Earlier today, the blog Michigan Beer Buzz posed an interesting question for these tough economic times: "Is it cheaper to brew your own?" They referenced an article on everyman financial advice site, The Simple Dollar, discussing "A Walkthrough and Cost Breakdown of Brewing Your Own Beer."

Let's cut to the anticlimactic chase. The answer: It depends. The Simple Dollar states: "If you are comparing the cost of homebrew to the cost of well-made craft beers...homebrewing is actually quite cost effective. I used $35 worth of ingredients to make seven six packs of porter, a cost of roughly $5 per six pack. [However] this doesn't include...the cost of the equipment."

And again, these saving only translate from homebrew to upmarket craft beer. "If you're content just buying some Miller Genuine Draft," The Simple Dollar continues, "Homebrewing isn't going to save you much money (if it saves you any at all)." Plus this cost analysis is sans equipment (which can be less than you might think, but is still a cost). If you throw down for equipment, or start buying ingredients in bulk, that will save you money in the long run, but if you quickly discover that homebrewing isn't the hobby for you, you'll end up eating that initial investment as a loss.

So my advice: Attempt homebrewing as a hobby first, and then see if savings come in time. The Simple Dollar does a straightforward job of laying out all the basics -- even providing a recipe for a porter -- and, trust me, plenty more websites are dedicated to homebrewing if you want to get in on the craze.

But also beware of this counterintuitive twist: If you think you'll buy less beer, you might be surprised. As Michigan Beer Buzz says, "In fact, I think I buy more. You tend to want to try all of the new craft beer [because it] inspires you on future batches." If you're really looking to save money, you might just want to give up drinking all together!

[via Michigan Beer Buzz and The Simple Dollar]

A couple of my recent posts discussing opinion polls from BeerAdvocate and RateBeer opened a lively discussion on this website, including a comment from CEO of the Stone Brewing Company, Greg Koch.

Far be it from me to let the thoughts of the co-founder of one of America's most recognizable and renowned craft breweries languish in the comments section of one of my lowly posts, Greg was gracious enough to accept an interview offer to discuss these polls, as well as the Stone Brewery and craft beer in general.

I'd consider this suggested reading for both beer aficionados and casual Slashfood readers alike. As Greg puts it: "I appreciate the discussion of great craft beer in food-oriented circles like Slashfood. That is a huge win for both foodies and for craft brewers."

Mike Pomranz: In a recent "consumer opinion" list, BeerAdvocate named Stone Brewery the "All-Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth" -- a title I believe is reasonably within your grasp. More amazingly, Stone placed five beers in the Top 25 "All-Time Top Beers on Planet Earth." Putting aside for a moment the ancient brews of Mesopotamia, how do you feel about these honors? Do you believe Stone has five of the best beers of all time on planet Earth?

Greg Koch: For one brewery on Planet Earth to take five out of 25 spots is not probable. However, it IS possible (as evidence would suggest).

MP: The idea of "picking your favorite child" is so clichéd. So let's force you into it. The five that placed: Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Stone Ruination IPA, Stone IPA, Double Bastard Ale, Arrogant Bastard Ale. Who you got? (Styles be damned!)

Continue reading my interview with Greg Koch, CEO of the Stone Brewing Co. after the jump...

You may remember the first Teastick we reviewed in 2005. You know, if you're that cool and read blogs back then. Well, three years is a long time in Teastick development. Have a look at what's new - at right, the Teastick Gems.

Do they remind anyone else of Barbie shoes? Seriously, that's all I can think of when I look at them. But they're not Barbie shoes, they're not; they make tea.

"Teastick Gems are now made with Eastman Tritan™, a revolutionary new material that is FDA-approved, taste-free and with absolutely no Bisphenol-A!"

I have no idea what Bisphenol-A is, but I feel sort of excited that these don't contain it. I looked up what else is made with Eastman Tritan™ but a Google image search brought me a lumber rack, a synthesizer, and an impressive deer. So, let's assume this is a very new type of plastic.

In any case, Teasticks can go in the dishwasher and are obviously a very handy tea-making shape. The Teastick Gems' semi-clear design allow you to watch your tea pearls unfold and make a perfect 10-14 oz. cup of tea. Perfect for a tea lover's holiday stocking!

Organic beers seem to be all the rage as of late. Either that or my "rage sensors" are a bit slow on the uptake. Either way, more and more I'm seeing the words "organic" on labels and hearing people talk about organic alcohols.

When it comes to organic food, people often speak of benefits to taste or their health. However, after speaking with representatives from a number of organic breweries, many of them pointed out most craft brews use a higher quality of ingredients to begin with, leaving less room for true organic beers to separate from the pack. One of the biggest distinctions, it turns out, is the use of organic cleansers when cleaning the brewing equipment, which (pardon my skepticism) I find hard to believe will translate into any major jump in product quality or add to my longevity.

Still, organic products do benefit the environment and support organic farmers, so if you're the type who loves to look out for our planet (and I guess we should, huh?) drink all the organic beers you like. My point though, when it comes to rating organic beers on taste, don't expect them to receive any special considerations.

So imagine my surprise when one of the best beers at this year's NY Brewfest turned out to be a certified "USDA organic" serving. With an almost too strong grassy, herbaceous nose, Wildfire Extra Pale Ale by Four+ Brewing fulfilled my desires for taste bud-blowing hoppiness with a dry, bitter finish that was out of this world. This product is probably a love it or hate it beer based on your affinity for hops, but if you're a hop-head, here's an extremely quaffable opportunity to be environmentally friendly.

Bonus points to the brewery for succeeding against the odds: Four+ (who is directly affiliated with the Uinta Brewing Company) is located in the not so beer friendly city of Salt Lake City, Utah, proving once again that you can't leave Utah out of the craft beer conversation.

[Photo Credit: fourplusbrewing.com]

Depending on your preferences, you probably found this title either deeply appealing or really disgusting.

If you're a dog, hopefully you felt the former, because this new product is designed for the furry set: Dog Beer. A company in Australia has concocted a brew specifically for Fluffy. It's non-alcoholic, but company owner Elise Schumacher claims it tastes just like normal beer. Apparently, she came up with the idea after she saw her own dogs, Louis and Vuitton, leaping up to catch drops of beer.

Some customers are paying up to five bucks per bottle for the stuff in Melbourne.

But it looks like Dog Beer wasn't the first to come up with this idea. A woman in the States makes Happy Tail Ale, specifically for canines - at only $1.50 a bottle.

Uh, and I know I don't have to tell you this, but dogs can't metabolize normal beer like we can - so please don't go trying to give your dogs a sip of your Sam Adams, okay?

I like to take pride in my knowledge of beer. I've made several batches of home brew with fellow blogger Jonathan M. Forester and I know tons about different styles of beer. But, perhaps, I shouldn't be so proud of my beer lore. I just learned of the passing of Alan D. Eames who had earned the monikers the "Beer King" and "the Indiana Jones of beer." I am slightly embarrassed to admit that reading his obit was the first time I heard of the gentleman.

Eames lived up to the Indiana Jones title with such exploits as traversing the Amazon in search of a legendary black brew and entering Egyptian tombs to read hieroglyphics about beer. He liked to refer to himself as a beer anthropologist. Once in South Africa, he sampled a rare dark beer said to be made by a village grandfather. When he asked to speak to the brewer his request drew guffaws. Seems the beer was made from grandfather; his cremated bones were added to the other ingredients.

Sometime in the very near future, I'll be picking up a copy of Eame's The Secret Life of Beer! and hoisting a few cold ones in honor of this great man.

Flavored beers are most often produced by smaller, regional breweries, while the national brewers tend to stick with the tried-and-true brands that they know their consumers already have a taste for. But it seems like more of the major brewers are catching on to the trend and releasing seasonal or flavored brews. Miller Brewing Co. is introducing a chocolate beer, Frederick Miller Classic Chocolate Lager, that will be sold throughout the midwest from October to December. The beer won a gold medal at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival and is made up of a blend of cacao nibs and six different malts, which supposedly give it a more complex flavor than regular beer. It will be sold in "sold in four packs of 12-ounce bottles and will be marketed for holiday gift giving."

I won't comment on the gifting value of a four-pack of beer, but I guess it's nice to know that the company encourages sharing.

Sales of organic beer grew just as fast as sales of organic coffee in 2005-40 percent-according to a recent Associated Press article about organic breweries. Peak Organic Brewing Co. in Burlington, Mass. and Butte Creek Brewing Co. in Chico, Calif. are among the organic breweries mentioned in the piece. Anheuser-Busch is even testing out organic brews, the AP says. Consumers have already shown a willingness to shell out extra for boutique beers, so the price of organic brews shouldn't seem that unusual. For those of you still looking for a trustworthy name, Samuel Smith makes an organic lager and an organic ale.

Erik over at Gadling recently posted about the Press-Bot, a French press-style filter designed to fit in a Nalgene bottle. As you can see, the filter folds up to fit in the bottle, and the pour spout on top has threaded edges so that the the cap of the Nalgene can still be sealed. Incidentally, Bodum has offered the similar Travel Press for years. At first I was a little skeptical about the idea of putting hot liquids in a Nalgene, the Nalgene website says they're OK for hot and cold drinks alike. Still, I'm not sure if this is the ideal thing to carry coffee in. It might be best to throw it in a thermos after brewing.

In summer, iced tea is an excellent choice of beverage. It's cool, refreshing and easy to make. While some may like sweet tea or even sun tea the best, I prefer to make mine fairly plain and start it on the stovetop.

One of the most common mistakes with iced tea is that the tea leaves are brewed for too long, which causes the tea to become bitter. The best brewing strategy is to increase the amount of tea or the number of tea bags you use, while keeping the steeping time the same as you would for one cup.

Start on the stovetop with only a cup or two of water. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add in three or four times the normal amount of tea leaves/bags you use for a cup or two. Once they have steeped for several minutes, remove the bags and stir in your desired amount of sugar (or other sweetener). Using hot water will allow the sugar to dissolve quickly and easily, not to mention that a small amount of water will both heat up an cool down faster than boiling a whole pitcher's worth. Add cold water after the sugar is dissolved to dilute the strong tea and cool the drink down. Top of with some ice and refrigerate until ready to drink - or enjoy right away, since it should be a nice, cool temperature already.

If you're in a time crunch, Lipton's Iced Tea Teabags - which brew in cold water in minutes - are always nice to have on standby.

Stronger, darker craft brews are gaining popularity, especially here in the U.S., and the  researchers at HortResearch in New Zealand say that their new hybrid hops will suit changing tastes. The new hops is a blend of European and New Zealand strains and has a stronger aroma, reported BeverageDaily.com. Researchers don't seem worried that the new variety of hops will make for a costlier beer for the consumer, as many beer buyers already seem willing to shell out the extra cash for premium brews. Anheuser Busch also appears interested in the new hops, HortResearch says.

Are you interested in learning to homebrew beer? To capture that microbrewery experience in the comfort of your own home? To charge your friends exorbitant prices for a pint? Ok, I'm kidding about that last point, but How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time is a good starting point for the budding home beer brewer. Before you start, brewing may seem like a tricky and complicated process - and it can be, but John Palmer leads you through each step carefully, so you'll soon be able to make batches with confidence.

Palmer is well-known for his excellent advice and techniques on brewing. His self-published book under this same title was one of the most read and referenced brewing books ever. It's available online at How to Brew, though this newest version of the book is more up-to-date, with information utilizing the newest technologies and techniques available to home brewers. Check out the site to get a feel for the process, but pick up a copy of the book when you are ready to get down to business.

According to some recently updated info on Snopes.com, the answer may be yes. Putting a jar of water and tea bags in the sun will get the water hot, up to about 130° F, but not nearly hot enough to kill any bacteria in the water or the tea itself (that happens at around 195° F). Apparently the caffeine in black tea may help to stave off bacteria for a little while, but it isn't a guarantee. Some suggestions for you sun tea brewing daredevils include: start with a scrubbed, bleached vessel for brewing; don't leave the tea in the sun for more than four hours; don't make more than you can use in a day; refrigerate it immediately; and toss it if it gets "thick or syrupy." Also, don't use any excessively cheery jars that would make getting sick all the more ironic.

Brewers in Europe may soon have to provide complete lists off ingredients on their beer bottles, according to a recent BBC News story. The European Commission hopes to have reworked many labeling standards, including those for alcoholic beverages, by the end of the year. While this might not be a big deal to breweries in Germany, where beer can legally only contain water, hops (right), yeast and malted barley or wheat, plenty of other breweries use chemicals that, while safe, may sound less than appealing to consumers. Propylene glycol alginate, for example, is a chemical derived from algae, used to maintain a thicker head on a beer. Personally, I'd be glad to know a little more about what else is in my beer. I'm sure others would too.

Last Friday, the winners of the 2006 Brewers Association World Beer Cup (aka "the most prestigious beer competition in the world") were announced in Seattle. This year's event was the largest on record, with over 2,000 entries coming in from almost 60 different countries. Beers were judged in 85 different categories, from "non-alcoholic malt tonic" to "fruit and vegetable beer" to "barley wine-style ale." A complete list of winners is available here.