Beer Hawk Blog

Ah, the age-old battle between porters and stouts. Both are dark, craft beer styles...but how are the two different from each other? If you were looking at the two side by side, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the stout from the porter, but if you give them a careful whiff and a swig, there's certain differences you *might* be able to taste and smell (or should be able to taste/smell depending on which beer nerd you talk to). But the biggest differences between the two styles are historical.

Our Beer Sommelier, Maggie Cubbler, discusses some of her favourite beers that will be fantastic along with--or instead of--your Easter chocolates. Your move, Easter Bunny.

Mother's Day is on the horizon, Sunday 14th March to be precise! It's the perfect time to say "cheers" for everything she's done for you throughout the years. This year's Mother's day is going to be a little different, with most of us unable to go round and visit some of those mums, step-mums, grandparents or best motherly influences in our lives. We know shopping for a gift can be a tricky task, so we've pulled together a couple of cracking presents to make life a little easier!

Craft beer is a common term used to describe many of the beers we drink today, but what, exactly, is craft beer? When did the term become popular, and what does the future of craft beer look like for the UK and across the globe?

This Style Feature will walk you through all things Pilsner. The Pilsner, a lager style beer, has a rich history that's been carried across the world. Learn about where pilsners come from, what they taste like and how the style is defined, and our recommended Pilsners to order online and get in your fridge today.

Update 16:00 15/02/21:

We have received confirmation that 100% of the expected deliveries are due to arrive tonight (15 February, 2021). This will help us replenish with stock of Stella, Lowenbrau, Thornbridge, Ginette and more. We are also expecting more deliveries tomorrow and every day this week.

Whether you're trying to stick to your New Year's Resolution or hoping to shed some weight put on during lockdown, understanding the calories in beer can be a helpful first step to getting you back on track. Trying to figure out how many calories are in your beer can be a daunting task, so here's a few tips to help you understand your beer calorie consumption.

Struggling to find the perfect Valentine's Day gift? Look no further; we've got you covered with the best beer for Cupid's holiday. Whether you're looking for a romantic mixed case or a case of your special someone's favourite style, nothing says "I Love You" quite like craft beer.

Sweet, sweet beer. The magical drink that makes the world go 'round. If you're like many beer drinkers, you just head to your bottle shop or buy beer online and don't think twice about how the beautiful golden liquid came to be. But if your curiosity is begging you to learn more, here's the secret process to creating beer at home from just a few perfect ingredients: water, grains, yeast, and hops.

Most beer that's been brewed can be classified as one of two beer types: either a lager or an ale. But how can you tell the difference? What makes a lager a lager, and an ale an ale? Keep reading to learn more about how they're made, and what types of flavours, aromas, and appearances you can expect from either beer type. By the time you're done, you'll know how to talk about beer like a pro!

Looking for an easy way to try out new craft beer without putting in any effort? The BeerBods Beer of the Month Club is the easiest, most affordable way to do just that! “The unexpected beers from BeerBods send you on a journey of discovery. I wouldn’t have tried half of the beers I have if they hadn’t come from BeerBods.” --Iain, BeerBods Subscriber

Ode to the IPA: the beer style that’s loved by craft beer drinkers across the world. It seems as though every brewery, no matter how big or small, has a flagship IPA in their lineup. But what exactly makes a beer an IPA? Where did it start, what does the style look like today, and where can you buy the best IPAs online? Keep reading to find out.

Planning to partake in Dry January this year? Good news! Low alcohol and alcohol free beer has evolved into a wide selection of beers with outstanding flavour profiles. So sit back, crack open an NA beer, and reset your body for the year to come!

Every year, Beer Hawk releases a lineup of limited edition craft beer mixed cases for the holiday season. Christmas in 2020 may look a little different due to, you know, a global pandemic, so the team at Beer Hawk have put together the best Christmas beer gifts to put a smile on everyone’s face this year.

Secret Santa gift exchanges have gone virtual in 2020, so we’re here to make sure you deliver the best gift possible…beer! While you can never go wrong when gifting some craft beverages, we’ve put together a couple of gifts that will help you win Christmas this year without breaking the bank.

Throughout the entire month of November, Beer Hawk will be donating £10 for every £25 case of the Prostate Cancer UK Low & No Alcohol Mixed Case! Alcohol-free beers have been all the rage recently, and this mixed case does not disappoint. Drink beer while fighting a good cause; this is a win-win for everyone!

Non-alcoholic beer ranges from 0.0% to 0.5% alcohol, and are gaining popularity as more people are seeking alcohol free alternative beverages for a variety of reasons. From Pilsners to Stouts and everything in between, low and no-alcohol beers are available from breweries around the world, and they are 100% worth celebrating. Here's what you should know about these alcohol-free beers, as well as a few favourites offered online at Beer Hawk:

Remember the childhood excitement of opening a new door on your advent calendar every day in the run up to Christmas? It gave each day a little sparkle of festive magic, even though those tiny chocolates behind the doors were always a bit rubbish. How would you like to recapture that childhood magic, but with bottles of delicious beer instead of powdery chocolate? Sounds amazing, right? In that case, you need to get your hands on our Craft Beer Advent Calendar.

Want an article full of terrible puns? No? How about these fangtatsic beers? Here's a list of the top beers for Halloween and the best scary movies to pair with them for the spookiest day of the year!

We don’t want you drinking on an empty stomach, so we have popped together recipes for two absolute staples from Oktoberfest, pretzels and roast chicken! Enjoy!

That time is upon us again--it's Oktoberfest! A festival that started in 1810--initially as a celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig's wedding but had morphed over the years to include horse-racing and an autumn festival--has ultimately found its identity as a place to drink liters upon liters of deliciously drinkable Oktoberfest beer while being enchanted by smells of grilled meat, pretzels, and roughly six million people all trying to use the same toilets. Although in-person festivals won’t be happening in 2020 due to the global pandemic crisis, we can still all toast ein prosit! with each other from a distance.

Unfortunately, Munich's famed Oktoberfest, and Oktoberfest celebrations all over the world aren’t happening this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. And while it's impossible to duplicate the atmosphere (do you really want to pour beer all over your floor?) here are some ways to have your own Oktoberfest at home. And then go sleep in your own bed.

Did you know the price of a pint on PerfectDraft starts from just £2.34? Let me show you how.

Father’s Day, 21st June 2020, is the special date in the calendar when we celebrate and give a nod to the Dads in our lives. It’s an excuse to spoil them with a little something to say thank you for being awesome. If you’re looking for inspiration for a craft beer-loving Dad, then check out our top 10 Father’s Day craft beer gifts.

I’m going to take you back into the not-so distant past - let’s say 2012. You’re out with friends/family/a loved one (or two, no judgment here) and you find yourself at the bar. Unfortunately for you, you are ‘dezzy’ (aka designated driver)/have to be up early in the morning with a clear head/doing dry January/are pregnant - whatever the reason, not a drop of alcohol can pass your lips that evening. Well, your choices as you stand in front of this wonderfully carved oak bar are tap water or something chock full of enamel rotting sugar that can shine up a 2 pence piece just by looking at it. From a drinks perspective, this is not a great night… and you may have to book a dentist appointment soon.

Belgium might be a small country, but it’s one that’s home to arguably the world’s most influential breweries, which have given us a huge catalogue of epically interesting beer styles.

From Germany to Brazil, Czech Republic to the UK, Australia to the USA, Mexico to South Africa - lager is brewed all over the world and it is the world’s best-selling beer style. Why? Quite frankly, because it is epic! Easy drinking, thirst-quenching and a great accompaniment to food. Not bad for a style that started out in the cold, dark caves of the Bavaria region in Germany back in the day.

Today we’re launching the Hospitality Support Alliance. Along with our friends at Master of Malt, we’ll be donating £1 for every order placed on our websites over the next month to support hospitality workers who are struggling to make ends meet because of COVID-19 crisis.

We're proud to have featured again with This Morning, showcasing with the best advent calendars you can buy for Advent this year!

This week we launch the range of Salt Beer Factory beers on the site and what better way to introduce a new brewery to our beer hunters than to have a good 'ole fashioned interview with Nadir Zairi, Director of the Yorkshire based brewery in Saltaire.

There are signs that Non-Alcoholic beer is hitting the mainstream and is poised to hit the big time, but just how popular will it become? In this article I’ll look at some of the signs that show ‘NOLO’ (non or low alcoholic) beer is becoming a serious player in our industry, and how its development might progress in the UK.

After trying out our very own World Beers mixed case for a beer tasting party, Christie Day, Brand Expert at money-saving website Savoo shares her tips for hosting a top beer tasting night on a budget.

Ask someone down the pub for the reasons behind Britain’s recent Beer revival, and you’re guaranteed all sorts of different explanations. In 2017 the number of UK breweries passed the 2000 mark, which puts us well ahead of European neighbours. Most will have a reasonable argument for why, but you can bet your double-dry hopped DIPA that very few of them would mention Gordon Brown, ex-PM and former Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The UK's first Trappist brewery has launched with the delicious Tynt Meadow. Read the amazing story behind it here.

We’ll be working with BeerBods to help build the UK’s leading retailer of craft beer.

Our top ranked and reviewed fruit beers by our customers plus a few of our favourites, including a collab between To Øl and Pohjala. Tantalise your tastebuds this Summer with these punchy fruit beers.

If you find yourself reading this, it’s probably for one of two reasons. Either you’ve made the sound decision and invested in a Phillips PerfectDraft Machine and want to learn more about it; or it could be that you’re still on the fence and are asking yourself “Should I buy a PerfectDraft?”. Hopefully this nifty little guide will put your mind at ease and quell any doubts or concerns you have.

If you’re not already into craft beer then hopefully you’re thinking about it but may not know where to start, so if that’s the case then I’ve got a suggestion: start with Belgian beer as that’s exactly where my adventure began.

In case you missed the explosion of teddy bears and chocolate roses love is apparently in the air. And while you’ve been trying to decide on the perfect Valentine gift for other half this year, we've been busy scouring the shelves for the most tenuous Valentine’s Day-related beers we could find. Enjoy.

Mashing in is the process that extracts all the fermentable sugars from the malt. It's one of the most important steps for all-grain brewing and here's how to do it.  

Camden Town Brewery’s Beer 2018 is inspired by a classic German Pilsner and the Old Fashioned cocktail. And it's stunning.

What is RateBeer and why should you care? 

It's the second in a new series featuring the favourite beers of Beer Hawk staff. Up now is Anthony who is loving the German classic, Flensburger Gold

A Touch of Prost is our exclusive Oktoberfest collaboration with Tempest Brew Co, one of the country's best new breweries. Pick it up now!

Welcome to the first in a new series featuring the current favourite beers of Beer Hawk staff. First up is Ellie who chooses Magic Rock's High Wire Grapefruit

Beer Hawk's Craft Beer Advent Calendar is better than ever. 24 incredible beers including 9 exclusive to Beer Hawk. Plus a free tasting kit (worth £20) plus incredible prizes (think all-expenses-paid trips to the USA) and loads more 

The brewday continues in part two of, frankly many parts. It is, is all about heating water. 'Easy' you say? Well, in true homebrew style, we've managed to overcomplicate it, and put in a formula.

Known as a Filet Américain in Belgium, the steak tartare is one of the great dishes. But what to pair with it? Our Beer Sommelier Maggie Cubbler picks out a classic

This week at Beer Hawk University we're going to get prepped to homebrew last week's recipe for the Mosaic golden ale. The time has come!

Siren Craft Brew is one of the country's most innovative breweries. We chat to founder Darron Anley and Head Brewer Kyle Larsen to find out why