Joe Stange

Joe Stange


Editor’s Picks: New from the Labs…

Nutrients designed for for hard seltzer fermentation and a non-diastatic saison strain, for better brewing through chemistry.

Piwna Stopa in Poznan Has Your Smoked Sausages and Baltic Porters

From our Love Handles department for beer bars we love: This warm, eccentric pub in Poland is ideal for settling in and getting to know the work of independent Polish brewers.

Critic's List: Joe Stange’s Best in 2021

After a long year, as opportunities to travel begin to blink back into existence, our managing editor shares his most memorable beers and experiences.

Podcast Episode 214: Our Craft Beer & Brewing Writers Share Their Personal Bests of 2021

Writers and critics Stan Hieronymus, Kate Bernot, Alex Kidd, Samer Khudairi, and Joe Stange share their favorite beers and noted trends from the past year.

Podcast Episode 213: The Best in Beer 2021

You have spoken! And so have we. In this once-a-year special episode, Joe Stange and Jamie Bogner share Craft Beer & Brewing’s Best 20 Beers in 2021 and the results of the annual reader survey.

The Best 20 Beers in 2021

Amid the ups and downs and gradual, stutter-step return to social life, we experienced some transcendent beers—beers that shone, beers that enlightened, beers that made us stop and remember what it’s all about. Here are the pinnacles of the craft.

Recipe: Lithuanian-Style Farmhouse Ale

This recipe is inspired by Lithuania’s unique farmhouse ales—including those of Aldona Udriené’s Jovaru Alus, of Julius Simonaitis, and others. This is a great starting point for experimenting with raw ale, hop tea, or baking the mash for keptinis.

Rome’s Be.Re. Is Like the Pope of Kellerbier and Pizza Pockets

This no-frills pub/café near the Vatican features Italian craft, Franconian lager, and unique street food.

Special Ingredient: Bog Myrtle

Also known as Myrica gale, this mud-loving shrub was once a key ingredient in the unhopped ales of medieval Europe—and it has a unique character worth considering for your beers.

Pick Six: Averie Swanson Is Keeping It Together with Beers that Evoke Memories

The founder and brewer of Chicago’s Keeping Together selects an experience-driven six-pack that transports her back to cherished moments in time.