It was the old school vintage labels and cool, dark beer bottles with Grolsch-style flip caps that first caught my attention. Then I cracked open a bottle of La Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes – or BFM, for short – and was immediately hooked on the taste.

The creation of Swiss native and one-time enology student, Jérôme Rebetez, BFM has gone from an experiment in a home kitchen to a pioneer in Swiss artisan brewing. To achieve such cult status, Rebetez dreams up atypical beers combining unique ingredients, such as pepper, ginger, sage, and other spices, with his knowledge of wine making to create brews that are pushing the boundaries of traditional beer making in Switzerland and abroad.

Take La Cuvee Alex Le Rouge, for example. This legendary BFM beer boasts hints of licorice, vanilla, and pepper rounded out with a subtle tart finish that pairs perfectly with chocolate (of course). BFM’s L’Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien – which matures for 12 months in oak barrels — was named the best barley wine in the world by the New York Times. Not too shabby for a Swiss beer from the Jura. Think I’ll flip the top off another to celebrate. [Photos via nicknamemiket on Flickr]

The post Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

I’m not sure if it’s the darkly alluring title, the bold red hues or the pig and how it calls to mind charcuterie and other such farm-chic trends, but Blood Alley Bitter seems to hit all the right notes with us at The Urban Grocer. Handcrafted naturally in small artisanal batches, this one-of-a-kind bottle can be found a-brewin’ outside of Vancouver, BC.

Its namesake comes from an infamous and likely mythical alley in Vancouver’s Gastown that is similarly a-brew with tales of butchery, blood, and murder. But don’t be deceived, this beer’s relation to the grim legend of Blood Alley lies only in its style. As an Extra Special Bitter at a whopping 50 IBUs (that’s bitterness units for you winos), this brew is not for the faint-hearted or queasy-stomached. So if you can get your hands on it, and you’re not afraid of a little blood — I mean, bitterness — then get drinking because this one is a limited edition.

The post Blood Alley Bitter appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.