Good People Belgian Strong Dark

A winter seasonal beer from Birmingham's brewery

This week's featured beer is the current winter seasonal from Birmingham's own Good People Brewing Company, their Belgian Strong Dark (BSD). Before I dig into the specifics of the beer, it occurs to m

Hopped Up

Decade of Beer in Review

The aughts were a great decade... for beer.

By Danner Kline

It's that time of the decade, when everyone is doing retrospectives on what defined the last ten years of our lives. Time magazine called it the "Decade from Hell." Something to do with a terrorist a

Hopped Up

Beer of the week: Anchor Christmas

Anchor Our Special Ale

By Danner Kline

This is my last column before Christmas, and I have saved the best Christmas beer for last. Anchor Our Special Ale (commonly abbreviated OSA) was the first winter seasonal craft beer brewed in Americ

Hopped Up

Beer of the week: Moylan’s Hopsickle

Another positive ripple of the ABV bill: the Alabama debut of beers from Moylan's Brewery

By Danner Kline

Last Tuesday, beers from Moylan’s Brewery out of Novato, Calif. debuted in Alabama. Another positive ripple from the passage of Free The Hops’ ABV bill earlier this year, as most of Moylan’s beers are

Hopped Up

Beer of the week: Abita Christmas Ale

By Danner Kline

Another column on Christmas beer! But this one is a different kind of Christmas beer. While my previous columns on winter seasonals highlighted very dark, malty, and spicy “winter warmers,” now I’d

Hopped Up

A taste of IPA

A recent blind tasting proved anew that no two India pale ales are the same

By Danner Kline

This past Sunday evening, I was one of eight participants in a blind tasting of 12 different India Pale Ales (my favorite style of beer). In a blind tasting, the consumer does not know the name of the

Hopped Up

An Open Letter To Birmingham’s Restaurants

By Danner Kline

We need to talk about beer, and how you treat it. More and more Americans are waking up to the world of beer beyond domestic lagers, and we want you to give beer as much respect as you give wine. I’m

Hopped Up

Beer of the week: Corsendonk Christmas Ale

By Danner Kline

Brace yourself for a flurry of winter seasonal reviews over the next few weeks. As as I said last week, I will be buying little else for a while. Though I’ll be sure to break it up with some non-seaso

Hopped Up

Beer of the week: Sweetwater Festive Ale

At 8.6% ABV, Sweetwater Festive Ale is in the sweet spot for winter warmers.

By Danner Kline

We are entering my favorite time of year, for many reasons. The cool temperatures, college football, the falling leaves, the holidays and the wonderful memories they evoke — these all play a part. But

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Free the Hops' 2010 legislative agenda

Thinking drinking: In 2010, FTH plans to introduce a bill designed to reform restrictions placed on Alabama breweries.

By Danner Kline

I’m a little bit odd. Most people would dread the thought of reading through the Alabama Code. It has no plot, no character development and no suspense. It is, to put it bluntly, dry and tedious. But