Beer-articles 913

Stout beers are a popular beverage in bars, restaurants and home kitchens around the world.

A stout is defined as “a very dark, toasty, bitter, creamy ale,” according to the Beer Judge Certification Program.

It is not typically thought to be ideal for new beer drinkers, due to its often bitter taste.

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There are different varieties of beer that are more favorable to those new to drinking beer or exploring stouts.

With roots in Ireland and England, stout beers have spread and increased in popularity all around the globe.

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What kinds of stout beer are there?

What is the most popular stout?

What does stout beer taste like?

What is the difference between stouts and other popular beer types?

Among the most popular kinds of stouts are dry Irish stout, milk stout, oatmeal stout, oyster stout, pastry stout, coffee stout, imperial stout and barrel-aged stout.

Dry Irish stouts stand as one of the age-old favorites, majorly because of Guinness.

Milk stouts are known for the incorporation of lactose, a sugar common in dairy products. They often exude a creamy feel and a tinge of chocolate flavor.

Oatmeal stouts, not unlike milk stouts, are a creamy variation of beer with a dash of sweetness.

Oyster stouts, true to their name, are brewed with oysters, infusing each sip with a hint of sea salt.

Pastry stouts are very rich in flavor and have a dessert-like feel. This kind of beer is quite sweet compared to others.

Coffee stout accentuates the underlying coffee flavor already present in a stout by adding it as an ingredient to the beverage.

Imperial stouts often pack a bitter punch and have a higher alcohol content than others.

Barrel-aged stouts are aged in oak barrels. These stouts often have warm flavors of vanilla and even a touch of caramel.

The most popular stout is dry Irish, more specifically, Guinness.

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Guinness has historic beginnings, dating back to 1759.

Today, there are over 10 million glasses consumed each day, according to the stout’s website. Additionally, 1.8 billion pints are sold on a yearly basis, according to the source.

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There are different kinds of Guinness that have varying alcohol levels. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout stands at 7.5% ABV, Guinness Baltimore Blonde at 5%, Guinness Draught at 4.2%, Guinness Extra Stout at 4.2%, Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee at 4% and Guinness 0.0 at 0%.

Guinness is made using the key ingredients of roasted barley, malted barley, hops, yeast and water.

The taste of stout beer is going to differ slightly dependent on the type you are drinking. Overall, notes of chocolate and coffee are often tasted in a stout beer.

Stout beer is usually very dark, making it easy to distinguish from other popular kinds of the alcoholic beverage.

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In a very broad sense, there are two main types of beer: Ales and lagers.

Beer feature the same main ingredients of malt, hops, yeast, and water.

One of the biggest differences between these two main types is the yeast that is used in the fermentation process.

Ale yeast ferments at warmer temperatures, which causes it to ferment faster. Lager yeast ferments at colder temperatures, causing a slower fermentation process.

Stouts, like Guinness, are an example of an ale, while Coors, Budweiser, Heineken and Miller Lite are all lagers.

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Original article source: How does stout beer compare to other types of the beverage?

A new taproom is moving into the Sacramento area, but before you scroll, this one will let you pour your own brew.

Keg and Cork Taproom In Roseville first hinted at its self-serve operation in September. After many delays, the beer business wrote in a Facebook post to consumers on Wednesday that a grand opening will be held on Friday, Feb. 9, at 973 Pleasant Grove Blvd.

The taproom will feature 27 beers and three wines on tap, as well as rooms designated for karaoke and gatherings of up to 12 people, according to Keg and Cork’s website.

“We feel this is a unique concept,” Keg and Cork stated, adding that bringing the self-pour concept to the Sacramento region is both economically and environmentally efficient.

An alcohol license from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control lists Debra and Philip Chanco as owners.

As of Thursday afternoon, representatives were not available for comment.

Customers won’t be asked to tip at Keg and Cork, according to its website, because the owners believe tips should be offered not requested.

“Your kind words and smiles are the best tips we could ask for!” the taproom stated.

Customer tips will be donated to a monthly chosen charity such as the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Sierra Donor Services, according to the business.

The self-pour system at Keg and Cork is performed in four steps, as mentioned on their website.

Pay for your beverage at the keg, hold your glass at a 45-degree angle, fully open the tap, and then pour.

The list of wines and beers will undergo frequent changes, as stated by Keg and Cork.

The current drink list features beer from various brewing companies across the western region including Sacramento, Chico and San Diego.

The brew list includes pale ale, kölsch, lager, IPA and more. Also available are chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, hard seltzer and kombucha.

Keg and Cork’s grand opening is from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, according to a Facebook post to customers. Light appetizers will be served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Regular business hours

Regular business hours are from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday through Sunday.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.

After the boom comes the bust—which the world of craft beer is now learning.

While small breweries in the United States experimented with dozens or even hundreds of brews over the past decade or so, it’s just no longer Americans’ drink of choice, The New York Times reported recently. In response, those producers—and the bars and stores selling their beers—are paring back, creating and offering fewer options, sometimes even just one or two at a time.

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“It’s not how many beers we can make,” Mike Fava, a founder and the director of operations at Sacred Profane Brewing in Biddeford, Maine, told the Times. “It’s how many things we can do with the beers.”

Sacred Profane, for example, brews just two beers at a time: a pale lager and a dark lager. That gives Brienne Allan, the brewmaster and president, the ability to really home in and perfect the recipes. As for the guests, although their alcoholic options may be limited, they can choose how much foam they want and whether they want their beers blended or mixed with lemonade. Suppliers, meanwhile, appreciate the small selection, Fava said.

Sales of craft beer have been steadily declining, as drinkers increasingly opt for spirits or canned cocktails—or cut out alcohol completely. As of November, store sales had dropped 5.3 percent by volume from a year earlier, The New York Times noted. At restaurants and bars, people bought 6.7 percent less craft beer. Even major supermarkets like Whole Foods are stocking less of the stuff: The chain started cutting back about six years ago to make more space for drinks like hard seltzer. And while it’s no longer limiting options, it is asking more of the brands it sells, Mary Guiver, Whole Foods’s principal category merchant for beer, told the newspaper.

The decrease in options hasn’t bothered beer drinkers or brewers, as they become more loyal to a few specific beers rather than playing the field. Colin McFadden, who was head brewer for over a decade at Tired Hands Brewing in Ardmore, Penn., used to make hundreds of limited-edition pours. Now, as the owner of the bar and restaurant Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, he offers only five beers.

“Some choice felt necessary, but too much choice felt problematic,” he told the Times. “I’ve had very few people be like, ‘Why are there so few beers?’”

Per the saying, if the quality is up to snuff, the quantity doesn’t much matter.

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‘We’d get big, rugby-playing men coming up to us in tears and saying “I miss my dad” – or “I love my dad and I’ve never told him”’

John and I began songwriting together when we were 13. After university, we both moved back in with our parents in the Midlands and began writing an album. One day while my dad was cooking, I asked, “What should I write a song about?” He casually said, “Diggers.” He used to drive a Massey Ferguson digger for his father’s groundworks company and would pick me up from school in it. Compared to a bully at school, my dad felt so warm, safe and loving. In 90 minutes, I had penned down a song about these contrasting experiences.

Working at London youth centres, I used to commute from Leamington Spa a few times a week. The garage sound that was popular at the time inspired me. I had a rhythm in my head and it went like, “I’m Luke, I’m five and my dad’s Bruce Lee.” When I combined this double-timing rhythm, it felt magical.

People were a bit taken aback by the song’s quirkiness. One line that got many laughs was “The engine rattles my bum like berserk.” By the end, the audience would be laughing and nodding along. We included the song in our debut album and in early 2005, started to compile the hand-drawn video. We published it online in 30-second increments as the artist progressed. Soon, HMV wrote to us asking about the song’s release as customers wanted to purchase it.

It was No 1 just before Christmas 2005. In late January, we played a sold-out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. And it turns out, Ed Sheeran was there. Ed would have been about 14 then. He just kept writing to us: “Could I do work experience with you?” He was very intense. He just wanted to rap-battle us all the time because Eminem’s 8 Mile had just come out. It was Ed’s vision and his gift to be a pop star, but at that stage it wasn’t what I was about.

We had been playing to 200 people a night with a certain vision, mission and purpose – then suddenly this one song just goes boom and we’re at Hyde Park playing to 20,000 people. It’s damaging to the integrity of a living system to grow that quickly. It caused a lot of rupture, stress and conflict and was part of what broke up the band. It’s almost like if a child is growing at a steady rate and that child grows 300ft in six months – it’s probably gonna hurt and it might even kill the child.

I taught Luke to play guitar so it’s my fault, really. When he played the song to me, I was going, “Er, JCBs? Er, really?” Once we’d played it a few times, changed a few things musically, I still thought it was a bit naff. I guess I didn’t quite get it until we started playing it live.

It was then that you’d get big, rugby-playing men coming up to you in tears, going: “I miss my dad” or “I love my dad and I’ve never told him.” Luke was very good at orchestrating the audience into a kind of choir. It’s a funny song because obviously it’s about Luke when he was five with his dad, but it’s amazing how many dads are builders and work in construction and let their sons sit in their diggers.

We used to take work experience kids: they got a week in the studio and a week on the road. Ed Sheeran stood out. I remember him being very enthusiastic, always asking questions. I do remember, in Bristol, him just drinking our rider. It was a full-on gig for me and I was like: “I could really do with a cold beer.” All gone. I said to Luke: “We can’t have him on tour.” In 2006, he opened a show for us in Norwich, not far from his home town, and he had the whole audience in the palm of his hand. I said: “Oh, we’ve created a monster here.”

I don’t think we believed we had a hit until we started doing things like Richard and Judy. When you’re a creative, you spend most of your time saying to aunties and uncles: “It is a proper job.” When you’re on Top of the Pops and you’re No 1, they get off your back for a while.

The JCB Song is almost totally separate from Nizlopi now. Luke and I had always talked about what we wanted – we wanted to be as big as U2 – but when we started tentatively going up that ladder, both of us had very different reactions. It put a lot of pressures on us. I think we forgot for a while that the band was a friendship, and that we were friends who played music together, not musicians that became friends.

Unreleased Nizlopi material is available on Patreon via www.lukeconcannon.com

Beer enjoys immense popularity around the globe and has done so for hundreds of years. With a plethora of beer brands available, beer enthusiasts are certainly not left wanting. The vast range of beer types, each with its unique look, scent, and flavor, makes marketing and branding extremely crucial.

Logos play a pivotal role for each beer brand. A number of beer brand logos have achieved iconic status, potentially ranking among the top logos of all time, adding immense value to their brand identity. Nonetheless, some logos fall short, either due to a lack of alignment with the brand’s image or simply because they aren’t visually appealing. Let’s delve into some beer logos that are at both ends of this spectrum.

An interesting backstory about a craft brewery ties back to rock ‘n’ roll roots. The brewery was established by Logan, the son of Lead Zeppelin’s vocalist, Robert Plant, in 2011. In 2022, it was taken over by Heineken. It even partnered with the American desert rock group, Queens of the Stone Age.

Beavertown’s logo uses a sans-serif font in crisp, legible block capital letters set in white. The logo sports a modern, slightly unconventional look. The skull, a key component of the logo and also the ‘o’ in Beavertown, has become a trademark symbol for the brand. The sketchy, cave drawing-like appearance of the skull contributes to the logo’s edgy aesthetic.

The popular tequila-infused pale lager is produced by a Slovakian subsidiary of Heineken, but its branding relies heavily on Mexican design. However, it doesn’t do so in a corny way, for an end result that is actually quite understated.

The name of the beer is written in red lettering with black stripes going across horizontally, and the letters are all surrounded by white to give them more emphasis. The letters are serifed but in quite an attractive way, while there are three red circles above them, each giving some quick information about the beverage. The phrase “Tequila flavoured beer” sometimes goes at the bottom in green cursive writing, using another colour from the Mexican flag.

This might be a controversial choice, but I’ve never thought much of Budweiser’s logo. The iconic American-style lager has been a popular choice for well over a century, but their logos throughout history have left a lot to be desired.

For me, the current logo, despite a nice retro nod, is just a bit plain and boring. It does what it needs to, but there’s nothing to set it apart from other logos which might have two or three colours – white and black and something else – and a classic, cursive-style typeface. It’s just a tad dull.

The Brooklyn Brewery logo, established in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1988, is laudable. Brooklyn takes a subtle approach to its marketing, relying primarily on word-of-mouth and philanthropic efforts. However, its logo, designed by the renowned graphic designer Milton Glaser, makes a quiet but significant impact.

The logo has a roundel design encompassing a large, cursive ‘B’ at its center with ‘Brooklyn Brewery’ etch around it. It is sandwiched between two circles beside the ‘B’. The most recognized color palette for the logo is black and green, although it is adaptable enough to accommodate various color variations for different Brooklyn beers.

Beck’s, a German brewery, has a rather mundane logo. Its broad serif letters fail to leave a lasting impression, and the utilization of black and white in the color scheme is lackluster. The key emblem, the other main component of the logo, is inspired from Bremen’s coat of arms, where the brewery is located and pays homage to St. Peter, the city’s patron saint.

Similar to many long-standing beer brands, there’s no glaring issue with their logos. The issue lies in their lack of depth and dynamism. However, a brand like Beck’s doesn’t need to rely on its logo for recognition, owing to its established reputation in the beer industry.

Some of Corona’s adverts might have divided opinion last year, but I do think its logo itself is quite a good one. This Mexican beer brand is best known for its Corona Extra pale lager, but it boasts a range of other beers as well as hard seltzers, too.

Its logo consists of its name in a bold, gothic-looking font, and it’s in a nice blue colour – something that feels quite unusual for big-name lagers. Under the lettering is a yellow medallion that says “the finest beer” in Spanish, while the crown above the lettering is a classy, elegant touch.

No matter your thoughts on the beer logos I’ve both praised and pilloried here, why not take a trip down memory lane and check out some of the beer labels we enjoyed back in 2015? Or, for an alcohol-free experience, take a look at our favourite Dry January ad campaigns this year.

Repealing “blue laws” and permitting the sale of alcohol on Sundays has a much smaller negative effect than what was anticipated by critics.

A new research paper put forth by Cristina Connolly and Alyssa McDonnell from the University of Connecticut, Marcello Graziano from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Sandro Steinbach from North Dakota State University, showcases this. The research published in the Journal of Wine Economics by Cambridge University Press, investigates “the effect of implementing changes to Sunday blue laws on alcohol sales and retail competition, particularly in relation to Connecticut’s 2012 policy shift that allowed the sales of beer in grocery stores on Sundays.”

The prohibition on Sunday alcohol sales in Connecticut, a law that was more than a century old, was revoked in 2012. This occurred thirty years after the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled the majority of the state’s other Sunday sales prohibitions unconstitutional. The changes also permitted liquor stores to operate on Sundays, and grocery stores were allowed to sell beer on the same day.

Despite the changes to the blue laws, there are some who object to them. As per the Tech Talk newspaper from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a study in 2008 suggested that “the revocation of America’s blue laws resulted not only in a decrease in church attendance, donations, and spending, but also led to an increase in alcohol and drug consumption among people who were religious.”

Connecticut’s repeal was opposed at the time by liquor store owners themselves, who expressed concern about everything from the “social costs” of more alcohol sales to the extra expense incurred from being open an extra day.

“Proprietors of liquor stores in Connecticut and store association lobbyists claimed that allowing Sunday sales would negatively impact their livelihoods,” write the authors of the new study. “Not only would they need to pay operating costs for an extra day of the week, but there was also a concern that consumers would shift to purchasing beer at grocery stores as Sunday is one of the most popular grocery shopping days. Specifically, Connecticut’s liquor store association claimed that, as a direct result of this policy, liquor stores would lose sales and reduce employment, or close.”

The authors examined Connecticut’s sales figures for grocery and liquor stores both before and after the repeal, using other states without Sunday alcohol laws as a control group. They found “no evidence of negative impacts on beer sales in liquor stores.”

“Despite repeated claims by liquor store associations,” the report concludes, “repealing these laws did not harm liquor stores, suggesting that it is possible to repeal Sunday blue laws without negatively impacting smaller businesses.” Incidentally, the study also contradicted claims by grocery store lobbyists, who said Sunday alcohol sales would “have large, positive economic impacts.”

The same data also provides comfort for those who worry that being able to buy alcohol one additional day per week would lead to an explosion in alcoholism and addiction. “Our estimates indicate that repealing these laws significantly increased beer sales at grocery and liquor stores directly after the policy shift, but these effects disappeared afterward.”

“There is an initial bump in sales, possibly due to the novelty of the policy,” they found. “This impact levels off after the initial month, with no discernible effect on sales after the seventh week.”

As it turns out, the repeal benefited both consumers and vendors while proving the doomsayers wrong. But it was also a net positive for economic liberty as another piece of Prohibition falls by the wayside.

The post Study: If You Let People Buy Beer at Grocery Stores, the Liquor Stores Still Survive appeared first on Reason.com.

POTOSI, Wisconsin − It seemed as if a bomb had detonated in the brewery.

Following its closure, the structure was pillaged, with individuals taking whatever they could transport, possibly as keepsakes or goods to sell. This was indicative of the harsh loss of 1972 when Potosi descended into an extensive economic ice age. Gradually, the brick walls of the building came tumbling down and debris was scattered all over.

This loss wasn’t merely about a single enterprise in a quaint town nestled within the towering bluffs of Wisconsin’s Driftless region near the Mississippi River. It appeared to be the final nail in the coffin. Local farms had been vanishing for years, and now, major industrial employers were following suit. Residences were abandoned, specifically by the youth who were the community volunteers and taxpayers. Schools saw a decrease in child enrollment and a critical shortage of new ideas to help reverse the decline. This vision of the future was fading with every passing moment. “What would be the outcome?” former Village President Frank Fiorenza remembered pondering. “We staunchly refused to let this community die.”

Once a thriving mining and farming town with a population of 5,000 in the 1800s, the numbers dwindled over the years to a mere few hundred. Mic Walsh remembered losing the brewery, and a series of machinery vendors at the same time as the local agriculturist community was floundering. The proprietor of a local Ace Hardware store witnessed his client base dwindling, and the distress permeated the community. The local pharmacy was shut down. The town’s two barber shops followed suit, and many more establishments faced a similar fate.

“It all just multiplies,” Walsh said. “It’s hard to see.”

Across America, there are scores of places just like Potosi that have collapsed as the economy shifted from rural to urban. After the most recent U.S. Census in 2020, America’s population was only 14 percent rural, the lowest on record and a steep drop from 57 percent in 1940, according to research by University of New Hampshire rural demographer Kenneth Johnson.

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While that shift might seem unstoppable, there are times when the flow reversed. One was during a global economic crisis when jobless people retreated from cities to the shelter of family farms during the Great Depression. Another was a global pandemic, where they fled from crowded offices amid COVID-19 to remote work in sparsely populated places far from the city. In just the past two years, two-thirds of Wisconsin counties gained population, far away from fast growing places like Dane County.

In the wake of COVID-19, as many organizations usher staff back to offices and city centers aim to rejuvenate eerily vacant downtown areas, rural America stands at a pivotal junction. This situation is deeply personal to me, as I, a farm boy who moved away, continue to grapple with finding a way to contribute to the solution. I discovered some potential strategies in Potosi, a region demonstrating how a strong sense of identity, a culture of volunteering, and enterprising spirit could potentially offer a blueprint for reviving rural parts of the country.

The scope and magnitude of the issue—decreasing rural populations and the accompanying loss of economic activity, prospects, and accompanying sense of despair—is overwhelming.

Johnson, the demographer, highlighted that for years the main driver of rural decline was that rural regions were not growing as rapidly as urban ones. However, this trend shifted between 2010 and 2020, during which rural populations actually decreased. The problem worsens when a community not only experiences more departures than arrivals but also higher death rates than birth rates.

This is an important issue regardless of where you reside. Rural communities, that provide our food, natural resources, affordable labor, among other things, are crucial to our national economy. Their diminishing state contributes to further concerns, such as our rural-urban divide and the ongoing national drug crisis.

Rural states like Wisconsin are often home to isolated communities that struggle to survive. But is it possible for these communities to completely disappear?

According to historians, the answer is yes. One example is Gratiot’s Grove, a former mining town that has since vanished but is remembered in the book “Ghost Towns of Wisconsin” by William Stark.

“Some towns just vanished into thin air, while others kept fighting for survival,” says Jerry Apps, a well-known author and historian from Wisconsin. He has a new book, “On Farms and Rural Communities,” scheduled to be published this spring.

The vast impact of the economic disruptions plaguing Wisconsin is apparent from a few statistics, which show how sectors from farming to paper mills to manufacturing are having a tough time:

135,000: This is the number of farms Wisconsin has lost since its peak in 1935, which represents a decrease of more than 67 percent, as stated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

8,200: This figure represents jobs lost in the wood and paper industries, which notably includes Wisconsin’s renowned paper mills, in just one decade from 2006 to 2016. According to state data, small towns like Wisconsin Rapids are facing difficulties following the closure of their mills, such as Verso’s closure in 2020.

3,200: This is the number of jobs at the Janesville GM plant and its associated suppliers that were lost following the plant’s closure in December 2008. According to Janesville Gazette’s reports at that time.

Despite such hardships in the industries, there are signs of hope. Wisconsin continues to lead consistently in cheese and cranberry production. Many jobs and communities are tied to the agricultural sector. Partial recovery and reorientation have stirred up demand for paper industry workers in the recent years. Regardless of the impact of the GM plant closure on the city and rural areas, Janesville is striving to diversify its economy.

Many rural communities are also turning toward tourism and working to find a unique identity to continue luring people back to places once dismissed as dying ghost towns. The ongoing resilience of rural areas and small communities, through decades of change, mean rural Wisconsin isn’t even close to done, Apps said.

“The revolution in rural America is not complete,” he said.

I don’t remember the first time I thought about leaving home, but I remember the first time I said it out loud.

It was 2008 on Broadway Avenue, Nashville’s famous thoroughfare known for country music streaming from bars up one end and down the other. We were on a rare family vacation visiting Tennessee’s Music City. I was standing under the neon lights, a few too many drinks singing in my head as the honky tonk music poured onto the sidewalk, when my dad walked out and saw me.

“I’m gonna live here someday,” I said.

There was an immediate distance in that moment, even though we were standing right next each other.

Growing up on our family farm, I always felt like I was falling short — deeply loving our way of life but lacking the innate talent for managing cattle and maneuvering tractors like my father. My dad had spent his entire life on the farm and knew nothing else. He supported my decisions, yet I could always sense a part of him wishing I had chosen his path. Stumbling upon writing, I realized it brought out my strengths. This discovery led me to college and to various newsrooms around Wisconsin, where I finally felt valued and competent.

To me, Nashville didn’t just mean a better economy or job opportunities. It represented a place where a simple farm boy could feel proud. It was a big city, sure, but it was also the home of country music, a place where my roots and profession could merge. But for my dad, Nashville was merely a distant, noisy place, over 600 miles away from everything he knew and loved. The sadness in his eyes was palpable — as if a crack had formed in a whisky glass.

Experiencing a personal, challenging moment illustrated the struggles faced by rural communities across Wisconsin. A variety of economic opportunities could have made it possible for me and many other rural children to resist the allure of opportunities elsewhere, particularly when there seems to be a decline at home.

Potosi, on the other hand, didn’t succumb to ghost town status. It was the collective effort of many individuals that reversed the trend. Fiorenza, for example, rejected the role of being a “caretaker” as village president in the 90s; local businessman Gary David bought the decaying brewery building because he and others recognized its historical value; and countless volunteers like Walsh, Larry Kalina and his wife, among others.

In the end, the community raised millions, including $2.4 million from individual contributors, and re-established the Potosi Brewing Co. which is today run by the nonprofit Potosi Foundation. An empty building in a dwindling town was transformed into a unique location for both locals and tourists. The old brewery was converted into a tap house and restaurant in 2008, designed as an old beer hall – a beautifully crafted wooden bar spanning the main wall, with a long row of wooden Potosi-brand beer taps set up behind it. Beer is still brewed there and there’s a museum upstairs, with much more being produced in the newly constructed larger facility nearby.

Along with the job creation and the attraction of approximately 70,000 tourists annually, came an increase in economic activity bolstering other businesses. Today, a woodworking shop stands across the street from the brewery, with a special event space and a cabin builder situated close by.

Through all the adventures and explorations, what drew me back was something different, something unique.

Five years were spent in Nashville, then Washington, D.C., where my journey as a journalist pivoted to public policy. Then, I decided to return. The event that nudged me to make this decision was the birth of my second nephew, but of course, there were other compelling reasons that had always been there; including the beckoning of family ties, the allure of outdoor adventures, and the comfort of familiar local destinations that had endured the passage of time. Above all, it was about reconnecting with my roots.

Having moved back, I found myself involved in the establishment of a consulting firm in Madison, spending my weekends on the farm. Time was invested in bonding with my sister and her lovely kids, reminiscing with my parents, and reconnecting with friends from my childhood. I found myself assisting my father and sister on farm tasks whenever I could manage, and rediscovered my skills in operating a tractor. Together, my dad and I made a spot of land ready for a cabin, right beside our family farm. I began to find a sense of restless peace, accepting my role as someone who had left but didn’t need to remain away.

The pandemic greatly amplified this dynamic. Regardless of its harsh effects and the ensuing economic downfall, there is one aspect it certainly highlighted – the potential of working from different locations. More people working in cities are now capable of living in the countryside or small towns. Simultaneously, it’s evident that more people in rural settings can become part of the remote workforce, adding to the traditional farming, factory, and construction jobs.

More from Brian Reisinger:

Fighting a fire. The blaze that could have sunk our family farm.

My best friend is on the frontline: Wisconsin’s rural drug addiction crisis in my hometown

That positions places like Potosi better than ever. With the brewery humming, the town becoming a destination spot, and new small businesses coming in, Potosi is as ready as any community to benefit from the new mobility of the American population.

Despite retiring, many of those who contributed to Potosi’s rebirth continue to give their time and energy, serving as role models for younger generations. Walsh, a previous hardware store proprietor, volunteers his services as a brewery gardener and handyman, while Fiorenza, a former village president, along with the Kalina family, lends a hand to upcoming community initiatives like the revival of downtown.

Larry Kalina, a member of the committee managing Potosi’s continued renewal efforts, along with his wife, has four children who are all teachers. He is proud of his children and is thankful that they are all approximately two hours away. However, he has also encountered his children seeking job opportunities far away, highlighting the need for Potosi to offer inhabitants new livelihood options and visitors with tangible reasons to visit.

He was quoted saying, “The trick is to stir people’s enthusiasm.”

My personal situation underwent a shift as my wife and I relocated to California due to a job opportunity that put us in close proximity to her family. Nevertheless, we retained the benefits I had reclaimed. As my employment permits me to work from any location, but necessitates regular returns, I divide my time between our small town in Northern California and rural Wisconsin, where I reside on the family farm, a place I hadn’t lived in since I was 18. I contribute to the farming business, preferring to spend my money and time in small towns, or with local businesses rather than large chains whenever feasible.

As I traverse the divide between the relentless pull of the urban economy and the rural economy I’ve reestablished connection with, I can’t help but muse over the potential of areas like Potosi as a guide. Times of upheaval are often when people hark back to rural regions; this is a testament to their intrinsic need. Despite having two distinctive economies in this nation, it isn’t a necessity for regions such as Potosi to settle for the leftovers. Perhaps more individuals can retain their roots or better manage the balance between our dual economies to unite them.

Fiorenza posed the question, perched in the beer hall of times old and new, “How do you persist?” The response was simple. “You adapt.”

Brian Reisinger is a writer originating from a family farm in Sauk County, with an extensive portfolio across various media outlets, uncovering the concealed tales of rural America. From the drug crisis to the histories and prospects of Wisconsin farmers, to outdoor escapades, Reisinger provides insights and understanding. Reisinger is currently engaged in public affairs consultation with Platform Communications based in Wisconsin. An alumnus of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he studied journalism and political science, he has been the recipient of accolades from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Seven Hills Review literary magazine, Wisconsin Newspaper Association, among others.

Originally featured on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you can read the complete article here.

In this article I utilize A+ Investor Stock Grades offered by AAII to offer an insight into three beer stocks. Coming to the point, should you mull over the beer stocks of Anheuser-Busch Inbev S.A. (BUD), Heineken N.V. (HEINY) and Molson Coors Beverage TAP?

Although the brewing industry has been experiencing an upsurge in diverse niche players such as microbreweries and craft breweries, it’s still the domain for a select few influential corporations. These dominant corporations often have multinational presence and play a key role in determining market trends and catering to consumer needs due to their vast resources and wide market reach. These industry giants have been embracing the trend of product portfolio diversification in order to cater to the growing consumer interest in nonalcoholic and low-calorie beer options. It’s evident from the competitive landscape of the industry that whether it’s big or small, companies need to constantly adapt to changing consumer habits and regulatory requirements to sustain or increase their market shares.

The brewing industry is a vibrant and evolving subgroup within the global beverage market. According to Straits Research, beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage worldwide, ranking after water and tea. The industry is multi-faceted, catering to diverse consumer preferences and production scales. It includes macrobreweries that operate on a global level, microbreweries that emphasize on crafting small batches of beers, and craft breweries that strike a balance between mass production and artisanal qualities.

As per Straits Research, the estimated size of the global beer market was $721.1 billion in 2022, and it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% to reach a whopping $1.32 trillion by 2031. Factors driving the market growth are the rising number of breweries coupled with a consistent increase in demand for alcoholic beverages due to rising standards of living and evolving lifestyles.

When analyzing a company, it is helpful to have an objective framework that allows you to compare companies in the same way. This is why AAII created the A+ Stock Grades, which evaluate companies across five factors that have been shown to identify market-beating stocks in the long run: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions (and surprises) and quality.

Using AAII’s A+ Stock Grades, the following table summarizes the attractiveness of three beer stocks—Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Molson Coors—based on their fundamentals.

AAII’s A+ Stock Grade Summary for Three Beer Stocks

Anheuser-Busch Inbev S.A. (BUD) is a producer, distributor and marketer of beer, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. Its brand portfolio includes global brands such as Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois; international brands, including Beck’s, Leffe and Hoegaarden; and local champions such as Bud Light, Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Quilmes, Victoria, Modelo Especial, Michelob Ultra, Harbin, Sedrin, Klinskoye, Sibirskaya Korona, Chernigivske, Cass and Jupiler. The company’s soft drinks business consists of both its own production and bottling and distribution agreements with PepsiCo PEP. Ambev, which is a subsidiary of the company, is a PepsiCo bottler. Brands that are distributed under these agreements are Pepsi, 7Up and Gatorade.

The company ranks D in Value Grade due to its high Value Score of 37. Its Value Grade is derived from various factors like price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, price-to-book-value ratio, price-to-free-cash-flow ratio, shareholder yield and the ratio of enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization aka Ebitda. With a price-earnings ratio of 20.8, a price-to-book ratio of 1.73 and a price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of 22.7, it sits in the 57th, 52nd and 59th percentiles accordingly.

Growth Composite Score takes into account a firm’s year-over-year and long-term sales growth, and its effective generation of stable cash from core operations. At present, Anheuser-Busch has a Growth Grade of C with a Growth Score of 57. Over the past five years, it achieved a sales growth rate of 0.5% and recorded year-over-year sales increase twice. Consistent positive cash generation from operations is another positive attribute over the last five years.

Anheuser-Busch has a Momentum Grade of B, attributed to its Momentum Score of 65. This indicates that the stock has shown impressive weighted relative price strength over the previous four quarters. Factors contributing to this score include above-sector-median relative price strengths of 3.6% in the recent quarter, –2.5% in the penultimate quarter and 7.5% in the fourth most recent quarter. This is slightly dampened by the below-sector-median relative price strength of –19.3% in the third most recent quarter. The subsequent ranks end up as 66, 62, 25 and 84, in order from latest quarter. The overall weighted four-quarter relative price strength is –1.4%, yielding a final rank of 65. The calculation applies a 40% weighting to the most recent quarterly price change, and 20% each to prices from preceding three quarters.

Earnings estimate revisions provide an insight into a firm’s short-term prospect as perceived by analysts. For Anheuser-Busch, this figure stands at an unimpressive Grade of F, based on its score of 20. Factors leading to this score include the statistical significance of the firm’s latest two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage variation in its consensus estimate for the present fiscal year over the past one and three months.

Anheuser-Busch reported a positive earnings surprise of 3.6% for the third quarter of 2023, and in the prior quarter reported a positive earnings surprise of 6.5%. Over the last month, the consensus earnings estimate for full-year 2023 declined to $3.03 per share based on two upward and three downward revisions. The 1.8% decline in its earnings estimate ranks in the bottom 11th percentile of all stocks.

Heineken N.V. (HEINY) is a Netherlands-based company engaged in the brewing and selling of beer. Heineken’s product range mainly consists of beer, soft drinks and cider. The company operates through five segments: Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe; Americas; Asia-Pacific, Europe and head office and other/eliminations. The Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe segment includes brands such as Heineken, Primus, Amstel, Walia and Goldberg. The Americas segment includes brands such as Heineken, Tecate, Amstel, Sol and Dos Equis. The Asia-Pacific segment includes brands such as Heineken, Anchor, Larue, Tiger and Bintang. The Europe segment includes brands such as Heineken, Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, Zywiec and Strongbow Apple Ciders. The company owns, markets and sells in more than 190 countries.

The company has a Value Grade of D, based on its Value Score of 25, which is expensive. The company has above-sector-median measures for its price-to-book and price-to-free-cash-flow ratios, which are 2.68 and 32.7, respectively. Additionally, the company has a below-sector-median price-earnings ratio at 20.3.

The company currently has a Growth Grade of A, based on a Growth Score of 89. The company has a five-year sales growth rate of 5.9% and has seen sales increase year over year in four out of the last five years. Cash from operations has also been positive for five consecutive years.

The company showcases a Momentum Grade of C, traced back to its Momentum Score of 55. This score is calculated from relative price strengths exceeding the sector-median at -2.9% in the latest quarter and 11.9% in the fourth previous quarter. However, it is somewhat balanced by a lesser than sector-median relative price strength of -11.2% in the second previous quarter and -14.3% in the third previous quarter. The ranks come out as 54, 46, 33 and 88, from the latest quarter sequentially. The aggregated four-quarter relative price strength stands at -3.9%.

Heineken presently holds no Quality Grade due to null values for five out of the eight variables that underly the Quality Score. To receive a Quality Score, stocks need to showcase a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding rank for a minimum of four out of the eight quality measures.

Molson Coors Beverage Co. (TAP) is classified as a holding company. Its operations are divided into two segments: Americas and EMEA and APAC. The Americas segment primarily involves the production, marketing, and sales of its brands and other owned/licensed brands in the U.S., Canada, and various Caribbean, Latin, and South American countries. It oversees around nine main breweries, nine craft breweries, and two container functions. Additionally, it features a partnership associated with beer distribution in Ontario, Canada, and Brewers’ Retail Inc. The EMEA and APAC segment involves the production, marketing, and sales of primary and other owned/licensed brands throughout various European countries and chosen countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. This segment operates 11 main breweries, six craft breweries, and one cidery.

Molson Coors showcases a Value Grade of C, which is tagged to its Value Score of 58, an average rating. The company’s price-to-sales, price-earnings, and price-to-book ratios, which are 1.17, 54.0, and 1.02 respectively, rank below average. On the other hand, one above-average ranking contributes to its Value Grade: a shareholder yield of 2.9%.

The current Growth Grade for the company is C, with a Growth Score of 48. Over the past five years, the company has seen a sales growth rate of -0.6% and has witnessed an increase in sales for two out of the past five years. Positive Cash from operations has been consistent for five successive years.

An Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade of C is held by Molson Coors. This is based on a neutral score of 59. In the third quarter of 2023, the company reported an earnings surprise of 21.9% and in the previous quarter, a positive earnings surprise of 8.9% was reported. The consensus earnings estimate for Q4 2023 over the last month has been steady at $1.116 per share, with three upward adjustments and two downward revisions.

Molson Coors has a Quality Score of 76, awarding it a Quality Grade of B. This is quite strong. The Quality Grade A+ is given as the percentile rank of the average percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), ratio of gross profit to assets, buyback yield, the change in total liabilities to assets, ratio of accruals to assets, and the F-Score. If any of the measures are invalid, the score is variable and considers the valid remaining measures.

The company has a weak ranking in terms of return on invested capital and the ratio of gross income to assets, but its F-Score is strong. Molson Coors has a 13.4% return on invested capital, 16.0% ratio of gross income to assets, and an F-Score of 8 (with 9 being the highest possible score). The sector median return on invested capital is 18.8%, median gross income to assets is 23.3%, and median F-Score is 4. Other metrics for Molson Coors that rank below the sector median include return on assets, change in total liabilities to assets, and Z-Score. Apart from the F-Score, the only metric where the company ranks higher than the sector median is its buyback yield, which stands at 0.3% in comparison to the sector’s median of -0.2%.

The stocks meeting the criteria of the approach do not represent a “recommended” or “buy” list. It is important to perform due diligence.

If you want an edge throughout this market volatility,become an AAII member.

Take notes.

@madisonbeer/Instagram

If you’re anything like us, you have spent hours starring at

Madison Beer’s perfectly curated Instagram, wondering if there’s anything you could get your hands on to make your life all the more aesthetic. What digital camera she snaps her pics with, where she gets her home decor, and what makeup products she uses for her signature sultry look are all top of mind when we scroll—and we just found at least part of the answer.

Though Beer herself has already told us about the moisturizer she reaches for to get dewy skin and the face wash she swears cleared her acne—Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream ($70) and Panoxyl face wash ($10), if you were curious—we’ve always been curious about which makeup she layers on top of it all.

@madisonbeer/Instagram

On January 22, we got the answer we had been hoping for. Well, at least part of it: the lips. 

In an Instagram carousel taken on what we assume is the digital camera we need to be purchasing, Beer posed in a baggy gray crop top layered over a white T-shirt and paired with simple gold jewelry. She also showed off her picture-perfect makeup—giving us an up-close view of her lips, which were the perfect moody pink nude shade to compliment her skin tone.

@madisonbeer/Instagram

Once we got past staring, we checked the caption where she gave all the details on the lip combo she used to achieve the beige-pink high-shine finish. An Hourglass Cosmetics partner, she used both a lip gloss and liner from the brand to create the lip—reaching for their ultra-viral Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm ($36) in the shade Trace, and their Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner  ($29) in the shade Uncover.

Though she kept the details of the rest of her makeup under wraps, we could still see how good it looked through the pictures. Her skin provided a glowy, radiant base but was still matte from powder under her eyes and on her forehead. Highlight lit up her cheekbones, contour added some definition, and blush provided some flush. The finishing touches were some faux freckles across the bridge of her nose, dark liner shaping her eyes, and some long fluttering lashes. That and an almond-shaped all-white manicure.

Up Next: Pamela Anderson Has Finally Entered the Skincare Game

Read the original article on Byrdie.

You may be familiar with Dos Equis, the Mexican beer that once had “The Most Interesting Man in the World” as its hype man, but did you know there’s also a Cuatro Equis? Well, not by that name, as XXXX is brewed in Australia, not Mexico. It’s not all that well known in the U.S., at least by anyone who isn’t a big fan of fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett (some believe that Fourecks, which is Discworld’s “Last Continent,” takes its name from the beer), but it’s one of the biggest names in brewing in the land Down Under. Known for its bitter but slightly sweet flavor as well as smoothness, XXXX Gold was named the nation’s third-best-selling beer in 2022. But here’s a shocker for us non-Australians: Foster’s didn’t even crack the top 10.

Even though XXXX has a name that may seem somewhat suggestive, it has nothing to do with the adult entertainment industry but is instead an indication of quality or strength. It seems that in the 19th century, beer was rated in X’s, much as we award star ratings to just about anything these days. While Castlemaine Brewery was first able to produce an XXX-rated beer (which sounds even more racy), it gained that additional X in 1893. Much like Pabst Blue Ribbon when it won its eponymous award at the Chicago World’s Fair that same year, the company bigwigs celebrated the occasion by naming (or in the case of Pabst, re-naming) the brew after the honor.

Read more: Popular Vodka Brands Ranked From Worst To Best

Castlemaine Brewery first went into business in Castlemaine, Victoria, but the Queensland branch, which is today home to XXXX, opened its doors in 1878. 15 years later, XXXX itself was born (the beer formerly known — or at least rated — as XXX), but the next milestone in the brewery’s history came in 1924. That year marked not only the addition of XXXX bitter to the lineup but also the introduction of the mascot Mr. Fourex. This dapper gentleman, the Australian analogue of Baltimore’s favorite food mascot Mr. Boh, has been raising his beer bottle in a toast to the good people of Queensland for the past century, and XXXX doesn’t seem to have any plans to pull a Mr. Peanut on him.

In 1928, a merger occurred between two companies to form what is currently known as Castlemaine Perkins. The company continues to operate under this name, despite having changed ownership to Lion in 1990 and subsequently to KIrin in 2011. The Queensland XXXX brewery remains the hallmark of the company with its product closely identified with this state. However, it is noteworthy that some of the XXXX beers are presently brewed in New South Wales and South Australia.

XXXX introduced a household name in Australia, the “stubby”, sometime in the later half of the 20th century. This is a small, robust bottle that contains 375 milliliters, a little above 12 ounces. 1991 marked the inception of XXXX Gold, which has grown to become the brewery’s best-selling beer and also the initiation of its uninterrupted sponsorship of the Queensland Rugby League Maroons.

The process of brewing XXXX beer is comparable to that of other large factory-brewed beers— if you are interested in learning the exact steps, you may book a tour for about A$37 (Australian dollars), approximately $24 in US currency. It is important to note that this amount does not include airfare to Queensland. During your tour, the subject of the company’s sustainability efforts is expected to be highlighted. In 2020, the brewery was recognized as carbon neutral and utilizes solar panels and biogas to meet part of its power needs for its activities.

Lastly, two of XXXX’s beers — the Bitter and Gold varieties — are brewed devoid of any preservatives. Their ingredients consist of hops, malted grains, cane sugar, yeast, and water, which has been so since a 2008 initiative to adopt a more basic, natural approach. A crucial step in maintaining the beer’s freshness and taste involves the addition of carbon dioxide right after all oxygen is vacuumed out just before the cap is placed on the bottle.

Over the years, XXXX has introduced new brews and dropped old ones from the lineup. Among the dearly departed are the original pre-1893 XXX Sparkling Ale, followed by 20th-century additions including XXXX Lite and Castlemaine 2.2 Bitter. Today’s lineup includes the same XXXX Bitter that debuted a century ago as well as the XXXX Gold that came along toward the end of the last millennium. They’ve been joined by XXXX Dry, which first came out in 2020 and has been sold throughout Australia since 2021, as well as a line of lagers called Summer Bright that are available in mango, lime, and raspberry lemonade as well as a standard beer-flavored beer.

XXXX also offers a nonalcoholic beer called XXXX Zero that they’ve touted as being the nation’s first 0% ABV beer to also be entirely carbon-free. As Lion’s chief sustainability officer Justin Merrell explains, the brewery went so far as to contact the can and bottle manufacturers to determine the precise amount of carbon generated in their production so they could factor this into knowing how much of it they’d need to offset.

During WWII, XXXX sent its beers abroad for the very first time, but only for distribution to the Australian armed forces. They did so again during the Vietnam War, at which time the bottles earned the nickname “barbed wire” because the linked X’s bore a similarity to something the soldiers likely saw on a regular basis. Once the war was over, however, XXXX was out of the import business as to this day the brewery maintains that none of its beer will ever be available for overseas purchase.

Well, that isn’t entirely true. You for sure can’t get your hands on the stuff in the U.S., which has sparked a number of Reddit threads, although many of these tend to be overtaken by Aussie beer snobs who enjoy criticizing a beer that seems to hold a similar status to Budweiser in its home country (implying that millions of people must purchase it, but surprisingly few would choose to admit it). Nevertheless, if you cannot afford to travel halfway around the world, a shorter flight would allow you to try the XXXX brewed by Interbrew U.K. in Manchester. It’s plausible that the U.K. version might not taste exactly like Australian XXXX, but unless you try the latter, how will you truly know?

Read the original article on Mashed.