assets of another company, Spring Valley Brewery, which had been established by a Norwegian-American in Yokohama, Japan in 1869. The brewery was originally known as Japan Brewery Company, but three years after […]
Our feature this week is Yebisu, a German pale lager based on the Dortmunder style. Originally established in 1887 as the Japan Beer Brewery Company, Yebisu took its name from the Japanese god of fishermen and luck, one of the seven Gods of Fortune. The brewery was initially located on a plot of farmland in […]
This week’s featured beer is Spaten Oktoberfest, brewed by the Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu located in Munich, Bavaria, which has a long history without which the history of German beer would be incomplete. Oktoberfest beer is a malty, moderately hopped, gold to copper German lager. Although Spaten’s products bear the label Seit 1397 (Since 1397), that date refers […]
