Articles and Summaries (From Newest to Oldest)
The Impacts of Freezing, Heat and Light on Beer: We subject light beer to a battery of tests including freezing, heating and exposing beer to light to determine how if at all the beer is affected.
The Beer Drinker Zodiac: Find out what beer drinking style best defines you, and who is most (and least) compatible with your style.
Results on Legislation Aiming to Legalize Shipping Booze via USPS, the “Road Beer”, and 64 oz Growlers: We take a quick look at some results of beer-related legislation.
The Six New Beer Styles of 2018: Although already well-established in their respective places of origin, we take a look at the six “new” beer styles on the verge of becoming canonized into the official BJCP Beer Style Guidelines, the defacto world authority on beer styles.
Analysis of the Hangover Cures from Three Sheets: We collected, contemplated and created a list of every hangover cure from the greatest drinking show in the world, Three Sheets, researching the cultural accuracy of the hangover cures and their reported effectiveness all onto one convenient page.
The Brewer Who Quit Drinking Beer: The sugar-free truth from a brewer about what quitting drinking for a month is like.
Every Hangover Cure from Three Sheets: Three Sheets is arguably the greatest drinking show in the world where not only does the endearingly witty host Zane Lamprey travel around the globe imbibing in glut of oft exotic libations, but also tests out the local hangover cure. We binged all 52 episodes to bring you a quick summary of the booze consumed, the hangover cure and the effectiveness of the cure!
The Top Beers and Breweries of 2018: We collected, analyzed and compiled heaps of beer review data from the three biggest beer review sites (BeerAdvocate, RateBeer and Untappd) to present the top rated beers and breweries of 2018. And then in self-destructive fashion, proceed to launch a critical attack on the value of all beer reviews including our own!
Data Chug: Analysis of BeerAdvocate’s Top 250 Beers: What is the highest rated beer in the world? What are the most popular beer styles? Which countries and breweries have the most beers in the top 250? We answered all those questions and more!
Brewing with Old Yeast vs. New Yeast – Pt. 1: What happens if you attempt to make a beer with yeast that’s more than 5 years past its expiration date? Would it even ferment? We found out!
A Guide to the Jamaican Beer Scene: Discover the beers of Jamaica, the special ingredient in Red Stripe, and why a big dark brew like Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is popular in the hot and humid Caribbean climate!
Warmed Beer– Not Just A German Thing: Check out a bit of the history behind drinking warm beer for health, discover a few traditional warm beer recipes, and learn how to order a warmed beer in Germany!
Warmed Beer: The Science Behind an Old German Remedy for the Common Cold: According to modern science, there may just be some truth to the old German folk remedy of fighting the common cold with a warmed beer.
Beer Floaties, Floaters and Snowflakes, Oh My!: Learn what beer floaties in beer are and what they mean.
The Philosophy of Ordering Beer: Find out which kind of philosophy best speaks to you in this short piece that plays on deceptively simple sounding concepts.
Beer Syndicate Reviews Decade-Old African Beer Forgotten in a Hot Garage: The gang puts their lives on the line for science to describe what 12-year-old beer forgotten in a hot garage tastes like.
Sierra Nevada 2017 Beer Camp Across the World Review: Sierra Nevada goes global and teams up with some of the biggest international breweries on the planet in this year’s Beer Camp Across the World. We review and rank ’em with no apology.
Brewing with Recycled Wasterwater: Beer History Made in Arizona: Ever wonder what beer brewed with treated sewage water tastes like? Pull up a chair and check out how beer history was made in the Grand Canyon State.
Why Bars & Pubs are Vital to Your Community: Find out why tap rooms and pubs are what’s known as the “Third Space” in this brief but informative post.
Canadian Bomb Shelter Beers for the Imminent Apocalypse: With the threat of all out nuclear war looming, Beer Syndicate crews up to review which kinds of beer might hold up best for life in a bunker.
Top 15 Tips for Craft Brewery and Craft Beer Bar Success: We wikileak the top business secrets hacked from the most successful breweries and tap rooms in the U.S.
A Craft Beer from Mexico: With well over 200 microbreweries in Mexico as of 2017, “craft beer” south of the border is officially a thing. We review one fine example. ¡Salud!
A Craft Beer From Israel: Travel to the sea of Galilee as we sample an intriguing Israeli-made Pale ale and talk kibbutz life. L’chaim!
A Craft Beer From Iceland: Strap on your viking warrior helmet as we review an Icelandic Toasted Porter brewed with what the brewery claims is the purest water on Earth, and learn about the alleged gory origin of the viking toast. Skál!
Sam Adams: The Waking Giant: Signs of change are brewing at Sam Adams that could spell trouble for craft beer.
The Difference between a Belgian Quad and a Belgian Dark Strong Ale: Is there really a difference between a Belgian Quad and a Belgian Dark Strong ale? Is “Belgian Quad” even a style of beer at all? How did these beer styles come to be and what’s the difference between a Trappist and Abbey beer? All of this and more is answered in this in-depth and informative article.
Deschutes’ The Stoic vs Not The Stoic: A Side-By-Side Review: We attempt to answer the question “Which is better” in this review of two highly sough-after beers.
20 American-Made German Pilseners Reviewed and Ranked: Close your eyes and imagine an amazing German (not Czech) Pilsener. That’s what we’re looking for (and found) in this review.
Michael Jackson and the Origin of Beer Styles: A brief look at the very origin of beer styles, both the concept and the actual twenty-four original beer styles.
A Guinness Beer Review: From West Indies Porter to Guinness Potato Chips: Beer Syndicate reviews a run of recent Guinness releases including West Indies Porter, Dublin Porter, Guinness Original, Nitro IPA, Guinness American Blonde Lager, The 1759, Guinness Extra Stout, Guinness Potato Chips, and even conducts a side-by-side taste-test of Guinness Draught from the can and the bottle, finding some interesting differences.
How Beer Saved the World: The Mystery of Antibiotic Beer Revisited: This article takes a look at the mystery of how antibiotics were found in the bones of ancient Egyptians, and a beer recipe that may have been the cause of it all.
10 Things You Might Not Know About the Reinheitsgebot (Beer) Purity Law of 1516: With 2016 marking the 500th anniversary of what is arguably the most famous beer law ever, this article offers up some interesting tidbits about the so-called ‘oldest food regulation in the world’ (spoiler alert: the Reinheitsgebot isn’t the oldest food regulation in the world).
The Beer Syndicate Guide to the Ten Most Commonly Mispronounced Beer Styles: A brief guide to how to pronounce some of the most commonly mispronounced popular beer styles including several audio clips with examples of pronunciation from native speakers.
Stone Brewing Co.: A Perfect Place to Ring in the New Year for Beer Lovers: A quick review of what to expect from the annual New Year’s Eve event at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido, California.
Samuel Adams Utopias 2013 and 2015: A Side-By-Side Review: Beer Syndicate shares their experience of one of the most sought-after (and expensive) beers on Earth in this side-by-side review of the 2013 and 2015 vintages of Samuel Adams Utopias.
10 Beer Names You Might Be Saying Wrong: A quick list of 10 sometimes mispronounced beers.
2015 Pumpkin Beer Throw Down: 40 Pumpkin Beers Reviewed and Ranked: Not just another list of pumpkin beer, but the intro attempts to re-conceptualize how we think about modern pumpkin beer. The list itself is unique by focusing on ranking pumpkin beers (mainly from the West Coast) according to the BJCP and GABF guidelines for judging pumpkin beer more objectively, and not just based on personal taste.
How to Save a Bad Batch of Homebrew- Part 2: This piece offers a few ideas about how to recover from a stuck fermentation and also tips on how to transform an existing lackluster homebrew into something better.
How to Save a Bad Batch of Homebrew- Part 1: Covers what an “infected beer” is, what it may look like, and suggestions on what to do if you find yourself with an infected brew.
Top 10 Beer Bottling Tips to Make Bottling Day a Success: A collection of bottling lifehacks like how to use a wallpaper tray to expedite bottling time, how to remove super sticky bottling glue with vegetable oil, and how to store cleaned bottles for future use.
Strange Brews: Odd Things to Add to Your Beer That Actually Work: A quick rundown of easy-to-make beer cocktails you can create in less than a minute with things you can find in the kitchen.
You Don’t Have to Be a Supertaster to Be a Good Judge of Beer: Tips on how to judge beer, and an analysis of the supertaster phenomenon with respect to judging beer, wine, or any other food.
The Beer Idea Generator: The Next Step in Beer Evolution: A look at recent trends in craft beer and a tool that seems to have predicted them.
Waiter, There’s Cat Pee in My Beer: A brief discussion of some eclectic beer descriptors like “cat pee”, “Fruit Loops”, and “hair in a drain”.
Native Beer: A Guide to Indigenous Beer Around the World: A quick tour of “native” (indigenous) beer from the Slavic lands, the Americas, and Africa. A few of these traditional brews like Kvass and Chicha have seen a revival in the U.S., with probably more to come, but all of these old school beers could be brewed at home today.
How to Effectively Attack the Craft Beer Movement: A Heads Up to Craft Beer: An analysis of the effectiveness of existing marketing strategies used by multinational brewing companies in an attempt to capture more market share, and identification of vulnerabilities within the craft beer market.
Craft Beer Means IPA: ROUND ONE: Despite its title, this article does not mistakenly take the position that “craft beer means IPA”, but rather looks at some of the possible consequences of the rampant popularity of IPA.
Deschutes Beer Clone Recipes: This piece presents beer recipe data from Deschutes Brewery with very specific details from the head brewer on how to brew their flagship brew, Black Butte Porter.
Dan Interviews Dan About Beer Blogs & Blogging in General: A satirical commentary about blogging, social media, and Jay Z.
How to Make a Pumpkin Keg: A step-by-step guide on how to make a beer dispenser out of a pumpkin (or watermelon).
How to Make Swamp Cider: A tutorial on how to make cider with “green juice” for Halloween, but also applies to making cider with of other types of juice.
Gose and Gueuze: A Tale of Two Sours- Act 2: An historical look at the origins of the sour Belgian beer style “Gueuze”.
Gose and Gueuze: A Tale of Two Sours- Act 1: An historical look at the origins of the sour German beer style “Gose”.
Sour Beers: The Newest Oldest Craze that Almost Didn’t Happen: A brief history about sour beer and the rise of pale lager as the now dominant type of beer on the planet.
Why Can’t Americans Drink in Public?: An article that questions why people don’t have the freedom to drink in public in most places in the U.S. while other countries allow it, and how to change the law so that more cities in the U.S. have relaxed open container laws with the aim of increasing economic prosperity in those cities.
A Brief History of Beer Styles: A short guide to understanding modern day beer styles with a look at the the difference between “style” and “sub-style”, lager, ale and hybrid, along with a color-coded graphic that puts it all together.
The Future of Craft Beer: This short piece offers people a glimpse into the future of beer by introducing “The Craft Beer Trend Predictor”.
Beer Health, Vol. 1- Beer, Blood and Women: A quick review of a Harvard study that showed that beer has greater hypertension preventing powers in women than wine or liquor.
The Top 30ish Things Homebrewers Hate about Homebrewing: Homebrewers chime in on their least favorite things about homebrewing.
Cultural Drinking Customs, Vol. 1- AUGENKONTAKT!: The saucy reason behind why Germans and other cultures look each other in the eye before toasting, and possible origins of this insidious custom.
Brewery Tour: Maui Brewing Company: A review of the Maui Brewing Company in the lovely Aloha state of Hawaii.
Why is Geek Culture Attracted to Craft Beer Culture?: A post that attempts to connect the dots between craft beer culture and geek culture.
How to Brew Fruit Beer: The Case of the Disappearing Fruit: Tips on how to better capture the essence of the fruit in fruit beer.
Sexy Older Beers: How and Why to Age Your Brew: This article offers tips on why and how to age beer.
Top 40 Ways to Improve Your Homebrew: From temperature control to choosing the right yeast for the job, this guide can help you tighten up your current brewing procedures, or if you’re new to homebrewing, greatly accelerate the quality bell curve of your beer.
