Ideas & Tips — Beer & Wine

Craft beer is all the rage these days, so why not try your hand and whip up some homemade brew? Here are some tips for beginners: Cleanliness is key: According to popular recipe and cooking website Serious Eats, the best brewers agree that proper sanitation is the first step toward making amazing beer. That's because bacteria can prevent your yeast from growing and fermenting the liquid.  Fresh is best: The American Homebrewers Association says that, much like cooking, brewing can't be done well without high-quality ingredients. Find and use the freshest and best malt extract you can and you'll make the best...

We all know that a person's diet can have a dramatic effect on their longevity, but which foods are the most effective for extending the human lifespan? Nutritionists have studied the longest-lived ethnic groups in the world, including residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa (average lifespan of 81 years) and Seventh Day Adventists in the US, who outlive other Americans by an average of four years through a combination of alcohol abstinence and vegetarianism. These are some of the foods that these groups emphasize in their diets:  Fish. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, eating fish helps to prevent dangerous inflammation...

If you’re planning to celebrate Oktoberfest this year a party at your home may be exactly what you’re looking for. With just a little planning and surveying among friends in regard to what their interests are, the food, music, beer and more can all work to convey the true spirit of the festivities. Here are a few suggestions on how to make the most of your Oktoberfest: Beer: When laying out the blueprint for your Oktoberfest celebration, one of the first inquiries to come from your guests will likely be about the beer. Clearly, there are several options for you to consider when building...

Make the most out of the warm weather and throw a barbecue for your friends, family and neighbors. Here are our top tips for hosting the perfect grilling extravaganza: Build your own centerpiece: Follow Martha Stewart's lead and arrange raw vegetables in an edible crudite centerpiece that looks good and tastes great! We suggest using the StainlessLUX bowl / basket.  Choose a buffet set-up: Party planner David Stark tells Real Simple that it's best to set up two large tables when hosting a barbecue. On one, set up a food and drink buffet, while the other can be used for dining....

Craft beer fans rejoice (or, alternatively, traditionalists despair)! The past decade or so has seen an astronomical rise in the popularity of craft beer in America, and now the independently crafted beverages have reached a milestone in their slow creeping domination of the American market. According to the Washington Post, Americans now drink more craft beer than plain Budweiser, with the craft industry shipping 16.1 million barrels in 2013 compared to Budweiser's 16 million. Although this figure doesn't include Bud Light sales, it is still representative of a shift in taste that points to a generational divide. According to Anheuser-Busch's...