Latest news with #NationalBeerDay
Time Out
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
National beer day: which food pairs best to enjoy a aeer
French fries, pizza, burgers are easy answers to the question: What's the best food to accompany a beer? But what if I told you that a Neapolitan milanesa can be an excellent match for an Imperial IPA, or a Caesar salad for an Imperial APA? Every May 31st in Argentina, National Beer Day is celebrated—a date that emerged through social media to honor a drink that has deep cultural roots in our country. To celebrate, we suggest you grab a beer (of course!), but pay attention to the flavors of that experience. 'When the customer is willing to accept pairing recommendations, we're talking about the search for an experience that changes a moment. That's when we talk about audiences ready to enjoy 100% and to live new flavors and combinations,' explains Pedro Demuru, chef at Imperial Beerhouse, a restaurant/bar where pairings are part of the menu. "When the customer is willing to accept pairing recommendations, we're talking about the search for an experience that changes a moment" How is beer made? An interesting fact not everyone knows is that this drink is made up of 80% to 90% water. To that primary ingredient, several others are added, like malt, which gives color depending on its roast level: golden, amber, or dark. Depending on the type of malt, the beer's aroma will be: biscuit, bread, caramel, nut, chocolate, or dried fruits. Yeasts are added next, which start the fermentation process. Finally, hops are added, which give bitterness to each beer. If a beer has more hops than malt, it will be more bitter (like an Imperial IPA, for example). What food pairs best to enjoy a beer? 'Basic advice: strong-flavored foods go with stronger beers. Conversely, with milder beers, I recommend playing a bit with the sweet notes that may appear in the food,' adds Demuru. If we talk about popular flavors in our country, the choripán is undoubtedly one of the most requested sandwiches. No one disputes that it goes very well with beer, but with which style? One that is light-bodied but with a dry finish. For example, the Imperial Extra Lager is perfect because it has a distinctive flavor from its special malts and hops. It's also an excellent option for lighter foods like grilled chicken, fresh salmon, salads, and cold cuts. You might also like: The best beers to drink in winter A national dish you probably ate recently is locro (in this article, we share the best places to try it in the city). What do you think is the perfect pairing? Probably, the answer would be a light beer that can balance all the intense flavors of this hearty, rich stew. The Imperial IPA stands out with its medium-light body and dry, bitter finish. If you're a fan of this beer, which we know has many followers, you should also try it with Mexican dishes or highly seasoned food. If you're not into locro but like shepherd's pie or slow-cooked meats, the Imperial Cream Stout must be on the menu. Medium-bodied, creamy, with notes of coffee and chocolate, it pairs very well with aged cheeses and any dessert. Contrary to popular belief, it is a low-bitterness beer. A beer for every moment Let's say this weekend you're gathering with your family for homemade pasta with filetto sauce and you're in charge of bringing drinks. What drink to bring? The Imperial Red has a light, balanced body with a dry finish and pairs very well with these flavors thanks to its caramel and coffee notes. Sauces like chimichurri or goulash also match perfectly. These weekly moments are often 'cheat days' with takeout. Pizzas, fries, empanadas, and snacks pair very well with a particular beer: the Imperial Golden. It's extremely light, highly carbonated, smooth, and fresh. Ideal for hot days, it also goes great with spicy foods because its immediate effect is to refresh the throat. Now, if the plan is during the week for an office lunch, a good salad or a fresh dish like a chicken sandwich can be good options. Add an Imperial APA, and it turns into an unforgettable moment. Golden with a balanced bitterness (less than IPA) and floral notes, it's a subtle beer that goes very well with these dishes and others like nuggets and quesadillas. 'The most important thing when enjoying is to be happy. It sounds like a joke but it's the truth. We could talk about technical sheets and flavors, but for me, the most important thing is everyone's palate and following personal taste instinct. Luckily, at Imperial, one thing we don't lack is variety,' Demuru concludes. "The most important thing is everyone's palate and following personal taste instinct" The key to a good pairing is always in balancing flavors. So you know, every time you cook for your friends, choose a bar for a beer, or need to bring a drink to a gathering, think about the flavors and the experience will be unforgettable.
Local Germany
29-04-2025
- General
- Local Germany
Everything you need know about Germany's sacred 'Biergarten' culture
Germany celebrated its National Beer Day on April 23rd. The day itself commemorates the introduction of a law in 1516 which set out strict regulations for brewing and selling beer in Bavaria. The world's oldest consumer protection law still in use, Bavaria's Reinheitsgebot decreed that beer stopped being beer as soon as it contained any ingredients other than water, barley and hops. Yeast, which had always been present, was added to the list when its role was finally understood, as were certain other grains including wheat – but the wording and application of the law has remained remarkably consistent over time. This commitment to gimmick-free craft over so many centuries has created a legend. Today, German beer is revered around the world; its most important place of worship is undoubtedly the B iergarten – and National Beer Day marked a sort of unofficial opening of Germany's B iergarten season . In recent days, wintery stacks of tarpaulin-covered trestle tables have been unchained, repainted, and set out end-to-end in bright sunshine. Shutters have been rolled up and teams of seasonal workers reminded of what it takes to keep hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of people supplied with drinks and pretzels as swiftly and as efficiently as possible. People across the country can now look forward to sitting outside again, warm in the sunshine with a cold beer in one hand. Locals and long-term residents will doubtless slip into the familiar rhythms without a second thought. More recent arrivals in Germany may benefit from a refresher course. Advertisement The Muntermacher : An afternoon spent drinking in the sun poses a variety of unique challenges. The ability to navigate these challenges with poise and elegance rests on making the right choice for your first drink – the Muntermacher , a German expression which loosely translates as 'the energiser'. Before switching to a standard Hausbier vom Faß , try starting with a Spritz (Aperol, Limoncello, or Japanese, according to taste). Or – if that feels too much like heresy – you could begin the day with a Kristallweißen , a summery version of Wießenbier (wheat beer). Here, the energy will come mostly from the sense of anticipation you feel while the barperson prepares your drink, first rolling the tall bottle back and forth along the counter to shift the sediment, then the gradual pour, and finally a slice of lemon. Of course, it may be wiser to keep your excitement in check initially, in which case a shandy might be a better choice – known as a Radler in the south of Germany or an Alster in the north. A glass of wheat beer stands in the sunshine in a beer garden on Lake Ammersee, Bavaria. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Karl-Josef Hildenbrand Pils or Helles? Pils is named after Pilsen in the Czech Republic, where the first pale lager was brewed in 1842. Helles , originally from Bavaria, literally means light (or pale). The ingredients in both beers are identical. The former is generally regarded as crisper and the latter as sweeter. If you're in Bavaria and want to stand out from the crowd, order a Pils – reverse your approach to achieve the same result in the north of Germany. READ ALSO: Germany's lesser-known beers that are worth a try Sich eine (gute) Grundlage schaffen: Don't forget to eat! Typical German biergarten food is designed to help your stomach absorb excessive quantities of beer. In German, this is known as achieving a good foundation ( eine gute Grundlage schaffen ). Advertisement Pretzels are the go-to option for a snack between meals. Schnitzel, Bratwurst and Sauerkraut are staples. Pizza is a relatively recent import but serves the same purpose (as does Flammkuchen in the south of Germany). READ ALSO: 10 regional dishes you have to try while visiting Bavaria Pfandmünzen and Bierdeckel : Wasps love biergartens almost as much as we love biergartens. Guard against the risk of having to perform an emergency tracheotomy by covering the tops of beer bottles with your deposit tokens ( Pfandmünzen ) and the tops of glasses with beer mats ( Bierdeckel ). The deposit on a glass or a bottle seems to get more expensive every year, so try not to lose the tokens – and remember you can only redeem them if you're actually able to produce a glass! People sitting in a beer garden at the Seehaus am Kleinhesseloher See in the English Garden in Munich. Photo: picture alliance / Andreas Gebert/dpa | Andreas Gebert Wegbier or Absacker? There are plenty of places in the world where drinking in public is frowned upon or even illegal. In Germany, drinking a beer while walking is regarded as one of life's great pleasures and an inalienable right – as demonstrated by the sheer number of ways in which it can be described. Recently, the expressions Wegbier, Gehbier, Handbier , and Faustmolle have been joined by Fußpils (a play on the word Fußpilz , or foot fungus). Advertisement If your Wegbier is also your last drink of the day, and not merely a companion on your stroll to the next Biergarten , then it's also your Absacker (or nightcap). If so, then sleep well. Tomorrow is another day – and there are plenty of remedies to get you back up on your feet. READ ALSO: 365 German beers - What I learned from drinking a different variety each day While you British friends might suggest the hair of the dog that bit you, your German-speaking friends are more likely to suggest a Konterbier - in other words, another beer to counter the effects of the last ones.
Local Germany
24-04-2025
- Health
- Local Germany
Is alcohol far too cheap in Germany?
"Germany has an alcohol problem": that was the bleak assessment of Dr. Jakon Manthey, an addiction researcher at the University Clinic of Hamburg-Eppendorf, on the country's current drinking habits. Manthey was commenting on his latest findings, set out in the German Centre for Addiction Issues' (DHS) "Yearbook of Addiction 2025". In the yearbook, the Hamburg researcher estimates that more than a fifth of adults in Germany engage in risky or addictive drinking, while around nine percent abuse alcohol or are addicted. This dangerous drinking isn't without consequences: each year around 47,500 people die in German as a direct result of alcohol consumption. These include deaths from alcohol-related diseases such as cancer and liver cirrhosis, as well as deaths caused by drunk driving accidents and violence fuelled by alcohol. Against this backdrop, the DHS researchers have been calling for an urgent rethink on the cheap alcohol prices and loose regulations in Germany. "If Germany wanted to effectively reduce alcohol consumption and the resulting problems, access to alcohol in particular would have to be restricted and excise duties on alcoholic beverages would have to be significantly increased," Mathney and co-author Carolin Kilian write in the study. READ ALSO: OPINION - Why can't Germany cut out its smoking habit? In European and global comparisons, Germany often stands out as the country with the cheapest prices and least restrictive policies on alcohol. Discounters sell beers for around 50 cents per bottle, while a budget bottle of wine can cost well under €3. Advertisement Are affordable prices fuelling risky drinking? That's certainly the view of the DHS experts. While grocery prices have been soaring, alcohol prices have remained constantly low, the study's authors point out. This has made alcohol even cheaper over time, in terms of its cost as a proportion of household income. Summing up the situation, DHS director Christina Rummel made a stark comparison: "Orange juice is getting expensive again," she said, "while the price of a bottle of vodka remains stable." Based on their research, the academics see a direct correlation between the price of alcohol and how much people drink. If alcoholic drinks were five-percent pricier, per capita consumption could to fall by 2.2 percent and 850 alcohol-related deaths per year could be avoided, Manthey predicts. Two people drink beer in a German park. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Finn Winkler The state would collect an additional €1.4 billion in tax per year, offsetting a meagre portion of the some €57 billion in economic costs caused by alcohol. Nevertheless, there are some signs that people are starting to drink less in Germany, despite its availability at low prices. Statistics published by Destatis ahead of National Beer Day show that consumption of alcoholic beer has dropped by around 15 percent over the past ten years, while sales of non-alcoholic beers are booming. READ ALSO: Five things that are changing about Germany - and five that never will This aligns with the DHS's data on alcohol consumption, which suggests that the amount of pure alcohol consumed per person in Germany dropped by 1.2 litres between 2012 and 2023. Advertisement This could be due to increased awareness over the negative health effects of drinking. In the DHS study, the researchers point out that claims that there is a "safe" - or even healthy - level of alcohol consumption have been repeatedly debunked in recent years. In addition, people have become more aware of the link between drinking and cancer. "Alcohol is toxic to every cell in the body and the key question is: how do we deal with this toxic substance," Manthey told DPA. "Abstinence is best, but any reduction can help. It makes a difference whether I drink three beers or two." Why is alcohol so cheap in Germany? A major factor in the ultra-low price of wine, beer and spirits is the low - or in some cases, non-existent - taxes on alcohol products in Germany. Other EU countries levy higher taxes on alcohol to fund additional healthcare and pay for policing and other social costs caused by problem drinking. Excise duties (taxes on consumer products) levied on beer haven't risen in Germany since 1993, and this type of tax doesn't apply to wine products. Advertisement These low taxes mean that alcohol companies can continue to sell their products far more cheaply than in other European countries. In the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for example, between €167 und €218 in alcohol taxes were levied per person in 2022, compared to just €44 in Germany. It's not easy to say why politicians have shirked a hike in alcohol taxes, though the policy does follow a trend of remarkably lax alcohol regulations in Germany. Alcohol companies face no restrictions whatsoever on advertising their products, for example, and there are very few rules around opening hours for businesses that sell booze. The relaxed regulations are similar for tobacco, where advertising restrictions are scarce and public bans have often been thinly enforced, especially in states like Berlin. READ ALSO: WHO slams Germany for lax approach to banning smoking in public DHS director Rummel suggests this may be due to the strength of the alcohol lobby in Germany - but it may also be that raising prices or restricting access to the nation's beloved beer and wine would likely be unpopular with voters. Bavaria's State Premier and CSU leader Markus Söder and CDU leader Friedrich Merz drink a beer during a pre-election campaign event. The conservatives won the election. Photo: Ina Fassbender / AFP Much like the car industry, beer is a source of cultural pride for Germans, with politicians like Bavaria's state premier Markus Söder often staging photo ops in pubs and folk festivals with a beer in hand. There are signs, however, that this part of German identity is gradually shifting over time, with young people tending to drink less than their older counterparts. "I have a lot of hope when I look at the current young generation, who drink significantly less than their elders," said Mathney. "This could bring about a change in society." READ ALSO: Munich opens its first alcohol-free beer garden
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Train in Fort Worth crashes into 18-wheeler loaded with beer —on National Beer Day
A train collided with an 18-wheeler on Monday morning near Hicks Field Road and Saginaw Boulevard, officials with the Fort Worth Police Department said. The 18-wheeler was carrying a truckload of beer cans, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV. 'The tracks (crossing arms) were going down and ding, ding, ding,' witness David Ortiz told WFAA. 'I saw the train coming from right over here. Let me tell you, it was coming, and all I saw was bam!' The owner of a business near the train tracks told WFAA that the crash had brought work to a standstill Monday morning, since the only way in or out of the business' parking lot is to cross the tracks. The crash occurred on National Beer Day, WFAA noted. The holiday marks the day when the sale of beer with an alcohol content of up to 3.2% was legalized following Prohibition, according to the National Day Calendar. No one was injured in the crash, Fort Worth police said.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eastern States Exposition employees named finalists for 2025 Howdy Awards
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Two standout employees from Eastern States Exposition (ESE) have been recognized as finalists for the prestigious Howdy Awards for Hospitality Excellence. Celebrate National Beer Day by raising a glass at these local breweries The recognition is a regional honor celebrating the best in customer service across western Massachusetts. Freddie Marion of Holyoke and Stephen Morrissey of Springfield are among this year's finalists. Marion is nominated in the 'Entertainment' category, while Morrissey is being recognized in the 'Transportation' category. The public can vote for the Howdy People's Choice Award online. The Howdy Awards, organized by Explore Western Mass, aim to spotlight individuals who go above and beyond in public-facing roles across the hospitality industry. Honorees are recognized not just for their professional excellence, but for their ability to make visitors feel welcome–contributing to tourism and economic growth in the region. Freddie Marion has brought energy and charisma to The Big E as an emcee and entertainer at the Storrowtown Village Gazebo for the past two years. Known for his adaptability and enthusiasm, Marion engages audiences with children's games, live introductions, and impromptu performances–even stepping in to fill lulls in programming. His work earned him the 2024 Host of the Day honor at The Big E. 'Freddie's commitment to creating a positive experience for all attendees and performers truly sets him apart,' said Anne-Alise Pietruska, co-owner of Mellowship Entertainment, who collaborates with Marion during the fair. 'His attention to detail and high energy are unmatched.' Marion expressed surprise and gratitude for the nomination. 'I want to thank those who nominated me. I look forward to our wonderful evening coming up at the end of April!' Stephen 'Steve' Morrissey, a year-round member of ESE's operations team, has become the face of first impressions for many fairgoers. From directing traffic to assisting with mobility accommodations, retrieving lost items, and shuttling guests, Morrissey is known for doing whatever it takes to make visitors feel welcome and supported. His dedication earned him a 2024 Host of the Day title, and he continues to be a pillar of the guest services team. 'These guys have a tough job,' said Steve Ferraro, director of Operations at ESE. 'From moment one, I knew Steve would thrive front and center as our patrons arrive at ESE's gates.' 'I enjoy the people here—I wouldn't have stayed otherwise!' Morrissey shared. ESE leadership expressed pride in both nominees. 'We're incredibly fortunate to have Freddie and Steve represent the heart and soul of what hospitality means at Eastern States Exposition,' said Marcel Vernon, ESE's Executive Director. The 2025 Hoedy Awards Gala will be held later this month, where winners in each category will be announced. For now, community members can show their support by casting a vote online. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
