Fresh hops awaiting harvest. [Photograph: Deschutes Brewery] As Serious Eaters, you probably use a lot of fresh herbs in your cooking. Dried basil just doesn't have the aromatic sweetness of fresh basil. But have you considered whether there are dried or fresh hops are in your beer? Hop flowers provide the bitter backbone that makes beer taste the way it does. Some varieties of hops add a fruity citrus taste, while others give off a juniper-like scent. Most of the time, brewers use dried, compressed hop pellets to do the job. But once a year when hops are ready to be pulled from the vine, some brewers celebrate the season by heading out to local farms to harvest hops...
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"The West Coast has hoppy IPAs, the Midwest has a strong tradition of pilsners and lagers, but the South has no real (craft) beer tradition." [Photograph: Carolyn Lilly Wilson] Sean Wilson has a vision for the beer scene in the American South. Using heirloom grains and other ingredients from North Carolina farms, he and his collaborator, Chris Davis, hope to create a distinctly Southern style of beer. They will open Fullsteam Brewery in Durham late this winter or early next spring. I chatted with Sean about the challenges he's faced and his plans for the brewery. Name: Sean Wilson Location: Durham, North Carolina Occupation: President of Fullsteam Brewery Tell us a little about Fullsteam and what you envision for your...
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[Photograph: Maggie Hoffman] I'm just going to be honest with you: I think it may be time to forget Oktoberfest (if you haven't already.) Märzenbier is tasty stuff, but I've decided that American rye beers are really the perfect autumn brew. By substituting rye for some of the barley in the mash, brewmasters give these beers a hint of spicy warmth and a touch of rye-bread flavor. Though the Germans have used rye in their pumpernickel-brown roggenbier since medieval times, the ryes we tasted were distinctly American. There's no hard and fast rule as to what an American rye must be, but these tended toward reddish amber, fruity, and generously hopped. They're a little spicy, with a sour kick...
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