World's best brewery tours

Once a magnet for those looking for a free beer, brewery tours have become much more sophisticated in recent years.
Along with that gratis beer, breweries the world over are offering everything from in-depth tours to lessons in beer-making. Some have even built restaurants or brewpubs where visitors can lunch on a Kobe burger and wash it down with a German-style ale. Add it all up, and you have more than just a free beer; you have a perfect Saturday afternoon. < MORE >

beer can chicken

It's not a home brew recipe, but it's just as good. Beer-Can Chicken is a recipe that's been on the barbecue circuit for years, not in cookbooks. It cooks evenly and gets a perfect crisp skin from it standing on the can. It's a recipe that was probably created by a couple of drunk buddies in their backyard. READ MORE

Boston Lager

Grains and Extract
1/2 lb. 60 crystal
4 lb. light malt extract
2 1/2 lb. light dry malt extract
Hops
2 oz. Tettnanger (60 minutes)
1/2 oz. Tettnanger (5 minutes)
1/2 oz. Hallerttau Mittlefruh (dry hop)
Yeast
Saflager S-23

Brewing Instructions:
Steep crystal in 1.5 gallon of 150f water for 20 min. Remove grains and bring to a boil. Add the extract, light dry malt extract, and bittering hops. Boil for 55 minutes, add 1/2 oz Tettnanger. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from stove, cool, place in fermentor, and add enough water to make 5 gallons. Pitch yeast and ferment cool at 55F for 2 weeks. Rack to secondary and add the dry hops, wait another week and bottle or keg.

ESB

Grains and Extract
1 lbs. Simpsons Crystal
6.5 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
Hops
2 oz. Willamette (60 min)
2 oz. Kent Goldings (5 min)
Yeast
Safale S-04

German Pilsner

Grains and Extract
1 lb. carapils malt
6 lbs. Muntons extra-light malt extract syrup
Hops
1 oz. Perle hops (60 minutes)
2 oz. Hallertau hops (5 minutes)
Yeast
Saflager S-23

Schwarzbier

Grains and Extract
0.5 lbs. Weyermann Caramunich III
0.5 lbs. Dingemans Debittered Black
6 lbs. Dark Malt Syrup
1 lbs. Dark Dry Malt Extract
Hops
1 oz. Argentina Cascade (60 min)
1 oz. Argentina Cascade (30 min)
Yeast
Saflager S-23

Two Hearted Ale

Grains and Extract
1 lbs. Briess Caramel 40
9.25 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
Hops
1 oz. Centennial (60 min)
1 oz. Centennial (20 min)
2 oz. Centennial (5 min)
1 oz. Centennial Hops (dry hop)
Yeast
Safale US-05