Brew

From ZwanzigZ Pizza & Brewing in Columbus, Indiana, the Fulcrum imperial stout twice won gold medals at the World Beer Cup, in 2022 and 2025. Here, brewmaster Mike Rybinski shares the beer’s inspirations and what makes it stand out from the modern crowd. As told to Ryan Pachmayer.

Cold showers are trendy, and cold plunges are so hot right now—but craft breweries were taking advantage of cold water before it was, well, cool. Here’s a closer look at one of the most undersung pieces of brewhouse equipment—the CLT—as well as other ways to knock out and chill.

Meant to represent the kind of pale lagers that were brewed by the likes of John Wagner, who brewed the first lager in the United States, this is kind of like German or Czech Pilsner but includes some local variability and flair.

In England’s East Midlands, the brewing trailblazer Thornbridge has rescued and is continuing to use a vital piece of British brewing heritage—an original Burton Union system. More than just a museum piece, the technology lends a suppleness to the ales that course through it.

In the never-ending quest for quality, brewers turn to specialized instruments to build a better understanding of their raw materials, their processes, and their beer.

Before investing in equipment, ask these four critical questions to ensure your brewery is set up for long-term growth, flexibility, and success.

In Scotland, Dan Wye of Fyne Ales is creating mixed-culture beers designed to mimic the flavor and texture of wine. By using foraged fruit, flowers, and herbs in his blends, he’s attempting to define a new style.

From beer-barreled whiskey to brewery hikes and your new favorite player in the transfer portal, here are a few things we’re stoked on, now.

Every brewer should have a house beer they use to get better—the one you could brew in your sleep to fine-tune your process, get to know your ingredients intimately, and dial in flavor and quality. For Annie Johnson, that beer is her throwback American amber ale.

It doesn’t take a bespoke lager brewery to bring the subtle complexities of decoction to craft lager—but it does take some ingenuity.

Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub founder and brewer Jamie Robinson shares tips on how to brew the kind of eisbock that can win a gold medal—as Northbound Eisbock has done two years in a row at the Great American Beer Festival.

You voted, we tallied. Here are your favorite breweries, broken down into four categories by volume brewed.

The diversity of styles is one thing that makes craft beer great. Here are your favorite brewers in eight different craft-beer niches. The 2024 rank is noted in parentheses.

Infusing beer with fruit and other flavors between the tap and the glass isn’t just a relic of a time when craft beer was less mainstream—and, often, more fun. It’s also something you can do at home, today. Ready to get acquainted?

From the angel’s share to dilution, River North founder Matt Hess lays out some key considerations to keep in mind when you’re planning to age your beers in spirits barrels.

Here’s how homebrewers can punch up their pale ales with the bright flavors of New Zealand hops. Plus: a method for getting a whirlpool-like flavor burst without having to whirl anything.

From dextrose to brewer’s crystals, River North founder Matt Hess covers some of the key things to consider when choosing and adding sugars to boost the gravities of very strong beers.

From recipe design and ingredient choices to barrel-aging, blending, and packaging, River North founder Matt Hess and head brewer Matt Malloy share the methods and philosophy behind their unusually robust and flavorful award-winning beers.

Looking to brew a beer with haze that’s ready to commit to the long-term? We asked Zach Coleman, head brewer and co-owner at TRVE in Denver and Asheville, for some clarity on haze stability, and he turned to fellow pros for their best advice.

A great helles is simple in composition—but simple can be surprisingly hard to get right, especially when there’s nowhere for mistakes to hide. It's a worthy challenge, and the payoff is a beer that pretty much everyone is happy to drink.