At 35 IBUs this brew is darn bitter.

Really quite bitter...

An American-style Pale Amber Ale with pumpkins.

This cider is strong, still, and balanced, approximately 7 percent alcohol by volume.

This cider is drier, slightly stronger, bubbly but not champagne-like, approximately 4.5 percent alcohol by volume.

This cider is light, sweet, fruity, and effervescent, approximately 3.5 percent alcohol by volume.

The honey adds a touch of dryness.

This is the kind of session beer you’ll always want to have in your refrigerator. A hodgepodge of specialty grains makes this a great clean-out-your-brewing-drawer beer.  It is a kind of Brown Ale by default.

A basic Belgian Ale.

This was the beer that was given to each of the attendees of this year’s Houston Foam Ranger’s Dixie Cup Homebrew Competition. The theme was Fredopoly, based on the board game Monopoly and in honor of our annual speaker and homebrew pioneer, Fred Eckhardt.

"You little devil, you!"

This is a Belgian Dubbel, indicating a higher alcohol content.

Amber Acid Ale denotes a beer that ferments with many more microorganisms than traditional brewers yeast.  It is considered a cousin of the Lambic.

Inspired by Rodenbach Grand Cru, New Belgium La Folie and Love, plus Pizza Port Le Woody. Formulated with help from professional brewers in America and Belgium that have experience with this style, this is another acid ale.

Another acid ale.

Another version of an acid ale.

A basic American-style Pale Ale recipe.

"This Scottish beer is named after the Clermont Sportsmen Club, of which I am a member. The club is located in the mountains of Clermont, Pennsylvania."

- Robert R. Heinlein

We found that hummingbirds loved Celestial Seasonings’ Red Zinger tea. Once we tasted this metheglin, we knew why! 

Metheglin... an herbed or spiced mead.

Lindemans was founded in 1869 and has a solid reputation as a blender and brewer of traditional, authentic lambics. The brewery produces four fruit lambics: kriek (cherry), cassis (black current), peche (peach) and framboise (raspberry). This same basic recipe also can be used to emulate other fruit lambics, from fraise (strawberry) to druiven (muscat grape).

-- Brouwerij Lindemans, Vlezenbeek

Brouwerij De Kluis, Hoegaarden
This is the standard by which all witbiers are measured. Hoegaarden Wit is cloudy and very pale golden in color, with a restrained white head and aromas of coriander and wheat that are impossible to ignore.

Corsendonk is an Abbey beer, not a Trappist beer. This designation means the beer is brewed not at an abbey, but under license from — or at least in the style of — a Trappist monastery. In the case of Corsendonk, the name is taken from an Augustine priory that produced beer from the 1600s until the 1780s. Whether the Augustine brothers brewed anything remotely resembling modern Corsendonk is debatable, but they have licensed their name to the beer since 1982.

- Brouwerij Bios, Ertvelde

The quintessential Trappist tripel, Westmalle is very pale, very strong and wonderfully smooth. One of the brewhouse techniques that makes the Westmalle beers unique is the use of direct gas flames on the copper kettles. This creates hot spots that may caramelize the wort slightly, giving a faint burnt-sugar taste to the beers. The beers are also brewed with very hard water, which certainly contributes to the character of the tripel.

Brouwerij Moortgat, Breendonk        

“Devil” is the archetypal Belgian Strong Golden ale. In fact, most of Duvel’s imitators make some reference to the devil in their name or label. Strong, pale amber in color, Duvel’s flavor is a unique balance of alcohol, hops and sweet malt.

A smooth, easy-drinking amber-colored Belgian Ale.

A light, pale, highly alcoholic Belgian Ale.

This American-style Amber Red Ale beer kit was designed back when the “red” beer fad was in high gear. It’s a simple, solid recipe.  

Pete Norton, Seattle, Washington (Liberty Malt Supply)

This beer uses the pasteurization method of adding honey, as well as fresh basil leaves for extra bitterness.

A good clean pilsner we brewed last winter from leftover ingredients.

 Mighty malty with a nice hop nose, slight bitterness and a strong alcohol bite, this is one powerful sipping beer.

Like smoke on the water...

An ancient beer style that’s still smokin’.

A lifelong Genny-lover became a craft brew convert and a commercial brewer after just one night of drinking homebrew. Do you blame him?

Can homebrewing really be one of the most important life skills? The Wiz thinks so. Plus: a question about diacetyl

Interested in going pro at an existing craft brewery? Seven professional brewers talk about what it takes to make the transition from homebrewer to pro brewer.