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Ryan Van Brunt

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It’s New Year’s, and that means a few things. Parties, noisemakers, kissing a special someone at midnight, and of course imbibing are all standard fare on December 31st. For years Champagne has dominated this celebration with all of its pomp and circumstance, but no longer! Champagne will become the “old acquaintance” that shall be forgotten. Not content with being considered a 2nd class citizen on this holiday, beer steps up to the mic to claim its…

The bros at Widmer have been busy in the lab again brewing up another beverage to take up that precious real estate on the shelf of your fridge! This new beer is called Upheaval, and it is a Northwest style IPA that is the result of the Widmer brewer’s pursuit of creating the perfect IPA. Whether or not they have succeeded is up to you of course. This 7% ABV beer weighs in with 85…

While thinking of your beer-bonging past may make your inner frat boy/sorority girl shiver now, there was a time when many of us found ourselves on the receiving end of one of these homemade delivery systems. I myself built a 5 foot long one for me and my friend’s “post high-school party pad” which funneled more Olde English 800 through it than a Snoop Dogg party circa 1993! But, I digress. Just the other day,…

It is difficult to explain the feeling I get when I visit a new brewery. Overall, I feel as though the experience is ineffable; words just can’t provide enough imagery to truly capture the experience, thus failing miserably in accurately conveying to the readers the scope of awesomeness that has taken place. But, if I must analogize for the readers out there, it would be similar to being a child trick-or-treating on a street where…

Writing for a beer blog is not a bad gig. You get to try new brews all the time, you get to be creative with writing about beer, and from time to time, you get invited to go to releases of new beers. Recently the team at Blog About Beer had the privilege of attending a release tasting for Ninkasi Brewing. Ninkasi is based in Eugene, Oregon and has been providing the Northwest with fine…

‘Merica! Before we were branded as a McDonalds eating, NASCAR watching, Budweiser guzzling nation of indulgent obese loudmouths, we were branded as traitors, traitors rebelling against the oppressive rule of a monarchy. But, neither the crown nor the scepter could hold our brave nation down; and in our act of rebellion, we cemented ourselves as a sovereign nation, a nation of individuals dedicated to the cause of freedom. It is this same spirit of rebelliousness…

As the reaping of the harvest comes to an end and Jack Frost prepares to drag his cold finger over the land leaving an icy layer of frost on all that we see, we still have to get through the day designated for taking pause and giving thanks for all the blessings that adorn our lives. Of the many things that bejewel your list of things that you are thankful for, I am sure that…

Whether it is Count Dracula talking about the “children of the night” and the music they make, or Ozzy Osbourne discussing the pros and cons of barking at the moon, the legends of werewolves have us all both intrigued and locking up our chicken coops at the same time. The duality of the persona of the werewolf is an exciting concept. The full moon exposing the savage nature of the beast within is an exciting…

As the emerald hue of our favorite gourds start to change into brilliant colors of vivid orange, we are faced with real challenges. We must arm ourselves with the tools necessary for vanquishing those who would haunt us and prey upon us as we idly wander the streets looking for one of two things: tricks or treats. Now, before vampires were bedazzled emo kids with a penchant for sniffing out awkward, off-putting teens, they were…

Many of you may remember my post on the beer baths that the awesome people of the Czech Republic get to enjoy at the Chodover brewery. Sadly, no one has offered to send me there to fully experience the glory and wonder of this exciting way to enjoy beer. (He typed grudgingly.) But, I’m not bitter. I wanted to figure out a way for one to treat oneself to the therapeutic effects of beer (other…