Tag: alcohol

party clinking wine glasses
alcohol, beer, wine

How Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Separated From Plain Juice, Anyway?

Ashe

This question is a common one from newcomers to the non-alcoholic space. Wine or spirits without alcohol is just a particularly strong juice…right?

Not quite. This brief and highly informative article from The Takeout dives into the technology that transforms wine into an accessible, non-alcoholic variety. Similar to how coffee is turned into decaf using processes like Swiss Water or sugarcane, non-alcoholic drinks have a few options to choose from.

One option is reverse osmosis, a technique that’s also used to separate contaminants from everyday drinking water. Another option is called vacuum distillation, which involves the same science that heats out the alcohol in cooking wine. Simply put, this growing space is meeting a ton of needs in today’s increasingly alcohol wary world.

Just like decaf coffee, no alcohol and low alcohol varieties are positioned to meet a very thirsty niche. Non-alcoholic beer marketing is facing a rather interesting challenge due to having few competitors (yet). My suggestion to breweries: don’t go the route of generic decaf coffee marketing and focus on what makes products fun and accessible.

update

Update For The New Year!

Ashe

It’s been a while since I updated! I’m off to a pretty late start, but I have a lot of plans for this blog for the new year.

The goal of DragonsAndFlowers hasn’t changed all that much. It’s still going to be a repository of alcohol, coffee, and tea news and culture, with a smattering of reviews and thinkpieces tossed in. That said, I’m keen on updating more regularly: once or twice a week without fail. I’ve been working on a content buffer to make sure I’ll be getting out my thoughts on a more consistent basis.

As for newer aspects: I plan on conducting a few interviews in the future deep-diving into issues and solutions in these industries. I’ve had some illuminating conversations with industry peers concerning:

  • environmental sustainability
  • fair trade
  • new technology
  • supply chain
  • marketing and design

I’m also going to be dipping into affiliate marketing and bolstering my portfolio. Specifically, I’ll be adding the following to my copywriting, content writing, and design service pages over the course of the year:

  • packaging illustration and design
  • e-books
  • infographics
  • proofreading
  • editing

I’m especially interested in getting more wine, craft beer, and tea reviews alongside my usual decaf coffee. They’ll likely get their own series name to keep things organized. To top things off, the overall blog design will get a new coat of paint. While I’m not sure if I’ll commit to an email newsletter just yet, it’s another element I’m deeply considering.

There’s a lot to do and I’m excited to share it all.

galaxy
alcohol, coffee, video

Caffeine And Alcohol Are Wrecking Your Sleep Patterns

Ashe

Caffeine is a drug (yes, a drug) that I’ve dispensed with years ago.

Back in the day I used to drink a triple-shot latte during or after work…and that was before I worked as a barista. I would still be able to sleep just fine afterwards, all hail community college exhaustion, but it was a gamble. Nowadays? Just two cups of decaf coffee without a span of time in-between will be enough to have me jittery. It’s incredible how much has changed. I think my former usual would give me a heart attack now.

Alcohol isn’t all that different. While I love a cold beer or a glass of wine at night, I have to have it early enough for it to leave my system. If I drink it too close prior to laying down my body goes into ‘nap mode’, with no more than three hours in before I’m waking up again. This short TED Talk dives into the science behind why our bodies react the way they do to caffeine and alcohol, from how our REM is affected to just how long caffeine actually stays in your system.

Caffeine and alcohol are great in moderation, but can easily wreak havoc on your health unchecked. I think I’ll skip a day or two this week.

alcohol, wine

Are You A Fan Of Sparkling Wine? You’ll Want To Keep Your Eye On Brazil

Ashe

My favorite wine really depends on my mood and what I’m eating. That’s nothing new. What is new is how Brazil is set to take center stage.

Beverage Daily has a brisk, yet detailed breakdown on Brazil’s sparkling wine scene and why it’s set to dominate over the coming years. According to a few studies and interviews, it’s a mixture of several factors colliding at the perfect time: rising interest in sparkling varieties, high-quality flavors and very proactive marketing campaigns. That latter’s importance cannot be understated, as a lack of wine knowledge and exclusionary attitudes can be a huge barrier for new drinkers.

If you’re like me and are a fan of wine and coffee, Brazil is the perfect place to start looking.

You don’t have to be a wine expert to know the most prestigious wine origins hail from France, Spain and Italy. Following close behind is the ever-popular California, as well as a smattering of notable Canadian and South African producers. Wine is undergoing a very vivid cultural shift these past few years as drinking demographics change and the environment sees yet more blows to stability. What we know as traditional quality may very well not apply in the next decade. Why shouldn’t Brazil toss its hat in the ring?

Sparkling wine is fun. It’s tasty. This is far from the first time I’ve heard of its growing popularity and it won’t be the last.