The Advent Beer Calendar is tomorrow
The first of December heralds the start of the Advent Beer Calendar, an annual tradition here at The Brew Site going back to 2005. This year’s Calendar is the fifth incarnation(!), and this year in addition to selecting the various Christmas beers myself I thought it would be fun to open up the virtual doors and invite others to participate, as well. So I’ve asked some bloggers and writers from around the interwebs if they would be interested in contributing, and many have generously donated some time to pick a beer for the Advent Calendar this year. And… is it

Holiday Ale Festival
The Holiday Ale Festival up in Portland (Oregon) kicks off this week: from Wednesday, December 2nd through Sunday the 6th, Pioneer Courthouse Square will be overrun by beer seekers anxious to try out 50-plus wintertime beers. This is one of those festivals I’ve never been to (the timing isn

Jubelale vertical
My latest post over on Hop Press is up today: a vertical tasting of Jubelale. Something else to be thankful for this week!

Thanksgiving Week: The Oregon beer scene
As a beer geek, I am extremely thankful that Oregon is one of the best places to be in terms of beer culture—and that I live in the heart of it. Oregon has world-class breweries, cutting-edge breweries, young upstarts, and the old guard. From the brewery-rich Portland to the far-flung reaches like Baker City and Enterprise, beer permeates Oregon and the beer culture here is both easy-going and sophisticated; Oregonians like their beer and

Thanksgiving Week: Homebrewing
One event in particular is worth special note to be thankful for: when President Jimmy Carter signed the bill in February 1979 that made homebrewing legal in the U.S. This effectively launched a (home)brewing renaissance in the United States that can be traced in large part to Charlie Papazian’s influence. Today, 30 years later, homebrewing is a flourishing cottage industry, with supply shops and clu