Beer-articles 947

The Gelson’s Markets chain is getting into the craft beer business as it partners with a local brewery for a new summer brew. But don’t expect to buy a six pack at Gelson’s to enjoy at home later, because you’ll have to drink this new beer right at the grocery store.

The high-end market is now pouring Gelson’s Summer Blonde Ale at the chain’s wine bars, where customers can sit down and sip on wine and beers and order food from the bartender inside the store. The beer is a result of the store’s collaboration with El Segundo Brewing Company, which created the ale that is described by Gelson’s as having subtle floral and herbal spice notes and good balance between maltiness and bitterness.

“It’s got a touch of sweetness, it’s very balanced and it will definitely please your typical non-IPA drinker. It’s just a very easy drinking summer Blonde Ale,” said Ray Brych, category manager of wine, beer and spirits at Gelson’s.

While the wine bars pour beers that are carried at the store, this is the first time the chain has collaborated with a brewery to create its own beer, which is only poured on tap. So, yes, if you buy it at the store you have to drink it at the store. But people can also get a taste of the same beer at El Segundo Brewing, where Brych said it is being poured under a different name; the Ballpark Blonde.

“They don’t can it or bottle it, they only have it on tap and it’s one of the best sellers in their tap room,” Brych said. “We were looking for something that wasn’t everywhere so it would be unique and exclusive to us,” he added.

The brewery made about 50 kegs of beer for Gelson’s. But the collaboration could continue for a while.

“We would maybe like to do different flavor as we get into the fall, maybe an IPA, a Red Lager or something like that. We maybe even branch out and explore a little bit with some other local breweries,” Brych said.

The wine bars are located at Gelson’s across Southern California, including stores in Calabasas, Century City, Dana Point, Hollywood, Irvine, Long Beach and several other locations.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Ruskin man stated he would “rather just go to jail” than pay for beers he confessed to stealing from a gas station, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social media post.

Abrian Guerrera, 64, of Ruskin, was accused of leaving a Shell gas station with four 24-ounce cans of Modelo on Tuesday.

The clerk informed deputies that when he asked Guerrera where he got the beers, Guerrera replied, “from this store,” and admitted, “No, I did not pay for it… I stole it.”

Deputies mentioned that when the clerk offered to let the incident go if Guerrera paid for the beers, Guerrera refused. Guerrera was told to leave, but he reportedly opened a stolen beer and said, “I don’t want to leave, and I’d rather just go to jail.”

Guerrera told a deputy he was going to Orlando “and got thirsty, so he decided to steal some beer.” He was arrested and charged with retail theft.

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Travis and Jason Kelce.

One is Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, the other is a popular podcaster.

They also happen to be quite good at football.

But now they can add beer barons to their LinkedIn profiles, because the brothers just bought an ownership stake in Ohio-based Garage Beer.

They’re certainly not the first athletes to get into the alcohol game. In fact, they may be the only celebrities not currently repping a tequila. But the Garage Beer brand seems to better fit their personalities. The small batch light beer was founded in their home state — Jason and Travis both played college football at Cincinnati — and has been growing rapidly across the country.

The brand makes two beers: Classic, described as a small batch light lager and “beer flavored beer,” and Lime, which carries the tagline, “It’s exotic.”

The marketing further leans into the name and often takes shots at craft beer’s obsession with IPAs. The website says: “No bitterness. Beer that tastes like beer. Definitely not an IPA.”

According to the partnership announcement, the Kelce brothers believe that beer should be fun, and they want to partner with a brand that embodies the spirit of a neighborhood feel, a light beer all will enjoy.

“People crave quality and simplicity, and Garage Beer nails both for me. We are light beer drinkers and Garage is the best light beer,” said Jason Kelce.

“It comes down to quality for me,” added Travis Kelce. “I think everyone knows I like to have a couple beers now and then, so being an owner of Garage Beer and heavily involved in making the best light beer is exciting, man! There is nothing better to bring people together than an ice-cold beer, and for Jason and me that is what beer is all about — friends, family and fun.”

Drinking a few beers does sound pretty fun right about now.

Nothing is sacred anymore as April Fools’ morphs into a new way to stealth launch weird products.

The Simpsons have “predicted” dozens of eerie moments in history. Ironically, they never saw a recent callout from Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan coming down the pipeline.

On June 7, during a chat with Stereogum, McKagan claimed that the show’s fictional adult beverage company, Duff Beer and by extension Duffman, was actually named after him. However, writer and producer, Jay Kogen slammed the accusation to TMZ.

Although the band has certainly influenced a generation of rockers and music lovers alike, Kogen rattled off two reasons why McKagan’s supposed “King Of Beers” nickname had nothing to do with the ‘The Simpsons’ beloved booze brand.

According to Kogen, “there actually wasn’t any deep reasoning behind choosing the name Duff,” it was a toss around idea. Ultimately, the team landed on Duff for comic reasons. “It’s a synonym for butt, tushy, booty, and so on,” he said. “Duff is a beer for people who sat on their fat ass all day.”

The second reason, according to Kogen, “‘The Simpsons’ writers and producers back in the day didn’t know anyone in Guns N’ Roses beyond [frontman] Axl Rose.”

In the interview, McKagan also claimed to have been approached by the show between 1988 and 1989. McKagan eluded that the denial was tied to its financial stake in its branding and merchandising profits. “So I think it’s very probably business savvy of them to say that’s not true,” he said. “But if you just do your own math behind it, look at when they started off with the King of Beers, and I had my King of Beers belt I wore all the time.”

But Kogen doubled down on his stance. “It’s very weird, this Duff McKagan guy wants to claim credit for Duff Beer,” he said. “[When Duff] had zero to do with it.”

Grabbing a locally made beer has become easier in small towns across Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.

Twenty breweries opened in Arkansas between 2019 and 2022, according to the National Brewers Association.

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Would you take a dip in beer, all in the name of health and wellbeing? The answer appears to be an overwhelming ‘yes,’ with this curious European tradition well and truly arriving in the US and spreading rapidly across the country.

While ‘beer spa’ may sound like a euphemism for a keg party around a hot tub, it’s a fairly recent wellness trend with its roots in the Czech Republic in the 1980s. It’s essentially a spa treatment that involves soaking in a tub that may be filled with beer, or elements of it – in particular, aromatic hops, yeast and barley. While light on robust scientific research, the practice is said to have wide-ranging health benefits, from exfoliation to alleviating inflammation and other skin conditions.

In the US, the traditional ‘European bathhouse’ vibe has been refined to resemble the kind of establishment that would never ordinarily have beer on its premises, nor many clients who drink it. Think private rooms, hand-crafted wooden tubs, soothing lights and music, and plenty of fluffy bathrobes and towels.

The first US beer spa was actually opened in 2016 in Sisters, Oregon, which in hindsight might have been a few years ahead of its time as it’s since shut down. But like a bubbly, frothy phoenix rising, new treatment houses have sprung up across the country, including My Beer Spa in Orlando, Piva Beer Spa in Chicago, Oakwell Beer Spa in Denver and the tap room-spa mashup of Bierbath in Sykesville, Maryland.

While there’s certain novelty in the name, beer baths are generally not actually, drinkable beer; they’re normally different treatment ‘blends’ of hops, yeast and malt, without the boozy part (most do, however, offer some kind of on-brand drinks to have while soaking).

As for the health benefits, they don’t reinvent the wheel of wellness spa treatment, so any sort of miracle cure for ails with ales should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt. Though proponents of the beer spa attest that extracts from hops, barley and brewer’s yeast boast polyphenols with antioxidant properties for skin health, barley’s epidermal growth factor protein can boost skin appearance (and there is some research into this), and an assortment of vitamins in the mix can help hydrate skin and condition hair.

One thing we’d guarantee, though, is the relaxing factor. Hops have been shown to have a mild sedative effect that encourages sleep. While you wouldn’t be eating them, of course, there are relaxing properties to their aroma.

The beer spa experience is also often accompanied with chill-out day beds but instead they’re hay beds – yes, literally made of hay. If you’ve ever been around hay, you’ll know that it’s not a material that evokes ‘blissful relaxing mattress,’ but we won’t knock it till we try it.

Government data from 2021 showed that Americans drink around 6.5 billion gallons of beer each year. While alcohol use in general is falling, it’s still by far the most popular booze in the fridge (wine was second, by a long shot, with 935 million gallons per year).

While an hour-long soak may set you back a little more than a six-pack – most one-person packages start at around $100 – a trip to the beer spa certainly has health benefits in comparison to the more traditional way of indulging.

Sources: My Beer Spa, Piva Beer Spa, Oakwell Beer Spa, Bierbath, Spa Beerland

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There are new taxes on imported wines

For many Ugandans, the thought of beer conjures warm memories, cheers with friends, or a cold drink at the end of a long day.

However, they will in the coming financial year dig deep into their pockets to have their favourite drink as the government slapped more taxes on beer.

Finance minister, Matia Kasaija on Thursday announced taxation measures targeting the alcohol industry, particularly imported brands of beer and wine. While some analysts had suggested that, the budget for the financial year 2024/25 was not too “tax laden” the minister slapped Shs 1,000 on each kilogram of powdered bear.

This alcohol exercise tax is likely to affect the final price of this type of beer. Powdered beer has recently been a beer of choice by some revellers in some of the top bars and clubs. Unlike the bottled beers on the market, the powder imported from countries like Germany instantly turns into beer once mixed with water.

The minister also announced an increase in excise duty on imported wines from 80 per cent or Shs 8,000 per litre to 100 per cent or Shs 10,000 whichever is the highest. Players in the breweries sector have in the past raised alarm about exercise duties on beer. Current beer made from malt has a 60 per cent duty or Shs 2,050 per litre, whichever is higher, opaque beer 12 per cent or Shs 150 per litre, whichever is higher.

In March, Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) managing director, Andrew Kilonzo warned against the plans by the government to impose a 20 per cent tax increase on both locally manufactured and imported spirits. He revealed that Uganda’s exercise duties on spirits were twice higher than those in other East African countries. Kasaija did not mention new exercise duties on the spirits meaning that the old ones still stand.

Other taxes

Bearing in mind that taxes form most of the collections to finance the budget, the minister announced Shs 100 on a litre of diesel and petrol. He also imposed excise duty on adhesives, grout, white cement, and lime. This according to the minister was to align the tax treatment of these products with that of cement.

Mobile money withdrawals

When the new budget comes into effect, withdrawals of money from other platforms other than mobile, money will be subject to an excise duty at a rate of 0.5 per cent of the value of withdrawals. This will not apply to withdrawals from agent banking or banking halls. This measure is likely to hurt those who operate on electronic banking wallets.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

To facilitate the growth of e-mobility and affordability of electric cars and motorcycles and protect the environment. Kasaija announced that the supply of electric motorcycles, vehicles manufactured or fabricated in Uganda, and their respective charging stations and batteries for electric motorbikes, charging stations, and related services are exempt from tax.

Taxing gifts from employers

The minister announced that starting next financial year, the provision of taxable goods/services by an employer to an employee would attract VAT. This issue generated debate in parliament. MPs reasoned that if a company for instance, produces cement and donates bags to its employees of cement for self-development, the gift would be subject to VAT.

Income tax

The government will with effect from the next financial year investors from tax capital gains arising from the sale of holdings in private equity or venture capital funds regulated by the Capital Markets Authority. According to Kasaija, the intention is to incentivize private equity or venture capital investments in Uganda.

Tax holidays

The government will provide tax holidays on the income of a person who manufactures and fabricates electric motor vehicles, electric motorcycles, electric batteries, and electric vehicle charging equipment, as well as the income of a person who develops, establishes or operates a medical facility or hospital facility.

Some civil society actors have in the past warned the government against such blanket tax holidays saying they normally end up denying the country access to revenue.

Uganda Revenue Authority has indicated that the country loses about Shs 160 billion annually due to foregone corporate income tax mostly from multinational companies because of tax holidays.

”We have extended the waiver of penalties and interest on arrears outstanding by June 2023. This waiver will apply when the taxpayer pays between July and December 2024, and we have also introduced a 10 per cent withholding tax on commission paid to the banking agents and fintech agents (payment service providers),” said Kasaija.

Public debt

The minister reported that Uganda’s total public debt stood at Shs 93.38 trillion, equivalent to $24.69 billion. Of this amount, external debt was Shs 55.37 trillion equivalent to $14.64 billion while domestic debt was Shs 38.01 trillion equivalent to $10.05 billion. The public debt is projected at Shs 97.638 trillion, equivalent to $25.716 billion by 30th June 2024.

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The minister reported that in nominal terms, Uganda’s public debt to GDP was estimated at 9 per cent in June 2023, and is projected to end at 47.9 per cent this financial year ending June 2024.

“This is below the 52.4 per cent threshold provided for in the Charter for Fiscal Responsibility for the financial year 2023/24, and less than 50 per cent of GDP government policy target for debt sustainability,” he said.

Kasaija noted that although Uganda’s debt has increased, it is still sustainable and the government is committed to keeping it sustainable.

“Most importantly, the money we have borrowed has been invested well and these investments have started to give good returns,” said the minister.

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The best double IPAs were recently named at the World Beer Cup.

The world’s best double or imperial IPAs were crowned recently at the World Beer Cup. The competition is arguably craft beer’s most prestigious and is organized each year by the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit trade organization that advocates for independent brewers.

Though brewers and some craft beer lovers have cooled in their enthusiasm for IPAs, they remain the bestselling craft beer style by a significant margin and the higher alcohol content double IPAs—sometimes described as “an IPA that’s been turned up to 11”—are a big part of that. At this year’s World Beer Cup the double/imperial IPA category had 138 entries. Out of all those beers only three were chosen as medalists. They are listed below and all, in what is an unusual sweep by a state, hail from sunny California. You can also read my story on the best Hazy IPAs from the World Beer Cup and the best German-style Pilsners, and follow my stories for more updates from the World Beer Cup and news about the world’s best beer in general.

This big bold and well-prepared imperial IPA features citra, citra cryo and mosaic hops. Per the brewery’s notes on the beer: “The brew team were all good lil Pallys the night before they brewed this one, got good sleep, ate their Wheaties, and watched this batch of hop saturated yum yum like a hawk. We were prepared this time! And I think it shows in how dope this one came out. Tasting notes? Think Navel Orange oils, yummo blueberry cereal, pineapple whips, and a linger of the freshest Maui Wowee.”

Beer fans in California can have beer shipped to their homes from Green Cheek Beer Co.’s website.

A chance to drink this beer is worth going down the rabbit hole. From the brewery: “The habit of rabit? No carrots here, Jack. This riddle of a double IPA is easily solved when a bright blend of berry and citrus leap out of the glass. Whiskers wiggle above a healthy heap of Mosaic and Simcoe for an evolving aroma experience.”

Coming in third place is this goblin-named gem of a beer that is made with strata, nelson, and mosaic notes. Tasting notes from the brewery are minimal, but per Untapped, it has notes of dank fruit, diesel, papaya, and pine, all descriptors that have my mouth watering.

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Fears over Serbian ‘ultras hooligans targeting boozed-up England fans at The Three Lions’ first Euros match on Sunday, June 16, at the VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, have prompted authorities to take measures.

Full-strength beer will be prohibited during England’s first Euros match against Serbia, with fans being served weaker German shandy, according to reports.

This decision was made as German authorities, hosting the major football tournament, are concerned about potential clashes between England fans and violent Serbian ‘Ultras’. German police are apprehensive that Serbian hooligans are planning to confront the drink-fueled England supporters, leading to the ban on strong lager at the match. An estimated 40,000 England supporters and 8,000 Serbs are expected at the game, the latter joined by others from Germany’s Serbian communities.

The security level for the match on Sunday, June 16, at the VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, has been elevated from ‘high’ to ‘very high’, with concerns that 500 hardcore pro-Vladimir Putin supporters may also attend, as per reports.

READ MORE: DWP crackdowns leave 1.6 million claimants of one key benefit £2,000 out of pocket

In response, local authorities have opted to serve a weaker beer at the 62,000-seat stadium during the Three Lions’ premier game. Instead of offering the 4.8 per cent alcohol Bitburger Premium, attendees will now be able to purchase a blend of lager and citrus soda known as ‘Radler-style’, which contains only 2.5 per cent alcohol. Additionally, there is a limit; fans can purchase no more than two pints of this beer at one time.

Bitburger, a renowned German brand, offers two lighter alternatives: the 2.8 per cent Bitburger Light and the 2.5 percent Radler lemonade shandy. It remains unclear which of these options will be made available.

Complicating matters further, UEFA has prohibited division among fans within the stadium, leading to mixed seating for rival supporters. Moreover, it has been reported that German police have identified plans by organized Serbia ultras groups to converge on the match targeting slightly intoxicated English fans.

Gelsenkirchen police spokesperson Stephan Knipp mentioned to The Sun: “It is just the England game which will have the low-strength beer. The other games at the stadium will have 4.8 per cent.”

It’s your call! Which country possesses the most formidable team at Euro 2024? Weigh in on the discussion in the comments section.

Additionally, a prohibition on alcohol consumption has recently been imposed on England supporters in the city, particularly at Heinrich-Konig-Platz, restricting drinking before the 8pm match commencement.

Mr Knipp elaborated further: “Fans are not permitted to consume alcoholic beverages at the city’s main square, Heinrich-Konig-Platz. An England fan found with beer in the square will be required to discard it or it will be confiscated. However, they will not be arrested on the spot. While the square will serve as a fan zone for other matches in the city, it is excluded for England matches. Fans are, however, allowed to consume alcohol at local bars and at a designated fan zone for England supporters located at the racecourse.”

Another police source mentioned to the newspaper that the beer available at the arena will have the same alcohol content as ‘Radler’ beer, a combination of beer and lemonade, akin to a shandy.

Previously, England fans have faced aggressive confrontations, notably in 2016 when organized Russian hooligan groups severely injured several English fans in Marseille, France. There were claims that these hooligans were state-backed.

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