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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



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

Greatest Hits

Losing Weight and Loving Beer

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I wish I could share a secret technique to losing 40+ lbs in the span of three months, while drinking no less than 7 beers a week.  I'd feel a lot better about having put myself in the position to make this claim, if the only way out was to become a joyless obsessive and eat nothing but kale between shifts on the treadmill.  It hasn't been that hard at all.  I've eaten cake and ice cream on both of my kids’ birthdays, and basically lived what I would have labeled a good life before I committed to dropping a few pant sizes.  I don't feel like I've given anything up.  Maybe french fries…   Those could come back in moderation later.  I'm just doing a better job of applying the simple guides to weight loss we've all heard before.  I'm eating less and exercising more.  There's still room in my nutritionist approved diet beer. The exercise part isn't entirely new.  I liked to run about half an hour on weekday mornings, unless it rai...
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The Post-Malt Era of American Craft Brewing

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Once seen as a key differentiation between better and mass marketed beer, the 2-row barley malt may now be the least important ingredient in a brewery.  Malt has disappeared from our beer conversations.  There are still palettes stacked high with 50 lb bags, and fork lifts. By weight, it's still beer's second largest ingredient, after water of course.  However it's lost our attention, and its contributions intentionally minimized to better showcase on the other players - most typically hops and Yeast (or other microflora). The mighty hop has always been a lead character in American craft beer.  There's something in our soil that makes hops express pungent aromas and aggressive flavors.  European brewers traditionally considered these hops too vulgar to feature prominently in a beer's finish.  They kept quiet about cost savings from the use of american hops to bitter.  American craft brewers found ways to feature these piney, resinous flavors as virt...
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Holiday Gift Ideas for The Beer Lover

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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....
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