Latest news with #IdahoFalls
Forbes
5 days ago
- General
- Forbes
The World's Best Stout—According To The International Beer And Cider Awards
Six different stout categories were honored at this year's International Beer and Cider Awards. The world's best stouts were recently honored in six subcategories at The International Beer and Cider Awards, a competition run by The North American Brewers Association, an organization that advocates in favor of all things craft-beer related. For this year's competition, judges tasted 1436 entries in early June in Idaho Falls. I've previously written about award-winning pilsners, lagers and IPAs at this competition. Now it's time to turn to the dark side and take a closer look at the stouts that took home gold medals. The award-winning stouts came from across the country, but as is common at beer competitions, the region around where the competition was held had a particularly strong showing, as geography can influence what breweries contribute beers. Stouts remain a popular style at beer competitions, though not as popular as IPAs, pilsners or lagers. Of late, stout sales have also lagged behind other more trendy styles in craft beer. However, Guinness sales have skyrocketed in recent years, and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a trickle-down effect to the craft brewing world. The best stouts that were honored at this year's International Beer and Cider Awards include dry stouts, sweet stouts and range from coffee stouts to imperial stouts and barrel-aged stouts. As stout drinkers know, there's a huge amount of variation between these different styles. The North American Brewers Association only awards three medals per category: gold, silver and bronze. So every top stout was an elite one. Though as I always say, in my experience, although every gold medal-winning beer is a great beer, not every great beer wins a gold medal. Many elite breweries don't submit their beer to competitions because they lack the marketing budget or don't think beer should be a competition, or both. So use the beers below as the beginning and not the end of your best stout search. The Best Stouts of 2025 Dry Stout Stud Stacker Sawdust and Steel Brewing, Three Forks, MT Sweet Stout and Oatmeal Stout Wolf Oatmeal Stout, Idaho Brewing Company, Idaho Falls, Idaho Foreign-style Stout and America-style Stout Gold Crux Stout, Crux Fermentation Project, Bend, Oregon Imperial Stout Drioma, Redrock Brewing, Salt Lake City, Utah Barrel Aged, Strong Stout Phases of the Moon, Uprise Brewing, Spokane, WA Coffee Stout Mothership Drip, Uganda Melvin Brewing, Alpine, WY Stout Drinking In The Summer Summer may not exactly be a time of year traditionally associated with stout drinking, but to a stout enthusiast, there is never a bad time to drink dark beer. And despite common perceptions, a beer's color isn't always a sign of how light and refreshing tasting it can be. I find that unless I am standing in the direct sunlight, I tend to enjoy whatever beer I happen to be in the mood for, regardless of seasonality. So grab a stout even in July or August, if you're craving one.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Three West Midlands teenagers to compete in world fly-fishing competition
Three teenagers from the West Midlands are heading to the US to compete on the fly-fishing world from Birmingham, Marcus from Church Stretton, Shropshire, and Harry from Rugeley, Staffordshire, are members of the England U18 River and Bank Fly Fishing will compete in the 22nd FIPS-Mouche World Youth Fly Fishing Championship in Idaho Falls from 12 to 19 July."This will be my first competition, and to have it hosted in America, it's a very big thing for me... its an honour to represent my country fishing," said 15 year-old Marcus. He said he became hooked when he picked up his first rod at three years old, but really got into the sport when he was now goes out to local reservoirs with his dad most weekends."It's really good to just get outside," he told the BBC. "This is what I love and this is what really helps me."Of the competition, he said: "It's just on my mind all the time, practicing, fly-fishing, practicing non-stop."The competition requires a specific fishing style of catch and release with barbless hooks, with both wading and boat must be a minimum of 20cm and competitors score 100 points for each fish, plus 20 points for each centimetre of 16, spent much of his summers in Trinidad and Tobago, where his cousins got him into fishing. "It's a really nice break from the city, especially me being in school full time… it gives you something to look forward to on the weekends," he said. He said in the run-up to the competition, the squad had been meeting more regularly, fine-tuning their kit and equipment."It's going to be like a brotherhood going out there," he said."I think we'll do well out there, I think we could podium... as long as we stick together and work well."Harry, 13, got into fishing when he was seven, catching three fish while he was out with his dad."It means a lot to me that I can represent my own country in the sport I love," he said."I've never been that far from home and I'm really excited... the lakes are bigger, the rivers are bigger and the fish are bigger, everything's bigger over there."I think we'll do well – it is our first time as a team… we are like the underdogs a little bit." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Best lagers in the US revealed ahead of 4th of July... and lower alcoholic beers are taking the top spots
There's nothing better than a crisp, refreshing lager on a hot summer's day - and now there's a definitive list of the best after the International Beer and Cider Awards released their official winners. The competition is run by the North American Brewers Association, a nonprofit that promotes craft beer and culture. While beer entries are accepted from all around the world, most of the lager gold medal categories were won by US breweries. Judges assessed 1,426 entries in Idaho Falls for this year's competition, breaking them down into different categories. The results found lower alcoholic and lighter beers have increased in popularity. According to Harvey Hembree, the competition coordinator, Latin American or Tropical-Style Lagers were stand-out categories for lager this year. 'We have noticed an overall trend towards lighter, more sessionable [low alcoholic content] beers across all categories and particularly lagers,' he told Forbes. He added that this year there was more dark lager and Asian lager submissions to the competition. 'The dark lager categories were very competitive, indicating to us that the market for sessionable dark beer is on the rise,' he said. Recently, scientists revealed why some people love beer - and say it starts when you're still in the womb. As part of a recent study, scientists at Swansea University quizzed more than 250 people on their drinking habits while measuring the length of their fingers. Finger length is thought to be a metric for how much testosterone we were exposed to in the womb – and therefore how 'masculine' we are. According to the findings, the more testosterone we're exposed to in the womb, the more alcohol we drink as an adult – although it's unclear why. 'Alcohol consumption is a major social and economic problem,' said study author John Manning, professor of evolutionary biology at Swansea University. 'Therefore, it is important to understand why alcohol use shows considerable differences across individuals. 'It is possible that differences in alcohol consumption are set in the womb.' And so, if you are someone who is planning to enjoy a beer on Fourth of July, take a look below at the award winners. The World's Best Lagers American-Style Light (Low-Calorie) Lager: Gold Clubhaus Lager, Von Ebert Brewing Portland, Oregon American-Style Standard or Premium Lager: 307, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, Wyoming Latin American or Tropical-Style Lager or Ale: Helper Beer, Mexican Lager from Helper Beer, Helper, Utah Asian-Style Lager Saru Zen Japanese-style Rice Lager: Bozeman Brewing Co., Bozeman, Montana Helles Lager: Helles Good, Boxing Bear Brewing Co. Albuquerque, New Mexico American Black Lager: Templin Family Capenfluegan Templin Family Brewing Salt Lake City, Utah American-Style Amber Lager California Common Vienna Lager: Cardinal Craft Brewing, Burlington, Washington Vienna-Style Lager Prost Vienna Lager: Prost Brewing Co. Northglenn, Colorado Marzen Oktoberfest Oktoberfest: Idaho Brewing Co., Idaho Falls, Idaho Schwarzbier (Black Beer) Oh Black Lager: Discretion Brewing, Soquel, California Czech Dark Lager Stacks & Towers Czech Dark Lager: Wild Ride Brewing, Redmond, Oregon Helles Bock Maibock Traditional Bock Ammo Bocks: Bear Island Brewing, Boise, Idaho
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The World's Best Lager—According To The International Beer And Cider Awards
Lagers were among the most popular categories at this year's International Beer And Cider Awards. getty In early June, the International Beer and Cider Awards handed out bragging rights for the world's best lager and many other beer categories. Judges assessed 1426 entries in Idaho Falls for this year's competition. Lagers were spread across more than a dozen categories, not including pilsners, which also were assessed in various categories. Lagers have increased in popularity in recent years, with more and more craft beer fans drawn to these clean-tasting beers that are often celebrated for their crispness—which generally means dryness (lack of sweetness) and high thirst-quenching ability. This trend has resulted in increasing numbers of these beers being submitted to the International Beer and Cider Awards, said Harvey Hembree, the competition coordinator, in an email. 'We have noticed an overall trend towards lighter, more sessionable beers across all categories and particularly lagers.' Entries for a few subcategories of lagers saw particular growth at the 2025 competition. 'The stand-out lager category this year was definitely Latin American or Tropical-Style Lagers ,' Hembree said. This light-lager category has low-hop and malt aroma and can me made with adjunct ingredients including corn. It is often inspired by the popular lagers brewed within various Latin American and Caribbean countries. 'This style is obviously a market favorite and has widespread recognition,' Hembree added. 'It's fun to see breweries at any scale producing this refreshing, almost nostalgic style that can be enjoyed by beer drinkers of all palates.' In addition, Hembree said the competition received more dark lager and Asian lager submissions. 'The dark lager categories were very competitive, indicating to us that the market for sessionable dark beer is on the rise,' Hembree said. Asian lagers, a newer category, continue to increase in entrants since their introduction just two years ago. For each category, three medals were awarded: gold, silver and bronze. The competition is run by the North American Brewers Association, a nonprofit that promotes craft beer and culture. Though it accepts beer entries from across the globe, this year's lager gold medal categories were swept by U.S. breweries. Below are the gold medal-winning lagers that were deemed the best of the best in 2025. The World's Best Lagers Gold Clubhaus Lager, Von Ebert Brewing Portland, Oregon American-Style Standard or Premium Lager 307, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Sheridan, WY, USA Latin American or Tropical-Style Lager or Ale Helper Beer, Mexican Lager from Helper Beer, Helper, Utah Asian-Style Lager Saru Zen Japanese-style Rice Lager, Bozeman Brewing Co., Bozeman, Montana Helles Lager Helles Good, Boxing Bear Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM, USA American Black Lager Templin Family Capenfluegan, Templin Family Brewing Salt Lake City, Utah American-Style Amber Lager California Common Vienna Lager, Cardinal Craft Brewing, Burlington, Washington Vienna-Style Lager Prost Vienna Lager, Prost Brewing Co. Northglenn, CO Marzen Oktoberfest Oktoberfest, Idaho Brewing Co., Idaho Falls, Idaho Schwarzbier (Black Beer) Oh Black Lager, Discretion Brewing, Soquel, CA Czech Dark Lagers Stacks & Towers Czech Dark Lager, Wild Ride Brewing, Redmond, OR Helles Bock Maibock Traditional Bock Ammo Bocks, Bear Island Brewing, Boise, Idaho Other Hoppy Lager Raft Soda, Sacred Waters Brewing Co., Kalispell, Montana
CNET
25-06-2025
- CNET
Choose the Best Internet Provider for Your Home With Help From an Expert
After years of covering the best internet options for cities across the country (and building jealousy of Idaho Falls, Idaho's internet) I've become an expert at sifting through all the options. I completely understand how confusing all the jargon is and how much more difficult it makes trying to find the right internet service provider for your needs. That combined with the pricing, hidden fees and all the fine print, you may not actually know what all these companies are even offering. I've spent more hours on internet providers' websites than I care to think about, and over the years, I've learned what tricks companies tend to use to obscure essential information and what's critical to look for when choosing a good plan. Picking an internet provider is a decision that's worth investing some time in. Once you're committed to a provider, inertia often takes over: The prospect of returning equipment and scheduling a new installation can keep you in a bad broadband relationship for years. Don't let the confusing language, price traps and technical lingo keep you from picking the right internet plan. Here's everything you need to know about shopping for internet service that I've learned over the years. 1. Find all the providers in your area You should always cast a wide net when you're fishing for internet providers in your neighborhood, and the best place to start is the Federal Communications Commission's website. Federal regulations require that ISPs disclose basic information like the addresses they cover and the speeds they offer, and the FCC displays this information in its Broadband Map. FCC When you enter your address, you'll see a map of your neighborhood, with all the internet providers available at your location listed on the right-hand side of the screen, along with the connection type and the maximum download and upload speed they offer. From there, you can narrow your options based on internet connection type and speeds. Locating local internet providers 2. Figure out the internet connection type The type of internet connection each provider offers will tell you almost everything you need to know to make your decision. With a few exceptions, fiber is better than cable, which is better than fixed wireless. (You can cross DSL and satellite off your list now unless you have no other options.) You'll find that fiber internet is often the most cost-efficient internet option -- while satellite internet is typically the least. Here's a quick overview of how each connection type measures up: Fiber : Fiber internet is the gold standard for internet service. It refers to the fiber-optic cables that send internet to your home, which are made out of long, thin strands of glass or plastic. Because it's so desirable, ISPs like to claim their network is fiber as often as possible. Some providers have "fiber-to-the-node" connections, which rely on slower coaxial cables for the "last mile" to the home; others are true "fiber-to-the-home" connections. According to FCC data, 48% of the US has access to fiber-to-the-home internet. The key advantage of fiber internet is its reliability and upload speeds. Fiber is the only internet connection that offers symmetrical upload and download speeds -- a major plus if you're into online gaming or work from home. If you aren't sure whether the ISP you're looking at offers fiber-to-the-node or fiber-to-the-home, look at the upload speeds . True fiber internet will have upload speeds that are just as fast as downloads. : Fiber internet is the gold standard for internet service. It refers to the fiber-optic cables that send internet to your home, which are made out of long, thin strands of glass or plastic. Because it's so desirable, ISPs like to claim their network is fiber as often as possible. Some providers have "fiber-to-the-node" connections, which rely on slower coaxial cables for the "last mile" to the home; others are true "fiber-to-the-home" connections. According to FCC data, 48% of the US has access to fiber-to-the-home internet. The key advantage of fiber internet is its reliability and upload speeds. Fiber is the only internet connection that offers symmetrical upload and download speeds -- a major plus if you're into online gaming or work from home. . True fiber internet will have upload speeds that are just as fast as downloads. Cable : Cable internet has been the default choice for internet since the dial-up days, and roughly two in three home internet connections in the US are still handled by cable providers. It's also the most widely available connection type . According to FCC data, 82% of the country has access to at least one cable provider. The "cable" in cable internet refers to the coaxial cables with copper cores that are used to transmit radio frequency signals. These can't handle as much data as fiber-optic cables, which translates to slower speeds. This is almost entirely on the upstream side of the equation, though. Upload speeds from cable ISPs typically top out at around 30Mbps. : Cable internet has been the default choice for internet since the dial-up days, and roughly two in three home internet connections in the US are still handled by cable providers. . According to FCC data, 82% of the country has access to at least one cable provider. The "cable" in cable internet refers to the coaxial cables with copper cores that are used to transmit radio frequency signals. These can't handle as much data as fiber-optic cables, which translates to slower speeds. This is almost entirely on the upstream side of the equation, though. Upload speeds from cable ISPs typically top out at around 30Mbps. Fixed wireless/5G : Until a few years ago, fixed wireless internet was on par with DSL and satellite -- a slower connection that primarily served rural areas with few other options. But with the rollout of faster 5G networks, cellphone providers have started to utilize this infrastructure for home internet, too. Instead of your phone picking up that internet connection, the cellular towers transmit data to a gateway device inside your home, which connects all your devices to the internet. Fixed wireless speeds are slower than cable and fiber on average and because the connection is wireless, it is more vulnerable to network congestion and disruption . : Until a few years ago, fixed wireless internet was on par with DSL and satellite -- a slower connection that primarily served rural areas with few other options. But with the rollout of faster 5G networks, cellphone providers have started to utilize this infrastructure for home internet, too. Instead of your phone picking up that internet connection, the cellular towers transmit data to a gateway device inside your home, which connects all your devices to the internet. . DSL : DSL (short for "digital subscriber line") is a wired connection that's typically used in rural areas without access to cable or fiber internet. The connection goes through copper phone lines, and speeds are usually very slow. Only about 4% of the DSL connections in the country meet the FCC's definition of broadband: 100Mbps of download speed and 20Mbps of upload speed. It's enough to check your email or browse the internet, but things like streaming and videoconferencing might be tough . : DSL (short for "digital subscriber line") is a wired connection that's typically used in rural areas without access to cable or fiber internet. The connection goes through copper phone lines, and speeds are usually very slow. Only about 4% of the DSL connections in the country meet the FCC's definition of broadband: 100Mbps of download speed and 20Mbps of upload speed. . Satellite: Simply put, this connection type often hits the bottom of the barrel. Satellite internet is usually the slowest and most expensive option in any given area, and it often comes with bitter pills like stingy data caps, long-term contracts and expensive equipment. Starlink according to the FCC. Note that with the exception of Google Fiber, most fiber internet providers also offer DSL service. AT&T's DSL service, for example, covers 22% of the country, compared with just 12% for fiber. ISPs don't like to brag about their DSL service, so it might not be immediately obvious whether you're looking at DSL or fiber plans. The telltale sign will always be speed. You'll see only one plan available when it's DSL, and the speed will typically be well under 150Mbps. Fiber, on the other hand, will show multiple plans, with much faster upload and download speeds. 3. Enter your address on ISP sites Once you've pulled up the FCC list of internet providers at your address, it's time to start comparing the plans each provider offers, down to the speeds and prices. Because the available plans can change from street to street, you'll need to enter your address on each ISP's website individually to see what prices and speeds you can get. The FCC mandated broadband nutrition labels to be used by every ISP. However, not all internet providers use them, and they don't always make it easy to find basic information about their plans. Here's what you should look for: Upload vs. download speed When you see internet providers talking about their speed, they're almost always referring to download speed. And that's for good reason -- most people download far more than they upload. Things like streaming TV, scrolling Instagram and installing an app all use download speed, while online gaming, videoconferencing and livestreaming require you to send data in the other, upstream direction. According to the most recent data from OpenVault, upstream data usage is rapidly growing and was up 13.7% from last year. If there are going to be multiple people in the house taking video meetings or gaming at the same time, you'll need higher upload speeds. Fiber is the only connection type that gives you "symmetrical" upload and download speeds. Price increases Anyone who's paid an internet bill for long enough has probably had to deal with price increases at some point. How painful they are depends on the company. Fiber providers tend to be the most straightforward: AT&T, Frontier and Verizon Fios don't automatically increase their prices after a "promotional period" ends. T-Mobile Home Internet even gives you a price-lock guarantee. The ones you need to look out for are the cable providers. ISPs like Xfinity, Cox and Spectrum all increase prices significantly after a year or two, and they don't exactly make it easy to find out by how much -- or when -- your bill will increase. Xfinity's FCC-mandated broadband nutrition label displays the "post-introductory price" after one year of service: the monthly cost jumps from $55 to $89. Screenshot by Cierra Noffke/CNET Spectrum, for example, shows that its 500Mbps plan costs $50 per month for 12 months, but there's no indication of what the price will be after that. You have to go to Spectrum's rate card page to see that the standard price is $85. It's not always that complicated -- you can often find what you're looking for by clicking a "view details" link -- but if you're unsure about it at all, it's a good idea to call or chat with a customer service representative to ask about price increases directly. Data caps Unlimited data is a given for most internet providers these days, but some still impose data caps on their plans. This isn't always a deal-breaker, though. Cox and Xfinity both have 1.2TB data caps on some plans. The average US household uses 663.2GB of data each month -- less than half the amount allowed by Cox and Xfinity. With 1.2TB, you'd be able to stream Netflix in HD for 13 hours per day and still have some data left over. DSL and satellite providers usually have much stingier data caps than cable or fiber. Contracts Like data caps, contracts are largely a thing of the past in the broadband world, but some companies still have them. The most stringent are the satellite providers -- Hughesnet and Viasat both require two-year contracts on all plans -- but cable companies like Xfinity sometimes require you to sign on to a contract to get the lowest price. If you do get stuck in a contract you want to get out of, some ISPs offer contract buyouts as an enticement when you switch to them. Spectrum, Optimum, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon Fios give you a bill credit or a check to help cover early termination fees, usually up to $500. Equipment fees Many internet providers charge a fee of around $10 to rent their modem and/or Wi-Fi router, but you can almost always use your own equipment and skip the equipment fee. For example, I spent $873 renting equipment from Xfinity for six years. The cost I spent on my own modem and router was well below that, and I saw improved speeds and network reliability after setting up my new equipment. In some cases, providers, like AT&T Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet, include equipment at no extra charge. Customer satisfaction Internet providers are a notoriously unpopular bunch, but some are more unpopular than others. If you want to get a sense of what it's like to have service with an ISP, the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power both conduct annual surveys on customer satisfaction with ISPs. Consumer Reports also gives out detailed scores based on reader surveys, but you'll need a subscription to access them. And it never hurts to do a web search on "internet [your city] Reddit" or ask your neighbors and friends for some on-the-ground recon on ISPs in your area. 4. Calculate how much internet speed you need We all want fast internet, but what does that really mean? Internet speed is measured in megabits per second, or Mbps, which tells you the rate at which information is downloaded or uploaded to or from the internet. A higher number means faster speed, but most activities don't actually require high speeds. You need only 15Mbps to stream Netflix in 4K, 3Mbps to take a Zoom meeting and less than 1Mbps to listen to Spotify. So for most activities, 1,000Mbps won't feel any faster than 100Mbps. But your internet speed is like a pie: each of those activities will take a slice out of your available bandwidth. Higher speeds are more about the amount of devices you can use at once than how quickly you can load a web page. There are some situations where "fast" and "slow" apply. It would take you about 3 seconds to download a 2-hour movie with a 1,000Mbps connection; with 100Mbps, that would increase to around 30 seconds. Wi-Fi is always slower When you see internet speeds advertised by providers, that number always refers to the speeds you'd get through a wired connection or Ethernet cable. While Wi-Fi 6 routers and Wi-Fi 7 routers have helped narrow the gap, accessing the internet through Wi-Fi is still significantly slower than plugging directly into your modem. How much slower depends on your router model, its placement in your home and obstacles like walls and shelves, but a good rule of thumb is to expect about half the speed through Wi-Fi that you're advertised with your internet plan. The bottom line Shopping for internet service is a pain -- and intentionally confusing in some ways. That's one of the reasons the FCC now requires providers to display clear information on their plans in the vein of nutrition labels on food products. But you'll still have to do some of the legwork yourself. Though there's a lot of information to consider, most people will be able to find an internet plan they're happy with. For more help with choosing an internet provider, check out CNET's list of the best internet providers nationwide.
