Here’s a recipe from mid-19th-century Scotland that makes a point: British milds weren’t always dark and low strength.
By: Ron PattinsonRELATED:
Mild wasn’t always dark, smooth, and low in strength, but that modern incarnation is one well worth brewing and appreciating. Rich in flavor yet drinkable in quantity, mild is a tradition waiting for its next evolution.
By: Josh WeikertRELATED:
Dry and lively with earthy-herbal hop flavors, saison should be refreshing, with any spicy character better driven by yeast and hops than by actual spices.
By: Josh WeikertRELATED:
Brewed with barrel-aging in mind, this barleywine-style ale from Lumberbeard Brewing in Spokane, Washington, leans heavily into locally malted triticale—an unusual wheat-rye hybrid.
By: Bret GordonRELATED:
In a fast-moving era, Switchback founder Bill Cherry bucks the trend by choosing slow growth and less-popular niche styles—such as smoked beer—that afford time to learn and focus through iterative brewing.
By: Jamie BognerSponsored
The “happy-hour crowd” was once a main source of revenue for many craft-beer bars and breweries. However, the landscape is changing, and event programs such as bar trivia can help these bars and taprooms adapt and cultivate community.
By: Geeks Who Drink (Sponsored)Great Notion lead brewer Lara Hargrave offers some useful advice for using flavor extracts, graham crackers, almonds, and more in your pastry- and dessert-inspired beers.
By: Lara HargraveRELATED:
Rather than run away from crystal malt, Kyle Harrop of Horus Aged Ales in Oceanside, California, embraces it fully with this deviant barleywine-strength ale.
By: Horus Aged AlesRELATED:
Barleywines and wheatwines explore the boldest flavor frontiers of their respective grains. Now, daring brewers are applying that maximalist approach to wine-strength beers brewed with millet, rye-wheat hybrids, smoked malts, and more.
By: Kate BernotRELATED:
At San Francisco’s Bartlett Hall brewpub, head brewer Nick Mamere has built an award-winning program that includes this porter—winner of GABF silver in 2019, gold in 2022, and one of our Best 20 Beers in 2023.
By: Nick MamereRELATED:
While the recipe is big for a Czech pale lager—it’s really 14°P rather than the typical 12°—it drinks well below its strength and makes a bright showcase for that floor malt and ample Saaz hops.
By: Josh WeikertRELATED:
The von Trapp family history is well known thanks to the prominence of a certain Disney film, but their dogged approach to brewing lager, just down the hill from the family lodge in Stowe, Vermont, has earned them fans throughout the region and beyond.
By: Jamie BognerFrom enchanting drinking experiences to inspirational breweries, Josh Pfriem, cofounder and brewmaster at pFriem Family Brewers, takes us on a rollicking tour through Bavaria, California, New England, and Belgium for his selected six-pack.
By: Jamie BognerRELATED:
Toby McKenzie, owner and brewer at RedWillow Brewery in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, shares this beefed-up version of their Heritage Porter, inspired by 19th-century recipes. Its layered malt bill gets added complexity from malt made from Chevallier, a landrace barley variety.
By: Toby McKenzieRELATED:
Join Lara Hargrave, lead brewer at Great Notion in Portland, Oregon, as she takes us on a journey through the brewery’s method of producing whimsical, indulgent, childhood-nostalgia-inducing sweet stouts.
From selecting malts with intention to deploying Madeira-inspired macro-oxidation, finishing on different woods, and blending to taste, New Image founder Brandon Capps outlines a technical approach to crafting characterful barrel-aged barleywines.
Jan Chadkowski, head brewer and co-owner of Denver’s Our Mutual Friend, outlines his approach to brewing historically inspired, smoke-forward beers of high drinkability.