Sign me up for this Father’s Day beer box, please!

Sign me up for this Father’s Day beer box, please!

Posted inCraft Beer
I've followed the craft beer world for a lot of years, as a former beer columnist for the Philadelphia Weekly, a writer for HomeBrew Talk, and just plain as an enthusiast for varied taste experiences. Over the years, I've encountered many beer gift boxes and/or monthly beer clubs. You know the ones I'm talking about. Seemingly random mix packs at your local beer shop, or Beer of the Month clubs that send you an array of beers in the mail each month. To be frank, most of the time these mix packs are kind of awful. The beers are often…

There’s a Reason So Many Beers Are Named After Myths, Gods and Monsters

Posted inCraft Beer, Works by Eric
Originally published in the Philadelphia Weekly, May. 30, 2012, but long since taken offline (though available on the Internet Archive). So here it is in full. Drinking beer: It’s an act that transcends mere enjoyment, isn’t it? Throughout history, we’ve had an almost spiritual connection with our beer, one that leans toward the most fierce, primal part of who we are as human beings. Whereas wine is seen as civilized, refined, and at times erotic, beer conjures up something quite different—something wild, something untamed. In ancient days, triumphant warriors returned home from a day of plunder to down their ale…
J.R.R. Tolkien, Hobbits, and BEER

J.R.R. Tolkien, Hobbits, and BEER

Posted inBooks & Authors, Craft Beer, Geek Stuff
Originally published on Celebrating the Suds, September 23, 2011 So, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Yeah yeah yeah, I know what you're thinking. "This is a beer blog. Why the hell are you posting about the dude who wrote about elves and hobbits and all that?" I'm doing it because Tolkien and beer go together like me and Kate Beckinsale. (Just go with me on this, please.) Tolkien loved his beer, something reflected in his fiction by way of the Hobbits' passion for a pint and the way in which a good pub…
SUNDAY SIPS: 5 Luscious Lagers from Pennsylvania

SUNDAY SIPS: 5 Luscious Lagers from Pennsylvania

Posted inCraft Beer
After a brief break -- there was just too much other stuff going on that I had to do -- Sunday Sips returns, slightly behind schedule but still focused on good brews you should try. This week, it's lagers, an underrated style in the craft world. Specifically, lagers from the sort of okay state of Pennsylvania. Cheers! Neshaminy Creek Churchville Lager In a craft beer world obsessed with barrel aging and being hoppier than thou, the lowly lager doesn’t get much love. That’s too bad, because few classes of beer are as well suited to anytime, anywhere drinking. Other styles can be…
In which I chat with the folks at Saint Benjamin Brewing Company

In which I chat with the folks at Saint Benjamin Brewing Company

Posted inCraft Beer, Works by Eric
A year or two back, I went on a tour of several Philadelphia breweries for the Philly Weekly. Almost certain I devoted one of my weekly columns to it, but the paper has shuffled around their website and most of my stuff is no longer online. Oh well. Anyway, among those breweries was Saint Benjamin, then a fresh new startup doing slight twists on traditional beers. They had solid brews, were in a cool part of town, and most important of all, they seemed like good people. Ever since, I've been sure to put in a good word for them…