If you’ve ever been to Chico, California, you probably have a soft spot in your heart for Sierra Nevada’s beer. It is not because their beer is impossible to separate from the university culture that permeates every crevice of the town, or that their products are so prevalent in bars and restaurants (though they are). But it is the spirit of the brewery and the founder that make Chico, and frankly much of the U.S., embrace the Sierra Nevada brand. When Grossman came to Chico in 1972 to attend the university, building an internationally recognized brewery was just a dream. “I was studying chemistry and opened a home brew store selling wine making equipment and beer supplies,” remarks Grossman. “In 1978 I opened a small brewery, wrote a business plan, bought materials.” As simple as that sounds, creating an empire like the Sierra Nevada brand was more of a passion [...]

Pliny the Younger is an elusive beer, with kegs released from their natural habitat by Russian River Brewing Co. into the wild only once a year. For two weeks in February, Pliny hunters can enjoy the insanely popular, small batch, triple IPA, with a deliciously sweet, hoppy, and carbonation balance that makes it dangerously easy to drink with an ABV of 10.5%. You may be aware of the similar species, Pliny the Elder, from the same family, and classified as a double IPA with an 8% ABV that can be spotted year-round in bars all over San Francisco.

You love drinking beer and miss being an activist? Well now you can be an activist for beer! SupportYourLocalBrewery.org has banded together with local breweries and brewers guilds (including our own SF Brewers Guild) from around the country to support the tradition that has been keeping us together—and inebriated—since the very first public houses. They often fight to keep legislative and regulatory treatment fair. You can sign up to learn more about issues and stand up to keep the taps pouring your favorite local beers. We’ll raise our glass to that.

It’s that glorious time of year again when breweries, bars, and restaurants come together (in mutual love, respect, and adoration) to create a weeklong celebration all in the name of BEER. Beer enthusiasts can bask in the fermented malted grain love through festicals, tastings, pairings, and parties. Sponsored by the SF Brewers Guild, the week boasts hundreds of events in and around our fair city. In addition to one-off events (which can be viewed on the Drink Me calendar or at SFBeerWeek.org), some venues offer weeklong specials that can be enjoyed when your schedule allows. Here’s a breakdown of our favorites.

To say beer is simple enough to make that even a woman in medieval times could make it is true, albeit misogynistic. To say that beer is simple enough to make that even I could make it in my apartment’s small kitchen is true, but somewhat insulting to the hard work those medieval women — brewsters — applied to their craft. In their day, the act of making beer relied on a lot of know–how and a little magic, in that no one could say for sure exactly how the raw ingredients — grains, herbs, and water — were transformed into an effervescent, alcoholic drink. What they did understand was that it helped if some remnants from the previous batch were added to the new one. The slurry from the brewing pots contained what brewers simply referred to as “God-is-good.” Today, thanks to the discovery by Louis Pasteur, we call it yeast. Drink a quality brew and it’s all the proof you need that even agnostics have to admit, God is great.

It’s early morning in a village in Ghana, and a small group has gathered, some kneeling in the red dirt, others seated atop the plastic buckets that are the unofficial trademark of the continent. The topic of the day is water. You probably don’t worry much about water, unless you’re in the last mile of a marathon and you don’t have any. In Africa, the story is different. In this part of the world, two out of five people lack access to hygienic water. In this part of the world, there is an emergency. But this particular morning, there is hope. A man and a woman stand in the center of the group and offer a solution: water filtration equipment, technical assistance and even instruction in sustainable agricultural techniques. Across the continent, this scene is replayed: in Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and more — a wide-reaching plan to drastically improve access to clean water. The ambitious goal is to provide safe drinking water to one million more people each year. It’s called Water of Life.

“Stay busy, get plenty of exercise, and don’t drink too much. Then again, don’t drink too little.” — Herman “Jackrabbit” Smith-Johannsen (born June 15, 1875 – died January 5, 1987) We’ve all heard the dangers of drinking too much. And even though cultures around the world tout a nightly glass of vino, or a daily dose of vodka, Americans don’t talk enough about the benefits of alcohol. Beyond the obvious anecdotal advantages – from establishing camaraderie with coworkers at happy hour to taking the edge off of stage fright – there is actual scientific evidence that alcohol is beneficial to the human animal.

It’s good to be the king. But would you rather be the king of pop or the king of beer? Not just in Bud’s marketing sense of being the “king of beers,” but the earned and undisputed sense of being the monarch of all beer scribes. That man was also named Michael Jackson.