How green beer is going to save the world.
By Corey Hill (GlobalExchange.org)
(From issue 8.)

Mention “green beer,” and the first thing that comes to mind is likely a garish concoction sloshing over the rim of a giant plastic cup, watery beer slurred with food coloring, a vague memory of a questionable libation accompanied by visions of questionable acts you committed on that notorious day in March.

But let’s rethink the term. Green doesn’t have to be artificial – think recycling, biking to work, and turning off the lights when you’re not in the bathroom. Green living is bubbling to the forefront of our collective consciousness, and unfortunately for concerned beer lovers, a great deal about beer is bad for the environment. In fact, studies estimate that a single six-pack of beer produces over six pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in its life cycle. Six pounds, for purposes of comparison, is a small dog, or an exceptionally large guinea pig. Whichever mammal, that’s a lot of carbon. (more…)

How a centuries-old fleet of bugs lost their jobs, and what it means for your Negroni.
by Ken Walczak ( from Issue 8 )

By Carolyn Gerin
( from issue 8 )

What was stirred up in San Francisco through the middle of this century (in and out of the cocktail shaker) had profound effects on every facet of queer life across the globe. Fear of being “found out” in the early days helped create a close-knit community — many times forged in bars and taverns. San Francisco ‘safe houses’ were birthplace to a legendary drinking culture that extended far beyond the barstool, and, over time, formed into a cultural and political zeitgeist that tattooed the city of San Francisco into a colorful leader in gay lifestyle. The next time someone tells you that hanging out in bars won’t get you anywhere, think again.

The Beginning

Some of the earliest roots of lesbian and gay bar culture can be traced to New York City during the Harlem Renaissance in the ’20s — home of the Cotton Club, the Drool Inn, and Hot Feet, where people could embrace rebel-sexuality, gender identification and refuge. Carefree flapper and “new woman” culture (ebullient having won the right to vote) also gave straight and bisexual women license to enjoy the fruits of the permissive attitudes of the time. Middle-class malaise gave way to free sexual expression and permission to explore downtown, counter-cultural adventures. (more…)

By Brian Yaeger
( article from issue 8 )

First and foremost, there is one primary way to discuss and grade a beer and that’s by how much you like it or don’t. Seriously, it’s either thumbs up, thumbs down, or if you’re wishy-washy, thumbs sideways.

But to really get down to the multifaceted ways of appreciating a beer, you can begin to smell for aromas ranging from earthy to spicy to toasty. You can size up its body based on a billowy head or the web-like lacing it leaves on the glass. You can turn into a math nerd and quantify numbers such as original or final gravity, which dictate its percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) or how hoppy it is based on its international bitter units (IBU). But whereas all those factors build up to the beer’s overall character and, essentially, flavor, one characterization gets paid the shortest shrift.  Color. (more…)