Daily News: Sir Patrick Stewart Stars in Cider Ad, Beer Grain Granola Bars

Your daily dose of news and happenings from around the drink-o-sphere:

Food & Wine magazine announced the appointment of a new editor-in-chief, Nilou Motamed, who previously worked as the editor-in-chief at Epicurious and features director at Travel + Leisure.

– San Francisco start-up Regrained turns grain waste generated by the brewing process into granola bars.

– Student unions in the U.K. are becoming more academic and less social, trading cheap beer halls for coffee shops and study areas.

– The world’s largest (nine liters) and most expensive ($7,000) bottle of gin will be put on display in London on March 10.

– Starbucks’ new reward system will require more than 30 visits to earn a free drink if your standard order is cheaper than $5.

Sir Patrick Stewart stars in a new commercial for Strongbow Hard Cider, poking fun at the indignity of an English knight doing commercials.

– Finally, a January raid on New York City bar Dahlia’s found 43 patrons younger than 18; five servers were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, unlawfully dealing with a child and criminal nuisance.

[Photo: Flickr/Alan Levine]