Every so often when I go to the Pike Place Market, I venture into First and Pike News in search of beer magazines. Normally they carry a small assortment of beer and home brewing publications. A few days ago, however, my visit to the stand nearly ended in disappointment – none of my normal magazines were there. Fortunately, I decided to browse a bit, and nestled in between Wine Spectator, Food and Wine, and Bon Appetit, I found a gem.
Draft is a bi-monthly magazine written for beer enthusiasts. The focus of the issue I found (January/February 2008) was beer and food. Covered were beer and food pairings, including soups and chocolates recipes utilizing beer, and blurbs about some American chefs along with a recipe from each chef profiled. There was also a short article about some real achievers and innovators of winter sports and another article spotlighting some high-tech audio gear, as well as one about the red wines of California.
I found Draft to be well-written and informative, and perhaps because of its focus on pairings (one of my favorite challenges with beer), I truly enjoyed it. The writers obviously love beer and know it well, and are happy to share. I’m glad I found this magazine whose quality surpasses that of quite a few other beer magazines out there. I highly recommend it to beer lovers.
