Beer-articles 947

As a local, Jim Greene is very excited about Disney Springs’ newest sip, SunShine Stroll Orange Pilsner — because it’s local, too. The beer’s July 1 release pairs neatly with the return of Flavors of Florida, which offers visitors to the Springs a taste of the Sunshine State.

Greene, general manager operations for Disney Springs, hails from Satellite Beach. SunShine Stroll Orange Pilsner, a light and citrusy offering, is custom crafted by Playalinda Brewing Co. from Titusville, an old rival city of Greene’s.

“We used to play them in football!” he notes with enthusiasm, but he reserves the bulk of his excitement for the beer itself — the refreshing result of years’ worth of visitor queries.

“Both domestic and international travelers ask about local beer all the time and ask, ‘What do you have that I can’t get anywhere else?’ We never had an answer.”

Now, they do — the Pilsner is a Disney Springs exclusive — and it joins the fourth annual Flavors of Florida lineup of more than 80 items, found at more than 40 locations from kiosks and fast-casual offerings, to storefront stop-ins, to fast-casual and full-service restaurants.

This hazy 4.5% ABV offering, with its touch of Florida orange, fits right in.

“It’s what you call a walking beer,” Greene says, and beginning July 1, visitors can grab a 16 oz. can or a draught at any number of outposts on property and walk it end to end. It will be sticking around after the summery event ends on Aug. 11.

In fact, the beer has even been incorporated into some of the festival’s offerings, such as the orange pilsner goat cheese dip (available at Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar) and crispy pork-topped St. Augustine datil pepper frites (at The Daily Poutine).

Over at Morimoto Asia, where past Flavors of Florida events have seen proteins like gator and frog legs giving folks a taste of former Executive Chef Yuhi Fujinaga’s penchant for thinking outside the box, this year’s take by Executive Chef Takeshi Ikeuchi speaks to something more familiar to most: Key West shrimp.

“He enjoys using this in his Cantonese-style cuisine,” says Fujinaga, now director of culinary for Patina Restaurant Group, “but also wanted to bring in his Japanese heritage by bringing in chilled soba noodles. They are infused with green tea, too, which is very unique.”

The dish also employs vegetables from local growers, such as carrots, cucumbers and purple daikon from small-scale, organic Sugar Top Farms in Clermont. This is an element the festival has been tapping into, Springs-wide, as the event has grown, says Disney Springs Vice President Matt Simon.

“It’s no longer just ingredients that are Florida-familiar,” he says. “We’re bringing in the farmers of our community and showing our guests, in a very special way, how to enjoy these flavors in a truly authentic way.”

Part of this is encapsulated in an all-new pairing series that will connect guests with their food and drink, says Michael Reiss, general manager of Disney Springs business relations and food and beverage.

The series will be hosted at The Edison, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, Paddlefish, Wine Bar George, City Works Eatery & Pour House and Jaleo.

“It’s one of those things we’ve layered in to give more options and value to the guests,” Reiss explains. “These will have a limited number of seats, with two events per location.” Tickets for these events, which span multiple courses and run from 1.5 to 3 hours, drop July 1 at disneysprings.com/pairingevents.

“It’s exciting for guests to be able to have this personal connection with the chefs in Disney Springs,” says Simon. “They’re such an important part of our story and what we do. And for them to be able to get together and have an amazing food experience that nobody else in the world can have.”

History, too, plays a role. As Florida is the birthplace of the Cuban sandwich, several venues will be doing takes, from the Tampa-style Cuban at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ to an Ybor City-style dog at B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co.

The beverage teams have been getting in on the fun, too. At Morimoto Asia, the orange shiso mocktail allows guests of all ages to get in on Florida flavors with a house-made orange shrub. Frontera Cocina has a Sunshine State margarita. Gideon’s Bakehouse‘s orange mocha nitro cold brew will be jet fuel to its queued-up fans while eet by Maneet Chauhan’s Sunny Days brings them back down, its ice pop-laden, whipped vodka delight is a cocktail in dessert disguise.

And of course, there’s that beer, the one Flavor of Florida that’s sticking around past Aug. 11.

“It’s here for good,” says Greene.

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.

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If you drink beer—any beer—you’re probably familiar with the craft beer explosion that began in the late 2010s, and you likely fall into one of two camps: IPA warrior or lager loyalist. The great thing about a beer-related revolution is that there is no wrong side. Whatever your preference, cheers to you.

The brewery business is indeed a revolution by many counts. According to the Brewers Association, the number of breweries in the United States grew by 567% from 2003 to 2023—all while beer consumption, on average, was declining. For the first time since 1999, beer shipments fell below 200 million barrels in 2023, making it the lowest amount of beer consumed in the U.S. in a generation.

Like all revolutions, this began as a desire for change—as an overthrow of the old and the monopolistic. When combined, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors (formerly MillerCoors), two of the largest beer companies in the world, comprised roughly 72% of total beer sales in the U.S. around 2013. A decade later, that share dropped to 65.7% in 2023, with smaller brewers claiming a larger share.

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With a taste of the innovations and variety coming out of craft breweries, consumers are demanding a higher-quality product—and are willing to pay more for it. Over the last decade, between May 2014 and May 2024, beer prices have risen 21% overall.

But how can you determine the best craft beers in an increasingly crowded market? If you’re curious about the most popular beers in the Volunteer State, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated beers in Tennessee using ratings from BeerAdvocate. A maximum of five beers per brewery were included.

Read on to plan your next local beer tour!

– Rating: 4.15 (40 ratings)
– Type: Brett Beer
– ABV: 6.20%
– Brewery: Yazoo Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.33 (10 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 6.50%
– Brewery: Xül Beer Co.
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.12 (902 ratings)
– Type: Smoked Porter
– ABV: 9.00%
– Brewery: Yazoo Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.2 (30 ratings)
– Type: Sweet / Milk Stout
– ABV: 6.50%
– Brewery: Southern Grist Brewing Co.
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.17 (50 ratings)
– Type: Imperial IPA
– ABV: 7.90%
– Brewery: Southern Grist Brewing Co.
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.17 (52 ratings)
– Type: American IPA
– ABV: 7.50%
– Brewery: Southern Grist Brewing Co.
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.3 (15 ratings)
– Type: American Imperial Stout
– ABV: 13.20%
– Brewery: Blackstone Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.27 (22 ratings)
– Type: Wild Ale
– ABV: 5.90%
– Brewery: Yazoo Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.4 (12 ratings)
– Type: Wild Ale
– ABV: 6.00%
– Brewery: Yazoo Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.31 (20 ratings)
– Type: Quadrupel (Quad)
– ABV: 10.00%
– Brewery: Tennessee Brew Works
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

| Check out more lists and rankings from across Tennessee →

– Rating: 4.2 (114 ratings)
– Type: American Imperial Stout
– ABV: 13.20%
– Brewery: Blackstone Brewing Company
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.22 (69 ratings)
– Type: Saison
– ABV: 6.30%
– Brewery: Blackberry Farm Brewery
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.24 (50 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 8.00%
– Brewery: Southern Grist Brewing Co.
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.27 (45 ratings)
– Type: Imperial IPA
– ABV: 8.30%
– Brewery: Southern Grist Brewing Co.
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.21 (530 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 6.00%
– Brewery: Bearded Iris Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.24 (213 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 8.20%
– Brewery: Bearded Iris Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.27 (75 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 6.80%
– Brewery: Bearded Iris Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.28 (149 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 7.50%
– Brewery: Bearded Iris Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.33 (252 ratings)
– Type: New England IPA
– ABV: 8.20%
– Brewery: Bearded Iris Brewing
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

– Rating: 4.36 (218 ratings)
– Type: American Imperial Stout
– ABV: 12.20%
– Brewery: Wiseacre Brewing – Broad Ave OG
– Read more on BeerAdvocate

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states and Washington D.C.

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A number of years ago, Foster’s ran a commercial claiming that its brand name was “Australian for beer” and that, along with the fact that Paul Hogan (aka Crocodile Dundee) once served as a pitchman, helped to cement the idea in American minds that it really was the premier Australian beer. Down Under, however, they’d probably laugh at the notion, since if the island-nation-continent has an unofficial beer, it would be far more likely to be XXXX than Foster’s. Unlike Foster’s, which is produced in such far-flung locations as Manchester, England and Fort Worth, Texas, XXXX is Australian born and brewed in Brisbane since the late 19^th century.

Even though the name might sound like an extra-raunchy porn movie — either that, or the Most Interesting Man in the World double-fisting his signature Dos Equis — XXXX’s moniker actually has a more mundane meaning behind it. The letter X was originally meant as a quality rating, somewhat akin to Amazon stars, and the first beers produced by the Castlemaine Brewery managed to garner three of them. In 1893, however, the brew had improved sufficiently to earn a fourth star, so the brewery changed the name to honor the accomplishment (Pabst Blue Ribbon has a similar origin story.)

Read more: Kopi Luwak Is A Very Expensive Cup Of Poop Coffee

The XXXX brand today offers several different lager-style beers, among them XXXX Dry, XXXX Bitter, and XXXX Summer Gold (the last-named also available in lime and mango flavors) as well as the nonalcoholic XXXX Zero. Top of the chain, however, is XXX Gold, a beer that was the number two seller in all of Australia for 2023 — and in a 30-pack, no less. (Guess which beer didn’t even make the top 10? Fosters may actually be Australian for “meh.”)

As to why Australians love XXXX beer, we can’t speak for all of them, since around 27 million people are living there and it’s possible that some prefer to stick with Milo, a Nesquik-like chocolate drink, while other non-beer drinkers would rather Tim Tam Slam a cup of coffee. To be honest, we can’t really speak for any of them since we’re not Australian ourselves, nor can we render an American’s take on the brew since it’s not imported to this country. (Or anywhere else.) From what we do know of it, though, it seems to fall into the category of what you’d call an “easy drinker” — only 3.5% ABV, and with a slightly sweet, not too bitter flavor and a decent amount of fizz. IPA-sipping hipsters are clearly not the intended market for XXXX, but it’s been a best seller since it launched back in the 1990s so it’s doing just fine without the endorsement of craft beer snobs.

One sign that XXXX may be the quintessential Australian beer is the fact that in some quarters it is literally synonymous with the country, or a close facsimile thereof. In Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, which spans 41 books and also spawned a number of movie and video game adaptations, “The Last Continent,” which is clearly based on Australia, goes by the name of Fourecks.

Not only does XXXX have this literary legacy, but it is even more strongly associated with sports since it’s been sponsoring the Queensland Maroons rugby team since 1991. The annual National Rugby League State of Origin series between the Maroons and New South Wales is one of the country’s premier sporting events, kind of like a Super Bowl where the same two teams play every year, only without Taylor Swift dating any of the players (yet). XXXX, of course, is the de rigeur brew for Maroons supporters during the series, and at other times as well, After all, no true fan would be caught drinking a Toohey’s because this rival beer brand sponsors the NSW Blues.

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Wednesday’s game between the New York Mets and New York Yankees was forced to go into a brief rain delay. Luckily for Mets fans, one famous figure found something to do to help pass the time.

With heavy thunderstorms rolling through Queens, McDonald’s mascot Grimace could be seen chugging a beer as a sea of fans on the Shea Bridge cheered him on.

pic.twitter.com/JG50CGnKPG

Grimace has become quite the good luck charm for the Mets in recent weeks. Since throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on June 12, the Mets have put together an 11-2 record.

The contest ended up being delayed for over an hour, but Mets fans didn’t seem to mind too much as they were being entertained by Grimace’s antics. The Mets went on to beat the Yankees 12-2, taking the latest Subway Series.

About this rating

On June 26, 2024, an X user named Keaton Patti (@KeatonPatti) posted, “Normal day in Florida.” His post featured an image appearing to originate from a local news station in Florida. The broadcast showed the state’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis with the headline, “Gov. DeSantis Signs 3 New Bills.”

According to the image, the three bills purportedly were: “June 27th is now ‘Bible Day,'” “certifies ‘male’ as the official state gender of Florida” and “hospitals can sell beer and wine.”

The website 10TampaBay.com was displayed in the bottom-right corner of the image, referencing the CBS TV affiliate WTSP in St. Petersburg, Florida.

One of the most-liked replies under Patti’s post read, “At least I can have one final beer on my death bed.”

Another user asked, “Is this real?,” as did a different person who replied, “Is this real? That last one is based af.”

Other people mentioned satire, including one user who said, “It’s sad when you can’t tell if it’s satire or facts … halp.”

We also found at least one person who responded to the post, “Florida Man… checks out.”

However, as some users correctly guessed, Patti’s post was a satirical joke aiming to make light of DeSantis’ politics, perhaps specifically including several new Florida state bills reportedly set to go into effect on July 1.

The original broadcast uploaded to WTSP.com on June 25 displayed the three genuine bills, including “increased security for Jewish schools,” “definition of antisemitism” and “banning balloon releases.”

According to a GitHub page, Patti is a writer and comedian who has contributed to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” The New Yorker, Comedy Central, The Onion and others. He also authored the book, “I Forced a Bot to Write This Book: A.I. Meets B.S.”

We reached out to Patti via email to inquire about his inspiration for the post. We will update this article with more details if we receive a response.

Beer sales at chain restaurants kicked up between 2022 and 2024 according to newly released data.

The last few years have been tough for beer.

After more than a decade of nothing but growth, the post-pandemic reality set in. People are drinking less beer overall—largely because they are drawn to cocktails and spiked seltzers, news of craft breweries closing seem commonplace and some have dared to suggest craft beer is…I can hardly type these words…cringe.

But don’t count beer out just yet.

Recent data from CGA by NIQ’s On Premise Measurement service provided some news beer lovers can finally toast.

Beer increased its share of total sales at chain restaurants by 1.52% between 2022 and 2024. With craft, import and below-premium accounting for most of those gains. Beer’s gains came at the expense of spirits, which lost 1.4% and wine lost 0.3% percentage points during the time period.

“It’s encouraging to see drinks sales through chains have recovered well since the upheaval of COVID-19—especially for beer brands,” said Matthew Crompton, CGA by NIQ’s regional director – North America, in a statement released with the new data.

Chains are a very specific type of U.S. restaurant but they’re not without influence and this data could be a sign that trends around beer have changed, though the reasons why are a bit complex.

“Pressure on disposable incomes has made for a hyper-competitive beer category in recent months, but our research confirms there are still many opportunities for growth,” Crampton wrote previously. “The resilience of the below-premium segment indicates the importance of value at the moment, while interest in imports and styles like stout suggests some beer consumers are looking beyond tried-and-trusted domestic brands for new flavors.”

I agree value/price point is playing a role. Cocktails have surged in price over the years and anecdotally more and more people I know are opting for beers when they go out for financial reasons. Yes, many restaurants have good cocktail programs but as those programs have become more common and cocktail prices have soared, ordering a cocktail out has become less appealing for some. At least that’s the case for me. After switching briefly to cocktails, I’ve returned to my first love of beer as my dining-out go-to, unless I’m at an establishment that is incredibly well-known for its cocktail program.

Of course, there’s no real proof this trend extends beyond my social circle or that the spike in beer sales at chain restaurants isn’t just a statistical fluke. But it seems like these might be among the first numbers that beer, much like the mustache is making a comeback.

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The Muenster Chamber of Commerce has announced it will no longer host the city’s biggest festival.

“The Chamber felt it was in the best interest of all our vendors, volunteers, and most especially our guests at Germanfest, to let all know the Chamber has decided not to host Germanfest 2025,” a news release from the chamber said.

The chamber has hosted the event for the past 48 years.

In April, one of the festival’s primary sponsors, the Muenster Jaycees — who for years provided labor and beer — held a competing festival called “Party in the Park” on the dates — the last full weekend in April.

Jared Flusche, president of the Muenster Jaycees, said he was stunned and saddened to hear the news.

“This decision was made with considerable thought and much angst. For most of us, it has become a significant part of our lives that will be greatly missed,” the chamber’s statement said.

“Party in the park” was birthed out of a contract dispute between the Chamber and the Jaycees on how much of the beer sales the Jaycees and the Chamber would split.

The split caused a rift in the community of just under 1,700 and drew the attention of national and regional media.

“The Chamber would like to thank all who have in some way participated with us over the years. Especially, we would like to thank the founders who had the foresight to start this tradition and remind us of our heritage,” the statement said.

The statement concludes by saying, “The Chamber would also like to thank most essentially of all the guests, both local and those who have come from afar to celebrate with us. A huge THANK YOU too.”

A rust-colored tree stands in the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, its leafless arms contrasting with the surrounding sugar maples. Get closer, and you’ll see this is no real tree but rather Iron Tree, a sculpture by Ai Weiwei.

A short walk away stands Eve, a glossy bronze by Auguste Rodin tucked in a corridor of European hornbeam trees. Further still, Mark di Suvero’s 25-foot-tall industrial steel sculpture Scarlatti occupies a wildflower meadow.

Some 300 sculptures — most of them by superstars such as Weiwei, Rodin, Louise Bourgeois and Nina Akamu (who utilized Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches to create the gardens’ The American Horse) — spread across a 158-acre campus at Meijer Gardens.

“This place is special for its ability to intersect art, culture and nature,” says Charles Burke, the president and CEO of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

“We love to generate curiosity around art for those who come to see the gardens,” he says. “And we love to generate curiosity around the gardens for those who come to see the art.”

Michigan’s second largest city (population 200,000), Grand Rapids lies in the heart of the Great Lakes state’s fruit belt, a region rich with orchards and gardens, lakes and fishing streams, all within an easy drive of Lake Michigan.

But at its core, this city is one of crafters, designers, innovators and artists. Grand Rapids exudes a creative energy that extends from the art and flower beds at the Meijer Gardens to downtown parks and from industrial design to breweries.

Grand Rapids may be best known as Beer City, USA. The city has won at least half a dozen nationwide people’s choice honors for its beer scene in the past decade. More than 100 breweries, distilleries and cideries lie scattered around Grand Rapids — so many that the city has created an app to help visitors navigate their options.

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Local mainstays include Founders, one of the city’s oldest post-Prohibition era breweries; Brewery Vivant, a Belgian-style brewer that operates the world’s first LEED certified microbrewery; and The Mitten, which pays homage both to baseball and to the shape of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Other Michigan brewing powerhouses have opened taprooms in Grand Rapids, too, including Holland-based New Holland, Dexter-based Jolly Pumpkin and Detroit-based Atwater.

The city’s robust craft beverage industry has naturally led to an inventive dining scene, too. Favorite restaurants include Bistro Bella Vita, with an inviting Mediterranean menu; Mertens, a brasserie serving up French classics; Maru Sushi; and MDRD (pronounced Madrid), with modern Spanish fare.

These dining hot spots, like most in Grand Rapids, rely heavily on the agricultural richness of western Michigan. The area’s natural beauty is visible even in the heart of the city, which features dozens of waterside parks and kayak launches. Plus, there’s a downhill ski/mountain bike resort 20 minutes outside the city.

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You can even go fly fishing in the middle of downtown, where a “fish ladder” provides spawning salmon with a place to “climb” upriver on their fall migration upstream (the Grand River’s natural rapids were removed in the late 1800s for the sake of river commerce). The fish ladder doubles as a sculptural piece.

Creativity has been a part of the fabric in Grand Rapids from the beginning. Long before becoming Beer City, Grand Rapids was Furniture City.

In 1837, the city’s first cabinet maker set up shop downtown, and by the 1880s, Grand Rapids had become the capital of fine American furniture design. Buyers from around the world traveled to the city for their premium goods. Office furniture giants Steelcase, Haworth and Herman Miller all trace their roots to greater Grand Rapids.

A passion for creativity was so integral to the city’s ethos that in 1967, Grand Rapids commissioned sculptor Alexander Calder to create La Grande Vitesse, a 43-foot, 42-ton sculpture that sits downtown.

French for The Grand Rapids, the cherry-red La Grande Vitesse has served as a backdrop for the city’s numerous cultural festivals: Festival of the Arts, the Hispanic Festival, Pride Festival, World of Winter and ArtPrize.

Grand Rapidians call the sculpture The Calder, and it has become so identified with the city that La Grande Vitesse is depicted on Grand Rapids’ letterhead, its street signs and even on its garbage trucks.

“Public art is such an important part of the landscape of Grand Rapids,” says Kayem Dunn, a long-time resident who has been involved with downtown development projects for more than two decades.

Dunn cites not only The Calder as worth seeing downtown, but pieces such as Ecliptic, a combination sculpture and outdoor gathering space designed by Maya Lin for the city’s Rosa Parks Circle, and Steel Water, a 33-foot (10-meter) blue artwork by Cyril Lixenberg, which overlooks the Grand River.

“There are 252 works of public art in downtown Grand Rapids alone,” says Dunn, who believes the works are telltale signs of the region’s creative roots. “I tell people ‘Just walk around a little bit. You’ll see some remarkable art.’”

Five art and history museums lie within Grand Rapids’ downtown, as do most of the city’s more than 100 live music venues. These cultural offerings represent not only a deep interest in the arts but a longstanding commitment among local business leaders to bankroll them.

Having all those entertainment options within such proximity makes life simple for travelers to the city. Visitors can easily make their way between museums and restaurants, theaters and breweries, nightclubs and hotels entirely on foot.

More than 1,500 pieces of furniture highlight Grand Rapids’ decades-long design creds at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, which focuses on historical, cultural and science exhibits. Hand-carved Victorian bedsteads, sleek Arts and Crafts-era dining tables and mid-century Eames chairs showcase the region’s noteworthy designers.

Other highlights include displays about the area’s indigenous Anishinabek; the history and culture of Grand Rapids’ immigrant peoples, beginning with French fur traders; and a look at Grand River wildlife.

“The Grand River is Michigan’s longest,” says Dale Robertson, president of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. “It runs through the center of downtown. Our city borrows the river’s name. So it only makes sense for this museum to offer a view of the world through that lens.”

The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) was founded during the height of the city’s furniture boom, in 1910, as part of a citywide movement to create a stellar art repository. The institution has accomplished that with its collection of works ranging from 17^th-century etchings to photography, from 19^th-century prints to modern neon sculpture and from 20^th-century oils to still more exquisitely crafted furniture.

Also part of the downtown cultural landscape is the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum, which commemorates the life and service of America’s 38^th president, who hailed from Grand Rapids.

Live music venues include the DeVos Performance Hall with Broadway-style shows and the Grand Rapids Symphony; the 300-seat Peter Martin Wege Theatre with the state’s only professional ballet company; and the 12,000-seat Van Andel Arena, all downtown.

Outdoor concerts take place all summer long on Rosa Parks Circle and live music acts perform at venues as varied as the Founders taproom and the Grand Rapids Public Library.

Whatever history Grand Rapids has in fostering community creativity, it’s clear that city planners strive to do still more.

All the buzz these days surrounds the recent groundbreaking of Acrisure Amphitheater, a 12,000-seat outdoor performance venue that will revitalize a 31-acre swath on the banks of the Grand River. The $184 million project is set to open in 2026.

At the same time, work is progressing on a new professional soccer stadium (also slated for 2026), improved public access to the Grand River, the restoration of the city’s namesake rapids and a redesign of the Grand Rapids Public Museum as a riverfront interpretive center.

All the projects will be located downtown. And all of them will incorporate public art.

“At the groundbreaking for the new amphitheater, there was already a place set aside for a sculpture,” says Kayem Dunn. “Every time something is built in Grand Rapids, it presents an opportunity for more art.”

It’s a safe bet the project will include a taproom, too.

This “scruffy little city” tastes and sounds great.

Writer Amy S. Eckert lives in Michigan, but she covers travel destinations around the globe for such publications as AFAR, Conde Nast Travel, The Saturday Evening Post, Hemispheres and Fodors.com.

A TikTok user has revealed a potential beer hack for pouring the perfect pint as he tips the glass upside down instead of holding it at an angle, but comments were less than impressed.

A man has revealed a way to pour the perfect beer – and says it works every time with little to no froth.

User creativeexplained on TikTok warned users not to pour the carbonated drink directly into the cup and instead suggested an angle which removes the froth and fizz which can lead to spillages. Members of the public who were tilting their glass on an angle or slowing the pour of their drink were told to stop and follow this hack instead.

The TikTok has amassed thousands of likes since it was posted two days ago (June 15), as users are left stunned to see the simple yet effective hack works.

Creativeexplained said: “When you pour a beer or a soda into a glass, don’t do this… or this.” He then demonstrated pouring the beverage into a glass not on a tilt, followed by pouring a beer into a glass on a 45 degree angle. Neither worked, according to the TikTok creator who instead says putting the glass on top of the can is the best way to use it.

“Just put the glass over the can and flip it upside down. Then slowly pull up the can. Boom. Done.” The TikTok user later showcased the hack with two other beers and claimed there was “no spill” and “no loss of bubbles” with his method. But some TikTok users say the pouring technique is a germ nightmare and that the froth is part of the beer.

One wrote: “Uhm no. The germs from that can everyone put their fingers on… no.” Another wrote: “And with it all the dirt and bacteria from the outside of the can. HORRIBLE suggestion.” A third user was horrified, adding: “Let’s not even think about mentioning pesticides that may have been used around these products as well. that stick to surfaces very well.”

One comment suggested the foam was needed, otherwise it would cause bloating and add to a sickly feeling. It read: “Actually no, you WANT the beer to foam in the glass, otherwise it will foam inside your stomach and you’ll feel sick.”

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Blue River Productions are bringing together breweries from around the state for The Great New Mexico Beer Festival on Saturday, June 22 at Balloon Fiesta Park.

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The event runs from 12 – 6 p.m. and is for ages 21 and over only. The event will features beer from all over the state for guests to sample and purchase. Attendees can participate in brewing classes and check out the variety of local artisans and exhibitors that will be on site. There will be live music, mini golf, lawn games and an outdoor movie theater for people to enjoy. To help guests keep cool during the event there will be 12,000 square feet of shaded seating, free water stations and misting stations.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the event. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

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