If this doesn't make you happy to live in the United States, nothing will.

This is a good diagram of all the parts involved in brewing a batch of beer. You can go to the website for a description of each step.

The world beer cup recently wrapped up and the winners are in. You can download the winners list above. We don't quite agree with all the decisions, and we obviously haven't had all of the beers, but here are the ones we have had that made the list and my thoughts on their awards:

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA - Gold - Rye Beer: I gave this a 3 rating. I haven't had a lot of this style, but I preferred Harpoon's version. 
Sierra Nevada Kellerweis - Silver - Session Beer: I gave this a 6 when I drank it, so no argument here.
Coors Light - Gold - American Style Lager/Light Lager: Another 6 from me, by far my favorite cheap beer (which is what this category should have been called). Definite agreement here.
Allagash White / Hoegaarden - Gold/Silver - Belgian Witbier: I disagree with the order, but you can't really go wrong with either of these beers. 5 and 7 from me. 
Leffe Blonde - Silver - Belgian-Style Blonde Ale: Another great choice (5), but I would prefer Affligem's to be on there.
Red Hook Nut Brown Ale - Silver - English Style Brown Ale: I gave this one a 5, and this may be one of the best beers for the price I've ever had.
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - Bronze - British-Style Imperial Stout: How are there 2 beers better than this one? I need to get those.


Overall, this list is pretty good. However, there were also a few beers on the list that I've had that I just haven't reviewed. Some that won awards (Icehouse especially) make me wonder who pissed in the beers that they beat. Anyway, seeing this list convinced me to go buy beer today, including 3 that won awards. I will start drinking them in about 5 minutes.