Joe Stange

Joe Stange


Pick Six: Bitter(ness) Memories, with Cantillon's Jean Van Roy

From the legendary Cantillon lambic brewery in Brussels, fourth-generation brewer Jean Van Roy chooses a six-pack of beers that have influenced him over the years. They feature the bitter, the dry, and a lifelong appreciation for good old-fashioned pils.

Recipe: All Together IPA

Conceived by the brewers at Other Half in Brooklyn, New York, this is a homebrew-size version of their open-source recipe meant to raise funds for out-of-work hospitality professionals. So, brew this beer… then support the cause.

Breakout Brewer: Rockwell

Supremely laid-back and confidently different, the brewers at Rockwell Beer Co. in St. Louis have quickly built a strong following.

Editors' Notebook: Beer Love in the Time of Coronavirus

In a time of fear and uncertainty, here are ideas for some much-needed distractions.

Editor’s Notebook: Brewing with Sourdough Culture at Scratch

Scratch—the rural Illinois brewery just nominated for a James Beard Award—is known for a seasonal range of beers made from foraged ingredients. Less well known is what they use to ferment most of those beers: the same stuff they use to raise their breads.

Breakout Brewer: Dovetail

Deploying coolships, open fermentors, turbid mashes, and decoctions, and specializing in lagers and spontaneous fermentation, the brewers at Dovetail in Chicago are among the new guard for the old ways.

Porter, the Polish Way

Baltic porter survived the 20th century in Poland, and it stayed strong. Now a new generation of Polish brewers is pushing the envelope.

Editors’ Picks: Two Recent Beer Books

Every year brings a spate of new beer books, often released ahead of the holiday shopping season. From Issue 36 (Dec 2019–Jan 2020), here are a couple of recommendations.

Special Ingredient: Sweet Potato

Had enough pumpkin beer? Embrace an American tuber so mighty that it doesn’t care whether you make it a side dish or a dessert. Or a beer. With whiskey.

Critic's List: Joe Stange's Best in 2019

Apologies in advance for some European bias. These picks span a year of travel and a trans-Atlantic move back to the States, where I now gawk like a yokel at the weird and wonderful American beer scene.