There are a few ways choosing the right beer glass enhances your experience. Certain glass shapes can accentuate different parts of your beer, like the nose (a.k.a. how a beer smells). If you’re drinking a higher-alcohol beer, you’ll likely receive a smaller glass than if you were drinking a sessionable beer.

(LEARN: Beer 101 Online Course)

Check out our handy beer glass infographic. It’s a good primer on how you can keep it glassy the next time you order your favorite beer.

Download Craft Beer Glass Primer

A few more things you should know: Frosted glassware is bad for beer — and so is a dirty glass. See the signs that your glass is beer-clean in this CraftBeer.com video.

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(BEER TRAVEL: You Should Consider These Beercations)

If you have tips for the trail, we want to hear about them. Be sure to share them in the comments sections.

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Each year The Roaming Pint keeps tabs on great craft beer products so they can assemble this visual gift guide. With an emphasis on new and innovative products they showcase the best of the craft beer community.

Check it out now and be sure to share with your friends: http://theroamingpint.com/giftguide/

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Well you are in luck. We asked some of the featured photographers from that story to share their tips to take better photos and not a single one requires an expensive camera. “You don’t need fancy equipment … some of my favorite images have come from my phone,” says Cory Smith (@BKBeerGuy), an advertising industry creative director whose beer photos often look billboard-ready. “Some of my favorite images have come from my phone.”

So grab whatever lens you have handy, and let’s get going!

Philosophy

To begin, ask yourself why you are taking pictures of beer in the first place. Many of our featured beertographers started doing it as a personal quest to document the wide variety of beers they encounter. Some focus on the beer itself, while others like to capture certain aspects of the experience, whether that be the environment or the people they are with.

Your beertography perspective may change over time, but being able to articulate your motivation with each shot will help you to focus your eye and develop a signature style that others can latch on to. Beer and food blogger Jessica Rice McNew (@BeerAndBaking) suggests “keeping a theme for your followers helps keep the contiguity.”

Subject Matter

“A beer photo does not have to be a closeup of the bottle or can and glass alone,” says Jose A. Cruz (@jomando). When your shots include some of the surroundings, he says, “It places them in time and makes it easy to recall when and where you enjoyed that beer.” By providing clues about the time and place of the image, you add an emotional factor to the image that your audience can connect to more easily than a sterile product shot.

A good way to do this is to “zoom out, way out,” offers Michael Kiser (@GoodBeerHunting). “Put your audience in the photo — don’t put the photo in their face.” Kiser continues, “Often the context or the interaction around a beer is just as interesting.”

Are you in a bar or out on a hike? Is the place crowded or a dimly lit dive? Thinking about these elements can help bring the experience to life.

Angle

What differentiates your grandma’s vacation pics from a National Geographic photo? Most of the time, it’s that professional photographers find unique ways to look at things. Shooting a scene from an uncommon angle can add a dynamic factor to your photos. Try shooting from extremes like a bird’s-eye or worm’s-eye view.

Matthew Ward (@BendBrewDaddy) likes to “get below the beer” to make it “look bigger than life.” Like many photographers, he can usually be found “laying on the ground to get the perfect shot.”

Clutter

“The less cluttered, the better,” notes McNew. Some of the most intriguing shots are often simple, even barren. We’re used to a cluttered world, so a scene of relative inaction can be a striking counterpoint. Try subtracting the messiness by leaving it outside the frame.

Depth of Field

Playing with depth of field can create some really interesting images. Putting a primary foreground element out of focus, for instance, can draw attention to background details that wouldn’t otherwise be noticed. If you’re lining up a shot that has some objects very close to you and others that are very far away, try focusing alternately on the foreground and background and see which one gives you a more unique perspective.

Rule of Thirds

Often our natural tendency is to put the focus of a picture directly in the center. This is kind of an in-your-face approach that produces more of a snapshot than an arthouse photo. Next time, try using the rule of thirds to provide some variety.

Mentally divide your viewfinder into a grid of three columns and three rows. Placing objects of emphasis at the intersection of these lines can create dynamic images that demand more than a quick look.

Lighting

“Natural light: always use it,” recommends Dee Stecco (@BeerLivesHere), whose hands-off approach to lighting contrasts nicely with her flat and geometrical compositions. “Please never use flash. It takes away from the colors of the label and beer itself.” This is a sentiment echoed by photographers across the globe. Flash photography washes out the background and only focuses on highlights.

Mike Donk’s (@BrewBokeh) experience as a concert photographer taught him a thing or two about the importance of adapting to whatever light you find. He says photographers should “spend less time trying to stage a shot and more time looking for ways to utilize the available light.” If it’s too dark where you are, look around for a light source that you can use.

It might sound like a lot to take in, but keeping a couple of these principles in mind next time you line up a shot will go a long way towards making your beertography pop.

The post 7 Tips for Becoming a Better Beertographer appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Having worked in around breweries since he was fourteen, Pickett had no doubts about about his own knowledge of making beer. But the three suits seemed out of their element.

“The real question is, what do you know about running a brewery?” Pickett replied. The blank faces staring back told him everything he needed to know.

Just like that, Ellis Island Casino added Pickett to its staff and “Brewery” to its name. In doing so, it joined a small and unique group of casino-breweries that are using craft beer to enhance both the gaming experience and their bottom lines. With ten such operations in the U.S., these businesses are learning what it means to gamble on craft beer.

Brewing Up Good Business

A cynic might look at a casino adding an on-premise brewhouse and see a marketing move designed to capitalize on the growing popularity of craft beer. However, casinos discovered the complementary nature of beer and gambling long before craft brewing pioneers Fritz Maytag and Jack McAuliffe were even thinking about making beer.

Ed Gilbert, general manager at Feather Falls Casino and Lodge in Oroville, Calif., puts it simply: “Beer drinkers like to gamble.” His four-year-old brewery, which recently passed the $1 million mark in sales, is just over 20 miles from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, one of the nation’s biggest craft breweries. “The local population is very attuned to craft beer,” Gilbert says.

Joe Pickett goes one step further. “Having a brewery is a major asset from a cost aspect,” he explains. Casinos usually offer free drinks to keep gamblers at the table, so making beer in-house means those freebies come “at a fraction of the cost [of the drinks] that other casinos are giving away.”

Beer drinkers like to gamble.

And since 97 percent of Ellis Island’s beer is sold on-premise (the other 3 percent is sold at a satellite restaurant), the casino doesn’t have to pay a premium to an outside brewer and third-party distributor — which means more profit goes back into the casino’s own business. And for the brewery, business is booming. “We serve a million glasses of beer a year, all consumed in the casino,” Pickett says, which puts the brewery among the top 20 brewpubs in America.

For Dostal Alley Casino & Brew Pub in Central City, Colo., the decision was more of a necessity to survive. “We were trying to compete with the rest of the casinos in town,” says Buddy Schmalz, who went from operations manager to head brewer. “They pretty much all provided the same experience—it’s just slot machines—so we decided to offer something that no one else could: craft beer.”

Schmalz points out that it wasn’t an overnight success. “It took awhile to win over the beer drinkers,” he says. “The market was still geared to Coors, Miller and Bud, but we decided to stick with it. Once we got them to actually try our beer, business changed for us.”

Tangled Laws, Unprecedented Combinations

Since gambling laws are determined by each state, you won’t find these operations just anywhere. The ten casino-breweries we found operate in five different states, but there’s a six-pack clustered in Nevada to take advantage of that state’s pro-gambling laws. In fact, Nevada has embraced gambling so much that it is actually more challenging to open a tasting room without gaming.

CraftHaus Brewery, which opened recently in a Las Vegas suburb, had to petition the city council for an exemption from the $35,000 zoning fee to run a bar — because there was no option to create an establishment where patrons could drink but not gamble.

When filing for a brewery license in California, Feather Falls Casino ran into a different legal issue because of its Native American ownership. “There had never been a precedent of a Federally recognized tribe applying for a brewery license,” Ed Gilbert explains. Feather Falls Casino became the first of its kind in the nation.

Going “All In” On Good Beer

The kind of beer you’ll find at one of these casino-breweries can range from Dostal Alley’s “constant experimentation” on its small seven-barrel system to Joe Pickett’s steady flow of traditional, lighter beer styles.

“I make the beer that the customers like,” Pickett says. “As customers become more educated, the beers have evolved to reflect that.”

So what do beer geeks think about beer that come from a casino? Ed Gilbert notes that Feather Falls’ brews have won 40 medals, including a bronze at the 2012 World Beer Cup for its Blackjack Stout. Among Dostal Alley’s accolades is a silver medal from the 2014 Great American Beer Festival for its Shaft House Stout.

For two seemingly independent industries like gambling and craft beer to live harmoniously with each other is a testament to the dedication of those involved.

“Gambling is pretty cutthroat,” says Buddy Schmalz of the relationship between competing casinos. “If they can close you down and take customers away, it’s a win for them. In craft beer it’s just the opposite. We all want to produce great beer. If I go to another brewery and ask them a question about what they are doing, they would tell me everything. That would never happen in the casino industry.”

Maybe craft beer can teach the gaming industry a thing or two about cooperation.

The post Betting on Craft Beer: Casinos Tapping Into Craft Beer appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

You think, “Maybe she was hired by the brewery to get some product shots”—but she wasn’t. She is simply recording her journey through the wonderful world of beer in the best way she knows how. This practice of beer photography, bolstered by the rise of visual social media services like Instagram, has ushered in a revolution in the way we relate to beer and created a new kind of craft beer fan: the Beertographer.

Some are professionals, some are hobbyists, but they all have the ability to capture the moment in a way that makes you want to be there—enjoying the event, sipping a pint, and sharing a story. If you aren’t following these beer-loving photographers on Instagram, you probably should.

Jose A. Cruz | @jomando

A photographic sponge, Jose A. Cruz (@jomando) is a self-taught photo hobbyist who draws on many sources for inspiration and techniques. By using the time-tested method of trial and error, he has utilized the #beertography community to speed up his learning.

Like many beertographers, Cruz started an Instagram account to simply keep track of his beers, “since once they are enjoyed, they are gone”. His love of beer label art has led him on a personal quest to photographically preserve the most fantastical designs.

Mike Donk | @brewbokeh

Mike Donk’s (@brewbokeh) passion for shooting breweries was ignited unexpectedly while traveling in one of the world’s most venerated beer regions. “I visited Cantillon Brewery in Belgium with my camera three years ago and was hooked,” Donk remembers. “I love capturing breweries that show the buildup of hard work and unique character from the passionate people behind them.”

Donk started out doing concert photography, and found the low light he encountered at many shows was natural training for the lighting found in many breweries. “This was particularly true when photographing Founders’ barrel cave with only the light of a small flashlight,” he says.

Charles Eck | @thebottletrade

As a videographer, editor and photographer for Sony Playstation, Charles Eck (@thebottletrade) started his visual exploration inspired by the cinematic arts. Inspired by landscapes, surfing and music, and often featuring time-lapse techniques, his images have a natural presence that draws the viewer into the scene.

His passion for beertography coincided with a move to San Diego five years ago, as he watched the city “evolve and explode” into a beer mecca. “Photographers have one job: to capture the moment,” Eck says. “It just so happens that our moments are full of delicious, beautiful beer.”

Daniyel Garcia | @louiebaton

What started as a way to keep track of the beers he had tasted slowly evolved into a hilarious journey through Daniyel Garcia’s (@louiebaton) imagination. Using a seemingly endless supply of Lego mini-figurines, Garcia constructs scenes inspired by his latest beer discoveries.

Garcia was inspired early on by his mom, who always had a camera and could be found takings pictures at every family event. He learned the ins and outs of photography by experimenting with a variety of cameras he hoarded over the years: Polaroid, Kodak, 35mm, 110, Advantix, and digital. Garcia credits simply taking a lot of pictures as the best way to learn photography.

(Be sure to read the descriptions of Garcia’s photos, as they are often just as humorous as the images themselves.)

Michael Kiser | @goodbeerhunting

With a foundation in black-and-white film photography from his undergraduate studies, Michael Kiser (@goodbeerhunting) learned to appreciate the reductionist approach to seeing things. After essentially taking a ten-year hiatus from photography after college, he got hooked again when he became the founder and chief content creator at GoodBeerHunting.com.

Kiser draws inspiration from a diverse group of image-makers including Sally Mann’s straightforward approach, Herman Leonard’s jazz culture work, and Thomas Struth’s architectural tilt. His own goal is to capture the “life in beer”, preferring to point his lens toward the brewer, the drinker, and the environment in which they meet.

“Beer is a companion, a catalyst, a collaborative element in a relationship,” Kiser says. “And occasionally, it’s the conversation in and of itself.”

Chase Jensen | @aleauteur

“I never had the patience to read manuals, so I pretty much taught myself by pushing buttons” claims the self-taught beertographer Chase Jensen (@aleateur). “ Luckily, the subject I photograph sits pretty still and I can manipulate where I chose to shoot it.”

With a degree in narrative film, Jensen draws on cinematic elements like framing, visual narrative, and balancing light to construct his visual beer expressions. He believes people take pictures of the things they love most, and for him, that’s beer—wherever he encounters it.

“Photographers tend to thrive in an environment,” Jensen says. “For some people that is the streets, sports, fashion, or nature. For me, my environment changes regularly, but beer seems to be the common thread.”

Jessica Rice McNew | @beerandbaking

As the creator of BeerAndBaking.com, Jessica Rice McNew (@beerandbaking) creates amazing edible delights using craft beer. She’s a mostly self-taught shutterbug whose photography passion was jump-started with a DSLR that was gifted to her by encouraging family members.

McNew is inspired equally by fellow Instagramers and bloggers that push the boundaries of image-making, and by the subject of beer. “Beer is not just the glass, but the community,” she says. “It’s a topic I am passionate about and I love to spread the word about this little community that’s exploded into big business.”

Dee Stecco | @beerliveshere

“I love craft beer, and everything that comes with it,” says food and drink photographer Dee Stecco (@beerliveshere). “The labeling; the hard work behind each bottle, can or growler; the different colors and tastes; it is all so wonderful and I love to capture it in my own special way.”

Photography is a fun side-project for Stecco, who enjoys seeking out and capturing interesting patterns. Her photos often combine muted background with still-life interpretations of the beer being photographed to create “simple yet intricate images.”

Cory Smith | @bkbeerguy

As an art/creative director in the advertising industry, Cory Smith (@bkbeerguy) has always had an eye for photography. But it wasn’t until about five years ago that he got the bug to do more than direct a photo shoot and decided to pick up the camera himself. Preferring documentary and idealized commercial-styled photos, he is inspired by the likes of William Eggleston and Dana Neibert.

Smith’s passion for shooting bands and musical events led him to transfer his talents towards the fermented side of life, as a way to document his beer journey. Says Smith: “I figured if I’m going to photograph it, I might as well try to make it fun and visually interesting.”

Matthew Ward | @bendbrewdaddy

Growing up in an artistic family gave Matthew Ward (@bendbrewdaddy) access to a camera from an early age, which is how he learned to document everything he sees. Inspired by the “beautiful and ecologically diverse” Central Oregon area he calls home, Ward’s images frequently depict the “raw beauty and artistic expression” found in Bend.

“Craft beer is extremely photogenic and, dare I say, sexy!” Smith exclaims when asked why he focuses on beer. Merging a love of beer with a naturalists’ mentality, he often mixes artistic and commercial techniques to create vivid and colorful compositions.

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Either way, the craft beer community is full of adventure-loving people who enjoy the simplicity of exploring our natural surroundings and discovering amazing new places. The act of hiking through areas largely untouched by civilization has an undeniable attraction for beer lovers young and old. A great way to add to this experience is to make it a beer hike.

Beer hiking is an active form of beer travel that uses beer as either the destination or as a means of celebration. Hiking near a source of local beer provides a great way to end a day trip and reflect on the journey, while a sipping a few canned beers you brought along is a great way to enjoy the view from the top. The feeling of reaching a tough summit is only exceeded by knowing you will celebrate the hike with great craft beer.

It is important to keep in mind that a beer hike is not a rigorous drinking session. Your body processes alcohol differently when you are constantly exerting energy, and lower-ABV beers are preferable to boozier brews. You should always bring a water pack if you plan on beer hiking.

Another factor is waste. You don’t always have to limit yourself to cans, as stainless steel growlers are a great size to share between two to four people, but glass shouldn’t ever be brought on the trail. Remember to always pack out what you pack in.

If beer hiking sounds like your kind of activity, all you need to do is pick a location to explore and a beer or brewery to pair it with.

5 Great Beer Hiking Destinations

Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff often plays second fiddle to its southern neighbor, Sedona, when it comes to beautiful hikes. While both cities boast great positions in the heart of the Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff wins out easily when you are looking to hike near local beer.

The city grew up as a logging, ranching and railroading town. However, it has evolved into a gorgeous mountain getaway for those tired of the concrete jungle. The town is perched on a mountain 7,000 feet above sea level and is flanked by volcanoes.

Flagstaff boasts seven breweries, four within a three block radius of each other. The original Flagstaff Brewery started in 1994 and has a local vibe in a building that emanates lumber and live music. Recent additions Mother Road Brewing, Wanderlust Brewing Co. and Historic Brewing Co. have added some new blood to the beer scene that has helped round out the depth of draught offerings.

Local Canned Beer

• Grand Canyon Brewing Co. | Williams, AZ
• Lumberyard Brewing Co. | Flagstaff, AZ
• Prescott Brewing Co. | Prescott, AZ

Popular Area Hikes

• Humphreys Peak
• Old Caves Crater Trail
• Red Mountain Trail
• Slate Mountain Trail

Bend, Oregon

The pride of Central Oregon attracts active people from all over the world looking for great views and just about any outdoor activity you could want. Nestled along the Deschutes River and the Cascade Range, Bend sports both green and desert-like landscapes. Oh, and the beer isn’t too shabby either.

Bend is dense with locally made beer, to the tune of 18 breweries. The regional brewery Deschutes is a staple for outdoor enthusiasts and takes pride in the area’s natural wonders, representing them on labels like Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter.

Crux Fermentation Project and Boneyard Brewery are up-and-coming breweries that are mere blocks from each other and offer outdoor seating to enjoy the vast views. Crux even features a happy hour during sunset, and is said to have one of the best views in the city.

Local Canned Beer

• Deschutes Brewery | Bend, OR
• Worthy Brewing Co. | Bend, OR
• GoodLife Brewing Co. | Bend, OR

Popular Area Hikes

• Farewell Bend River Trail
• Upper Deschutes River Trail
• Lava Butte and Lava River Cave
• Tumalo Falls
• Sisters Mirror Lake

* The Bend Ale Trail offers you an urban beer hike that will take you to all parts of the city if you still have energy after your hike.

Fort Collins, Colorado

Sure, you could throw a dart at a map of Colorado and probably find great beer hiking spots nearby, but when it comes to the specific combination of beer diversity and landscape, Fort Collins is hard to beat. Horsetooth Mountain, found at the foot of the Front Range, borders the city to the west and can be reached from practically anywhere in town in less than 20 minutes. A trek to its summit will reveal an amazing view of the city and of Mount Meeker and Longs Peak.

If you don’t know about Fort Collins’ beer scene by now, you owe it yourself to go and experience it first-hand. There are 13 breweries in the city, and alongside national names like New Belgium Brewing Co. and Odell Brewing Co. you’ll find a slew of smaller operations such as Funkwerks (2012 Great American Beer Festival Small Brewery of the Year) and Equinox Brewing, Horse and Dragon Brewing Co. and Black Bottle Brewery.

Canned Beer

• New Belgium Brewing Co. | Fort Collins, CO
• Upslope Brewing Co. | Boulder, CO
• Oskar Blues Brewery | Longmont, CO

Popular Area Hikes

• Horsetooth Rock and Horsetooth Falls
• Poudre Trail
• Foothills Trail
• Gem Lake Trail

Charlottesville/Crozet, Virginia

You might be wondering how a small college town in Virginia got onto the list, but if you have ever gazed upon the Blue Ridge Mountains you likely will understand. Home to Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and the University of Virginia, the city has more to offer than historical interest.

Between Charlottesville and nearby Crozet, the area heartily supports seven breweries, several of which follow the mountain range south and make up the Brew Ridge Trail: Blue Mountain Brewery and Wild Wolf Brewing Co.. You can hit all three in a 13 mile stretch.

Local Canned Beer

• Three Notch’D Brewing Co. | Charlottesville, VA
• Starr Hill Brewery | Crozet, VA
• Champion Brewing Co. | Charlottesville, VA
• Blue Mountain Brewery | Afton, VA

Popular Area Hikes

• Ivy Creek Natural Area Trails
• Riprap Trail
• Humpback Rocks Recreation Area
• Blackrock Summit Trail
• Walnut Creek Park

Asheville, North Carolina

Many in the beer community know about Asheville’s beer scene from it’s Beer City USA awards in 2010, 2011, and split title in 2012 with Grand Rapids, MI. Turns out this hip North Carolina city also has an active outdoor scene. Located near the start of the Appalachian Trail, Asheville rests between the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.

With longstanding locals breweries such as Asheville Brewing Co., Highland Brewing Co., Green Man Brewery and Wedge Brewing Co. serving a wide range of styles in unique and friendly tasting rooms.

Local Canned Beer

• French Broad Brewing Co. | Asheville, NC
• Asheville Brewing Co. | Asheville, NC
• Pisgah Brewing Co. | Black Mountain, NC
• Catawba Brewing Co. | Morganton, NC

Popular Area Hikes

• Craggy Gardens
• Cold Mountain
• Mount Mitchell
• Canebreak Trail
• Point Lookout Trail

The post 5 Canned Beer and Hiking Destinations appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

The people behind TheRoamingPint.com have put together an online community to help craft beer fans enhance and share their beer adventures. Each new member in the community gets a personalized profile page to track their travels. They also receive a beer travel starter kit to help them find local beer, take notes on their visits, and look good while doing it.

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