Wine and Beverage News Week of March 4th
Every Friday Uncorkd compiles the most recent restaurant and beverage industry stories that had us talking. Here is the can’t miss news from March 5th – 11th. Read more
5 Simple Steps to Modernize Your Bar Program
There has been a revolution in the past decade. Diners and drinkers are now more in control of what they consume than twenty years ago. Whichever the buzzword may be – gluten-free diet, craft drinker, scratch cooking – the culture has collectively raised its expectations on what it wants from bars and restaurants. In 2016, there is no reason your bar should feel dated. There are few practical tweaks to your beverage program that will make it fresh and vibrant again. No, you don’t have to call your bartenders mixologists. Honestly, you shouldn’t. And you don’t have to reinvent the martini. You just need to take a few simple steps that show commitment to a good program. Read more
Wine and Beverage News Round-Up Week of Feb. 13
Every Friday Uncorkd compiles the most recent restaurant and beverage industry stories that had us talking. Here’s our list of must-read articles from the web this week. This week features the hottest concepts and brands in dining, insane delivery revenue growth, the inside scoop on natural wine, and a new Bulleit Bourbon release . Here are the can’t miss new’s stories from February 13th – 19th. Read more
Top Trending Alcoholic Drinks Added to Menus this Winter
Ah, we’re still in the middle of winter and restaurant traffic has slowed down from the holidays. The dust has settled from January and it’s time to start making some changes to your beverage menus. But what new wines should you add to your wine list? What are the latest craft beers trending on beer lists? And what are some interesting spirits that restaurants have been adding behind the bar? We have the answers and some ideas for new additions to your menus. Read more
Beverage Trends for 2016: Beer
The aftershock of the craft beer boom is still being felt, and not just the tremors. The explosion has been more like a night of fireworks than a single detonation. The do-it-yourself ethos of microbreweries has blown holes in Big Beer’s dominance of the U.S. market. New breweries and brewpubs are popping up all across America, and as distribution increases, more bars and restaurants have craft-minded beer lists. Regional beer markets have created new forms of tourism, and gives local beer geeks more ammunition to argue with in comment threads on blogs across the globe. With no signs of slowing, what trends should we expect to see in 2016? Read more
Growth of Cider Industry Inspires Old Drinks to Learn New Tricks
The growth of hard cider in the U.S. has been noted and written about for some time now. The boom began between 2013-2014, when the cider category grew over 75%. That’s an insane growth curve for a market. Cider has a lengthy history steeped in European beverage lore. Accounts of the fermented beverage date back to the Roman Empire. While Europe holds the mantel of cider (Britain boasts the worlds largest per capita consumption of cider), the earnest beverage of fermented apple juice has begun to capture American palates once again. This market growth has allowed cidery’s to experiment with production and offer innovative new products. Read more
Growth In Lagers Shows American Pilsners Are Getting Crafty
When it comes to beer, America runs on lagers. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just check out this ranking of the top 20 beers in the U.S.
What is surprising, is that lagers have become one of the fastest growing styles produced by craft brewers. Much of this growth has centered in the craft pilsner category. In January of 2015, craft pilsners grew 56% in a year to year comparison. Read more
For The Weekend: Summer Recipes to Savor Before Fall
The end of August and start of September is a time of change. Summer is slowly winding down and the sometime phantom season of fall is (hopefully) approaching. Kids go back to school. Our favorite television shows are starting up. Your local farmers market selection is dwindling and will be ending soon. It’s a time when our tastes change and restaurants begin to tinker with menus, experimenting with dishes that offer the bold flavors of fall. But wait! If you haven’t had your fill of summer yet, there’s still time. Here is a list of end-of-summer ingredients that are at their peak, and some recipes for dishes to devour before summer fades into fall.
Sour Power: Wild Brewing of Sour Beer
Craft Brew Business recently released a list of the Top 5 craft beer styles of 2014. And to no ones surprise, IPAs are number one. And though IPAs still reign supreme in the world of the craft drinker, there are a lot of other styles fighting for a space on tap lists across the country. One of the more intriguing categories of beer making some head-room (apologies for the foamy-pun) in beer halls is sour beer.
Hard Soda and Root Beer Next Big Drink Trend
It’s been in the news a lot lately that there’s enormous interest and growth in hard root beer. Small Town Brewery, based in Wauconda, IL, has been a leader in this space with Not Your Father’s Root Beer. Luckily for me here in Illinois, we’re the only ones who have it on tap and in it’s harder form of 10.7% or 19.5%ABV. I’ve been enjoying it since it came out last year and distribution has spread widely throughout the US.
How big of a trend is it? Well the beer came out last year, from a tiny microbrewery. It’s not the 6th best-selling craft brewer and the beer accounts for 3.3% of the entire craft market!