Latest news with #German-style
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Asheville breweries win World Beer Cup gold, silver medals: Here's why they won
ASHEVILLE - In a global blind taste test, North Carolina breweries competed against breweries representing 49 countries, earning 11 medals in the prestigious World Beer Cup awards program known as "the Olympics of beer competitions." Four medals were awarded to Asheville area beer companies: Diatribe, Highland, Hi-Wire and Sierra Nevada. The Brewers Association received 8,375 entries from 1,761 breweries that were judged over 14 sessions by 265 industry experts. Winners were announced at the 2025 World Beer Cup award ceremony on May 1 during the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Indianapolis. The local brewing teams shared details about their award-winning beers and how bringing home the medals is a win for the Asheville area brewing community, particularly after a challenging season following last fall's Tropical Storm Helene. 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville. Diatribe Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the Chocolate Beer category for its Chocolate Porter. Diatribe opened in 2023 with an American Porter that's been a taproom guest favorite and earned the West Asheville brewery a gold medal in the 2024 Best of Craft Beer Awards. Dave Byer, co-owner and brewer, said he began with that base to build the Chocolate Porter, using imported cocoa nibs, testing different techniques, and then introducing varieties to guests. "It's been a fun journey with us and with our customers, and everyone weighing in on what's their favorite, Byer said. "It's been a big group effort to create this beer, seeing what we love, and taking nibs that worked and putting them in our award-winning porter." Byer said he's witnessed Asheville's brewing industry strengthen for over a decade to compete on the world's stage. He said Helene was another example of the community's resilience. The Chocolate Porter was one of the first batches of beer Byer brewed after water was restored several weeks after the storm. He attributed the community's support to keeping the brewery open and thriving. Betty Dunajski, co-owner and taproom manager, said the brewery will be one of the participating locations, hosting events during AVL Beer Week, May 15-29. "We always have fun experiments and different ways for people to connect with beer, whether it's different ingredients or different ways of serving beer," she said." We like to get our customers and community involved." The Chocolate Porter is available exclusively served in the taproom. It's seasonal, and supplies are limited. 12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Asheville. Highland Brewing Co. won the gold medal in the German-style Kölsch category for its Daycation Gold. "The German-style Kölsch category is highly nuanced," said Nikki Mitchell, vice president of brand development. "It's such a delicate beer. To win for 'Gold' fills me and everyone at Highland with a huge amount of pride." Daycation Gold was introduced in 2021 as a small-batch Kölsch named Distance Driver, which won gold at the 2022 Best of Craft Beer Awards. It was designed to quench the thirst of disc golfers at Highland's East Asheville campus. Due to demand, it continued to be brewed. This spring, a revamped and rebranded brew version was released as Daycation Gold, under the same session beer umbrella as Daycation IPA. It's available in the taproom and for retail sale. Innovation Brewing Manager, Josh Jiles, said it's a technical, challenging beer to brew, but when done correctly, it should be refreshing and bright. "Daycation hits that perfect sweet spot," Jiles said. "It's clean, crisp, incredibly well-balanced." Jiles said Helene significantly impacted Asheville's brewery industry, as there was little to no water to brew. He commended the beer community for working hard to get back on its feet. "We're all pretty crafty. Asheville produces some of the world's best beers, and every brewer should be proud of that," Jiles said. "It's a good win for the community." Various locations, including 2A Hunstman Place, Biltmore Village. Hi-Wire Brewing Co. won the silver medal for its Hi-Wire Lager in the International-Style Pilsner category. This is the seventh World Beer Cup award the brewery, founded in 2013 in Asheville, has earned. "This one is different for us than the others," said Adam Charnack, co-founder. "The Hi-Wire Lager is the first beer we ever made. ... It's everything about our brand that we love." Charnack said the lager is the ideal representation of the brewery, describing the brew as timeless, classic, simple, complicated, and easy-drinking. It's the brewery's bestselling beer in its taprooms. He said winning the World Beer Cup award this year heightened the emotions from Helene, and it's a chapter-turner for Hi-Wire, as it recovers. In May, Hi-Wire will reopen its beer garden in the River Arts District, which was devastated during the historic storm. "We're beyond ecstatic," Charnack said. "We can't be more proud." 100 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. won the gold medal for its Weizenbock in the South German-Style Weizenbock category. It also earned the gold medal at the 2024 competition and the Great American Beer Fest in 2024. 'It's a wonderful example of the beer style," Brian Grossman, chief brewer and second-generation brewery owner at Sierra Nevada, said in an email. "It is brewed using traditional techniques, and it showcases an authentic German yeast strain that came from our long-time friends at a historic Bavarian brewery. It is a testament to our brewing team's hard work and dedication to premium quality craft brewing.' Grossman, who called Asheville 'a world-class beer destination,' said the Weizenbock is a limited batch beer available at the Mills River taproom, though it may not last long. The North Carolina Brewers Guild and North Carolina brewers were honored with the Brewers Association's Recognition Award, honoring the brewers' collective response to Tropical Storm Helene. View the complete list of 2025 World Beer Cup winners at Discover more Asheville breweries in a citywide celebration, AVL Beer Week, from May 15-29, at various locations. For a complete list of events, visit Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@ or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville breweries win World Beer Cup medals: Here's why they won
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oktoberfest to return to Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern
NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) — The New Bern Breakfast Rotary Club has announced the return of the annual B/S/H/Oktoberfest to the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern. This charity event will be on Saturday, September 27th from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. To kick off the fundraiser, New Bern Mayor Jeffrey Odham will perform the 'Tapping of the Keg' ceremony on Wednesday, September 24th. Traditionally, the Oktoberfest celebration takes place in Germany during late September and early October of each year as a famed beer festival and fair. In New Bern, The Little German Band and Dancers lead the crowd with singing and dancing, which includes the infamous Chicken Dance, in the true spirit of the traditional celebration. The popular Stein Holding contest will be available for people who want to test their strength and endurance! The tickets will be $35 in advance, $40 at the door, includes admission, one traditional German-style meal and a nonalcoholic drink. There will be separate tickets sold for beer and wine. It will be $25 for active-duty military with ID, $5 for children 6-12, and free for children under 5. Advance tickets are available mid-August at Mitchell Hardware or can be purchased online. Sponsorships are available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Forbes
The Ultimate Beer Road Trip, Featuring Some Of America's Top Lagers
Toasting some good beers. There's something undeniably right about hitting the open road in search of a perfect pint. The hum of the tires, the shift of the sun across the sky, and the promise of cold lager waiting at the end—it's as American as it gets. Craft breweries across the country are quietly redefining what lager can be, reviving old-world techniques with new-world swagger. And the best way to taste these brews? Right where they're made. Road-tripping to a brewery that takes its lager seriously is about more than just drinking—it's about meeting the people who pour heart and hustle into every batch. It's about slowing down, unplugging, and rewarding yourself with a beer brewed with purpose. Whether it's a pilsner pulled fresh in Paso Robles or a crisp cold one in Chicago's gritty north side, the journey is part of the reward. Lager is back and it's calling you to the road. Here are five spots you can point the car towards to enjoy fantastic lagers. Four recently won major accolades for their beers, and the fifth, an award-winner, is a personal favorite. Cheers! Located in the heart of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom just below the Canadian border, Hill Farmstead Brewery has garnered international acclaim since its founding in 2010. That's due to its almost fanatical focus on quality, which is a direct result of its small-batch brewing mentality. Every beer they produce is a work of art that often isn't replicated after the tap runs dry. A visit to the brewery is a must for any serious beer lover. Luckily, Marie, an unfiltered German-style helles lager, named after founder Shaun Hill's maternal great-grandmother, is often on tap at the idyllically situated brewery. A lightly hazy and naturally carbonated brew, it is crisp and slightly fruity, perfect for long summer days. The drinkers on Untappd, the crowd-sourced ratings platform, love the beer, awarding it a 4.09 with over 13,000 ratings, one of its highest ratings for all lagers. Since Hill Farmstead has refused to change its mission from day one, the brewery still only offers its beers in a limited release footprint, so the best way to enjoy one is to visit. Just be sure to plan ahead, their tasting room is only open Wednesday to Saturday from 11:30-5:00, and make sure you leave some room in your luggage to stock up. Sometimes, it's not just the beer that makes a brewery great; it's the people. That is certainly the case at Free Roam Brewing Company, located in the heart of Texas Hill Country. Founded in 2020 by three-time World Series Champion Pitcher Jeremy Affeldt and award-winning brewmaster Jaron Shepard, it is a microbrewery dedicated to crafting brews that blend West Coast brewing excellence with a streak of Texan independence. Their brewing excellence is on full display in 40 Mike Mike. This Texas-style bock took home the gold medal in the American-style amber lager category at the 2025 World Beer Cup. Brewed as a tribute to America's veterans, it is a full-flavored beer that nicely balances the maltiness that bocks are known for with a hint of hoppiness. Located in the town of Boerne, just outside San Antonio, home of the Alamo, the brewery offers visitors a large outdoor beer garden to relax in with a fresh brew while you hang with the characters that swing by the brewery. The chances are good that Affeldt may be there and can tell you tales about his time with the San Francisco Giants. If you love great Mexican food and fantastic beer, you need to add a trip to San Diego to your wish list. The city has long been known for its high-powered craft brewing scene, so there is no shortage of amazing breweries in town, but one of the more interesting is Puesto Cervecerìa. It is the brewing arm of Puesto, a homegrown chain of Mexican restaurants known for their inventive takes on tacos, enchiladas, and other south-of-the-border street food. It only makes sense that their brewery would create a lineup of beers that offer a West Coast upgrade to traditional Mexican beer recipes. Their Negra took home a gold medal at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival in the International Dark Lager category. A dark Mexican lager, it has rich malty flavors that are balanced against a nutty sweetness. There is no better way to enjoy it than sitting at the bar at one of their eight locations while scarfing down some of their great food after a day at the beach. If you want to experience the soul of American brewing at its finest, go to Revolution Brewing in Chicago and order a Cold Time Lager. It's more than just a beer—it's a love letter to precision, patience, and Midwestern pride. Revolution has long been known for its bold IPAs and barrel-aged monsters, but Cold Time is where they flex their technical chops with quiet confidence. The beer is loved by many and was named the Best American Style Lager at the 2024 World Beer Championships. This isn't a flashy brew. At 4.8% ABV, it's humble, but don't mistake that for boring. Brewed with Great Lakes water, Midwest barley, Mexican lager yeast, and a whisper of German hops, Cold Time is as honest and hardworking as the city it's brewed in. Four weeks of cold fermentation yield a crisp, balanced, and clean beer to make you appreciate what lager is supposed to be. Pull up a seat in their Avondale taproom. Let the noise fade. This is beer made right. Over a decade and a half ago, I made the first of many visits to Firestone Walker Brewing Company. From the get-go, I knew the place was something special. Founded in 1996 by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker, it has consistently been recognized as one of California's leading craft breweries. From their iconic IPAs to stunning barrel-aged and wild beers, they have helped to set the standard for beer. But it's their Pivo Pils that truly showcases their technical prowess. The beer is a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, drawing inspiration from the classic German pilsner while infusing a modern twist. Pivo's bold embrace of dry hopping, a technique more commonly associated with ales, sets it apart. By incorporating German Saphir hops, the beer exudes floral aromatics, spicy herbal nuances, and lemongrass and bergamot zest notes. Whether you're a devotee of lagers or an aficionado of hoppy ales, Pivo Pils offers a refreshing perspective on what a pilsner can be when boundaries are pushed. There is no better place to enjoy one than at their expansive tasting room in Paso Robles in the heart of California's Central Valley. You can take your time sampling all their brews after a day touring the surrounding wine country. Just make sure to take an Uber, they pour a ton of brews. Follow here for the most up to date information about the ever changing beer, wine, and spirits industry.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Beer Nut: A few follow-ups and some beer news
It's now the merry month of May, and I have two spring sprigs of beer news, but I also have a few follow-ups to some previous recent columns, so let's get to those first. Going back to the end of January, I wrote about Incandescent Brewing, a new brewery that had taken over the space formerly occupied by Hitchcock Brewing in Bernardston. While Incandescent had opened for brewing then, it took a bit longer to open the taproom where folks could gather. That has since happened and seems to be a rousing success. I also got my hands on some Incandescent beers since then, and while they are all excellent, I'd like to highlight Great Big World, the brewery's take on a German-style pilsner. My preference usually leans toward Czech or Bohemian-style pilsners, but I have to say, Great Big World has expanded my boundaries. It's a bit more bitter than a classic German pilsner, but the tasty bread-like malt foundation keeps things balanced. I look forward to knocking back a few of these on hot summer days. Next up is a follow-up about Sierra Nevada's Hazy Little Thing series, which I wrote about at the beginning of April: Sierra Nevada had just also released a new version of Big Little Thing Imperial IPA, and I didn't get to try it alongside the others, but now I have. Although I'm a bit weary of hazy beers, this one is an exception. As I had hoped, the new version is every bit as good as its predecessor. I wouldn't say it's better, but it's just as tasty, with an accent on expanding the citrus fruit spectrum. The Citra hops lead the way here, and Sierra Nevada has also cranked up the alcohol level from 9% to 9.5%, so proceed with caution. If you're a fan of this series and like the imperial IPA version, seek this one out. Follow-up No. 3: Two weeks ago, I interviewed Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head about throwing out the first pitch at a Red Sox game, which he did during Grateful Dead night at Fenway to coincide with the new Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale. I wasn't able to get my hands on it at first, but now I have, and its combination of pineapple juiciness, soft bitterness at the end and overall welcoming drinkability will mean that this beer will be in heavy rotation throughout the summer for me. Last but not least on our list is a follow-up on last week's column about Bunker Brewing's superb Chick-A-Dee English Style Bitter. As I mentioned, I also wanted to try the brewery's Barn Cat. As I suspected, Barn Cat was stunning. There are subtle hints of cocoa and molasses in the malt base, with just a hint of hops to keep it from being too sweet. Bunker Brewing is a small brewery described as a 'hidden gem.' I wish it were closer as I'd be there weekly. On to some newer notes, and first up is that I just got the results of the World Beer Cup, held by the Brewers Association each year since 1996. While Massachusetts didn't grab a lot of medals, the state did win two: a gold medal for Size 6 by Marlborough's Lost Shoe Brewing in the Belgian-style Dubbel category and a bronze to Boston Beer Co.'s Samuel Adams Summer Ale in the Fruit Wheat Beer category. And finally is my annual mention of a yearly release from Leadfoot Brewing in Chicopee. This beer is brewed in honor of my greatnephew Justin Lingenberg, who died in 2019 at age 18. Every year, Leadfoot brews a version of the beer, which has changed styles a few times. It was originally named Summer Setter, a wheat beer in honor of Justin's love of volleyball, and was renamed Justin in 2023. But this year it will be a spring ale called Batch 14. Proceeds from the beer will be donated to assistance programs that help families with their financial burden during cancer treatment. The release party will be held on May 18 at Leadfoot Brewing, 95 North Chicopee St. Read the original article on MassLive.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Costco beaten again in America's grocery wars... but it's taken a huge bite out of the competition
Costco is still missing out on the top spot in America's grocery wars, but the battle isn't over yet. The membership-based warehouse giant is gaining ground on grocery king Walmart. Walmart now hoovers up one in five dollars spent on groceries in America, according to new data from consumer analytics firm Numerator. If Sam's Club, Walmart's answer to Costco, is included, then that figure rises to a staggering one in four dollars. Walmart may be twice the size of its nearest rival Kroger, but it's Costco that rivals are losing their business to. Costco has been snapping up grocery spending since 2019, increasing its share of the market from 7.6 percent in 2023 to 8.5 percent now, Business Insider reported. Since Costco focuses on offering bulk quantities of a limited number of products, it it unlikely to ever take up the biggest share of the grocery market, but it is positioned to take more of it. Costco's focus on value will be a draw for consumers looking to cut back their spending amid an uncertain economy and increased costs from tariffs. Costco also sells a wide range of products which tend to have higher margins than groceries, helping to boost the company's bottom line. Costco's success has also been attributed the success of its Kirkland brand. 'Costco is leveraging the fact that their entire store and organization are a single brand,' industry expert Gary Sankary recently told The Street. 'Watching big boxes cycle through the process of introducing and retiring their owned brand labels every few years to convince customers that new is better, at the same time, is confusing and, in many cases, dilutes their brand.' 'The Kirkland brand quality is not by any means diluted just because it is private label,' retail consultant Robert Amster agreed. A recent success story is the $13.99 Kirkland 12-pack of Helles-Style Lager that has received rave reviews. Made by the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon, the German-style lager was released exclusively in Costco in November. The beer is based on a recipe that won a gold medal at 2023's Great American Beer Festival. Costco's focus on value will be a draw for consumers looking to cut back their spending amid an uncertain economy and increased costs from tariffs It is now sold in every state except Texas, and a new version will be released annually. Other Costco products that have received expert approval include the award-winning Kirkland Signature Coastal Cheddar Cheese. The 15-month-aged cheese, made at a farm on the UK's Dorset coast, costs just $10 for a two-pound block. Costco members also enjoy a range of perks including access to free hearing screenings, a generous returns policy and much-loved food court deals. As well as the legendary $1.50 hot dog and soda offering Costco recently reintroduced its hot turkey and provolone sandwich.
