If you were in Washington D.C. for the annual Craft Brewers Conference, you probably left encouraged by the enthusiasm, innovation, and dedicated talent we have in the beer industry. This was certainly made evident in the Craft Brewers Conference 2017 State of the Industry Address. Delivered by the Brewers Associations director, Paul Gatza, and chief economist, Bart Watson, the address highlighted both the good news and the bad news throughout the beer industry, and it was summarized in a recent article from Brewbound.

In today’s digital age, what was “hip” a week ago is likely old news by now. Trends and tastes are changing faster than ever, and nowhere is that more prevalent than with bar and beverage selections. The group with both the influence and the buying power spearheading these changes are Millennials. For restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, it’s important to offer bar and beverage selections that reflect this generation’s tastes. But before you offer the newest craft cocktail, you want to first understand what quenches the thirst of this demographic.

The Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station is one of Perlick's greatest innovations over our first 100 years as a company. With the rise of craft cocktails, bars needed an easy way to maintain quality while increasing quantity. And when you increase quantity, you obviously increase profits. The craft cocktail trend is no longer a trend. It's a movement that's here to stay. So let's take a look at what some of the country's most prominent bartenders, beverage managers, and operators are saying about the Tobin Ellis Cocktail Station from Perlick and how it's changing their business for the better.

Over the past several weeks, we've looked back at the last century to see how far we've come in the world of bar and beverage. From the 1917 wine vintages in Europe to cocktail trends through the decades, it's been fun reminiscing about what bars were serving 100 years ago. But now we'd like to take a look at why Perlick is here and the reasons we're still in business after all these years. Let's take a look back at 100 years of bar and beverage equipment innovations.

As the entire country gathers around the television on Super Bowl Sunday, we’ll all have our rooting interests. Some will be pulling for their favorite team and others will be rooting for the host to announce, “The wings are ready!” However, a good number of us will have far more interest in the commercials than the football game itself. Ask someone about their favorite play in the Big Game or their favorite commercial and we bet they’ll recite the advertisement first!

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?

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.

Getting your beer system right on the first try is critical. And to get it right, beer system engineers have to consider all the hard questions and not gloss over the details. But what are those questions, and what are some of the correct answers? To begin, it's important to ask what kind of pressure source do you need? This is determined by the distance of your beer run, as well as the changes in elevation when comparing your cooler to your dispensing station.

Pumpkin beer comes in many forms, and as we near the Thanksgiving holiday, the varieties of pumpkin beer get better and better. From cinnamon and sugar rims to pumpkin spice stouts served with dessert, you know what to serve WITH your beer, but are you serving it the right way? Let's take a look at a few important factors to consider when serving pumpkin beer.

Flavor and aroma will make or break the reputation of any wine. But we’d be remiss not to include visual appeal in a list of factors that can impact a guests’ purchasing decision. There are two pillars to a profitable wine program: storage and display. The latter should not be overlooked, as the visual impact of a wine display is quite often the first impression for dining guests. And when a restaurant or bar wants to showcase premium wines, the equipment makes all the difference.

The Guinness Book of World Records claims there is no other place on earth where a beer aficionado can find more beers on tap. It’s been named one of the top 1,000 places in the country to visit before you die. For us, the Great American Beer Festival sounds like paradise. Every fall, craft brewers from around the country, and visitors from around the world, gather to celebrate the best that American beer has to offer. There's a reason the Great American Beer Festival is the “premier U.S. beer festival and competition.”

From sea to shining sea, the United States is filled with high quality cocktail bars as part of the great cocktail revolution. But at the recent Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, the Columbia Room in Washington, D.C. took the Spirited Awards honor as Best American Cocktail Bar. The award recognizes the American bar that set the highest standards in the industry and influenced national cocktail trends over the past year. Considerations for the award include menu, bar teams, atmosphere, and cocktail quality.

For any restaurant’s wine program, successful wine preservation hinges on two major factors: storage and display. Proper wine storage is key to maintaining flavor profiles and quality. Just as important, however, are the conditions in which the wine is displayed. Is your wine program profitable? If not, you’re likely not addressing these pillars of wine preservation.

Whether it's in a hotel lobby, a new trendy restaurant, or a speakeasy, a cocktail bar is often the most profitable location in any food and beverage operation. Because it represents so much potential, it's even more important to consider best practices to help maximize the profitability of this space. Let's take a look at five essential tips for a profitable cocktail bar.

Baseball and drinking beer. These two American pastimes have gone hand-in-hand over the last 100 years. But the relationship between baseball and beer has had its ups and downs. In the late 1800s, the National League kicked teams out of the league for selling beer. Today, you can’t go one pitch without seeing beer advertisements.

All over America, summer revolves around great weather, captivating entertainment, and of course, delicious food and beverage. Name the food, you can likely find it at an amusement park, state fair, or music festival: deep-fried Twinkies, beer-battered bacon-wrapped brats, ice cold beer. Summer festivals bring in huge crowds over several days or weeks during the season. And if there’s one thing these folks want to do, it’s eat and drink.