About.com Beer

Know Your Trappist Ales

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:14:50 +0000

Here's a website that every beer lover should spend some time getting to know. The International Trappist Association closely guards what products, including beer, can be called "trappist" and carry the Authentic Trappist Product label.

Right now only seven monasteries can put the label on their beer. They include Achel, Chimay, La Trappe, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren, and Westmalle. In order to do so, the monastaries must follow certain rules: the beer must be brewed within the monastery walls, it cannot be brewed as a profit making concern, it must be secondary to the monastic way of life and it is to be constantly monitored for "irreproachable quality."

Also, beer isn't the only product these monasteries produce and sell. They have everything from mushrooms to cosmetics to silk paintings.

Know Your Trappist Ales originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 07:14:50.

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More Homegrown Beer Ingredients for African Brewer

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:06:52 +0000

For a few years now, SABMiller has been contracting with small African farmers for grain for the company's African breweries. The company recently announced that they plan to more than double the raw materials brought in through the program by 2012. With around 82% of the stuff going into beer being imported currently, this seems like a smart move. I don't know a lot about this program - this article is the first I've heard of it - but it seems like a good thing.

More Homegrown Beer Ingredients for African Brewer originally appeared on About.com Beer on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 21:06:52.

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Your Beer and Psychographics

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:03:04 +0000

What does your choice in beer say about you? I like to think that if I'm drinking a particular beer at a particular time it only says that this is the beer that I'm in the mood to drink.

Apparently not.

As reported over at Advertising Age a recent study by the market researchers at Mindset Media shows that the brand and type of beer that we choose - or choose not - to drink places us in specific statistical categories. For example, Bud drinkers are 42% more likely to drive pick-ups, Corona drinkers are 92% more likely to buy recycled products and craft beer lovers are 52% more likely to be fans of the sitcom The Office. (No mention of whether they mean the original British series or the new US version.)

Of course, these are statistics so not everyone will fit the form. But it's still interesting stuff. Makes me wonder if I've been wrong to rail against beer marketers all these years who are selling a lifestyle and not a product. But then there I go thinking like a typical craft beer drinker, being all open-minded and intellectually curious and stuff!

Your Beer and Psychographics originally appeared on About.com Beer on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 13:03:04.

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Czech Hops Trouble

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:20:27 +0000

Czech hops are losing their bitterness.

A recent study shows that the quality of �atec Red hops has been declining for years, most significantly in the last quarter of a century. The changing climate results in a shorter season for the hops which means lower alpha acid. In the 1950's and '60's the hops were producing around 5% to 6% alpha acid; these days they contain only about 3%.

This isn't the first time this has happened. In the early sixteenth century hops growers in the region faced the same problem. For a time they moved the hops fields to the north where the climate offered better growing conditions.

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Czech Hops Trouble originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 04:20:27.

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A Couple of Beer Products

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:07:38 +0000

In my ongoing effort to bring you information about stuff made with beer, I have two new items to present.

First is beer soap. It's exactly what you think it is: soap made with beer. Apparently, beer contains "macronutrients" that are good for skin and hair. The soap also contains lavender, bergamot and menthol because the makers seem to think that we don't like the smell of beer.

The second beer product is the beer cupcake. Once again, the idea here is pretty simple. The assortment of cupcakes are made with beers like Guinness, New Castle and Blue Moon. I wouldn't mind trying a few of these.

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A Couple of Beer Products originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 04:07:38.

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The Beer Mile

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:28:14 +0000

Beer and sport have a time honored relationship. Most of the time the spectators are doing the drinking and the athletes are doing the sport. This isn't the case for the beer mile. The beer mile is a footrace that involves, you guessed it, running a mile and drinking beer.

Here's a brief rundown of how it works. Runners gather on a quarter-mile track. At the start of the race they chug one standard beer then run a lap. They chug another beer and run another lap and so on until they've completed four laps for a total of one mile. That is unless they vomited in which case they must run an additional penalty lap.

You can learn all about the beer mile at BeerMile.com. Besides in depth rules and records and times from all over the world, the BeerMile.com offers a fascinating comparison between the origin of the sport and calculus.

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The Beer Mile originally appeared on About.com Beer on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 12:28:14.

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Monstrous Claims Rescinded

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:32:08 +0000

Last week I blogged about an apparently looming lawsuit regarding Vermonster, a beer brewed by Rock Art Brewery, and Monster energy drink. Today it was announced that Hansen, the maker of Monster, agreed to a deal. Rock Art can keep making Vermonster without fear of harassment from the monster so long as it promises to never, ever make energy drinks.

Um, isn't that what Rock Art founder Matt Nadeau was saying from the beginning.

For some reason this whole thing makes me feel just a little grouchy towards lawyers. Anyone else have the same reaction? Post your best lawyer jokes in the comments section.

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Monstrous Claims Rescinded originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 06:32:08.

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Boston Brewing and Weihenstephan Brewing Collaboration

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:18:54 +0000

No doubt you've noticed the collaboration beers that craft brewers have been putting out for a few years now. It started when two brewers - I forget who just now - realized that they were brewing beers with the same name. Instead of launching into a year's long legal battle that would have left both bloody, they decided to jointly make a beer. It was called Collaboration, Not Litigation. Or that's how I remember it. If I got some facts wrong on this, someone please correct me in the comments.

Anywhooo, these days breweries all over the US are producing collaborative beers. And now this disgusting sense of goodwill and camaraderie is starting to infect Europe. This past summer Scottish brewer BrewDog joined the ranks of the collaborators when they worked with Cambridge Brewing and Stone on something they called Juxtaposition Black Pilsner.

Now we have Weihenstephan in Germany producing a beer in cahoots with Boston Brewing Company. The press release, while saying a lot, very carefully says little. We do know that it will be brewed according to Reinheitsgebot. It's not even clear if it will be an ale or a lager. Much is made of a "new brewing technique" that the two brewers have been working on for two years but no clue is provided as to what that might be. As for the beer itself, it is described as a " yet-to-be-named crisp, pale brew is slated to debut in the United States and Germany next spring in cork-finished bottles."

I guess we'll have to wait until next spring to see if its worth all the fuss.

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Boston Brewing and Weihenstephan Brewing Collaboration originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 06:18:54.

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Poking the Cartoon Bear

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:34:36 +0000

The point is to convince beer lovers that, though Australian brewed Jamieson's Raspberry Ale is a fruit beer, it's not some goopy mess of sugar. So, naturally the best way to get that point across is to tart up Snow White and add the tag line "anything but sweet."

I tend to be relaxed about these kinds of things but I can see where this ad might get Disney a bit worked up. The cartoon ad depicts an apparently nude Snow White smoking in bed with all seven dwarves who are wearing little more than hats and silly grins. And if that doesn't quite tell you the story, they've been renamed Filthy, Smarmy, Randy, etc.

Now, nobody's going to court yet; as far as I know lawsuits haven't even been mentioned. The Foundry, Jamieson's ad agency for the campaign, has admitted that there has been "a little bit of contact" with Disney over the reinterpretation of the cartoon icon. And it is certainly not the first time that Snow White has been reimagined.

One thing is for sure. The campaign has grabbed some pretty good headlines for Jamieson!

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Poking the Cartoon Bear originally appeared on About.com Beer on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 09:34:36.

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A New Beer for Rwanda

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:55:37 +0000

Rwanda's sole brewing company, Brasseries et Limonaderies du Rwanda, or BRALIRWA announced this week that it would be making a new beer. Turbo King is a brown beer described as "a strong beer, richer in colour with heavy ingredients" by Alexander Koch, the drinks company's commercial director.

The mostly Heineken owned company also sells Primus, Mutzig, Heineken, Amstel - all pale lagers - and Guinness. So, another beer with some color and flavor might be a welcome change for beer lovers in the small African country.

Turbo King will sell for Rwf 800 for a 72 cl bottle. That's around $1.40 for a 24 ounce bottle. Sounds like a pretty good price until you consider that the per capita income in Rwanda is $370.

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A New Beer for Rwanda originally appeared on About.com Beer on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 08:55:37.

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