NEW MENU - Ferrante Winery and Ristorante in Geneva has launched a new and improved menu. The menu was designed to pair entrees with the winery's Signature Series wines. Both winemaker Nicholas Ferrante and executive chef Nina Kacvinsky worked closely to make sure that each dish pairs perfectly with the accompanying wine. More information is available at www.ferrantewinery.com.

BEER STIMULUS - Legislation has been proposed in Congress to lower the excise tax on craft brewers. According to Real Beer News, the measure, being called a "beer stimulus" bill within the industry, would reduce taxes for breweries producing fewer than 6 million barrels a year. In support of the bill, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Kevin Brady (R-Texas), a study by Harvard University found lowering the excise tax would create more than 2,700 new jobs.

WEDDING GIFT - What do you get your future father-in-law as a gift when he is a former president? For Marc Mezvinsky, who married former President Bill Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, earlier this month, it was two bottles of single malt Scotch: Scott's Selection Glen Elgin 1980 Highland Cask Strength Whiskey and Scott's Selection Glenrothes 1980 Highland Cask Strength, both from the year Chelsea was born. According to Forscotchlovers.com, bottles in the first shipment were broken by the courier service, so a second shipment was overnighted to Rhinebeck, N.Y., site of the wedding, in time for the Friday evening rehearsal dinner.

STINKY BREWERY - City Brewing Co. in Latrobe, Pa., temporarily shut down earlier this month after neighbors complained of a foul odor coming from the city's sewer plant. According to the Associated Press, city officials suspected sugary drinks being produced at the brewery were causing the wastewater treatment problems. The brewery, formerly the home of Rolling Rock beer, currently produces Iron City beer, among others.

STRONGER BREW - The battle over the world's strongest beer continues. According to IndyPosted.com, a week after Scotland's BrewDog claimed the "World's Strongest Beer" title with its "The End of History," which has an alcohol content of 55 percent, a Dutch rival snatched back the title. Koelschip's "Start the Future" comes in at 60 percent ABV, or 120 proof. The beer sells for $45 for a 1/3 liter bottle.

BAC APP - There seems to be a smart phone application for everything these days, including calculating a person's blood alcohol content. The Funtoxication app for iPhone and iPod uses a standard scientific BAC formula based on user-provided data for age, sex and weight, along with alcohol type and time spent consuming alcohol, to calculate an estimate of the user's BAC. Other available functions of the app track the users alcohol consumption in real time, log the type of alcohol consumed, provide alerts when the user is over .08 percent BAC, offer a built-in taxi search function and provide games to test the user's concentration, short-term memory and quick-response time.

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE - The National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association is marking its two-year anniversary with a 2010 membership drive. NRRDA, which represents some of the largest national retail and restaurant chains dedicated to the defense of industry claims, is offering corporate memberships, free webinars for members and an e-blast program that allows members to ask questions and receive answers from other members and industry professionals. The membership drive will continue through the end of the year. Information is available at www.nrrda.org.