Julie Johnson

Now that summer is officially upon us, you’d think no encouragement would be needed to drink beer. The trouble is, when the weather turns hot and sticky, many beer drinkers reach reflexively for the lightest and blandest mainstream beer in the cooler. And while standard light lager does the trick on a hot dayit is […]

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a hop farm in Idaho during the annual harvest. Hosted by mega-brewer Anheuser-Busch, a gaggle of us beer writers explored the fields where mature hop vines stretched overhead across 30-foot trellises. We stood in a barn and crushed fresh hop cones between our fingers for a […]

With the sun in Aries, a new astrological year begins, filled with hopes and doubts. “Am I making the best financial decisions for retirement?” or “Will professional tooth-whitening improve my romantic prospects?” And, most critically, “What beer should I be drinking this year?” That last question is notoriously tricky. The answer “Whatever tastes best to […]

Bull City Burger and Brewery 107 E. Parrish St. Durham Opening late March Twitter Facebook All this time, I thought Seth Gross was a wine guy. When I’m in more of a grape than grain mood, I’ve felt lucky to live within a flying cork’s arc of Wine Authorities, the outstanding Durham wine store opened […]

With the Super Bowl looming, we are gearing up for an occasion where beer seems to be the only beverage thought to be appropriate. I almost feel I should give a wine writer a shot at convincing you to serve a nice cab during this year’s game. Almost. Sunday will be a massive beer day. […]

In the past year, we too often have focused on what divides and too seldom concentrated on what could unite us. In a convivial spirit, here are some highlights of the year in beer. North Carolina now holds its own in the craft beer world, an unheard-of possibility a decade ago. At the nation’s largest […]

Just outside my office door are shelves holding 50 linear feet of books on beer. Not everyone needs that many, of course. These titles culled from my collection include a beer book for (almost) everyone on your holiday gift list. The first author on this list is the late English journalist Michael Jackson, who practically […]

You’re attracted to each other. You share a lot of interests. But you love beer and your companion doesn’t. This doesn’t have to be the end of a beautiful relationship. First, a digression. Most people who maintain that they “don’t like beer” are (I hate to say it) women. There may be just as many […]