If there's one thing we recall from high school science class, it could be that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. What Newton was basically saying was that nature has a way of balancing itself out, but what he might not have realized was the same goes for an effective beer system. Everything you do, every change you make, has an impact to the system as a whole.

On Tuesday, April 24th, Tobin Ellis participated in a Restaurant Development + Design webinar on Bar Evolution. Moderated by Joe Carbonara and attended by fellow panelist, Peter Vestinos, the event recapped important bar and beverage trends such as creating immersive experiences for guests, the balancing act of curating the right bar equipment packages, developing new bar and beverage concepts, and understanding what you want and what it takes to grow.

Whether you want to call it a sodium chloride infused libation, or a simple salted cocktail, the case for adding salt to your drinks is a pretty solid one. And we're not just talking about margaritas, either. Why would you add salt to a cocktail? Our palates can detect five flavors: sour, bitter, sweet, umami (glutamates), and...you guessed it, salt. Adding salt to a drink allows other flavors to more fully develop on the palate. And because we're talking about a very small dose of salt, salted cocktails won't actually have a salty flavor.

You can't judge a wine list by its cover just like you can't judge a wine refrigerator on just the glass. While making a design aesthetically pleasing is certainly important, it's not the only component of a high quality commercial wine refrigerator. Let's take a quick look at some others.

For many of us, it feels like the spring weather takes longer to arrive every year. When it does finally arrive, springtime brings with it trees blossoming, birds chirping, and crisp, refreshing beers to pour. Of the four seasons, spring is often overlooked when it comes to associating beer styles, and it can be attributed to a lack of specific seasonal flavors tied to spring.

Despite the adversity the lodging industry faces with home sharing services like Airbnb and VRBO, there's also an enormous opportunity for properties to attract and cash in with food and beverage. In a recent edition of Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, our own VP of commercial sales, Jim Koelbl, sat down to discuss the current beverage trends in the hospitality industry, and the conversation was enlightening.

As we approach the country's unofficial national holiday, all the hype leading up to Super Bowl LII will certainly be around the game, the festivities, and the commercials. Inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for those lucky enough to be in attendance, there will likely be another focus, though - enjoying the amazing experience of seeing the Super Bowl in person. And the facility is nothing short of, well, super.

Do you ever wonder where your food and beverage equipment is made? Have you ever seen state-of-the-art manufacturing in action? Would you like to see first hand what sets one beer system apart from another? Take a few minutes minutes, and join us on a short but comprehensive guided tour of the Perlick facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The year 1917 began with our nation on the brink of World War I, which would eventually happen a few months later when President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany. On a different gridiron, the New Year began with Oregon beating Pennsylvania in the third annual Rose Bowl. And throughout the year and across the country, bars, saloons, and taverns were as popular as ever. But what were bars serving 100 years ago?

Throughout the food and beverage industry, there's no denying a trend toward everything "craft." From beers and cocktails to coffee and chocolate, consumer preferences are trending toward small batch, locally made, sustainably created, and artisanal focused. But how is this trend affecting things that are more traditional, specifically as it relates to bar and beverage? What is happening to all the Irish pubs? Are we losing our love of all things "green"?

One of the biggest revenue makers for sports venues and stadiums is food and beverage, but unless you take a deeper dig into the statistics, you might not realize how important those sales really are. According to a report from oBizMedia, two thirds or more of a facility's total concessions come from food and drink like hot dogs, cracker jacks, and other ballpark F&B staples.

Oktoberfest is one of the most celebrated beer-drinking events in the entire world. Though the original began in Munich in 1810 as part of a wedding celebration between Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, the event has spread across the world as an annual celebration of German culture, music, food, and beer.

It started last year, and the trend is continuing to grow. Hard root beer and other hard sodas are taking the country by storm. But what is hard soda, and how does its popularity translate to profitability for bar and restaurant operators? The hard soda category includes standard cola flavors and derivatives like cherry cola, but the true leader in the category is hard root beer. Hard root beer exists as an anomaly somewhere between a fascination with American nostalgia and the ever-popular craft beer craze.

Maybe a bar operator wants to include storage in the underbar area where it will be in line with 30-inch high equipment or work surfaces. Maybe an owner is retrofitting an existing underbar because adding bottled ciders to the beverage list requires more refrigeration capabilities in a limited space. Maybe a designer wants to use low height cabinets during the planning and designing phase of a new bar. Now this is all possible with low-height back bar refrigeration and storage from Perlick.

The Perlick factory just outside of Milwaukee can be a large and overwhelming place. But if you know what to look for, it can also be an eye opening place that sheds light on the whole Perlick philosophy. One of the easiest ways to learn about Perlick is to go behind-the-scenes. Quality and innovation are the names of the game.

When it comes to back bar and underbar refrigeration, options mean everything. From color to door design to temperature control, finding the right bar refrigeration unit can increase bar efficiencies, allow for more accurate beverage storage, and ultimately increase the productivity and profitability of the bar. Essentially, your bar refrigeration needs to "fit."