I devote a lot of real estate in this column to praising the virtues of American craft beer. There’s a good reason for that: American craft breweries make the best beer in the world.

I ended my column last week exhorting folks to be on the lookout for winter seasonal beers. It was a passing mention, and I’ve decided this week would be a good time to describe some of those beers in detail. Generally speaking, most winter beers fall into one of a few categories.

As Birmingham beer culture improves, from time to time there will be too much beer news for me to devote an entire column to every notable happening. So this week I am introducing a semiregular feature I’m dubbing “Beer News Around The Ham”, in which I highlight a variety of news bits that will be of interest to metro beer drinkers.

This column is focused on “craft” beer, as opposed to the big brands that still dominate beer sales worldwide. The terms “craft beer” and “micro-brew” are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are actually distinct from one another.

I think the most surprised reactions I’ve encountered when talking to people who aren’t very familiar with craft beer have come when I’ve mentioned aging certain beers for extended periods of time. The only beer commercials you see on TV zealously promote the importance of freshness with their products.

The typical question that usually gets posted on craft beer message boards goes something like this: “My buddy is a hardcore Miller Lite (or Bud Light, or Coors Light) drinker and he’s coming over for the game on Saturday, what should I give him to introduce him to craft beer?” The ensuing thread of replies is typically long and unwieldy.

As recently as the 1970s, America was the butt of jokes in world beer culture. There were only a few dozen breweries, all producing little more than straw-colored lagers with minimal flavor. Today, our country boasts over 1,600 breweries leading the world in creativity and quality in brewing. To better understand that transformation, I propose drinking ten different beers that illustrate the nature of modern American beer. Not all in one sitting.

But I checked the weather on my smartphone before taking my daughter to school today, and that miracle piece of technology told me it was 42 degrees Fahrenheit when I walked out the door this morning. That may not impress you if you grew up somewhere in Yankee-ville, but here in Alabama that’s considered downright chilly.

The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) was once again recently held in Denver, Colorado, from September 16th through 18th. It is the largest beer festival in the United States. And it was the largest beer judging competition ever held to date, with over 3,500 beers judged.

Everything about this beer makes for a great story from a beer geek’s perspective. Popular, regional brewer involved? Check. Breaking the rules and defying established style categories? Check. Collaboration between multiple craft brewers (who, in any other industry, would just be competitors)? Check.