Beer geeks at their cores are simply that: geeks. We often share many geeky interests like gadgets and gaming. This beer geek's many non-beer interests include things like astrophysics and online gaming. Every once in a while our interests will collide to form what is commonly known a...  more »

This beer review is all about the numbers. 3, 12 and 500 to be exact. 3 is the number of 12's it takes to stamp a bottle of Stone's last Vertical Epic brew: the 12.12.12. 500 is the number of BrewChief reviews I have written to get to this very point. 3/12 is the date this review was...  more »

When products are shrouded in mystery, it can make them even more enticing. This is the story of the Rochefort Brewery (Brasserie de Rochefort), located inside the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy in Belgium. The brewery is not open to the public and only a handful of monks reside on...  more »

''Look for the smiley monk.'' This is often my advice to any craft beer newbie who yearns to explore the wonderful world of Belgian beers. The reason, of course, is that you simply cannot go wrong with a St. Bernardus brew. Every single beer in their delectable arsenal is of world cla...  more »

Sometimes a beer will come along that seems to speak to you personally. It could have a name that conjures a cherished memory. It could utilize a special ingredient that you adore. I recently had one such experience when I came across the Outblack Belgian Strong Ale, a collaboration b...  more »

This review will serve as an open letter to MillerCoors, Anheuser-Busch and all other companies who contaminate the beer market with their vile swill. To all big beer executives: the Blue Moon Winter Abbey is an insult to all beer drinkers. I cannot believe that MillerCoors actuall...  more »

2012 has officially come and gone. Looking back on my many beer-related adventures, one in particular stands out for me. This past summer I was very fortunate to visit the Baltic region of Northern Europe, which included many fantastic experiences: bocks in Berlin, sahti in Helsinki,...  more »

As a passionate fan of better beer, only one question needed to be answered when planning for my New Year's Eve: what delicious beer was going to be in hand when the clock struck midnight? I thought long and hard on the matter and eventually settled on a few requirements. I wanted the...  more »

When novices begin their journeys through the lands of better beer, a common misconception is that this simply involves drinking better beer. While this is true, it is also only one piece of a much bigger puzzle. Great beers, strange beers, punishing beers, untamed beers, mind-bending...  more »

When it comes to big bold Belgian beers, stateside breweries rarely enter the conversation. These beers conjure images of monks, monasteries, snifters and goblets. Belgian Strong Ales are often considered the true beasts of the brewing world. They are rich in flavor, massive in body,...  more »