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Barleywines and wheatwines explore the boldest flavor frontiers of their respective grains. Now, daring brewers are applying that maximalist approach to wine-strength beers brewed with millet, rye-wheat hybrids, smoked malts, and more.

• Weirdwines
• Barleywine
• Triticale

At San Francisco’s Bartlett Hall brewpub, head brewer Nick Mamere has built an award-winning program that includes this porter—winner of GABF silver in 2019, gold in 2022, and one of our Best 20 Beers in 2023.

• Beer Recipe
• Porter
• Robust Porter

While the recipe is big for a Czech pale lager—it’s really 14°P rather than the typical 12°—it drinks well below its strength and makes a bright showcase for that floor malt and ample Saaz hops.

• Beer Recipe
• Pilsner
• Czech Pale Lager

The von Trapp family history is well known thanks to the prominence of a certain Disney film, but their dogged approach to brewing lager, just down the hill from the family lodge in Stowe, Vermont, has earned them fans throughout the region and beyond.

• Podcast

From enchanting drinking experiences to inspirational breweries, Josh Pfriem, cofounder and brewmaster at pFriem Family Brewers, takes us on a rollicking tour through Bavaria, California, New England, and Belgium for his selected six-pack.

• Pick Six

Toby McKenzie, owner and brewer at RedWillow Brewery in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, shares this beefed-up version of their Heritage Porter, inspired by 19th-century recipes. Its layered malt bill gets added complexity from malt made from Chevallier, a landrace barley variety.

• Beer Recipe
• Porter
• Imperial Porter

With Great Notion’s flavored stouts, it’s “go big, or go home.” Lead brewer Lara Hargrave explains their approach to building decadent, dessert-inspired recipes from base to adjuncts.

• Video
• Video Tip
• Dessert Stout

In the noble quest for variety and character, British maltsters and brewers have been resurrecting and experimenting with previously vanished yet intensely flavorful heritage barley malts—and they are increasingly available to brewers everywhere.

• Heritage Malt
• Chevallier
• British Beer

Crisp, dry, herbal-bitter, and clean, this is a lager you’ll want to have on tap all year long—but especially as the weather starts to warm.

• Make Your Best
• Pilsner
• German Pilsner

Gorilla Brewing in Busan, South Korea, shares this recipe for a tart and spicy celebration of a cherished local staple.

• Beer Recipe
• Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer
• Chile Beer

In this final installment of our Las Vegas CBC preview episodes, Crafthaus head brewer Cameron Fisher shares his approach to making award-winning cold IPA with flaked maize, layered hop formats, and a characterful Czech lager yeast, as well as coffee beers and Scotch ale.

• Podcast

Lara Hargrave, lead brewer at Great Notion in Portland, Oregon, runs through several of the adjuncts they add to their pastry stouts, including some useful tips for flavor and practicality.

• Video
• Video Tip
• Stout