Beer Industry Resources
30.1.09
Obamamania
Brewpubs all over America have been preparing for Inauguration Day. Not only are they stocking up on brands that are popular in Hawaii and Chicago to pay tribute to the new President-Elect, but some have even brewed new Obama-themed beers! The District Chophouse and Brewery has introduced the "Barack Bock," an amber lager that clocks in at about 7% ABV. Capitol City Brewing has also brewed its own Obama-themed beer called "InaugurAle," a pale ale that gets its floral notes from Illinois wildflower honey. The Ommegang brewery was planning to introduce a beer called "Obamagang" but was forced by regulators to change the name to "Inauguration Ale." Apparently "Obamagang" is unacceptable because you can't use a name for commercial purposes without permission . . . but "Barack Bock" is perfectly legal . . .
Permanent link to Obamamania.
Jurassic Bock
Raul Cano, a scientist at the California Polytechnic State University, has developed a beer using yeast that is over 45 million years old. The yeast was originally found inside a Lebanese weevil that was encased in fossilized amber. Critics who have tried the beer describe the taste as smooth and spicy. This unique flavor is partly due to the metabolism of the ancient yeast, which is limited to a narrow band of carbohydrates. This differs greatly from modern yeasts, which can consume almost any type of sugar.
There is a good chance that the yeast will eventually evolve and gain the ability to consume other sugars. Cano has anticipated this and kept a batch of the original yeast to make sure the flavor of the beer doesn't change.
There is a good chance that the yeast will eventually evolve and gain the ability to consume other sugars. Cano has anticipated this and kept a batch of the original yeast to make sure the flavor of the beer doesn't change.
Permanent link to Jurassic Bock.
Alcohol Nannies Don't Like Vikings?
As we mentioned last month, the Orkney Brewery, based in northern Scotland's Orkney Islands, finds itself on the defensive from a UK alcohol industry watchdog group called the Portman Group. We've found a little bit more info about this. An article from the BBC late last year details how a report commissioned by the Portman Group complains that the name and Viking image on the label of the brewery's world famous "Skull Splitter" Scotch Ale is too "aggressive", implies violence, and connotes a powerful effect on the drinker (it has 8.5% ABV). Instead of laughing this off and dismissing the complaint outright, the Portman Group is now investigating and there is a possibility that they may order the beer removed from British store shelves after 20 years on the market.
In case you think there's no danger of them actually doing something as silly as banning Skull Splitter, evidence shows otherwise. A quick review of the Portman Group's website reveals their "Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks", which, among other things, prohibits any packaging that "glamorises" the product's strength, suggests "bravado" or any "dangerous" or "anti-social behaviour", or suggests any link to sexual or social success.
Their site also details how they have recently removed "Blackout Cider" from market because they claim its name promotes reckless drinking and their Code bans manufacturers from promoting any intoxicating effect. And then there's "Mega White Cider" which offended Portman's sensibilities by using the term "mega strength" on its packaging, and has been banned until the offending phrase is removed. However, manufacturers are obligated by the Code to make the alcohol content of their products obvious to consumers. But apparently promoting it and making it a "dominant theme" is bad and worthy of a ban. Apparently the Portman Group believes the citizens of Great Britain to be so childlike as to require Portman to protect and safeguard them from marketing messages that they are just too simple-minded to process as adults.
Now Orkney Brewery is in the crosshairs despite claiming to have repeatedly explained to Portman Group that the name and Viking image on the label is an homage to the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney, who was dubbed "Skull Splitter". But yet they still have come under "investigation".
So, let's see if we can summarize the Portman Group's position if they do, in fact, issue a ban: Referencing an historical Viking figure will incite people to recklessness and violent behavior. The image of a Viking on a beer bottle will certainly cause drinkers to pillage neighboring towns. Clearly the brewery's choice of the name "Skull Splitter" indicates their approval of medieval violence and their wish to promote this policy among the citizenry of the UK. Additionally, consumers are capable of controlling themselves when viewing the prominent and mandated 8.5% ABV on the label, but upon reading the name "Skull Splitter", an uncontrolled primal enthusiasm for drunkenness will erupt leading to the loss of all their faculties and fervent engagement in all manner of ribald, reckless, and self-destructive behavior.
Please...
Skull Splitter has been sold for 20 years worldwide (and prior to the development of Portman Group's Code). No instances of violence or self-destructive behavior have been cited by any media source that I've seen following this story. Yet we may see Skull Splitter removed from market anyway. Maybe Orkney will bring it back and call it Soothing Breezes Ale, or Happy Smiley (But Not Intoxicated) Ale, or Basket of Kittens Ale. Would that be ok?? Or does that show too much personality and attitude too? Maybe it should just say "Beer" in block letters on the label...
We enjoyed featuring this beer in our inaugural International Club and Domestic & Int'l Variety Club shipments in July 2004. Needless to say, we received no reports of pillaging. Let's hope the Portman Group shows rational judgment and does not uphold this complaint. We'll follow up on this story in a future post.
In case you think there's no danger of them actually doing something as silly as banning Skull Splitter, evidence shows otherwise. A quick review of the Portman Group's website reveals their "Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks", which, among other things, prohibits any packaging that "glamorises" the product's strength, suggests "bravado" or any "dangerous" or "anti-social behaviour", or suggests any link to sexual or social success.
Their site also details how they have recently removed "Blackout Cider" from market because they claim its name promotes reckless drinking and their Code bans manufacturers from promoting any intoxicating effect. And then there's "Mega White Cider" which offended Portman's sensibilities by using the term "mega strength" on its packaging, and has been banned until the offending phrase is removed. However, manufacturers are obligated by the Code to make the alcohol content of their products obvious to consumers. But apparently promoting it and making it a "dominant theme" is bad and worthy of a ban. Apparently the Portman Group believes the citizens of Great Britain to be so childlike as to require Portman to protect and safeguard them from marketing messages that they are just too simple-minded to process as adults.
Now Orkney Brewery is in the crosshairs despite claiming to have repeatedly explained to Portman Group that the name and Viking image on the label is an homage to the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney, who was dubbed "Skull Splitter". But yet they still have come under "investigation".
So, let's see if we can summarize the Portman Group's position if they do, in fact, issue a ban: Referencing an historical Viking figure will incite people to recklessness and violent behavior. The image of a Viking on a beer bottle will certainly cause drinkers to pillage neighboring towns. Clearly the brewery's choice of the name "Skull Splitter" indicates their approval of medieval violence and their wish to promote this policy among the citizenry of the UK. Additionally, consumers are capable of controlling themselves when viewing the prominent and mandated 8.5% ABV on the label, but upon reading the name "Skull Splitter", an uncontrolled primal enthusiasm for drunkenness will erupt leading to the loss of all their faculties and fervent engagement in all manner of ribald, reckless, and self-destructive behavior.
Please...
Skull Splitter has been sold for 20 years worldwide (and prior to the development of Portman Group's Code). No instances of violence or self-destructive behavior have been cited by any media source that I've seen following this story. Yet we may see Skull Splitter removed from market anyway. Maybe Orkney will bring it back and call it Soothing Breezes Ale, or Happy Smiley (But Not Intoxicated) Ale, or Basket of Kittens Ale. Would that be ok?? Or does that show too much personality and attitude too? Maybe it should just say "Beer" in block letters on the label...
We enjoyed featuring this beer in our inaugural International Club and Domestic & Int'l Variety Club shipments in July 2004. Needless to say, we received no reports of pillaging. Let's hope the Portman Group shows rational judgment and does not uphold this complaint. We'll follow up on this story in a future post.
Permanent link to Alcohol Nannies Don't Like Vikings?.
600 Year Old Brewery
Bummer for beer lovers visiting England! Anheuser-BuschInBev has announced that it plans to shut down a 600-year-old brewery in London. The Stag Brewery, one of the oldest breweries in Britain, employs 182 workers. The company has stated that it will be restructuring operations in Britain due to the weakening economy and rising beer taxes. The shutdown is scheduled to take place in 2010.
Permanent link to 600 Year Old Brewery.
16.1.09
What Are Hops?
In a recent post we discussed how high hop prices were impacting the U.S. craft brewing industry. So what exactly is a "hop" after all, and what is its function in the brewing process? Well, let's take a closer look at this little green flower.
The hop is a climbing plant related to hemp, and there are both males and females. The females are the ones that are planted commercially because only the females produce the flower cones used in brewing. Once harvested, those flower cones are called hops, so the term "hop" can really refer to both the plant and the flower depending on the context. The importance of the hop flowers to the art of brewing comes from their utility as both a bittering agent and a contributor of aroma, as well as being a natural preservative adept at warding off bacterial spoilage.
The first documented evidence of hops being used in brewing comes from Germany in the 11th Century. Prior to it becoming a widespread beer flavoring and preservative, many other plants were used in beer, such as anise, juniper, spruce, pine, tree bark, wormwood, rosemary, and many others. Not until the 16th Century did hops become a component of British beer, and it was another century until hops began being grown in America.
Hops contain two types of acid useful to brewers known as alpha and beta acids, which both act as natural preserving agents by killing or hindering the growth of various bacteria. British brewers took advantage of this by brewing intensely-hopped beers (which eventually became known as India Pale Ale, or IPA) in order to prevent spoilage on their long journey to British colonies in India. The two acids are different in that typically alpha acids provide the bitterness in a beer while beta acids contribute to aroma. Therefore brewers select hop varieties that have high levels of alpha acid, like Columbus for instance, in order to add bitterness to the beer (which is important for balancing the sweetness of the malt); they select hops with higher proportions of beta acids, like Cascade, to add the specific aromas they desire.
Some brewers may only use a single variety of hops when brewing, for instance Saaz hops for a Czech Pilsner. Other brewers choose to use 2, 3, or even more varieties of hops to achieve layers of complexity, like the excellent Jamaica Brand Red Ale featured in April '08 from Mad River Brewing Company, which uses Cascade, Magnum, Summit, and Willamette all in the same brew, and to great effect we might add!
The hop is a climbing plant related to hemp, and there are both males and females. The females are the ones that are planted commercially because only the females produce the flower cones used in brewing. Once harvested, those flower cones are called hops, so the term "hop" can really refer to both the plant and the flower depending on the context. The importance of the hop flowers to the art of brewing comes from their utility as both a bittering agent and a contributor of aroma, as well as being a natural preservative adept at warding off bacterial spoilage.
The first documented evidence of hops being used in brewing comes from Germany in the 11th Century. Prior to it becoming a widespread beer flavoring and preservative, many other plants were used in beer, such as anise, juniper, spruce, pine, tree bark, wormwood, rosemary, and many others. Not until the 16th Century did hops become a component of British beer, and it was another century until hops began being grown in America.
Hops contain two types of acid useful to brewers known as alpha and beta acids, which both act as natural preserving agents by killing or hindering the growth of various bacteria. British brewers took advantage of this by brewing intensely-hopped beers (which eventually became known as India Pale Ale, or IPA) in order to prevent spoilage on their long journey to British colonies in India. The two acids are different in that typically alpha acids provide the bitterness in a beer while beta acids contribute to aroma. Therefore brewers select hop varieties that have high levels of alpha acid, like Columbus for instance, in order to add bitterness to the beer (which is important for balancing the sweetness of the malt); they select hops with higher proportions of beta acids, like Cascade, to add the specific aromas they desire.
Some brewers may only use a single variety of hops when brewing, for instance Saaz hops for a Czech Pilsner. Other brewers choose to use 2, 3, or even more varieties of hops to achieve layers of complexity, like the excellent Jamaica Brand Red Ale featured in April '08 from Mad River Brewing Company, which uses Cascade, Magnum, Summit, and Willamette all in the same brew, and to great effect we might add!
Permanent link to What Are Hops?.
Skullsplitter to Get the Axe?
The Orkney Brewery, makers of Skull Splitter Ale, a tasty brew that I first tasted as a member of the microbrewed beer of the month club, has had to mount a defense of its label art which could be withdrawn from sale in the UK following a report claiming that the labels are too aggressive.
You've got to be kidding me? This is aggressive? Do the guys that wrote this report get cable? The report was commissioned by the Portman Group, by the way, in the event that you'd like to know where to direct your letters.
Skull Splitter, created over 20 years ago, was singled out in the report as it was thought that its name implies violence. Additionally, because the brew weighs in at 8.5% ABV, it was more likely that the name and violent label would make the drinker more inclined towards violence when drinking it.
Man oh man, it's a crazy world we live in. Somebody oughta sell tickets. I'm so agitated, I just might go bust out a skullsplitter and then bust me some heads.
You've got to be kidding me? This is aggressive? Do the guys that wrote this report get cable? The report was commissioned by the Portman Group, by the way, in the event that you'd like to know where to direct your letters.
Skull Splitter, created over 20 years ago, was singled out in the report as it was thought that its name implies violence. Additionally, because the brew weighs in at 8.5% ABV, it was more likely that the name and violent label would make the drinker more inclined towards violence when drinking it.
Man oh man, it's a crazy world we live in. Somebody oughta sell tickets. I'm so agitated, I just might go bust out a skullsplitter and then bust me some heads.
Permanent link to Skullsplitter to Get the Axe?.
Oktoberfest 2009
I was surfing around looking for information on the world famous Oktoberfest in Germany and stumbled across this site: http://www.munich-oktoberfest.net. Heaps of good information here like accommodations, history, statistics, songs sung, maps of the event and quite a bit more. I dropped in a few snippets from the history section below as it's pretty interesting.
The whole deal started in 1810 when Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxony. They celebrated the wedding with a horse race outside the city and something like 40,000 showed up for the party. The Prince even got Munich breweries to create a special beer for the event.
The first beer tents arrived in 1896. On the first Saturday of the event, there's a traditional parade which ends in the ceremonial tapping of the first keg. Since its inception, it's only been cancelled 24 times...and for pretty good reasons...things like cholera outbreaks and war. Go figure.
A large portion of the festival is held in September because back in the 15th century, beer was not brewed in the summer months as those batches rarely turned out well. The last batches, made in March, were made with higher ABVs to preserve the brew and traditionally the fest commenced on the last Saturday in September until the First Sunday in October so all could drink up the old stocks and make room for the new which would be made after harvest.
Count me in!
The whole deal started in 1810 when Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxony. They celebrated the wedding with a horse race outside the city and something like 40,000 showed up for the party. The Prince even got Munich breweries to create a special beer for the event.
The first beer tents arrived in 1896. On the first Saturday of the event, there's a traditional parade which ends in the ceremonial tapping of the first keg. Since its inception, it's only been cancelled 24 times...and for pretty good reasons...things like cholera outbreaks and war. Go figure.
A large portion of the festival is held in September because back in the 15th century, beer was not brewed in the summer months as those batches rarely turned out well. The last batches, made in March, were made with higher ABVs to preserve the brew and traditionally the fest commenced on the last Saturday in September until the First Sunday in October so all could drink up the old stocks and make room for the new which would be made after harvest.
Count me in!
Permanent link to Oktoberfest 2009.
Gorgonzola Ale Soup
If you dig gorgonzola, you're gonna dig this recipe for gorgonzola ale Soup. It's pretty easy to make and perfect for the approaching cooler fall months! Salute!
2 lb peeled red potatoes
3/4 lb peeled and diced yellow onions
4 cups chicken stock
1 pt American wheat ale
3/4 lb Gorgonzola cheese
1 pt heavy cream
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp ground white pepper
4 tsp cornstarch
Boil the potatoes and onions in water until the potatoes become slightly soft and then drain. Be sure to save the water. Puree your potatoes and onions, adding the potato water as necessary until it becomes smooth.
Bring the chicken stock and beer to a boil in a large pot, reduce the heat and gradually add in your Gorgonzola, whipping it with a whisk to make the mixture silky smooth. Next, add the cream and gradually the potato mixture, again whipping as you combine them. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer before adding salt and pepper to taste. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and slowly add it to the soup, whisking gently. Are you tired of whisking yet? You're almost done! Simmer for at least 10 minutes prior to serving. Makes 8-10 portions.
2 lb peeled red potatoes
3/4 lb peeled and diced yellow onions
4 cups chicken stock
1 pt American wheat ale
3/4 lb Gorgonzola cheese
1 pt heavy cream
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp ground white pepper
4 tsp cornstarch
Boil the potatoes and onions in water until the potatoes become slightly soft and then drain. Be sure to save the water. Puree your potatoes and onions, adding the potato water as necessary until it becomes smooth.
Bring the chicken stock and beer to a boil in a large pot, reduce the heat and gradually add in your Gorgonzola, whipping it with a whisk to make the mixture silky smooth. Next, add the cream and gradually the potato mixture, again whipping as you combine them. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer before adding salt and pepper to taste. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and slowly add it to the soup, whisking gently. Are you tired of whisking yet? You're almost done! Simmer for at least 10 minutes prior to serving. Makes 8-10 portions.
Permanent link to Gorgonzola Ale Soup.
