Joe Stange

Lacie Bray and Andy Coates, cofounders of Ozark Beer in northwest Arkansas, explain the stressful process and habitual leap of faith behind their cult-favorite beer, BDCS.

• Barrel-Aging
• Imperial Stout
• Arkansas

Inspired by Saison Cazeau, here is a recipe for a light, dry, farmhouse-style ale that gets a sweet-smelling lift from fresh fleurs de sureau.

• Beer Recipe
• Saison

Floral, fruity, and unique, fresh elderflowers smell like the finest hops you’ve never smelled—because those hops don’t exist yet.

• Elderflower
• Saison

Here are two books we can recommend to any brewer or beer enthusiast.

• Beer Books

In rural Flemish Brabant, Antidoot Wilde Fermenten’s house mixed culture includes various wild yeasts they have captured over the years. Here, Tom Jacobs offers tips for success in wrangling your own local strains.

• Brewer's Perspective
• Wild yeast
• Yeast Wrangling

Whether it’s pinpoint pilsners, lush, juicy IPAs, or big, balanced stouts, the upstarts at family-run Alma Mader in Kansas City have something that just about any kind of drinker can love.

• Breakout Brewer
• Kansas City

As a niche style, bière de garde doesn’t always medal at the Great American Beer Festival—but Munkle’s 5 Branches took home gold in 2018, then Echo’s Junebug did it again in 2019. Here, the head brewers from both breweries sketch out the blueprints.

• Bière de Garde
• Farmhouse Ale
• French-Belgian Ale

Here, two brewmasters who know their way around a dark grist—T.L. Adkisson of Foothills in North Carolina, and John Mallett of Bell’s in Michigan—share advice on balancing juicy fruit with a rich, roasty profile.

• Fruit Stout
• Fruit Beer
• Berries

Nutrients designed for for hard seltzer fermentation and a non-diastatic saison strain, for better brewing through chemistry.

• Editor's Picks

From our Love Handles department for beer bars we love: This warm, eccentric pub in Poland is ideal for settling in and getting to know the work of independent Polish brewers.

• Love Handles
• Poland
• Poznan

After a long year, as opportunities to travel begin to blink back into existence, our managing editor shares his most memorable beers and experiences.

• Critic's List

Writers and critics Stan Hieronymus, Kate Bernot, Alex Kidd, Samer Khudairi, and Joe Stange share their favorite beers and noted trends from the past year.

• Podcast
• Best in Beer 2021