Netflix will be releasing 15 brand spankin' new episodes all at once for streaming this weekend—you didn't have any plans for Sunday and Monday, did you? To help make watching more fun drunk, here's our Arrested Development drinking game. More
I don't tend to seek out breakfast nor breakfast-flavored booze, but there we were with three new breakfast-flavored liqueurs: Blueberry Pancake, Glazed Donut, and Maple Bacon, all 70 proof. More
Grab a horn of ale and call your bannermen! During the Season Three premiere, you'll want to play the Drinking Game of Thrones. Take 1 sip for every time there's a "squelch" sound of a sword cutting through somebody. You'll know it when you hear it. More
Roses are red, violets are blue. You'll need all the liquor you have just to make it through. More
The Taste bills itself as "unlike any other cooking competition," which is their way of saying that it is exactly like every other cooking competition/reality competition you've ever watched. Tuesday's upcoming episode of The Taste is titled "The Art of the Sandwich," so it's safe to assume they'll be attempting to create hoagies out of art supplies. We'll be watching, and playing The Taste Drinking Game. More
The Super Bowl Drinking Game is the Super Bowl of drinking games. This is the one time of year where you can be fairly certain the majority of the planet is doing two things simultaneously: watching television and drinking. Disappointed Patriots fan, Vinny Mannering, breaks down the Big Game. More
Someone once said that there are only two American art forms: jazz and professional wrestling. That someone was probably Vince McMahon, in an uncharacteristic act of shameless self-promotion. When Vince isn't bank-rolling failed senatorial campaigns or creating fake football leagues, he's mega-strutting on the most successful wrestling show on TV: WWE Monday Night RAW. Here's a drinking game to make watching it much more fun. More
For those of you who are interested I just got emailed this list of Arrested-inspired cocktails: http://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/arrested-development-cocktails
@plazmaorb - My girlfriend bought me Sriracha flavored chapstick the other day. What happens when two things jump the shark together?
@msecondo - Love the Littlefinger rule. That actor is fantastic.
@Joe A - I rather got fully into the Doctor but I've watched enough to get a general feel for the show. I wouldn't mind spending a weekend catching up on it.
@supercres - Don't ruin my day like that! I haven't seen a confirmation he won't be there yet, but I am worried they'll exclude him.
@katia - Wish you'd sent me that link a few days ago.
@PSFam - One slam for incest. Two slams for Twincest?
Founders' Backwoods Bastard
Everyone drink for making me get all teary-eyed. (But seriously: thanks!)
No worries. It's part of my crusade to read everything ever written about beer.
I say at the Residence Inn connected to City Steam all the time when I'm in Hartford for work, and work the next street down on Trumbull. Careless Love was pretty solid, but I'm never blown away by any of City Steam's beers. Their hoppy barleywine "Lunatic" was pretty good though.
That same storm stranded me in Denver with nothing to do but drink. I got to hit up Avery and Mountain Sun. Both amazing.
@Candi - I haven't seen any commercials or promos for it and only "discovered" it when I was asked to write about it. I'm also a big Bourdain fan, if that wasn't evident.
@Raphaelle - Maybe it's because of my Y chromosome but I noticed the goofy doors and elevators they make those models use as ridiculous without the thought that models carrying out the food is also totally unnecessary. Good catch.
@Osomatic - I don't know if I'd hate him so much if he was just "Brian." But I probably still would.
@Mollie - Exactly my thought. I would've gone with Colombe Jacobsen who owns a restaurant in NYC and played Julie "The Cat" Gaffney in the greatest movie ever filmed: D2: Mighty Ducks.
@Perrin - It might be worth one hour of your life, but no more.
@Pavlov - I feel some compulsion to keep tuning in to see if it actually can get more boring than it already is. It's truly a trainwreck. And thanks!
@Ecca - I've never seen TC, but I can only imagine the show is improved by his absence.
@Allison - Amen.
Wish I read this before my trip to Colorado.
Next time someone asks you to tell them a joke, just launch into The Aristocrats and see how long they'll let you go on for. Beer related: WV must really be a wasteland if a beer like Pumking is still on the shelf in February.
I spent my four collegiate years just outside of Burlington at St. Mike's. Unfortunately, I didn't really discover any craft beer outside of Arrogant Bastard and Switchback until after I left. Vermont makes the best beers in the world. The. World.
@Will - She really captured my essence, right down to the double-fisting.
I, too, would enjoy seeing Will Gordon Industries enhance its market penetration.
Hehe. Enhanced penetration.
I'm a child.
That sucks that they aren't going to make it this year. I was lucky enough to have a glass of the Chocolate Ale without having to hop a plane to Mizzou. Pure kismet, they had it on draft at a restaurant in Cambridge when I took my girlfriend out for dinner.
I have 5 Kevin's and 6 Lauren's in my phone. Nobody needs that many of either.
Any comment after @JMSemiz's is futile. That is a comment masterpiece.
I was on a ski trip with Big Vin whose culinary skills range from telephone to microwave. We were shopping for dinner and walked by a can of Dinty Moore. He was all excited since he hadn't seen DM since he was a kid, so we got two cans of that for dinner.
About three spoonfuls in, he says "This isn't as good as I remembered." And we ate the rest of the meal in silence.
"Bulleit Rye in a chain restaurant punch!" - my exact reaction while reading this in a meeting I'm currently neglecting.
I kept my Crayola's in a purple Crown Royal bag. Now it is simply where I keep my shattered dreams.
PS. Didn't know they made different colors, either.
I disagree wholeheartedly with ESNY's assessment. Shame on you for not preparing the Hot Pocket the proper way: in a dirty microwave. And for not enjoying it properly: mouth-scalding hot in front of a television.
My girlfriend swears by the Kirkland vodka.
So wait, there will be Darkbuster and Springsteen on the playlist? Sold.
Grab a horn of ale and call your bannermen! During the Season Three premiere, you'll want to play the Drinking Game of Thrones. Take 1 sip for every time there's a "squelch" sound of a sword cutting through somebody. You'll know it when you hear it. More
One of the biggest challenges in homebrewing is finding recipes you trust, so we thought we'd give you a head start. Here are 15 Serious Eats-tested-and-approved recipes for homemade beer, from easy-for-beginners to more advanced projects. More
Two weeks ago I made the case for all-grain brewing and introduced the basics of building a mash tun. You may not have realized yet, but now that you have a mash tun (or will soon), you have suddenly become much more interested in malted barley. Today I want to show you how to get the best quality from your base malt. More
The pumpkin madness that autumn brings lasts just a few short months, but there's still plenty of time to make and enjoy a delicious homebrewed Pumpkin Ale. Brewers have been using pumpkin in beer for a long time, and the list of commercial versions gets longer every year. But with no clear defined style, and limitless spicing choices, pumpkin ale is a fun opportunity for beginning and experienced brewers alike to flex their creative recipe skills. More
When it comes to homebrewing, I am a procrastinator. I tend to brew the beer that I want to drink today, not the one I want to drink two months from now, when it will actually be ready for sipping. But today is different. More
To get better at their craft, artists need practice, critique, coaching, idols, and inspiration. Brewers are artists, too, and they need these same things in order to improve their beer. But it can be difficult as a brewer to find good coaches and willing critics. More
Imagine it's mid-January. The days are slowly getting longer again, the college football bowl season has finally ended, and crocuses are just popping their heads out of the ground. You get home from work and go the fridge in search of refreshment. You want something that inspires hope for spring rather than reminding you of the Christmas presents you didn't like and the house full of in-laws wearing silly holiday sweaters. You don't want that delicious but heavy Winter Warmer or the last of the Pumpkin Ale. You want to be uplifted. 'Tis the season for Saison. More
Beer drinkers love their brew-themed gadgets, and homebrewers often take that passion to the limit. While there are no shortage of beer-inspired gifts out there, I've put together a list of some of best—a few recommended gifts for zymurgists and casual quaffers alike. More
I have a favorite Italian restaurant in Minnesota. They specialize in handmade pastas tossed before your salivating gaze with delicious ingredients in a million different permutations. Each time I go, I think, "I could make this at home. I know most of the ingredients and I watched them put it all together. I got this." But I don't. More
The process of making beer is a cycle: inspiration, recipe formulation, gathering materials, brewing, fermenting, packaging, drinking, and back to the beginning again. The brewing year is also cyclic, with particular beers enjoyed in certain seasons: pale ales and light lagers in the summer, stouts and winter warmers in the winter. Each revolution of a cycle offers opportunity for improvement. Here are seven New Year's resolutions to launch you on a happy and fulfilling year of homebrewin More
Warming up with a homebrewed Russian Imperial Stout is the perfect way to end a chilly winter day. Rich roasted coffee and chocolate flavors are predominate in this dark and heavy beer style. The hop character can be mild or assertive, but it is always overshadowed by the massive roasty malts and warming alcohol. The high ABV and the large amount of specialty dark grains make this style a little more difficult to homebrew correctly than many of the other beer recipes we've looked at so far, but I'll walk you through it today. More
Crystal malts are a staple in almost every beer recipe. Light crystal malt, like C-20, is used in pale ales, the darker C-120 can be used in stouts, and every recipe in between calls for some variety of crystal. Since crystal malts are among the few styles that do not need to be mashed, they are ideal for extract and partial-mash brewers to use as steeping malts. Anyone can make this fabulously versatile malt at home. All it takes is any standard pale malt, some water and a few hours in the oven. More
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a number of ways to get better at brewing beer. One great way to get better—and to feed your inner competitive beast—is to brew for competition. More
Sour ales are one of the biggest things in craft beer right now. The style that started out as a niche Belgian import not too long ago has spread like wildfire across American bars and breweries. Producing sour beer at home can be difficult, but with some experimentation and education there's nothing stopping a homebrewer from creating a tart and funky ale just like the best of the commercial brewers. More
When I go to my local watering hole and I step up to the bar to order, I always have a momentary adrenaline surge. In the few seconds before I speak the possibilities are limitless: I could have any beer on tap. But I know that as soon as I order a beer every door except one will close. There is tremendous pressure to make the right choice, and I usually find myself thinking, "Do I want a light beer or a dark beer?" Before I even scan the list of beers etched in many colors of chalk on the wall, I've limited my choices to light or dark, leaving out ambers and browns, the Goldilocks beers that are not too light and not too dark. More
To the untrained eye, a homebrewing recipe can look like a secret code with abbreviations, acronyms, and lists of numbers. Over the years, brewers have condensed the essentials of a brewing recipe into an easy to reference format that can be quickly reviewed during the brewing process. But today we're going to demystify the code so that you can read a brewing recipe like the pros. More
Homebrew recipe writers often take the experience level of their readers for granted. They usually assume that every reader knows the process, acronyms, and abbreviations that they use. Most of the written shortcuts that homebrew recipe writers use are pretty simple to understand, so there's no need to let recipe conventions get in the way of learning how to brew. Today I'll share the basics of how to read any standard homebrewing recipe. More
Beginning homebrewing recipes all start with simple steps. A first- or second-time homebrewer has enough to think about without an overly complicated list of instructions. But after brewing a few batches, it's pretty common to figure out a few tweaks and adjustments to the process that help you brew beer on your specific setup. Here are a few tips that we hope will help to simplify your brew day. More
Citrusy, resiny, and bitter, the American Imperial IPA is an aggressive beer—and a rich one. This style grew out of the demand for hoppier beers at the start of the American craft beer revolution. As IPAs were brewed with more and more hops, the amount of grain needed to balance out the bitterness increased. The results were IPAs that were so extreme that they took on the moniker Imperial, which was previously reserved for only the biggest stouts. Here's how to brew one of your own. More
On brewday, chilling your wort as quickly as possible has a lot of benefits. Since it's the last big thing on the brewing schedule, faster chilling means you can finish your brewday more quickly. From a chemistry perspective, faster chilling increases protein coagulation, known as "cold break", which can lead to clearer beer. From a sanitation perspective, the faster you chill your beer and pitch your yeast, the less likely you will get an infection. More
Big, deep, and rich, Belgian dark strong ales are perhaps the most complex beers Belgium has to offer. Brewing this style isn't cheap—I generally expect to spend an extra $10 to $15 per 5 gallon batch once I've bought the extra grains and sugars. However, considering commercial domestic and imported versions start at about $6 per 12-ounce bottle where I live, it's a relative steal to make your own. Here are a few tips to help you get started. More
Found a homebrewing kit under the tree this year? Awesome! But before you get started, allow me to share a few tips that will give you a leg up and improve the quality of your initial batches of beer. More
A dubbel is a fantastic entry point for those not familiar with Belgian beer and an even better partner for food. It's a malt parade with a restrained bitterness keeping the whole thing in check. More
By focusing on just two ingredients, you can filter out the other "noise" and learn your Centennials from your Chinooks and your Munich malt from your Vienna. You'll know exactly what each ingredient tastes like, and learning those flavor and aroma characteristics on their own will help you tweak recipes with more components later on. More
I've heard that Sam Adams' Boston Lager is "Vienna style," and I was going to suggest that for the Vienna malt tasting but in looking at some home-brew clone recipes, I haven't found any that use Vienna malts, so maybe it's not a great example.