Joe Stange

Joe Stange


San Francisco’s Toronado Endures as a Monument to Characterful Beer

From our Love Handles files on the world’s best places to drink great beer: Steadily approaching four decades in operation, this influential bar continues to combine unpretentious atmosphere with a powerhouse selection of independently brewed beers.

Special Ingredient: Kimchi

It can be a polarizing dish for those who didn’t grow up with it, but there are some affinities between certain styles of beer and this fermented Korean favorite. Can you brew with it? Of course you can.

Editors’ Picks: Fresh Ingredients

Looking for something fresh to give your beers an edge? Check out these new yeasts, hops, and flavor extracts.

Hanoi’s Standing Bar Has Lake Views, Tasty Snacks, and Lots of Local Craft Beer

From our Love Handles files on the world’s great beer bars: In the characterful Trúc Bạch neighborhood of Vietnam’s capital, Standing Bar is an ideal spot to relax and get a taste of the country’s independent brewing scene.

Special Ingredient: Tomato

Taking the idea of a bloody beer to new heights, some Eastern European brewers have embraced a gose-based style thickened with tomato, chiles, garlic, smoke, and more. (Just add hangover.)

Pair Holiday Cookies with Beer. Try Not to Hurt Yourself.

Festivities are winding down, but there’s a surplus of cookies winking at the motley collection of beers in your fridge. Our best advice: Look for comparable intensities of flavor (difficult), and don’t overdo it (impossible). Specific recommendations follow.

Recipe: 19th Century Danish Old Beer

Based on authentic gammeltøl recipes from the 1800s, here’s a recipe for the strong, smoky Danish farmhouse ale—including some suggestions for traditional twists worth trying.

Critic’s List: Joe Stange’s Best in 2023

Our managing editor—with his finger on the craft beer pulse from his outpost in Bangkok—selects top-of-mind picks and thoughts fresh off the past year in beer.

Podcast Episode 329: Best in Beer 2023 with Jamie Bogner and Joe Stange

In this special once-per-year episode honoring the pinnacles of the craft, our editors reveal their Best 20 Beers in 2023 and the results of the annual Craft Beer in Brewing Readers’ Choice poll.

The Best 20 Beers in 2023

From more than 1,000 beers winnowed down via blind judging throughout the year—and then winnowed further by more blind tasting with our top writers and editors—here are 20 beers that represent the very finest in brewing today.