Francis Ford Coppola, Bob Dylan, John Legend, Kyle MacLachlan, and George Clooney are among the many celebrities who have gotten into the wine and spirits game. “I’m the official winemaker,” Alecia Moore, the singer better known as Pink, told Food & Wine’s Ray Isle upon launching her Two Wolves wine label in October 2018. “I love physical work. I prune vines ... Read More

“Champagne is just wine,” physicist Roberto Zenit said. “What makes it special is the carbonation.” It’s true: We love our bubbles. In 2017, the world guzzled 544 million bottles ($913 million) of Prosecco, 307 million bottles ($5.6 billion) of Champagne, and approximately 550 billion bottles ($661 billion) of beer. Although fermentation naturally imparts some carbonation to beer and wine (thanks, yeast!), a majority ... Read More

As winter temperatures plummet across the Northern Hemisphere, there’s no time like the present to plan a far-flung winter getaway to someplace warm — as long as it has excellent beer.From laid back locales in Southern California, to Southeast Asian cities where citizens are enthusiastically embracing craft, these nine beercation destinations are VinePair-approved for winter ... Read More

Homebrewing wasn’t legal in all 50 states until 2013. (Alabama and Mississippi were the last to take the plunge.) Of course, this was 35 years after homebrewing was federally legalized, and 80 years after the 1933 repeal of Prohibition. In a country as large and diverse as America, change sometimes takes longer than we’d like. Over ... Read More

Last week, the Brewers Association published best practices for breweries to focus on diversity and inclusion in their businesses. Authored by Brewers Association Diversity Ambassador Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, the guidelines include removing perceived barriers to access; considering diversity when hiring brewers and other industry staffers; and forging positive relationships within different communities. It’s an important read. This ... Read More

10.  What’s With the A on the Side of the Mountain?The “A” stand for the Aggies. It was Colorado State University’s mascot until 1957 (Formerly Colorado A & M). Then we became the CSU Rams. Don’t ask “Why isn’t there an R on the side of the mountain?” It’s part of history. Leave it at ... Read More

The end of 3.2 beer in Colorado grocery stores this New Year’s was the state’s latest step in its journey from teetoler to craft beer capital. The seeds for Colorado’s brewery dominance to come were sown during the Gold Rush. When miners and German immigrants flocked to the state in the hopes of riches in the mid-1800s, their beer-loving traditions ... Read More

At a commercial break while watching college football, Progressive, the insurance company, aired an advertisement about a group therapy meeting called the “Dad Support Group.” Most so-called dad jokes are pretty toothless, but one line caught my attention. It was delivered by a bespectacled blonde woman wearing a collared shirt under an open windbreaker. “I ... Read More

Let’s just say this right off the bat: trying to understand the difference between a porter and a stout in today’s craft beer world can be a pretty dizzying experience. That’s because over the past ten years or so, in many craft circles, the names have been used pretty interchangeably when categorizing darker beers. It’s ... Read More

In June 2018, Brooklyn’s Other Half Brewing hosted Green City, a beer festival dedicated to “all thing hoppy.” Some of the hottest names in the industry attended, including Los Angeles’s Monkish and Richmond’s The Veil. All brought several of their of-the-moment, New England-style IPAs (NEIPAs). After paying the $100 admission fee — $300 for early-entry VIPs — many of the ... Read More

Courting controversy? Craft beer and cannabis. Pic:getty/bsd555 While some brewers are concerned that cannabis could emerge as a competitor to beer, the Brewers Association has not seen any evidence that it’s a huge threat to the craft beer sector. In fact, it believes cannabis could open up new innovation opportunities for the industry. As cannabis ... Read More

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we’re getting ready to celebrate everything we’re thankful for. You can probably name lots of things you’re grateful for in the place you call home, but here are 10 reasons to be thankful you live in Colorado. 1 We’re Healthy ThinkStock Not only did Colorado score high rankings for having some ... Read More

The world shelled out $661 billion for beer last year. Behemoth breweries dominated sales, with the 50 biggest brewing companies accounting for nearly half of global beer consumption in 2017. This year’s list of top-ranking beers, based on 2017 sales, is similar to last year’sresults, with a few key changes. Three of the top 10 best-sellers are ... Read More

You may consider it poor manners to publicly discuss politics, especially with a beer in your hand — and especially in 2018. But beer and politics have always been intertwined. Early American public houses slung brews while patrons debated the news of the day. As legend has it, in 1775, a young apprentice was sipping a beer ... Read More

According to a new study, barley crop failures during and after the worst heat and drought events could cause beer production to drop by as much as 16 percent.  If you have ever balked at the high prices of some craft beer brands, brace yourself for the future. Beer prices could double as increasing global ... Read More

For a nation built on a bedrock of capitalism and free trade, America’s intentionally inefficient system of buying and selling alcohol feels counterintuitive. After all, alcohol distribution in the United States is closely regulated. Its three tiers, comprised of producers, importers and distributors, and retailers, purposefully add cost to the consumer. Many argue that the ... Read More

Just a decade ago, your average beer drinker probably didn’t know what IPA stood for. They certainly didn’t use it in polite conversation, and almost definitely never drank these India Pale Ales. The boom in beer culture in the 2000s, however, has finally spawned a society where craft beer has become ubiquitous, and now most of us can speak ... Read More

Five years ago, North America dominated the global craft beer market, accounting for 52% of all craft beer launches, but now another continent has taken the lead. According to data from Mintel, the number of craft beer launches in Europe has more than doubled since 2013 (up 178%) making it a global leader in craft ... Read More

It’s that time of year again. The Super Bowl of the beer industry — the Great American Beer Festival— kicks off in Denver next week, bringing beer enthusiasts to Colorado from throughout the country and the world. About 62,000 attendees will get a chance Sept. 20-22 to taste about 4,000 beers from more than 800 breweries, and a panel ... Read More

1. There is no “magical tasting gene” Beer tasting is not about natural talent. It’s all about practice, attention, slowing down and being present in the moment, Imdieke said. The goal is to deconstruct the flavor. There are five steps: Appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel and finish. Analyze each step by step as you drink a ... Read More