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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Updated! Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride - Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite, and High Life

Hailing from Wisconsin I have always thought of Miller beers (Miller Genuine Draft, Miller High Life, and Miller Lite) as my macro beers. Throughout the state these were the beers that held sway at taverns, sporting events, and in the minds of the average beer drinker. In the larger scale of things this is not the case. Miller has always run a distant second to Budweiser in the macro beer scene. While Anheuser-Busch controls 47% of the beer market in the United States, Miller only has 29%. (Coors is a distant third. Even in the macro brewing world there is disparity. More on this later.) On a side note one of the reasons this entry didn't happen while I was in Florida a few weeks ago was that I couldn't find a six pack of Miller Genuine Draft for the review. I admit that I was slightly shocked that it wasn't readily available even though I wasn't looking too hard.

Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1855 by immigrant Friedrich Müller of Germany, Miller Brewing became a Wisconsin institution and well known throughout the upper midwest. It survived Prohibition and when it was purchased by Philip Morris in 1966 it rose to the number the number two brewery in the United States…and that is where it has stayed. Even upon purchase by South African Breweries (SAB) in 2002 to form SABMiller it has never quite been able to crack the stranglehold that Anheuser-Busch has held on the American beer market.


For one shining moment though, Miller Brewing was ascendent, in 1975 they released Miller Lite and it took the American beer world by storm. Miller wasn't the first to make a light beer that we would recognize, that would be Coors actually in the 1940s which was a splash in the pan before it was discontinued at the beginning of World War II. Miller did recognize the opportunity light beer presented and wholeheartedly capitalized on it by reworking the recently purchased Meister Brau Lite into the first nationally available light beer now known as Miller Lite. An aggressive marketing campaign centered around a catchy slogan "Tastes great, less filling" made the beer take off.

Anheuser-Busch wasn't even entertaining a light beer at the time, not wanting to dilute the King of Beers brand. (No pun intended) Once they got in the game though in 1982, Miller Lite's days were numbered and by the late 90s Bud Light had grabbed the top spot and has held on to it ever since. Miller Lite now wrestles for third place with Budweiser having recently been overtaken by Coors Light.


Interestingly enough I made the assumption that the two top selling brews out of Miller would be Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft, but it turns out I was wrong. The other is Miller High Life, so rest assured, there will be an update to this when I grab a High Life and look at that also.

Let's dive in first with Miller Genuine Draft. Here is a beer that is in desperate times and has tanked over the last seven years, losing at least 51% of its sales. Interestingly enough it is the same recipe as Miller High Life, but it goes through a different finishing process.

It pours a clear light straw gold color with a small with head that fades away quickly, but not as quickly as the others we have looked at. It has a flash of light hop taste on the drink that quickly turns into sweet, flat, beery taste. It ends with a slightly off light bitter sweetness. It has more character than Budweiser, but not as much as the Coors Original. This is not a beer that will leave any impression. It tastes of mediocrity, content to be the underwhelming child in the Miller beer family. It comes in at 4.66% ABV.

Here is the party line on Miller Genuine Draft:
Miller Genuine Draft utilizes an innovative cold filtering process that allows us to capture fresh draft taste in every bottle. Unlike many beers, it’s never heat pasteurized, which means it’s genuinely draft beer, bottled. So no matter where the night takes you, count on Fresh Draft Taste, every time.
The second beer in the Miller stable is their best performer, Miller Lite. I drank more than my fair share of this in college and my National Guard days.

It poured almost the exact same shade as the MGD, with a white foamy head that stuck around for awhile (I poured it hard out of the can.) On the drink there is really nothing to it. It has very little both in body and taste and what is there is uneventful. It does have a lot of carbonation to it with a slightly sweet, very flat beery taste. The funny thing is that I expected more…more of what I can't say but I guess I hoped to find a worthwhile contender here from my home state to fight in the heavyweight division. Call it homerism or hometown pride. What I have found though is why this beer is continually passed over. It doesn't really do anything at all to differentiate. It just mocks up as just another knockoff of what is already poor beer. It comes in at 4.17% ABV.

Here is the party line on Miller Lite:
Specially brewed from the finest malted barley, select cereal grains and choicest hops, Miller Lite delivers superior taste in a less-filling beer. If fact, Miller Lite won Best American-Style Lager or Light Lager at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. Today, Miller Lite continues its commitment to great taste and innovation. Every Miller Lite is Triple Hops Brewed® to create flavor, develop balance and lock-in taste. And innovative packaging like the Vortex Bottle, Aluminum Pint and Home Draft, ensure that every ounce of Miller Lite tastes as great as the last.
*****Update******

It is the "Champagne of Beers" and it sprung into existence in 1903. It is the oldest continuous brand in the Miller family and surprisingly to me, and probably to Miller Brewing, their current second best selling beer behind Miller Lite. Like its fraternal twin Miller Genuine Draft it has a similar look and appearance though it unlike the cold filtration that MGD goes through the High Life is finished off by pasteurization.  That actually makes a difference in the beer. 


The beer poured a clear light straw gold color, almost yellowish. It had a foamy head that actually stuck around for while with a continuous stream of carbonation flowing up from the bottom of the glass. (Hence the Champagne of Beers slogan). It has a similar sweetness to MGD, and a very mild hoppiness, giving way to that beery taste. The saving grace for this beer is the effervescence which actually keeps the beer light on the tongue and prevents the flatness that bottoms out MGD. There is a mild flatness that finally emerges in the aftertaste but it doesn't linger for long. It comes in at 5% ABV.

Miller High Life holds a special place in my heart. This is the beer that my brother and I will drink copious amounts off when we hang out together which is an all too infrequent event these days. The High Life is not a good beer, but it is drinkable and it has fueled some fun memories for me. 


Monday, August 20, 2012

Beer links for a vacation hangover

I’m back from vacation. All and all a good time was had; I lounged on the beach, floated in the ocean, drank some new beer from Florida and tried my hand at not doing much of anything. Now it is time to turn back to the grind.

In the News!
Heineken Is Twice Bitten, Not Yet Shy (Wall Street Journal)
A lot of money is going to be spent to grab a Tiger's tail.
The right beer can make all
the difference.

Brewing up love: Weddings tap craft beer craze (Appleton Post Crescent) Why not? There is plenty of great biere de Champagne out there.

Kiss Cam Guy Chooses Beer Over Girlfriend (Huffington Post)
If it were me, I’d be pissed for being passed over for such a shitty beer.

Majority in U.S. Drink Alcohol, Averaging Four Drinks a Week (Gallup)
A cool study on American drinking habits.

The Yardley Inn’s sour beer dinner (Washington Times)
Sours are "in"; look for more of them to be making it to shelves near you real soon.

Oskar Blues now shakes its can in Chicago (chicagonow.com)
Great news for the Second City!
Gose with crabs: Spread the word (Washington Post)
It is always exciting when forgotten styles get rejuvenated!

Revealed: The president brews his own beer, and brings it with him on the road (Des Moines Register)
I think my next big mission needs to be interviewing the White House brewmaster and scoring a bottle or two of these brews.

Beer drinkers say cheers to methane (Stock and Land)
That's a lot of gas.
Beer industry raises a glass towards cutting water consumption (GreenBiz.com)
That's a lot of water!

Yorkshire Benedictine beer proves a hit around the world (The Press)
This is going on the list of beers to track down.

Hunt for exotic beers goes beyond the pale (Kansas City Star)
Want to know we live in great beer times? This is happening in the heartland of America.

Highland Games inflatable beer tent bursts during event (Scottish Daily Record)
First time the event isn't dry in ages and the beer tent collapses...these two events are not related.

In Site News!
So I have been a bit delinquent on some macrobrewing commentary, I’ll try to rectify that this week. Expect a closer look at Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft, and finally you will be able to find us at the Virginia Craft Brewers Festival this weekend. Make sure to say “Hi” if you see us! (I'll be wearing a JGF shirt.)

As always you can follow us on a variety of social media sites, just click on the widgets in the top right corner. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The King of Beers & the bestselling beer in the world.

It is "The King of Beers;" an inversion, some might say a perversion of "The Beer of Kings" slogan of the original Budweiser. American Budweiser was introduced in 1876 and while it may not be as popular as it once was, it is still the third best selling beer in the United States


Family legend says that my great grandfather, Michael Kittl, deserted from the Austro-Hungarian Army and fled out of Romania to the United States in the very early 20th century. He ended up in St. Louis and the job he had there was driving hitch for Anheuser-Busch Brewery. I wonder what his thoughts would be of the Budweiser beer of today compared to the one he delivered daily to various taverns and pubs around the city.

My other connection to Budweiser is that this was the first beer that I got sick on. When I was a young Marine in Okinawa, me along with a bunch of my fellow hard chargers had picked up a couple of cases of this to see us through a weekend. Needless to say that Friday night I drank too much Bud and spent the rest of the night being miserable in the head. I didn't touch Budweiser for a long while afterwards.

On to the drink. Budweiser pours a clear yellow-gold color with minimal head that vanishes very quickly. It has body, less than Coors Banquet, but it is there. On the taste there is little in the way of bite from the hop and it has a flat, light, doughy and sugary taste. It finishes out with a stale biscuit aftertaste but even that fades quickly away. Like most American macro pale lagers it is highly carbonated and better when it is cold. It is not a beer you want to drink warm. It comes in at 4.8% ABV.

There is one thing about Budweiser, this is the beer that a global brewing empire was built on. You can't write about beer or even be a beer aficionado unless you have at least tried a Budweiser. I'm not saying you have to like it, but it is important to develop a comprehensive understanding. It is not a good beer but there is a greatness to it simply for the impact that it has had on the world. This is the beer that the American craft brewer and home brewer is reacting against. It is the beer of conformity, but without it and its popularity, we wouldn't have the craft revolution we enjoy today.

Here is the party line on the side of every Budweiser can:
"This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer with costs so much to brew and age. Our exclusive Beechwood Aging produces a taste, a smoothness and a drinkability you will find in no other beer at any price."
I can't even begin to refute that right now, it would take way too long. That will be an entry for another time.



The other candidate for tonight is not only the bestselling beer in the United States but the world. Think about that for a moment. American Light Lager of all the beer styles around the world is the most popular. The "exemplar" of this style is Bud Light. There is nothing to this beer. Take the above review of Budweiser, dilute it down to an ABV of 4.2%, keep the carbonation, and you have Bud Light. That may be a bit flippant, but this isn't a beer that is produced for taste. It is made for consumption, particularly a lot of them. Get them ice cold, drink them fast, and go get more is the end game. American light lager in its macro brew form is the lowest common denominator.

The thing about Bud Light is that it cannot be ignored. It is the dominate beer in the United States right now. While Budweiser may be the beer that craft and home brewers are using as their reactionary baseline, Bud Light is the beer craft brewers have to ween people away from. While on paper this should not be a difficult task, in actuality it is a monumental labor. Bud Light has an allure as an easy drinker that will always provide the exact same comforting thing. It's a safe companion who will never challenge you and on top of all that, it is ubiquitous.

Here is the party line on Bud Light:
"Bud Light, the world's best-selling beer, is a light-bodied brew with a fresh, clean and subtle hop aroma, delicate malt sweetness and crisp finish for ultimate refreshment."

Monday, August 13, 2012

Beer links for vacation!

I'm on vacation this week so here is a half dozen beer links to see you through. 

In the News!
Czech blasphemy!
(Original found here)

Czech brewers commit beer "blasphemy" to buoy sales (Reuters)
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Pacifico is one of my favorite cervezas. 

Hop farming is the new cash crop.

Beer cans continue to march on. 
 
The craft march continues, I just hope we are prepared for the backlash.
It will be interesting to see if Heineken wins out. 

In Site News
Like I said earlier, I'm on vacation this week, but you can still expect a review of Miller Genuine Draft and Miller Lite on Wednesday and some scintillating commentary on the macro beer scene. Stay tuned!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Beer For Charity

Hello all out there in the beer world. It's been a while since I've posted due to the fact that Marines are keeping me busy.

In the last few months Stone Brewing has put out some of the best beers, and I actually sent one to Skye Marthaler (one of our fellow blogger). [ed. note - It is worth tracking down!]
One of Stone's beers that I have enjoyed is their Tenth Anniversary IPA.

Stone's Excerpt.


Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA was created as an homage to the almighty hop. As the celebrated Stone Ruination IPA approached its 10th birthday this June, we knew we had to do something special, so we cranked it up from 7.7% to 10.8% and used twice as much hops–a whopping 5 pounds per barrel, including a pound each of Citra and Centennial in the dry hop. The results were GLORIOUS, but don't take our word for it. The only people more bitter than those who don't get any... will be those who do.

In closing. I would like to talk about the title of my post. Stone Brewing had their annual anniversary bash and charity drive. This year the charities have changed but the kindness hasn't. 100% of the proceeds will go to the charities. Split evenly amongst them.
Take a look at this link and show your kindness.
Have a good day.

Jeremy W. Sanders

http://www.crowdrise.com/dyehards/fundraiser/jeremysanders

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

We finally dive into macro month and review some Colorado Cool-Aid

Welcome to macro month here on JGF. One of the main goals of this month is to look at the titans of the beer world and find the lessons that they can teach the craft beer industry. While these brewers are brewing on an entirely different level than your average craft brewer it would be detrimental to not pay attention to what they are doing. They still very much dominate the brewing scene both in market share and quantity produced. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at how we came to this point, what can be learned, what value the macrobrewing side has for craft brewing, and what the future may hold.

I have to admit that I have been anxiously waiting this month, back in November when this blog was getting on its feet I knew then that macrobrewing would be a topic that would have to be discussed and it would be a lot of fun to write about. There is a caveat to this though, the focus is going to be on the American macro giants. Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors. I am open to further suggestions if folks have them.


In order to discuss these giants we have to look at their beers and that is why we are here today. I initially wrestled with the order amongst the big American macros but I have decided to start with Coors first, then Miller, and then Budweiser. The fourth week has not yet been decided on but I am toying with the idea of looking at some of the new creations that have come out on the macro scene.


 


So we start with the flagship beers of Coors and here is why. First was it was obtainable in single bottles at my local Total Wine, second was it makes me think of Smokey and the Bandit (I've got fond memories of the movie), and third was that it gives me a chance to post a link to a fun Johnny Paycheck song

Our first candidate is Coors Light, a.k.a "The Silver Bullet." Interestingly enough it is the second bestselling beer in the United States as of 2011. It came into existence in 1978 and is hands down the bestselling product out of Coors Brewing. Style-wise it is an American Light Lager. More discussion on this style and its impacts can be expected throughout the remainder of the month.


It poured a very clear light straw gold almost yellow color. There was no head on this beer. It was immediately gone. It has a 4.2% ABV and the alcohol does not make an overt appearance. It is very effervescent and did make me burp...a lot. Taste-wise it comes off weak, slightly stale, beer flavored water. Two reasons for this, one is that this beer is not designed for someone like me. My palette is way overdeveloped for this style of beer. The other reason is this beer is meant for two things and two things only, the be a thirst quencher and for people to drink a lot of it. In both of these categories it succeeds. An ice-cold Coors Light on a sweltering hot day will probably hit the spot for a beer drinkers who haven't been exposed to the joys of craft brew. One of the tenets of JGF is that there is a time and place for every beer. For me, I remember drinking a lot of this stuff in my college days. You could drink a lot of it and the hangover wasn't too bad. Now though, it leaves much to be desired and is best left as a memory.



Our second candidate is the older brother of the Bullet, Coors Original. First brewed back in 1874 this is the standard bearer for the Coors line. This is an American pale lager.


It poured a clear light straw gold color with a small, rapidly disappearing head. Unlike its younger, lighter brother it isn't as effervescent and it does have some body to it. On the drink it has some minor hops to it, but not much in the way of crispness or bite. It has a mild, sweet, earthy taste. The best that can be said of it is that it is inoffensive and nondescript. It clears of the palette quickly but does have a very light lingering staleness in the aftertaste. It has a 5% ABV. The biggest failure of this beer is that it does nothing to stand out from the crowd.


Overall Coors Original doesn't really do anything for me. There was never a time when this beer was part of my life experience or has some nostalgia for me. With that as the case, the beer on its own merits comes across as simplistic and bland. Simply put there is way too much better beer out there, a few of them even brewed in the Coors family.
Coors wasn’t allowed past the Mississippi http://

Monday, August 6, 2012

Mafiaoza's Music City Brewer's Fest chronicles the rise of southern brew

One of the best arenas to see the rise of craft beer culture in the south has been the Mafiaoza’s Music City Brewer’s Festival. Now in its eleventh year, the festival has been center stage in the development of the southern craft scene and has often served as a platform for exposure and opportunity for new and emerging brewers.

All dressed up and ready to go!
Candace Price, owner of half FULL Productions and principal organizer of the festival for the last 11 years witnessed first hand the growth of the Nashville craft beer scene.

"Our first year we probably had about 1200 people, 7500 now, so it has grown quite a lot in attendance. We have about 60 breweries and we didn't start out with that. I think the industry in general has grown quite a lot over the last 11 years too," said Price, "It is interesting to me to see how the local scene has changed over the years, we used to have only a few local breweries now we have roughly 10."

It isn't a beer festival without sausages.
There is really no argument that the southern part of the United States is still behind in the craft brewing scene. Georgia and the Carolinas are rapidly expanding but are still miles behind the craft scenes of the Northwest, Midwest or Northeast. While those states are starting to do well, others like Mississippi and Alabama are just managing to creep out of the dark ages. Their craft brewers have had a tougher time not only with draconian regulations limiting alcohol content and bottle size but with a culture that wasn’t open to the creativity and taste of craft brew. Now though the cracks in the wall have become gaps and southern beer is starting to flow.

The 11th Music City Brewers Fest was a celebration of beer. Attendees included macrobrewers like MillerCoors and Heineken alongside craft stalwarts New Belgium, Sam Adams, and Brooklyn Brewery.

The real stars of the show though were the emerging Nashville and regional craft beer scene. This was a front row showcase of a brewing culture sweeping through the region. Nashville craft beer king Yazoo stood shoulder to shoulder with brand spanking new local breweries like Jackalope, Cool Springs, and Turtle Anarchy. (Turtle Anarchy had only stood up about 20 days before.) The brewpubs Bosco’s and Blackstone were both in attendance with impressive lineups of their own. A few short years ago this kind of diversity didn't exist here, now Nashville can actually make claim to a true craft beer scene.

Even more reassuring for the craft community is that this emerging scene isn’t only occurring in Nashville. While the Nashville scene made their presence felt at the Festival, even more impressive was the regional brewers who were present. Breweries from Alabama (Avondale/ Good People Brewing), Kentucky (Kentucky Ale),  Georgia (Terrapin & Sweetwater), Mississippi (Lazy Magnolia), and North Carolina (Craggie and Highland) to name just a few all turned out. Take a moment and realize that this is a pretty incredible assortment from an area that has been underrepresented in craft beer for awhile.

Price summed it up, "We have brewers that are looking to break into the Nashville market that come to this festival to launch their brands here. It is a good opportunity for our local distributors to look at some different brands that they might want to bring into the market. It is really pretty impressive for both a business to consumer and business to business opportunity. It is a great opportunity for these brands to be able to touch consumers that are very passionate about their product."

Ready for prime time. Cool Springs
finishes their board.
Breweries arrived with a diverse selection of brew from here-weizens to stouts, with even a few Oktoberfests spotted, though a majority were summer beers, a good thing too since it was sweltering during the daytime session. Some of the brewers had brought a few special barrels too. Standouts that I tried included Cool Springs Brewing's fantastic Berliner Weisse, Magnolia Brewing's rarely seen out of the state Jefferson Stout, Another Way to Rye by Turtle Anarchy, Spring Street Saison by Avondale, and Number One Frog by Jackalope Brewing. Overall the selection of brews at the festival were an encouraging blend of of styles showcasing the confidence and quality coming out of these breweries.

The Festival was a well run affair, reasonably priced, nice food selection, and with a good mix of national, regional, and local brewers pouring a diverse array of beer. The brewers were passionate to discuss their brew and talk with guests, continuing to develop the community that makes craft beer special. Here is the final word. People of Nashville rejoice! You have got yourself a cool craft beer scene that continues to evolve. Craft beer drinkers, if you want to catch a glimpse of the southern beer scene then the Music City Brewer's Fest is highly recommended to experience the creativity and innovation coming out of an area that is on the tipping point of booming. I’m looking forward to attending again next year.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

The Fortuitous Accident - Derecho Common

It is even more delicious than it looks.

It is macro month on the blog but I'm steadfastly refusing to jump into it. That is what Monday will be for. Instead I'm taking another slight detour. The heat out here refuses to break and the dog days of summer are right around the corner and this calls for another beer that can beat the heat. Fortunately the local brewery has stepped up to the plate again. 

One of the beers that I missed during reviews for summer seasonals was Downright Pilsner, the summer seasonal out of my local, Port City Brewing. It was an excellent pilsner, done in the Bohemian style, with a nice crisp bite,  classic golden color, and very refreshing. All in all, a well done classic pilsner. It was further proof that Port City is continuing to grow as a brewery. 

On Friday, August 4, a new beer entered the picture and this one is a bit more special. Derecho Common is Downright's more elusive strange cousin from the west. If a small disaster hadn't befallen Alexandria then it is very likely that this beer would never have come into being. For local beer drinkers that would have been a tragedy. At the beginning of July we had a derecho roll right over us and knock out power in the midst of a heat wave. Port City Brewery lost power and were in jeopardy of losing a good deal of beer, fortunately a generator was procured in time and the beer was saved. Not everything returned to normal though, one tank of Downright pilsner fermented at a higher temp and a decision was made to turn that brew into a California Common

Before we go any further though here is a little context. We haven't really discussed California Common a.k.a steam beer on the site yet, but for all intents and purposes it is a lager that is fermented at ale temperatures. It came about in the mid/ late 1800s in California when thirst for lager beer was booming but the tools to brew it weren't quite there. Brewers are a resourceful lot though and they created an American style of beer in the vats of necessity. California isn't natural lager country and refrigeration, while in existence, had not made it to San Francisco yet. Enter steam beer, a cheap beer brewed for the working class. It became very popular, though when technology did catch up so did the demand for traditional lagers. Steam beer faded away and almost went extinct but was revived in the very early 1970s. The biggest brewer of and most well known is Anchor Brewing out of San Francisco and they were the brewery that saved the style though at a cost. Steam Beer is their trademark in the United States, all other brewers have to use California Common. Nowadays steam beer is a well appreciated style in the craft brewing world. 

Derecho Common pours a golden sunny color, clear, with a fluffy white head; this beer has a lot of the same visual characteristics as Downright. If you had the opportunity to try Downright you can actually taste the relationship between the two brews. The Derecho Common has a bit more body, and an ale-like fruitiness that comes along with the higher fermentation, this is enhanced by the Amarillo hops used. It does capture that steam beer taste which as I can best describe is a slightly flat fruit-like bitterness. The ties between the two brews become a bit more overt when, on day two of the growler, more earthiness in the aftertaste had started to creep into the brew bringing a nice reminder of Derecho Common's pilsner roots. Like it's cousin,it has a lower ABV and it is a great hot day beer. It is a refreshing, slightly heavier, very smooth drinker. This is a beer to unwind with on a hot day after working in the yard or field. The downside of this is that it is very limited and if you are going to try it you need to get out to Alexandria in the next two weeks. 

The bigger picture of what Derecho Common represents is that Port City Brewery has the brewing competence, ingenuity, and confidence to take a potentially bad situation and turn it into a very rewarding brew. Faced with a crisis they kept their cool and delivered a quality brew that hits all the marks. It would make those old California brewers proud. The bottom line is Derecho Common is a great beer, hopefully Port City will continue to set aside a tank of this annually to celebrate the fact that when you have the skill you can make your own luck. 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

It's time to celebrate! Have an IPA.

Welcome to macro month in which we are going to explore, critique, and debate the contributions of the macrobrewing industry. Before we dive into those potentially controversial topics we are going to take a small pause and celebrate for today, August 2nd, is IPA day.

The most famous of the original IPAs.
(Found here)
What a choice you can have too, double, white, black, American, English...IPAs have thrived during the craft revolution, enjoying more popularity now than even in their heyday as the beer of the British Raj. They are a style that has truly been embraced by both brewers and beer lovers. If there is a benchmark style for craft beer then India Pale Ale is that beer.

It started with an incredibly long boat ride and very thirsty Englishmen but that is a story we will dive into when we get to IPA month in September. In the meantime crack open a bottle of hopped goodness and enjoy. (If you are on Untappd don't forget to check in!)

Tell us about your favorite IPA in the comments. Cheers!