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Monthly Archives: January 2014

Canned Beer Controversy: Solved!

24 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Beer

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Beer, canned beers, Craft Beer

Perhaps your first memory of drinking beer involved a can of Golden Anniversary or Piels.ten_fidy_can Until fairly recently — without picking on those brands — all canned beers were mass-produced macros with little flavor. So as numerous craft breweries have started to can their beers (Oskar Blues was the first in 2002), the overall reaction has been mixed. Beer lovers are skeptical about the quality of the product inside cans. People were just starting to fall in love with craft beers in bottles, after all. And now there are cans to consider, too?

There is a case for canning beers instead of bottling them, as history shows. New Jersey’s Gottfried Krueger Brewing Co. put out the world’s first beer can in 1935, stocking select shelves in Richmond, Va., as a market test. The experiment took off, of course. Today beer drinkers choose cans over bottles for most of the 22 gallons of beer they each drink per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

But considering cans may be painful for traditionalists who love their bottles – and there are still some skeptical brewers. It may also be tough for the average Jane who just switched from her grandpa’s canned brand and found some craft bottles she adores.  So let’s talk about how beers benefit from canning over bottling.

First, it’s a myth that cans impart some kind of metallic flavor to the beer. Beer cans have a special interior coating, so the beer never touches metal. (The dare is set for you to do a blind taste test and point out which beer is canned.) You are pouring your beer into a glass, right? You know, if you put the can to your mouth then you just may taste some metal! Beyond that, cans block 100 percent of light and are air-tight, two things no capped bottle can claim. Light and oxygen are the arch-enemies of beer!

BottlingLine_NewBelgium_1

Still not convinced? Cans get colder faster and cans don’t break, making them much more accepted at beaches, pools and parks. Cans are “greener” than bottles in many ways. They stack more compactly and weigh less, which reduces transportation costs and fuel use. They’re more easily carried while camping or on picnics or hikes, and consumers are much more likely to crush their cans and carry them out for recycling. Cans are more easily recycled, and new cans are made from a high percentage of recycled materials.

Naturally, all these advantages apply to mass-produced beer in cans as well as to craft beer. But craft beer is where the unstoppable canning trend lives.

Are there negatives to cans? We can name a few. When canning, breweries need to order a certain number of cans with their “labels” already printed on them. Those need storage space, and if enough beer isn’t sold, the brewers are stuck with cans that can’t be used for other beers. Bottles don’t typically create that issue (unless they’re silk-screen) but this doesn’t sound like your problem anyway, does it?

You might be more concerned that not all canned beer comes in the new, fancy six-pack holders that cover the tops of the cans. When uncovered cans sit on shelves, their tops get dirtier than bottle caps. Also, a few retailers will break open six-packs and sell singles, making any holder moot. Yeah, you can clean the cans before opening, but that’s a hassle and sometimes not practical or possible (although not really a deal-breaker).

Canned craft beer is here to stay, and you will see more and more choices of canned beer over time. The next time you see craft beer in a can, don’t think, “Oh, no”!, think, “Oh, Yeah”!

How to Make Hot Buttered Rum (Recipe)

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by totalwineandmore in & More, Cocktails, Rum, Spirits

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Baby, it’s cold outside!
Warm up with some hot buttered rum scented with freshly ground nutmeg.

hot-buttered-rum

Hot Buttered Rum


(serves four)

We take a few turns with the basic recipe, but if you use a tasty dark rum and add a touch of richness with some butter and spices, you have a savory winner that will blast off the winery chill!

Recipe:

  • 4 ounces (1 stick) room-temperature unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 6 ounces dark rum (Tapping House rum is one of our favorites)
  • 3 cups boiling water
  • Fresh orange juice
  1. STEP 1

    Beat butter, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg with a mixer on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.

  2. STEP 2

    Combine 2 tablespoons spiced butter with 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) dark rum in each of 4 heatproof glasses. Pour 3/4 cup boiling water over each, and stir. Top each with a squeeze of fresh orange juice.

    Top with whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg.

Tecnico Azteca Mexican Hot Chocolate

09 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by totalwineandmore in & More, Spirits, Tequila

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cocktails, hot chocolate, hot chocolate recipe, hot drinks, Tequila

It’s super frosty for many of you out there, and one of our favorite ways to ward off the chill is with a piping hot mug of cocoa — especially when it’s given a caliente kicker with the addition of reposado tequila and spices!

Tecnico Azteco cocktailWhat gives this delicious and unique hot chocolate recipe its authentic Mexican character is the combination of bitter or bittersweet cocoa powder with aromatic vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and the mild spicy addition of red chile powder.

Preparation:

In a small pan combine:

2 oz. strong black coffee

6 oz. whole milk

1 oz. agave nectar

2 tablespoons of spicy cacao/bitter chocolate powder (see recipe below)

Heat ingredients until steaming. Pour into a heated mug and add 2 oz. of Tecnico Reposado tequila. Serve hot. Optional touches to decorate the cocktail: sprinkle with cinnamon powder, ground cocoa nibs or add a cinnamon stick.

To make the Spicy Mexican Cocoa Powder

Take 4 tablespoons of bitter or bittersweet hot chocolate powder to make two servings of drink and add to it one little pinch each of the following:

Vanilla powder (you can substitute a dash of vanilla extract if powder isn’t available)

Ground cinnamon

Ground allspice

Red chile powder

The original recipe was developed by Warren Bobrow, the author of Apothecary Cocktails book, recipe adapted for home use.

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