It's not rocket science, or is it? Let me preface why I am writing this article.  A little while ago my wife and I found a babysitter for our five children and decided to meet some friends for dinner.  Since we only go out a handful of times throughout the year we chose  a slightly upscale four star jazz restaurant that I had heard had a good beer selection. Upon opening the menu, I realized that while the dig offered over a hundred martinis, the best brew I could order was a Stone Pale Ale.  What a let down!  Not that there is anything wrong with a Stone Pale Ale (it is quite refreshing!), just on this rare outing I was hoping to have my mind blown by the selection and order something elusive. After ordering the beer, the waiter dropped the bottles off at the table.  No glass.  I asked him for a glass and he returned with two pint glasses and a look of irritation.  I looked over, and horror of all horrors, the guy was slaughtering the pour on my wife's ale,  gently caressing the flowing of the beer along the edge of the glass, so that when he was ...

After beer has been brewed; that is, sugar has been extracted from grain, the resulting sugary liquid (wort) has been boiled, and then yeast has been added and fermentation has taken place, the result is essentialy beer.  One ingredient is missing, however;  carbonation. This is a favorite element of beer, not only making it quite drinkable (speaking here of the light and refreshing feel in one's mouth) but enhancing the aroma and flavor.  But how is beer carbonated?  Like many things in life, consumers often take this for granted.  A few curious beer drinkers have asked me--being a home brewer--how I carbonate my beer.  Most are clueless. One individual guessed that I added carbonated water to my fermented wort.  This isn't the case. Typically, there are two methods for carbonation:  forced and natural. Forced carbonation inserts the CO2 into the beer.  The beer is place into a sealed (or soon to be sealed) container and carbonation is rapidly added.  Under high pressure, the CO2 is absorbed into the beer. This is actually the preferred method for most breweries, as the turn around time for a finished beer is quicker, and the bottle contains little to no sediment, as the beer has been ...

More often than not, when I bring up Michael Jackson in a beer related conversation, I have to digress from the topic and briefly explain that I am not referring to the late King of Pop, but I am referring to perhaps the most influential beer enthusiast to have lived in the past century. Besides elevating beer in the epicurean world as a from a low brow beverage to a fine and delicious imbibement packed with culture and history, Michael Jackson quite literally defined what beer is (The World Guide To Beer) There is no need for me to rehash a biography of Jackson since 1) that is not the gist of this post and 2) it has already been done (in fact Wikipedia does a decent job, as does BeerHunter.com).   Simply put, I found another reason to be fond of Jackson.  I recently stumbled across a clip of Jackson on Late Night with Conan O'brien, and found it quite worthy of repeating. The nature of beer is nicely summed up in the unpretentious, jovial, and passionate Jackson.  It is clear that while there is no aristocratic/snobby air about him, he is quite concerned with his conviction of the superiority of beer.  ...

Beer is beer...right?  Grain, water, and yeast? Not always. While those who favor craft beer often deride the big brewers for skimping on grain and using fillers such as rice and corn to achieve alcohol and thinner bodies, fillers can be used to ad wonderful characteristic to beer.  Belgian candy sugar, for example, can be used to up the ABV of a beer while keeping the body thin (sugar from malt thicken the body of the beer) and adding some delicious caramel flavors.  The result is a very smooth beer that goes down easily. As a home brewer who has a affinity these styles of beer, I frequently find myself loading up on Belgian candy sugar at my local brew shop.  Two things irk me as I throw the one pound packages in my cart.  First, is the price.  One half pound costs $4.99.  Second, I realize that someone else made the candy sugar.  one of the many enjoyable aspect of home brewing is the sense of ownership you feel as you sip on one of your creations.  Each step of the process that I can take away from a manufacturer, the better I feel about my brew. Recently I designed an imperial recipe ...

Within the next few months I intend on writing a post(s) on how to "taste" beer.  By "taste" I mean, how to unlock the intricate nuances in your mouth.  Before delving into this subtle art, I felt it necessary to first report on how to review/rate the beer subsequent to the tasting.  Some may find this order illogical, I find it imperative. This is part one of a two part series, and unlike the soon to be posted part two, this is going to be short and simple, and entirely unscientific.  Part two will deal with the categories that beer reviews typically cover, and thus will be more methodical.  Until then, the thesis of this article can be summed up in one statement: Do Not Be A Lemming Lemmings are the arctic rodent fabled to commit mass suicide by jumping off of sea cliffs.  The metaphor, of course is that of "don't follow the herd." Following the herd is inescapable in many senses and necessary in some cases.  For example, if it came out that a brewer used urine as an ingredient in their beer, I do believe it would be wise for the common consumer to follow the herd and abstain from drinking ...

Having a hard time buying for that special beer geek in your life?  Are you finding yourself lost in the beer aisle trying to figure out what he/she hasn't tasted?  Let me offer you a suggestion.  Learn from my (Nate) wife, who surprised me this past wedding anniversary with a unique and addictive beer gift:  The Essential Reference of Domestic Brewers and Their Bottled Brands, 3rd Edition. Having learned of this book through a notable beer blogger, Simply Beer, I knew I had to have it.  Having casually mentioned to my wife that it was on my radar, she somehow remembered this book with a brutally long title and made my day this past Monday.  Aren't I a lucky guy? The Essential Reference of Domestic Brewers and Their Bottled Brands is the brain child of Micheal S. Kuderka, whose purpose in creating this reference book was "to be the industry recognized resource for information on all domestic beer and brands..."  And let me tell you, he is is doing a great job. This book is exceedingly exhaustive, easy to navigate, full of helpful charts and figure, and just what it aims to be:  a great resource.  The book walks the beer business man ...

To all our readers and searchers: I rarely--let me rephrase--I've never written on religious topics on the site.  Nate has posted a couple of things, but we don't want to make this a Christian beer website.  Nate and I both happen to be Christians, but our website loyalties are strictly beer.  Of course, we were being quite literal when we called the site thankheavenforbeer.  Be that as it may, I would like to write an article about whether or not it is actually sinful to drink beer.  I realize this is a niche article and not everybody will appreciate, like, or even understand what all the fuss is about.  Fortunately, there is a plenty of other unaffected, at least as far as "religion" is concerned, stuff on the site.  Feel free to read on or go to another article. Why am I even bothering to write this?  Well, the answer is simple.  I've seen multiple times that people have searched the exact terminology "Is drinking beer sinful?" or "Is drinking sinful?" and I want to be a vanguard against neo-prohibitionist logic.  In some sense, I know very well that tortured soul who is asking this question, and I feel an obligation to ...

Awhile back we encouraged our readers to try their hands at having a beer tasting party.  On Friday, June 5, I got together with 13 other people to try thirty beers.  A tall order, indeed!  We had a blast at the party, and I think that we all learned a lot.  I hosted the party but had some help with the beer purchase (thanks to all of you who contributed).  For my part, I brought three of my homebrews along with my purchases.  Here is a list of all the beers at the tasting: Ichnusa (Sardinian Lager) Spaten Lager (German) Duvel (Belgian Golden) Ayinger Brau-Weisse (German Wheat) Jever (German Pilsner) Samuel Smith’s Pale Ale (English) Chapeau Framboise (Belgian Lambic) Victenaar Flemish Sour (Belgian-Flanders) Saison (Belgian) Rochefort 8 (Belgian Trappist) Crooked Tree IPA (U.S.) Victory Hop Devil (U.S.) Chouffe Belgian Trippel IPA (Belgian) Tilburg ...

We're getting near the end of actually completing our Style of Beers series. A lot of terrain has been covered, but a few styles had to wait on being written. It's getting to be the time of year that many people prefer a lighter bodied beer that doesn't fill them up. Even avid beer drinkers will sometimes switch gears during the warm weather. For me, I can drink a heavy stout no matter the time of the year. However, since Kolsch is lighter, I've decided to wait on the warmer weather to post about it. By the way, the rest of our styles series articles are here. Kolsch, as a style, was initially made in Cologne, Germany. The official name wasn't given until the early half of the 20th century, and much attempt has been made to protect it, such as only calling a Kolsch from Cologne by that name. Some non-Cologne breweries skirt the issue by simply calling their versions Kolsch-style beers. Whatever works! As far as what a Kolsch actually is, it is technically considered an ale because it uses top fermenting yeast and is kept warmer during primary fermentation temperatures. ...

This guest series has actually been written by Howard, a reader and frequent commenter/educator here on Thank Heaven for Beer. Since his experience far outweighs ours, we thought it only fitting to open up the floor. Thanks Howard! Packaging For my shipping, I buy the Duck brand bubble wrap at Wal-Mart for $10-$11. It’s 100 square feet, perforated every 12”, and I wrap each bottle with one sheet and tape it in the middle. When I have a 22 oz or 750 ml bottle, I use two sheets, one for the bottom half and one for the top. I typically fold the loose ends at the top and bottom and secure them with tape. I buy boxes at Office Depot in the $2-$4 range. I’ve seen people line the ends and sides of the box with foam rubber, bubble wrap, and/or crumpled up newspaper, either will work fine. I also wedge crumpled up newspaper in between bottles so nothing moves when the box is shook. I also use the 4- and 6-pack holders to separate the beers so they’re not knocking into each other. I’ve seen people use all kinds of stuff to ship ...