Category Archives: Drinking

Saratoga is beer capital of North America (this week anyway)

Portland and North San Diego County may disagree, but I have decided Saratoga Springs, NY is as good a place as any if you are a lover of intensively hoppy craft microbrewed IPAs with an ABV of 7.0 or higher. … Continue reading

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Taste test: Stone-style IPAs

The other day two titans of the IPA world were on tap side by side at EBI, my local dispensary. So I filled a growler with West Coast IPA and a growler with Firestone Union Jack and quickly found five … Continue reading

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Gluten-free ale from Steadfast Beer Co

Had a conversation at Saratoga Beer Week with Alison and Jeremy Hosier, brewers at Steadfast Beer Co. in Albany. They brew with sorghum in place of barley and wheat, and their new product, Sorghum Pale Ale, is just about to … Continue reading

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The beer that dares not speak its name

What we have here is an illegal beer. It was brewed for He’Brew under contract at the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company, and when the BATF inspectors saw the label they said it could not be distributed. The brewery could have … Continue reading

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An ode to poundability

I once had a private tour of a prestigious Sonoma winery. The proprietress was the former girlfriend of my friend’s nephew, which made the occasion informal. She let us know about an attribute of their products that the vintners like … Continue reading

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