Articles written by Ben the Brewer

What is Helium

About me - Ben 'the Brewer'

I'm a 20 year old Junior at Grand Valley State University, majoring in Fictional Filmmaking and going for a Masters in Creative Writing.

My passions in life are making music, making beer, and making movies.

And, of course, writing.

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Food & Drink > Beer (Other) How to become a beer connoisseur: 1 of 12
The road to becoming a beer connoisseur is a long, unending one. There are many things that must be mastered before considering yourself a connoisseur, from basic to advanced knowledge, to differentiation in smelling, tasting, and style deciphering, even down to knowing what style of glass a brew should be served in.Firstly, ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Commentary: The ideal of freedom and the real war in Iraq: 6 of 63
There are two topics to be discussed here that must be addressed separately. The ideal of freedom, and the "real" war in Iraq.Freedom.Before even thinking about applying the concept of freedom to the situation in Iraq we must first examine freedom itself. What is it? Is it simply being free from an oppressing political leader... More..
Food & Drink > Beer (Other) What you should know about IPA (India pale ale) beers: 2 of 7
First: A Little History.Back in the 1700's, when Britain still occupied India, beer would be sent to the troops over a long, hot sea voyage.I brew beer, and have studied it for quite some time, and if there's one thing that can ruin a brew, it's heat. The beer would reach the troops in India hot, ruined, and disgusting.One of... More..
Entertainment > Hollywood & Movie Industry Has Hollywood run out of ideas: 15 of 40
It's barely arguable to declare Hollywood creative these days. Where has the creativity gone? What hasn't been done? What hasn't the eager eyes of the word seen already?The fact of the matter is, we've seen pretty much everything there is to see. We've heard it all, seen it all, and sat through it all. The great innovations i... More..
Food & Drink > Beer Reviews Beer reviews: Budweiser American Ale: 2 of 5
Let's cut to the chase and skip all the junk.What's the bottom line when it comes to Budweiser's American Ale?Well, that depends on what you want out of a beer.Do you want something light? Something drinkable? Perhaps you're feeling something darker, or something to truly puzzle your palate. Well, for those of you who want a ... More..
Food & Drink > Beer (Other) An introduction to beer's essential ingredients: 5 of 9
The essential ingredients of beer are, rather, categories. There is no one magical generic item that can be used in all beers, but rather each aspect of a brew is hand chosen for specific results.The main ingredients of beer are: water, hops, malted barley, and yeast.Water.Water is the base for the entire beer. Depending on w... More..
Food & Drink > Food & Drink (Other) Beginner's guide to cigar shapes: 3 of 5
Cigar's shapes are completely for display. It doesn't have much to do with how long the cigar will last, because how tightly the tobacco is packed has more of a factor than it's shape.There are two standard types of cigar shapes: Standard and torpedo.The standard cigar shape is the ever-present straight cigar, and is named di... More..
Entertainment > Hollywood & Movie Industry Everyone's a critic: Evaluating the trend of online movie reviews: 10 of 16
Here's the deal. There are two types of critics. Those who criticize a movie to death simply based on knowledge of 'filmmaking' and comparison to predecessors; and those who critique films based on that along with enjoyment/fun factor.Take, for example, the 2007 summer blockbuster '300'. The traditional critic would say it is... More..
Food & Drink > Beer (Other) An overview of beer brewing styles and methods: 4 of 5
Brewing styles are endless. There are hundreds of styles of beers, and with them, different ways to brew each one.1. The BasicsThe two generic forms of beer are Ales and Lagers - the difference being the yeast that is used to ferment them. Ales use a top-fermenting yeast (the yeast eats the fermentable sugars, primarily in th... More..
Food & Drink > Beer (Other) A beginner's guide to beers' alcoholic strength: 10 of 12
The alcoholic strength of a beer is determined by it's ingredients. Alcohol is formed in beer by the process of fermentation - when active yeasts eat lingering sugars and transforms it into carbon dioxide and alcohol.In this sense, the alcoholic content of a brew is determined by two things: length of fermentation and ingredi... More..