Beer in the news

[chalmers]

Enjoyed this spot in Denver: http://mrbswineandspirits.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also made another stop, but can't remember the name. May be: http://www.mondovinodenver.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mikeorr]

No luck at Argonauts, staffer said it wouldn't be arriving until the new year??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[chalmers]

Dang. I see that someone has checked into it on untappd, but that doesn't mean much...

[BobbyOK]

Hoo boy. Up next, the auction block?

http://www.up931.com/news.asp?mn=12&id=1710&cc=1684" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Moosehead Breweries to lay off nearly half of its hourly staff in the new year

It's bad news for some of the workers at Moosehead Breweries in the Port City. Notices have gone out for 70 workers who will be laid off in the new year. That's close to half the workforce at the plant. Moosehead says some of the job cuts may come from retirements but that isn't known yet.Moosehead and the provincial government are working together to provide support programs for those who will be laid off, including re-employment counselling and retraining.

[gm-]

Can beer make you smarter? Hop compound boosts brain function - but you'd need to drink 3,500 PINTS a day

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... S-day.html

[mr x]

That's a heavy reduction at Moosehead.

[canuck]

That's a heavy reduction at Moosehead.

Yep, and it's funny they don't mention the actual reason for the layoffs.......loss of the Guinness contract.

[GuingesRock]

Maybe they had to sign something before that they would keep quiet about Guinness being brewed by local breweries with Guinness extract, so Guinness can keep on duping people into thinking it comes over from Ireland and it's the real thing.

[mr x]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/trave ... egion&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GasMD30]

A couple of news articles on beer and craft brewing...

This one is on clean water in the US:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-beer-i ... 41?cmp=rss" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This one is on the use of hops in craft brewing:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-294564 ... ign=buffer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[canuck]

http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/miller ... 1642630977" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



[quote]The Brewers Association held their prom this past weekend, and in keeping with timeless prom tradition, I was left home alone while all the cooler boozers attended the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. (Incidentally, my invitation to the Spring Formal was also lost in the mail, as April 11 saw me at home with the cat rather than in Denver for the World Beer Cup.)

That's cool, and I'm not bitter at all, and these slights will in no way influence the following even-handed analysis of the judges' decisions. The GABF cabal awarded medals on Saturday, after a couple days of typical trade-show baby-kissing, ass-grabbing, and general LARPing around with a beer in one hand, a beer in the other hand, and no hands left to wring over the fate of the cat and I, who, don't worry, were JUST FINE catching up on The Mindy Project over mugs of tear-spiked Schlitz.

The GABF was first held in 1982; the judges/awards action began in 1987, with only 12 categories at first (including several historical oddities, including Samuel Adams Boston Lager's gold in the long-retired Continental Pilsner category). Things have expanded a bit since then. This year the judges considered 90 distinct styles, including Field Beer (46 entries), Specialty Honey Beer (56 entries), and Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale (64 entries). Congratulations to gold medalists 10 Barrel Brewing Company Cucumber Crush, Wicked Weed Mampara, and Utah Brewers Cooperative Squatters Hell's Keep, respectively.

Beer Advocate columnist Andy Crouch admitted Saturday afternoon that he hadn't heard of 90 percent of the breweries being called up to the podium; while that may have been a bit facetious, it does highlight the larger point that there are more than 3,000 breweries in the United States these days, and that many of the newer, smaller, and therefore more obscure ones are producing the best beer. If there were a Massachusetts-only beer awards show, most of the medals would go to such outfits as Trillium, Tree House, and Wormtown. Heard of 'em?

But here's a familiar category with a familiar winner: The judges selected by the Brewers Association to oversee the awards at their preeminent industry gala have declared that Miller Lite is our great nation's best American-Style Lager or Light Lager. I kinda like Miller Lite, and the shortest hair on the youngest GABF judge's beard knows 10 times more about beer than I ever hope to, but: What the fuck?

There were 32 entrants in this category, and only two others have been revealed to the public: silver medalist Coors Light and bronze-winning Coors. This suggests that either a) MillerCoors is a much better brewing conglomerate than we give it credit for, b) the whole damn thing's crooked, or c) not many good breweries bothered to enter their wares in this particular field. It's likely some combination of the first and third options, though I can't be certain, because not only did the Brewers Association decline to invite me to their party, they also haven't responded to my request for the complete list of entries (to be fair, I didn't email until this morning, and they're a couple time zones behind me and just wrapped up a gigantic event with "Beer" in the title; I'll tack the full list onto an updated version of this post if I ever hear back).

This sort of judging is inherently subjective, sure, but it was also carried out by some of the most qualified people in the industry. So one possible conclusion is that these pros, judging blind, aren't as instinctively dismissive of the macro brewers as the rest of us are. Another possible conclusion is that they're out of the goddamn minds. Either way, here's the official Drunkspin review of Miller Lite.

Miller Lite also won GABF gold in its category in 2010, as well as silver in 2003 and 2012, but it has not fared quite as well in Drunkspin competitions. It finished 5th of 24 in a light-beer ranking that included imported as well as craft lights, and 6th of 36 on the list of cheap American beers. These are strong showings, but they don't suggest that we're dealing with "a world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma, and appearance," which is how the GABF defines its gold standard.

I've never had a bad Miller Lite (nor a particularly good one), which is a credit to the manufacturer. Most brewers have grudging respect for the consistency with which Big Yellow manages to mass-produce its beers, and I think Miller Lite is the best of the bunch in that and most other regards. It is clean and crisp, with no off-flavors (as long as you're willing to accept a small dose of lemon pith, which doesn't seem to come from either hops or lemons, but also doesn't do any harm). The predominant impression is of liquefied, carbonated Cheerios. That'll do.

But I'm not comfortable with it winning a major national competition until I see the ballots./quote]

[canuck]

Geez, I thought ANBL was bad enough taking 25% of from the sale of my kegs........NSLC is taking 34%

[Jimmy]

Brutal!

[canuck]

Yep, brutal is right!!

[toddthebeerdude]

Geez, I thought ANBL was bad enough taking 25% of from the sale of my kegs........NSLC is taking 34%

it's like robbery

[Keith]

That's insane. Is that all the taxes? or do you need to pay more on top of that?

[mr x]

]Had some red today at Andre's Seats.

Fucking fuck this app won't load pics

[Jimmy]

Saw on Facebook that Keith's is getting into the growler filling business down at the old brewery..

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Jimmy]

That Beer Smell? Designed to Attract Flies

We have fruit flies to thank for beer’s familiar smell, according to new research.

The most prominent odors released by beer are produced by common brewer’s yeast, which evolved the aroma to attract fruit flies. The flies, in turn, benefit yeast by dispersing its cells into the environment.


“Two seemingly unrelated species, yeasts and flies, have developed an intricate symbiosis based on smell,” researcher Kevin Verstrepen of KU Leuven and VIB in Belgium said in a press release. “The flies can feed on the yeasts, and the yeasts benefit from the movement of the flies.”

A paper on the unlikely duo — beer and flies — is published in the latest issue of Cell Reports.

Verstrepen had a light bulb moment 15 years ago while studying how yeast cells contribute to the flavor of both beer and wine.

He discovered that yeast cells produce several pleasant and appetizing aroma compounds similar to those produced by ripening fruits. Like fruit, the yeast uses these tempting smells to lure in beneficial others. One yeast gene in particular, alcohol acetyl transferase (ATF1), was responsible for most of the volatile chemicals.


Verstrepen recalled, “When returning to the lab after a weekend, I found that a flask with a smelly yeast culture was infested by fruit flies that had escaped from a neighboring genetics lab, whereas another flask that contained a mutant yeast strain in which the aroma gene was deleted did not contain any flies.”

The years passed, but he never forgot that moment.

For the recent study, he teamed up with fruit fly neurobiologists Emre Yaksi and Bassem Hassan. The researchers used a combination of molecular biology, neurobiology and behavioral tests to show that loss of ATF1 changes the response of the fruit fly brain to a whiff of yeast.

As predicted from the earlier work, mutant yeast cells were a turnoff to the flies. This was bad for the yeast too, since the altered yeast wasn’t dispersed much by the flies.

The research as a whole suggests that the lives of microbes and insects may be intertwined, with each evolving various traits, including smell, to benefit both parties.

The scientists also examined the flies themselves and found that the tiny insects always gravitate toward fragrant yeast, based on yeast remains found in and on the flies’ bodies.

Beer and wine connoisseurs often wax poetic when characterizing the smells of these popular beverages, but the next time you get a whiff of beer, think of fruit flies and their contribution to this drink’s characteristic odor.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/insec ... 141009.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GuingesRock]

That's Interesting. I got one of the little buggers.

..gif

[mr x]

Belgian scientists recreate 150-year-old shipwrecked beer
Stallhagen enters marketplace based on bottles discovered off Finland coast in 2010 after being underwater since 1842

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... ecked-beer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Belgian scientists have successfully recreated a 19th-century beer that was discovered during the search of a shipwreck off the coast of Finland in 2010.

The bottles had lain 50 metres underwater since 1842. The government of the autonomous Åland Islands called on researchers at Belgium’s KU Leuven’s Brewing Technology Research Group to analyse the antique brew.

Following several years of reconstruction work, a Finnish brewery is now marketing what it claims is an accurate recreation of the beer.

Stallhagen is ready to introduce the unique flavour to the international market, whilst producers in Belgium gear up to mass-produce the 172-year-old liquor with a price tag of €113 (£89) a bottle.

Brewmaster Gert De Rouck fermented a lineup of test beers using the same ingredients found in the shipwrecked bottles.

“Based on the micro-organisms in the bottles, we were able to figure out which type of yeast and bacteria were used by the beer’s 19th-century brewers. This information allowed us to trace the beer back to Belgium,” said De Rouck.

“We combined history and tradition with innovative brewing knowledge. The symbiosis between the organisms and the malt flavours results in the very special overall flavour of this beer.”

With an alcohol content of 4.7%, the beer is much sweeter than modern brews because of the way the malt was produced.

The expensive 1842 bottle is the high-end version targeting connoisseur consumers, while a “more commercially viable” replica – Stallhagen 1843 – sells at around €6 for a 37.5cl bottle in Finland. There are plans to promote the beer on a global scale, with profits helping to support scientific projects, including archaeological research in Finnish waters.

“This beer is absolutely delicious and offers consumers a taste of history,” said Stallhagen CEO Jan Wennström. “It’s very champagne-like with soft bubbles because of the way it has been made to replicate the original which used very little hops so it’s golden yellow with none of the typical bitterness or hops aroma. The taste profile is closer to wine than beer.

“It’s a fascinating story and we’ve all been working hard for a very long time on this project and are excited to be bringing the beer to market.”

[GasMD30]

^^^ that's cool!

Found this link today:
http://www.torontolife.com/daily-dish/d ... fine-wine/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RubberToe]

Beer Bribery
One brewer has cried foul on breweries that pay off bars to serve their beers.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/beer-bribery" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23dirtylines" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr x]

Payola lolol

[chalmers]

Does this go on around here? I'd hate to think so, but I'm not so naive to think it doesn't. Plenty of lines that are exclusively dedicated to one brewery or another. I know of only one bar that specifically, and proudly, does not have dedicated lines: Stillwell.