AT MIDNIGHT on Sunday, thousands of otherwise clear-thinking citizens will resolve to stop drinking beer in a vain attempt to lose a few pounds. Beer, they’re certain, is the reason they’re walking around with a spare tire.

Some will swear off it forever. Or worse, many will switch to light beer.

Bradley Scott Cailor says they’re almost certain to fail. … Read the rest

WHAT BEER WOULD Rocky drink?

It’s mere idle speculation, as the Philly fighter’s new movie, “Rocky Balboa,” fills theater screens this weekend. But the question did provoke a small storm of discontent on the Internet earlier this month when Sylvester Stallone himself weighed in with an answer.

The setting was a terrific, far-reaching Q&A between Stallone and his fans posted … Read the rest

IT’S EASY to get into a rut when you’re drinking: The same old beer, the same old joints. Who can blame you when the suds are so good in this town?

This year, I made a resolution to visit some new places, especially out in the scary ‘burbs, and darned if I didn’t discover some primo watering holes. If you’re … Read the rest

VORCHDORF, Austria – Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus beer.

It lives in the stainless steel vats of Castle Eggenberg Brewery.

On Wednesday, I watched the birth of the next grand batch of Samichlaus. The renowned beer, whose name is the Swiss-German word for Santa Claus, is made only one day each year, St. Nicholas Day.

It will ferment … Read the rest

IF IT’S December, it must mean the Shelton Brothers are in trouble again.

Last Christmas, authorities in Connecticut nailed the Massachusetts specialty beer importers for their bottles of Ridgeway Seriously Bad Elf, which depicted one S. Claus on the label.

This year, same thing, different state, as New York authorities warned they wouldn’t OK Shelton’s labels for several other beers, … Read the rest

FOR THE PAST month, I’ve been examining the evolving union of beer and food – a marriage that’s enhancing the image of our favorite adult beverage.

But there is one downside to this evolution, a nasty trend that needs to be nipped in the bud.

I speak of the dreaded “beer sommelier.”

Yes, there already is such an animal – … Read the rest

WHEN I WAS growing up, Ma Sixpack had a great, old recipe for pork chops cooked in beer. It was as simple as browning the chops with some thick-cut onions and brown sugar, covering them with beer and simmering for a half-hour, until the liquid thickened into a sweet gravy.

Simple and just full of flavor.

A few years ago, … Read the rest

SALMON and Dortmunder lager, Parmiggiano Reggiano and pale ale, lobster and porter – fine dining and beer, how positively exquisite!

And it’s all brought to you by the same folks who gave us farting horses and Spuds MacKenzie, party animal.

That’s right, Anheuser-Busch – the company whose fortune was built on mass, occasionally crass consumption of its inexpensive, easy-to-drink lager … Read the rest

BEER AND hot dogs, beer and pizza, beer and stuffed cabbage… The classic beer and food combos are not exactly out of Bon Appetit.

Even as craft brewers and restaurants push the cuisine envelope, most of us still see beer as something to wash down a $1.89 bag of pretzels. No problem with that, except that when we finally do … Read the rest

FOR THOSE who are utterly convinced that it doesn’t get any better than beer and pretzels, allow me to point you in the direction of Twenty21, the modern-looking bistro hidden at the base of one of those ugly office buildings on West Market Street in Center City.

This is a tony joint that was once known primarily for its 15-foot-high … Read the rest