DBB. What it’s good for, and what’s it’s not good for
” … I’ve had a recent surge in traffic on the site so I thought it might be a good idea to summarize what you’ll find at dingsbeerblog, and perhaps just as importantly, what you won’t … “
Marketers and drinkers are two different groups of people
” … Those people are also still able to understand that Hazy Little Thing is a different beer to, say Tree House Julius, but there really is no need for this kind of parsing of styles. This analysis is strictly for … “
The Passing of Alan Sprints – he brewed on his own terms
” … For me, Alan’s beer was difficult, a bit of an effort, and that’s not something that I ever wanted in most of my beer consumption. Of course my preferences – in fact nobody’s preferences – were of any … “
Beer on Hilton Head Island, SC – a 2026 update
” … So, where does that leave us on the island right now? What follows doesn’t include a bunch of beer reviews (although one particular beer will get a shout out as we’ll see), nor is it an in-depth analysis … “
Lessons from Martyn – The Session #150
” … Because of Martyn’s work now there is a definitive record of this small part of beer history. Like me, you may not be especially drawn to the subject matter here, but there will be a few people … “
The end of the beer cellar. This time permanently
” … Yes, I know I’ve said it before, but now is the time. Various reasons that don’t really matter much in terms of the details, but the beer cellar is being completely dismantled. The first stage of that is to … “
Improved Search Function at Ding’s Beer Blog
” … function being seriously tidied, and tightened up. There were prior problems with pagination and large results causing the page and code to break, but now things are up and running much more smoothly … “
We must demand more, and expect better
” … Any criticism has far too often been met with a chorus of, “don’t be a dick”, when in fact the person delivering the criticism was 100% correct. Too often such comments weren’t forthcoming … “
Chapman’s closing – less about them, more about EW
” Chapman’s did a pretty solid job of not alienating me, which today is a minor miracle. The space that they occupied was not to my liking – industrial chic (if that’s what it is) leaves me oh so cold … “
Top 5 Beers of 2025*
*with some rules
” … I’m infinitely more discerning than I used to be. I rarely drink a beer that I haven’t got a pretty good idea that I’m going to enjoy. I really haven’t drunk a lot of beer this year (relatively), so as such … “
Can a tiny can bring new hope? SN Pils to the rescue?
” … I think we have to look to the major, largest independent brewers. Like it or not these guys set trends in the “craft” (I use the term loosely) industry, and they have the power to move things … “
An Englishman in America
Beer Connoisseur Magazine
” … Things were bad in the USA – really bad – and then they got much, much better, and now they are really bad again, but that’s America for you. I pointed some of that out, freely admitted my early shortcomings … “
This is just plain stupid.
Taste the damn beer
” … Ironically, contrary to many American’s ideas, this illustrates exactly why we need to adhere to styles much more closely, because if SNPA is an ESB, then ALL style guidelines mean absolutely … “
The Passing of Martyn Cornell
” … Finally, Martyn and I always saw eye to eye on session beer which made me so very, very happy. I’ll never forget this that he wrote as a reply on a blog/forum back in 2012. RIP Martyn … “
Session 147:
A Break From The Real
” … from time to time The Session has had me pausing for a moment while I try to work out exactly how I was going to contribute. No such difficulties were presented by Session 147 … “
Session 146: (Round-up)
Where do you find value?
” … (Gary) hones in on a pet-peeve of mine, i.e., the beer matching the description/style. This has been something that has bothered me for decades and when they fail to match … “
Session 146: (Post)
Where do you find value?
” … I fully appreciate the subjective nature of ‘value’, but at the same time I still feel there undeniably poor value beers and equally undeniably great value beers. We just might not agree … “
Session 146: (Announcement)
Where do you find value?
” … I’m very in touch with the pub scene in the UK, and routinely I see posts about £7.50 ($9.75) pints of Peroni, and conversely £1.99 ($2.50) 20 oz pints of Cask Ale in Wetherspoon pubs … “
Session 145:
Critique not criticism in beer
” … I’m absolutely staggered when countless numbers of people in those groups appear to have infinitely less knowledge and understanding than I do … “
Session 144: The best beer you
can drink at home right now
” … The stranglehold that melted candy bars (pastry stouts), fake fruited ‘sours’ (kettle sours), and soft flabby orange juice (hazed beers) have had on tap list have driven me home … “
The Session Rebooted
(January 2025)
” … Anyway, putting that aside, and my well-documented pessimism, I still honestly feel that the rise of hazed juice, fake sours, and melted candy bars that has simultaneously strangled … “
The beers that have had the greatest influence on me
” … beers that one doesn’t understand the first (or second or third) time around, can still be beers that one grows into. Not understanding a beer is not the same as not liking it … “
The Packard Taphouse – not a review, just early observations
“Personally, I don’t care for the style much. Now, nobody cares about what I think, and I know that you’ll all make up your own minds, but the second observation might mean a bit more … “
Fort Wayne’s Beer Scene – taking the temperature
“The reasons for these closures are many and various. Problems with buildings/locations/leases, issues with finances, lawsuits, consolidation, venues giving up on beer etc., … “
Chapman’s – a brand that’s about to come of age
In my experience, smart, successful, driven people exude a certain vibe. Whenever I meet someone who is clearly in those categories and is even more clearly exhibiting that energy, I usually find myself quietly asking, "How the hell do these people...
Tasting versus Drinking culture in the USA
Anyone who has known me for any length of time, or who has read almost anything that I've written about beer online in the last 20 odd years will know, I have been struggling with US beer culture for the best part of a quarter of century. I've...
Two Bandits, Two States,
a ‘Regional’ Brewer
A few days ago I made the short drive from Fort Wayne across the Indiana/Ohio state line to meet with Mark Young of Two Bandits Brewing in Hicksville, OH. My mission was to chat with one half of the Bandit team about his story, and the story of...
Things I’m just not going to do …
... in 2023, as a fifty-six year old beer drinker of 40+ years. 1. Use the term, "West Coast IPA". Trying to get people to define what they actually mean by this, usually elicits all manner of responses that lack any kind of consensus, or cohesion...
Buying & Shipping (mostly Belgian) beer inside the USA
Following this post about shipping beer to the US from Belgium I wanted to follow up with a a similar one, this time highlighting a few recent internal buying & shipping experiences of Belgian (and other) beer. Once again this catalogs only...
So, what came first?
A very quick observation, and a couple of questions. This afternoon I was in a local tap-room. I don't care much for most of the beer that this particular brewery puts out, but I can usually find 1 or 2 out of the 10 or 12 that they have on-tap at...
Shipping Beer from Belgium to the USA. A few recent experiences
Most of you reading this know that I'm an Englishman who has lived in the USA since 2000. Obviously I've had access to a lot of Belgian beer over my lifetime, both from when I lived in the UK, and via my multiple visits to Belgium, but living in...
Purity, skin in the game, and when Capitalism spits on you
I recently had a brief conversation with a person who is intimately acquainted with a local brewery here in Fort Wayne, IN, and whose livelihood is dependent upon selling the beer they produce. That's a bit of an awkward way to describe the person,...
Legacy drinkers and the assault on Belgium, England & Germany
I *think* that I coined the term legacy drinker. I never remember hearing it anywhere else. If that's not true, apologies. So, what does 'legacy drinker' mean? My definition varies from day to day but the general meaning is that of a drinker who...
Fortlandia – a true nano production in Fort Wayne
When five blokes get together to brew and drink beer, sometimes things don't exactly go to plan. There's quite a lot of potential for nonsense to be talked, and for fanciful plans to be made. However, on Spring St. in Fort Wayne's northwest...
Birdboy Brewing Company – Phoenix Rising in Fort Wayne
If you're wondering what's been happening at Birdboy Brewing Co. of late, and you're a tad confused by some recent comings and goings, then you're not the only one. A lot has been going on both behind the scenes and out in public, and the current...
Stone Brewing Co. – an ending that began a long time ago
I suppose that I should throw in my two-cents on Stone, everybody else has. To be honest, were it not for the post that I wrote in 2015 that marked the end of an era for this blog, I probably wouldn't bother, but specifically because of that post I...
From Fort Collins, CO to Goshen, IN, beer promotes community
If you happen to feel an enhanced sense of community the next time that you visit the Goshen Brewing Co. (GBCo.) in Goshen, Indiana, it's not by accident. Founder and former head brewer Jesse Sensenig made it that way. I sat down with him a few...
The State of Citizen Beer Blogging in 2022
I was toying with the idea of going to the 2022 Beer Bloggers Conference in Asheville in August of this year - that was until I learned that it had been canceled due to a lack of interest. My guess is that the first half of the second decade of the...
Never meet your heroes. The death of elite beer bars?
‘Never meet your heroes’ is a phrase that is probably best used by kids. They are the group that is perhaps most susceptible to thinking that people, places and things are without flaws, and that they will always meet the expectations that may have...
More than a decade removed, Todd and beeradvocate.com are still banning!
On 3/31/22 the official Beeradvocate Twitter account manned by Todd Alström, blocked the newly minted dingsbeerblog Twitter account. Yep, it’s true. Quick, to the DeLorean! Todd blocked my other Twitter account years ago, but the latest action was...
Come Into My Parlor
When Parlor City Brewing opened in June of 2020, it wasn't exactly the ideal time to be launching a service business of any kind, let alone one in the food and drink sector. With the pandemic raging and a multitude of mask mandates and other...
Defining “Craft Beer”. OH NO, not this again!
I think it was maybe around 12 years ago that people (briefly) started to attempt to define what the term 'craft beer' really meant. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this led to a lot of arguing, and no real consensus. I remember that at the time, one of...
An Englishman and a Scotsman walk into an American brewery
There's an unusual beast prowling just to the east of the Wells Corridor, north of downtown Fort Wayne. He's a brewer working in a relatively small brewery, in a relatively obscure part of the United States, with a pedigree and résumé of experience...
Session beer revisited, briefly
If you know, you know. I've got close to twenty years of online history relating to a single mantra about session beer, which is; beer can only be correctly labeled as session beer if it is 4% ABV or under. If you would like to read the longer...
A (S)ummit (City Brewerks) on styles
This is not really a post about styles or policing styles - at least not an in-depth one - but it may seem like it is. It's actually a post about a much larger issue surrounding styles - the bigger picture if you will. So, here’s a question for a...
Legacy beer drinkers made sad
I want to support new(ish) and local breweries. I really, really do. But as a legacy beer drinker, it's becoming more and more difficult to do so. I suppose I should attempt to qualify what I mean by a 'legacy beer drinker'. I'm talking about...
The Trubble with Chad Hankee
When Chad Hankee says he's bored, you'd better get ready for some changes. Here's a man whose projects, and indeed life's journey, have been about bending in the wind and changing tack; and that's not just because he's a keen sailor. Chad and I sat...
The Tavour myth machine, and staggeringly ordinary, expensive beer
A longer post on my experience with Tavour (some of which is positive) is coming soon, but for now just a quick observation or two. Tavour is selling some excruciatingly expensive beers, many from breweries that are quite often very new, and that...
Todd Stone & Junk Ditch – Where Plato meets Plato
Todd Stone is a young man with an old head on his shoulders. Trust me, that's a huge compliment in my book. He and I sat down at Junk Ditch earlier this week to talk about his journey to become the head brewer at the Main Street brewpub, and - as...
From Prints to Pints
When one reads the draft list of a brewery that's found in a tucked-away corner of an industrial park north of Fort Wayne, one wouldn't expect the head-brewer and I to have much in common. Only 50% of the beer available (maybe even less than that)...