Zack Cobb

Gifts for the Holidays from Discoveries at the Jungle: England

As the nights get longer and the weather colder, it’s the time of the year for buying our loved ones thoughtful gifts and staying cozy together at home. To help you out with your holiday shopping, we’ve assembled this holiday gift guide using items from our Discoveries at the Jungle: England selection! Many foods from England and the United Kingdom are hearty and comforting, making them perfect choices for winter. Whether you’re searching for a gift for a picky eater,

Beer Department: Give the gift of Beer!

The holidays are a time of happiness, joy… and usually a fair amount of stress. To mitigate some of this stress, remember that all beer geeks (like yours truly) love to receive beer as a gift. This makes gift giving for the beer lover in your life extra easy. For the inside scoop on some great sudsy gifts under the tree this year, read on to learn more about some of the awesome options available in the Jungle.

Beer Department: Get to know a style: Pilsner

When a style is as ubiquitous as Pilsner (pils, for short), one might be inclined to believe they understand it. After all, pilsners have dominated global beer consumption since their introduction in the 19th century. Pilsners, or descendants thereof, can be found everywhere beer is drunk, from Sapporo and Asahi in Japan to Efes in Turkey and from Quilmes in Argentina to Budweiser in the good ol’ US of A. Many beers, such as Miller Lite,

Diwali, or Deepavali, the Festival of Lights

Also called Deepavali or the Festival of Lights, Diwali is a 5-day holiday that is celebrated in India, Nepal, Singapore, and around the world! Diwali literally means “to light in a straight path or row” and is derived from the Sanskrit words “deepa,” meaning “to illuminate” and “aa-vali,” which means “in a row.” The name of the festival is quite literal, and this is evident in Diwali’s most famous and popular tradition, the lighting of lamps and candles.

Your Guide to the Regional Cuisines of India

Historians believe that people arrived in India over 55,000 years ago, making India one of the oldest human civilizations in the world. This long history, combined with the fact that India currently has a population of over 1.2 billion, means that India is home to a huge diversity of language, food, and culture! The various cuisines of India can be largely separated into four areas: North, South, East, and West. Keep reading to learn about the unique (and delicious!) foods from each of these regions!

Beer Department: What is Wet Hopping?

In the modern proliferation of hazy, aroma driven New England Style IPAs, most people have become familiar with the term “dry-hopped.” Dry hopping simply means adding hops to a finished beer after fermentation finishes as a way to impart more aroma. You let the hops soak in the beer for a while, then remove them, and voila! You have a dry-hopped beer.

Confusingly enough, wet-hopping is not the opposite of dry-hopping. The two techniques are not even related,

All About Olives: 5 Facts About This Unique Fruit

Olives aren’t for everybody, but for those people that enjoy the intense saltiness and briny flavor of olives, there is no substitute. But, if you’re not an olive enthusiast, you may not know much about these little fruits. In fact, many people don’t even realize that olives are, indeed, a fruit! That’s why we’ve put together this list of 5 fun facts to teach you all about olives. Read on to become an all-around olive expert!

Mid-Autumn Festival

Traditionally observed at the end of the harvest season, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese holiday that is celebrated to honor the moon and the harvest. Also called the Harvest Moon Festival, the holiday is the second most important festival in China and is a time for family reunions. It’s been celebrated for over 1,000 years, though some believe it is as old as 3,000 years. Either way, it’s an ancient holiday that has been observed for countless generations and has great meaning to those who celebrate.

Smoked Seafood from Ducktrap River of Maine

Full of vitamins, minerals, and essential omega-3 fatty acids, seafood is a great source of protein! Many people enjoy including seafood in their diet, but it’s important to be aware of where your seafood comes from. How your seafood is farmed or caught can affect its nutritional value and, for that matter, can have an impact on the environment. Most of us want to know that we’re eating the highest quality, safe seafood, but it’s often difficult to puzzle out the path that your seafood has taken to get to your plate.

Beer Department: Oktoberfest season!

It is no secret that the heavily German Greater Cincinnati (Zinzinnati) area loves Oktoberfest season. Our humble little city actually hosts the second largest festival in the world, second only to the original in Münich. Being the proper descendants of German immigrants that we are, we revel in German culture at this festival: music, food, attire, and, most importantly, beer! Festbier is widely consumed, but poorly understood, and that’s a crying shame! Let’s dive into this confusing world of beer and sort things out!