Brett Cortelletti

1 week ago | beerconnoisseur.com | Brett Cortelletti

Rauchbier, or smoked beer, is a historic style of beer that is brewed with malts roasted in a wood-fired kiln. The smoke from the burning wood seeps into the malts, and the beer brewed with it maintains a distinct, smoky aroma and flavor. The style itself is strongly associated with Bamberg, Germany, where rauchbier has been brewed for centuries. Most notably, there is Schlenkerla Rauchbier, the oldest and largest brewery that produces rauchbier.

2 months ago | beerconnoisseur.com | Brett Cortelletti

Around ten years ago, an emerging beer style quickly became one of the most sought-after among enthusiasts: the barrel-aged stout. While beer has been stored in barrels for centuries, the act of aging beer in previously used spirits barrels to impart new flavors is a recent phenomenon, with a surprisingly straightforward genealogy.

Aug 9, 2024 | pastemagazine.com | Brett Cortelletti

Prior to the craft beer explosion in the United States, most beer menus were broken into two categories: import or domestic. In most cases, the imported beers were macro-lagers from Mexico or Europe. With America’s beer scene still hamstrung by Prohibition-era policies, there was a safe assumption that a foreign option equated to a higher quality, especially in the case of European breweries, many of which had been brewing since before the United States existed.

Jul 17, 2024 | pastemagazine.com | Brett Cortelletti

Over the past decade, an obscure, historic beer style has developed a cult following. Rauchbier (German for “smokebeer”) is a beer that is brewed with smoked malts. Traditionally, this means that they were dried in a wood-fired kiln. The beer brewed with those malts carries over a smoky aroma and flavor. Some are put off by the beer’s smoky profile and compare it to liquid bacon. Others relish in it and seek it out at every chance they get (and also liken it to bacon).

Jun 7, 2024 | pastemagazine.com | Brett Cortelletti

Many love Aldi for offering an amazing value shopping experience. The brand cuts out the unnecessary frills you see at other supermarkets to provide a streamlined grocery experience focused on value and quality. Who needs 10 brands of milk to choose from? Why waste an employee’s time unboxing each individual item onto the shelf? Why meaninglessly force cashiers to stand at the register?