Since we stepped away from The Hop Review a few weeks back, we’ve struggled a bit with what to do next. While it was clear we no longer had the time needed to dedicate to the site, we couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for where our years of work might eventually end up. Having thousands of hours of interviews, travel writing and photography slowly dissolve into the ether of the internet was not an exciting prospect for us. But after all, we knew we couldn’t maintain the site forever… Flash back almost four years ago, when we received an email from a writer from Pittsburgh who was looking ..read more

CHICAGO, IL The Hop Review: A Farewell The Hop Review, 2012-2020 In 2012, we set out to log our homebrew recipes somewhere for our own internal reference. A bare-bones website and a dozen or so poorly made IPAs and brown ales later, we’d started ‘The Hop Review.’ And it didn’t take long before we began to realize that documenting our beer interests would be better served by talking directly to the folks who…actually made the stuff well. Eight years later, THR has been able to cultivate a small (but impressively dedicated ..read more

SPONSORED Too hot out? Too cold? No sweat. The ideal storing temperature for various beer styles with NewAir One of the most important things to get right when it comes to beer is its temperature. There’s nothing sadder than an otherwise perfect brew ruined by less-than-ideal serving conditions. The best bartenders and brewpub managers have this down to an art, of course—that’s why they’re at the top of our list. But what’s a dedicated beer drinker to do with all those bottles and cans at home? You should have the same grea ..read more

MARYSVILLE, OH From Seed to Sip: 10 Questions with Origin Malt's Victor Thorne INTERVIEWED SEPTEMBER 1, 2019 After decades dormant, Origin Malt is bringing the crop back to the Midwest, by way of Marysville, Ohio. We caught up with co-founder and serial entrepreneur, Victor Thorne. Photo courtesy of Media Machine. Victor, your background as an entrepreneur and investor has been primarily in the tech landscape. What made you want to include a focus on an agricultural ..read more

COOPERSTOWN, NY Striving for Balance: A chat with Brewmaster Phil Leinhart of Ommegang INTERVIEWED MARCH 7, 2019 AT BREWERY OMMEGANG Cooperstown, New York is a town synonymous with baseball. While it’s long been legend that it’s the birthplace of our nation’s past time (a fact which has since been disproven, mostly), it’s also home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where all the sport’s biggest names find a final home. And while it can be argued that a trip to Cooperstown is not complete without a visit to said HOF, we would argue that the trip would be left incomplete without a visit up the road ..read more

Beer Reviews CHICAGO, IL The Hop Reviews v.43: December DECEMBER 2019 Each month, we share a handful of beers that we think you should know a little more about, through the perspective of our collective palate. For our final tasting of 2019, we worked our way through the following 19 beers for December and rated them according to our very own interpretation of the BJCP scoring guidelines, on a newly implemented 5-star scale and listed in alphabetical order. We considered aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, overall impress ..read more

SPONSORED A Chicago Beer Pairing with Brewhouse Legends Growing up, I remember plenty of times where I’d end up at the pub with my dad and uncles, as they bar crawled around Chicago to kill a Saturday afternoon. I’d get handed a Coke or a Shirley Temple, while they enjoyed their adult ‘pops.’ But, there was always one thing that was commonplace at the taverns that we both were able to enjoy: pub mix. That ubiquitous pretzel, peanut and sesame stick mixture that seemed to only exist in little wooden bowls, adorning bartops a ..read more

Rochester, MN Beer & Branding: Thesis Beer Project A new brewery out of Rochester, Minnesota was looking for a way to bring some differentiation and visual contrast to an already crowded market. That’s when Thesis Beer Project turned to the design team at Buddy-Buddy to craft their playful identity. The Minneapolis-based creative agency oversaw and executed every branded application—from packaging and merchandise to the taproom’s interior design, signage, and murals. Further insight into the brand was provided by Allys ..read more

UNIVERSITY VILLAGE, CHICAGO FOBAB ‘19 Recap: Favorites & Winners Another chilly November weekend arrived just in time for the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer to return for its 17th year, right here in Chicago. The annual crown jewel event of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild was held for the fifth year at the corner of Halsted and Roosevelt, at the University of Illinois-Chicago Forum. There, anyone looking to layer on their beer jacket was able to do so at one of the country’s most lauded celebrations of all thi ..read more

DETOUR: Seattle, WA – Cloudburst Brewing "DETOURS" is a travel series by The Hop Review. Being a weary traveler almost always calls for a reward in the form of a pint at the end of the day. Here, we document those beer breaks–as we travel the U.S. and beyond–with quips, photographs and Q&As. ––– No. 048 CLOUDBURST BREWING 2116 Western AveNUE, Seattle, WASHINGTON 98121 It was day two of my wife and my Northwest travels, but our last day in Seattle. Earlier in the day we’d covered Pike Place Market from head to toe, and e ..read more