There are some seasonal beers that I enjoy so much that I am waiting with bated breath for their arrival each year. Celebration from Sierra Nevada would be one of those beers. This fresh hop IPA is a welcome harbinger of the holidays that is sure to put a smile on many a beer geek’s face this season. more ›

Lately a strange phenomenon has been taking place, in which a big, bright ball of light has begun to peek through the clouds. I believe they used to call it, the SUN, and the time of year when it comes out was called “Summer”. Ok, jokes aside, summer is coming soon, though it hardly seems like it given the cool, overcast days that have been prevailing this spring. In the spirit of looking forward to a positive future, I wanted to take a look at some of the summer seasonals that are being introduced for your cook out and beach going enjoyment. more ›

I wanted to taste this year’s Bigfoot against a few from years past that I had aging in my cellar. Barley wine is one of the few types of beer that respond positively to aging, given the proper conditions. High alcohol content, yeast in the bottle, and ample residual sugars are all qualities in beer that may mark them as good candidates for aging. A “vintage” date on the bottle is also an indicator that the beer is meant to be aged. Let’s examine some aged beers to find out why this is a good thing. more ›

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We’re not the only ones who noticed Redhook’s recent India Pale Ale facelift. They changed the brew’s name to "Long Hammer" and removed the reference to "Ballard Bitter." And as far as we can taste, didn’t change the beer’s recipe. Pyramid did the same thing last year with their IPA, appending “ThunderHead” to the acronym. Finally—someone’s applied the porn name game to beer! more ›

Eric Blehm’s third book, The Last Season, reconstructs the story of Randy Morgenson, a National Park Service backcountry ranger in California's rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains who heads out for a routine 3-day patrol in the summer of 1996, never to be seen again. Exploring numerous theories surrounding the circumstances of Morgenson's disappearance--suicide, accidental death, even starting over with a new anonymous life--Blehm retraces the ranger's steps, weaving together a story that celebrates the juxtaposition of the breathtaking yet unforgiving terrain of the high Sierra backcountry wilderness, and the people dedicated enough to serve it. Seattlest was unable to attend his reading at Elliot Bay a couple weeks ago, but we chatted with him a few days later about the process of writing a book that took eight years to research. more ›