From retail to restaurants to winery work, I spent six years pursuing a career in wine. I had the honor of being trained by one of the world’s few Master Sommeliers, and even moved to California specifically to work in the wine industry.It gets me excited. I absolutely adore wine. And if it wasn’t for wine, I might never have uncovered my love for craft beer. Studying wine helped give me an understanding and appreciation for well-crafted alcohol beverages. Wine trained my palate and taught  me how to taste and pair. One of the beers that helped me make the leap to craft beer was Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch, an usual grain and grape hybrid, made from an ancient recipe that scientists were able to recreate from alcohol residue found in King Midas’s tomb. The flavors blew me away. It was rich and vicious, almost Sauternes-like, yet bright, refreshing and bubbly. Midas Touch was, in a sense, the gateway beer that led me to seek out and try craft beer. From there, I uncovered a passion for hops, a love of rich, dark malt and a fascination with wild yeast beers—all because someone decided to infuse beer with wine.

Although beer-wine hybrids aren’t exactly new, the concept is rapidly becoming a big trend in craft beer. Dogfish Head continues to push the boundaries of its beer, but now they’re not the only ones. A couple dozen breweries all over the country are experimenting with wine barrel-aging. Some breweries are even using wine yeast strains in fermentation. buy wine online free shipping indiaAn even smaller group are brewing with wine must—freshly pressed grape juice that includes the skin, seeds and stem.can you buy wine in japan Fruity, oaky and complex—wine-inspired beers artfully combine the best of both beverage worlds. buy wine online in japanHere are some of the world’s best vino-infused beers from the breweries pioneering the hybrid movement.top 100 wine in china

Originally founded by Korbel Champagne Cellars, Russian River Brewing Co. has been at the forefront of the wine barrel-aging movement since the late 90s. Growing up in a wine-making family, Russian River’s renowned Co-owner and Brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo was born with fermentation in his blood. His background in wine, combined with a passion for sour, barrel-aged Belgian beers, inspired Cilurzo to create some of the most sought-after, highly-coveted wine barrel-aged sour beers in the world.best wine shops city of london “The idea in using wine barrels was to take my favorite component of Belgian lambic beer, which is Brettanomyces yeast, and create a beer based around those flavors of the Brett,” notes Cilurzo. best of musical and wine 2015“For Supplication, the whole idea is to match the flavors of the beer with the specific flavors of the wine that was once in the barrel,in this case Pinot Noir, with the fruit (cherries) and meld them all together into one cohesive beer.”

Russian River’s wine-inspired beers include: As part of its off-centered mission, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales has been focused on beer-wine hybrids since the late 90s. Inspired by ancient brewing and winemaking practices, Dogfish Head was one of the first modern-day craft breweries to experiment with grape juice and must in the brewing process. “One of our rallying cries at Dogfish has always been ‘analog beer for the digital age,’” says Sam Calagione, president of Dogfish Head. “So many ancient beverages were hybrids, incorporating grains and grapes as they can compliment each other so well to reach exponential levels of complexity. It’s possible to look backwards for inspiration instead of always looking to the future.” Dogfish Head’s wine-inspired beers include: Block 15 Brewing Co. launched its barrel program shortly after opening in 2008. They started out with one Pinot Noir barrel and six Bourbon barrels, but have since expanded the program to include Chardonnay, Syrah, Cognac, Port and Brandy barrels.

While most brewers choose to barrel-age beers already in their portfolio, Block 15 designs each of its beers specifically for the barrel that it will be aged in. “I look at barrels in general as another ingredient for the beer,” says Nick Arzner, founder and head brewer at Block 15. “When first working with a barrel type, I spend some time with the aroma and look of the inside thinking about what it may contribute to the beer. We then use the knowledge we have of various grains, hops, yeast, bacteria and fruits, and build a beer for that barrel.” For its fifth anniversary this March, Block 15 started brewing with wine grapes, adding fresh southern Oregon Petit Verdot grapes to a Brett-fermented blonde ale. Block 15’s wine-inspired beers include: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. began brewing with wine grapes and aging in wine barrels right out of the gate. In 2006, when the brewery opened, Captain Lawrence took home the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in the German or American Sour Ale category for Cuvee de Castleton—a golden ale aged with Brettanomyces and Muscat grapes (seeds, skins and all) in wine barrels.

“The romance of the barrel is something that really caught my attention,” explains Scott Vaccaro, owner and head brewer of Captain Lawrence. “Putting the beer into the barrel and nurturing it in the hopes that it transforms into the beer I envision—I find that similar to winemaking.“ Captain Lawrence’s wine-inspired beers include: Have you had an amazing wine-beer hybrid? Share your tasting experiences in the comment section below! From Mexico’s Michelada to London’s Shandy Gaff, beer-based cocktails from around the globe are gaining popularity. In addition to these cool classics, creative bartenders are drawing fresh libation inspiration from beer, ranging from local brews to international lagers, lambics and more. And for restaurants without a full liquor license, “beer-tails” are a way to expand a drinks menu. A classic and refreshing drink made with Mexican beer sassed up with hot sauce and lime juice. ½ teaspoon chili powder 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Dash of hot sauce Chilled beer, such as Corona In a plate or shallow bowl, stir together salt and chili powder. Run a lime wedge around the edge of a pint glass, then turn glass over onto plate and rotate or roll edge of glass to attach salt mixture. In the rimmed pint glass, combine lime juice, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Dating back to the late 19th century and sometimes referred to simply as a “Shandy,” the word “shandygaff” is thought to come from the British vernacular for a pint of beer, “shant of gatter” (shanty being a public house, gatter an idiom for water). 6 ounces cold beer or ale 6ounces cold ginger beer, ginger ale or lemonade Lemon zest or mint sprigs for garnish Pour equal amounts of beer and ginger beer into a chilled glass. Garnish with lemon zest or mint sprigs. Berliner Weisse mit Schuss (Germany) Berlin’s traditional wheat beer is often drunk with a shot (schuss) of either red raspberry syrup or green waldmeister syrup.

16 ounces cold Berliner Kindl Weisse, or other light German-style wheat beer 1 ounce shot of raspberry syrup or Waldmeister syrup Pour the shot of syrup into a large glass, then slowly pour in the beer. “New Classic” Beer Cocktails By Jonathan Pogash, The Crowne Plaza, White Plains, NY A riff on the classic tropical Mai Tai drink, this cocktail takes its name from its secret ingredient: Brooklyn Lager Beer. From The Crowne Plaza, which launched its drink menu at the end of November. 1 ounce Appleton Estate Reserve Rum ¾ ounce almond syrup ¾ ounce fresh lime juice 1 dash angostura bitters Add all ingredients, except for beer, to a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled pilsner glass. Top with the beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig. By Arturo Vera-Felicie, The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, in Kansas City, MO. An unusual take on the classic Sangaree. 1 ounce cream Sherry Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Black Ale

In a 12-ounce beer glass, pour the cream Sherry and ale. Grate nutmeg on top. By Corey Bunnewith, Citizen Public House, Boston It may look like a glass of dark ale, but—surprise!  It’s a cocktail with rich flavor and texture, thanks to a heady mix of 10-year-old Bourbon, maple syrup, and egg yolk (not white). 3 ounces Abita Nut Brown Ale ¼ ounce Maple Simple Syrup (3 parts water to 1 part maple syrup) 1½ ounces Eagle Rare 10-year-old Bourbon Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Bitters, to garnish Fresh grated nutmeg, to garnish Pour ale into a pilsner glass and set aside. In a cocktail shaker, combine egg yolk, maple simple syrup and Bourbon. Shake vigorously without ice (dry shake); then add ice and shake again. Double strain into the pilsner glass with the ale. Garnish with Whiskey Barrel Bitters, and a light dusting of fresh grated nutmeg. By Matthew Bax and Ryan Clift, Tippling Club This experimental cocktail was served at Tales of the Cocktail, a drinks conference held in New Orleans.