Jeff Alworth
The Great American IPA ConvergenceBy Jeff AlworthThe American taste in IPA is surprisingly uniform for such a big country with so many disparate regions and climates. Meanwhile, the hazy and the West Coast styles appear to be reuniting on familiar ground.
The Everyday Pintje: Searching for Belgian PilsBy Jeff AlworthOvershadowed by the global fame of Belgian ale and lambic, pils is nevertheless the country’s most popular kind of beer—light, inexpensive, and available at every corner café. It’s also uniquely Belgian, with many independent breweries making distinctive versions worth seeking.
Lost, Stock & Barrel: The Forgotten Funk of Old AlesBy Jeff AlworthIt was once indispensable to their refined character, but Brettanomyces is rarely involved with oak-aged barleywines these days—and that’s not all they’ve lost since the 1800s.
Style School: Examining the Czech Pale Lager TraditionBy Jeff AlworthThe world’s most influential beer style is also one of the most misunderstood outside its birth country. “Pilsner” took over the world, but the Czech source material is strikingly different and far more alluring.
Style School: Bière de Garde Keeps It RealBy Jeff AlworthOvershadowed by Belgian saison and French wine, the “keeping beers” of northernmost France are a product of local ingredients, unique history, and a taste for polite, approachable beers.
Kaimiškas: Get Raw & Rustic with Lithuania’s Unique Farmhouse BeersBy Jeff AlworthWhether “raw” and unboiled, bittered with hop tea, or made from a mash baked into crusty loaves, Lithuanian farmhouse ales represent a distinct tradition of comforting beers that can’t be found anywhere else.
Kölsch: Öh, You’ll Have AnotherBy Jeff AlworthFar from ordinary, the unassuming Kölsch is a unique beer with its own history and an identity firmly rooted in its city and rituals. Jeff Alworth has the story, with a fresh glass and a tick for your deckel.
Style School: Berliner Weisse Is LegionBy Jeff AlworthThe traditional white beer from Berlin has had many guises over the centuries, from simpler Lacto sours to fruit-packed smoothies, via enigmatic, mixed-fermentation constructions more closely aligned with its history.
Style School: The Hallowed Comforts of DoppelbockBy Jeff AlworthMonkish hospitality and devotion gave way to modern commercialism over a few centuries, but this Bavarian product that evolved along the way still has the power to nourish and amaze.
Belgian Tripel: The Golden Glow of ModernityBy Jeff AlworthA 20th-century invention made famous by monks, this strong but elegant ale of hospitality is built from the simplest of ingredients—yet it’s among the most challenging to brew well. Jeff Alworth explains its origins and context.
Recipe: American Throwback Cream AleBy Jeff AlworthInspired by tantalizing descriptions of cream ale from the early 20th century, this recipe combines ideas from both the pre- and post-Prohibition eras—including corn in the grist, dry hopping, and above-average strength.
The Smooth-Drinking Gimmickry of Cream AleBy Jeff AlworthIn this edition of Style School, Jeff Alworth explains how an American heirloom style began as a marketing creation of the Industrial Age—and where today’s more playful breweries have run with it.