Beer in the news

[CorneliusAlphonse]

"@CBCMaritimeNoon: Today: researcher makes the case for raising the drinking age to 21. Says it would save lives.
Thoughts? #cbcmar"https://twitter.com/CBCMaritimeNoon/sta ... 2600056832

:rolleyes:

[mr x]

Beer Madness: Devils Backbone Vienna Lager takes the title

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jason Oliver is going to need a larger trophy case.

Since he became head brewer at Virginia’s Devils Backbone Brewing in 2008, Oliver has collected 23 medals at the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver and seven awards at the biannual World Beer Cup. In 2012 the company was named Small Brewpub of the Year, and in 2013 Small Brewing Company of the Year, at the Denver festival.

Now, Oliver holds the coveted Washington Post Beer Madness championship title as well.

Devils Backbone Vienna Lager achieved that feat most economically, sliding by Victory Brewing’s Swing Session Saison, 5-4. It was the fourth consecutive time in the five rounds of Beer Madness, our quest to find the region’s best brew, that the elegantly malty lager bested its opposition by a one-vote margin.

The Vienna had some ardent fans who instantly identified it from previous rounds. “This is one of the few beers I recognize because of its lovely coppery color and the way it catches the light,” wrote reader panelist Echo Rummel. “Flavor is balanced, though not rich.”

“Lovely nose. Malty goodness,” praised fellow reader panelist Bryan Berghoef. “Toasty. A bit of toffee, caramel notes.”

“There can only be one Highlander,” concluded Miles Gray III, managing partner of Smith Commons Public House, in picking the subtle lager over the spicy saison with its piquant notes of citrus and pepper.

Vienna lager is a ruddy amber beer that was introduced in the Austrian capital in the mid-19th century. It pretty much disappeared in its native land, but it caught on in Mexico during the reign of Maximilian I and survives there in the guise of Dos Equis and Negra Modelo. The amber lagers that dominated the beerscape during the early days of craft brewing in America paid homage to this style.

A malt-forward brew with biscuit and toasty notes and just enough hops for balance, Vienna is so similar to Marzen and Oktoberfest beers that many Beer 101 books treat them as identical triplets. However, the Vienna “is more streamlined and more approachable,” says Oliver. “There’s no heavy body and sweetness.”

It also has less alcohol than its stylistic cousins. Gordon Biersch Marzen, a beer that Oliver brewed during his 61 / 2-year tenure with the downtown D.C. brewpub, measures 5.7 percent alcohol by volume. Devils Backbone Vienna Lager, by comparison, clocks in at 4.9 percent.

Expert panelist Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) hit the nail on the head when he remarked that our winner was the beer he’d easily choose “if I was drinking a 16-ounce.”

Oliver likes to push the envelope with new styles. As of this writing, the Devils Backbone brewpub in Roseland was serving his New World Pilsner, a golden lager flavored with a native American hop variety called Neo-Mexicanus, which, according to Oliver, imparts a distinctive “peach-mango” character.

But the Vienna Lager is the brew that pays the bills. It’s the most popular beer at the brewpub, says Oliver, and accounts for 65 percent of off-premise sales. “We cannot keep up with this beer,” he sighs.

To allow the beer to mellow, the brewer needs to age it for five weeks, reports Oliver; it’s an extravagant amount of time compared with the quicker-fermenting ales that small breweries tend to specialize in. It’s one of the reasons that Devils Backbone recently installed eight new 240-barrel fermentation tanks at its satellite brewery in Lexington, Va. (dubbed the Outpost), and has four more such vessels on the way. Devils Backbone rolled out about 25,000 barrels of beer last year, making it the Old Dominion’s largest craft brewery as well as its most decorated. Owner Steve Crandall said he hopes to double the output this year.

Incidentally, the Beer Madness championship is the second honor bestowed this month on the Vienna Lager. At the most recent World Beer Cup judging, held in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, the Vienna grabbed a silver in the Vienna-Style Lager niche.

When a group of industry experts backs up your verdict, you can hold your head up and revel in a job well done.

[mr x]

Innis and Gunn Lager leaves the barrel behind
When you’re a brewery known for aging your beers in a wide variety of oak barrels, there isn’t much you can do to genuinely surprise people any more.



http://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2 ... ehind.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Where to buy: LCBO

Price: $2.65/500 mL can

Food pairings: Fish and chips, tempura shrimp, grilled cheese.

The verdict: A well-crafted, uncomplicated thirst-quencher.

When you’re a brewery known for aging your beers in a wide variety of oak barrels, there isn’t much you can do to genuinely surprise people any more.

After all, Scotland’s Innis and Gunn has released beers aged in barrels that previously held — among others — rum, Canadian whiskey, Scotch single malt and bourbon. They’ve also made some tasty brews aged in brand-new oak barrels. If they’d also started selling beers that had been finished in tequila or ice-wine barrels, odds are that no one would have batted an eye.

But their latest beer, which has landed on the shelves at the LCBO, qualifies as downright revolutionary by Innis and Gunn standards — it hasn’t been touched by any wood at all. Instead, it’s a classic Munich-style Helles lager.

It is, says brewery president Dougal Sharp, the result of those pesky things known as customers.

“For five years, our customers, particularly in Scotland, kept asking us to do a lager. And for five years, I kept saying no, we make oak-aged beer,” said Sharp.

Eventually, as the requests kept piling up, he relented.

“I suddenly realized I wasn’t trying to get the title of Head of Sales Prevention,” Sharp said with a chuckle. “Scotland is a big lager-drinking country. We’re big on refreshment here.”

And before hardcore beer aficionados point out that the term “lager” can refer to beers as potent and rich as a Bock, Sharp says that’s not what he was going for — this one was all about quenching thirst.

After some trial and error, Sharp and his brewing team settled on brewing a Helles. They used a few different kinds of malt (including some from Scotland), some oats and some Slovenian hops. The result is a crisp, golden lager, with a touch of sweetness, a bit of a bready character, and an ever so slightly bitter finish. It’s the type of beer that doesn’t stand up and demand your attention. It doesn’t have the complexity of Innis and Gunn’s other offerings, but that doesn’t mean it’s dumbed down, Sharp insists.

“We wanted to brew something that met the standards of Innis and Gunn, and I think we’ve succeeded. It’s thirst-quenching but it’s flavourful. It’s not bland,” said Sharp, who admitted it was a little nerve-wracking to do something so straightforward after years of making more complex brews. If there are any technical flaws, they’re noticed instantly in something as unadorned as a Helles or pilsner.

“There’s no hiding place in a lager like this,” said Sharp.

Fortunately, the oak-aged brew specialists needn’t worry about finding a hiding spot — this one has turned out just fine.

[chalmers]

Not sure if it's in the NSLC, but it is at the ANBL, and I split a can of it with berley on my last visit.

Remarkably unremarkable for a Helles. I much preferred berley's own Helles. Mind you, I might not like Helleses.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style01.php#1d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1D. Munich Helles

Aroma: Pleasantly grainy-sweet, clean Pils malt aroma dominates. Low to moderately-low spicy noble hop aroma, and a low background note of DMS (from Pils malt). No esters or diacetyl.

Appearance: Medium yellow to pale gold, clear, with a creamy white head.

Flavor: Slightly sweet, malty profile. Grain and Pils malt flavors dominate, with a low to medium-low hop bitterness that supports the malty palate. Low to moderately-low spicy noble hop flavor. Finish and aftertaste remain malty. Clean, no fruity esters, no diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation, smooth maltiness with no trace of astringency.

Overall Impression: Malty but fully attenuated Pils malt showcase.

Comments: Unlike Pilsner but like its cousin, Munich Dunkel, Helles is a malt-accentuated beer that is not overly sweet, but rather focuses on malt flavor with underlying hop bitterness in a supporting role.

History: Created in Munich in 1895 at the Spaten brewery by Gabriel Sedlmayr to compete with Pilsner-style beers.

Ingredients: Moderate carbonate water, Pilsner malt, German noble hop varieties.

Vital Statistics: OG: 1.045 – 1.051
IBUs: 16 – 22 FG: 1.008 – 1.012
SRM: 3 – 5 ABV: 4.7 – 5.4%
Commercial Examples: Weihenstephaner Original, Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Gold, Bürgerbräu Wolznacher Hell Naturtrüb, Mahr's Hell, Paulaner Premium Lager, Spaten Premium Lager, Stoudt's Gold Lager

[Joeg]

Clipped from the TJ this morning. Craig Pinhey chimes in with mention of craft vs mainstream. I would if there's an increasing amount of beer consumers brewing at home and that's lowering revenues? It's not hard to imagine over one year seeing 100 people who would normally buy $1000.00 of NBLC product start homebrewing (like me). Anyway just a musing, Cheers!

FINANCE
Flat beer sales a sign of youth exodus

NB Liquor announced its unaudited results for the fourth quarter this week and it showed decreased sales, including in the beer category, which continues to fall.

Total sales for the quarter were $78.3 million, $500,000 or 0.6 per cent lower than the same quarter last year. Net earnings were $30.2 million for the quarter, 3.9 per cent lower than last year.

“As far as overall numbers, they are fairly normal, again the aging demographic and a lot of youth moving out west and tourism and so on (would have an impact),” said Marcelle Saulnier, communications officer with NB Liquor. “We can attribute some of the decrease to bad winter weather, because this year was just awful and we did have to close stores a few days, or people weren’t comfortable going out on the road, so that definitely has a major impact on our day-to-day business.”

While wine sales grew 4.1 per cent, up $700,000 in the quarter, beer sales slipped 2.8 per cent, down $1.1 million.

“Wine continued to deliver good growth even though the quarter had one fewer selling day than last year,” said Brian Harriman, president and chief executive officer of the corporation. “While beer volumes declined 1.1 per cent, it was less than expected due to the success of our large pack one-time-offers.”

The drop in beer sales follows a similar recent trend. In fiscal year 2011-12, beer volumes dropped 6.7 per cent (but sales increased 0.1 per cent). In 2012-13, volume dropped 4.8 per cent and sales decreased 2.6 per cent.

Saulnier said beer sales still account for over half of their total business, but the decrease isn’t alarming due to other sectors gaining traction.

“A lot of it can be attributed to demographics. We have an aging population here and we find that a lot more people are switching over to wine and that certainly has shown in a boost in our wine category over the past few years,” she said. “We are offering a lot more variety and a lot more innovation in the beer category to try to boost sales and there’s as well our import brands and craft beer are going very well. The economy category is doing very well and those are all things we brought in to reinvigorate the category.”

Craig Pinhey, a Rothesay wine, beer and spirits writer, as well as sommelier, said NB Liquor has made strides in the beer category, by putting more focus on craft beer and other speciality items. He said the trends are somewhat “out of NB Liquor’s hands to a large extent,” when it comes to change in sale numbers.

“The only thing they can do is lower prices further, take the discount beer thing further. I’m not saying that’s a good idea, but if they are worried, if that’s their main thing is overall beer volume, I think that’s the only thing they can do,” he said. “I’m not suggesting they do, because I don’t care about that beer. I want more good beer and things are great for somebody like me. Craft beer is growing. If you love good beer, everything is hunky-dory. If you drink watery mainstream beer, well I think you probably say it should be cheaper.”

Saulnier admitted that there are challenges with beer pricing, especially near the border, where she said they “absolutely” lose business to Quebec retailers.

“We know that we have competition in our neighbouring jurisdictions. Our beer prices are actually competitive looking over the entire country, but we definitely lose quite a bit to the Quebec border,” she said.

Pinhey said NB Liquor’s lower beer sales is the norm in these parts.

“It’s not anything unique to them I don’t think. I think that’s a world trend or at least a western world trend of mainstream beer dropping, while craft beer raises at a dynamic level, it’s still happening, it doesn’t seem to be showing signs of stopping,” he said. “It’s just that of course it’s easier to grow by a large percentage when you have a small percentage of market share to start with.”

While craft beers have been coming into more prominence – Saulnier said the sector has increased, but no specific numbers were available – Pinhey noted it’s still a “drop in the bucket” compared to overall sales.

As for the increase in wine sales, Pinhey said it’s part of a shifting of the drinking landscape. “There’s more interest in wine and especially in younger people who used to only drink beer and maybe mixed drinks. Wine is now a choice,” he said. “You definitely notice that in bars, you actually see young people drink wine, which is something when I was growing up, it did not exist.”

Other results saw spirit sales decrease 0.7 per cent, down $100,000 and other beverages increase 4.5 per cent, up $100,000.

“Winter weather conditions continued into the last week of the quarter, which contributed to a decline in customer visits compared to the same time last year,” said Harriman. “Otherwise, we could have expected the quarter’s results to be better. In addition, fourth quarter financial results were impacted by the $1.1 million cost of the elimination of the retiring allowance benefit for our non-bargaining employees.”

In the end, Pinhey said weather is going to play the largest factor in how sales do. “It’s huge. My wife used to be the marketing director at Moosehead, and sales when it comes to mainstream beer are just directly proportional to weather and it doesn’t matter how many discounts you offer, how many millions of dollars you spend on marketing, weather is number one.

“Especially this summer weather of ours, when the summer comes around and if it’s a beautiful, hot summer, beer volume will return to desired levels, at least during that time period.”

Pinhey said he’d also like to see NB Liquor take a serious step toward more privatization, which he said has been a huge success in Nova Scotia, and also to further promote the purchase of Canadian products.

“That’s another big trend is buy local, you can’t deny it,” he said.

[McGruff]

Another trend which they never mention is " HOMEBREWING".

[mr x]

Craft beer: a tool for urban revitalization?

https://www.fcpp.org/posts/craft-beer-a ... talization" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

[chicanuck]

Interesting but pretty basic article on craft beer as an investment on CNN money today:

http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/12/investi ... ce=cnn_bin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Woody]

The five min beer mile!

http://www.runnersworld.com/races/beer- ... -this-fall" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Hub Brewer]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scot ... -1.2643119" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Craft beer is a booming business in Nova Scotia, with the number of craft breweries doubling in recent years according to the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation.

In 2007, the province had eight craft breweries. Today there are 16 and two or three more are expected to enter the market by the end of the year, according to Mike Maloney with the NSLC.

"People definitely appreciate buying local and the artisan nature of craft beer," said Maloney.

"They like to know where things come from, who makes it, so that's definitely driving some of this trend."

Brewery crops up on hop farm

The latest brewery to join the group is Meander River Farm and Brewery in Ashdale, near Windsor.


Brenda and Allan Bailey co-own Meanders River Farm and Brewery near Windsor, N.S. Their craft brewery will sell its first growlers this weekend. (Teghan Beaudette/CBC)

Allan Bailey and his wife Brenda started growing hops on their farm about five years ago, when their son did a project for business school on how much money the crops could bring in.

Since then, they've become the largest producer of hops in Nova Scotia. They're now going to use some of those hops to make their own beer.

"It's been a long time coming and it's also been a long-term dream of ours, so the timing was just right for us," said Allan Bailey.

The couple constructed a building for the brewery on their farm, doing most of the work themselves.

"I'm sort of a jack of all trades, I guess you could say," said Bailey.

The Baileys will start selling growlers at their farm on Saturday. Right now they're only brewing one beer — dubbed Lunch Box Pale Ale — but soon they want to produce a honey brown ale and a stout.

"It's a very clean, drinkable beer with a nice hoppy finish on the end," said Bailey.

"We've really tried to brew a beer that craft brew drinkers will enjoy, but the people making that transition to craft beer will also like."

Sustainable brewing

The couple said a brewery on the farm was a natural choice. They use pigs to till and fertilize their land before they plant their hops. Then, leftover wheat from the brewing process is fed to the pigs and spent water is used to irrigate the fields.

"We're not looking for world domination in being like a huge brewery — we want to keep it nice and small and simple," said Brenda Bailey.

Small and simple means their pale ale will be on tap at a bar in Windsor — about 20 kilometres away from their farm.

People can also buy it right from the brewery or opt into a community supported brewery plan, where customers can pay up front for a discount on beer made available weekly and monthly.

Room to grow

"Craft beer has been growing tremendously over the last two years. It's definitely one of the bright spots in the beer category," said Maloney.

Nationally, craft beer makes up about six per cent of all beer sales, but in Nova Scotia, it makes up about three per cent.

Maloney said that means the local market has a lot of room to grow.

He added the NSLC is seeing a strong support for local brews — 56 per cent of all craft beer sold at NSLC locations is locally produced.

[GuingesRock]

Do we know anything about this?
Seems like the dude in the article this signed up for a membership here at some point but only posted once.

http://www.kingscountynews.ca/News/Loca ... ry-pitch/1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wolfville considering home-based businesses in R1 zone after nano-brewery pitch

Wolfville town council decided recently to re-visit the prospect of home-based businesses in the single family home or R1 zone.

Three of the four councillors on hand expressed interest in the preparation of a new staff report on the issue, while Coun. Hugh Simpson maintained the opposition he voiced in 2008.

Chris Killacky, a professor of theology at the Acadia Divinity College, appeared before council on Jan. 2 seeking the rezoning of his R1 property on Skyway Drive to allow for a nano-brewery.

“My vision is to build a local nano brewery or even a microbrewery in Wolfville, making fine heritage ales that are healthy and brewed to the classic Bavarian purity standard,” he said.

Given his “great interest in brewing, using professional equipment and heritage recipes from England and Bavaria, over time friends and neighbours have suggested that I sell this beer at the market and to the Wolfville restaurants and pubs as a local and healthy alternative to imported beers,” Killacky said.

Killacky wants to use a basement workshop for a small home start up business. He noted that should it prove successful, “then I would move onto the next stage with local premises in Wolfville.”

He believes there “should be provision in Wolfville for us as residents to be able to develop small evolutionary businesses at home that will enable our town to grow and flourish.”

The town’s planning director, Chrystal Fuller, pointed out that businesses are completely prohibited in the R1 zone. Any change would require an amendment to the 2008 Municipal Planning Strategy, she stated.

Deputy Mayor David Mangle called the issue of home-based businesses a conundrum for Wolfville. He said he was willing to reconsider opening up the zone. Mercedes Brian and Dan Sparkman agreed.

Once prepared the fresh staff report will be submitted to the Community Development Committee.

“We want direction and discussion,” Mangle suggested.

Five years ago, the final version of the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) was approved 5-1 with Simpson opposing. At that time, 250 people signed a petition calling for the preservation of R1 zoning.

Much of the discussion in the months leading up to the vote focused on residential requirements and whether R1 zone could include personal offices or home occupations. Then Deputy Mayor Wrye said he believed the residents had spoken out against any change to R1, while councilors David Mangle and Bill Zimmerman wanted more leeway.

Speaking of deep divisions in the community provoked by the issue, Simpson wanted to make an amendment enshrining R1 zoning as “part of Wolfville’s brand.” He added that for a something of a retirement community, R1 is an attraction, however, the motion failed to win approval.

image001.png

The optometrist was telling my wife yesterday that Chris has got around this by having memberships. Your membership fee gets you a keggerator which then gets stocked with a keg of beer at regular intervals. More ways than one to skin a cat.

This could all be just rumour. Does anyone know?

[mr x]

Discussing Beer Store on CBC radio 'The Current' today. Almost over now, but should be time shifted every hour online.

Nicholas Pashley as well. Very good interview.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[chalmers]

Also related to Beer Store and convenience stores beer sales. Haven't watched it all yet. (Might need to disable AdBlock, I had to).

http://tvo.org/video/203777/beer-store-blues" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[chalmers]

Discussing Beer Store on CBC radio 'The Current' today. Almost over now, but should be time shifted every hour online.

Nicholas Pashley as well. Very good interview.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/20 ... -choice-1/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr x]

On now

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

[mr x]

Ten years after Molson grow-op bust, legal troubles persist
A decade after police broke up a huge illegal marijuana grow operation in which his brother was involved, the former owner of the Barrie brewery is still fighting to get control of money from the sale of the land.



http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2014/ ... rsist.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A decade after one of Canada's biggest marijuana grow operation busts, legal problems still ensnare the former owner of the onetime Molson brewery in Barrie, whose brother clandestinely operated a massive pot farm in the old brewing vats.

Despite two judges declaring that Vince DeRosa has every right to profit from the sale of the acreage and had no awareness of his brother's operation, the provincial government still won't let him have more than $4 million from the transaction. The government is preparing to argue for the chance to appeal the decision of Judge Mary Vallee, forming yet another legal roadblock in a years-long battle.

“I've been practising law for over 40 years. There are only a couple of examples in my career where I have seen what I believe more persistently abusive conduct by government,” said Brian Greenspan, the lawyer representing DeRosa and Fercan throughout the saga. Brendan Crawley, spokesman for the Ministry of the Attorney General, refused to comment on the case, saying it would be “inappropriate” as it is still before the courts.

The troubles began back in 2004, when police busted the grow-op, one of the biggest in Canadian history. (Molson had closed the brewery there in 2000 and later sold the property.) Ultimately it would be revealed in court that Robert DeRosa, Vince's brother, played a key role in the operation of the pot farm.

Vince gave Robert the job of managing the Barrie property, located just south of town off of Hwy. 400, as a favour after he returned from an unsuccessful business venture in Cuba, said Greenspan. A number of companies set up on the 35-acre property and operated regularly, he said.

Vince was establishing a bottled water plant using the Formosa spring, located on-site. All was ticking along as expected and not an eyebrow was raised, according to Greenspan. But two companies were elaborate shams. Ontario Pallet and Barrie Fish were fronts for a round-the-clock grow op that police said was capable of producing $8 million worth of pot per year, some of it grown in old brewing vats.

The operation was tightly controlled and clandestine — workers had quarters to sleep in and were told only to leave the building at night. Even the pallet and fish companies were more than just imaginary entities.

“There was a guy who actually was trying to grow fish — only they died,” said Greenspan, who added that fisheries experts were brought on-site on one occasion. “There was a pallet company — they threw together some pallets as their cover. It was a very sophisticated operation run by a guy (Drago Dolic) who, in the States, is serving 20 years on other drug charges, and who has no association with Vince DeRosa.”

Though the bust occurred in 2004, it took police six years to track down the ringleaders and pursue criminal charges. Robert pleaded guilty in 2011 and was sentenced to seven years in prison. During his hearing, Robert apologized to his brother and said Vince knew nothing about the operation, according to Greenspan.

Greenspan said Vince was barely at the property while the grow-op was running — Fercan owns about 50 properties across the province and Vince has more than 500 tenants. But even those who were there regularly had no knowledge of the operation.

The property was purchased by Prime Real Estate Group, which has yet to apply for any new development permits, according to the area's city councillor. The court case concerns the money from the sale and not the sale itself, leaving them free to develop but keeping Vince from his cash, said Greenspan.

Two judges agreed Vince was entitled to the money from the sale of the land. After a 36-day hearing in which the federal government argued against Vince getting the cash, Ontario Court Justice Peter West ruled that Vince had no knowledge of the grow operation his brother was involved in. The federal government did not appeal, but the province stepped in and Superior Court Justice Mary Vallee was asked to hear the case.

She accepted West's ruling in that regard and added that to keep the money out of Vince's hands would be “harsh.”

“I conclude that Mr. DeRosa and Fercan have clearly shown that an order to preserve the property would be manifestly harsh and draconian in the circumstances,” Vallee wrote in her April 24 ruling. “I find that an order to preserve the property would offend the community's sense of fairness. Based on the record before me, I conclude that the interests of justice would not be served by preserving the funds from the sale of the property.”

The province was granted a stay on the decision so that it could prepare arguments for a leave to appeal. The process has the potential to be long — should the original decision be overturned, it would only freeze the money for a further forfeiture hearing. Greenspan would not attempt to predict the outcome of the appeal, but noted Vince DeRosa's track record so far.

“He's become an unnecessary victim of government action. We have never lost, essentially. They've been able to get interim stays,” said Greenspan.

[mr x]

Unfiltered beer: would you drink a cloudy pint?
The Spring Haze beer festival is a celebration of unfined beers. But will the style dubbed 'London murky' ever take off, or are we hardwired to demand a crystal-clear pint?

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

Ask most real ale drinkers, particularly northern ones, what the perfect pint should look like and you will get a clear answer – literally. Said pint should be transparent, sparkling, a crystal-clear beer topped with a tight white head as smooth as virgin snow on a bowling green. I'm getting thirsty just typing that.

Yet drinkers at this weekend's Spring Haze festival (free, 23-26 May) would scoff at such tradition. Held at the Gun pub in Docklands, London, SHF will showcase 30 "natural and unfined beers" from cutting-edge breweries such as Kernel and Brew By Numbers. Far from clear, these beers are opaque on a spectrum from hazy to weak, milky tea. Such is the growth in unfiltered craft beers that this style has been dubbed (mainly by its detractors) as "London murky".

On the continent, none of this would be an issue. Many wheat beers are designed to be served cloudy with yeast – some Belgians even drink the yeast from the bottom of bottled-conditioned beers as a kind of "dessert". The unfiltered, fresh versions of Czech lagers (Budvar's unpasteurised yeast beer is available here too) are considered to be top of the hops.

However, for drinkers who grew up believing that cloudy beer was suspect – badly kept, too warm or the dog-end of the barrel that was going to make you sick – the idea of drinking soupy ale is proving divisive. We drink with our eyes and, for many beer enthusiasts, opaque ale just doesn't look right.

So why is it becoming such a "thing"? Taste, of course. Cask and craft keg beer ferments in the barrel. In one way or another, it is primed with yeast so that it continues to carbonate after dispatch. In order to clear that beer of yeast before serving it, isinglass or finings (chemically prepared fish guts) are added. As the beer settles, the finings bind with the yeast, fall away and the beer "drops bright".

The problem with that, as far as unfined advocates are concerned, is that those finings also bind with proteins and hop oils and suck flavour out of the beer. Not only is "natural" beer vegan-friendly (some claim that drinking the yeast has health benefits, too), it is also more vivid and flavourful.

"Without question, it intensifies aroma and flavour," says Justin Hawke of Moor Beer. "Whether that is to someone's tastes is another question. A traditional ale drinker who drinks delicate beers is going to taste one of those hoppy, unfined IPAs and not be able to cope with the way it looks and tastes. It's alien to them. But you can't argue that it's not more flavourful. Basically, the London brewers are trying to up the flavour threshold. And, from my perspective, it improves the visual appeal. Unfined beer has this beautiful, attractive opacity, as long as you're not brainwashed into thinking that beer has to be clear."

Me? I'm torn. I can't deny the aesthetic appeal of the perfect clear pint. But I also realise that is a rather daft, inherited prejudice. Moreover, this criticism of "London murky" (the argument is that upstart hipster brewers are using the excuse of making raw, natural, big-impact beers as a cover to chuck out haphazard, unbalanced rubbish) seems to spring from a general cynicism about the febrile creativity of the craft beer scene, rather than objective fact. I think you have to judge on a beer-by-beer basis.

The last unfiltered beer I drank, Beavertown's 8-Ball Rye IPA, certainly looked unappetising, like a half-pint of brown soup. However, if you like a lot of complex flavours in your beer, you couldn't fault it. From its background smokiness and spice through its almost fizzily sour mid-range (due to the higher yeast content, presumably?) to its top hop notes of tropical bubblegum, Citra and astringent bitterness, this was a big mouthful. You might find a beer like that too busy. But it was a persuasive argument for unfiltered beer.

Clear, natural beer would be the ultimate goal, which Baseline Brewing's Julian Spender claims he has achieved. The Sussex brewer uses a yeast (he won't say which, but apparently several unfined brewers are on to it) which, if he leaves his beer to settle for an extended period, and pub owners treat his casks right, collects in a tight sediment at the bottom of the barrel without any filtering.

"As a result, my beer is pretty damn clear," he says. "It used to be really hazy and it was a problem. I was pushing mud uphill: the majority of drinkers, before they even sip that pint, hold it up to the light and if it's not crystal clear they think there's something wrong with it. I'm guilty of it as well. I don't like beer that's really cloudy unless I know it's supposed to be, such as a wheat beer."

What do you think – will Britain swallow cloudy beer? Is this another craft beer fad? Or could clear, natural beer be the future?

[BasilD]

oh my

http://www.cbc.ca/books/2014/05/margare ... -beer.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CurtisD]

http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/new-yellow-journalism/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Woody]

http://www.runnersworld.com/fun/colorad ... en-in-july" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mr x]

Budweiser ingredients to be revealed.


Budweiser’s ingredients revealed for first time by Anheuser-Busch after pressure from U.S. food blogger

http://life.nationalpost.com/2014/06/12 ... d-blogger/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NEW YORK — The King of Beers is bowing down to a food blogger.

Anheuser-Busch unveiled the ingredients of Budweiser and Bud Light for the first time Thursday, a day after a popular food blogger started an online petition to get major brewers to list what’s in their beverages.

Anheuser-Busch said it will list the ingredients for all of its other brands online ‘in the coming days’

Anheuser-Busch, which also makes Beck’s, Busch and Michelob beers, said it will list the ingredients for all of its other brands online “in the coming days.”

On its website, tapintoyourbeer.com, Anheuser-Busch lists the same ingredients for Budweiser and Bud Light: Water, barley malt, rice, yeast and hops.

The company said it is not required to list ingredients for its products, but will do so as Americans demand it.

“We want to meet their expectations,” the company said in a statement.

‘I am thrilled with Anheuser-Busch’s quick response and can’t wait to see the ingredients of all of their beers online’

The online campaign was started Wednesday by blogger Vani Hari at FoodBabe.com and it grew quickly. The petition currently has more than 44,000 online signatures. It also asks MillerCoors, the maker of Miller Lite and Coors beers, to list its ingredients. MillersCoors did not respond to a request for comment.

“I am thrilled with Anheuser-Busch’s quick response and can’t wait to see the ingredients of all of their beers online,” she said.

Hari has become a powerful voice in the food industry. She is the same blogger who pushed sandwich chain Subway to remove an ingredient in its bread that’s also used in yoga mats.

Subway has since removed that ingredient.

She chose to petition beer makers because her husband drinks beer and she wants to be able to see what she is buying.

Representatives from Anheuser-Busch invited Hari and her family to visit its brewery in St. Louis and see how its beers are made. Hari said she is working with the company to figure out a time to visit.

Anheuser-Busch is part of the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev. In Canada, Budweiser and Bud Light are produced by Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Labatt division.

[Juniper Hill]

Budweiser ingredients to be revealed.


Budweiser’s ingredients revealed for first time by Anheuser-Busch after pressure from U.S. food blogger

http://life.nationalpost.com/2014/06/12 ... d-blogger/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NEW YORK — The King of Beers is bowing down to a food blogger.

Anheuser-Busch unveiled the ingredients of Budweiser and Bud Light for the first time Thursday, a day after a popular food blogger started an online petition to get major brewers to list what’s in their beverages.

Anheuser-Busch said it will list the ingredients for all of its other brands online ‘in the coming days’

Anheuser-Busch, which also makes Beck’s, Busch and Michelob beers, said it will list the ingredients for all of its other brands online “in the coming days.”

On its website, tapintoyourbeer.com, Anheuser-Busch lists the same ingredients for Budweiser and Bud Light: Water, barley malt, rice, yeast and hops.

The company said it is not required to list ingredients for its products, but will do so as Americans demand it.

“We want to meet their expectations,” the company said in a statement.

‘I am thrilled with Anheuser-Busch’s quick response and can’t wait to see the ingredients of all of their beers online’

The online campaign was started Wednesday by blogger Vani Hari at FoodBabe.com and it grew quickly. The petition currently has more than 44,000 online signatures. It also asks MillerCoors, the maker of Miller Lite and Coors beers, to list its ingredients. MillersCoors did not respond to a request for comment.

“I am thrilled with Anheuser-Busch’s quick response and can’t wait to see the ingredients of all of their beers online,” she said.

Hari has become a powerful voice in the food industry. She is the same blogger who pushed sandwich chain Subway to remove an ingredient in its bread that’s also used in yoga mats.

Subway has since removed that ingredient.

She chose to petition beer makers because her husband drinks beer and she wants to be able to see what she is buying.

Representatives from Anheuser-Busch invited Hari and her family to visit its brewery in St. Louis and see how its beers are made. Hari said she is working with the company to figure out a time to visit.

Anheuser-Busch is part of the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev. In Canada, Budweiser and Bud Light are produced by Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Labatt division.

Wow...now everybody will be making Budwiezer clones

[mr x]

The interesting line was 'all it's other brands'...

[McGruff]

The last ingredient is "hops". Rest assured Food Babe, no hops in Bud Light.

[chalmers]

Fucking Food Babe, what a fucking joke she is.