When it comes to wood aging beer the popular opinion is to use bourbon barrels. Somewhere beyond the cortex is a tiny voice whose mere whisper can silence an army of arguments. that small voice says, "Age with French oak staves." Which is what Southern tier does with their summer seasonal, Imperial Cherry Saison. According to the Southern Tier website the staves impart "overtones of spice, balancing the natural sweetness of the cherries." A handful of the lint pickers over at the Beer Advocate review forums have described Imperial Cherry Saison thus: "Ew. Smells like SweetTarts or maybe Pixie Stix," "the flavor of my dad's Campari, and nearly as boozy," and "Mouth death." more ›

Our biggest issue with pumpkin beers is an imbalance between the flavor of pumpkin and spice, usually favoring the latter. Ideally a pumpkin ale should bring to mind memories of good pumpkin pie. You know, with the graham cracker crust and all, some gingerbread or some cloves balanced delicately with the flavor of pumpkin. In short, If you're going to make a spiced ale, make a spiced ale. we want to taste pumpkins in our pumpkin beers. Southern Tier gets it right with Pumking, one of Karl's favorite beers this time of year. Pumking will blow your mind, you'll ask for ice cream for an a la mode. more ›

There's always a beer tasting around town, and if you don't think so, you just aren't looking hard enough. Tonight's tasting, from 6-8 p.m. at Binny's South Loop (1132 S. Jefferson St., 312-768-4400), will focus on strong ales and barleywines. This is definitely not for session beer lovers. more ›