On May 24th, 1976, a blind tasting wine competition was held in Paris featuring a collection of US and French wines collated by British wine merchant, Steven Spurrier. The contest, dubbed The Judgement of Paris, sent shockwaves through the industry as California wines rated best in each category. It might not seem a shocking conclusion today, but in 1976
What is Yeast? Since ancient times, people have cultivated yeast for both fermentation and baking. At its base, yeast is a single-celled miracle organism that turns sweet wort into delicious beer and adds wonderful complexities to your favorite sudsy beverage. It works by taking in sugars and converting them into carbonation (in the form of
The idea that wine should take center stage as the natural partner to food is one of those preconceived notions that really winds me up. It never ceases to amaze me how celebrity chefs and restaurants can go on preaching about high-quality cuisine – opening up venues, paying close attention to their wine list, and then serving
Innis & Gunn is a well-known brew among most enthusiasts. It’s known for being smooth and having sweet flavor. Today we’ll be doing a review on this beer, but first, let’s take a look at how this brewery and its methods came to be… The Discovery In the early 2000’s Dougal Sharp, a master brewer,
Samuel Smith’s brewery is, without a doubt, a well-known brewery with a rich history as many of the old breweries have. However, aside from that, Samuel Smith’s has had an immense impact on the town of Tadcaster throughout the years. It seems as though there is a Victorian era mentality ruling the people of
26 Pubs close every week in the UK; at least according to the last statement from CAMARA in 2013. This figure paints a gloomy future for the Great British pub and leaves one to question whether or not we’ve somehow fallen out of love with an iconic part of British life. The good news is,
We started this blog to celebrate a carft-brewing renaissance in North American & the UK. However, I feel it might also be useful to cover some of the basics, which are often the subject of much ambiguity and debate. One of the most common areas for confusion is beer styles and their terminology. To the majority of
IPA’s or India Pale Ales have been the focus of much press in recent years; mainly due to the revolutionary craft brewing scene in the US. The origins of this iconic beer style lay at the heart of the British Empire, and it was first brewed between 1780s and 1823 in London. India Pale Ale was the
