Beer-articles 913

Beer and ice cream is a fun pairing you can do at home with friends and adult family members.

Summer is the perfect time for a cone of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or any of your favorite flavors. But what if you paired those with…beer? Yes, beer pairs well with almost all foods, including ice cream—and putting them together is a fun summer activity you can do at home.

Here is an illustrated guide to pairing ice cream and beer, drawn by the author!

Almost any fruit ice cream pairs well with the flavors of a German wheat ale known as hefeweizen/weissbier.

Hefeweizen (also known as a “weissbier”) is a German style of wheat ale that has lots of clove and banana flavors in it thanks to organic byproducts created by the yeast. It’s also a very highly carbonated style, which cleans your palate after each bite. The strawberry will meld well with the banana to create a smoothie-type sensation in your mouth. Hefeweizens are a lovely summer beer style and one to be on the lookout for when it gets hot.

Beers To Seek Out: Paulaner Hefe-Weizen, Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz Hefeweizen

Drinking a citrusy hazy IPA with vanilla ice cream creates a classic summer flavor: the creamsicle.

Two flavors that create one sensational combination are classic vanilla and the popular hazy IPA. Eating these two together tastes like a creamsicle, one of the best summer flavors around. Hazy IPAs are made with hops that mimic citrus and tropical flavors, making them a great pairing with vanilla.

Beers to seek out: Tree House Julius, Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing, New Belgium Juice Force

Stouts are known for having coffee flavor/aroma already so pairing this style of beer with coffee ice cream just makes sense.

American stouts are deep, roasty beers with delectable flavors of coffee and dark chocolate, and what better way to complement these flavors than with coffee ice cream? This combination will add a creaminess to your stout and also cut the bitterness as well. Don’t think dark beers can be drunk during the heat of summer? Well, dark beers are wonderful all year round!

Beers to Seek Out: Bell’s Expedition Stout, Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Scotch ales are known for toffee and caramel flavors so pairing them with any ice cream will infuse each bite with a caramel swirl.

When I was a kid, cookie dough was one of my favorite flavors. Now that I’m an adult, I get the fun of pairing beer with one of these childhood treats. If you are looking to essentially add caramel syrup to your ice cream, the Scotch ale (also called a “wee heavy”) is that but in beer form. The richness of the beer and the chewy cookie dough and vanilla ice cream base complement each other really well. It’s decadent for sure.

Beers to seek out: Oskar Blues Old Chub, Traquair House Ale

Chocolate ice cream can work with a range of beer styles but the bitter, high alcohol lager Baltic porter is a delicious choice.

Classic chocolate deserves a unique beer. Baltic porter is a style that is popular in countries like Poland and has flavors of licorice and bittersweet chocolate. It’s a lager (most porters are ales—here’s the difference between an ale and a lager if you’re curious) so there’s a smoothness and a crispness as well. The alcohol in these beers can be very high, but the heat from the alcohol will complement the sweetness of the chocolate.

Beers to seek out: Zywiec, Black Boss Porter

If you are going to do this pairing at home, I recommend starting lightest and moving to darkest in terms of flavors and beers (this article is in the order you should try these pairings). Take a bite of ice cream and then a sip of beer. What are you tasting? How do the flavors work well together to create a new sensation? I like to write down my tasting notes and compare them with my friends’, as everyone’s palate is different. The best part of beer and food pairing is experimentation. Have a pint of rocky road in the fridge? What beer would go well with it? Just try it out and see! If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t; no harm, no foul.

Give it a try this summer and remember to drink responsibly and share beers with the people who care about you and make you happy. Cheers!

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We’re lucky to live in an age when government regulations mean we don’t have to worry (at least not continuously) that our food and drink are going to randomly contain poison. In 2023, the FDA issued guidelines for arsenic in apple juice, and that same year, the organization took significant steps to reduce lead exposure in baby food. But there was a point in time — for a long time — in which all sorts of things were added to foods and beverages that were far from ideal.

One of the best examples is black henbane, which occurred in beer during the Medieval Era in Europe. If black henbane sounds familiar to you, it’s because it’s a relatively common invasive weed also known as hogbane, stinking nightshade, fetid nightshade, and poison tobacco. As you might guess from all these less-than-pleasant names, black henbane is a member of the nightshade family and, in large enough quantities, extremely toxic. Despite this, prohibiting its use in alcoholic beverages was a long road, culminating in the toxic herb finally being given the boot only after centuries of work.

Read more: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink

You might be wondering why in the world brewers would frequently put a substance into their product that could kill their customers. The answer is that until you tip over into the “kill” zone with black henbane, it has very different effects. Smaller-than-lethal doses of black henbane cause hallucinations, increase intoxication and serve as an aphrodisiac. Under controlled circumstances, pharmaceutical companies still use it in small doses in applications such as sedatives, diuretics, and pain relievers.

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It makes sense then that brewers in Germany would include it in their product. It was particularly associated with bock beers, which generally have higher alcohol content — higher alcohol means more inebriation, black henbane or not. Additionally, black henbane has the side effect of dry mouth, which means you immediately want to drink another beer. Much like how Coke used to contain cocaine (and Coca-Cola still has a legal cocaine factory in New Jersey), black henbane was used because it made people drinking feel good and allowed you to sell them more beer. That is, unless they were poisoned by it — and in many cases, people were.

Poisoning customers was particularly an issue since drinking beer was extremely common in the Middle Ages. In the Medieval Era, people often drank beer instead of water, as it was considered more nutritious. The idea they drank it because water was unsafe is a persistent myth, but it certainly was a source of calories and carbohydrates. That makes it a problem when a major source of nutrients repeatedly poisons people.

Nevertheless, eventually enough was enough. In 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria issued the Reinheitsgebot, or German Purity Laws, which limited the legal ingredients in beer to hops, malt, water, and barley (wheat was banned from brewing by the same decree, but that was so more bread could be produced). However, getting rid of it in other European nations took longer.

Today, you might see all sorts of ingredients in beer, from fruits to herbs to chocolate. What you won’t see is black henbane — something for which Medieval Europeans would likely be grateful.

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Read the original article on The Daily Meal.

The global beer market is currently on a path of robust growth, with an estimated increase of $148.43 billion from 2024 to 2028, according to a new report by market research firm Technavio.

The market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.72% during this period. This expansion is largely driven by rising demand in emerging economies and a noticeable trend towards mergers and acquisitions within the industry.

The market’s growth is characterized by a diverse range of products—including lagers, ales and non-alcoholic options—catering to a global audience. Researchers highlighted the increasing popularity of craft beer and the emergence of more independent breweries, reflecting evolving consumer preferences, especially among younger consumers of legal drinking age in local markets. These breweries are often at the forefront of innovation, offering more flavors and styles that appeal particularly to millennials and Generation Z.

But the world’s top beer manufacturers—including AleSmith Brewing Co., Anheuser Busch InBev, Asahi Group, BrewDog, Carlsberg Breweries, Cloudwater Brew Co., Constellation Brands and others—are key players in this burgeoning scene. Strategic acquisitions are enabling these companies to broaden their market presence, access new technologies and meet the diverse preferences of consumers. A notable example is Carlsberg’s acquisition of Waterloo Brewing for $106 million, completed in 2023, which highlighted its aim to strengthen its foothold in North America.

Despite these positive trends, the beer market faces challenges from stringent regulations and high taxes on alcoholic beverages. Regulatory bodies worldwide have established comprehensive guidelines governing the production, sale, and distribution of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer. For instance, in the United States, the Food Safety Modernization Act mandates that breweries adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices to ensure hygiene and safety in production facilities. Non-compliance with these regulations can result in severe penalties and fines.

Environmental sustainability is another crucial aspect shaping the beer industry. Breweries are increasingly adopting eco-friendly practices, focusing on reducing their carbon footprint and promoting recycling programs, particularly for glass bottles. This shift not only addresses environmental concerns but also resonates with the growing number of environmentally conscious consumers.

And yet, traditional glass bottles continue to be favored for their ability to preserve the taste and aroma of beer.

Tourism also plays a pivotal role in the beer market, with many tourists seeking unique beer experiences. This has further boosted the demand for craft beers and specialty brews, contributing to the market’s overall growth.

In the long term, online retail might prove to be the biggest contributor. E-commerce has also significantly expanded the reach of beer companies, large and small, allowing consumers to access a wider variety of beer products from around the world. Personalized recommendations, targeted marketing strategies and better customer engagement are vital tools for breweries to maintain consumer loyalty and drive sales.

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China, the world’s largest producer and consumer of beer, is expected to see a consumption recovery in the second half of this year, favoring premium offerings, on the back of sporting events.

CGS International expects a recovery in beer consumption in the latter part of the year following an estimated decline in volumes in the first half of the year compared to 2023.

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Sporting events such as the ongoing Euro 2024, the upcoming Copa Americana and Paris Olympics, coupled with hotter weather, are expected to drive up demand for the beverage.

CGS analysts Lei Yang and Sun Feifei highlighted in a report published last month that higher-than-expected sales of premium beer products in the catering and entertainment channels are expected to lift the sector.

Pointing to the Euro 2024, Chinese online database QiChaCha noted that bars and stores have been decorated with European Cup merchandise and they are offering sports-themed meals to cash in on the frenzy.

“The beer market has shown a clear growth trend, and major beer brands have competed to launch products and services that match scenario-based consumption,” according to a note by Chinese online database QiChaCha, which revealed that beer-related enterprises in China had grown by more than 7,000 last year.

“The European Cup ignites the ‘beer economy,'” the firm said, adding that China’s beer industry had shown a clear trend towards high-end offerings.

The trend favoring higher-end beer is expected to boost margins for breweries, further aided by cheaper barley prices that are driving costs lower, Sun and Lei said.

They cited data from China customs agency and their own research, showing that the average imported barley price fell by 30% year on year in January to April to US$273 per ton. “We expect this trend to continue in the whole of [2024],” they said.

They also expect China’s beer industry to continue to benefit from a product mix upgrade, besides lower barley prices and packaging material prices in 2024.

China is not alone in seeing this recovery. In May, a Reuters report highlighted that global brewers were set to sell more beer this year after several quarters of declines.

The report added that Heineken, the second-largest brewer in the world, had reported its first quarterly volume growth in over a year in the first quarter of 2024. Rival Carlsberg also reported higher volumes in the same period after several quarters of decline.

Carlsberg chief executive Jacob Aarup-Andersen said that brewers will be boosted by events such as the Paris Olympics and the Euro 2024, according to the report.

“We do expect positive volume growth going forward,” Aarup-Andersen said, adding that the brand will benefit particularly from rising sales in Asia.

Lei and Sun have singled out two Chinese beer breweries, Tsingtao Brewery and China Resources Beer, as major beneficiaries of the expected rise in consumption. They have given the beer sector an “overweight” rating.

The duo, however, remarked that heightened price competition among breweries would strain margins.

MadTree Brewing Holly Days, from Cincinnati, Ohio

Late last year, a panel of over two dozen category experts convened in Northern California in order to pore over (and pour through) some of the best beers on the planet. The annual gathering, known as the World Beer Competition, is run by the Tasting Alliance. If you’re not already familiar with that organization, they’re the same folks responsible for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition—often regarded as that industry’s preeminent judging.

So, clearly they know how to foam up prestige within the adult beverage sector. Which bodes well for the talented craftspeople over at MadTree Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio. Because the World Beer Competition has just named its Holly Days release the best India Pale Ale on the planet. The wintertime brew uses an adjunct of spruce tips to affect a poignant seasonality beyond the bitter base formed from Cascade, Chinook, Sultana and Eureka hops.

It’s not just some marketing gimmick, either. Crack open a can of the 6.8% ABV liquid and you’ll detect a pronounced piney-ness in the aroma and across the palate. It’s evocative of Christmas, to be sure, and also fits hand-in-glove with the resiny, citrus pith gliding off the precise hops recipe used for the brew.

Ultimately, however, it might be the lengthy—and unexpectedly—complex finish that curried favor with the judges at the Tasting Alliance. It tickles the tongue with an initial tang, which is almost a misdirection since the parting flavor is a drying return to that prescribed piney-ness. And who doesn’t love a good circle story? Especially one that can be shared for a retail price of $11 per six-pack.

The only thing that hopheads have to complain about with Holly Days is that, as its name suggests, this is an offering that’s only available during the festive season of November through January. In the meantime, if you’d like to explore a comparable counterpart, the fermentation artisans at MadTree produce a year-round staple called Psychopathy. It’s similar in profile, utilizing many of the same ingredients (minus those celebrated spruce tips, of course), and it’s readily available for around $12 per six-pack.

The Tasting Alliance, for its part, has a lot more exclusive news to share with us in the weeks ahead. So stay tuned for an imminent reveal of more big winners, not just in the world of beer, but in the wine and spirits sectors as well.

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Joseph L. Owades, the son of working-class Jewish immigrants who escaped Europe shortly before ethnic turmoil ignited World War I, enjoyed an unlikely career reinventing the way Americans drink beer.

Not once, but twice.

His claim to fame? That he was, and still is, America’s greatest brewer.

FOX NATION’S NEW SERIES ‘MEET THE AMERICAN WHO’ TELLS OF ORDINARY AMERICANS WHO GAVE US EXTRAORDINARY INNOVATIONS

Here is the story of the American who invented light beer — and helped create craft brewing as we know it today.

The brilliant biochemist Owades (1919-2005) turned centuries of brewing know-how upside down in the 1960s when he developed a revolutionary process for brewing full-flavored beer with fewer carbohydrates and calories.

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Light beer is what we now call his creation.

“Tastes great. Less filling” — that’s how the cultural-landmark Miller Lite marketing campaign of the 1970s and ’80s famously summed up his innovation.

Today, light beer accounts for about 40% of all beer consumed across the nation, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.

“He lived long enough to see light beer become a national phenomenon,” his son Stephen Owades, an MIT-educated musician in Cambridge, Mass., told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.

For an encore in the 1980s, Owades provided his brewing expertise to a generation of young entrepreneurs eager to make small-batch American beer but lacking the expertise.

Anchor Brewing, Samuel Adams, the former Pete’s Wicked brand — each on the list of the earliest, most successful and most influential craft breweries — were among the companies that hired Owades to pair his technical precision with their passion.

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America now boasts more than 9,000 craft breweries, thanks largely to the success of these Owades-aided pioneers.

“He was present at the creation” of craft brewing, Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) founder Jim Koch boasted to Fox News Digital in an interview.

Koch called Owades “a mentor.”

When Owades passed away in 2005, Koch flew across the country to speak at the funeral in Sonoma, Calif. — and named one of Boston Beer Co.’s large aging cellars in honor of the American brewing titan.

“He was our brewfather. The first. The only. The best,” said Koch.

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The late beer-making genius is a legend in the brewing industry, though largely unknown to the millions of consumers who each day enjoy the beer and beer styles he helped formulate.

Simon and Gussie (Horn) Owades, Joseph’s parents, met and married in New York City, according to Stephen Owades. Simon arrived at Ellis Island in 1905, Gussie around the same period.

They held passports from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, though the area in which they lived is now part of Ukraine. They were not Ukrainian, however, said their grandson Stephen.

“They were Jews from The Pale” — a multinational area of Eastern Europe before World War I generally tolerant of Jews, but largely impoverished.

Many of them fled to the United States to escape persecution and poverty and seek better opportunities for their children.

Joseph Owades fulfilled those dreams of his immigrant, Yiddish-speaking parents.

Simon Owades fed the family by working as a cloth cutter in New York City’s robust but labor-intensive garment industry. His working-class immigrant heritage helped fuel his son’s career as a scientist.

“He was a hands-on, industrial guy,” Pete’s Wicked Ale founder Pete Slosberg told Fox News Digital this week.

“I call him the hired gun of the craft beer industry.”

Being poor and Jewish in pre-World War II America meant there were few available seats in the Ivy League or other elite institutions of higher learning.

The brilliant young Owades might have gone to Harvard or Yale — but “educational opportunities for Jews faced quotas at this point,” said Koch.

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Staring at limited prospects in the 1930s, Owades, who attended New York City public schools, moved on to higher education at City College of New York, Gotham’s low-cost public university.

He later earned his PhD from the former Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and embarked on a career in food science. Among other achievements, he became an expert in yeast, essential to beer-making, for Fleischmann’s Yeast.

He then become an executive at Rheingold Brewery in Brooklyn, which dominated the New York City beer market for much of the 20th century.

At Rheingold, Owades had his eureka moment.

He discovered that brewing beer with an enzyme called amyloglucosidase “breaks down the sugars that the natural enzymes [in the brewing process] cannot,” Koch explained.

Yeast consumes sugar during fermentation, turning it into alcohol. The enzyme Owades used digested more of the sugars — resulting in fewer calories but more alcohol.

More alcohol posed no issue. The beer could be diluted to typical beer-strength of around 4%-5% alcohol by adding carbonated water, said Koch.

Thus, Owades not only created a new reduced-calorie beer — he also saved money and increased productivity.

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“Instead of spending $600 million on a new brewery, you could spend $100 million on high-speed bottling lines and double the capacity of a brewery,” said Koch.

Rheingold executives failed to capitalize on the innovation. They promoted the beer tepidly as a low-calorie alternative to traditional beer — “It doesn’t taste like it doesn’t fill you up,” read one poorly worded ad.

“So what’s it taste like?” posited another awkward promo.

And they meekly offered this product from a safe distance.

Rheingold created a shadow company called Forrest Street Brewing and marketed the new brew as Gablinger’s Beer to avoid sullying the flagship brand name.

“They were afraid of the blowback,” said Stephen Owades. He recalls as a teenager watching dad’s Gablinger’s Beer, under the code name Jupiter, being blind taste-tested against Rheingold’s flagship lager at the 1964 New York World’s Fair in Queens.

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“The consensus was that Gablinger’s scored higher than Rheingold. Significantly higher,” said the younger Owades.

New Yorkers apparently loved the taste of the low-calorie beer. But “Rheingold couldn’t sell it,” said the son.

The beer never quite captured the assertive image traditionally associated with and coveted by largely male beer drinkers.

Owades, facing no objection from Rheingold following the failure of Gablinger’s, brought the light beer concept to Peter Hand Brewing of Chicago.

There, it was marketed as Meister Brau Lite, a low-calorie version of their flagship brand Meister Brau.

It slowly built a cult following among working-class enclaves of the still heavily industrialized Midwest — as Miller Brewing executives allegedly learned in the course of their due diligence while purchasing Meister Brau Lite in 1972.

“Meister Brau Lite wasn’t doing well,” said Koch. “Except there was an anomaly. It was doing well in the blue-collar bars on the South Side of Chicago — White Sox territory.”

Similar versions of the story cite other working-class communities in the region.

The Miller execs asked men at the bar why they liked Meister Brau Lite.

“Because it tastes great and has less filling, they said,” according to Koch. “The light bulb went off from there.”

The new owners rebranded the product Miller Lite and threw the full weight of their marketing muscle behind Owades’ innovation, most notably with an ad campaign featuring a who’s who of macho male celebrities and athletes of the era.

Former NFL star Bubba Smith starred in one early ad, touting his brawn on the football field before effortlessly ripping the top off a can of Miller Lite with his massive, meaty paw.

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Legendary Chicago Bears tough guy Dick Butkus starred alongside Smith in another spot, growling, “We’re not just a couple of animals who can only play football.”

The campaign developed the pithy tagline “Tastes great. Less filling” — as athletes, celebrities, and fans argued in a series of ads over Miller Lite’s greatest quality.

In the 1980s, sports fans in packed arenas across the country began parroting the debate by the tens of thousands. One half of the ballpark yelled “Tastes great!” — while the other half barked back, “Less filling!”

It was marketing gold. Miller Lite had gone viral.

Owades’ innovation had finally met its moment.

America embraced the more muscular image of his reduced-calorie beer and never looked back.

The other big breweries quickly joined the light beer movement.

Today, the top-three selling beer brands in the U.S. are Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Coors Light. Light beer remains a largely American phenomenon, say industry experts.

Owades, ironically, was not a beer drinker.

“He didn’t love alcoholic beverages as a concept,” said his son. “To him, it was an interesting science problem to solve. He had an expert palate and nose. But he was not somebody who loved beer.”

Yet generations of Americans have loved — and still love — the beer he created.

To read more stories in this unique “Meet the American Who…” series from Fox News Digital, click here.

Original article source: Meet the American who invented light beer

Consuming a single alcoholic drink per day can reduce a person’s life expectancy by two-and-a-half months, according to an expert on substance use. 

Tim Stockwell, a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, told The Daily Mail that alcohol cuts down one’s life expectancy.

Having a drink a day can lower life expectancy by two-and-a-half months, while having five drinks a day can decrease life expectancy by around two years, and two drinks per week can reduce it by as much as six days.

“Alcohol is our favorite recreational drug,” Stockwell told the Daily Mail. “We use it for pleasure and relaxation, and the last thing we want to hear is that it causes any harm … it’s comforting to think that drinking is good for our health, but unfortunately, it’s based on poor science.”

Stated harms of alcoholic consumption include damage to organs like the brain, liver, and heart, damage to the nervous system, as well as contributing to heart disease and higher blood pressure.

Regarding studies that indicate non-drinkers suffer from various illnesses that drinkers can avoid, Stockwell told the Daily Mail that this was likely because the non-drinkers surveyed were former alcohol-consumers.

“These abstainers are often older people who gave up alcohol because their health was bad,” he explained. “Being able to drink is a sign you are still healthy, not the cause of being in good health. … There are lots of ways these studies give false results that are misinterpreted to mean alcohol is good for you.”

In recent years, medical experts have argued against the idea that regular consumption of alcohol can be beneficial and have encouraged people to reduce their intake of fermented drinks.

In July 2020, for example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s final report on nutrition topics, which advised that men should consume no more than one alcoholic drink per day, down from the previous standard of two drinks a day.

“Therefore, the focus should remain on reducing consumption among those who drink, particularly among those who drink in ways that increase the risk of harms,” the report’s executive summary states.

“The Committee concluded that no evidence exists to relax current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations, and there is evidence to tighten them for men such that recommended limits for both men and women who drink would be [one] drink per day on days when alcohol is consumed.”

Normally when you visit a museum, food and drink are not allowed, but the Museum of Sonoma County is making an exception for its Summer Beer Garden event to coincide with its current exhibit, “On Tap: Sonoma County Hops and the Beer Revolution.”

The museum will transform its sculpture garden into a beer garden from 4-8 p.m. July 20 featuring tastings from Wolf House Brewing, Moonlight Brewing, Lagunitas, Russian River and the Cotati Home Brewers Collective.

There also will be food trucks with food available to purchase.

VIP tickets are $25 and include a special brew tasting and exhibit tour with the museum’s curator, with entry at 4 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 and include 5 p.m. admission.

Purchase and learn more at bit.ly/4cMJJr0. 425 Seventh St., Santa Rosa

After closing production last fall, The Blind Pig Brewery is once again brewing beer in its Champaign brewery. New owner Matt Monahan took over the brewery this May and began brewing right away, starting with batches of the flagship ale U of IPA and a lager. The new owner wants everyone to enjoy The Blind Pig brews again, and he even has plans to open a brand-new taproom adjoining the Market Street brewery and packaging facility. Previously, The Blind Pig’s two Downtown Champaign bars and brewery were one business, but the original owner split them in the sale. The two bars, now called Hounds Court and Hounds Rest, have different owners than the brewery, but they can’t wait to put The Blind Pig beers back on the bar’s tap.

The new owner Monahan hired a team to bring The Blind Pig beers back: Lawrence Bolton and B.J. McCabe. McCabe used to work at The Blind Pig, and Monahan met Bolton as members in C-U’s organization for homebrewing aficionados BUZZ Club; the new owner calls Bolton the best homebrewer he knows. I sat down with three to learn about the new iteration of The Blind Pig Brewery.

Smile Politely: How’s production going? What were the first beers you made as a new owner?

Matt Monahan: Right now, we’re in distribution only. We’re in all the spots we were selling cans before. We’ll have U of IPA at football games this fall at the stadium. All the production is for cans distribution. People can already find U of IPA at Binny’s, Schnucks, and some other places. Soon, we’ll package a batch of pilsner and another batch, a bigger batch, of U of IPA. The next batch will be the batch that will be half cans and half kegs.

Currently, we’re only making the best hits. Please be patient with us until we get a taproom going, and we can make the lesser known one-hit wonders. We’re anxious to put our own twists on the beers, but our twist right now is quality, repeatability for the beers, getting the freshest grains and hops into the beer, and bringing practices up to date with the modern brewing practices of today.

SP: Let’s circle back to a taproom?! That’s cool. When do you anticipate The Blind Pig taproom to open?

Monahan: I hope to have the taproom before the end of the year. And hopefully with a kitchen and a menu that appeals to everyone including young families and kids. We’re here in the center of it all here in Downtown Champaign, and we want to be an attractive place for people to start their night or end their night or hang out.

We want a cool experience, a taproom where people can see into the brewery. There’s two excellent breweries in the area, and we want to complete the triangle. There needs to be a brewery in Champaign; there needs to be The Blind Pig. We couldn’t fathom The Blind Pig going away. We need it back and better than ever.

SP: When do you think The Blind Pig’s beers will be on tap in Downtown Champaign?

B.J. McCabe: It depends, but it could be out in restaurants or bars by next weekend. The beers currently in process are the U of IPA, the coffee stout, raspberry wheat, Blind Pig reserve, Blue pilsner, and tomorrow, we’re brewing Oktoberfest. They’ll hit shelves next month.

Lawrence Bolton: We’re picking up the coffee from Columbia Street Roastery next week for the coffee stout. We want to deliver the same quality beer that everyone expects from The Blind Pig.

SP: I need to know: what’s your Blind Pig brew?

Monahan: All of them! [laughs] But if I had to pick one, the U of IPA.

Bolton: Blue pils, but the U of IPA is really good, too. I like West Coast IPAs over hazy.

McCabe: My favorite is the seasonal Christmas beer Buddy Christmas. It has coffee in it, and it’s a bigger stout with lactose.

For more updates on the brewery, follow The Blind Pig on Facebook.

The Blind Pig Brewery
505 N Market St
Champaign

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Jason Thompson and Donnie Eichar are the co-founders of Rancho West, a Malibu-born premium organic beer brand. They talked to us about all the buzz surrounding their new organic nonalcoholic beer, which is the first USDA-certified organic nonalcoholic beer in the U.S. market. You can find Rancho West across Southern California at Erewhon, Bristol Farms, BevMo, and more. It will also be expanding statewide. For more information, visit RanchoWestBeer.com and follow them on Instagram @RanchoWestBeer. This segment aired on the KTLA 5 Weekend Morning News on July 7, 2024.