This week’s top 8 beer stories

There’s always plenty of stuff about big beer in the news, but this week’s stories have a particular insight that might be useful. Even though many of the flagship beers aren’t growing as they have in the past, many of the smaller brands are on the rise. We also take a look at some of the different pairing tactics and approaches especially as the holiday party season reaches peak holidayness.

If you brew beer, join us

When we first started Beer with Strangers, more than two years ago, the premise was that we would have brewers and homebrewers on as guests. One of our earliest guests, Jimmy Kroon, brought Kvass to try and discuss and it was wonderful. I’ll never have one and not remember how excellent his was. Eventually, it got too hard to book a guest each week, we switched to Google Hangouts, but still had trouble connecting. The point is, we’re still always open to having you join us at Xtreme Brewing and Winemaking supplies. We also still broadcast on the Shore Craft Beer YouTube page if you want to pop by and ask questions or just say “hello” we’re on Thursday at noon(ish). If you follow Shore Craft Beer on Facebook, we do a short live video beforehand, as kind of a heads up.

Your weird, old beer style of the day: Kvass

While the rich, nutrient-packed German lager known as doppelbock is the one most often called “liquid bread,” there’s another beer style much more deserving of that nickname: kvass. If you’ve ever traveled to a country in the Slavic region-Russia, Uzbekistan, Latvia and the like-you’ve probably encountered this dark, slightly sour, bready brew.

Pretty interesting tactic

It looks as if Miller heard that ABV is a thing people look at so they elected to push the fact that they just bumped Milwaukee’s Best by a percentage point. This is the thing: Are they going after craft drinkers, of Colt 45?

MillerCoors defends ice beer ads from critics

MILWAUKEE – MillerCoors said advertisements in Milwaukee touting the alcohol content of one of its beers are aimed at transparency so consumers can make informed choices. Billboards along the city’s freeways say the alcohol content of Milwaukee’s Best Ice is now 6.9 percent, up from 5.9 percent, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

In other beer industry news…

This makes sense, because many of these beers are already pretty popular and becoming more accessible. But there’s something else at play here. There are no Craft Beers in the top 10, likely because this is a measure of national and international brands. I think the fact that the biggest beers in the world have flattened, might be inaccurate as bigger beer companies shift toward pushing the smaller brands.

America’s Fastest Growing Beer Brands

Source: ThinkstockWhile beer consumption in the United States fell during the beginning of the recession and again at the end of 2013, it is on the rise again and beer remains the most popular alcoholic beverage in the U.S. Americans may continue to choose beer over other types of alcoholic beverages, although the brand of […]

Picking out the flavors

This takes a better palate than I’ll ever have, but it is a fun experiment. The best part about stuff like this is that sometimes it makes awful beer. I feel like failure is your friend when it comes to what has come to be called extreme brewing.

Any Food Can Be Turned Into Beer

The beauty of the craft beer world is the unbridled enthusiasm to brew something that’s never been tasted before. However, creating a beer with a familiar taste can be an almost greater challenge. Take Shmaltz Brewing’s new Pastrami Pilsner.

This week’s pairing challenge

What cookies would you pair with which beer? The following story is a useful and basic pairing guide, but it got us thinking.

Beer & food pairings for Santa

America’s Test Kitchen co-host Bridget Lancaster isn’t just an amazing cook, she is also an avid homebrewer and beer lover. Since it appears that Santa seems to enjoy a beer every now and then (just look at that belly), we asked Bridget what beer and food we should pair for Santa this holiday season.

Here’s Draft Magazine’s suggestions

Pairing beer with red-and-white desserts

The treats of the season come sprinkled, dipped and frosted in our favorite holiday colors. Add a beer for a dessert that’s truly a gift. Red Velvet Cupcake & Imperial Brown Ale The hallmark of red velvet is the cake’s light cocoa notes; where those end, this beer’s flavors begin.

Recipe of the week

My favorite Belgian Tripel is Sandstorm from 3rd Wave it is winter so this totally is on my list of things I’ll be making in 2017.

Aged Gouda & Beer Soup

In this variation of the pride of the Midwest, we combine aged Gouda with a Belgian-style tripel.

Homebrew news

Each week on the show, Doug takes us through gear, practices, tips and tricks associated with homebrewing. This week, we’ll talk about the following articles. If you have any questions for Doug you want answered on the show, reach out to me and I’ll ask him on air.

Gear Test: Anton Paar EasyDens

Anton Paar has been a big name in the measuring tech field for decades. Their high-end alcohol meters and density meters enjoy a great reputation for quality and accuracy, but they will set you back almost $10,000 for a tabletop version. Recently the company developed an (almost) pocket-sized density meter aimed at the small craft brewer and homebrewer.

This was supposed to be in last week’s show, but I got sick. We know that yeast can change the flavor of beers, but this is a whole new take on yeast uses…

FDA Gives Glowing Disapproval To Glow-In-The-Dark Beers; Creators Fight Back With More Luminescent Booze!

First Posted: Dec 13, 2016 03:40 AM EST The Food And Drug Authority (FDA) gives its glowing disapproval to a homebrew kit that advertises so that people can make their own glow-in-the-dark beer. However, the creators are fighting back as they partner with a brewery for more luminescent booze.