Arrowine

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

I finally got a chance to get back to New York City last weekend after an eight year absence. I make no secret of the fact that I love New York, but not being able to get out of town that often I haven’t had the opportunity to visit some of the beer bars and restaurants that feature craft beer. Having only a couple days in the city, I didn’t get to visit nearly as many places as I’m interested in (those will have to wait for future trips), but here’s a quick rundown of some of the noteworthy stops I got to make and some of the noteworthy beers I got to try while there:

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

My wife and I are taking a weekend to visit New York City this weekend. I don’t get out of town often, and haven’t visited NYC in about eight years so it seemed like a good time. Seeing as I won’t be around, I asked Mike Berry from Ommegang Brewery/Duvel USA to fill in for me at the Arrowine tasting table. We’ve hashed out a tasting lineup that I believe reflects Ommegang’s commitment to innovation and pushing craft beer forward.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Well, it’s finally happened — I’ve hit a writer’s block. I have no idea what I’m going to be writing about this week. We’ve covered most of the seasonal stuff, and gone through style after style of beer. I’ve read over and over how when confronted with a writer’s block, one should simply put their head down and write through it. So that’s what I’m going to do. Here are some thoughts I’ve had while on the job lately:

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

This week we’re going to delve into one of my favorite topics: how knowledge of wine can affect your approach to beer, and vice versa. More specifically, what we as beer drinkers (or beer geeks, if you will — that’s how I self-identify, anyway) can take away from wine while at the same time not becoming overwrought with the pretense and snobbery too easily observed in wine (some stereotypes exist for a reason, after all).

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Much to the chagrin of my wife and most of my friends, I’m a pretty big sports nut, and despite being a long suffering local sports fan there’s no anticipation quite like the feeling right as another pro football season starts. Maybe it’s the intensity of the game or the short schedule compared to other sports, but there’s an edge to the beginning of football season that gets me just a little extra charged up, and I know I’m not alone in that.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Very soon we’re going to have to devote an entire column to the relatively recent phenomenon of the ‘Gypsy Brewer’; beers produced under labels without their own brewery or brewpub. By opting out of the costs associated with owning and running their own facility, Gypsy Brewers are freed to explore their own interests more, and to very quickly turn a passing thought into a product hitting store shelves and bar taps. Some of the most exciting beers being produced today are made by these Gypsy Brewers, and as their ranks and influence grow, so does the importance of the palate and outlook of one Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, the spear’s head of the Gypsy movement and mad genius behind the Mikkeller line of brews.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

As per reader requests from our comments section, today we’re looking at the relatively recent phenomenon of hard cider and its sudden, rapid growth here in the United States. I should say resurgence to be more accurate, though: Cider has a history here that dates to nearly the beginning of Colonial America, and was the national drink for most of our existence. What happened, you may ask? Well, that’s a long and fascinating tale that I’m about to condense into a few paragraphs.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

Every year around this time, I get the same comments from folks when they see the early arrivals of Oktoberfests, Pumpkin Ales, and other fall seasonal beers: “Already?”; “Isn’t it a bit soon?”; “Shouldn’t those Oktoberfestbiers be available in, like, October?” For the record, the answers to those are “Yes”, “Probably”, and “No, since the Oktoberfest starts in late September (the 22nd of September this year, by the way)”.

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

By the time you read this, the second annual IPA Day will have already come and gone. Started last year, the idea of IPA Day is that every August 2nd, craft beer lovers everywhere get together and celebrate the humble hop flower and all the joy it brings us through its use in the venerable India Pale Ale style. Since this column runs the day after IPA Day and because it’s a relatively new event, I’m going to go ahead and say take the weekend to enjoy your favorite hophead treats. If you need a few suggestions, I’ve got some right here:

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway)

As a retailer, the question I hear the most in my day-to-day conversations at work is “Do you have…?” Sometimes my answer is no. There are a few reasons why that would be the case, and I do try to explain why I don’t have something available. Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve always tried to be uniquely open with customers about some of the behind-the-scenes of our business; even within the world of retail the alcohol industry is weird and I believe educating consumers demystifies some of the vagaries that can confuse and frustrate buyers. So for those of you heading out to stock up on beer, here are some reasons I or any other retailer may not have the specific brew you’re looking for: