Sunday, September 17, 2006

Beers & Stripes

As an ex-pat Yank of some three decades, I’m very aware to the hard sell of American beers here in Oz. It seems that since getting off the boat Aussies have asked me “How do you like the beer?” which was inevitably followed with “better than that Yankee garbage, it’s weak as p….mate.” So please indulge me for a moment as I pursue this issue of weakness. For mind, weakness could be based on three elements in beer; lack of colour, flavour, or alcohol. We praise the light golden appearance and soft sweet taste of German lagers yet dismiss the American versions. Fact is that most USA brewing traditions have a German origin, and the sweetness comes from the infusion of rice as a flavouring agent like Asian beers. And as for alcohol on closer inspection, American beers are equal if not exceeding the alcohol per volume levels of our leading premium beers. So let’s have a look at the American beers on offer here in Australia.

America’s flagship brewing company is Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the world’s largest brewer with sales in more than 80 countries, leading the world market with an 11% share and on the US beer market with 48.8 %. Their quality comes from a dedication taken in every step and unwavering commitment to quality since its founding in 1852. Anheuser-Busch brews Budweiser by using only the very finest hops, barley malt, rice yeast and water. Since 1876, Budweiser’s natural ingredients have made the brand a superior quality beer with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.

Budweiser is brewed using only the choicest hops and two-row and six-row barley malts. Anheuser-Busch uses more malt per barrel than any other major brewer in the United States. They use only the choicest domestic and imported hops, including premium Saaz hops from the Zatec region of South Bohemia, and operate a 178-acre (71.2-hectare) hops farm near the prestigious German Hops Research Institute in Huell, Germany, in the fertile Hallertau region. Their domestic Elk Mountain Hop Farm opened in 1987 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, is the largest aroma hop farm in the world. The farm yields more than 2 million pounds of hops each fall. Elk Mountain Farm is some 10 miles from the Canadian boarder, located at the same latitude as Europe’s prime hop-growing regions. Rice is used in many Anheuser-Busch brands, producing a pale beer with a clean, crisp taste that tends to enhance the hop flavour in the beer. The brewer’s yeast used in all Anheuser-Busch beers has been perfected over decades, and all the company’s breweries are supplied from one, carefully maintained, pure-culture system. The brewer’s yeast that gives Budweiser its distinctive aroma and taste is the same that was used when Budweiser was introduced back in 1876.

Anheuser-Busch brews its beers with the same methods used by the company's founder, Adolph’s Busch, more than a century ago. “It may appear old-fashioned to brew beer basically the same way we have for more than a century, but it's all part of the time-honoured tradition that we take great pride in maintaining,” says Lee Babb, Sales Manager – Pacific Region, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Anheuser-Busch is the only major brewer in the world still using the traditional beechwood-aging process, the process adds an extra measure of natural clarification and maturation to Anheuser-Busch beers. Many old-world brewers used beechwood chips instead of other types of wood because beechwood is low in phenolic and resins that otherwise would impart woody flavour to the beer. These chips are boiled in water and baking soda-and not soda ash-before use. Having a latticework of beechwood chips on the bottom of our lager tanks allows the lager yeast to settle over the wood instead of creating layers at the bottom of the vessel. This in turn allows a greater amount of yeast contact with aging beer, ensuring complete fermentation, natural carbonation and flavour maturation. They also use a centuries-old European technique called kraeusening, during which a portion of freshly yeasted wort is added to start a secondary fermentation. Most brewers do not use this secondary fermentation, which matures the beer’s flavour and provides natural carbonation. Because a single fermentation does not provide sufficient carbonation, other brewers instead add carbon dioxide to the beer before packaging.

Premium Beverages announced the launch of Michelob ULTRA in Australia, effective in November. Michelob ULTRA is a premium imported full strength beer which has the lowest carbohydrates and the lowest calories currently in the Australian market. Mark Gouley, General Manager-Marketing, claims that ‘Australian adult’s live active lifestyles and a growing number are looking for a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie beer. With this in mind, it seemed ideal to launch the world’s leading low carb/low cal beer into the Australian market.”

Michelob ULTRA is brewed using the finest pale two-row and Munich malts, select grains, European hops and pure cultured yeast strain. By extending the mashing time, long chains of carbohydrates in the beer can be broken down into smaller simple sugars thus creating a low carbohydrate beer. The result is a great-tasting premium lager with fewer carbohydrates and calories. Michelob ULTRA has only 2.6 grams of carbohydrates and 95 calories per 355 ml bottle.

Goulmy states “Michelob ULTRA has achieved enormous success in the US and the UK. The prominence of the low carb category globally has provided a great foundation for Michelob ULTRA to establish itself and build the category further in the Australian market.’

Miller Genuine Draft is the pride of Milwaukee, traditionally considered the capital city of brewing in America (remember Laverne & Shirley?). Its origins began when Frederick Miller migrated from Germany to establish a small family operated brewery producing 300 barrels a year. SAB Miller is now the second largest brewer which operates in all 5 continents, 60 countries and a whopping 117 breweries .SAB Miller entered into a 50:50 agreement this year with Coca-Cola Amatil, now known as Pacific Beverages Pty. Ltd., to import SAB Miller products Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell into Australia. It is envisioned that combining SAB Miller‘s world class marketing and CCA’s strength in customer relations and their vast distribution network, they will have a solid platform to expand their products in the Australian premium beer category.

Miller Genuine Draft is more in the keeping to the common American lager style, with emphasis on light body and refreshment value. MGD has a Sparkling bright golden appearance with excellent head retention, medium intensity, sweet aroma with a toasted/toffee hint, and average carbonation with a mild bitterness, but lacking the body and hoppy bitterness of Australian beers. Available in 335 ml long neck bottle at 4.7% AV.

Samuel Adams
Boston patriot and brewer Samuel Adams was architect of the historic Boston Tea Party and signed the Declaration of Independence. He was passionate about independence, freedom, and beer. Jim Koch a sixth generation brewer in Boston found his great-great grandfather’s beer recipe in the attic and decided to set up the Boston Beer Company in 1984 using the “olde word process” of brewing which includes dry-hopping and extended lagering. Today, Samuel Adams Boston Lager is served in the White House and been awarded more than 70 international awards in the last two years.

Any non-lager struggles for consumer demand and I’ve heard many times that Sam Adams Boston Lager is to big, to filling and can’t get through more than a couple. But that criticism should be tempered with the fact that this is truly a five star beer with a powerful nutty, faintly roasted essence in both the nose and palate and then a grassy, dry, hoppy undertones, almost bread-like tenor in the finish.The slightly sweet aroma and taste, malty caramel notes and spicy,. Full bodied with a good dose of hop bitterness that kicks in at the finish. The qualities of ingredients shine through to the last drop. Sam Adams Boston Lager is an American craft beer classic. with 4.8% A/V.