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Ben Keene

@whereandback.bsky.social
296 followers 154 following 279 posts

Parenting, hiking, beer writing & marketing, not always in that order. Authored The Great Northeast Brewery Tour & Best Hikes Near NYC. He/him. 📍 Seattle, WA

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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 3h
Without being facetious, I wonder if the closure of California's Admiral Maltings is a canary in the coal mine for craft malt? With COGS rising for breweries, margins are tighter, and beer sales continue to struggle. Will more maltsters follow suit or stay the course? brewpublic.com/beer-news/ad...
brewpublic.com
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
A beautiful early fall day with nothing planned calls for a trip to Chuckanut Brewery where you can enjoy one of North America's best Dunkels.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
As the authors put it plainly in their post: Nobody wants beer apps.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I gotta say, the beer quality geek in me does love a bar that advertises its last line cleaning.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The world order might be collapsing and Skynet is coming for us, but in the meantime, those of us in the #pnw have fresh hop beer to enjoy. Last night I chose Revenant, an unfiltered WCIPA from Structures Brewing with fresh Citra hops from Oregon. Happy fresh hop Friday!
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Hell yes @seahawksofficial.com, let's gooo!
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
A lot of people spend time in public parks over Labor Day weekend. That said, I don't think there are many places outside of the PNW where you would find a fresh hop IPA _and_ a Polish-style Grodziskie among the cans in the recycling bin.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
For anyone who needs it, here's your annual reminder to go drink draft beer in a hop field before the end of the harvest in late September. vinepair.com/articles/bre...
vinepair.com
Toast Under the Trellises at These Breweries That Grow Their Own Hops
From raising a liter of lager in a Bavarian beer garden to sipping a chalice of Trappist ale at a monastic brewery, or knocking back a pint of bitter in an English pub, there are a few quintessential ...
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
What is the best uniform in professional baseball and why is it the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rebrand as the Wisconsin Brats?
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What even is a childhood in the PNW without a trip to a hop field during harvest season?
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Even if I eat nothing else in Lincoln City, Oregon, this tantalizing hot buttered lobster roll from Rook & Larder was worth the trip.
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BREWPUBLIC @brewpublic.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Triceratops Brewing and Well 80 Brewhouse partner on a new beer with historical significance, Leotucky Lager. Details in the link below. brewpublic.com/beer-release...
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Brian Alberts @brewedculture.org · 07/08/2026
Bring back library benefit keggers.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Always nice when your beer industry press release catches the interest of a local reporter.
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Sip Magazine @sipmagazine.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
For 15 years, we've searched for the Northwest's best beers. Registration is now open for the 15th Annual Best of the Northwest Beer Awards. Breweries can enter now through 9/25.  sipmagazine.com/celebrating-15-year…
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Everybody likes to make fun of summer pumpkin beer creep, but what about Festbier? Are we ready for it in late July?
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Wish I'd been in Chicago for @offcolorbrewing.bsky.social's release of pH1 yesterday, but I'm grateful that @rudyfaust.bsky.social shared a photo of the legendary barrel. For the curious, here's @beerbybart.bsky.social's award-winning story about its journey: www.beeradvocate.com/articles/135...
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Sad to learn that the world of brewing lost a true pioneer in Alan Sprints yesterday. He was a quiet yet powerful force in the industry, and I had the pleasure of spending time with him more than once over the years. Here's my short interview with him from 2015: www.beeradvocate.com/articles/110...
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Rogue abruptly ceased operations last November. For some reason, Total Wine still has 4-packs of Mom Beer packaged in February 2024 on shelves in Seattle. Remember to check your date codes everybody!
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
The 8.4-ounce can might be my favorite format for barrel-aged beers like this tasty Chai spiced Stout from Seattle's Ravenna Brewing.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
If you’ve lingered at a happy hour or spent an afternoon watching sports with friends, you know several pints of 7% IPA is nothing to scoff at. That’s when a beer that can hold your attention without completely impairing your senses starts to make a lot of sense. beerconnoisseur.com/mid-strength...
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Should we tell them about the Stumbling Monk? 😁
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I think US soccer fans like to focus on offense and goals because our other popular sports tend to give us games with higher scores. I get it. And maybe it's the Seahawk fan in me but man, can we PLEASE put together a better defense for 2030? IMHO they let us down more often than not.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
You might say that non-alcoholic beer has been on a bit of a tear lately, with rapid growth in a market that hadn’t seen much competition or innovation in years. But for all of the advances in the NA brewing space, I haven’t found one that scratches the itch. beerconnoisseur.com/mid-strength...
beerconnoisseur.com
Meet Me in the Middle: In Praise of Mid-Strength Beer
A look at why mid-strength beer, low-ABV IPA, and moderation-minded brewing are earning a welcome place between NA beer and full-strength pints.
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All About Beer @allaboutbeer.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
🎙️ Just published a new episode of All About Beer: AAB 094: 18th Century Beer: How The Colonists Shaped American Beer. Have a listen:
share.transistor.fm
AAB 094: 18th Century Beer: How The Colonists Shaped American Beer
Beer has been an important staple of humanity for millennia. But how was...
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Fun to consider the most "American" beers. I'd add Blind Pig and/or Heady Topper to this list, for their influence, endurance, and likely historical significance to the brewing industry. Or go back further and include Bert Grant's pioneering IPA.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
My favorite part about the TV coverage of this World Cup has got to be the impassioned reaction shots of kids in the stands.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Enjoying an IPA at an outdoor concert in Seattle where Portland's Quasi is performing and @jeopardyofficial.bsky.social's Ken Jennings is milling around in a KEXP T-shirt is about as close to PNW bingo as I have come in 10 years.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
I just returned from an alumni weekend at a major university in upstate NY. To my pleasant surprise, all but one of the drink options (cider, red and white wine, IPA, light lager, Witbier, fruited sour) came from in-state producers. I wonder how common this is elsewhere?
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
If you're going to find yourself in the greater Olympia area on Saturday, this will be a fun hang.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Cheers to 10 years Ravenna Brewing! Outer Atmosphere DIPA and Bird Search IPA are stellar. #seattlebeer
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Here’s a challenge to consider before ordering your next pint: Instead of chasing hype and rarity, revisit an old favorite. Or seek out a classic like Allagash White, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald, or Odell 90 Shilling. And when you’re finished, order another. beerconnoisseur.com/getting-over...
beerconnoisseur.com
Getting Over Your Fear of Commitment: Why We Should Be More Loyal to the Beers We Love
Stop chasing beer hype. Revisit reliable beer favorites like Bodhizafa, Mirror Pond, Allagash White, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Tried my first beer with the newly released Ramosa hop variety and I must say, I'm a fan. Lots of sweet, tangy, pineapple character, like a supercharged Idaho 7.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
As we creep closer to Memorial Day weekend, more and more summer beers are beginning to appear. Which one(s) are you eager to see on shelves again?
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Maybe it's just me, but I’m glad to walk into a bar with a dozen well curated taps; I don’t need to stare at a list of 50 different beers to feel like I have options. I'm also happy to order the same beer round after round. beerconnoisseur.com/getting-over...
beerconnoisseur.com
Getting Over Your Fear of Commitment: Why We Should be More Loyal to the Beers We Love
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Enjoyed this one from a local cider maker here in Seattle. Took me back to the first Scrumpy I ever tried in Wales years ago. Have you had this style of cider?
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
A decade ago, for years, bookstores would stock a dozen+ titles on brewing and beer culture: travel guides, tasting guides, popular histories, homebrewing handbooks, and more. Today when I dropped by Barnes & Noble on an errand I found exactly two: Palmer's How to Brew and The Beer Bible by Alworth.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
How many small brewery owners are walking around Philly right now hoping to bump into someone representing a bigger company that's shopping for brands with market penetration and potential?
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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 20/04/2026
You make a mess, you clean it up, right? The fossil fuel industry thinks that rule shouldn't apply to them. Now, federal lawmakers introduced legislation to block communities pursuing accountability for the climate deception and damages fossil fuel products have caused. 🧵⬇️ #MakePollutersPay
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
If you loved Fresher Than Fresh as much as I did last year, find Trap Door Brewing's fantastic new spin off IPA with fresh frozen Mosaic hops.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
It's always a pleasure and a privilege to judge competitions like @sipmagazine.bsky.social's Best of the Northwest. Late last year, after judging several rounds of beer, the editors asked me to write tasting notes for the platinum medal winners. Track down a copy of the magazine to read all 34.
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Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Hi folks. As part of my reporting, I'd like to talk to middle-class households about their alcohol purchasing. If that's you, please DM. (Your name can be withheld if desired.) * I'll use the Pew definition of middle class, which is households making $56K-$167K.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
If you see this post a concert photo you took.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
I just left a bar where the guy behind me in line ordered a beer boot filled with a fruited smoothie sour. Wild times.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
I know it's Drink Guinness Day for many people here in the U.S., but I'm curious: What's your favorite Dry Stout that's made by an American brewery?
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Also, it's a @fortgeorgebeer.bsky.social West Coast IPA and Zootopia 2 kinda night around here. Highly recommend both.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
So today it cost over $70 to fill up my car with gas. Meanwhile we've loosened sanctions on Russia and more than 2,000 people (including 11 Americans) have lost their lives while we blunder through yet another war in the Middle East. I'm still waiting for all of this greatness I keep hearing about.
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
With people going out less frequently and hanging on to their disposable income a little longer these days, breweries are going to want to deliver on quality and value in 2026. Writing for Beer Connoisseur, I explain why tightening your beer lineup makes sense. beerconnoisseur.com/simplify-you...
beerconnoisseur.com
Simplify Your Way to Success by Brewing Fewer Beers
Craft beer growth is shrinking. Here’s why breweries can improve sales, loyalty, and efficiency by focusing on fewer, better beers.
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Kate Bernot @kbernot.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
My colleague @brewedculture.org is hosting a fascinating virtual class through Chicago's Newberry Library about Chicago's lager beer riot—its ethnic roots, transatlantic implications, and its citywide legacy. Neat stuff: www.newberry.org/calendar/bee...
newberry.org
The 30-Year Journey of Chicago's Lager Beer Riot
Embark on a winding road to, through, and beyond Chicago's famous beer riot to see how a downtown brawl shaped over a quarter century of Midwestern…
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Ben Keene @whereandback.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
The children's section of the library has changed since I was a kid.
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