Feature Articles

• Sake

  

  What do most people envision when they think of Japan? The bright lights of Tokyo? A vast landscape of rice fields and overwhelming amounts of green tea? Maybe shrines, geishas, and raw fish come to mind. All of these things are accurate; Japan has a significant historical and cultural backbone intermingled with technology from outer space, astoundingly large and bustling cities, Zen-like scenery, and acres of rice fields. And with all the rice fields, they've also got sake. A lot of it.

• Root Beer: The Other Beer

  

  The average American drinks enough soda each year to fill the tank of a Hummer: more than 51 gallons. Of that, cola accounts for the vast majority. But, while big cola brands like Coke and Pepsi are the cash cows of the soda world, root beer is in a class of its own. Perceived as both nostalgically homespun and cool, root beer maintains a tremendous cult following as well as a nearly universal appeal in the U.S. The heavily sweetened, carbonated herbal beverage that's as uniquely American as apple pie and peanut butter is enjoyed equally by children and adults. I mean, who doesn't love a root beer float?

• No Hops? No Barley? No Beer!

  

  If you spend much time around beer, you’ll notice that most conversations inevitably shift to the barley and hops shortage. Beginning at harvest time last fall, several factors exacerbated the supply problem, and the cost of barley doubled while the price of hops tripled in just a few weeks. Now, after nearly a year-and-a-half, prices are still through the roof, and some hop varieties are not available at any price. How did we get here? And more importantly, what does the future of craft beer look like?