About

The Site

Collected notes, rambles, and general ideas related to beer and the intersection of brewing and science. Beer proudly stands on the shoulders of tradition, and finds rejuvenation in both innovation, and convenient failings of memory. The beverage is too easy a canvas for marketers, and yet well suited for artisans. I am fascinated by the tension between business, creative, and technological forces.

The Author

When Ben's not writing, researching, or otherwise experimenting with beer, Ben works as an engineer in the biopharmaceutical industry. His position offers some opportunity to travel to lands with diverse brewing traditions.
e-mail: ben@beerthoughts.com
Follow @Ben_Mcl

A few previously published pieces are included, and are so noted.

Greatest Hits

Beer Destinations: Prague

Beneath a fairy tale skyline of spires, domes, and towers, a modern city of industry and commerce sits upon cobblestone streets and ancient bridges. Prague is a maddening riddle. Brilliant minds like Franz Kafka and Bohumil Hrabal relied upon surrealistic visions to make sense of it. Despite the city’s complex and frankly tumultuous history, there’s a millennia of brilliantly preserved architecture, miraculously spared the devastation of fire, war, and tasteless modernizations that have continuously reshaped many European cities. Located between the noble hop fields of Žatec (Saaz in German) and Moravia’s cascading barley fields, Prague is within easy reach of the ingredients to needed to sustain a vital brewing scene. However, the city was not spared the 20 th century’s assault on local beer culture. In the early 1990s, international breweries monopolized the city’s tap handles. Brewpubs were mostly forgotten, a novelty for tourists, at best. This Prague earned a reput

Holiday Gift Ideas for The Beer Lover

The gift of beer itself may seem obvious, but it is fraught with pitfalls. Especially if the gift giver is not as knowledgeable, experienced, or perhaps as jaded as the intended recipient. Craft beer lovers tend to have promiscuous taste buds. They crave new and exciting, and occasionally hard to find beers. How can anyone hope to keep track of another person's sense of new. You may have an advantage if you live a few states away and distribution agreements give you unique access to a hot new Nano, or even a New Belgium scale microbrewery. That's a great in if you have a little guidance. A beer lover that's a bit of a hoarder may enjoy an annual gift of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, or Sierra Nevada Bigfoot for their cellar. However, the safest bet for a beer gift is t he somewhat corny Beer of the Month Club. Has the beer lover on your list has neglected to drop any good hints for gift ideas? Are you looking to surprise? Here are some ideas to consider.

Liberty, Diversity, Farms, and Money - Beer Links for Monday

The Story of Anchor Liberty Ale: The Beer that Started the Craft Revolution "Michael Jackson, the famed beer writer, called Anchor Liberty Ale the first modern American ale". A great look at craft beer's roots. What should CAMRA do now to save cask ale – and itself? The better beer movement in the US is generally may occasionally struggle with the limits of it's David v. Goliath narrative , it's generally much better served than our friend across the pond. In the UK, the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) started in the early 70's championing quality beer by preserving England's traditional cask serving style from overly cold, blend kegs of macro lager. The same Goliath as in America. Or maybe it's Goliath's dutch cousin. Regardless, the better beer narrative became one of tradition and preservation vs. innovations that sacrifice quality for economy. In some minds it reduced to old v. new. The oganization is struggling to coexist with the U

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