Beer-articles 913

Hosts of “Las Vegas Morning Blend”, Elliott Bambrough and Jessica Rosado, engage in a discussion about the renowned Great Vegas Festival of Beer. Identified as Las Vegas’ top craft brew festival, it is slated to commence at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center this coming Saturday, April 6.

Six-pack beer sales are declining as 12-packs and singles gain in popularity.

Joe Six-Pack might have to change his name.

Six-pack beer sales declined last year for both craft beer and beer as a whole, according to a recent recap and analysis released by the Brewers Association.

Nielson data cited in the analysis reveals 12-pack can sales have surpassed six-pack can sales both in terms of dollars and total volume of beer sales as the top beer format. In the craft beer arena, the six-pack remained the top-selling beer format but its popularity is waning: six-pack craft beer sales were down more than 12% for the year.

So how are people buying their craft beer instead?

If you’re a craft beer fan you might assume it is the popular four-pack 16-ounce cans, which seems as synonymous with craft beer these days as beards and plaid shirts — but you’d be wrong. The four-pack also dropped in popularity with sales by volume decreasing 7.3% over 2023. Instead, 12-packs increased in popularity along with singles, which were the biggest winners of the year, increasing by 2.2%. Surprisingly, singles actually surpassed four-packs in popularity over the past year.

Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association and author of the recap, predicts that we will continue to see the popularity of four-packs and six-packs drop. “In the same way we’ve seen consumers focus in on alcohol by volume (ABV) and specific occasions, hollowing out the middle of the ABV range a bit, I wonder if they are starting to do something similar with pack sizes,” he wrote in the analysis. “Six-packs are still the plurality of craft packaging, but they are now down to 43 share of volume. It’s likely that singles and 12-packs will pass them in 2024.”

It is all part of beer world that is rapidly changing. Beer sales are trending down overall as consumers are drawn to other types of alcohol. But craft beer has long been built on change. I still remember when some beer connoisseurs would look down on anything in a can as inferior. Those days are long gone and can sales overall continue to increase growing by 4% over the past year.

Personally, I don’t see anything too concerning for the industry in shifting pack-size format choices. I also love singles, it allows you to taste a beer without spending on a four-pack and I’m pleased that more breweries are providing them. The bigger 12-packs are also a tremendous deal when you wish to stack up on a beer you favour. However, as six-pack sales dropped, I do speculate what an average American drinker will pick for the weekend to sip when working on the machines of their ‘88 Ford Mustangs.

After all, Joe 12-Pack doesn't quite possess a nice ring to it.

Female beer brewer in Greenville, South Carolina talks about making strides in a male-dominated field

Visiting the local pub for a refreshing pint is a wonderful way to relax after a taxing day and engage in social activities. Naturally, there’s a unique pleasure associated with enjoying a frothy, foamy beer straight out of the tap as opposed to opening a fresh one at home.

What you may not realize though, is that opting for a draft beer at your local bar may not always be the wisest choice. Interestingly, when bartenders are off duty and out for drinks, they tend to steer clear of beers served this way. The reason being, draft beer lines are not cleaned as frequently as one might imagine, which can compromise the taste of your drink, making it less palatable. What’s worse, when these lines are not maintained regularly, they can harbor contaminants which may end up in your beer.

Read more: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink

According to the Brewer’s Association for Small & Independent Craft Brewers, tap lines (the system that delivers the beer from the keg to the tap) ought to be serviced every fortnight. If neglected, a variety of contaminants can begin to form within the lines. Yeast and mold are the primary culprits that cultivate on the parts of the tap system exposed to air, like faucets and drains. Both of these are typically difficult to spot in your beer, but when they multiply on the machinery, they can manifest as white or green growths. While usually harmless, mold can occasionally cause health issues, thus, it’s best to evade tap lines harboring these growths.

Beerstone, a deposit primarily made of calcium oxalate, is an important aspect to consider. This deposit tends to accumulate in your tap lines and at some point falls off, which leaves a residue in the beer you’re drinking. This residue can lessen the shelf life of your brew, and result in it having flavors that are unpleasant in nature.

Moreover, don’t ignore the role of bacteria. They can make your beverage smell like spoiled eggs, along with other foul smells. They can also induce sour, vinegary flavors and make your drink appear dull and opaque. All these factors can leave you with a brew that is far from being refreshing, especially if you are looking for a fresh one at the bar.

Draft beers are not the only alcoholic beverages bartenders tend to avoid while they are out for an enjoyable evening – wine falls into the same category. The problem here is it’s quite uncertain how long the wine bottle has been open, which leads to the possibility that it has been oxidizing for some time. Even worse, not all bars store wine bottles at the correct temperatures. These issues can compromise the taste of the beverage, and result in it changing color and acquiring nutty or vinegary flavors.

You might also want to reconsider opting for an espresso martini. Despite their dessert-like taste and visually appealing appearance for social media, most bars aren’t equipped with espresso machines. As a result, they resort to using substitutes, which don’t yield the same smooth quality.

Finally, another cocktail to avoid is anything batched. Like draft beer lines, the equipment bartenders use to make batch cocktails doesn’t always get cleaned as frequently as it should, leading to contaminants in the drink. When you go out for a drink, bartenders recommend a straightforward gin and tonic or rum and coke, which is a much safer option. Moreover, they’re not overly complex drinks that could be made below par during a rush.

Read the original article on Daily Meal

The correct beer and cheese pairings can be as iconic as the meticulously-curated wine pairing menus accompanying five-star dinners.

Since beer is produced with bitter yet fruity hops, the often piquant flavors can perfectly complement the herbal, nutty and earthy notes of many cheeses. In fact, for certain destinations around the globe, beer and cheese is the celebrated pairing of happy hour, like a perfect pint with a saison with Herve in Bruges, a pale lager with aged gouda in Amsterdam, or a Greek pilsner with feta cheese in Argos.

“It’s all about balance of flavors and intensities… creating a contrast that enhances both the beer and cheese flavors,” says Michael Oxton, co-founder of Night Shift Brewing, who exemplifies the sharpness of aged cheddar against the boldness of an IPA or the creaminess of brie to complement the complexity of ales.

Below, Oxton and industry experts share nine of their favorite beer and cheese pairings.

The strong flavors of blue cheese call for a more subtle pairing, such as the lighter profile of a pale ale. Sarah Real, owner and head brewster of Hot Plate Brewing recommends one of her preferred pairings: The Brewery at Four Star Farm Spring Mending American Pale Ale and Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont. “Spring Mending carries a citrus aroma but hints of the malt come through, setting a soft palette for the significant impact of the buttery blue cheese,” she notes.

As a cheddar ages, its flavors become bolder compared to the milder profile of less aged varieties. Consequently, robust flavors are vital to balance the salty and savory taste of a cheese, such as Tillamook Extra Aged. Michael Oxton, co-founder of Night Shift Brewing, states that a hop-forward beer like their Santilli IPA is the perfect pairing. “The robust, west coast flavors of Santilli complement the rich and sharp taste of the aged cheddar perfectly,” Oxton points out.

Real highlights that a New England IPA, such as Strong Rope Brewery Wolf Sweater, exhibits “fruity notes that harmonize well with the hint of bitterness and nutty flavor of Manchego cheese.”

For those who are convinced they don’t enjoy blue cheese, Christine Clark, a writer and cheese educator, suggests trying Kerrygold Cashel Blue paired with a Guinness. “The frothiness of the Guinness helps offset the buttery richness of the cheese, and the peppery bite from the blue mold is softened by the roasted notes from the malt,” Clark explains.

Originating from the village it was named after, Morbier is a semi-soft cow’s cheese featuring a rich texture with herbal undertones and a pervasive nutty, sometimes bitter, aftertaste. Real suggests pairing this cheese with Great Notion Puffery Lager, a Helles lager featuring Hallertau Mittelfruh hops, which is delivered from High Lawn Farm in Massachusetts. She describes the lager as clean and crisp, making it an ideal match for the sweet, grassy, smoky pepper-infused cheese.

According to Oxton, a Pilsner, which is a lager variety notable for its hop-forward profile, goes well with aged Gouda. The pilsner’s crisp nature cuts through the cheese’s richness while enhancing the sweetness from both elements. He recommends pairing Night Shift’s Garden Party Pilsner with a Beemster Extra Aged.

Cheddar cheese’s creamy consistency is wonderfully complemented by a Belgian beer’s subtle citrus notes and higher alcoholic content. Real suggests a pairing with the Countess of Flanders Belgian-Style Golden Strong from Hot Plate Brewing, which perfectly matches the Isle of Mull cheddar from Neal’s Yard Dairy in Scotland. The cheese is rich and savory, made from cows that graze on grass in the summer and hay in the winter, and consume a fermented grain supplement from a local distillery all year round.

For softer, creamier cheeses like Brie, Oxton recommends a shandy. He notes that the shandy’s light, citrusy flavors break through the cheese’s richness, resulting in a harmonious balance, like Night Shift’s Shandy Beach, for instance.

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<p>Camembert is a unique cheese for its contrasting strong rind and mild interior. Real says a fruit beer like <a href="your-link-here" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Delirium Red</a>, brewed with cherries and elderberries, can offer a balance of sweet and sour; pairing it with Berkshire Bloom, a Camembert-style cheese from <a href="your-link-here" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cricket Creek Farm</a>, helps smooth any sharpness leftover from the Red.</p>

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By Katelyn Umholtz

You’ve crossed the finish line near Copley Square after a grueling 26.2-mile run, while hundreds of thousands of spectators watch. How are you deservedly celebrating?

Probably with plenty of water or loading up on carbohydrates lost to running up Heartbreak Hill.

Both of those would be a great idea, according to experts. You especially want foods with carbs, like pasta or a veggie burger.

But what about a beer? A celebratory post-marathon beer, for some runners anyway, is essential to the experience of finishing a run. It’s why you’ll sometimes find beer tents at the finish lines of races and triathlons.

Some running groups, like the Boston Hash House Harriers, build their trails around bars. “Not only does a cold beer taste fantastic after a run, it’s actually been scientifically proven to rehydrate just as well as water,” said runner Beeeezz, who asked to go by their trail name.

The study they’re referring to is one published by Frontiers in Nutrition that found low-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic beer rehydrated people post-exercise comparably to water, though its researchers said more studying is needed. Another study from Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that the consumption of non-alcoholic beer after a marathon helped reduce post-race inflammation.

To be clear, most experts would say that having too many beers — especially those with an ABV of 5% or higher, which is most beer available — is not the best method of recovery post-run. And you should definitely have plenty of water and carbohydrates before downing a few pints, nutrition counselor Nancy Clark told Boston.com in 2018.

But when it’s time to celebrate after one of the world’s major marathons, enjoying a cold beer responsibly and perhaps choosing a lighter drink is the way to go.

Where can you find the perfect place for that post-race drink? Boston.com is curious to hear from former Boston Marathon participants who cooled off with a beer after the race, runners who have plans for this year, or Bostonians who have recommendations for our athletic visitors.

We’re interested in which bar you suggest, and what type of beer you’re ordering. These bars should be in the vicinity of the finish line – walkable or possibly a brief T ride away from Copley Square.

Assist us, and we’ll compile a guide for a beer bar-hopping tour on race day.

Stay up to date on the latest food and drink news from Boston.com.

Be civil. Be kind.

Several hours before the game started, Will Rice and Sebastian Tirado made their way down behind home plate to watch the players’ training — thoroughly immersed in the March baseball atmosphere. As a prior season ticket holder for 12 years with 18 opening days under his belt, Rice has been a frequent visitor to Oriole Park at Camden Yards since its inception in 1992.

48-year-old Rice pointed towards the standing-room area above the right field wall, reminiscing over his experiences from the stadium’s first opening day three decades back. He was sharing these memories with Tirado just the other day — drawing parallels between the top players of then and now, and the electricity in the air during the first game with a crowd of 44,568 spectators. The unique thrill of a fresh start for his favorite team was something he could still feel, much like the current Thursday.

“There’s a great sense of anticipation here,” Tirado added. He revealed that his friends, who usually preferred to stay at home and watch game highlights, are now keenly messaging their group chat wanting to know who all will be present at the ballpark. According to Tirado, the Orioles of 2024 have sparked a belief that they “might cause significant impact — not just over a single season.”

Photos of Baltimore Orioles’ opening day 2024

Thursday’s opening day follows a hectic offseason. A new ownership group is in place, headed by Baltimore billionaire David Rubenstein. It promises a new lease ensuring a minimum of 15 and potentially 30 more years of Oriole baseball at Camden Yards, a new top-of-rotation ace in Corbin Burnes, and elevated playoff expectations.

The excitement was palpable well before the start of the game. The Orioles triumphed 11-3 over the Los Angeles Angels in front of a sold-out crowd of 45,029 fans.

While Rice and Tirado observed the Orioles’ rising stars during batting practice, numerous fans started their day by partaking in the celebrations at Pickles Pub across the street, densely packed into the dimly lit bar.

Those who arrived at the Washington Boulevard bar at just the right moment were greeted with a complimentary Coors Light, courtesy of the new Orioles ownership. Tom, a customer at the bar with a beer in hand, proudly displayed a selfie he captured with Michael Arougheti, a member of Rubenstein’s ownership group.

New @Orioles ownership just bought everyone beer at Pickles Pub pic.twitter.com/0tcvkCIT59

— Khiree Stewart (@khireewbal) March 28, 2024

Chants of “Let’s go O’s” rang out through the packed establishment as bartenders handed out beer that was charged to the Orioles’ tab. “The Angelos family would never do that,” Tom said. “It was an Orioles Magic kind of moment.”

Back across the street in right field, the same spot Rice watched from 32 years ago, came another magical moment: A literal tying of the knot between two transplant Orioles fans.

Timm Gillette, aged 48, encountered Tassie Zahner, his current spouse aged 45, back in 2018 while he was employed as an axe-throwing coach at Urban Axes. Zahner was in Baltimore on a family visit from Ypsilanti, Michigan, the birthplace of Gillette. They were raised merely 25 miles apart. The couple’s first date happened to be the Orioles Hawaiian shirt giveaway game in 2018.

Roughly three weeks before, the couple solidified their marriage arrangements: getting hitched at Camden Yards on the opening day—a game for which they had secured tickets as soon as they were available in January. The pair have attended every Hawaiian shirt giveaway day since their first in 2018, and they chose to wear the original shirts for their outfield service on Thursday, marking a bond that has strengthened their support for O’s.

I happened to gatecrash a pre-game wedding in right field. This is where Tassie and Timm, who had their first date back in 2018 at the Hawaiian shirt giveaway game, decided to get married just before the opening match of the day.

“I hereby declare you officially married, let’s commence the game!” pic.twitter.com/sfXJk5WLsG

— Sam Cohn (@samdcohn) March 28, 2024

“Knowing the history of Camden Yards and what it did for Major League Baseball,” Gillette said, “It was really easy to become so built into the Orioles fan base.”

Both their parents are home in Michigan, paying to watch the game on TV. Gillette and Zahner won’t make it on the stream for family to see but their new stage of life will forever coincide with what Rubenstein and the Orioles are aptly dubbing the organization’s “Next Chapter.”

It’s that mantra and each of the coinciding changes that have fans eager to get this season underway.

Steve Hoeck and Dale Rothe, lifelong fans from Maryland, now in their early 40s, expressed that it feels more authentic this year than the last in Pickles.

“Without any negative comments, all I can express is my excitement over our new ownership,” Hoeck stated. Rothe was a bit more direct in his evaluation of the past management, Peter followed by John Angelos. “Appreciative of him acquiring the team a century ago, but he didn’t make any significant contributions to our progress.”

Contradicting his friend, Hoeck conveyed that John Angelos factored more on the business side while Rubenstein seems more of a devotee. This is their preferred setup.

Gordan Lander, a 25-year-old who previously gained fame for making a rug for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in November, also commissioned a similar carpet for Gunnar Henderson. He is optimistic about Rubenstein’s projected readiness to extend the present young core and invest in recruiting outside talent.

“I am eagerly awaiting the day I receive a notification that reads: ‘Adley Rutschman, 10 years, $130 million,’” expressed Gordan. The frequent uncertainty, caused by the constant questioning of whether great players would stay or be traded, always affected him negatively.

However, he believes the new ownership signals a permanent resolution, validating his statement, “It feels like we are here to stay.”

John Hargett, attended his second opening day alone in the bleachers. This time though, his 12- and 14-year-old sons accompanied him, who were by the field for batting practice. Even though Hargett originates from North Carolina and was raised in Pennsylvania, he embraced the fandom passed down from his Baltimore-rooted father. His children are also nurturing their O’s fandom in Greensboro, North Carolina. They undertook a collective journey up north on Wednesday night.

Previously, the family has watched a lethargic Orioles’ performance together which led Hargett to question, “Why have I subjected you guys to this?” However, he now believes the team has turned a corner.

Orioles fans cling on to the hope that young superstars like Rustchman and Henderson, the current American League Rookie of the Year, pledge their loyalties to the orange and black for the foreseeable future. The fans express immense gratitude as the Orioles confirm a long-term lease this offseason, ensuring their stay in Baltimore for many more years to come.

During the media interview on Thursday morning, Rubenstein stated, “A World Series cannot be won without a fan base that is passionately invested in the team’s success.”

On Opening Day, fans displayed their dedication and love for the team. Waving their orange towels and enthusiastically singing along to every lyric of ‘Thank God, I’m a Country Boy,’ the seventh-inning stretch song by John Denver, they manifested their affection and care for this team, perhaps more than ever before.

The progress in the production of non-alcoholic beer over recent years is truly remarkable. There was a time when your choices were limited to brands like O’Doul’s. However, now, there’s a wide variety of non-alcoholic beer options, including pilsners, IPAs, porters, and stouts. But what is non-alcoholic beer, and how is it produced?

Interestingly, there isn’t a single answer to that. Non-alcoholic beer, legally containing up to 0.5% ABV and thus distinct from alcohol-free beer, which contains 0.0% ABV, can be produced in two ways. It can be made either without any alcohol or with the alcohol subsequently removed. Both methods have their pros and cons. Quite amusingly, it’s mostly the beers produced without alcohol that end up containing 0.5% ABV. In contrast, beers that have their alcohol removed are more likely to be genuinely alcohol-free.

Discover more: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink

To comprehend this, it’s helpful to understand the beer-making process. Initially, the grains used for the beer, like barley, wheat, or rice, are ground and combined with hot water. The mix is left to steep until it forms a dense sludge called mash. The remaining liquid is then strained out and boiled, with different varieties of hops added to achieve the desired flavor. The liquid is later cooled and placed in a fermentation chamber, where yeast is introduced. The yeast is crucial as it converts the sugars in the mixture into alcohol. The beer is then aged— the duration varies on the beer type. The key point here is the yeast phase, as that’s when the beer gets its alcohol content.

One method involves brewing beer without alcohol from the start. This is a cost-effective approach as it doesn’t necessitate expensive apparatus. It does, however, require time and meticulous attention during mashing to ensure the resulting sugars don’t contain maltose – the primary sugar that changes into alcohol during fermentation. However, the process still creates other sugars which do convert into alcohol, albeit in minuscule quantities. This is how you acquire non-alcoholic beer that still contains trace amounts of alcohol.

On the other hand, de-alcoholization is more likely to yield completely alcohol-free beer. There are two core methods here; they require specific equipment which is by no means inexpensive. The more traditional method is vacuum distillation, where the beer is heated in a vacuum causing the ethanol to evaporate, much like the process used in distilling spirits such as vodka.

The second method is reverse osmosis. This somewhat more complex approach employs pressure to force the beer through a fine membrane, isolating water and alcohol from the beer and retaining only the beer flavor. This results in non-alcoholic beers that taste more beer-like. Water is reintroduced to the mixture later, making this the most effective technique for producing alcohol-free beer. However, the downside is the requisite high-cost apparatus.

All these methods successfully produce non-alcoholic beer. The choice of method hinges on the preference of the brewer and the taste appreciated by the consumer.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.

In a new bill, ready-to-drink pre-packaged cocktails could not exceed 8% ABV to be sold alongside beer and wine in the state of Alabama. (Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com)

MONTGOMERY — Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, reintroduced a bill recently that would permit the sale of ready-to-drink mixed spirits wherever beer and wine are sold, though this time, with a compromise.

Senate Bill 259 would allow for RTD spirits with an alcohol by volume of up to 8% to be sold in grocery stores, convenience stores, or wherever else beer and wine are sold. The bill would expand the availability of such drinks from less than 1,000 locations to more than 4,600 statewide.

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It’s been suggested – I’ve said it myself – that we are living in a “golden age” of beer.

Although there have been blips and hiccups along the way, the craft beer movement has electrified the beer industry over the past four-plus decades, especially in the early part of this century. Double-digit growth in the craft brewing industry year after year for a good chunk of time was not shocking – but certainly somewhat surprising in its consistency.

This brewing bull market, of course, had its roots in many places, but a lot of the explosion came from the innovation of brewers. They stretched boundaries, questioned norms, and performed a sort of alchemy, shifting styles in new directions. And at some points, some truly great beers were birthed.

And maybe it’s my age and history with beer that’s giving me pause these days, but lately I’ve been wondering where the next truly great beer is coming from?

Don’t get me wrong, there are some really good beers coming out these days. Some of them I buy regularly. But I have to say that nothing has really “tripped my trigger” (as my niece Mary Beth from Kentucky likes to say).

We can quibble about what qualifies as “great.” That’s subjective of course. But while a consensus of Beer Advocate might give some weight to certain beers, I don’t always trust the vox populi. Popular things can be great, but I find that most fashionable or well-received items (be they movies, music, books or food) are often middling at best. This actually makes sense logically, and honestly, there is nothing wrong with something that is “pretty good.”

I also feel that to be truly great, a beer has to stand the test of time. This is particularly true in my case, as I tend to get overly excited by a new, cool thing. I have declared many a beer to be “great” (maybe even in this column), only to reassess its luster at a later date. Part of this is the mutability of our palates, but part of it is my overzealous attitude about finding a great beer.

For quite a while back in the day, the holy grail of beer was Westvletren 12, a fantastic quad from the famed Trappist brewery in Belgium. It’s still ranked eminently high, of course, as it really is a great beer. I’ve had it and concur with the general opinion of it. For my money, however, Trappistes Rochefort 10 (also a quad) is better, but both are phenomenal. And taste is subjective, but I feel that part of the allure of Westie 12 was its unavailability. Since more people have had access to it over the past decade, some of the shine has come off the apple.

Both those beers were originally brewed in the middle part of the previous century, so they’re both at least 75 years old. And I’m certainly not saying there have been no great beers since then; there have been plenty. I’ve had some that I consider preeminent, but none in the past decade or so. Yet we must admit there never before has been the sheer amount of good beers we see today, so that counts for something, quantity-wise.

But how many new ones are great? So today I’m wondering if we are actually now living in a Silver Age of beer, not golden. What are your thoughts? Have you had any truly great new beers in the past decade? They can be any style. Let me know at geolenker@yahoo.com.

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