Grizzly Growler

Michael Jackson is the only authority on beer. Now he’s gone. Anyone who takes an active interest in beer would be familiar with the man who brought beer to the forefront of conversation. In his 65 years, Mr. Jackson published numerous books on beer and whisky, and tirelessly advocated the beer conversation. Without Michael Jackson [...]

Ed K passed along this particular article, read it here, in answer to my question about the history of growlers. It’s a good beer read. I love these guys who collect beer memorabilia. It’s fascinating to see how much beer culture there has been in this country. Many towns have had several reincarnations of breweries, [...]

Or so the saying goes. Oskar Blues, of Lyons, Colorado, is making/perfecting beer in a can. After a hard ride down some blazing single track at Blue Mountain, I had a big thirst and a refrigerator full of heavy Belgian beer. What’s a guy to do? Somewhere in between the hummus and my mom’s homemade [...]

I’ve been interested in the term “rushing the growler” for a long time. Well, as long as I’ve lived in Montana anyway. Missoula has a great growler culture. The brown or clear growlers are everywhere in town, and people even walk around with growler carriers and special coolers. I wondered about where growlers came from, [...]

I’ve been reading up on a brewing (pun intended) controversy. What is craft brew, real beer, micro brew, etc. etc.? There is a lot here I could put in, but I won’t. I just want to know what you all think about the definition of craft beer. I definitely have an opinion here, but I’d [...]

I’m on Belgian beers this summer, which is typical for warm weather, or when I’m near a good selection. Belgian beers are great with food. Heck, they’re great by themselves, with a cigar, a good friend, on the back porch, front porch and after you mow the lawn. They’re great beers. I’ve not been as [...]

I didn’t go to the brew fest at Big Mountain this week. And the reason I didn’t go is delicate. On July 4, my wife’s close friend and co-worker, Micaela Maestas, was a passenger in the front seat of a friend’s car. They two women were returning home from a birthday party when they were [...]

St. Rogue Red is an IPA in an amber body. This dry-hopped American amber ale is a fantastic segue into fall beers, and therefore it is my first pick of the fall beer selection. I’ve had a pint or three of this beer at the brewery in Newport, Oregon. In fact, one of the difficult [...]

This might be a stretch, but I read this article last night, and it got me thinking. Several years ago a home-brewing genius brought a dusty old bottle up from his cellar, gently popped the cork (that’s right, I wrote cork) and poured a dark nectar into a strangely shaped glass. It was my first [...]

You’re in the beer aisle of the grocery store and clumsily palm the number pad on your cell phone to call your wife. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” “Pesto, why aren’t you home yet?” “Nevermind that, what goes with pesto?” “Huh?” Yes, that was an overuse of the question mark, but I assure you it’s a [...]