Ben Keene
As seen in:
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USA Today,
Bandcamp Daily,
The Village Voice,
Gear Patrol,
VinePair,
Frommer's,
Craft Beer,
Beer Advocate,
All About Beer Magazine
and
Covers:
beer and brewing, restaurants and dining, cider and craft spirits, hiking and biking, outdoor adventure, domestic and international travel, books
Find me on @bluesky. Writer/editor with bylines in @craftbeerbrew, @newschoolbeer, @vinepair & @sip_magazine. Former @beeradvocate editorial director. He/him.
Articles by Ben Keene
Meet Me in the Middle: In Praise of Mid-Strength Beer
First things first. I should get this out of the way: I’m a dad. And as anyone who’s a parent knows, kids will change you. Perhaps that reality alone informs my view of the current beer market. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m over 40 years old. I was an avid beer drinker during some or all of the IBU wars, the pasty stout era, the haze craze, the short-lived sour resurgence, and the current boom in non-alcoholic options.
Getting Over Your Fear of Commitment: Why We Should be More Loyal to the Beers We Love
At Georgetown Brewing Bodhizafa IPA and other favorites have earned "Full Time" status At Georgetown Brewing Bodhizafa IPA and other favorites have earned "Full Time" status Spend any amount of time at a bar, restaurant, or bottle shop in Western Washington and you’re bound to notice it: Bodhizafa IPA, the flagship beer from local powerhouse Georgetown Brewing Company.
Simplify to Succeed: Why Breweries Should Release Fewer Beers
It’s hardly a secret that craft beer’s production volume is on the decline. After ending up down 1% in 2023, it fell to -4% in 2024. Most predictions have 2025 one or two points lower still. The Brewers Association explains the situation as a “painful period of rationalization,” and while that may ring true, it’s a far cry from the optimistic tone that the trade organization took in years past.
My Top 10 reads from 2024
Ben Keene · Follow 3 min read · -- 📚 Stolen Focus by Johann Hari — Attention is under siege. Hari uncovers why we’re losing focus and what we can do to reclaim it in a world of endless distractions. Big hit at RBC.
The World's Most Underrated Beers, According to 15 Brewers
Hardly a week goes by anymore that isn’t accompanied by a beer release hailed as the next best thing. This makes it all too easy to forget the many exceptional ales and lagers from decades, or even centuries, back. So we asked 15 brewers from across the country to name a beer they consider underrated. The results run the gamut of styles, and include more than one surprising answer.
What Is the World's Most Underrated Beer? We Asked 15 Brewers
Hardly a week goes by anymore that isn’t accompanied by a beer release hailed as the next best thing. This makes it all too easy to forget the many exceptional ales and lagers from decades, or even centuries, back. So we asked 15 brewers from across the country to name a beer they consider underrated. The results run the gamut of styles, and include more than one surprising answer.
Changing the world with coffee and toilet roll
Whether you watched online or joined us in London, a huge thank you to everyone for helping us kick off our new era of hybrid MeetUps. Here’s what we learnt from speaking to Cemal Ezel, founder of Change Please coffee and Serious Tissues. No idea is unique Starting up can be intimidating, especially when people tell you that your idea’s been done before.
Malt Insider: The Promise and Possibility of Sustainable Grains
Late last year, Brooklyn Brewery released an unusual beer, selling it in the Northeast through Whole Foods and at its New York City tasting room. While the beer had an eye-catching, bright orange package that clearly called out a style, Fonio White Beer also leaned into an ancient grain likely unfamiliar to most American drinkers. Fast-growing and deep-rooted, fonio has been cultivated by West Africans for thousands of years, and it remains an important source of nutrition today.
The 40 Books I read in 2022
...and a 1 line review of each. Here is a run down of what I read in 2022. It equates to about 40 minutes / 30 pages a day. Thanks to Rebel Book Club for the accountability and inspiration as always! Join in and accelerate you or your team's reading habits and community of curious minds with us. The scores are the personal impact and enjoyment I got out of each book specifically, not necessarily the topic or RBC conversations.
Malt Insider: Mining the Might of a Magical Mold
Inspiration can come from unexpected places. For Aline Brito, a doctoral student in food technology at Brazil’s State University of Campinas, inspiration came from a blog post by a famous Danish restaurant. Late in 2019, Brito was taking a course on fermented foods and drinks in Asia. Hunting for more information online, she stumbled across a homebrewing forum with a discussion about making beer with koji—a fungus commonly used to saccharify rice for the production of sake and shōchū.
When Investing in a Mash Filter Press Makes Sense
At Crux Fermentation Project in Bend, Oregon, head brewer Cam O’Connor typically oversees 15 to 18 brews per week on the company’s 23-hectoliter system. Founded in 2012, Crux produces a wide range of ales and lagers, but it’s built a loyal following with high-gravity beers such as Tough Love (barrel-aged imperial stout), Lost Love (barrel-aged imperial rye stout), and All Worked Up (barrel-aged wheatwine).
Breakout Brewer: BKS Artisan Ales Is a “Little Beer Heaven” in Kansas City, Missouri
It all started on a long drive to see friends in Oklahoma—well, really, it started the way any good brewery origin story does: with years of meticulous recipe testing at the homebrew scale. But that drive was important, too, because on that trip in 2012, the idea for what would become Kansas City’s BKS Artisan Ales truly began to take shape. At the time, Mary Rooney was a marketing manager at a logistics company, and Brian Rooney had an insurance job.
Breakout Brewer: SpindleTap Drills Deep in Houston
As recently as 2016, you couldn’t find a hazy IPA in Houston. Fans of the soft and juicy had to resort to beer trading or long-distance travel to get their fix. Given that the fourth-largest city in the United States was in the middle of a brewery boom—almost 30 breweries had opened in the previous five years—you’d be forgiven for assuming that at least one of them was leaning into the style that was starting to take the beer world by storm. Yet, you’d be wrong.
Faithful to the Field: Putting Raw Grains to Work in the Brewery
Todd Boera has been brewing Bloody Butcher for almost a decade. Made with a namesake variety of red heritage corn, the grisette is part of the year-round lineup at Fonta Flora, the North Carolina brewery where he is partner and head of brewing operations. From the beginning, Boera has used this grain raw, preferring its flavor over malted corn.
Get Ahead of the Season Ahead: Tight Barley Supply in 2022
Industry All Access Exclusive Get Ahead of the Season Ahead: Tight Barley Supply in 2022 A poor harvest in North America last year is combining with hot weather and war in Europe to constrain supply and raise prices. However, there are reasons to be optimistic. Here’s what you need to know to stay on top of your malt supply. Farmers harvest barley in Washington’s Walla Walla Valley. Photo: Courtesy Mainstem Malt.
Cider Spotlight!
Yarlington Mill Pennings Farm Cidery, Warwick NY Deep, lustrous gold in color, this single varietal made entirely with New York-grown Yarlington Mill fruit lures you in with a sweet and floral nose that has just a touch of minerality. In the glass, aromas of apple blossom and geranium mingle with caramelized banana against a flinty background. On the palate, it’s a medium-bodied cider that offers soft tannic notes and balanced astringency alongside flavors of tart apple and quince.
Merlin, Method, and the Magic of Hops: Firestone Walker’s Matt Brynildson and his Evolving Thinking About IPA — New School Beer + Cider
industry newsinterviewscalifornianational Mar 22 It all started with a vineyard, a second hand brewhouse, and an anachronistic British pale ale. Yet Double Barrel Ale, or DBA as it's now known, succeeded against the odds, helping to put a then small California brewery on the map in 1996.
Ben's Beer Pick! | Sip Magazine
Black Butte Non-Alcoholic Deschutes Brewery, Bend OR Non-alcoholic beer is having a moment, and for drinkers that means more options. Here in the northwest, one option that will appeal to fans of malty ales is the non-alcoholic version of Black Butte Porter. It’s indistinguishable from its older sibling’s deep chestnut brown color, and offers a similar aroma, albeit with slightly less complexity.
Old Malt, New Tricks: Adding Flavor and Interest with Heritage Varieties
Industry All Access Exclusive Some brewers are turning to heritage barley varieties for malts that can add new character to their beers—and attract new fans. Purple Egyptian barley growing in eastern Washington state. Photo: Courtesy Palouse Heritage. Jim Matt gets excited talking about his Uncle. He doesn’t have endless anecdotes, and he won’t go on and on about family reunions, but it’s a subject he clearly loves discussing.
Ben's Beer Pick! | Sip Magazine
Upcycle.Two Three Magnets Brewing, Olympia WA What do you call an easy drinking beer made with second use hops? Well, if you’re Olympia’s Three Magnets, it’s a juicy blonde ale. However you describe it, this sustainable sipper pours cloudy with a pale gold hue and a rocky head of white foam. Tangerine zest, dessicated coconut, angel food cake, and mango kush join stone fruit and white pine in the aroma—taste it blind and you’d swear Upcycle.Two was an IPA.
Ben's Beer Pick | Sip Magazine
Red Mason Rye Watts Brewing, Bothell WA Washington ‘s Very Small Brewery of the Year in 2021, Watts in Bothell started canning in 2020 and is now available across greater Seattle. More of a toffee brown color than a reddish shade, Red Mason Rye offers aromas of sweeter crystal malt, freshly sliced rye bread, a whiff of candied peanuts, and an inkling of herbal hops.
Ben's NA Beer Pick!
Alturas NA Golden Atmos Brewing, Hailey ID Launched by Sawtooth Brewing in 2020, Atmos is the Idaho company’s play for a piece of the non-alcoholic beer market. Beautifully bright in the glass, Alturas pours deep gold with a voluminous, rocky white head. The enticing, grainy aroma offers notes of dry grass, sunflower seeds, sliced cucumber, as well as a suggestion of buckwheat honey.
Storage Wars: Battling Mother Nature to Keep Your Grain Fresh and Pest-Free
If you’ve been a brewer long enough, it’s probably happened at least once: Something truly strange turns up in a shipment of malt—links of chain, a forklift light, plastic pellets, a cargo strap, half a pair of broken scissors. However, those moments are rare. Typically, the malt you’re about to brew with is clean, dry, and free of extraneous objects. So, when you do end up with something strange in the Super Sac, the one thing you really don’t want to find is evidence of insects or other pests.
Ben's Beer Pick! | Sip Magazine
Ribbon of Darkness Crux Fermentation Project, Bend OR Inky black and devoid of light, this fittingly named Imperial Porter—part of Crux’s banished series—is a triumph of flavor. Introducing itself with aromas of rich vanilla, chocolate-covered figs, heady bourbon, and tonka bean, Ribbon of Darkness manages to balance sophistication with an equal portion of pure fun.
Beer of the Week!
Kitten Mittens Kulshan Brewing Company, Bellingham WA How do you keep extremities warm when December’s chill creeps in? Well, mittens are useful. But beer helps, too. Deep brown, bordering on black in color, Kittens Mittens is a warming winter ale that produces aromas of semi-sweet chocolate chips, plump raisins, date and walnut cake, dark roasted malt, and an underlying earthy note along with a wisp of phenolic clove.
Rising Prices, Shrinking Supplies: Malt Is in for a Rough Year
Industry All Access Exclusive A historically poor barley harvest is piling on to supply-chain and cost issues that independent brewers have been facing with raw materials. Here’s what you need to know before placing your next order. Photo: Patrick Hayes, Oregon State University Barley Project “We have a couple of months where the crop is either made or broken: June and July,” says Chris Riggers, co-owner of Clearwater Farms in North Idaho.
Beer of the Week!
Hopping Massive Threshold Brewing & Blending, Portland OR At the time of year when many beers tend to creep toward the double digits in alcohol by volume, it’s refreshing to find something sessionable that doesn’t sacrifice an ounce of flavor. This so-called “hazy micro IPA” with a dusky, yellow-gold appearance is for everyone who might want a heavily hopped beer without the boozy baggage.
Beer of the Week!
Fa La La La La Double Mountain Brewery, Hood River, OR Temperatures in the Northwest are falling, and so are snow flurries, which means it’s time to reach for, well, an IPA, of course. With a color like warm caramel and a bold aroma suggesting a blizzard of hops, Fa La La La La is definitely a beer for colder months. Grassy notes join resinous pine, citrus peel, and a nudge of herbal spice on the nose of this medium-bodied beer in the vein of Sierra Nevada’s Celebration.
Fair Isle and Washington Wild Partner on a Beer to Save the Skagit
High in the mountains of British Columbia’s E.C. Manning Provincial Park, the ancient Skagit River begins its meandering journey south. Running some 150 miles through the rugged North Cascades in Washington State it eventually empties into the Puget Sound. Supplying almost a third of the Sound’s fresh water, it’s a crucially important river to the greater Pacific Northwest, sustaining farms, wildlife, and indigenous communities.
In a Jam: Record Heat Causes Shortages, Driving Up Fruit Costs
Industry All Access Exclusive Money doesn’t grow on trees, but fruit does—and yet, it can be a finite resource. For all the talk of how climate could affect malt and hops, fruit is another raw material of modern beer that’s vulnerable to weather, as well as to supply-chain issues. Photo: Courtesy Pelican Brewing When the second heat wave of summer hit the Northwest in August, Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a 10-day state of emergency.
Fall into Flavor with These 8 Seasonal Beers From the Northwest
Days are shorter, leaves are dropping and the Cascades have already seen their first dusting of fresh snow. Like it or not, summer is long gone. But after sipping your way through this year’s record-breaking heat with light lagers, hard seltzers and maybe a slushy sour or two, your palate is probably ready for something different, anyway. Well, when it comes to seasonal beer, it’s hard to beat the autumn months.
Beer Pick of the Week!
Festbier Dru Bru, Snoqualmie Pass WA Whether you call it fall, autumn, harvest time, or lager season, this is a beer well suited for crisp afternoons and your favorite zip up hoodie. Bright gold in color with admirable clarity, Dru Bru’s German-style Festbier is clean and doughy on the nose, with a hint of sweetness and a faintly herbal, grassy undertone. Think freshly risen bread with a light dusting of thyme.
Beer Tourism! 9 Great Breweries Around the Northeast
By Ben Keene Around the country, more than 2,500 breweries are now filling kegs, cans, growlers, and bottles with every style of beer imaginable. To some, the variety might seem overwhelming. But for the epicurean traveler, this brewery boom is an opportunity to hit the road in search of a new favorite ale or lager. And in that spirit, here are a few favorites from the Northeast curated especially for Frommer’s by the author of The Great Northeast Brewery Tour (Voyageur Press).
Beer of the Week!
Punchline Petit Sirah Wild Ale Dwinell County Ales, Goldendale, WA With a striking magenta color and the slight haze you’d expect from a wheat beer, Punchline is a drink that will turn heads. A little racy acidity greets the nose first, bringing with it fruity notes of vinous grape, tangy wild blueberry, and tart Montmorency cherry. Interestingly, the aroma bears some resemblance to the Flanders Red of Belgium.
Bale Breaker and Yonder Cider Open New Ballard Taproom
Here’s some good news for the outdoor drinking set: Seattle’s biggest beer garden opened on Saturday. Well, technically it reopened. Taking over and renovating the Ballard space formerly occupied by Populuxe Brewing, Yakima’s Bale Breaker Brewing and Wenatchee’s Yonder Cider brought a taste of Eastern Washington to the Puget Sound with a novel business model that combines operations under one roof.
Linking Barley Varieties to the Taste of Your Beer
Industry All Access Exclusive It’s an immensely complex task, but sensory science and chemical analysis are bringing us closer to understanding the relationship between barley genetics and beer flavor. Photo: Patrick Hayes, Oregon State University “It sounds like a joke, right—a couple of barley breeders in a bar? But we were sitting there saying, ‘Wow, what are the barley varieties contributing to flavor?
Terroir by the Ton: Regionally Adapted Malt Has a Future
Efficiency and the needs of industry have dominated North American barley growing, limiting what’s grown and where. However, independent brewers seeking locally grown options are spurring the development of new, distinctive varieties in unusual places. Industry All Access At Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery in Waterford, Virginia, a field of barley is destined to be malted at Murphy & Rude in Charlottesville. Photo: Courtesy Wheatland Spring.
Cider of the Week!
Mountain Rosé Whitewood Cider Co., Olympia, WA Pale gold with a touch of rouge and flawless clarity, Mountain Rosé blooms with aromas of apple blossom, ripe strawberry, sweetened cranberries, and the slightest suggestion of pineapple. Approachably tart, it opens with a bump of acidity that fades into fruity flavors of apple, cranberry, and red table grapes. Light and crisp with sprightly carbonation, this single varietal cider finishes dry and is nothing less than exceptionally drinkable.
Beer of the Week!
Hot Tub Lifeguard Bale Breaker Brewing Co., Yakima, WA Best known for its fresh off the farm IPAs, Bale Breaker might raise a few eyebrows with this kettle sour. Rose gold in color with exuberant carbonation, Hot Tub Lifeguard introduces itself with the friendly aromas of ripe raspberry, tropical guava, and citrus zest as well as a zing of tangy acidity.
Toast Under the Trellises at These Breweries That Grow Their Own Hops
From raising a liter of lager in a Bavarian beer garden to sipping a chalice of Trappist ale at a monastic brewery, or knocking back a pint of bitter in an English pub, there are a few quintessential accomplishments every dedicated beer fan hopes to check off their bucket list. With more farm breweries scattered across the United States and the appreciation for hops increasing by the year, there’s another experience to seek out: drinking in a hop field.
Beer of the Week!
Ace of Spades Imperial IPA Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR Thank goodness for breweries that haven’t forgotten about the beauty of bright, bitter beer. Hopworks won gold at the Great American Beer Festival back in 2009 for this pale amber Imperial IPA and while the recipe has changed slightly in the years since, it hasn’t lost any of its greatness. On the nose Ace of Spades is a fruit cocktail of pineapple, peach, and ruby red grapefruit, plus some faint alcohol heat as it warms in the glass.
Beer of the Week!
Stoned and Starving Fast Fashion Brewing, Seattle, WA Don’t let the postmodern label art throw you off—Stoned and Starving is more of a people-pleaser than its appearance might suggest. A creamy dollop of thick foam sits atop the beer’s peachy-orange body, while the fruity fragrances of tropical mango, juicy peach, and spicy pineapple mingle with a puff of dank cannabis and a touch of sweet coconut.
Cider of the Week!
New York Dry Cider Original Sin Cider, New York, NY Made to commemorate Original Sin’s 25th anniversary and appearing on shelves just before Independence Day, this modern cider pours a pale straw color from its red, white, and blue can. Fermented with Champagne yeast, it offers some nuanced depth in the aroma, bringing to mind tart apple skin, tangy starfruit, green banana, white grapes, and just a touch of tannins.
Beer of the Week!
Pyxis Pilsner Ecliptic Brewing, Portland, OR Pale gold with a snowy crown of thick, tight bubbles and flawless clarity, Ecliptic’s new Pilsner is first and foremost a photogenic beer. But this is a lager brewed for drinking, not simply admiring in a glass. From the clean aroma of sweet malt against a grassy, peppery background, to the biscuity flavor, snappy bitterness, and effortless balance, Pyxis is true to its German roots.
Cider of the Week!
Paloma Stem Ciders, Denver, CO Somewhere between hazy gold and rosy pink, Stem’s cocktail-inspired creation has a cheerful quality to its appearance. On the nose it’s a little spicy and quite intriguing with black pepper, ripe apples, and white grapefruit or pomelo peel coming on strong, followed by a trailing note of woodsy juniper. Culinary apple steps into the spotlight on the palate, and a touch of malic acidity marries nicely with tangy citrus.
So long and thanks for all the fish
Team Witness – Alison Croggon, Carissa Lee, Robert Reid and Ben Keene – got together for a final podcast yarn about criticism, funding, Australian theatre history, Ibsen, Blak voices, inclusion and exclusion, accessibility, digital theatre, revolution, why we closed and what we loved about making Witness. Thanks so much, everyone. It’s been so much fun. And that’s a wrap!
Taking Malt for a Test Drive: Pilot Kits Help Maltsters Show Brewers What’s Possible
Industry All Access Exclusive It’s not standard equipment in every malthouse, but many maltsters large and small are using their own pilot breweries to test, demonstrate, and help customers get the best possible malt for their needs. Pioneering brewer Teri Fahrendorf manages Great Western’s Malt Innovation Center and brews test batches on its pilot kit. Photo: Courtesy Great Western Malting.
The Climate Crisis is Coming for the Barley Crop
Industry All Access Exclusive Growers, breeders, maltsters, and brewers will need to adapt faster than they have in the past if they’re going to keep up with accelerating change. Smoke from the Green Ridge Fire, just outside Washington’s Walla Walla Valley, rises in the background as farmers harvest barley. Photo: Courtesy Mainstem Malt.
Cider of the Week!
Pom Cherry Winsome Ciderworks, Woodinville WA This one’s for the red fruit fans. Scarlet in color with a tight white collar of foam and brilliant clarity, Pom Cherry balances sweet culinary apples, bold cherry skin, and tart pomegranate seeds in its bright, fragrant aroma. Clean and crisp on the palate as the can proudly proclaims, the flavor steers into the cherry and pomegranate notes and offers just enough light acidity to give this drink a quenching quality.
Beer of the Week!
Slow Sipper Hazy IPA Aslan Brewing Co., Bellingham, WA A collaboration with Seattle-based soul septet The Dip and a benefit for the National Independent Venue Association, Slow Sipper pours a pale orange with a slight haze and throws a fruit-forward aroma. On the nose, sticky pine mingles alluringly with lime pith, fresh mango, sweet tangerine, and sliced peaches. More citrus comes through on the palate, along with just enough trailing bitterness to balance the fruity sweetness.
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