I had a roommate who loved car bombs.  Let’s call him “Patty”. It started as something he would do at bars, but quickly became a habit he brought home.  Nearly every night of the week for months, Patty was shooting them off in our apartment. He’d pour some Bailey’s in a shot glass, top with [...]

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This morning I awoke in Seattle to a foggy morning filled with expectations.  Mount Rainier was on our minds as my brother and I prepared for our camping excursion to get lost in her charms. After a requisite trip to the REI castle here, we hit up Bottleworks, the local craft beer store where we [...]

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“Epic”: very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale); “an epic voyage”; “of heroic proportions” This past Friday night, we embarked on an epic voyage.  Like brave conquistadors in search of the riches of the world, our ragtag faction of BrewYorker’s (a group of NY-based homebrewers, probrewers, beer bloggers and all-around [...]

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Dearest readers, I am stoked to share some exciting news with you.  In addition to my vinous, brewish and libatious duties here at Grapes & Grains, I am pleased to announce that I will be expanding my reach further into the realm of the blogosphere… I have been invited to join the staff of the New [...]

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It’s that time of year again. The time when the die-hard homebrewers sit back with a cold pint, reminisce over their favorite beers and put pen to paper for a legendary vote of epic proportions. Bragging rights will be forever held, children will defend the honor of their brewmaster dads in schoolyards around the world [...]

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We came by boat.  We drank with tiny cups.  We conquered the crowds? Brewfest 2010 has come and gone.  For some, it was an afternoon of craft beer heaven.  For others, it was like being trapped on an island of thirsty, angry savages with the mere mirage of food and beer only on the horizon. [...]

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North Williamsburg.  On a rather desolate block, a mini-Mecca for libation lovers awaits in two-story glory. Be you beer geek, cocktail purist or refined wino, this is your place.  All under one gloriously designed roof and with a level of hospitality that will warm any NY’ers heart. The Counting Room, at 44 Barry Street in Brooklyn, plays [...]

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Well, hip to the hop to the hippity hop.  Looks like I got me a wee bit of press last week. Maggie Hoffman, of Serious Eats, interviewed me about my job and, among other things, my thoughts on beer lists in restaurants.  (Mom will be proud to hear her son raving about craft beer, walking [...]

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There’s some funky shit going on in the US craft beer scene, and one brewery is leading the charge.  Located far from the usual suspects on the West coast, the East Coast and the Colorado beer belt, one must travel to the tiny town of Dexter, Michigan (population of around 3,000), to find Jolly Pumpkin [...]

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On Monday, Lincoln Center was descended upon by the food & beverage community who harbored an insatiable hunger and thirst.     Between the number of kegs cashed, martinis housed, Champagne guzzled and bites of food gobbled up, if one were to convert the ounces of alcohol and butter consumed to kilowatts, you could have lit the [...]

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  The Brewer’s Association is a top-secret society composed of beer ninjas, homebrewing warlocks and malt-driven shapeshifters.  Their nerve center/elite training grounds are rumored to be located in an underground bunker some 20 stories below the idyllic streets of Boulder, Colorado.  For those of us in the beer community, their word is gold.  And, once [...]

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After countless months of planning, dreaming and scheaming, the doors have opened at Terroir | Tribeca.  She’s a stunning belle of the highest caliber.  And she’s gonna take NYC by force.  A force built on passion, irreverence and a commitment to bone-numbingly high standards. The beer list is my baby.  A collection of my international [...]

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I wonder how long it would take me to consume a beer that’s five stories high?  A month?  A year?  A lifetime?  Maybe I’d get halfway through, swear off beer forever and switch to Riesling… In the dead of winter of 2009, Stella Artois embarked on The Ritual Project high above the streets of NYC.  (Now, granted [...]

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Calling all East Coast brew geeks!  It’s coming.  A day of sun-soaked, beer-drizzled, hop-tinged, fun-loving craft beer worship is coming soon.  And the only way to get there?  By boat. That’s right, kids, on Saturday, June 19th, Governor’s Island is going to be overran by beer hounds.  And I don’t mean the Pabst-swilling, Coors Light-guzzling [...]

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Something special happens when people clink a glass or break bread together.  It’s primal. I was reminded of this when I read a post on Simplybeer.com called “Beer People are Good People”.  Peter, the author, made the point that some of the most generous people he’s come across are in the beer world.  And it [...]

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