Features

Anchor Brewing of San Francisco has been bought by the giant Japanese brewery Sapporo, which means yet another independent craft brewery has fallen to Big Beer. Anchor, famous for its steam beer, enjoys iconic status in the US as it played a key role in kick-starting the great American beer revival in the 1960s

Added: Saturday, August 5th 2017

Greg Koch launched Stone Brewing when he discovered there was more to American beer than Budweiser and Miller Lite. Starting with a 30-barrel kit in 1996 he now has breweries in California, Virginia and Berlin and is producing some 400,000 barrels a year, with 30 IPAs in his portfolio

Added: Friday, July 28th 2017

The Gunmakers Arms in Hockley plays a central role in Birmingham Beer Week and specialises in unfined beers from the neighbouring Two Towers Brewery. The beers range from dark mild, through golden ale and bitter to porter and the lack of isinglass does not detract from the full-bodied character of the beers.

Added: Monday, July 24th 2017

In his new book IPA: a Legend in Our Time, Roger Protz explores the origins of the style that is now a world-wide phenomenon. He traces the roots of the beer in Victorian Britain and, with the help of a small London brewery, recreates an old Bass recipe and ages the beer in wood -- with surprising results. The book goes to cover modern IPAs, brewed around the world, and such legendary versions as White Shield, Ballantine's and McEwan's

Added: Friday, July 14th 2017

Ralph Findlay, chief executive of Marston's, is bullish about the future of beer and pubs. He has more than 1,560 pubs and plans to bring back more "wet led" outlets to cater for the demand for craft beer. He says the recently acquired Charles Wells's beers won't change and will continue to be brewed at Bedford. He hopes to give greater presence to Courage and Young's beers in London and to boost McEwans in Scotland.

Added: Tuesday, June 27th 2017

Pete Brown has written a book full of profound insights into the history of beer and its vital raw materials: malt, hops, yeast and water. He challenges many received ideas on when beer was first brewed, the range of malts used in brewing, the development of hops and the possibility that lager yeast is older than we think.

Added: Monday, June 19th 2017

Sebastien Morvan and Olivier de Brouwer have a mission: to take beer "out of the abbey and into the playground". They are brewing challenging brews at the Brussels Beer Project, packed with hops and often using unusual ingredients. They are involved in collaboration beers in a number of countries, including Britain where they make Babylone at Hackney Brewery with 30% bread. They are also ageing a growing number of beer in oak casks from the wine, cognac and whisky industries.

Added: Tuesday, May 23rd 2017

Norwich's great beer bonanza, City of Ale, returns at the end of May for another great celebration of beer and brewing in Norfolk and its capital city. The brainchild of Dawn Leeder and Phil Cutter, City of Ale is more than a beer festival but is a rolling programme of events in pubs and breweries, with talks and tastings by local brewers and beer writers, including Adrian Tierney-Jones and Roger Protz

Added: Wednesday, May 17th 2017

Cumbrian Legendary Ales is content to remain a small brewery supplying its locality with cask ales, including the award-winning Loweswater Gold. But Hawkshead is forging ahead with plans to expand sales following a deal with a large drinks distribution company to sell bottles and cans internationally. But founder Alex Brodie stays firmly in charge and there will still be a strong emphasis on draught beer

Added: Sunday, May 7th 2017

The Red Lion at Histon near Cambridge is a shrine to good beer, decked out with memorabilia of the hey-day of brewing in the 20th century. But landlord Mark Donachy isn't living in the past as the Red Lion serves a wide selection of cask ales from today's independent breweries, mainly in East Anglia. Not surprisingly, The Red Lion has just been named Pub of the Year by the local branch of CAMRA.

Added: Saturday, April 29th 2017