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Forget what you think you know about Scottish “wee heavy.” Courtesy of founder Gareth Young, this is Glasgow-based Epochal’s historically rooted take on a strong stock ale: huge, heavily hopped, and matured for months with hops and Brettanomyces.

• Beer Recipe
• Scotch Ale
• Stock Ale

You think you know Scotch ales? Based in Glasgow, Epochal Barrel Fermented Ales specializes in mixed-culture beers matured in oak, inspired by Scottish brewing tradition. Here, founder and brewer Gareth Young explains the surprising history and process.

• Scotch Ale
• Wood-Aged
• Strong Ale

Citra reigns, with Mosaic in ascendance. Here’s a visual look at the most-grown hops in the Pacific Northwest, and how they’ve changed in popularity over the past seven years.

• Infographic

From Josh Weikert’s Make Your Best series: The dose of sugar and mash regime should help get this dry, while the Crystal hops and light esters add pleasant character to a clean background. The result is a beer that drinks well by the liter.

• Beer Recipe
• Cream Ale

At the 2022 World Beer Cup, California’s Wild Fields won four gold medals—a feat no craft brewer had achieved. But those who’ve followed the career of Ryan Fields aren’t entirely surprised—his studious approach has been paying dividends for years.

• Podcast
• Wild Ale
• Brown Ale

Arguably the most important gear in the brewhouse is what we wear ourselves: personal protective equipment, the armor that keeps us from harm amid the boiling-hot, corrosive, slippery dangers of manufacturing beer.

• Gearhead
• PPE
• Safety

Laura Burns—microbiologist, brewer, and R&D director of Omega Yeast in Chicago—digs into the science and practical techniques for maximizing the hop aroma in your IPAs and other hoppy beers.

• Video
• Full Video
• Thiols

Thanks to Gabe Fletcher of Anchorage Brewing for this homebrew-scale recipe of his coveted barleywine. Despite its gravity, this is a simple recipe. The biggest challenges are in the process—specifically, adequate fermentation and patient barrel-aging.

• Beer Recipe
• Barleywine
• Wood-Aged Beer

Aficionados view Gabe Fletcher of Alaska’s Anchorage Brewing as a master of modern barrel-aged barleywine, epitomized by the highly sought-after A Deal with the Devil. Here, he lays out his philosophy and methods developed over the years.

• Barleywine
• Barrel-Aging
• Anchorage

Wheat beers, in the hands of skilled brewers, bring out the best of expressive yeasts. Here, five pros share their favorites, across styles.

• Wheat Beer
• Hefweizen
• Wheat Ale

Instead of the usual Editors’ Picks, we recruited a guest critic whose perspective on this style—barleywine—is sharper than anyone’s we know: Alex Kidd, the mind behind the Don’t Drink Beer.

• Barleywine
• Editors' Picks
• Don't Drink Beer

New Zealand’s Garage Project may not be a household name in North America, but between their work with local hop growers, Phantasm powder, and crowd-pleasing fest pours, they’ve built a reputation among peers for creativity and honest experimentation.

• Podcast