With all that’s happening with craft beer in the U.S., it’s easy to overlook the influence the movement is having on the world stage. Today, microbreweries can be found in every continent across the globe. Plucky young entrepreneurs are navigating complicated liquor laws to start breweries in their local communities, sometimes partnering with American expats … [ Read more]
The new era of cerveza artesanal in Quito, Ecuador
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
South America’s first brewery was founded in Quito, Ecuador by a Franciscan friar accustomed to drinking beer with his meals. In the 1500s, alcohol in this part of the world came mostly in the form of fermented corn drinks, such as chicha, which can still be found in roadside restaurants and traditional homesteads. For the … [ Read more]
South Pole suds: A glimpse into Antarctica’s unlikely beer culture
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The ice-covered continent of Antarctica is a frozen desert with no indigenous human population. And understandably so: With winds gusting up to 200 miles per hour, temperatures capable of dropping to record lows (the coldest recorded temperature was minus 128.56 degrees Fahrenheit on July 21, 1983), and frequent blizzards, Antarctica is one of the most … [ Read more]
Craft beer wears the crown in Brisbane’s clash of beer cultures
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Two types of beer were historically acceptable in Australia—cold and very cold. Given more than one-third of the world’s sixth largest country by area is effectively desert, it’s unsurprising light and easy lager was most common to quench the nation’s thirst. But Australians, whose reputation for enjoying a few icy beers around a barbecue is … [ Read more]
Catching up on craft beer in Seoul, South Korea
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is one of the biggest and most developed cities in the world with a greater metropolitan population of over 20 million. The home of Gangnam Style, K-pop, Korean cinema, Samsung, and kimchi, South Korea has been making a big splash in international culture. But in many ways it’s a … [ Read more]
Skål from Skåne—Sweden’s southern county of craft beer
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Craft beer proliferation in Skåne Sweden is a country often touted for its gender equality, generous parental leave policies, broadminded immigration, and environmental stewardship. But the country has received considerably less attention for its burgeoning craft beer movement. One region that has experienced robust growth in this area is Skåne. Situated at the southern tip … [ Read more]
Camaraderie and craft beer at Cerveza México
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The midnight black Russian imperial stout with its persistent cappuccino-colored head tasted just like it smelled: Huge chocolate notes backed by coffee, dark fruits, bitter hops, and anise coated my palate. My tongue tingled from the 12 percent ABV advertised on the placard hanging behind the bartender in the small stand on the crowded exposition … [ Read more]
Cape of Good Hops: The state of craft beer in South Africa
February 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Tucked away in the southwest corner of the African continent, Cape Town is known as the Mother City, and it is here that the South African craft beer scene was born just a few short years ago. Rewind a decade and you would have found a sole microbrewery in the beautiful coastal city. Today there … [ Read more]
Denver: The Only City In The West
January 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Colorado helped pave the way for craft beer nationwide. How is Denver beer getting on now that it’s mainstream? Take a window seat on the train ride from Denver International Airport to Union Station. On the half-hour trip from the middle of nowhere, watch the city come into focus through the dust and sun. Watch … [ Read more]
Culture in a glass: Lessons learned drinking through South Asia
September 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Picture this: It’s 7,000 B.C. in the Henan province of northern China, and someone has just mixed up a concoction of hawthorn berries, honey, and rice into a bowl. After leaving it out for a few weeks, whether on purpose or by accident, the liquid spontaneously ferments into something sweet, pungent, and that, when imbibed, … [ Read more]
The Wide World of Beer with Stephen Beaumont: Scintillating Santiago
March 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Twenty years ago, Latin America wouldn’t have appeared on even the most optimistic beer traveler’s destination list. In fact, to head south from Boston or Chicago or Portland, Oregon, in the 1990s was to embark upon a slow journey toward beer mediocrity, beginning with the less exciting of the “fly over” states, followed by the … [ Read more]
5 great under-the-radar beer cities
January 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Every craft beer drinker has a list of the quintessential beer towns to visit in their lifetime. While the cities widely regarded as beer meccas in the United States remain affixed to the top of those lists, the explosive growth of American craft beer in the past two years has propelled many other cities into the … [ Read more]
The Wide World of Beer with Stephen Beaumont: So you want to go on a beer trip?
January 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The Wide World of Beer with Stephen Beaumont: Exploring Belgium’s Second City, Antwerp
December 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment
On my first trip to Belgium, I spent most of my time in Brussels. This is hardly surprising, since it is: a) the capital and by a fair degree the country’s largest city; b) an easy place to navigate in English, even back in the 1990s; and c) accessible by train directly from the airport. … [ Read more]
The Wide World of Beer with Stephen Beaumont: Amazing Asheville
December 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment
When you think of American craft beer capitals—because, really, no one should buy into the notion that there can be just one—the obvious cities might include Seattle or Portland, Boston or Chicago, maybe even the self-proclaimed “America’s Best Beer-Drinking City” of Philadelphia. One that won’t come immediately to mind is the modest urban hub of … [ Read more]
