Joe Stange

Here are two titles worth adding to your shelves—and well worth clearing some you-time to put up your feet, crack a beer, and crack a book.

For De Ranke, looking back was looking forward. When the Belgian beer industry was minimizing bitterness, De Ranke embraced it instead, carving out a hop-forward niche that’s been influencing fellow brewers for nearly three decades.

In France near the Belgian border, family-run Brasserie Au Baron fuses the character of local ingredients, a distinctive house yeast, and the traditions of both saison and bière de garde.

Here’s the idea: Take advantage of a lactic acid–producing yeast and aseptic fruit puree to make the brewing of a tart, tasty fruit beer as simple as possible.

Long dismissed as gimmicky and relegated to a bit part, fruit beer has never gotten the respect it deserves. Yet the craft of brewing with fruit is poised to enter a golden age, with a bag full of tricks and seeds planted to grow much wider appeal.

From our Love Handles files on beer bars we love: This is one of Belgium’s longest-running beer cafés, with a deep selection and plenty of bric-a-brac to admire over an ale and a snack.

This wife-and-husband brewing team in Wallonia blend their Belgian and Brazilian roots with a deep love of tradition and a spark of contemporary creativity.

This recipe is inspired by one of our favorite pale lagers in Czechia: The Benedict Světlý Ležák 12° from Prague’s Břevnov Monastery Brewery.

The philosopher-brewer expounds on not conforming to preconceptions of style, staying small to protect their creative vision, and using a full range of herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables to find that signature Antidoot aroma and flavor.

Inspired by Holstein: Chocolate Marzipan from BKS Artisan Ales in Kansas City, Missouri, here’s a recipe that uses marzipan (or almond paste) and cacao nibs for a decadent yet smooth and drinkable milk stout.