Thank Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company for Your Delicious Canned Beers

Cans of beer from the Beer Can Museum

If you go look in your fridge right now, what are you going to find? If you’re a craft beer lover like me, you’re going to see lots of cans of beer. These days, it seems that almost every craft brewery is distributing in beautifully designed cans, and we have two companies to thank for that. No, Oskar Blues, who many credit as the first craft beer ever sold to the masses in cans, is not one of them. I’m talking about the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company and the American Can Company, who came together on this day, January 24, in 1935 to sell the world’s first canned beers. Continue reading “Thank Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company for Your Delicious Canned Beers”

Collective Arts Brewing’s State of Mind: What Is a Session IPA?

images of beer–Collective Arts Brewing: State of Mind Session IPA

Have you heard the term “session IPA,” or “session beer” thrown around your local craft beer watering hole? Are you unsure of what it means, but too scared to ask, lest you be revealed as a beer novice? Don’t worry, I’m here to answer that question for you, and I’ll even recommend a delicious one with which to wet your whistle after you read.

If I’ve learned anything from my day job, it’s that, before the last 40 years or so, people were extremely dumb. From letting kids to play with plastic bags on their heads to smoking on airplanes to using led paint on baby toys, we used to do some stupid shit. The origin of the session beer is no different, it just takes place even earlier, when people were that much more idiotic. Continue reading “Collective Arts Brewing’s State of Mind: What Is a Session IPA?”

The Hoppy History of the India Pale Ale

Image of beers–Lawson's Finest Liquids' Sip of Sunshine IPA

When my journey into the world of craft beers began, I didn’t really know too much about the intricacies of the beer industry. Yes, I knew I liked beer, and that I preferred “good” beer, as opposed to the swill my dad’s generation somehow pushes down its gullet (and I pushed down my gullet in college), but I didn’t really know how to differentiate between beers.

As I expanded my palate, and learned about new styles of brew, I came to find a real appreciation for one kind of beer in particular: the India Pale Ale, or IPA.

So what’s an IPA, and how is it made? Continue reading “The Hoppy History of the India Pale Ale”