(photo: a YOHO Beer celebration) For most of us 2020 was probably the worst year in recent memory. Then 2021 came along and here we go again–slow vaccine rollout in Japan, rising COVID cases, shutdowns, no tourism on the horizon to stimulate the economy, political leaders lacking, well, leadership… How could things get any worse…

Sayohhhhhnara, 2020. That year will probably go down as one of the strangest in most of our lives. Then again, all you have to do is look at beer news to realize that things are always a little strange in this world… especially in ‘Merica, that strangest of all countries. The legendary U.S. ‘breakfast’ chain…

Life is chaos contained by a thin, gossamer membrane of order. In a similar spirit this column shall be the thin line between meaning and cosmic absurdity. It’s a difficult task. It’s one that should be familiar to those of us who inhabit the world of beer. Brewers have long put weird things in beer…

COVID continues. Therefore… so, too, does the need for caution. So, too, does the need for beer. At least the latter is the conclusion of a 103-year-old woman who survived the virus. As multiple news outlets reported in late May, Jennie Stejna of Massachusetts was at the doorstep of death. Her family was even urged…

It’s neither funny nor appropriate to make jokes about something when people are suffering, and this applies to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has caused widespread financial distress as well. Now consider this: obesity is an epidemic in many parts of this world. Its related diseases cause thousands to die on a daily basis and its…