Rob McFerren: Home-brewed beer

Almost all professional brewers at one time early in their careers brewed beer on a small scale in their homes. Brewing your own beer is fun and a great way

Rob McFerren: Craft beer carbonation

Carbonation in craft beer is an important aspect and the level of carbonation can vary widely depending on the style of beer. The effects of carbonation strongly influence a beer’s

Rob McFerren: Pumpkin beer season gets closer

It’s hard to believe that we are already in September, but as fall approaches and we head into October and November, a growing selection of pumpkin beers will start appearing

Rob McFerren: Craft beer cocktails

A trend that has taken off in the last few years, especially in the warmer weather, is the abundance of beer cocktails that are popping up at bars and restaurants.

Rob McFerren: Sour beers

Unlike modern brewing, which is done in a sterile environment to guard against the intrusion of wild yeast or bacteria, sour beers require some form of bacteria to get those

Rob McFerren: L.A. Beer Week 2019

Each year, the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild puts on an amazing week of craft beer events called L.A. Beer Week. This year, the week will start with the Kick-off

The L.A. Unity Brew 2019

Every year about a month before Los Angeles Beer Week, members of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild get together to brew a collaboration brew for that week’s big kickoff

Rob McFerren: Craft beer containers

With so many craft breweries opening in the last few years there are numerous ways to take home fresh, independently produced hand-crafted beer. Most breweries, including brew pubs, are packaging

Rob McFerren: The Saison experience

Saisons, or farmhouse ales, are a style of beer that almost became extinct. They were traditionally brewed at the beginning of winter for warmer-weather consumption in Belgium and parts of

Rob McFerren: Can beer be healthy?

There have been a lot of studies over the years relating to the health benefits of consuming alcoholic beverages. Drinking wine has always seemed to be the healthiest choice. You

Rob McFerren: Craft beer around the world

Craft beer popularity has exploded in the United States recently, and that growth does not seem to be slowing at all. In fact, California leads the nation with more than

Rob McFerren: Tasting the malt

Craft Beer, in its’ simplistic form, includes barley malt, hops, water and yeast in the brewing process with each of these four ingredients playing a very important roll in the