While alcohol consumption is on the rise as people stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic, America’s craft brewers could be on the verge of a crisis that may well devastate the industry.
Because people are largely unable to visit taprooms, the small- and medium-size brewers that run them have lost a primary source of income—and many may not be able to weather an extended lack of customers.
Read more at Fortune.com
Every two years, the brewers at Samuel Adams like to create an event—and there’s no easier way to stir the passions of beer lovers than the release of Utopias.
The biennial release, which carries a price tag of $199 and an ABV of a whopping 28%, is one of the beer world’s most highly anticipated events. Just 13,000 bottles of the beer will be distributed throughout the U.S., though not in 12 states, where it’s illegal to sell.
Read more at Fortune.com: Samuel Adams Releases Utopias 2017, a $200, High Alcohol Beer
When it comes to beer, there are many levels of fame. Anheuser Busch InBev and MillerCoors earned theirs by the size of their market domination. Brewers like Lagunitas and Samuel Adams helped spark a revolution. And names like Russian River (creator of Pliny the Elder), The Alchemist (Hedy Topper) and Trillium (who jump started the New England IPA style) have earned national reputations from the word-of-mouth acclaim of beer drinkers.
This last measure of fame is a particular favorite of craft brewers. It’s authentic and not something that can be achieved with clever marketing or distribution tricks. And at the Great American Beer Festival, currently taking place in Denver, brewers are hoping to capture or stoke that spark to take them to the next level.
Read more at Fortune.com: Great American Beer Festival: 5 Brewers on the Cusp of Craft Beer Fame
Beer, 
wine and liquor aren’t the sort of thing that generally need a high-tech boost. You pour a glass. You drink it. You’re happy. Right?
But in an era where technology touches pretty much everything, several companies have come up with an array of gadgets, apps and gizmos to facilitate and improve the flow of alcohol for everyone from home brewers to wine snobs. Here are a few of the most intriguing on the market (or coming to it very soon).
If 
you’re a beer drinker you know the choices can be overwhelming, sometimes. Well, now there’s an app that can help you pick the right beer when you want to try something new.
Kenny Rogers offers 
some great advice about knowing when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em, but when it comes to putting together a world-class poker night for you and your buddies, he’s pretty useless.
The key to throwing a great poker night is to remember that it’s not just about the game — it’s about the people. Instead of silently staring at the TV, you’re gathered around a table eating, drinking and relaxing (sort of), the perfect ingredients for a good conversation. And the cash on the table ensures that everyone stays on their toes.
Chris Morris: Journalist 