Archive for the 'Beer' Category

Statistics released last week by the Beverage Information Group indicate that overall beer consumption in the U.S. is down, as it has been trending over the past few years. It would be easy to jump to conclusions and fret that the beer boom is over, but a closer look at the numbers shows just the contrary: Although the Light segment continues to decline and contribute to the overall losses in the industry, growth in the Craft and Import segments remain significant despite their higher-priced items.

What does this mean, in a nutshell? Americans might be drinking less, but we’re drinking better! Hooray for us!

That’s right: More Americans are trading in fizzy yellow stuff for flavorful, artisanal selections created by brewers both abroad and across our great nation, looking for exciting selections and interesting, complex flavors that they’ve never experienced before. And with the most domestic breweries the U.S. has had in over 100 years (since about 1905) producing the widest array of styles, we have more delicious options available to us than ever.

Of course, the fabulous breweries that started this current craft trend about 25 to 30 years ago deserve the majority of the credit, followed closely by their later-blooming brewing brethren, but I have to believe that education has played a major role here as well. Associations like the Brewers Association and their array of consumer-education driven events like the Great American Beer Festival (which is coming up next week in Denver, CO) and Savor, homebrew groups and competitions throughout the country, savvy restaurateurs and programs like the Cicerone certification, and yes, media outlets including newspapers, magazines and even television shows have all helped to get the word out to consumers that there’s a world of flavor to be had for beer lovers.

And it seems like the people have heard. We all knew with the economic turmoil over the past couple of years that this transition wasn’t going to be easy, but it seems apparent now that while people are not as willing to spend more on alcoholic products, as they maybe once were, they’re comfortable getting less quantity for overall better quality.

But there’s still so much to learn, and so many beers to try. So keep up the good work, America. Keep drinking new and exciting brews, especially those made by small brewers right here in the USA.

To celebrate tonight, I’m gonna head to my local distributor after work and pick up something I’ve never tried before.  I’d love to hear what’s in your glass!

Cheers!

Calling all hopheads! In case you haven’t heard, allow me to fill you in: Today is International IPA Appreciation Day. That’s right… today is the day to break out your favorite IPA from around the world and Facebook, Tweet or Google + all about your experience drinking it and how much you love it. Why? Essentially, to promote the consumption of delicious, flavorful beer and strengthen the voice of the discerning craft beer drinker.

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I’m not talking about Beer Pong or Quarters, or any other collegiate drinking games. It’s football season again. Gridiron, for those of you outside North America, who might think I am referencing a sport played with a round ball.

Since I live outside my favorite team’s television coverage area, I have to subscribe to DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket so that I can watch every minute of the Buffalo Bills‘ efforts on Sunday afternoons. And since I coach my son’s travel soccer team, which also plays its games on Sunday afternoons, I also have to record the football games to watch them in the evening–and avoid hearing or reading the outcome in the meantime. The result is that during the season, Sunday evenings in our house turn into their own little ritual, complete with food and drink.

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Photo courtesy, Brewer's Association/Jason E. Kaplan

Let me rephrase that… reflections on the beer fest. Last week was the 29th annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, America’s biggest beer festival and Guiness record holder for the most beers tapped in one location as well as the largest selection of American beers gathered together on the globe. With close to 50,000 attendees over the course of four sessions in three days (Saturday afternoon is for Brewers’ Association members only), this is by no means a small production. Considering the amount of beers to try (over 2,200) and new experiences and information to be absorbed, all I can say is, good thing they give you a tasting book with the names of all the breweries and beers!

It’s a lot to take in, but after a week the haze begins to clear and coherent reflections can be assembled. Here are some of the highlights and epiphanies I experienced that I can’t wait to examine further:

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They converge upon the Colorado Convention Center with such number and force, one never knows what to expect. Hotels are flooded with everyone from beer-belly twenty-somethings to groups of women looking to broaden their knowledge and affluent couples traveling from abroad with the event as the only item on their itinerary. The city of Denver becomes filled with locals and tourists alike, all carrying little 3 ounce tasting glasses with the same ubiquitous logo as the countless banners that adorn the streets.  With 462 breweries pouring over 2,200 beers, there’s a reason this event is listed as one of the top 1,000 places in the US to visit before you die and is the Guinness World Record holder for the most beers tapped in one location as well as the largest selection of American beers gathered together on the globe.

The Great American Beer Festival: need I say more? 

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Here’s a cure for your Monday blues… today marks the beginning of the annual American Craft Beer Week, taking place across the country from May 17th to 23rd. Organized by the Brewers Association, the week-long festivities were designed to celebrate small and independent craft brewers from across the nation, promoting the spirit and value of America’s craft beer scene. The week became the largest national effort focusing on domestic craft brewers in 2006, and remains so even to this very day.

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While New Year’s resolutions frequently involve promises of eating less, giving back more or finally kicking that terrible habit, if you’re not ditching booze altogether it might be the best time to take a look at your beverage routines and question whether they are in need of a shake-up of their own. If you think about your purchasing, education and consumption rituals and realize that you have not bought anything different, learned anything new or shared anything spectacular with friends or family, then you might in fact be stuck in a drink rut. Lucky for you, I’m here to help; adopting these 5 simple and fantastic resolutions is certain to spice up your consumption lifestyle, liberating you from monotony and reminding you about all of the possibilities and pleasures you once yearned to find in the world of fine wine and craft beer. Here’s to a happy, healthy and fun new year!

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Last year, I wrote a blog called “Without Beer … Would We Be Celebrating Thanksgiving?” While no one knows for certain the validity of the claim that without beer (or the need for it) we might not be celebrating Thanksgiving on the day that we do, the main point of the blog remains a valid one: do as the Pilgrims and celebrate with some brews!

This year, instead of providing you with some more recommendations of my own (regardless of how fabulous they are), I decided to reach out to some of my favorite beer authorities to see what frothy goodness they like to recommend for the big Turkey Day feast.

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One of the hottest (and my most favorite) trends in the restaurant industry right now is the pairing dinner. You know, those dinners that you pay a little extra up front with the prix-fixe so you can enjoy perfectly matched beverages (usually wine) with the various courses of the meal. Now this in itself might not be a new occurrence, but what has been recently updated to make this craze popular again is the format that these dinners are now taking on… battle.

That’s right… they are now a fight to the death for the two worlds of alcoholic beverage choices (sorry, spirits): beer and wine.

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While summer technically goes until September 22nd, I really consider the end of the season to be Labor Day weekend. We have a big party every year to celebrate the end of the summer (check it out here) and honestly, after that, nothing feels the same to me. All of the sudden I notice the wind feels a bit brisker, leaves start to take on a touch of red amidst the sea of green and I no longer need to have the AC on to feel comfortable. I love the fall and all of the changes that it brings, but most of all I love the fabulous beer fests that pepper the season with good drink, great places and awesome people.

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