Yes Wine Can: Ever get tired of beer and switch to wine? Of course you don’t! Still, variety is the spice of life, so we think it’s important to do good by Bacchus and get a fair share of wine into your life on occasion. First We Feast has compiled a list of their five favorite wines in cans that are taking on the pretentious myth of cans indicating low quality, which we in the beer world fully support. Stock up and get sipping.
Taking the “Cl” Out of “Class”: The Chambong hit markets this week, letting you take all the sophistication of drinking champagne from a fluted glass and hurl it out the window with all your other good ideas. First We Feast added it to a roundup of similarly addled food and beverage ideas for your enjoyment. Any and all of these could potentially ruin a wedding, but the Chambong is the clear frontrunner in the category; make sure you get pictures.
The Beer Behind the Beerfest: This year’s Oktoberfest wrapped up last week, but plenty Oktoberfest-styled beers are still on shelves and taps across America. Take a closer look at this delightfully drinkable style, then get out there and load up on samplings. Your friends might get bored during your history lesson, but they’ll thank you for the beer.
The Last Word on GABF: Beer writer and Brooklynite Josh Bernstein took on a crowd of 60,000-plus pretzel-adorned beer fans to bring you an on-the-ground look at this year’s Great American Beer Fest. There’s plenty of heartening news from the fest, including New York State’s six medals, but Bernstein encourages us to look forward to a world of more balanced IPAs, an endless parade of new sours and goses, and even more craft breweries.
US Breweries Continue to Multiply: As of last Friday, there were 4,011 breweries in the United States, the highest level since the historic high of 4,131 in 1873. According to figures from the Brewers’ Association, this works out to a net addition of roughly 1.9 breweries a day, or about how many cups of coffee the average American adult consumes in the same time. This means it’s becoming easier every day to find excellent beer in all corners of the country, and that is good news for us all.
Vocabulary Test: With all the weird, wild and woolly beers and breweries hitting the scene these days, it’s worth checking in on your vocabulary from time to time. You might know what an IBU actually measures, but do you recall the names of the four Noble Hops? Brush up, then go forth and spread your arsenal throughout the world. Just remember the fine line between being a beer geek and a beer snob: don’t be a jerk about it.