Welcome to Q & Ale/Apple!

Q & Ale and Q & Apple are the places to get your questions about beer and cider answered.  Simply use the “contact me” link at the bottom of the page or the one to the right to submit a question.  If it’s one I can answer (and is something I think people would be interested in knowing), I’ll research it and create a post.  Additionally, I’ll comb through the list of the more interesting questions that people type into search engines, questions that lead them to I think about beer.

If you’d like to be acknowledged in the answer, please indicate that you would, how you’d like it listed, and include your location in the world, i.e. “Jimmy – Beer City, Belgium.”  If you don’t specifically ask to have your name included, I’ll attribute the question as “anonymous.”

Q & Ale – How Is Beer Classified in the Czech Republic?

Q & Ale – How Is Beer Classified in the Czech Republic?

I recently read a blog post discussing Czech beers and how the beers are classified.   It was completely wrong.  I won't say what or whose blog.  I don't know.  I just stumbled upon it in my "Craft Beer" feed.  I'm not in the business of shaming someone.  I am...
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Q & Ale – Are Westvleteren 12 and St. Bernardus 12 the same beers?

Q & Ale – Are Westvleteren 12 and St. Bernardus 12 the same beers?

This is a question that has come up a lot over the last 6 months surrounding the excitement of the 12/12/12 worldwide, one-time release of Westvleteren 12.  And keeping with the spirit on my series about the Trappist breweries: "The Brewing Monks: A Brief History of the Trappist Order and...
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Q & Ale – What causes skunky beer or why is my beer skunky smelling?

Q & Ale – What causes skunky beer or why is my beer skunky smelling?

"Skunky" is one of the most common sensory adjectives I see applied to beer that has "gone bad."  In beer terms, skunky has become sort of a beginners descriptor for most off flavors.  However, it is actually a very specific off-flavor with a very specific origin. Today's Q & Ale...
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Q & ALE – HOW DO YOU GET A JOB IN THE BEER INDUSTRY? PART 1: WHOLESALER – Anniversary Edition

Q & ALE – HOW DO YOU GET A JOB IN THE BEER INDUSTRY? PART 1: WHOLESALER – Anniversary Edition

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be peppering in a few of my most popular posts as I celebrate the two-year anniversary of this blog: I think about beer.  I’ve had some good articles and some fun conversations about them.  It seemed like a good idea to post some of...
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Q & Ale – What is Bottle Conditioning?

Q & Ale – What is Bottle Conditioning?

Bottle conditioning is certainly not the sexiest of beer topics. In all the classes I've taught, I don't think I've had one person ask about it. But it's always a topic I talk about. And usually, it's a topic that sparks the interest of at least a few people. For...
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Q & Ale – How do you get a job in the beer industry?  Part 2: Brewery

Q & Ale – How do you get a job in the beer industry? Part 2: Brewery

I received this question via my "Contact Me" link.  Cody from Illinois asked this, to paraphrase " I was wondering if you knew a good way to go about  becoming employed by a craft beer company?" I chose to answer this question in 2 parts.  In the first part, Q &...
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Q & Ale – What is a Diacetyl? What Causes It?

Q & Ale – What is a Diacetyl? What Causes It?

Diacetyl is one of the most common off-flavors in beer. As someone who works in the industry, it's something I've become intimately familiar with. I've tasted it in dozens of samples from new breweries seeking representation as well as in established breweries that may be growing faster than their capacity...
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Q & Ale – How do you get a job in the beer industry?  Part 1: Wholesaler

Q & Ale – How do you get a job in the beer industry? Part 1: Wholesaler

I received this question via my "Contact Me" link.  Cody from Illinois asked this, to paraphrase " I was wondering if you knew a good way to go about  becoming employed by a craft beer company?" I thought I'd answer this question in two parts and divide it based on the...
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Q & Ale – What is “Dry Hopping?”

Q & Ale – What is “Dry Hopping?”

One of the more common questions I get when teaching classes about beer or when hosting beer dinners is: "What is "dry hopping?" In the standard brewing process, hops are added to the wort during the boil.  This explodes the oils from the hops into the beer where they add...
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Q & Ale – What is the “pissing boy” on the bottle of Blanche de Bruxelles?

Q & Ale – What is the “pissing boy” on the bottle of Blanche de Bruxelles?

One of the more common searches that leads to my page involves the label of Blanche de Bruxelles.  Blanche de Bruxelles (my review) is a Belgian Wit/Blanche beer brewed by Brasserie Lefebvre.  The question to be answered in today's Q & Ale  is: "What is the peeing (or some other derivation) boy...
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Q & Ale – Why are they called a dubbel, tripel, quadrupel?

Q & Ale – Why are they called a dubbel, tripel, quadrupel?

Today's Q & Ale question was brought to me via search engines such as Google.  I've actually seen some version of this question several times and thought I'd answer it as the first installment of Q & Ale. Why are they called a double, triple, quadruple? The "they" in question are...
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Q & Ale – Can beer that’s cold be brought up to room temperature and stored without ruining it?

Q & Ale – Can beer that’s cold be brought up to room temperature and stored without ruining it?

Recently, my friend Bobby emailed with a beer question.  He had a charity event where they had cans of Hopworks chilled in tubs of ice.  He wanted to know if it was ok to bring them up to room temperature so they could be stored or if they had to...
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Q & Ale – Are all sour beers spontaneously fermented?

Q & Ale – Are all sour beers spontaneously fermented?

I've run across this question/assumption quite a bit lately and decided to tackle it for this edition of Q & Ale.  Are all sour beers spontaneously fermented? I can understand where this assumption comes from and why it's so prevalent.  The popularity of sour beers or "wild" beers is a relatively new phenomenon....
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Please send me your questions about beer or cider! I'll research the answer and post an answer! You can use the contact form below.