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On the morning of September 11, I was sitting in a motel room in Connecticut, coffee in hand, maps spread out on the table, planning a day on the road.
I watched in disbelief as the World Trade Center, which I'd seen from my window as a kid growing up in New Jersey, collapsed in a cloud of dust. Stunned, I packed my bags, stuffed them in the trunk, and went straight home. With America's travel plans put on hold, I wandered through the journals I'd kept over the years. One of them contained the notes from my first full-fledged beer tour, a trip through Northern California in October 1993. Let's take a look together: Winchester Brewing, San Jose...Picked up a copy of Celebrator, available at the door. Today, Celebrator Beer News needs no introduction. In 1993, it was the indispensable tool for planning a western beer tour. Trouble was, it could only be found in a relative handful of establishments, none of which were within a thousand miles of my home. Celebrator Beer News has since inspired similar publications across America. Wherever you travel, you'll find regional "brewspapers," free of charge, in bars and liquor stores. In addition to brewspapers, there are dozens of websites to help you find interesting beers and new surroundings in which to try them. They'll lead you to pubs and breweries, festivals, commentary from the world's best writers...everything to let you know "what's brewing." (Name withheld)...All their beers were brewed from extract...The brewer's son sat at an empty bar, pasting labels on bottles. It was sad to see a family struggle to keep a dream alive, sadder still to realize their business wasn't going to make it. Extract pubs? It's hard to believe were any. They've fallen by the wayside; in brewing, the bar--pardon the pun--has been raised. Brewpubs can no longer get by on novelty alone; it takes well-made--and interesting--beer to keep people coming back. San Andreas Brewing, Hollister...The six-tap lineup included apricot ale. Marin Brewing, Larkspur...Both raspberry and blueberry ale were on the beer menu. There was a time when a brewpub's beer selection was predictable: a pale ale or amber, a stout or porter, perhaps a lager. A few intrepid brewers experimented with fruit beers, and a lucky few managed to get it right. The first wheat beers I'd tasted were hit-or-miss, but they got more consistent as time went on. These days, it's not unusual to find the brewmaster trying his–and, increasingly, her--hand at trickier styles: Belgian dubbels, German altbiers and Kölsches, winter warmers of all kinds. The result: better beer, and a wider variety of styles, at brewpubs and craft breweries alike. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article American Beer: We've Come a Long Way in International Beers is owned by . Permission to republish American Beer: We've Come a Long Way in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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