When I was a teenager, the huge status symbol was to have a stereo system worth more than your car. This was the definition of coolness. These days, if you’re searching for such cultural indicators, how about a coffee machine worth more than your life-insurance policy?

There are so many places in the world that produce unique styles of beers that are hard to find in the United States. Unfortunately, I can't afford to visit them all, to try a couple of Finnish sahtis or a beer brewed with rice and sake yeast in Japan.

As Americans drink more and better wines today, we confront the dilemma of making sense of it all. There are so many wines, so many grape varieties, so many producers, and so much to learn. It can be confusing and, for many, even downright intimidating. So, how do you find wines you'll enjoy?

String of great brewpubs makes Montreal a beer lover's paradise.

Detroit's Atwater Block Brewing Company gains head of steam without a heavy hand.

During Prohibition, if you wanted to go out to party and drink, you had to go to an underground speakeasy for bootleg liquor and beer. Although Prohibition is over, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers wants to keep that bootlegging attitude alive, says its don (mafia-speak for boss), Forest Gray.

I take my chicken twice-cooked

There's usually no in between when it comes to the Avery Brewing Company; you either love their beers or you hate them.

There are plenty of good, refreshing summer beers brewed here in the United States, but if you really want the best hot-weather ales and lagers, Europe is the place to look.

The Ballast Point Brewing Company was sailing along just fine, for years happily producing beer that was popular locally in San Diego. Then, in December, the small brewery was named one of the top 25 American brewers by Beer Advocate magazine based on reviews from Beeradvocate.com users in 2007, and everything changed.

Hot, humid locales always seem to have bad beer. I don't know why, but it just seems to happen that way. The Abita Brewing Company from Abita Springs, La., is the exception to this rule, brewing up some extremely flavorful ales.

Drew Brosseau thought Plymouth, Mass., was the perfect place to open a new brewery. And after a taste of Mayflower Brewing Company's beers, I agree.

The Legacy Brewing Company in Reading, Pa., likes to take traditional styles of beer and flip them on their heads. The company has just recently started distribution in Massachusetts.

There are many debates in the world: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? What is the meaning of life? And, not to be overshadowed, which goes better with food, beer or wine? A new book, "He Said Beer, She Said Wine," seeks to answer that age-old query while offering several ideas on pairing food with wine or beer.

I really want to move to San Diego. The weather is supposed to be fantastic and I've heard the people there are really nice, too. But most important to a beer geek like me is the selection of quality brews being produced by brewers in and around the sunny California city.