1xPOOsZl3MlvSy5wEY5TVg

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith homebrewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast, addresses the question of first wort hopping and its purpose.

• Ask The Experts
• Wort

Here are some tips on preparing your palate and your environment for a successful beer tasting.

• Video

Some of the most flavorful and misunderstood beers come from Scotland. Wee Heavy and Shilling Ales once dominated pubs and tap lists, but have lost favor for more hop-forward styles. However, these beers, and their history, are worth a closer look.

• Craft Beer Scene

Spruce tips add an immediately recognizable aroma and flavor to beer, yet some have a hard time accurately defining the specifics. When they are collected, handled, and brewed with properly, this historic ingredient will liven up just about any beer.

• Special Ingredient
• Spruce Tips
• Craft Beer Scene

The Scottish 80, also called an “export” by the BJCP guidelines, is a strong ale by Scottish standards. The export name means that this is an ale with a higher alcohol content (3.9 to 4.9 percent) that was intended to survive trans-Atlantic voyages.

• Beer Recipe
• All Grain Recipe
• Scottish-Style 80- Shilling Ale

While an essential ingredient in beer, malt is overlooked in favor of hops or yeast. However, the ingredient that gives color, ABV, and a strong dose of character is important. We asked a few of our favorite brewers to share their malt-forward beer picks.

• 5 on 5
• Craft Beer Scene
• Malt

There are rewards in brewing for the popular palate. Seeing how quickly your keg empties at a summer barbecue can be every bit as satisfying as nailing that lambic that impresses the three or four other sour beer heads you know.

• Homebrewing

Our homebrewing columnist, Josh Weikert, offers this recipe for a beer that is low-alcohol, delicate, and lightly flavored. Rather than being an American mass-produced lager it is, instead, a modern take on a traditional German style

• Make Your Best
• Beer Recipe
• All Grain Recipe

As supplies of the wild yeast dwindle, recipes are being tweaked and brewers prepare for "dark, less funky times" ahead.

• April Fools

C Squared Ciders Founder Andy Brown walks you through the ins and outs of making cider at home. Andy covers the basics and offers pro tips on selecting, pressing, and blending apples before taking you into fermentation, aging, and packaging your cider.

• Video
• Full Video
• Cider

New Orleans will always be a party town, but until recently, the party has ignored most beer beyond pale lagers. Today, as people turn toward more flavorful alternatives throughout the rest of the country, New Orleans is taking its sweet time to catch up.

• Beercation

Greg Zeschuk, the founder of Blind Enthusiasm Brewing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada talks with Senior Editor John Holl about the growing brewing scene in the province.

• Podcast
• Craft Beer Scene