Beer-articles 995

Many share the view that a glass of beer is an ideal companion for numerous occasions: socializing with friends, outdoor feasts, supporting your preferred sports team, moments under the summer sun, or during a frosty wintertime evening. However, if you only drink beer and overlook its other advantages, now may be the time to venture into the world of culinary and discover more about beer – especially its transformative effect on bread. The carbonation and yeast within beer interact with the flour and baking powder found in dough, creating an effective leavening agent. Consequently, the beer in the batter leads to a moist texture and an additional rise in the baked bread. Simply put, beer bread is a basic recipe, producing a savory, chewy, soft and delightfully dense loaf of bread.

Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that simple prep does not necessarily guarantee the desired outcome. If not careful, your dough can become excessively dense swiftly, causing the bread to emerge from the oven disappointingly heavy and devoid of its sought after moist texture. However, all hope is not lost even if your beer and batter have been troublesome in the past. The solution is straightforward – pay close attention to your kneading technique. Over-kneading your beer-infused dough can significantly affect the texture, resulting in bread that has transformed from being chewy and soft to tough and compressed.

For more information, check out: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink

Beer bread recipes are uncomplicated and do not require the extensive kneading associated with many other bread recipes. For beer bread, minimal mixing is imperative, though it can pose a challenge. Over-kneading is unusually rare, particularly when kneading by hand, as you can tangibly feel the dough toughening. Kneading is essential to forming the protein molecules that result in the gluten strands required for bread to rise. However, excessive kneading damages the liquid molecules, causing the dough to stiffen and tear rather than stretch, resulting in hard bread when baked.

Even though you aren’t kneading beer bread, the same principle applies. It can be harder to tell when the dough is overworked, though, since you won’t feel it in your hands and the mixture isn’t supposed to be smooth. Instead, rely on your eyes. To avoid too much mixing, it’s best to combine the beer with the dry ingredients only until they are just incorporated. You want to make sure that no pockets of flour are visible, but as soon as the flour is gone, it’s time to stop working it. For a bread like this, electric mixers can cause more harm than good. Since they mix so quickly, the batter could be over-mixed before you realize it — so rely on a spoon and elbow grease.

Beer’s yeast and carbonation content are what make it an easy bread leavening agent — but the style will come down more to your own personal preference for the flavor and color of beer you want to be incorporated into your bread. If you’re looking for a deep brown color and a coffee and chocolate flavor, then Guinness will be the best choice for beer bread. You will find a delicious richness in the stout that stands out in both color and taste.

Lighter beers won’t be as flavorful, but they can still be a good choice if you’re going for subtlety in the flavor profile. Very hoppy beers can be flavor-forward, but as long as the bitter hops appeal to you (and the crowd you’re feeding), they can be a delicious choice. Since beer bread has such a basic recipe, it’s easy to add extra ingredients like herbs or cheese or even something sweet like cranberries — so if you’re experimenting with additions, that can also affect the beer you’re mixing in.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.

The beer industry is once more making a last-ditch appeal for a reduction in the federal beer tax, which is scheduled to rise on April 1, owing to brewers and consumers’ ongoing cost struggles.

As per an official adjustment released by the Canada Revenue Agency in the past week, the excise duty rate will rise by 4.7 per cent this spring to adjust for inflation.

However, Beer Canada, the group that represents numerous brewers throughout the country, wants this rise lowered to two per cent.

If this rings a bell, it is because a similar situation transpired last year. Brewers were staring at a 6.3 per cent rise, a record high, until the federal government capped the tax at two per cent just ahead of the deadline.

“What we’re trying to communicate to the government is that a lot of the rationale and the circumstances that supported that decision last year still exists today,” said Luke Chapman, vice president of federal affairs at Beer Canada.

Chapman says the hike could result in “moderate increases” in retail prices and hurt the already-struggling hospitality sector.

“It would be a great opportunity for the government to come out and say, ‘We hear you … and we’re going to do this one small measure to demonstrate that we’re aware this is a challenging time for a lot of people and raising taxes is not appropriate under the existing circumstances.'”

Inflation-tied tax

Excise duties are also imposed on spirits, wine, tobacco, cannabis and vaping products, and are charged to producers.

The tax has been tied to inflation since 2017, but high inflation over recent years has resulted in tax rates not seen for decades.

Last year, the federal government capped the tax at two per cent right before the April deadline. This year, frustration is again growing among producers as the 4.7-per-cent increase approaches.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance — which includes federal political parties across all affiliations — recently voted unanimously to cap the increase at two per cent again this year.

As per a statement from Katherine Cuplinskas, the press secretary for the office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, it is indicated that the rates of excise duty are adjusted yearly to account for inflation as per the law.

“We understand that the cost of living is a significant worry for Canadians. Hence, our economic strategy focuses on finding ways to make life more affordable. For instance, we are urging Canada’s major grocery chains to stabilize the prices and implementing supply-side solutions like affordable early learning and child care,” she stated.

The rate is set based on the volume of beer a brewery manufactures and the alcohol present in it.

For local breweries that produce beer with an alcohol content of more than 2.5 per cent by volume, the current excise tax varies between $3.552 and $30.192 per hectolitre (100 litres) of beer.

Smaller cap for smaller brewers

Blair Berdusco, the executive director of the Alberta Small Brewers Association (ASBA), mentioned that small breweries in the province are severely affected by tax hikes. ASBA represents about 130 small independent brewers.

She argued that it might appear to be a trivial increase, but for smallest Canadian breweries, the production cost for a single beer can is significantly higher than for large scale breweries.

Berdusco points out that even a minor increase can be the deciding factor between hiring a new employee, making investments to expand the brewery, or even affording the ingredients for a new product’s production.

Blair Berdusco, who is the executive director of the Alberta Small Brewers Association, has expressed that the ongoing increase might lead to an additional tax burden of $750 to $2,500 a yearly for minor brewers.

Berdusco also suggests that the current uncertainty in the industry makes it challenging for brewers to plan effectively and maintain consumer-friendly prices.

That is why the ASBA, in collaboration with the Canadian Craft Brewers Association, have created a unique proposal that is based on their personal economic impact evaluations.

“We propose a reduction of 50 percent in the current rates for those breweries that produce under half a million hectolitres annually. This includes approximately 1,200 craft breweries throughout Alberta. For anyone exceeding that half a million, we suggest an increase of merely 1.8 percent.”

As the deadline approaches, Berdusco expresses her ongoing optimism that the federal government will continue to address the concerns of the beer production industry.

A Minnesota brewery worker at Back Channel Brewing Co. was checking the brewery container when beer suddenly shot out the valve.

A Minnesota craft brewery worker was knocked off his feet and flung across the room by a geyser of beer after the tank exploded in a hilarious viral video.

The Back Channel Brewing Co. posted the now-viral video of the explosion on their Instagram, which featured their employee named Brendan Babcock.

The video showed Babcock getting blown off his feet when a torrent of beer escapes from a fermentation valve tank and hits him in the face.

HOT BEEF COMMERCIAL, A MINNESOTA COMFORT-FOOD CLASSIC, IS THAT ‘MOST DELICIOUS THING YOU CAN EAT’

Brendan was inspecting the container of beer, when it suddenly exploded.

After he was pummeled by the stream of alcohol, Babcock attempted to get up and stop the gushing geyser.

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He was swiftly joined by other employees who hurried to help, yet were compelled to stand back when they understood the power of the beer.

Brendan was struck by a deluge of beer.

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The brewing company confirmed that Babcock made it through the challenging situation.

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The limited batch, christened as Blow Back, was cautiously announced on Instagram as a “limited release (obviously).”

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Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

She is a native of Massachusetts and is based in Orlando, Florida.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.

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As the past chief of staff for the Maryland’s comptroller and first chairman of the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, I recently testified in favor of House Bill 847 in Annapolis. This significant bill, proposed by Del. Marlon Amprey, aims to allow the sale of beer and wine in grocery stores across Maryland.

As a result of my professional exposure and personal insights gathered over 20 years of residence in Talbot County – the only jurisdiction where it’s currently legal – I can confidently outline two expected impacts and three misconceptions related to this bill.

Firstly, this bill will undeniably offer immense convenience for consumers with busy schedules. This is evident as more than 80% of inhabitants in a recent Maryland poll were in support of this change.

Secondly, it will provide a crucial economic boost for grocery stores. These businesses, which generate good-paying jobs and reinvest in our communities, are struggling to withstand the challenge posed by e-commerce retailers.

Local independent retailers, often referred to as “mom and pops”, won’t be driven out of business. It has been observed time and again that large chain stores focus on supplying popular, mass-made brands, leaving niche products such as craft beers, boutique wines, and local specialties to local package stores. Moreover, these local stores will still maintain exclusive rights to the sale of distilled spirits. They also excel in providing superior customer service and specialized knowledge that supermarkets simply cannot compete with.

The proposal will not result in an increase in underage alcohol consumption. In my over two decades of frequenting Talbot County’s grocery stores, I have never witnessed a young teenager attempting to shoplift IPAs or Merlot wine bottles. Arguably, supermarkets, with their numerous surveillance cameras and theft prevention mechanisms, are better equipped to prevent unauthorized access and theft than independent retailers are.

The outcome of this change won’t be an increase in alcoholism, substance abuse, vehicle fatalities, or any other catastrophic implications as claimed by Annapolis lobbyists who aim to quash this bill every year. Their conjectured scenarios and unverifiable stories find no support in actual data.

Already, forty-seven other states have implemented this measure. It’s high time that Maryland steps into the 21st century and enacts this bill into law as well. The adoption of this law would be a win for consumers and it would in turn bolster our state’s economy.

— Len Foxwell, Baltimore

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The quest for the ultimate ingredients needed to create the crunchiest, most flavorful batter continues, ranging from adding fish sauce to mimicking how Koreans achieve added crunch in their corn dogs. Although using beer in batter isn’t a novel concept, there are undeniable reasons why it remains popular in enhancing the taste of deep-fried dishes. Despite its occasional less-than-perfect application in cooking, as indicated here, scientific studies highlight the natural properties of beer batter in providing a satisfying crunch and flavor to the food it covers.

Primarily, the carbonization of beer coupled with its foaming agents and alcohol content make it an ideal base for batter. When beer is introduced into searing-hot oil, its trapped air bubbles expand and escape, resulting in a batter that forms a crust with a delicate, lace-like texture that easily snaps when bitten. The beer’s foaming agents, including natural proteins, prevent these bubbles from instantaneously bursting in the fryer by creating a thin protective film around them. These agents are also efficient heat absorbers, allowing the batter to become golden and crisp even when the oil exceeds temperatures of 266 F.

Simultaneously, the food inside continues to cook at a consistent rate without the risk of burning or drying out. Aided by the fact that alcohol evaporates at a faster rate than water, beer batter cooks quickly, not only reducing cooking time but also mitigating the risk of overcooking the dish.

For further reading: 8 Optimal Choices Of Meat To Deep Fry

It’s important to note that carbonation makes beer acidic. When it gets combined with flour, the acidity helps prevent the formation of gluten, which is what makes batter tough when fried. (This also applies to any carbonated drink, including non-alcoholic beer and seltzer.) Combine this lightness with the lace-like patterns that the bubbles form, and you basically have your ideal deep-fried crust. The sugars in beer also contribute a lot to how beer batter becomes golden brown and richer-tasting compared to a water-based one.

All these factors combine to create the Maillard reaction, a process where applying heat to sugar and amino acids brings out the different tastes, textures, and aromas of a dish’s ingredients, causing them to interact with each other and create a wholly different flavor. This chemical reaction serves as a signal to our senses that a dish is safe to eat. It’s also an aspect of how we enjoy food not just with our taste buds but also with our sight, hearing, and sense of smell.

Still, as mentioned, there are risks involved when using beer to make batter. For one, don’t rely on it alone for flavor. Season the food itself properly. Avoid preparing your beer batter ahead of time, too, since its oils disintegrate pretty quickly. Otherwise, you’ll still end up with a soggy crust. Do a second flour dredging after coating food with beer batter as well to ensure maximum crispness.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

There wasn’t a whole lot for fans to be excited about through the first 20 minutes of Super Bowl LVIII as just three points were scored.

But there was a big cheer at Allegiant Stadium during a break in the action in the second quarter.

It came when superstar singer Taylor Swift was shown on the videoboard and fans got a kick out of watching her down a beverage. So did broadcaster Kevin Harlan, who was calling the game for Westwood One.

“Three-nothing Niners and on the scoreboard moments ago, they showed Taylor Swift chugging a beer,” Harlan said. “There’s nothing more American than that.”

Some may disagree with that assessment, but you can’t argue that it was a hilarious call from Harlan. And it was funny to see Swift slam the cup down after finishing her drink.

Swift’s boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, talked about the moment with his brother, Jason, on their “New Heights” podcast.

“This is on the Jumbotron. Nice with the slam down. She’s done this before. She’s a pro,” Travis Kelce said.

Jason Kelce added: “Not her first rodeo.”

Spring is almost in the air, but we’re not quite into the March madness of Maibocks and St. Patrick’s Day yet, so I’ll use this week to clear a few beer news items of note from my virtual desk.

I’ll start off with the good news, which could have just as easily been bad. Tennessee legislators have backed down from proposed legislation that would have outlawed the sale of cold beer.

You read that correctly. Lawmakers in the Volunteer State had introduced a bill in late January that would have prohibited the sale of cold beer as a preventative measure against drunk driving. The idea behind the bill was that cold beer can be imbibed immediately after purchase, which allows people to illegally drink in their cars.

Rep. Ron Gant, a co-sponsor of the bill, had said that the evidence of beers cans strewn on roadsides across the state was proof that people were drinking while driving and that he believed they were getting cold beer at convenience stores. But last week Gant told The Tennessean that the prohibition of cold beer sales would not be included in the legislation.

In a statement last week, Gant said, “This was one of several ideas being discussed by stakeholders across our state, however, I do not want to infringe on law-abiding citizens or be unfair to businesses.”

While the idea was well-meant, I have to agree that it was an overreach by the legislators. Craft beer, in particular, can be dependent on freshness and temperature control. Not being able to keep certain beers refrigerated consistently from brewery to point of sale could be disastrous to small craft brewers.

Sharon Cheek, executive director of the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild, told The Tennessean exactly that in a statement:

“Without refrigeration, breweries would face substantial economic challenges and potential job losses,” she said. “Many of our breweries are known for their unpasteurized beer and use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients.”

Not only that, but outlawing cold beer sounds almost un-American.

Turning to the bad news, I’m sure it’s no surprise to learn that climate change is having a negative effect on brewing.

A story in , a science journal, indicated that climate change is hurting hops and the trend is probably going to get worse.

The Nature Communications study noted that hops could decline anywhere between 4% and 18% over the next few decades. Projections also say that the alpha content (the bittering agent) in hops could decrease by up to 31%.

Two factors contribute to these problems according to the report:

“The lowest hops yields were negatively affected by a lack of precipitation, while the lowest values of alpha content were caused by extremely high temperatures,” the study said.

While beer might not be at the top of the list when it comes to problems caused by climate change, it certainly is a concern for readers of this column. And it’s just one more reason that addressing this global crisis is crucial.

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by: Kathryn Hubbard

Posted: Feb 18, 2024 / 09:15 AM EST

Updated: Feb 18, 2024 / 09:15 AM EST

ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — A woman was arrested on Saturday after she tried to purchase beer and a lottery ticket with counterfeit money, according to the Roanoke Rapids Police Department.

Master Officer N. Powell responded to a retail business on Julian R. Allsbrook Highway around 9 p.m. on Saturday. A worker at the store informed the police about a female customer attempting to use a counterfeit bill.

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The officer arrived and found the suspect, identified as Mary Ellen Broady, 66, from Gaston, seated in her vehicle on the premises. Investigation revealed that she had tried to purchase a lottery ticket and some beer using counterfeit money.

Consequently, Master Officer Powell arrested Broady and charged her with uttering a forged instrument and attempted acquisition of property under false pretense.

Due to two pending court cases in which Broady was already under bond for in the Pretrial Release Act of 2023, she was placed in the Halifax County Detention Center without bond. She will appear in court on Thursday.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

As winter blows on, it’s past time to think about what your pets need to stay warm and safe.

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THE average pint of beer now costs £5 and could keep increasing as breweries and pubs face tough times.

It comes as the number of licensed premises in the country has dropped below 100,000 for the first time since records began.

Industry experts are blaming Covid, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a minimum wage increase, and high interest rates squeezing publicans’ margins.

In 2019, pubs were making 27p of profit on a pint and the average price nationally was £3.81.

Now, they’re only making 12p and the average price has risen to £4.80, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

As drinkers are facing their own financial battles with the cost of living crisis, so are their favourite watering holes.

Pubs were first hit during the on-off nature of lockdowns, when beer was simply poured down the drain.

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine led to an increase in the energy price for breweries, reliant on heating during the cooking process.

Sam Hagger, the owner of three Leicestershire pubs, told The Times that energy had shifted from being his fourth greatest expense to ranking second.

“We have been forced to reconsider when the ovens are turned on each morning.

“Every venue will possess two machines for washing glasses. Rather than switching both on simultaneously at 10am, one will come to life at that time and the other will follow suit at 1pm when trade picks up.

JD Wetherspoon chief Sir Tim Martin disclosed that Covid has altered the consumption patterns of drinkers.

One possible explanation is that the lockdowns resulted in behavioral modifications. The routine trip to the neighborhood pub was superseded by supermarket visits and home stays. This new practice has been more difficult to discard than anticipated for many.

He stated that supermarkets are exempt from paying VAT on food sales, contrary to pubs, and they also profit from lower business rates.

In more recent times, breweries have been contending with a similar price rise that has also impacted many of their customers personally, this being the increase in interest rates.

While pubs recieved grants from the government in programmes like Eat Out to Help Out, breweries only received loans.

The cost to service those loans has gone up as interest rates have shot up.

Strikes, protests, and other disruptions had all affected people’s ability top physically get themselves to the pub, another expert said.

The number of new licences opening is also declining too, with only 3,222 opening last year.

Just under 4,000 opened in 2022 (3,989) and 4,532 opened in 2021.

A pub is marketing the “cheapest pints” in the UK for as low as £2.30 – nearly half the average price.

The Waggon and Horses in Oldbury, West Midlands, is offering all beers, ciders, and ales for £2.90 or less in an attempt to entice patrons to frequent traditional local pubs.

The nostalgic Black Country pub stated its aim to “give back” to locals with discounted beer while many individuals are experiencing hardship during the cost of living crisis.

A pint of Stella will now set you back just £2.80, while Carling, Coors and John Smiths is £2.40 and a pint of Thatcher’s Gold is £2.30.

iStockphoto / Golden_Brown

Legislators in Tennessee seem to be pushing the public’s tolerance to its limit with a proposed law that would prohibit the sale of cold beer (chilled beer) at retail outlets. This act is seen as an affront to the freedoms enjoyed by every Tennessee resident.

On January 31st, two politicians from Tennessee, Representative Ron Gant and Senator Paul Rose, both Republicans, put forward the contentious bill. When the public became aware of this proposal, there was widespread confusion and disappointment, with people questioning the motive behind such a universally disliked suggestion.

The bill communicates its objective clearly within its title. Known as Senate Bill 2636, or ‘The Tennessee Prevention of Drunk Driving Act’, its objective is to decrease the incidence of DUIs/DWIs in the Volunteer State.

Rep. Ron Gant has already co-sponsored 5 other bills targeted at reducing DUIs in Tennessee and last year, Senator Paul Rose sponsored a bill which “aimed to lower the threshold for enhancing the minimum sentence of a person convicted of driving under the influence” according to The Tennesseean. So these two have been earnestly active in the fight to reduce DUIs but this is… a horrible idea.

This seems unlikely to pass. The bill itself was written broadly and it hasn’t advanced to a hearing date since it was filed last month.

However, the bill might already have had some intended consequences. If the purpose of the bill is to reduce DUIs that starts with education and awareness about DUI prevention and safe driving.

This story has been picked up by news outlets across the United States as everyone from coast to coast is flabbergasted by the hubris of politicians who think banning cold beer sales is (1) feasible, (2) something the public would accept, and (3) would actually reduce DUIs at all.

Starting, there is no existing information that suggests the beer’s temperature at the time of purchase impacts a person’s decision to drive under the influence. Logic would indicate that if an individual is thoughtless and irresponsible enough to drink and drive, the beer’s temperature likely won’t impact their decision.

Gant informed journalists, “if you observe the roadside across our state, you’ll find beer cans. That serves as proof that people are drinking and driving. They’re obtaining that beer, that alcohol from the convenience stores.” Gant was admitted to the ICU for several weeks in 2022 after a drunk driver hit him, making this matter deeply personal to him.

Furthermore, he aims to reduce the number of drinks bars or eateries can serve customers. However, this is a highly contentious issue. For one thing, the rate at which alcohol is metabolized differs greatly among individuals. For instance, a person weighing 300 pounds will obviously metabolize alcohol differently than someone who weighs 110 pounds.

Setting a universal limit on the ‘number of drinks per person’ is not effective for a plethora of reasons. This could lead to a situation where restaurant staff and bartenders decide whether a patron is ‘safe’ or ‘over-served’. The responsibility then shifts to the bartender serving drinks or the restaurant owner who isn’t even present that night. It simply does not work.

From a standpoint of practicality, beer cannot be left unchilled or it will spoil. According to Binwise, the storage of beer follows the 3-30-300 day rule:

Is it conceivable that the FDA would permit this to occur? Given the significant risk it would pose to consumers if suddenly shelves were stocked with stale beer, this seems improbable.

The story has been covered by local media outlets:

As more people in Tennessee become aware of this legislation, it appears increasingly unlikely to pass. The prohibition of cold beer in Tennessee could result in many lawmakers losing their positions.

In the meantime, Tennesseans who wish to continue enjoying the superior state of Tennessee selling chilling beers need to get up and battle for their party rights. This starts with spreading this news (this article) extensively.