Lee Heidel
Author/Co-Author of 189 articles
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the best craft beer in the world, and then running off the calories. Based in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, Lee is a two-time honoree as one of Southern Living Magazine's Bloggers to Watch. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @brewdrinkrun
What is a gruit, and where can you find one?
Beer without hops? That beer is called gruit. Here's everything you need to know about the brew style and where to find the best beer.
Pro Tips for How to Store Beer and Keep Your Cellar Organized
A new year is the perfect time to clear out your beer cellar. Follow these suggestions from Service Brewing Co.'s cellarman Keith Dion and organize your craft brew store.
Boochcraft’s High-ABV Kombuchas are Here (and Delicious)
Boochcraft makes “hard” kombucha at the 7% alcohol by volume mark but on the mild end of the kombucha spectrum. The smart flavor combinations create refreshing, bright drinks that are approachable and enjoyable.
Your Guide to the Best Breweries in Savannah, Georgia
From artsy scenes to military operations, Savannah, Georgia's brewery landscape has evolved to include something for everyone these days.
Brooklyn Brew Shop Offers Pint-Size Beer Making Kits for Small Kitchens
Even the tiniest if kitchens have enough space for Brooklyn Brew Shop's one-gallon home brewing kits. Make anything from IPAs to cider to stout.
Homebrewing Must-Have: The Homebrew Journal
The Homebrew Journal by Ben Keene is a fill-in-the-blanks book that will help you improve your homebrewing. Read The Manual's review.
Take Your Drinking to New Heights and Serve Suds in Style with a Beer Tower
Beer towers replicate the draft experience on a table top. Check out our picks for traditional, modern and fun beer towers for your home bar.
The Flaming Lips and Dogfish Head Team Up for Fruity New Beer
The Flaming Lips and Dogfish Head present Dragons & YumYums, a tropical. fruity, bitter ale that will be released in April 2018.
Hardywood’s Coveted Gingerbread Stout Beer Returns for 2022
Virginia-based Hardywood Park Craft Brewery's coveted Gingerbread Stout is available in eight variants, including seasonal barrel-aged versions.
11 Best Oktoberfest Beers From Märzen to Festbier
It's finally Oktoberfest beer season! Check out our picks for the best Oktoberfest beers to try.
Homebrew Con is Three Days of Heaven for the Homebrewer
Homebrew Con is the must-attend destination for amateur brewing enthusiasts. The 2017 edition will be held in Minneapolis from June 15th through July 17th.
5 Best Tequila-Barrel-Aged Beers to Enjoy Right Now
One barrel type that is less commonly used in aging beer is the tequila barrel. Like the other barrels mentioned, tequila barrels provide their own character to the mix, often described as an herbal, spicy kick.
5 Best Craft Beer Books to Have on Your Shelf
While all of this information can be found with a few well-worded internet searches, there’s something to be said about buying a good old fashioned book to guide the way. These are our top five books for would-be craft beer aficionados.
‘Tis the Season for Winter Warmers: What to be Sipping On Right Now
Winter warmers are sometimes referred to as Christmas beers, winter ales, or wassail ales. The key flavor signifiers are a pronounced, sweet malt presence, low hop bitterness, alcohol warmth, and seasonal spices.
The Best Maple Syrup Beers Bring Breakfast to Your Pint Glass
The natural sugar in maple syrup is a perfect catalyst for boosting a brew’s alcohol content, adding a touch of sweetness, or infusing a bit of childhood nostalgia into your ale. Here are the five best maple sugar beers on the market.
5 Best Wine Barrel-Aged Beers to Drink Right Now
Wine barrel-aged beers are an interesting and often surprising category of barrel-aged beers that you should check out sooner rather than later. Here's where to start.
The 3 Best Scary Beers To Drink on Halloween
Looking for a special Halloween beer? These are our top three picks for spooky, seasonal craft brews, including Hopped in Half and Ghost Face Killa.
Listen Up: These are Best Podcasts For Beer Lovers
You're never drinking alone when you listen to one of our favorite craft beer podcasts. These shows feature beer reviews, news, and general brew-induced silliness.
Sample in Style with Beer Flight Paddles
Bring the brewery experience home with these beer flight tasting kits that feature a paddle and beer sample glasses.
Open Containers and Craft Breweries: A Mardi Gras Beer Guide
Looking for Mardi Gras beer? These are your best bets for getting your craft beer fix while partying it up in New Orleans, LA.
Shmaltz Brewing Brings Beer and Holiday Cheer to Hanukkah
Chanukah, Hanukkah: Pass the Beer is a mouthful to say and an enjoyable mouthful to drink. A study in eights to commemorate the right nights of Hanukkah, the beer includes right malts and eight hops, checking in at an appropriate 8 percent alcohol by volume.
High on Hops: Haynes Beer Enthusiasts’ Manual
The iconic Haynes Publishing line of DIY manuals launched in the 1960s as detailed, step-by-step guides for auto repair. Its books show how to completely take apart and rebuild a vehicle with line-art diagrams and dozens of close-up photographs, making the titles popular references for those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty. The exact […]
Why (and How) You Should Start Growing Your Own Hops
Learn to grow your own hops for homebrewing beer or just the glory of the bitter weed. Information about hops, growing zones and best practices.
How to Make Your Own Short Mead
Short meads, aka low-alcohol honey wine, require less time to ferment and can be enjoyed in larger quantities without worry imminent intoxication.
Business secrets of a craft beer insider
Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head brewery, discusses craft brewing, following your own path, and how to run a business in Off-Centered Leadership.
How and Why You Should Add Carrot to Your Home Brew
See you later, pumpkin ales. Sayonara, sweet potato brews. There’s a new orange-hued root vegetable beer in town. It’s time for carrot beer to take center stage.
Free Craft Beer Recipes that Let You Brew Your Favorite Commercial Beer at Home
The American Homebrewers Association released a free collection of famous craft beer recipes called The Commercial Beer Clone Recipes Guide.
The Highest ABV Beers Brewed in the U.S. and Where to Get Them
Here are three breweries with easy-to-find, high-ABV beers currently in production: The Bruery, Dogfish Head, and Samuel Adams.
Founders’ 2019 Beer Release Calendar Is Here and We Love It
Craft beer powerhouse Founders Brewing Company is hitting 2019 hard with a ton of releases. Find out what's coming out when.
Learn to Homebrew in 2019 with Brew in a Bag
For wanna-be brewers short on time, space or funds, Brew in a Bag makes all grain homebrewing easy for delicious DIY beer.
Everything You Need to Know About Pretoria Fields Collective
Pretoria Fields is a working farm brewery founded by Dr. Tripp Morgan, a vascular surgery specialist who had a longstanding passion for craft beer and wanted to make a way for the local flavors of Albany, Georgia, shine for locals and travelers alike.
Meet the Milkshake IPA, Your Newest Craft Beer Obsession
While the Milkshake IPA isn’t an officially recognized beer style yet, you can get in on the ground floor by tasting some of these excellent examples.
What Is Pale Ale? Everything You Need to Know About the Basic Beer Style
The pale ale isn’t sexy. It’s not extreme. It’s not a palate wrecker. But believe it or not, there was a time when this humble beer style was the hottest thing going. In fact, the argument can be made that the American pale ale was the spark that ignited the fuse on the craft beer revolution.
Homebrewing 101: An Introduction to Extract Brewing
There’s no need to tackle the most complex processes right away or invest in a ton of expensive equipment. Ease yourself into the world of homebrewing and set yourself up for success by using a malt extract kit.
Why You Should Get to Know Little Brother Brewing in North Carolina
Little Brother opened in November 2017 on the lively corner of South Elm and West McGee in downtown Greensboro with a stylish taproom with a view of its small but efficient four-barrel brewhouse.
Backcountry Brews: Essential Beer Accessories for Your Next Camping Trip
Take wilderness exploration to the next level with these beer accessories ready-made for your camping adventures, from growlers to chillers.
How to Age Your Beer at Home for Even Better Flavor
Beer cellaring allows both home-based and commercial connoisseurs to sample how time affects the flavor of such beers as stouts, sours, and barleywines, and other craft varieties.
On Your Mark: Craft Brew Races Are Back for 2019
Beer and running are such a popular pair, it’s common now to cross a finish line and be handed your medal, a banana, and a beer. But too often, that free post-run beer is a watered down, unexciting macro brand. After all that hard work, who wants a sub-par brew?
A Brief Introduction to Brewing Malts, the Backbone of Beer
Malts provide the backbone of a beer. These grains are like unsung heroes, creating a platform for the hops, yeast, and additives to interact.
Celebrate Spring with these 5 Delicious Saison Beers
Want a little zip on your palate? Here are five must-try saisons for spring 2019 from Brasserie Dupont, Orpheus, Allagash, Funkwerks, and Hill Farmstead.
Southern Tier Adds New IPAs and Low-Calorie Brew to Lineup
Southern Tier recently added three new year-round beers to its lineup, and all three touch on current trends in the world of craft beer. Nu Juice IPA and Lake Shore Fog join the fray of sweet, juicy IPAs on store shelves, while Swipe Light is part of a new wave of low-calorie craft brews.
How to Host a Bottle Share: 5 Tips for Planning Your First Beer Tasting
Calling up a few like-minded friends to engage in a beer tasting is a perfect excuse to hang out and tick a few new beers off your own must-try list. If you’re interested in organizing your own bottle share, here are five tips for planning your first event.
Crack a Cold One and Get Used to It, Because the IPL is Your New Favorite Beer Style
What happens when you blend the big hops of the IPA style with lager yeast and brewing methods? Beautiful, beautiful things. Meet the India Pale Lager.
Stella Artois Brings Midnight Lager to the Masses
Even the most popular beer brands need to try something new occasionally. It's now Stella Artois' turn with the release of Midnight Lager, which will be available starting on Halloween.
These Homebrewing Appliances And Kits Are the Easiest Way to Make Your Own Beer
Meet your toaster’s new neighbor: A box or bottle that makes beer. These appliances and kits are the easiest way to pump out small batches of delicious homebrew.
High on Hops: Jerusalem’s Craft Beer Evangelist
Jerusalem craft beer guide Doug Greener, author of Israel Brews and Views, is your inside man to finding great beer in the holy land.
The Best Canned Beer from Craft Breweries for Summer Sipping
Our choices for canned beer come from craft breweries like Destihl and Madtree and are perfect for the beach, lake or pool.
Cheers to National Homebrew Day and Raise a Glass Together on May 5
DIY beer aficionados across the U.S. will participate in a simultaneous toast on Saturday, May 5 to honor National Homebrew Day (which is officially recognized as May 7). Here's how to join an American Homebrewers Association event or host your own.
Meet Melvin Brewing, Masters of IPAs
Melvin Brewing crafts delicious, innovative double IPAs from its Wyoming brewery including the award winning 2x4 and its Rotational Series.
High on Hops: Good People Brewing Co.
Birmingham, Alabama’s Good People Brewing Co. has a mission to craft what it calls “Ales from the Heart of Dixie" including the fantastic Snake Handler IPA.