Don Tse

1 month ago | allaboutbeer.com | Em Sauter |Don Tse

There was a time when small breweries dotted the land, making beers beloved by the communities they served. Thanks to Prohibition, changing consumer preference or just the difficulties of running a business profitably, many such beers have been lost to the history books. But small breweries specialize in connecting with their communities. And they can source small-batch or historic ingredients.

1 month ago | forbes.com | Don Tse

In the world of beer judging, there are two credentials that are the most widely recognized: the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) and the Cicerone Certification Program. Both programs recognize different levels of expertise—the BJPC focuses on brewing while the Cicerone program focuses on customer-facing service—through tiered rankings. In January 2025, Max Finnance of Ledyard, CT was promoted by the BJCP from Master to Grand Master, the highest ranking awarded by the BJCP.

1 month ago | allaboutbeer.com | Don Tse |Em Sauter

Who doesn’t like marshmallows? Ancient Egyptians were the first to enjoy a gooey treat now called marshmallow as early as 2000 BC. Today, whether it’s in a hot cup of cocoa on a cold winter’s night, or smooshed with chocolate between graham crackers around the campfire, marshmallows are a fun way to add a little sweetness to life. But what about marshmallow in beer? Marshmallows add sweetness to beer, obviously. But quality marshmallows have other flavors, too.

2 months ago | allaboutbeer.com | Don Tse |Em Sauter

After New England brewers changed the world of IPA, other brewers took note of the style, based on its popularity the new flavors the style provided. But as all inventive brewers do, they didn’t merely mimic the hazy IPAs coming from New England. Instead, they further re-interpreted IPA, trying new hops, new yeast strains and even adding some bitterness back to the beer to satisfy their local palates.

2 months ago | forbes.com | Don Tse

For decades, craft beer and homebrewing, though separate hobbies, fed off of each other. “This literally helped start the craft beer revolution,” said Julia Herz in a telephone interview. Indeed, many of America’s almost 10,000 breweries were founded by homebrewers, or with homebrewers as head brewer. For this reason, the professional craft beer community and the homebrewing community have always overlapped greatly.