Blending beer is exactly what it sounds like. Practically, it involves a brewer sampling multiple beers and then determining (with specific measurements and careful sensory analysis) the right combination of flavors. In barrel-aged beers, this involves pulling nails from the front of aging barrels and sampling the liquid therein.

It’s 1993 and Rob Tod had recently graduated from Middlebury College. While deciding whether to go back to school for geology or do something else, he takes a temporary job as a keg washer at Otter Creek brewing. Two days later, he knows that his time in brewing won’t be so temporary.

Beer styles are meant to give you an idea of what you’re going to experience, before you experience it. Think of it like a genre of movie, but for beer. In the same way that you know, generally, what to expect when you hear action movie, rom-com, or drama, beer enthusiasts know what to expect when they hear biére de garde, California common, or wee heavy.

UPDATE 7/15/21 – We couldn’t be happier to say that Maine is now the first state to establish an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law for packaging. You can read more about EPR below.