Joe Stange

Joe Stange

Joe Stange is Managing Editor of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® and the Brewing Industry Guide®. Have story tips or suggestions? Contact him at [email protected].


Heater Allen and Its Lagers Are Built to Last

Was Heater Allen brewing lager before it was cool? Trick question. Lager has always been cool—it just took the rest of you a while to catch on. Here, the daughter-father team Lisa and Rick Allen lay out their approach to running a lasting niche business.

Hope Grows at Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery

Harvesting their own grains and yeasts for country ales and lagers, Bonnie and John Branding are out to prove they can build a sustainable farm business by growing beers that taste like their place.

Festival-less GABF Moves Forward with Medal Competition and Updated Style Categories

Registration opens in June for this year’s GABF competition. Changes to the style guidelines this year include new homes for lower-strength Belgian-style ales and Kentucky Common, while pale ales and IPAs got tweaks to reflect the growing aroma spectrum.

Craft Brewers Conference Prepares for In-Person Events “with More Elbow Room”

While Homebrew Con and GABF stay virtual for 2021, the CBC and its global brewing trade show will start accepting registration on May 4 for limited in-person attendance in Denver.

Going Beyond Beer, Bavarian-Style

Many German breweries produce more than beer, and Urban Chestnut’s Florian Kuplent got his start at just such a brewery. Here he explains a pragmatic approach to broadening a brewing business, walking us drink-by-drink through their beverage program.

Beyond Beer: The Art & Science of Hard Seltzer

To brew a quality product and set it apart in an increasingly crowded market, there is a lot more to know than how to ferment sugary water. Here, we lay out some specific technical considerations for brewing better hard seltzer, properly and safely.

The Night Shift Founders Tinker with their Business Like They Tinker with their Beers

The programmer’s approach—test out a new thing, see if it works, then fine-tune and launch the update—has led Boston-area brewery Night Shift into a diverse portfolio of beverages and a flourishing distribution business.

Event Marketing: Keeping Them Coming (Safely)

Among the myriad ways that taprooms and brewpubs are luring customers this winter—beyond blankets and space heaters—is one approach that appears counterintuitive during a pandemic: by organizing special events.

Industry All Access Exclusive

It’s Not Just Breweries—State Brewers’ Guilds Are Pivoting, Too. Here’s How.

State brewers’ guilds work for the common interest of independent breweries, but the pandemic dealt a severe blow to their ability to raise money and operate. Here’s how they’re getting by—and how breweries and suppliers can get involved.

From Waffles to Cyberpunks: Cross-Promo Beers Are Alive and Well

The pandemic may have hindered the hospitality business, but in no way has it hindered the ongoing proliferation of offbeat, often counterintuitive brewery team-ups with other enterprises.