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Milk consumption in Japan is steadily declining and there seems to be no drop in production, which means that there is a lot of extra milk that needs to be disposed of every year. A liquor shop owner in Hokkaido, Chitoshi Nakahara, began to wonder what could be done about the oversupply of milk when he was struck the idea of combining milk and beer. He dubbed his new product "bilk."

Bilk is 30% milk and took six months to develop with the help of a local brewer. The production process is much like that of regular beer and the resulting brew "apart from a slight milky scent looks and tastes like ordinary beer." It is currently being produced in limited quantities and is available via mail order, but Nakahara says that he has gotten so much media attention that he is totally out of stock for the moment. Despite this, bilk's success won't be assured until the novelty wears off and Nakahara can find out whether people will continue to buy the product.

By and large, commercial coffee pods do not produce the best brews, not by a long shot. At their best they taste flat and one-dimensional, while at their worst they taste, sour, stale, bitter and just generally bad. The pods seem like a good idea because they are so convenient, but it really just isn't worth it if you actually want something drinkable. Your best bet for a quality brew is to stick with freshly ground coffee, but even pre-ground and packed coffee (e.g. Folgers) will turn out a better end result in most cases.

If you are set on using a pod for the convenience factor, however, there are some options besides the pre-made, pre-packed disasters. For example, you can attempt to make some by hand, but why expend all that effort when you could get a Perfect Pod to do it for you. The gadget uses pre-cut pod papers and heat-seals them once you have filled them up with just the right amount of your favorite (fresh!) coffee to brew the perfect cup. The pods work with most pod-using machines and paper refills are sold separately. The Perfect Pod retails for about $40.

[via popgadget]

While I personally prefer to use a drip coffee maker or my espresso machine, I know a number of people who swear by their french presses. A french press works by mixing coarsely ground coffee beans with water, letting them soak, then pressing the beans to the bottom of the carafe, leaving behind filtered, strong coffee.

To some, the press method makes the coffee taste too bitter, as the water that remains in the pot soaks far too long in the grounds compressed at the bottom. This bitterness also means that the coffee is too acidic, which can cause some unpleasantness for anyone sensitive it. Hammacher Schlemmer has a new french press that has been redesigned to eliminate excess bitterness and acidity. The Acid Reduction French Press holds the grounds at the top of the press, rather than at the bottom, preventing your coffee from over-brewing.

Are you interested in learning to homebrew beer? To capture that microbrewery experience in the comfort of your own home? To charge your friends exorbitant prices for a pint? Ok, I'm kidding about that last point, but How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time is a good starting point for the budding home beer brewer. Before you start, brewing may seem like a tricky and complicated process - and it can be, but John Palmer leads you through each step carefully, so you'll soon be able to make batches with confidence.

Palmer is well-known for his excellent advice and techniques on brewing. His self-published book under this same title was one of the most read and referenced brewing books ever. It's available online at How to Brew, though this newest version of the book is more up-to-date, with information utilizing the newest technologies and techniques available to home brewers. Check out the site to get a feel for the process, but pick up a copy of the book when you are ready to get down to business.

According to some recently updated info on Snopes.com, the answer may be yes. Putting a jar of water and tea bags in the sun will get the water hot, up to about 130° F, but not nearly hot enough to kill any bacteria in the water or the tea itself (that happens at around 195° F). Apparently the caffeine in black tea may help to stave off bacteria for a little while, but it isn't a guarantee. Some suggestions for you sun tea brewing daredevils include: start with a scrubbed, bleached vessel for brewing; don't leave the tea in the sun for more than four hours; don't make more than you can use in a day; refrigerate it immediately; and toss it if it gets "thick or syrupy." Also, don't use any excessively cheery jars that would make getting sick all the more ironic.

It looks like coffee drinking is officially a fad - in China. What makes it a fad? It's a fad because people who don't like it are continuing to order it - since it's hip to be seen drinking it. The manager of a popular cafe, Ms. Linda Liu "observed that most of her customers do not seem to like coffee, but they keep buying it." According to her, "some regulars order coffee all the time, but never finish it." According to a government survey, 10,000 trained baristas are needed to meet the growing demand for the brew. The problem is not a shortage of people, but a shortage of skills. Many potential employees have never made a cup of coffee, and a few have never had one.

Who's claiming credit for the coffee revolution? Starbucks. With 230 Starbucks outlets in operation and plans for thousands more in place, is it is hardly surprising to hear that Howard Schultz said "we turned them into coffee drinkers." Coffee is a status symbol and, though that seems to be the primary factor driving the trend at the moment, it seems likely that once it is established as a part of the culture, it will be a permanent one.

Budweiser is official beer of World Cup, the most internationally watched sporting event in the world. They bought the rights for the 2002 and 2006 games for about $80 million in 1998 - before they knew where those games were to be hosted. The problem is that this year's World Cup is hosted by Germany and Germans don't like Budweiser.

For Germans, beer and football (soccer, for the Americans) go hand in hand and Germans are some of the biggest beer drinkers in the world - with many outstanding brews coming from their own country. The prospect of having to drink only Budweiser at the games was something of a slap in the face to German brewers. One fan, cited the Wall Street Journal, even said "This is just the worst beer you could imagine." Bad publicity poured from fans and the press. And to make matters worse, the beer had to be sold as "Anheuser Busch Bud" because of a legal battle over the Budweiser name rights with a Czech brewer that makes "Budweis" beer.

With the prospect of millions of potential beer drinkers, both in stadiums and at home, Budweiser knew they had to do something. Fast.

 Gadling reports that some Czech food scientists are developing a beer that will alleviate the symptoms associated with menopause, including hot flashes and difficulty sleeping. The beer contains an unusually high level of phytoestrogen, a form of estrogen that is found in plants and the hops and barley malt use in some types of beer. A gynecologist who ran a small trial of the beer on 20 patients reported that "volunteers who drank three deciliters nightly for two months reported fewer menopausal symptoms." Three deciliters is about 10 ounces of beer. The brew is also low-calorie and low alcohol, but there is no word yet as to when it might be commercially available.

Scotch whisky is enjoying unprecedented popularity around the world, especially in Asian countries. The annual foreign market is more than £2 billion. Understandably, the distillers would like to hold on to as much of this market as they can, but there are some who are none too happy about the current market.

In India, sales of whisky have enjoyed a fifty percent increase in the last year and a Scotish Whisky Association (SWA) representative said that "India is the industry's number one trade priority." That is where the trouble starts. The SWA is protesting the 212-525% taxes and tariffs on their imports, which the Indian government and distillers say is necessary to protect local products. Indian distillers, in turn, are protesting the fact that the EU does not permit them to sell their own brew as "whisky" in Europe because it is molasses-based, not cereal-based. The Indian distillers, like magnate Vijay Mallya, say that having to call their beverage an "Indian spirit" hurts sales and the EU's labling requirements amount to protectionism, especially since they are not asking to call their products "scotch," and are willing to use the label "Indian whisky."

Efforts towards a settlement have failed thus far, but the EU is apparently conducting negotiations to see if a resolution can be reached.

I recently set up my home espresso machine. I am not an espresso novice, but this is the first machine I’ve had in my own kitchen. Based upon careful research, I selected the best machine I could find. And by “careful research”, I mean to say that I got a good deal on a good-looking machine. Fortunately for me, it is also an excellent machine that offers great performance, especially for a countertop model. It has a 15-BAR pressure pump and high quality brass hadware inside. The sleek, retro styling and small size are nice bonuses, in my opinon.  I have a Francis!Francis! X3.