Beer

Pioneers Of High-Quality Near Beer Are Banking On Non-Drinking Binges

8:00am November 15, 2017

by Maanvi Singh

Even if you're staying sober, sometimes you might just miss the taste of a really good beer. But the market for high-end booze-free brews has gone largely untapped. That's starting to change.

Left: A bartender at Hops & Barley brew pub pours a pint of beer in Berlin, Germany. Right: A portrait of Martin Luther. The protest that Luther launched 500 years ago not only revamped how Europe worshiped, but also how it drank. He and his followers pro

The Other Reformation: How Martin Luther Changed Our Beer, Too

5:10pm October 31, 2017

by Nina Martyris

The protest movement Luther launched 500 years ago revamped not only how Europe worshipped but how it drank. We'd call him the patron saint of beer except, well, he wouldn't like the "saint" part.

Hops internodes growing in a Petri dish in the SUNY Cobleskill biotech lab.

Can Science Change The Mildewed Fortunes Of New York Heritage Hops?

10:59am October 24, 2017

by Lela Nargi

Hops helped make vast fortunes for 19th century farmers and brewers in New York state before a mildew blight ushered in their demise. Now, undergrads hope to develop mildew-resistant heritage hops.

Sour beer has allowed microbiologists an opportunity to find new microbes with applications that could extend beyond simply beer.

The Taming Of The Brew: How Sour Beer Is Driving A Microbial Gold Rush

10:03am October 02, 2017

by Ian Graber-Stiehl

As the popularity of sour beers burgeons in America, scientists are going back to the drawing board in a quest to discover the perfect mix of new brewing microbes.

Distillery Cat Wanted: Must Be Affable, Brand-Boosting, Cold-Blooded Killer

7:00am October 01, 2017

by Tove Danovich

A new book profiles some of the world's most fascinating felines, while telling how their job descriptions have evolved from rodent catchers to today's ambassadors for distilleries and breweries.

Medusa Brewing Company co-founder Keith Sullivan checks on the beer in the brewing area. "There are very few big breweries that have this family, community, connected feel. That's what we're selling," he says.

National

The Next Big Thing In Beer Is Being A Small Taproom

9:16am September 27, 2017

by Aaron Schachter

The explosion of these cozy craft breweries has happened as states relax laws to allow them direct-to-consumer retail rights, meaning the majority of their revenue no longer has to come from food.

Queue Listen Now

The Pico C is an automated beer-brewing device, or "beerbot," that can be monitored remotely from a smartphone or tablet.

National

Rise Of The Beerbots: Is Tech Taking The Craft Out Of Homebrewing?

11:44am September 19, 2017

by Alastair Bland

Automated systems have turned the messy, ancient art of brewing into a tidy hobby requiring fairly minimal skill, and of course, a smartphone or tablet. Critics ask: Where's the craft in that?

At the Portsmouth Brewery in New Hampshire, the kelp beer "Selkie" is sold both on tap and in bottles.

From Ocean To Potion: Kelp Finds A Niche In The Craft Beer Market

5:02pm September 08, 2017

by Andrea Shea

Kelp isn't a new flavor enhancer for brewers. For hundreds of years, coastal farmers in Scotland grew grains in seaweed beds. But briny brews have been slow to catch on in the United States.

After a series of big tremors last August, Norcia's small community of Benedictine monks sought shelter on the mountainside high above the town. An earthquake devastated the town, seen here from the mountainside, in October.

Beer-Brewing Monks Are Helping Rebuild Earthquake-Devastated Town In Italy

8:10am September 03, 2017

by Sylvia Poggioli

The Benedictine monks of Norcia are known for their chart-topping album of Gregorian chants — and their beer. They're donating proceeds to rebuilding efforts, and helping the Umbrian town recover.

Barbara J. King takes a look at what food writers think of the future of food; some say seaweed food products will be on the menu.

Ants, Seaweed, Chocolate Beer And (Maybe) Less Meat: The Future Of Food

10:45pm August 31, 2017

by Barbara J. King

When it comes to finding and preparing food, we're a continually inventive species. Anthropologist Barbara J. King asks: What are the food trends of the future?