Homer (he of the Simpsons, not the Greeks) once famously toasted his favorite beverage as "the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." Well said, but there's more to beer than Homer's beloved Duff. It may be the world's oldest alcoholic beverage, but it's hardly been pushed to the back of the fridge. Here's the latest.http://www.newser.com/2008 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorWed, 03 Dec 2008 22:00:10 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/42264/beer-101-now-thats-a-party-school.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe University of Wisconsin is starting a class with one thing you’d think its students would already know well: beer. But the offering is about the science of brewing, focuses on fermentation, and is taught by the bacteriology department, the Chicago Tribune reports. “This is not a course to help kids go out and slam beers on Friday night,” the instructor said.http://www.newser.com/story/42264/beer-101-now-thats-a-party-school.html?refid=rss_all_defaultMon, 10 Nov 2008 16:01:32 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/130885/university-researchers-developing-cancer-fighting-beer.html?refid=rss_all_default"A team of researchers at Rice University in Houston is working to create a beer that could fight cancer and heart disease. Taylor Stevenson, a member of the six-student research team and a junior at Rice, said the team is using genetic engineering to create a beer that includes resveratrol, the disease-fighting chemical that's been found in red wine."http://www.newser.com/story/130885/university-researchers-developing-cancer-fighting-beer.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 23 Oct 2008 9:14:30 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/38827/oktoberfest-brews-gotta-be-poundable.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTo wash down sausages, sauerkraut, and pretzels, Oktoberfest beer must flow like a dinner wine: "Worthy of attention without demanding to be the center of attention," writes Eric Asimov in the New York Times. And with festive consumption measured in liters, it must also be "poundable." Asimov and a tasting panel sampled 24 Oktoberfest beers, judging them on their traditional Bavarian style. Some standouts:http://www.newser.com/story/38827/oktoberfest-brews-gotta-be-poundable.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 01 Oct 2008 9:17:17 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/37190/chinese-beer-to-dethrone-bud-light.html?refid=rss_all_defaultA Chinese favorite may have replaced Bud Light as the world’s best-selling beer, without selling a single keg outside of China, the Wall Street Journal reports. One research firm says 1.35 billion gallons of Snow Beer were consumed last year to 48.4 million of Bud Light, while another says the US brand holds a 1.37 billion-1.35 billion edge.http://www.newser.com/story/37190/chinese-beer-to-dethrone-bud-light.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThu, 11 Sep 2008 11:54:07 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/36393/calif-brewer-wins-fight-to-sell-legal-weed.html?refid=rss_all_defaultVaune Dillmann can market his beer from the small California town of Weed with the slogan "Try Legal Weed" after regulators backed off what could have been a drawn-out court battle, the Los Angeles Times reports. The feds tried to block Dillmann, citing a law prohibiting drug references on alcoholic beverages. "They said I was guilty of a thought crime," he said.http://www.newser.com/story/36393/calif-brewer-wins-fight-to-sell-legal-weed.html?refid=rss_all_defaultTue, 02 Sep 2008 10:18:30 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/35380/tastes-great-or-less-filling-old-ad-slogan-coming-back.html?refid=rss_all_defaultDoes it taste great, or is it less filling? Miller Lite drinkers can have it both ways, the Chicago Tribune reports: The beer’s 30-year-old slogan “Great taste, less filling” is being resurrected for a fall advertising campaign coming to a TV, radio, and store near you. Parent company MillerCoors is trying to unseat light-beer king Anheuser-Busch.http://www.newser.com/story/35380/tastes-great-or-less-filling-old-ad-slogan-coming-back.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 20 Aug 2008 13:36:33 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/34494/the-hardest-drinking-us-cities.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFamous for its arts festivals and home to a large college population, Austin, Texas, takes top honors as America’s hardest-drinking city, reports Forbes in its distillation of behavioral data from the CDC. Here are the top 5: Austin—1 in 5 admit to binge drinking, and 9% of men have two drinks a day.http://www.newser.com/story/34494/the-hardest-drinking-us-cities.html?refid=rss_all_defaultSat, 09 Aug 2008 5:31:48 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33919/wii-caught-up-in-beer-pong-brouhaha.html?refid=rss_all_defaultThe video game version of frat-boy favorite beer pong is getting watered down, Time reports. An outcry from parents concerned about youthful binge-drinking has forced JV Games to change the name of its new Wii release to Pong Toss —and to swap the virtual beer in the game's cups to virtual water.http://www.newser.com/story/33919/wii-caught-up-in-beer-pong-brouhaha.html?refid=rss_all_defaultFri, 01 Aug 2008 5:11:52 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33080/federal-alcohol-labeling-rules-dont-go-down-easy.html?refid=rss_all_defaultEnergy drink makers can give their products names like Cocaine and Speed Freak, and it's fine for a perfume to be called Opium. But when a California microbrewer from the tiny town of Weed submitted an application for a new beer to the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, he was told that his company’s slogan—“Try legal Weed”—had to go, Reason reports.http://www.newser.com/story/33080/federal-alcohol-labeling-rules-dont-go-down-easy.html?refid=rss_all_defaultWed, 23 Jul 2008 11:00:10 CDT