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At Zebulon Artisan Ales in Weaverville, North Carolina, cofounder and brewer Mike Karnowski nurtures a special interest in historically rooted beers. Here, he turns back the clock on a key ingredient used in many traditional British ales—and he shares an elegant way to make your own invert sugar in the brewhouse.

• Invert Sugar
• British Ale
• Mild

Based in the wine-growing region about 40 miles northeast of Cape Town, South Africa, Soul Barrel brewed this funky riff on umqombothi in collaboration with Tolokazi—a team of predominantly women brewers making traditional African beers.

• Beer Recipe
• Umqombothi
• Mixed-Culture Beer

For the brewmaster of Timmermans—the three-century-old lambic brewery in Itterbeek, just west of Brussels—studying and understanding the dynamics of spontaneous fermentation and wood-aging is the key to making beer with captivating flavor.

• Podcast

Check out Angel Ale Yeast A01, an ideal yeast for brewing American-style beers.

• Sponsored

Josh Pfriem, founder and brewmaster of pFriem Family Brewers, lays out their approach to hopping Japanese- and Mexican-style lagers, including related flavor considerations for malt, pH, and sulfur content.

• Video
• Video Tip
• Lager

Was it the best one yet? Many say it was. The annual Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest returned on June 1, and it was nothing short of epic, featuring 68 brewers from around the world, more than 20 local restaurants, educational beer panels, and a concert by The White Buffalo. Even the weather—with temps in the low 80s—was perfect.

• Sponsored

Easier to brew than it is for many people to say—it takes a click of the tongue—this ancient sorghum beer is unlike any modern style we know. Thick, tart, and creamy, it’s deeply traditional—yet it’s also open to a brewer’s own creative twists.

• Umqombothi
• South Africa
• African Beer

On your next camping trip, just a half-cup of that tart fruit beer you brought along is enough to brighten this simple treat that’s perfect for an open fire.

• Cooking with Beer
• Beer and Food
• Camping

The beating hearts of a brewery aren’t glamorous and won’t impress casual visitors, but they can do a great deal to improve how brewers do their jobs. They can also make a lot of noise.

• Pumps
• Gearhead
• Transfer

This Minneapolis brewery keeps a separate, non-public production facility for its award-winning, spontaneously fermented beers while delivering crowd-pleasing classics such as Midwest (and West Coast–style) IPA from their sprawling production facility and beer hall.

• Podcast

Double-decocted is the new double dry-hopped.

• Sponsored

From a healthy yeast pitch to extra-cold lagering via spunding and harvesting, brewmaster Josh Pfriem walks us through the cold side of lager-making at pFriem Family Brewers.

• Video
• Video Tip
• Lagering