Are you planning an event or participating in a trade show any time soon? If so, consider the following 10 low-cost marketing tactics before mailing your payment.

Event Marketing Tactic #1 — Is the purchase decision-maker attending the event? Are you certain? Let’s say you sell gifts that help increase employee moral and you’re considering exhibiting at the National Association of Human Resources annual conference. Is your decision-maker attending? Who attends this event — HR directors, managers or VPs? Perhaps all, or a small percentage of all three attend. If your decision-maker is a human resources director, then you’ll want to make sure the event management company can provide you statistics supporting what percentage of the participants have director-level titles. You need to drill down to your target audience. It’s not good enough to say that it’s a human resources related event; rather, is the job title you’re targeting attending? And if so, what percentage of the attendees hold this title? I recommend at least 50-60% before spending any money.

Event Marketing Tactic #2 — What value-added benefits is the venue [trade show organizer] making available to your business? Will they allow you access to the attendee mailing list so you can implement a premailing promoting your one-day trade show special, as well as the location of your booth? Well organized events, at minimum, provide a list of attendees after the event so exhibitors can follow up. More organized events provide participant contact information BEFORE the event as well as after. Other value-added benefits to inquire about include: being included in participant email distributions promoting the event, as well as an advertisement in the event show guide.

Event Marketing Tactic #3 — Target your event qualifying questions around the “who?,” instead of the “how many?.”

Event Marketing Tactic #4 — Giveaways should be relevant to your business. Don’t give something away for free just for the heck of it. Who cares if you collect 10,000 names because you ran a really cool promotion giving away a free 48″ TV. If you’re a personal chef, what does a TV have to do with your business? Nothing! [Unless you’re Emeril.] Therefore, you’ve just collected 10,000 NON-qualified leads. Instead, as a personal chef you could try, “Sign up to receive our special report, “How to Live Like the Rich; Tips to Hire an Affordable Personal Chef.” One can assume the majority of business cards deposited in your fish bowl have an interest in personal chefs.

Event Marketing Tactic #5 — Location, location, location. If prospects can’t see you, then you’re wasting your time. Don’t be fooled into purchasing a cheap booth at a last-minute special, such as “One booth remaining at 50% off.” Chances are no one will be visiting you, since your booth will be tucked away hidden from all eyes. The most ideal locations are found at the entryway to the event and near the pathway to the food stations and restrooms. Corner booths between major walk-throughs are ideal.

Event Marketing Tactic #6 — Some of your most qualified event leads come from networking with other exhibitors. Therefore, secure the exhibitors’ list several days before your event. At minimum, you want to know what competitors will be there so you can mystery shop. What’s more, you want a plan outlining what exhibitors you intend to approach to either pitch your services, or secure an informal partnership. Prepare your plan and your sales-spin before the big day!

Event Marketing Tactic #7 — Would you like to participate in more events but don’t have the budget? Try approaching complementary exhibitors and ask if they’d be interested in sharing booth space with you. Split the costs. Moreover, you can cover for each other when you need a break. Or, look around for hidden advertising money. If you’re a distributor, perhaps you’ve accrued MDF funds [Market Development Funds] a.k.a. advertising coop money, unbeknownst to you. Many companies will allow resellers to spend MDF funds to pay for event booth fees.

Event Marketing Tactic #8 — Save yourself a lot of time and only approach event passersby who make eye contact. People who don’t look at you or your booth are not looking for a reason. Remember, you can only speak to so many people at an event, therefore utilize your precious time wisely. Target those who make eye contact.

Event Marketing Tactic #9 — Make sure you’re allowed to display signs, posters, banners, etc. Treat your signs as miniature billboards. No more than six words and make sure it can be read from at least 10′ away.

Event Marketing Tactic #10 — Don’t pay full price. Remember, almost everything in life is negotiable, including booth fees. Always ask for a price reduction; you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Printed advertising and/or booth fees are just a starting point for negotiations.

P.S…..Stand up, don’t chew gum and try not to talk too much to the other people working your booth. The latter makes you appear unapproachable. Finally, your attire should be slightly better than what you believe attendees will be wearing. For example, if you’re attending an event whereby most of the attendees are engineers, don’t wear a three-piece suit!

One of the most essential requirements of the modern breweries industry is cleanliness and hygiene. The current market being full of competition at all levels; there is hardly a scope to ignore anything. If your rivals get a small scope to sneak in, they will definitely make sure that they do it with all intensity and get the dividends out of the minor fault that you have provided them with and make the most out of it. As such, it is quite evident that you don’t have any scope to ignore any aspect in the contemporary industry; especially if it is related to such an important aspect such as hygiene and cleanliness.

Keeping these essential aspects in mind, the cleaning beer line systems have become one of the most important aspects for mere sustainability in the industry mentioned above. The importance is there for everybody to rope in. Once you have successfully managed to install the automated keg cleaner, you have a lot of positives which would not only enhance your prospects in the business but also keep you up to date with the requirements of the modern day business as well as keep your consumers happy permanently with the elimination of quite a few of the consistent negatives.

The automated cleaning system is sure to provide the business houses with both way bonuses as the using this would not only make sure that there are positives from the perspective of the company but will also eliminate certain rebuffs from the perspective of the consumers also. Primarily, this system requires approximately 9 minutes to clean the entire beer line which is significantly lesser than the old manual system of cleaning. Then, there is an automated system to save the product in line before cleaning the entire line. This wasn’t possible with the manual system of operation.

This automated draft line cleaner is also safer on detergent storage in the premises, the timings are accurate and more importantly the mix is also accurate making the system more dependable. What makes it even better is the mechanism to mix and control water hardness and frequency. As far as the durability or the longevity of the system is concerned, in this system, no lifting is required keeping the entire setup secure. Apart from that the beer line cleaning pump also possesses the technology to eliminate wear in rubber component and the stainless steel case provides up to 100 years of life guarantee. What is more important that the kind of technology which is used in this system possess no problem with any nearby wireless device.

Coming to the perspective of the consumers, this system eliminates the chemical odor and taste in the bar during and even after the cleaning. This makes sure that the prospects of the consumers are not hampered. They always possess a fresh feel even after they have just reached the bar immediately after the keg line has been cleaned.

Apart from all these aspects this system is suited to look after the health and safety issues as well. Like the tilt door ensures minimization is spill. The low voltage switches and the emergency stop system along with the error code reporting the faults and the purple colored chemical ensuring the visibility makes sure that all using it are safe. As such, we can easily come to the conclusion that the automated beer line cleaning system is the new way to go keeping in mind the requirements of the contemporary industry.

When you want to start making your own beer, the absolute easiest way to start is with the use of a kit.

Home made beer tastes better and costs much less, but there are a lot of other reasons why you should start to brew your own beer. The first reason is that its is so much fun to make and drink your own home brew, second, if you are used to drinking beer in a wide variety of different flavors this is also an excellent way to try out some of the different beer kits. There are many different types of beer like:

Lager

Draught

Real Ale

Stout

Bitter

Dark Ale

Australian Pale Ale

European Lager

Canadian Blonde

And within these types there are different flavors you can choose from.

But if you already have a favorite brand of beer there is a very good chance that you will find the recipe of that beer in one of the specially written books with recipes for well known beer brands. This way you can drink the beer you are used to and like to drink but you can still be proud and say you have made it yourself with a home beer brewing kit.

Talking about brewing kits can mean two different things. It can be about a home beer brewing kit which is actually a microbrewery set, this is the equipment you need to brew beer at your own house or about home beer kits, these are the ingredients each kit contains malt, hops and yeast to produce 6 gallons of really great beer. There are also beer kit packages available this is the beer kit of your choice plus the advised fermentable and carbonation drops for bottling.

What is the basic content of home beer brewing kits and what is it meant for?

In a good kit, which are also known as a microbrewery kit, you can find the following components:

1) Instruction book / DVD

2) a plastic fermenter with lid for 6 gallons of beer

3) a sediment reducer

4) Hydrometer

5) thermometer

6) big plastic spoon

7) bottler tube

8) airlock

9) tap

10) bottles and caps

11) beer kit package (beer kit, brewing sugar, brewing yeast and carbonation drops

A plastic fermenter is a specially designed bucket (keg) with an airtight seal, this is were the beer is left to ferment, there also is a sediment reducer and a tab with the fermenter, this is to make sure the yeast sediment stays in the fermenter when filling the bottles.

It is important to keep a check on the temperature of the brew, that is why a thermometer is attached to the fermenter.

The airlock allows CO2 to escape, that is produced during fermentation. and it prevents contamination from coming in the brew.

And the most important piece of equipment is a Hydrometer, this is used for fermentation ad it tells you when your beer is ready for bottling. Just start with your new hobby and create your own unique flavor or try and create the same flavor you have been drinking for years.

When you think of beer the word garden doesn’t seem to fit next to it. Sure hops are grown, same with barley, and rice but those ingredients are grown on farms not gardens. Nevertheless beer gardens are real things and they are beginning to catch a buzz around the states.

A beer garden is a large outdoor setting that’s shaded by trees, the ground is gravel not road, and the seats are communal benches not chairs. People come to a beer garden to enjoy beer, food, each others company, and the good ole outdoors. Rare that one sees this in the states since most establishments only offer a patio or terrace with tables and chairs. Communal seating? Doesn’t sound very American does it? That’s because beer gardens actually originated in Bavaria, Germany.

In the 19th century beer gardens began to spring up in Germany. King Ludwig I (King Louis I) ruled as did the dark lager. These lagers needed to be brewed in the winter since it had to be brewed at 4 and 8 degrees Celsius. In the summer these beers would be served but needed to remain cold as well. The breweries dug cellars into the banks of the river Isar in order to store the beer, covered these cellars with gravel for insulation, and finally planted chestnut trees so the leaves would shade the beer.

Since all of the large breweries were doing this and people still wanted to drink beer, these areas were quickly becoming hot spots for the people of large cities such as Munich. With gravel at your feet and shaded chestnut tress over your head the name Biergarten or beer garden quickly took it’s roots in the German culture.

Smaller breweries still existed in Munich at the time and were feeling the loss of patronage from the citizens of Munich and decided to petition King Ludwig I to forbid the selling of food at these establishments. While the king granted this the larger breweries allowed customers to bring their own food. It was quite a battle over patrons, one that would rival America’s gas wars in the 1980’s. Later the decree that no food would be served was removed but according to the Bayerische Biergartenverordnung (beer garden decree) patrons in Germany are still allowed to bring their own food to the gardens.

Beer gardens while popular in Germany have only just started to take their roots in America. The oldest garden in the United States is Bohemian Hall, New York. Serving sausages and traditional German fare and beer. While they don’t serve a lot of craft beer, they do serve some micro breweries, and the beer drinking community of New York is brought to together every weekend at Bohemian Hall.

Stone Brewing has opened Stone World Bistro and Beer Garden in Escondido, California. This establishment is completely opposite to Bohemian Hall. The establishment is beyond beautiful and very lavish with leather and oak all over. Offering 120 bottles of craft beer and 33 micro breweries on tap. That’s a lot of beer. Not one beer offered is a light lager (fizzy and macro brewed), the only beer offered is exceptional micro brewery craft beer.

The food at World Bistro is considered top notch for the United States. Nothing but organic and locally raised graces their menu. They take absolute pride in what they serve showcasing steaks, pork, greens, and deserts that not only look fantastic but deliver on flavor; just like Stone’s Beer.

Beer gardens are appearing all over the United States. These are just two examples of beer gardens you can visit either on the east or west coast. Google the nearest garden near you and see what pops up. Remember though, in order to be considered a beer garden it must be communal seating, outdoors, and shaded by trees. With micro breweries becoming more and more main stream year after year, expect establishments to add gardens and beer gardens, as establishments to open up. Head to the garden, have a pint and laugh with some friends and truly take part in a tradition that has spanned over 100 years.

For many of us beer is only beer if it is made from four ingredients, the finest malt barley, choicest hops, pure spring water and specially selected yeast. However, for beer loving suffers of Coeliac disease it is the use of barley malt that makes the consumption of beer problematic.

Many of us have heard of Coeliac disease or at least recognise gluten intolerance but what actually is Coeliac disease, how does it affect the people that suffer from it and what has the brewing industry done to help beer loving sufferers of the disease enjoy their favourite tipple?

Coeliac disease is not a food allergy but rather an auto-immune disease where the bodies own immune system produces antibodies which then attack its own tissue. The symptoms of the disease can range from mild to severe and include things such as bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, tiredness, anaemia, abdominal discomfort and mouth ulcers. More serious long term health effects can manifest themselves if the disease remains undiagnosed and therefore untreated until later life as Coeliac sufferers are more at risk of osteoporosis and gut cancer.

The component of the diet that is responsible for Coeliac disease is gliadin, a gluten protein, found in wheat, barley, rye and oats. The body’s immune system reacts to the gluten protein producing antibodies which attack the small finger like projections known as villi that line the small intestine and play a vital role in digestion. When damaged the villi are unable to absorb food properly leading to many of the symptoms associated with the disease such as diarrhoea.

Coeliac UK, the charity for sufferers of Coeliac disease, estimates that in the UK there are around 125,000 medically diagnosed sufferers. However, recent studies show that 1 in 100 people have coeliacs disease which means that there are almost another 500,000 people who suffer from the disease but are as yet undiagnosed.

Unfortunately there is no cure for Coeliac disease. However, by adhering to a strict gluten free diet it is possible to control the disease. There is some debate over the gluten level that is acceptable to Coeliac sufferers and around the world there are different standards for what can be termed gluten free. For example in Australia only products with no detectable gluten can be classed as gluten free. But in the UK a food product can be considered gluten free if, when analysed, it contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. This disagreement in standards means that in some countries a product labelled gluten free would actually contravene labelling or food standards legislation in other countries. With this confusion it is understandable that for many sufferers unless the beer is totally gluten free and therefore free from barley malt there is no assurance that it is safe for them to consume.

This leads us to the point of the article – beer.

Barley being a major constituent of beer and also one of the cereals that contains gluten presents a problem for Coeliac sufferers. Interestingly some Coeliac sufferers have found, by experimentation, that they can tolerate certain beers even though they are produced from malted barley. Some brewers also claim that beers made from grains such as sorghum, rice and maize with a small proportion of barley malt are safe to drink. The belief is that by using smaller quantities of barley malt the concentration of gluten introduced into the beer is reduced. Furthermore during the brewing process it is widely believed that the gluten protein is broken down into its constituent amino acids thus rendering it harmless. However there is some concern and evidence to suggest that this claim may be inaccurate. The fear is that although protein is broken down into amino acids during brewing, this process is incomplete and peptide fragments of gluten may remain in the beer which may be problematic for Coeliac sufferers. Thus for many sufferers beer is strictly relegated to the list of food and drink to avoid.

Are brewers doing anything to address this problem? Well fortunately for beer loving Coeliac sufferers yes they are. However, although the brewing of a totally gluten free beer is achievable it comes with its own unique set of technical difficulties. Obviously all the ingredients must be gluten free, which means all malt, starch, sugar or syrup used in the brewery must be derived from a gluten free source. Yeast which is typically propagated on wort, derived from gluten containing barley malt, must be grown on a gluten free nutrient media. Finally perhaps the most essential difficulty to remedy is to find a suitable source of fermentable carbohydrate which also provides the same or similar flavour characteristics of barley malt.

Fortunately there are many common substitutions for gluten-rich grains, which are used in the wider food industry, and include buckwheat, sorghum; rice, maize, millet, and soybean. Brewers have experimented with a number of these as replacements for barley malt with mixed results.

Rice and maize are already common ingredients employed by brewers in the production of beer and so make ideal ingredients in a gluten free beer. However, when using both of these grains, where a malted cereal is not present the brewer has to employ enzymes, typically derived from fungi, to convert the starch into fermentable sugars. Remember barley naturally synthesizes a range of enzymes when it is malted and it is these enzymes which, during mashing, convert starch into simple sugars that can be fermented by yeast. Without a cereal, such as barley, that has been malted, that crucial process would not occur without the assistance of fungal enzymes added by the brewer. Beer is a wholesome and natural product and brewers like to be able to brew their beer without using additives such as enzymes. So gluten free brewers have experimented with trying to malt Sorghum and Buckwheat.

Of the two grains Sorghum has perhaps received the lion’s share of attention due to its use in the production of what we would recognise as beer, often referred to as clear beer, as well as the traditional cloudy beer that is unique to Africa. It is true to say that clear beers brewed in Africa are mainly brewed using barley malt. However, in certain African countries such as Nigeria during the 90’s legislation, introduced to encourage the use of local grains rather than imported barley malt, forced brewers to adapt their brewing techniques so that they could make beer totally from Sorghum. As part of this adaptation process a lot of research was conducted on whether it was possible to malt sorghum. It was found that with a few technical tweaks to the malting process sorghum could be malted for brewing purposes. Following the relaxation of the legislation banning imports of malted barley the incentive to malt sorghum disappeared. Brewers could use un-malted sorghum in their beers as long as a proportion of barley malt was present to provide those crucial enzymes. Therefore large scale commercial malting of sorghum never developed. However, at least one gluten free brewer is malting sorghum for use in their range of gluten free beers.

Buckwheat is not strictly a cereal but because it can be processed in the same way as cereals is often referred to as a pseudo cereal. Buckwheat grains look like small beechnuts and are milled to separate the edible portion from their husks or hulls. The edible portion, often referred to as groats, can be roasted and used as a grain product and as such attempts have been made to malt Buckwheat to improve its potential as a grain for brewing. But as in the case for Sorghum, commercial scale malting of buckwheat has not really developed.

Malted or not, Sorghum, Buckwheat, rice and maize all provide the brewer with a selection of suitable gluten free grains that can be used to brew beer. It is through the clever use of individual cereals, such as sorghum, or a combination of different cereals, that brewers have managed to, if not completely, at least go a long way towards producing a match for the flavour characteristics in beer that are usually derived from barley malt. Furthermore with innovative application of traditional brewing techniques a number of companies are able to brew a range of beers for Coeliac sufferers that look, smell and certainly taste like beer brewed from barley malt. All good news for any beer lovers who suffer from Coeliac disease.

Maasai children wake up early on the 25th of December and excitedly urge their parents to hurry as they make tea and cook breakfast so they can open the presents. They have been preparing for this holiday for months by making presents for each other; beaded jewelry, belts, bags, calabashes, toys and body adornment for the children. After the present opening, clans gather for the feast of roasted meat, potatoes and potent honey beer.

The Maasai are a pastoral group of people that live in the magnificent Great Rift Valley of Kenya and Tanzania. A tall, proud, and graceful people adorned in colorful clothing and ornaments, the Maasai still keep their traditions intact – herding cattle and living off the land as modernization changes the world around them. They are known to be a culture with close community and family ties and who love to celebrate all occasions in a big way; so they naturally adopted Christmas into their culture as yet another wonderful celebration and embraced it with relish.

In the months approaching Christmas, the Maasai are busy making presents, planning events, cleaning their finest of everything, scrubbing the houses, repairing the grounds, getting out the jewelry and shopping for new kikoys, the European version of a shuka- Maasai fabric, to wear. The air is full of excitement. Bees love the blooming acacia trees, and produce the most flavorful of all the honeys in the world. This honey is then used to produce honey beer- a common holiday beverage at Maasai celebrations.

The Maasai fill the season with several harambees, a Kenyan party reminiscent of an American wedding or baby shower where gifts and money are given. The harambee was originally introduced by Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of Kenya, as a way to raise money to build schools. Over time, the harambee has expanded into a Kenyan tradition to raise money and gifts for weddings, hospital expenses, school fees, and other occasions. The Maasai adopted the county's custom and use it liberally.

When you wake up Christmas morning, think for just a moment about the Maasai half a world away. Cuddling exhausted children, patting stomachs full of meat, drowsy with libation, and admiring their lovely presents with family all around.

Chances are good that you’ve seen some beer commercials when watching TV. Many times these ads advertise beer that is “full bodied.” Beer lovers everywhere enjoy full bodied beers, and commercial breweries make sure the general public knows that full bodied beers are what they make. So, what exactly is a full bodied beer?

In the beer brewing world, a full bodied brew has complex character, better head retention and better taste. This can be accomplished by raising the gravity of the brew without sacrificing the fermentation process. The brew can be enhanced with the addition of more sugar or more protein.

If you are just getting started beer brewing, then you should aim to produce full bodied beer. Here are some tips to help you produce a better home brew when you are beer brewing.

Use caramalized and roasted malts. These will aid in enhancing the mouthfeel of your brew. The key lies in the dextrins, which are present in the caramalized and roasted malts.

You can also add more unmalted grains to the mix. These unmalted grains will not add any fermentable sugars, so they won’t influence the flavor. However, they will add more proteins, which affect the mouthfeel of the brew. But you need to know a little about what you are doing when adding these additional grains. Too much and you can adversely affect the clarity of your beer. These protein grains are better off being used with darker beers, so that your brew doesn’t wind up cloudy.

Another way to improve the body of your home brew is temperature. Specifically, a higher mashing temperature. When you mash at a higher temperature, there will be a larger amount of sugar in your brew. Finally, to achieve a more full bodied brew, it is best to use a yeast strain with low attenuation. These strains only consume a small amount of complex sugar. This results in a beer with a high final gravity, which means a fuller bodied beer in the end. The recommended attenuation should not exceed 70 percent, as anything higher can lead to problems for your beer.

Keep these tips in mind when you start getting into partial mash and all grain brewing, as these will help improve the quality of beers you make. These are just a few simple tweaks you can make in home brewing that will make noticeable improvements to your beer.

Let’s not confuse non-alcoholic beer, designated NA on labels, for near beer. The maximum alcohol content for non-alcoholic beers in the United States is anything below 0.5% and here alcohol free means just that, no alcohol at all. Fruit juices in Germany can contain as much as 1%. And in England they declare a beverage alcohol free even though it may contain up to 0.5%. Near beer, on the other hand, usually contains about 3.2% alcohol content and is significant for those states that only allow that level of alcohol to be sold in grocery stores. Near beers are often called lite on the label.

Like those who drink only decaffeinated coffee, non-alcoholic beer drinkers are often asked, “What’s the point?” For some it is the fact that few beverages taste as good as a nice cold beer on a hot summer day. But if you are an infrequent drinker, real beer can make you feel as bloated as if it was your time of the month. Who needs that? Plus, you can have a non-alcoholic beer for lunch without worrying whether it will affect job performance. If friends want to go drinking after work, you can still enjoy the flavor, feel you are participating and keep your status as the designated driver. Ladies in early pregnancy should avoid even these beers to be safe, especially in Canada where almost 30% of the forty-five so-called non-alcoholic beers tested actually had more alcohol than stated on the label.

One misconception about non-alcoholic beers is that they don’t always have fewer calories than a light beer. While Bitburger Drive NA has 103 calories and St. Pauli Girl’s NA has 96, Miller Genuine Draft Lite has 64 and Michelob Ultra and Amstel Light both have 95. Less alcohol does reduce calories, but even low alcohol beers contain high amounts of carbohydrates. One company is even touting a variety for hydrating athletes, a Gatorbeer, if you will.

Another false impression is that low alcohol beer is a modern concept. Early American colonists thrived on a version, because they didn’t trust the water. The fact that water was boiled to produce this light beer, which resulted in less disease, virtually proved their point about the bad water. Many brewers before Prohibition tried to make beers with lower alcohol content in anticipation of dwindling revenues.

Non-alcoholic beer tastes watery because it does indeed contain more water. One brewing process involves heating real beer to reduce the alcohol. Since alcohol boils at 173 degrees Fahrenheit and water at sea level boils at 212, you can control the water loss for the most part, while reducing the alcohol. Even so you will lose about a half cup for every gallon of beer brewed. So water is generally added to make up for this difference before the boiling process begins.

Non-alcoholic beer is popular in Europe and consumption has increased around the globe. Here in the United States sales have not been as good. Even though Europeans drank 138 million gallons worth about $2.5 billion in sales, that is still just a drop in the bucket (less than 1%) compared to their real beer consumption of 15 billion gallons. Sales have also climbed in Japan, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. New processing techniques involving lighter fermentation, less alcohol production and more flavor retention may help sales everywhere.

Popularity of non-alcoholic beers in America often coincides with availability. In other words, since O’Doul’s (made by Budweiser) is readily available in many bars and restaurants, it is often your only choice and, thus, your only exposure to a non-alcoholic beer. Taste being a subjective sense, you may want to do your own research. Once you have tasted St. Pauli NA, Clausthaler, Kaliber, O’Doul’s, Haake Beck, Buckler, Old Milwaukee and Erdinger, you can consider yourself somewhat of an expert by American standards. Of course, a non-alcoholic beer expert is a bit of an oxymoron to some.

If you really want to get crazy, you should try the many alcohol free beers of Europe. As for what you can find in the U.S., you may be able to taste test the following: Acrobrau (a pricy wheat beer), Bevo, Bitburger Drive, Bintang Zero (Indonesian), Busch N/A, Cheers Preta (dark beer from Portugal), Coors (Cutter) NA, Gerstel (German), Holsten, Kingsbury (Pabst), Labbat’s Blue, Pabst NA, Paulaner, Sharps (Miller), Texas Select NA and Warsteiner. Cheers!

It’s a well-stated fact in the medical profession that moderate consumption (one to two drinks) of alcoholic beverages can be beneficial and down right healthy for the mind and body. We’re well aware that it helps to relieve stress and cut hypertension. As if we need another reason to drink these magnificent craft creations, other than the amazing flavors they present, there is a slew of other health benefits tied to beer in particular.

I often say in jest that a good beer has all the nutrients of bread and water, well, actually it does. It contains grains, herbs, yeast and water. Along with these healthful ingredients, beer also has the same antioxidants as wine and has higher levels of B vitamins and proteins. In fact, B6 levels were up to 30% higher than in non-drinkers. One of the flavonoid compounds in hops is called Xanthohumol. This compound has also been found to play a major role in chemoprevention of cancer, especially prostate cancer.

Even if you’re not a fruit and vegetable eater, no worries, the silicone in beer is better assimilated by the body better than those found in bananas and green beans. Several studies have also shown that the type of silicone found in beer, a mineral that promotes bone density and wards off osteoporosis, is significantly increased. Studies have shown that at least in theory this could go along way to preventing osteoporosis in women. Female beer drinkers were found to have a significantly higher bone density than those who did not drink beer.

All alcohol in moderate amounts is considered to be heart healthy, raising good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol levels. Without boring you with the scientific terms as to exactly what causes it, beer may be substantially more heart-healthy than other alcoholic beverages. The higher levels of antioxidants, anti-carcinogenics, as well as several other compounds, deserve the credit for this. There is also the well-known reduction in hypertension and stress associated with moderate drinking.

All of this healthy information is in NO way meant to say that it is healthy or OK to go overboard regularly with beer or any alcohol consumption. Overdoing it can and will counter any positive effects beer may have, and can create even more severe health issues. Remember, the key word here is MODERATION. Keeping that in mind, a good craft brew tastes much better than a tongue depressor and is far more enjoyable than a cold stethoscope.

Milwaukee's craft beer scene is booming, with ten new breweries opening in the area in 2016. With so many to visit, it's difficult to narrow down the best ones. Here are a few favorites … two old and two new:

Lakefront Brewery / Beer Hall
According to Brewery President Russ Klisch, the business started when his brother, Jim, expressed interest in beer making, and Russ humored him by giving him a homebrewing book. Impressed with Jim's beer, Russ decided he could brew one better. In short, sibling rivalry and common interest led both brothers to begin entering homebrewing contests and winning awards. It wasn't long before family and friends encouraged them to turn their hobby into a business.

They began brewing with 55-gallon stainless steel drums and used dairy equipment. On December 2, 1987 they sold their first barrel of beer to the Gordon Park Pub. With the brewery up and running, the infamous tour started soon after! As Lakefront's popularity grew, so did their production: by 1988, sales jumped to 72 barrels; by 1989, 125 barrels; and sales began doubling after that.

The tour is one of the best in town. The guides are extremely enthusiastic, especially when the tour is conducted by one of the Klisch brothers. It was one of the first brewery tours where they allowed you to drink beer before, during and after the tour. One of the fun parts is hearing the theme from Laverne & Shirley while they demonstrate the bottling line.

The brewery is located in a large beer hall space, with tall ceilings, brick walls, and communal tables. It's right on the riverfront, with a patio in the back. The brewery transformed from a basic beer hall, where beer was only available with the tokens that you'd receive on a tour. Then they became popular for their Friday night fish fry. Now they serve a variety of basic bar food all the time (counter service) and all the beer is available for purchase at the bar.

Some options are salads, sandwiches, tacos, pretzels, cheese and wurst boards, as well as desserts. On a recent visit, they had 12 beers on tap. They are also one of the first breweries in the country to feature organic and gluten free beers.

Favorite beers:
• Eastside Dark Munich Dunkel – Sweet and roasty flavor, beautifully smooth and drinkable, not at all intimidating.
• Fuel Cafe Organic Stout – Excellent, inviting aroma, full bodied, roasted malt in full evidence.

Sprecher Brewing Company
Sprecher Brewing Co. was founded in 1985 by Randal Sprecher, formerly a brewing supervisor at Pabst Brewing Company. From 1985 to 1994, the brewery was located at 730 W. Oregon Street in Milwaukee's Walker's Point area. Through the first ten years the company grew steadily, as more and more people found out about Sprecher's high quality beers and sodas. Finally, the company had outgrown its original facility and began looking for a new location to continue its growth. In 1994, Sprecher purchased its current building, located at 701 W. Glendale Ave., a former elevator car factory. The new, larger brewery enabled the company to continue growing.

The Gift Shop / Tasting Room is open Mon-Sat 11 am-6pm, Sun 11 am-5pm. Tours are available daily for $ 6; check the website for times. You must call ahead for reservations.

Back in the day, Randal Sprecher would handle brewery tours, which were made memorable thanks to his obvious passion for the craft. For a bit of a different experience, try one of the Reserve tastings offered on weekends for $ 20. Reserve tastings are done in smaller groups than the regular tour / tastings and feature the company's premier and limited edition products. Each guest will receive ten samples of Sprecher beers, each paired with a different artisan cheese.

They offer five year-round beers, five premium reserve, plus seasonal beers, as well as a large variety of sodas. They are well known for their root beer.

Though they don't serve food at the brewery (other than cheese), they have opened four pubs, located in Glendale, Lake Geneva, Madison and Wisconsin Dells. The Lake Geneva location is a favorite, right on the lakefront with a nice outdoor deck. The Glendale pub is also nice, located in the Bayshore Town Center mall. They have a very good menu with German and American options, happy hour Mon-Fri, as well as varying daily food specials.

Favorite beer:
Black Bavarian – Best Schwarzbier brewed in the US; Huge roasty character, big malty body.

The Fermentorium
Located just outside of Cedarburg, The Fermentorium opened its doors early in 2016. Kristopher Volkman is the founder and president, a locally raised homebrewer.

Currently offering ten beers on tap with plans to expand, the brewery also distributes to restaurants and bars all over Southeastern Wisconsin.

The tap room is currently open Tue-Fri 4 pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 12 pm-10pm. It's a modern space, very open, comfortable place to hang out and drink beer. The brewing area is in the right half of the room, separated by a wall of windows, so that you can view the process.

For a newly opened establishment, they are already making several outstanding beers, so it was difficult to narrow down favorites.

Favorite beers:
• Strawberry Tart – Berliner Weisse; great combo to balance sourness and strawberry.
• Safe Passage – Porter; huge roasted malt flavor, malty aroma pervasive, outstanding example of style.

Good City Brewing
Their motto is "Seek the Good." The first brewery on Milwaukee's east side, Good City opened in June. The three founders connected in 2015 and immediately hit it off, sharing a love for craft beer and the untapped potential of Milwaukee. Andy Jones is a brewmaster who left Goose Island Brewing in Chicago to move to Milwaukee and work for Lakefront Brewery as plant manager for six years. David Dupee is an entrepreneur with a background in securities and regulatory compliance, founder of crowdfunding platform CraftFund, which was formed to help food and beverage companies raise capital from passionate customers and local residents. Dan Katt is a Milwaukee real estate developer.

Good City has a modern, airy tap room with a large bar area, outdoor seating, and shiny fermenters just out of the wrapper. The menu offers a good variety of taproom snacks, cheese and meats, salads, brewfood, and dinner entrees. No more than seven options in each category, so the choices are not overwhelming (a good thing). There are several vegetarian items. There are ten beers on tap.

Favorite beers:
• Pils – Medium body, hoppy Czech style, smooth as silk.
• Detail Porter – Dark, deep color, roasted coffee and chocolate flavors dominate; outstanding example of style.