Commentist Beer Barrel: Cocktail Hour

makeitsnowondem - August 1, 2016August 1, 2016

If there's any one trend in beer that I've been especially hesitant to adopt, it's the beer cocktail. When I want a beer, I just want a beer, not two or more beers mixed together. I want to drink the thing that a brewery carefully crafted, put its heart ans soul

Commentist Beer Barrel: Coffeebeernerdness Reloaded

makeitsnowondem - July 24, 2016July 24, 2016

155

It's another hot one. We're slated for a high of 102 here in Austin, and as longtime readers of the Beer Barrel will know, when the weather gets hot, I switch to lighter, crisper beers. Sorry, that's wrong. That's the exact opposite of what happens. You'll have to excuse me. I've

Commentist Beer Barrel and Open Thread: Singled Out

makeitsnowondem - July 17, 2016

175

Two of my favorite beers of all time are Lone Pint Yellow Rose, and Independence Gold Deluxe, and they have one thing in common: They were each brewed with just one hop variety, and one malt variety, part of a trend known as Single Malt and Single Hop (or SMaSH)

Commentist Beer Barrel: Who’s For Curry?

makeitsnowondem - July 9, 2016

So, let's just get this out of the way: I promised you all a bonus Beer Barrel on the Fourth, and I didn't deliver. I had something already picked out, had started writing the post, and then I found out I had a job interview to prepare for and promptly

Commentist Beer Barrel: The Gods Must Be Nuts

makeitsnowondem - July 2, 2016July 2, 2016

I wasn't expecting to come back to brown ales so soon. When I took over the Beer Barrel, my first review was of Abita Turbodog, my favorite brown ale and one of the few beers in that style that I don't think are completely boring. I'm sorry! I'm sure there are a

Commentist Beer Barrel: Nice Melons

Commentist Beer Barrel

makeitsnowondem - June 12, 2016June 12, 2016

Well, guys, I made it. Thirty-one days without a drop of alcohol is a terrible, stupid thing that no one should do without a legitimate medical reason, in my opinion, and I'm already working hard to put it behind me. I'm beyond thrilled with the work of the writers and drinkers

Commentist Beer Barrel: In Space!

Low Commander of the Super Soldiers - May 14, 2016May 13, 2016

Good morning, evening or next Tuesday, fellow Commentists! Low Commander is here to man the Beer Barrel this week, as make it snow embarks on his yearly tradition of being a big quitter and thinking that he's better than you. Never fear, for there are a whole host of guests

Commentist Beer Barrel: Here It Gose Again

makeitsnowondem - May 8, 2016

Pray for me, Commentists. Tomorrow, I'll begin an entire month without alcohol, a wholly voluntary and possibly stupid exercise in self-denial that's become a yearly tradition for me. It can be a bit of a pain in the ass at times, but it's hard to argue with the results: I lose a ton

Commentist Beer Barrel and Open Thread: Substitute Student

makeitsnowondem - April 26, 2016April 26, 2016

242

make it snow is off this week. This Beer Barrel is brought to you by Moose - The End Is Well Nigh! This is the story of a break for make it snow, and of one’s quest for enlightenment. So that is not really it; it is one weirdo’s evening at

Commentist Beer Barrel: Turkey Day, Continued

Commentist Beer Barrel

makeitsnowondem - April 17, 2016

110

This week's Beer Barrel is a sort of mystery. The facts are simple enough: At the store on Friday, I stumbled on a bottle of beer that had been marked down from its usual price of $10.50 to a mere $5.99. I immediately had to know why, because this was

Commentist Beer Barrel: Breakfast of Champions

Commentist Beer Barrel

makeitsnowondem - April 9, 2016April 9, 2016

214

You can probably use your fingers to count the genuinely distinctive beer styles invented here in the United States, even if you're Jim Abbott. American brewers have shown a terrific facility for re-invention, for better (American IPAs!) and worse (the "great pilsner taste" of Miller Lite!). New ideas are fewer and farther

Commentist Beer Barrel: It’s a Beer!

Commentist Beer Barrel

makeitsnowondem - April 3, 2016April 4, 2016

157

As I'm sure you're all tired of hearing, I have drunk many, many different beers—roughly 2,300 by my best current reckoning. It has been, and continues to be, a really awesome, life-enriching hobby, with the incredibly minor drawback that finding something truly new and different seems to be increasingly difficult