This week we both question and validate tradition from multiple points of view, including the rise of beer towns and Saisons, though not at the same time or even in the same place. Since time immemorial, people have made beer for their neighbors.

It’s a cornerstone of civilization and it is something to which we’re increasingly returning. Town planners accommodate beer while some new brewers open up with just the plan of making beer for their friends.

In addition to covering the different aspects of brewing for your neighbors, we also take a look at a story about brewing for your farmhands, which might have been a calculation.

In addition to covering some FAQs on winemaking, we talk about whether brewing gluten free beer at home is even practical.

Gluten Free Home Brews

First off, if you can’t have gluten, I truly am sorry for your troubles. Also, of you’re a fan of Ghostfish Brewing I’m sure they make awesome beers. In this week’s sho we talk about brewing your own gluten free beer and come to the conclusion that, unless you’re super-committed to the idea, you may be better off with wine or cider.

That said, “Drink what you like and be happy!”

Ask Me Homebrew

Over the last few weeks, I’ve received a number of questions over Instagram’s latest “Questions” feature on Instagram Story. I thought I’d share it with all of you, all in one page in case you missed them: How is gluten-free brewing different from brewing conventional? Gluten-free brewing is actually the same process as conventional brewing.

A Town with Beer in Mind

What if you were building a community from scratch in the middle of nowhere? Or even not quite in the middle of nowhere, but in a space large enough to accommodate a city of 36,000 souls or so? How high on your list would a brewery be? Increasingly it’s something people consider, but remember that it also is something that people have been doing since they started having cities.

As I pointed out in both Eastern Shore Beer and Delaware Beer

Grist Brewing to Join Sterling Ranch Development | Brewbound.com

DENVER – Sterling Ranch, a master-planned community located in northwest Douglas County just south of Downtown Denver, is pleased to announce two new Colorado-based businesses coming to the community – the Grist Brewing Company and Atlas Coffee. The two companies will soon provide their craft-made products in the community’s first commercial building, the Sterling Center, opening this Fall.

A New Take on an Old Style

Recently I happened upon this story that claims to be an alternate history of Saisons. The TLDR is that by the time they were called Saisons as a style, the probably were very, very different from the farmhouse ales of the middle ages. Still, we all love telling the apochraphal story of Saisons because it is more fun. Plus, there’s a universe where both the traditional and the re-discovered history of the Saison are kind of true, so that’s what I’m going with in the future.

What was a 19th century saison really like?

Lately, I’ve taken on a daunting task: to seek out the history of all the different beer styles of Belgium. When did they first appear, what were they like throughout the years,