Jeff Alworth
The Reinvention of the American Amber AleBy Jeff AlworthA ruddy ’90s pint is reappearing with modernized flavors—and it has a lot to say about the evolution of American craft brewing.
Fruit Without Fear: Embracing Natural InoculationBy Jeff AlworthBorrowing a page from winemakers, some brewers are pitching freshly picked fruit instead of slurry, taking advantage of the natural yeast and bacteria on their skins—a process that requires a leap of faith and the best, ripest fruit you can find.
From Pub to Pastry: The Surprising Evolution of Porter and StoutBy Jeff AlworthAdjuncts and oak are nothing new to the world’s darkest beers, whose twists and turns over the past three centuries tell a story of constant—and ongoing—reinvention.
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.