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Additional Articles/Posts by TheDrinkNation

  • 7 Denver Run Clubs That Involve Beer
    Two things Denverites really, really love: running outdoors and beer! One of the healthiest cities in the country, Denver has the lowest obesity rates in the nation. With all this delicious beer, one may wonder how that is possible. Well, turns out...

  • Beer Review: Founders Brewing Doom
    Founders Brewing Co. has made a name for itself with barrel-aged beers, and its limited-edition Kentucky Breakfast Stout is now well-known and sought-after across the nation. While KBS and other barrel-aged beers from the Grand Rapids, Mich., brewery...

  • Where to Find Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Wine
    These days, rising into Hollywood royalty simply isn’t enough. Once securing their status as a star, actors now venture off into side projects to showcase their depth — developing perfumes for teens, designing neon-hued sneakers, or writing a...

  • The Brew Clip on Kickstarter: the Swiss Army Knife of Wallets
    Guys: you know you’ve spent way too much time thinking about your wallet. Seems like they’re either too bulky, too small, too ugly, or just plain annoying. The Brew Clip aims to solve your wallet problems, and comes with a choice bonus: a...

  • Beer Review: Dogfish Head Sixty-One
    Dogfish Head has been brewing "off-centered ales for off-centered people" for years now, constantly pushing the envelope with strange inspirations and unique flavors. Recently, the Delaware brewery has dabbled in beers with qualities and...

  • The Amaro Guide: Gain the Courage to Try These Classic Liqueurs
    Amaro is a kind of Italian bitter liqueur that's often consumed as a digestif, and until recently was often buried among the lists of ingredients in cocktails. (An example that has been well-known for a while, even in the U.S., is Campari.) Amari are...

  • Beer Review: Prairie Artisan Ales Standard
    Welcome Prairie Artisan Ales to the fold of adventurous craft brewers. The Tulsa, Okla., duo of gypsy-brewing brothers simply "wanted to do something awesome," so they launched a beer brand. A Kickstarter campaign to build their own, barrel...

  • Where to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Philadelphia
    Where would we be without tequila, without margaritas? In a much sadder place, that is certain. That’s why we’re thrilled to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican-American holiday that celebrates Mexican heritage and culture, including the...

  • The Best Mexican Bars in Denver
    Much of Denver’s history is linked with our neighbor to the south, Mexico. Our traditions, our culture and our food and drink are forever intertwined. Here are seven picks for Denver’s most authentic cantinas, where you can raise a glass of...

  • Step-by-Step DIY Guide: Make Your Own Bitters
    Every well-stocked bar has a variety of bitters, and in these days of resurgent cocktail culture, you can find many places that make them in-house. Bitters are essentially high-proof alcohol concoctions infused with herbs, fruits, spices, or roots. As...

  • Beer Review: Omission Pale Ale
    Gluten-free beers aren’t supposed to taste good. Everyone knows that. Trying to break that mold, Omission suggests going gluten-free doesn’t have to mean giving up actual beer flavors. Omission is a brand created last year by the Craft...

  • The Angels' Share: A Movie About Whiskey, Talent, Fun and Luck
    "A heart-warming comedy about redemption from the master of social realist cinema, about city outsiders in search of a better life." Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in Cannes, The Angels' Share will be available for on-demand viewing in...

  • Beer Review: Stone Enjoy By IPA
    Stone Brewing Company loves labels. Each beer from the Southern California brewery is festooned with a painted-on label featuring a gargoyle and a soliloquy about what you’re holding in your hand (which can be tough to read after drinking the brew...

  • Beer Review: Ellegance, Colorado's First Beer Brewed by Women Only
    Brewers in Colorado are redefining the term "chick beer." Ellegance — a brew made by a crew of all-female craft brewers from Denver and Colorado — made its debut during Colorado Craft Beer Week and has since found its way into a...

  • 'Mad Men' Cocktails with a Modern Twist
    A two-hour "movie" called The Doorway will kick off the sixth season of AMC’s Mad Men on Sunday, April 7. Whether or not you’ve followed the series up to now, you’ve probably heard about Don Draper’s propensity for liquor...

  • Can Revolution: Sly Fox 360, Founders All Day IPA, Sam Adams Boston Lager
    Cans are the hottest trend in the craft beer world, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing down. In contrast to glass bottles, which leak air and allow light in, cans keep beer ultra fresh. It used to be that canned beer acquired an unpleasant...

  • No Fooling: 10 Beer Products We Wish Were a Joke
    April Fools’ Day joke? We wish. Blurring the lines between ridiculous and mad genius, depending on your point of view, these 10 products are real, available for you to buy to satisfy all your beer-related needs. 1. Beer Spa Day at Vail After a hard...

  • Official Easter Cocktail: Zombie Peep Corpse Reviver
    Many offerings have been made to the cocktail recipe gods in celebration of the Easter holiday, but we have come up with the most appropriate of all. The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a traditional drink found in the storied Savoy Cocktail Book from the 1930s,...

  • 10 Craft Beers for Spring
    Spring is here, officially, even if it’s not yet in full effect some places, and that makes us thirsty. The season of flowers and long sunshine hours brings with it many terrific brews. Here are 10 beers we’re looking forward to enjoying this...

  • Jim Barrett, California Wine Pioneer, Dies at 86
    The wine world recently lost a treasured member — Jim Barrett, owner of Chateau Montelena in Napa Valley, Calif. He was 86. His son, Bo Barrett, said in a statement, "My dad died of a life well-lived." Don’t worry if you don...

  • Papal Heritage: Prime Wines of Argentina
    No matter your religious views, it was hard to ignore the excitement that surrounded a simple chimney on a tiled roof last week. The world breathlessly watched realtime TV broadcasts, refreshed computers streams, and anticipated smartphone alerts, waiting...

  • Beer Review: Ommegang Iron Throne Blonde Ale, the 'Game of Thrones' Beer
    After its debut at SXSW in Austin, Texas, earlier this month, Brewery Ommegang’s Iron Throne Blonde Ale is rolling out across the U.S. in the next couple of weeks, just in time for the March 31 season premiere of Game of Thrones. The first of...

  • 10 Cocktails That Need to Die
    The current cocktail craze is one of our generation’s greatest contributions to — well — our generation. However, there are still plenty of drinks out there that make us want to run back to the safety of craft beer and fine wine....

  • Kansas Clean Distilled Whiskey Kicks the Brown Out of Brown Spirits
    "The problem with whiskey is that it's aged," says marketing copy for relatively new-to-market Kansas Clean Distilled Whiskey. If you drink liquor at all on a regular basis, that statement might make you do a double-take. In fact, the...

  • Beer Review: Flying Dog Lucky SOB Irish Red Ale
    As spring approaches and lighter beer seasonals begin to prevail, one last gasp of malty, wintry flavor can be found in the form of seasonal Irish reds, released for St. Patrick’s Day. Frederick, Md.’s Flying Dog Brewery offers a Lucky SOB, an...

  • 'Game of Thrones' Beer From Ommegang Debuts at SXSW
    Game of Thrones is gearing up for its third season, and there’s something new to fill your glass with as you watch the battle for the rule of the Seven Kingdoms unfold. New York's Brewery Ommegang partnered with HBO to create a series of beers...

  • Last Barfighter Beercade Game Dispenses Beer When You Win
    Been to North Carolina lately? You might want to schedule a visit, because Raleigh’s Big Boss Brewing Co. has just scored the coolest arcade game in recent history. It’s not that it has great graphics (it’s just Flash-based), or amazing...

  • Spring Beer Face-Off: Pliny the Younger, Hopslam Ale & Nugget Nectar
    Craft beer drinkers don’t need to look at a calendar or step outside to know what time of year it is. All they need to do is go to their favorite haunt to see what new beers are appearing on tap and they’ll be able to tell you the weather....

  • Flying Dog and Evolution Brewery Announce Natural Selection Ale
    Just in time for the Craft Brewers Conference in Washington, D.C. at the end of March, Maryland’s Flying Dog and Evolution Craft Brewing are introducing a new collaboration beer, one that will evolve over the course of three iterations. Natural...

  • Beer Review: Bell's Hopslam Ale
    Every season brings a new offering for craft beer lovers to obsess over, sometimes more than one. In the early part of each year, an unarguable favorite is released by Bell’s Brewery of Michigan: the highly regarded, honey-infused, double IPA called...

  • Beer Review: Great Divide Espresso Oak-Aged Yeti
    Finding a great beer in Denver isn’t anywhere near as difficult as finding Bigfoot. But of all the great craft beer makers in the Mile High City, the Great Divide Brewing Company offers up one of the best seasonal treats of the year when it comes...

  • Beer Review: New Albion Ale From Boston Beer
    In 1976, Jack McAuliffe founded New Albion Brewing Company, and ushered in the craft brewing era in the United States. Though he was ahead of his time — the brewery didn’t last more than six years — McAuliffe’s impact rippled...

  • Coors Light Thinks Skiers and Snowboarders Can't Tell How Cold It Is Outside
    You may not drink the beer, but you probably have heard of the Coors Light cans that change color with temperature. When the mountains on the label turn blue, that’s a sign the beer is cold enough to drink. Why you need to depend on your eyes to...

  • Wedding Drinks: How to Do It Right
    As the appetite for well-crafted cocktails grows, more couples are looking for ways to incorporate boozy appreciation into wedding day celebrations. Set aside the dusty and overpriced "premium" bar packages and take charge of your wedding day...

  • The Academy Awards Drinking Game
    It's almost time for America's favorite night of self-congratulatory back patting! Yes, it's Oscar time, and the only thing sadder than two thirds of this year's Best Picture nominees would be watching Hollywood's most magical night...

  • How to Make the Perfect Margarita
    Feb. 22 is National Margarita Day! (Who decides when these things take place? Who cares? Margaritas!) However you decide to celebrate, you should definitely include a good, agave-sourced spirit, preferably taken to the next level with a healthy dose of...

  • Beer Review: Philadelphia Brewing Company Shackamaximum
    With so many unique beers being produced in the Philadelphia region, it can be hard to create something that truly stands out and demands to be recognized. One such brew is Philadelphia Brewing Company’s Shackamaximum, a deep, dark, French-oak-...

  • Anheuser-Busch Outsources Production of 4 Goose Island Beers
    When Anheuser-Busch InBev purchased Chicago craft brewery Goose Island in 2011, the companies were vocal about the fact that not much would change. Goose Island founder John Hall maintained oversight of operations, and brewing was still in the hands of...

  • Best Movie/ Drinking Experiences in Portland
    Forget the absurd ticket prices at traditional movie theaters and grab a pint and a picture at one of these local "view pubs" instead. Whether you're a movie buff or just trying to get out of the rain, here are the best places to see new or...

  • Drink Green: 8 Sustainable Spirits for Eco-Friendly Cocktails
    You’re an avid recycler. You remember to turn out the lights when you leave a room, and all of those lights have CFL bulbs in them. There’s beer in the fridge from a great local craft brewery that has solar panels on the roof. But what about...

  • Craft Beer and Weddings: 5 Ways to Make the Perfect Marriage
    Much to the delight of friends, extended family, and assorted co-workers everywhere, beer-centric weddings are one of the hottest trends in knot-tying today. Putting a bit of the focus on beer can give your big day a personal touch, create a fun...

  • Best Bars for Wings in Portland
    There is more to chicken wings than sports and bad beer, and we have the list to prove it. Check out these uniquely Portland ways to enjoy the famous drinking dish. Fire on the Mountain: From vegan wings to the house-brewed beer, Fire on the Mountain is...

  • Portland's 10 Hottest Bars
    2012 was a busy year for hellos and goodbyes in the food and drink world. If you were too busy to keep up with all of the openings and closings then make sure to check out these 10 bars before the new class of 2013 pops up around town. What bar did you...

  • Craft Brewers Conference Will Bring Together Over 6,000 Brewers, March 26-29
    In early spring, the craft brewing world will descend upon Washington, D.C. for the Craft Brewers Conference. The annual event is produced by the Brewers Association — the folks behind the Great American Beer Festival — but instead of being...

  • Ampersand: The Hop and Vine Collaboration
    From tap takeover nights to supper clubs, Portland has a rich culture of collaborations. The Hop and Vine’s Yetta Vorobik has made it even more enjoyable with the Ampersand project. The project started in January 2012 when the bottleshop owner...

  • Portland Brewing Relaunches With Rose Hip Gold
    In true Portland form, what’s old is new again. If it seems like it wasn’t long ago that Oregon’s brewery population broke the triple-digit mark — even as the current count nears 200 — that’s because it wasn’t....

  • On Scales Both Large and Small, Wine Fraud Happens
    In March of 2012, the rare-wine collecting world was shaken by the arrest of Rudy Kurniawan. His crime? Wine-fraud. Kurniawan had bought and sold millions of dollars worth of rare wine over the years, but many of the wines he sold were fakes. The FBI...

  • Beer Review: Stillwater Artisanal Ales Sensory Series Vol. 1: Lower Dens
    Brian Strumke, the mastermind behind Stillwater Artisanal Ales, has no shortage of innovative craft beer ideas. Since beginning his "brewery" (Strumke is a self-described "gypsy brewer"), he has collaborated with numerous other...

  • Diet Drinks: Tips for Healthy Drinking
    After spending a month (or two) indulging in food and drink, the new year brings grand resolutions to eat better, be healthier, and lose weight. If you’re like us, that definitely doesn’t include cutting out drinking altogether. However, three...

  • Beer Can Camera Takes 6-Month-Long Photo of the Sky
    Now that craft beer is widely available in cans, you can expect to find them at multi-course beer dinners as well as at tailgates. What else are beer cans useful for? Turns out, they can be easily converted into pinhole cameras. British photographer Matt...

  • Winter Drinking Essentials: The Drinkmaster Hoodie
    Relaxing outdoors and having a few drinks with friends is one of the finest pleasures known to those who indulge, but during winter in the U.S., chances for doing this plummet drastically. Even going to a big club or party in a warehouse-like space can...

  • 3 New Technologies for Drinking (We're Obsessed)
    The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) came to a close earlier this month. Held in Vegas, the show is alcohol-soaked from start to finish, but in addition to attendees new need for liver transplants the gadget extravaganza brought word of...

  • How to Cure the Hiccups
    You have the most of the pub’s attention. You’re about to make your closing argument on why Val Kilmer was twice the Batman Keaton was, clearly demonstrating your film-nerd brilliance while shaming your debate opponent into submission. Then it...

  • 3 New Ways to Enjoy Rye Whiskey
    Rye is enjoying a renaissance. A niche product that sold at a bargain price just a few years ago, distilleries today struggle to make enough to satisfy the bartenders and consumers who have rediscovered it. There are now more than 50 brands of rye whiskey...

  • Shake vs. Stir: 3 Cocktail Experts Weigh In
    Shaken or stirred? The debate is one of the oldest in the cocktail world, with proponents of each fighting vigorously for their preferred method. But the answer isn’t quite as clear cut as it may seem — the better query is "What should be...

  • Beer Review: Stone Brewing 12.12.12 Vertical Epic
    Despite the huge buzz surrounding its release and the numerological neatness of its name, Stone Brewing Company’s 12.12.12 may have gotten somewhat of a short shrift. As the last offering in the 10-year-long Vertical Epic project by the...

  • What Makes a Dive Bar a Dive Bar? 14 Clues to Look For
    In a nutshell, a dive bar is a neighborhood hole-in-the-wall whose only saving grace is cheap booze, and plenty of it. Recently, there’s been a trend of places trying to achieve that "dive bar feel" with lighting and décor, but they...

  • Hey, It's Friday: The Margarita in a Bottle
    A margarita in a bottle is not something we’d usually get excited about. Most pre-mixed malt beverages — especially those that claim to mimic a custom-shaken cocktail — are mediocre at best, a pale version of their namesake. At worst,...

  • Spirits Review: Dad's Hat Rye
    The newest addition to Pennsylvania’s craft spirits scene, Mountain Laurel Spirits, is based in Bristol, in nearby Buck’s County and has recently released the first Pennsylvania-made aged rye whiskey in over 20 years. An ode to his father, Dad...

  • How to Appreciate Sour Beers
    As a Level II Certified Cicerone and supposed "beer expert," I get weird looks from beer geeks when I admit I have never really enjoyed sour beers. To them, it makes me look like the beer equivalent of Peter Griffin. The truth is that I have...

  • Wynkoop to Release Rocky Mountain Oyster Beer in Cans Nationwide
    Back in October we told you about Denver-based Wynkoop Brewing Co.’s latest wacky creation, Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout. Brewed with real bull testicles, the beer started as an April Fools' joke but became a reality, and was released in kegs...

  • Beer Review: Half Acre Daisy Cutter
    Perhaps I am alone in being a little tired of over-the-top IPAs. Of late I have really preferred my hoppy beers in the style of an American pale ale, a style that is lighter in color, body, and alcohol than the hop-and-malt-bomb alternatives. This kind of...

  • More Than Moonshine: 5 White Whiskeys to Try Today
    When it comes to whiskey, age isn’t just a random number. The amount of time whiskey spends in a barrel determines its color and many of its most beloved qualities, including complexity and tasting notes. Without the aging process, you get a real...

  • Rogue Introduces VooDoo Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Ale
    In 2011, unorthodox Oregon brewery Rogue Ales teamed up with Portland’s VooDoo Doughnut to release Bacon Maple Ale, a brown ale our reviewer recently described as having a scent "exactly like a campfire mixed with a hint of maple syrup....

  • Breckenridge Brewery Continues to Mock Big Beer with New Videos
    Breckenridge Brewery’s "Truth in Beervertising" ad campaign was first launched in spring of 2011, and the series of videos poking fun at the advertising techniques of macro beer companies was a runaway success. Now the Colorado Brewery is...

  • Real Life 'Hobbit' Bar Opens for Business
    Fans of the Lord of the Rings may recognize The Green Dragon, a pub frequented by Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Now, if you care to make the trip down under, you can belly up to the same bar. As part of the set for Peter Jackson’s trilogy, a life-...

  • Beer Review: Flying Dog-BrewDog International Arms Race (US Version)
    Frederick, Md.’s Flying Dog Brewery recently teamed up with one of the most extreme breweries in the world, Scotland’s BrewDog, to create a truly unique collaboration, called International Arms Race. Both breweries have a penchant for pushing...

  • Spirit Gift Guide: 9 American Whiskeys for Everyone on Your List
    The best part of giving whiskey for the holidays is that you can finish all your shopping with one trip to the liquor store. But who gets what? Check these folks off your list with nine perfect brown liquor pairings. If you’re lucky, maybe they...

  • Beer Review: Weyerbacher Winter Ale
    In contrast to the Easton, PA brewery's usual (and esteemed) portfolio of high-alcohol, flavor-packed beers, Weyerbacher Winter Ale won’t make you blink. Landing at just 5.6% ABV, the Christmas ale is well-rounded and chestnuty, but not as sweet...

  • Flying Dog Announces Brewhouse Rarities Series, New for 2013
    Since moving production from Denver to Frederick, Md., in 2008, Flying Dog Brewery has been steadily growing its line of no-nonsense, unrestrained, generally kick-ass beers. In 2012 the brewery released no less than 40 different brews, including...

  • Beer Review: Green Flash-Brasserie St. Feuillien Friendship Brew
    Collaboration is a big part of the craft beer world and can yield many exciting results for drinkers around the world. Cross-continental partnerships are trending, as reputable European breweries make the trip to America to brew with pioneering craft beer...

  • Spirit Review: Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey
    Founded in Ireland in 1757, the Kilbeggan distillery created one of the original Irish whiskies. The company claims to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world; however, there was a brief hiatus. Thanks to the Irish War of Independence and the...

  • Beer Review: Coalition Brewing Loving Cup Maple Porter
    The leaves are already losing their fiery colors, replaced by brown in only slightly varying shades. Nights now arrive an hour earlier, giving up a minute of sunshine with each passing day. But before we grab our saws to chop down our Christmas trees, we...

  • Wynkoop Brewing Company Seeks 2013 Beer-Drinker of the Year
    Get your résumés ready folks! It is time once again for Wynkoop Brewing Company to scour the country for the Beer-Drinker of the Year. Open to all men and women of drinking age, the Wynkoop is searching for the most passionate, knowledgeable...

  • Beer Review: Corsendonk Agnus Tripel Ale
    Though the golden version of the style wasn’t developed until recently (sometime during the 1900s), Tripels are currently one of the most popular types of Belgian beers consumed around the world. Known for the combination of a delicate, complex...

  • Le Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrive!
    Americans all understand the importance of the fourth Thursday of November (that would be Thanksgiving). However, for wine lovers throughout the world it’s the third Thursday of November that holds importance — it's the day the year’...

  • Champagne Tips: How to Choose a Great One
    For many, selecting a good bubbly is one of the more stressful activities of the fall/winter holiday season, second only to participating in the annual family political "discussion." Here are three easy ways to make sure your bottle — be...

  • Beer Review: Southampton Publick House Saison Deluxe
    Southampton Publick House of Southampton, N.Y., has been brewing "beers of distinction" since opening in 1996. The brewery holds so many Great American Beer Festival medals that it’s in the top ranks of all craft breweries in the past 10...

  • Liquor Lessons: Hendrick's Gin Cocktail Academy
    Hendrick's Gin is holding a series of fêtes called "Voyages Into the Unusual" to celebrate its hand-crafted cool-cucumber-and-rose-infused gin. The traveling party, which has been making its way around the country (next up, NYC), is...

  • Spirit Review: Broken Shed Vodka
    New Zealand: a land of sweeping vistas, adventure, and now... vodka. A relatively new spirit on the market, Broken Shed Vodka was founded in 2009 and has its humble beginnings in an old shed (hence the name) in the fairly remote area of Wanaka, New...

  • Beer Review: Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black
    Yeastie Boys is a collaboration from two New Zealand brewers who burst onto the craft beer scene in 2009 with a hoppy, American-style porter, Pot Kettle Black. Today, the formerly mysterious beer is a keystone to the company’s year round offerings,...

  • How to Drink Wine: 4 Tasting Tips
    People tend to fall into two categories when drinking wine: the safe and the daring. There are extremes on both sides, but in general you find people that stick with what they know and like and those that are always looking for the next great thing. Safe...

  • Beer Review: Narragansett Fest Lager
    Narragansett Fest Lager is a beer that almost never was. Brewed for the third time this year since 2005, the fall seasonal is the product of a brewery that was shuttered — permanently, it was believed at the time — in 1983 and demolished...

  • Great American Beer Festival: 5 Things We Loved
    Several members of The Drink Nation staff attended this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, which is the largest beerfest in America. We joined 49,000 other ticket-holders (including our contest winner) in the Colorado Convention Center...

  • Spirits Review: Denizen Rum
    If Denizen Rum were a musical genre, it would be a mash-up of soca and reggae: two Caribbean styles with common origins but unmistakably different expressions. Reggae, of course, is Jamaica’s outsized contribution to the world of music, while...

  • 7 Things We Wish Bartenders Would Stop Doing
    There are plenty of articles out there on how to behave like an ideal guest at a restaurant or bar. These guidelines are good and true reminders of how hard restaurant employees work, and that bartenders and servers have unique skills and deserve to be...

  • Space Jump Cocktail: The Fearless Felix Flip
    On Sunday, a record-breaking 8 million people watched live on YouTube as Felix Baumgartner jumped off a tiny capsule more than 128,000 feet above Earth. The Austrian daredevil broke several more records in his successful Red Bull-sponsored stunt,...

  • Autumn Beer: 6 Philadelphia Brews for Fall
    Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale: Nothing says autumn like a good pumpkin ale. This one initially hits you with notes of cinnamon and then finishes with prominence of the classic cloves and nutmeg with which it’s brewed. The imperial element of this...

  • Beer Review: Guinness Black Lager
    Guinness is easily one of the world’s most recognizable breweries. Its proud tradition of brewing all began in Dublin in 1759, when Arthur Guinness took out a 9,000-year lease on the iconic St. James Gate brewery. While that may seem like an...

  • 10 Wackiest Wine and Beer Labels
    We don’t judge a book by its cover, but a drink by its label? We’re only human, after all. We rounded up 10 wine and beer brands that caught our attention on the shelves, thanks to clever packaging, provocative names, and even that guaranteed...

  • Denver's Sweet Action Ice Cream Redefines 'Having a Cold One'
    Cooking with beer has been a growing trend nationwide for some time, but now beer isn’t just for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s also dessert. Beer enthusiasts have been putting scoops of ice cream in dark, malty beers to make "beer...

  • Beer Review: Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale
    One of several genre-defying, boundary-pushing brews from Portland, Ore.’s Rogue Ales, Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale is a, a sweet, salty, smoky ale. The brown ale was created in collaboration with famed Voodoo Doughnuts, and incorporates a baker...

  • Introducing the New Tullamore D.E.W.
    Tim Herlihy is fine with Irish stereotypes, provided they’re the right ones. As brand ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W., his aim is not only the obvious task of getting us all to drink more whiskey, but also to convince us that "Irish True"...

  • Beaujolais & Burgers: A Successful Pairing
    Almost everyone loves burgers, but what about burgers and wine? Chilled red wine at that! This is not a pairing you would ordinarily think of; however, the two make for a surprisingly winning combination. We recently attended a tasting of Georges Duboeuf...

  • Beer Review: Brewery Ommegang Scythe & Sickle Harvest Ale
    Brewery Ommegang didn’t want to brew just another fall beer. Looking to do something fresher than the ubiquitous Oktoberfests and pumpkin ales, the brewers in Cooperstown, N.Y., crafted Scythe & Sickle Harvest Ale, an homage to the harvest...

  • Craft Vodka Showdown: Taste Testing 5 East Coast Vodkas
    While people often associate vodka with Russia or Eastern Europe, this wildly popular spirit has played a big role in the recent U.S. craft spirits renaissance. American craft distillers now produce several vodkas, which are slowly but surely making a...

  • Autumn Beer: 5 Baltimore Brews for Fall
    The onset of autumn welcomes one of the most exciting times for a beer lover: the resurgence of fall beers. With spiced aromas and promise of pumpkin, every sip celebrates the crisp season. The abundance of brewers in the Baltimore area means there are...

  • What's Up with Sake Cups? A Primer for National Sake Day
    October 1 is National Sake Day (Nihonshu no Hi) in Japan. While most people know what sake is, this Japanese beverage still contains some mystery for American drinkers. Often referred to as rice wine, sake is actually brewed — more like a beer....

  • 5 Weird Hangover Cures From Around the World
    People everywhere understand a simple, universal truth: drinking alcohol is fun until it’s not. Everyone has felt the crushing blow of an epic hangover after waking up from a booze-soaked night with friends — aside from the teetotalers of the...

  • Victory Brewing Co. to Release Wine-Barrel-Aged Red Thunder
    Five years after it was first introduced, Victory Brewing Co.’s near-perfect Baltic Thunder is getting an update. This fall, on what may be the biggest drinking night of the year (that would be Thanksgiving Eve), Victory will release Red Thunder,...

  • 5 Washington, DC Beers for Fall
    Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens notwithstanding, fall brews are some of our favorite things! With notes both spicy and sweet and sourced from local harvests, this collection of autumn-inspired beers from some of our favorite D.C.-area breweries...

  • 10 Best Beer Website 'No, I'm Not 21' Underage Redirects
    If you want to visit a beer website, most of the time you have to first get past an age verification pop up. Some ask you to fill in a birth date, some just ask you if you’re 21 years of age or not. Because there’s no actual way to tell the...

  • Cider Review: Anthem Hops
    In the world of craft drinks, cider is making a determined stride into the market, eking out a niche next to microbrewed beer and artisanal liquors. Out of Salem, Ore., comes Anthem Cider, a branch of Wandering Angus Cider that uses up-to-date, local...

  • Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada Team Up to Brew Rhizing Bines IPA
    As Sierra Nevada expands into its new North Carolina facility, lots of staff and equipment are making the trip across the country from its Chico, Calif., home. The brewery is taking advantage of this by creating its second collaboration beer with Delaware...

  • 10 Colorado Beers That Don't Lead to Bad Decisions
    Craft beer in the U.S. these days is full of extreme, full-flavored brews that push the envelope of complexity. This is great if you’re sharing a special bottle with a friend or two, or savoring a single beer at the end of the evening. But what if...

  • Beer Review: Goose Island Pere Jacques
    Goose Island Brewing Co. of Chicago has been a big name in craft beer since 1988, when it began as a humble brewpub. In 2011, when it was already one of the biggest and most prestigious craft breweries in the country, Goose Island was acquired by A-B...

  • Political Spirit: The Maker's Mark Cocktail Party
    James Carville and Mary Matalin are perhaps the most famous odd couple in politics. He is a prominent strategist for the Democratic Party, and she’s a longtime Republican consultant. How they make their marriage work — it has lasted since 1993...

  • Bonfire Beer: 5 Craft Cans to Welcome Fall
    The coming of fall is a two-faced beast. On one side, the cooler weather makes the arrival of the electric bill and the wearing of long-sleeved shirts less anxiety-filled affairs. On the other, the end of weekends at the beach and the luxury of leaving...

  • Pumpkin Beer: Debunking the Myths
    Each autumn, shelves of beer stores around the country begin to take on an orange tint. Brightly colored labels announce the arrival of pumpkin beer, a fall seasonal with a long history in the U.S. Early colonists made beer entirely from the plentiful...

  • Japanese Beer: A Look at Asian Craft Brews
    For many California Roll-chomping Americans, Japanese beer begins with Kirin and ends with Sapporo, with perhaps a little street-creddy Hitachino tossed in for good measure. But the reality is that the country whose belly-to-bar habits are most readily...

  • Beer Review: Timothy Taylor Landlord
    Craft beer imports are a quickly growing market. With so many different U.S. craft labels available, the job of the importer is to find new delectable rarities to offer. Shelton Brothers of Belchertown, Mass., has spent nearly two decades bringing worldly...

  • Jay-Z and Budweiser's Made in America Festival: Where to Find Good Beer
    On the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend 2012 (September 1 and 2), music fans from around the world will descend on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia for the Budweiser Made in America music festival. Jay-Z is headlining, and on day...

  • Oregon Public House: The Brewpub with Heart
    Located in Portland’s Northeast neighborhood, soon-to-open Oregon Public House will be the first brewpub of its kind in the nation. Bringing together three things that Portlanders are passionate about — brewing, charity, and the community...

  • Beer Review: Freigeist Bierkultur Abraxxxas
    An interest in craft beer can be like opening up Pandora’s box. Once you taste your first imported, rare, or never-before-heard-of beer, you instantly set out on a search for the next delectable brew sliding by under-the-radar. One such beer is...

  • Clear Creek Distillery: Artisan Spirit Pioneers
    You don’t have to be a card-carrying cocktail geek to know that buzzwords like "artisan" and "craft" are the bread and butter of today’s spirits lexicon. But considering Clear Creek Distillery’s Steven McCarthy has...

  • Beer Review: pFriem Family Brewery Belgian IPA
    How does weeks-old pFriem Family Brewery in Hood River demonstrate its dual objective of brewing Belgian-inspired ales while maintaining their PacNorthwest provenance? By placing a Belgian IPA in the debut roster. Owner/brewer Josh Pfriem (pronounced...

  • Open Door Cellars: High-End, Easy-Drinking Boxed Wine
    Wine in a box is nothing new. And I’ve admitted it before on this site: there were stashes of a certain classic in a white box in my apartment almost continually during the college years. We had good reason to be true to the box; it was hard to beat...

  • French Wines and Beers (That Won't Break the Bank)
    On any visit abroad, tasting the food and drink is a close second to touring the sights, as far as requisite activities go — sampling the local spread while traveling is one of the best parts of the experience. On a recent trip to Paris, I made a...

  • The Shark Week Drinking Game
    Shark Week is one of cable's longest-running annual programs, and this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Broadcast in more than 72 countries around the globe, the Discovery Channel's weeklong parade of television programs devoted to the...

  • Beer Review: Pretty Things Jack D'Or
    A lot of buzz surrounds the world of "gypsy brewing" — beer makers who don't have a home brewery and instead contract recipes out to other breweries, who then execute the unique offerings. A slightly different form of vagabond brewing...

  • Vodka Taste Test: Akvinta vs. Black Sea vs. Russian Standard
    Vodka as we know it was born in Eastern Europe (some say Russia and others say Poland), and the clear spirit’s moniker is a diminutive form of the Slavic word for water, voda. In a time where companies are making vodka out of everything from...

  • Beer Review: Full Pint Tri-PA
    Full Pint Brewing Company is a relatively new brewery on the Pittsburgh, Penn. beer scene that released its first batch of barrels in May 2010. Featuring the collaborative efforts of five brewers with a collective 50 years experience, Full Pint’s...

  • Air to Drink: Is Nothing Better Than Something?
    An H20 bar that charges for a glass of filtered tap water just launched in New York City, so we’re not all that surprised this exists on the West Coast. Air (short for "alcohol inspired refresher") is the newest malt beverage to hit the U....

  • Cider Review: Angry Orchard
    With sales of hard cider growing 27 percent in the U.S. last year, it makes sense that Boston Beer Co. would finally — after playing with recipes for 15 years — release its Angry Orchard family of ciders last fall. However, Angry Orchard is...

  • Beer Review: BridgePort Stumptown Tart
    OBF. Say those three awesome letters to just about anyone ‘round here and watch as a huge grin overtakes their face as they start daydreaming about that rite of summer at the end of July: the Oregon Brewers Festival, now in its 25th year. But this...

  • New Drink for Summer: Czech Sangria
    As unimaginable heat scorches a good portion of the nation, American men and women look to summer beverages to quench their thirsts. Typically, the burden of refreshment falls to cold, light brews like American lagers or wheat beers. Sometimes foreign...

  • Spirit Review: Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
    Does the world need yet another orange liqueur? With so many of them on the market, this is not a category for which I eagerly awaited expansion. Yet when I received a sample of the new Dry Curaçao from Pierre Ferrand — made in collaboration...

  • Beer Review: Yards Saison
    Once you venture past lagers, the beer world opens up to not only wacky new creations from today’s hottest brewers, but also types of ale produced for centuries throughout the world. The Belgian saison was originally made by Wallonian farmers...

  • Beer by Ikea: Ol Mork Lager
    What beer goes best with Swedish meatballs? Öl Mörk Lager. Translated directly to "dark lager beer," Ikea is currently selling the brew in the United Kingdom, available for in-store pickup only. Simple drawings of hop flowers decorate...

  • The Transatlantic Mai Tai
    While it may bring you looks of disdain anywhere but a tropical island the rest of the year, summer is one time you can get away with a tiki drink just about anywhere. We’ve got a twist on one of the classic tropical tipples that even the finest...

  • Beer Review: Sam Adams Cinder Bock
    Boston Beer is one of the original players on the craft beer scene, and currently the largest, with distribution in all 50 states. Almost everyone has had a chance to try the classic Samuel Adams Boston Lager, the flagship beer that founder Jim Koch has...

  • Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin
    Ah, gin. You either love it or you hate it. This spirit often gets a bad rap because of its intense juniper flavor. However, thanks to the classic cocktail boom of the past decade, gin has made an huge resurgence, opening up the market to a wide variety...

  • Belvedere Introduces Flavored Vodkas Without the Sugar Coma
    Close your eyes and think of a flavored vodka. Short dresses, tall heels, Kanye West’s ex-girlfriends, and loud clubs are probably bouncing around your head. For years, flavored vodkas have taken the spirit to the point where a "shaken, not...

  • Spirits Review: Twenty 2 Vodka, a Love Story
    Unlike most liquors, Twenty 2 Vodka started with a love story. Its founders, Jessica Jewell and Scott Galbiati, met in college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where they spent their free time dreaming about building a micro-distillery. After...

  • A Swig of Pig: Drinkable Bacon
    Celebrated Oregon outfit Rogue Ales is the latest brand to concoct a product exploiting Americans’ bordering-on-grotesque fascination with strips of smoked pork belly. Devised in conjunction with Portland’s Voodoo Doughnuts, the porter...

  • Guinness Deep-Sea Bar Offers Underwater Sips
    As part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Arthur Guinness’ 1759 signing of his brewery lease at St. James Gate in Dublin, Guinness held a contest to find winners who would have a chance to enjoy their stout at depths never before...

  • Decoding Italian Wine Classifications
    Even for the experienced wine drinker, determining if a bottle of wine you have never tried before is going to be good is difficult. The label can tell you what grapes were used, where they were grown, and how much alcohol the resulting wine is packing,...

  • Growler Man Offers Artisan Growlers for Your Craft Brew
    Options for craft beer on tap have never been so plentiful, and more and more outlets — from full breweries to brewpubs to bars to retail stores — are offering drinkers the chance to take fresh, tasty suds home. Growlers have been around for...

  • Mac Power Adapter Works as Beer Bottle Opener
    Are you versed in the many ways of opening a bottle of beer when an opener is nowhere to be found? There’s the lighter method (relatively obsolete as smoking becomes more and more passé), the belt buckle option, or even the table-edge trick (...

  • American Saisons: 5 Beers for Spring
    Spring is in full swing, and with warm weather and crisp breezes come spades of seasonal brews. One of the most popular styles this time of year is the saison ("season" in French). Originating in Belgium, saisons were designed as refreshing...

  • Beer-Infused Ice Cream Now Available Online
    When you’re craving a beer, but also something rich, refreshing, and sweet, there’s now a new option: a six-pack of Brewer’s Cow. This Connecticut-based company has the solution to this common conundrum (at least, it’s common for...

  • Rare Wine Co. Madeira: Tasting America's Past
    No secret: colonial Americans loved to drink. Ale and porter in the cities, corn whiskey on the frontier — these time-tested quaffs never went fully out of style. But there’s a different story behind madeira, America’s favorite wine in...

  • Beer Cocktails Jump the Shark with Bud Light Lime-a-Rita
    One of the hottest trends in better bars around the nation is beer cocktails, which see the seemingly unorthodox mixing of beer with spirits, juices, bitters, and syrups to create refreshing combinations that are perfect for drinking outdoors in warmer...

  • Beer Review: Anchorage Brewing Love Buzz and Whiteout
    At the beginning of each year, ratebeer.com publishes a list of "Gold Medal" breweries, heralding the top 100 breweries in the world while also shinging the spotlight on promising up-and-comers. Among the most recent selections is Alaska’s...

  • Warm Weather Wines
    It’s been touch and go for a bit there, but I believe it is now safe to say we are in warm weather season. Let me clearly state that this is different from the upcoming Triple H season, when heat, humidity, and haze turn fancy hairdos into frizzy...

  • 3 Mid-Atlantic Wine Trails Worth Visiting
    Most of us don’t need much urging to get outside and enjoy the warming temperatures and fresh scents that springtime brings. But just in case, allow me to set a scene for you: gentle breeze, dipping sun, emerald green vines lined into perfect rows,...

  • Spring Beer Taste-Test
    Craft beer drinkers don’t need to look at a calendar or step outside to know what time of year it is. All they need to do is go to their favorite haunt to see what new beers are appearing on tap and they’ll be able to tell you the weather....

  • Beer Review: Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA
    A longtime favorite at the Rehoboth Beach, Del., Dogfish Head brewpub, 75 Minute IPA just hit the retail market in January and is now available in 25 states. You wouldn’t expect Sam Calagione to do anything less than surprising at this point, and...

  • Rye Whiskey Gets Back to Its Roots
    A century ago, rye whiskey was as inextricably linked to Pennsylvania as bourbon is still tied to Kentucky. The grain — noted for its distinctive spiciness — grew well on the small farmsteads throughout the state. And so an industry grew, from...

  • 5 Favorite Barrel-Aged Beers
    Modern breweries traditionally use steel or copper tanks to age their brews, but by now, most craft beer drinkers have had a chance to sample a beer that has been aged in wooden barrels instead. Although used historically to great effect in Belgian sours...

  • A Brief History of Beer Gardens
    As temperatures begin to rise, it’s time to begin thinking about one of the great pleasures of springtime: an afternoon sitting under the shade of a blossoming tree, stationed at a long table, hoisting a liter mug of beer. Maybe even playing a game...

  • Don't Let 'Ice-Cold' Hype Ruin Your Beer
    "When the mountains turn blue, the beer is ready to drink!" You’ve probably heard this gimmicky campaign for Coors Light (which refers to the brand’s current, color-sensitive can design). It follows a long tradition of big beer...

  • What Wines Pair with a Philly Cheesesteak?
    The cheesesteak. Those living in Philadelphia are blessed with the real deal, not some beef and Cheddar sandwich that tries to pass itself off as authentic. More than just late-night, post-drunk mouth-stuffers (although they do pretty well in that...

  • Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin
    Ah, gin. You either love it or you hate it. This spirit often gets a bad rap because of its intense juniper flavor. However, thanks to the classic cocktail boom of the past decade, gin has made an huge resurgence, opening up the market to a wide variety...

  • The Sudden Success of Whiskey Liqueurs
    If you're under 50, "liqueur" might be an unfamiliar word. Until quite recently, chances are if you had a liqueur, it was a slammed shot of Jagermeister. Europeans are regular consumers of liqueurs, but Americans tend to go for more...

  • A Chef’s Tips for Cooking with Wine
    Cooking with wine is nothing new — the ancient Romans used to liven up their dinners with a splash or two of defrutum, a special brew they used just for the occasion, and the very first cookbook we know of lists dishes that call for wine. But for...

  • Tips for Making the Perfect Margarita
    Before the recent rise in cocktail culture, mangled margaritas were the norm. The most popular tequila-based drink in the U.S., this is a mixed drink that even the cheesiest, low-quality bars proffer. Some cheap tequila, no-name orange liqueur, ice, and...

  • 9 Gluten-Free Beers to Try
    Gluten-free. It’s a phrase you’ve probably heard a lot in reference to everything from bread to cereal to salad dressing and processed lunch meats. For those following this type of diet, either because of gluten allergies or personal choice,...

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