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Adding to the Adjunct Debate

A few months backĀ  here at onbeer.org, during some discussion around what defines craft (found here and here), there was some debate about whether the use of adjuncts is an important aspect of differentiating brewers. Some felt that adjuncts – the addition of non-malt to a beer pre-fermentation – divided craft brewers and non-craft. In [...]

The Quiet Confidence of Belgian Strongs

Often the quietest person in the room is the most confident and self-assured. I think it may be that way with beer as well. During the last couple of months I devoted my Sherbrooke Liquor Beer 101 columns to an exploration of big beer – bold, higher alcohol beer (to read the earlier pieces, go [...]

When Does Beer Stop Being Beer?

My latest Beer 101 column, which finishes off a three-part series on big beer, looks that the Andre the Giant of beer – the 20% plus extreme beer. After some quick accounting of how exactly you can make a beer at 30, 40 or 50 percent alcohol, I spend most of the piece discussing whether [...]

The Complexity of Big Beer

Last month in Beer 101 I started a series on big beer. I wanted to take a closer look at the weighty end of the beer world because I believe these beer are misunderstood. Most of us know they are beer not to be trifled with, but I think we don’t spend enough time considering [...]

The Art of Big Beer, Part One

There is something special about a big barley wine or an imposing Russian Imperial Stout. They are beer you just have to respect, not just for their heft, but for their complexity and subtlety. As a homebrewer my respect is enhanced because I have a sense of just how difficult these beer are to make [...]

The Softer Side of Carbonation

My latest Beer 101 came out, like, a month ago (in fact the next one is due in a few days). How is it I keep forgetting to post about it? I need some kind of alarm cl0ck for beer columns.

At any rate, August’s Beer 101 continued my examination of gas in beer (as [...]

Tiny Bubbles In the Beer…

My latest Beer 101 has been out for a bit (I always seem to neglect checking when it goes up). This month I take a look at how we get bubbles into our beer and what they do to it when they get there. Yes, I know that carbonation won’t get most beer drinkers effervescent [...]

More Beer Fault Fun

Last month my Beer 101 column introduced some of themore common beer faults, described how you can identify them and discussed their most likely causes.The latest Beer 101, which actually came out a week ago, offers a second look at the things that go wrong in beer. This time I look at some of the [...]

It’s All Wrong (Part I)

Well, thank goodness I worked ahead before coming to Halifax, as my regular columns are providing me with ready content. The latest is May’s Beer 101 at sherbrookeliquor.com. This month I start a two-part series on beer flaws – the common off-flavours that can spoil your experience of a beer. Having already discussed oxidation and [...]

Does Travel Shock Exist?

In my latest Beer 101 I venture into the world of the controversial and unproven. I make an assertive and unapologetic claim that beer experiences travel shock (sometimes called bottle shock). I have very little proof for such a grandiose statement, but I stand by it. When beer travels, it loses its balance and character [...]