It was a sombre mood as the Barons of Australian beer shuffled out of the Hotel Sofitel Ballroom after the International Beer Awards in Melbourne on the 5th of May. There were few cheers of victory as once again the Australian beer industry was stumped by a little pub-brewery from Oregon in America –Pelican Pub Brewery who was awarded the Grand Champion Trophy for their Doryman’s Dark Ale. The big question at the after party was why Australian breweries can’t seem to crack the ‘Beer of the Year’ prize, and how the overseas beers seem to be stealing our thunder. Not since 1999’s Hahn Premium has an Australian lager taken out the coveted Grand Champion Award. Only 51 gold medals were awarded on the night from 40 different classes of beer, and of that only 22 gold were awarded to Australian breweries. Now if you take away the 7 gold medals awarded for packaging, the picture becomes even dimmer. We thought it only right to speak with the judging panel as to their opinions on the subject.
Chief Judge Peter Manders put it best. “There is no reason why an Australian beer can’t win the major prize, but they must be able to stand up to world best standards or our awards wouldn’t have the international recognition we have worked so hard to achieve. This year we sampled some 270 varieties of keg beer, an increase of a third over last year. It took a total of nine days to assess 793 entries from over 31 countries. The standard of beer quality is the best we’ve seen, in all areas, and increasingly difficult to judge the best. The final judgement was between 6 beers to award the grand champion, and then the judging panel got it down to 4 by popular consent. Based on merit, a secret ballot was used to select the best from the last three.
We asked novice associate judge Simon Walkenhorst from the Hargreaves Hill Brewery in rural Victoria his opinions on his first experience as an international beer judge. “It was great. They divided the room in half with one side judging lagers and the other side ales. Being one of the ale judges I was impressed by the heavy hoppiness and huge back palate bitterness in the American India Pale Ales. They actually left me with a heavy tongue feeling. The specialty ales were also a highlight. The chilli beer smelt like a jar of chillies and after the initial maltiness had run its course the burning chilli flavour had us running for the water jug on the double! I had never experienced the smoked Rauch styled beers before so they were also a highlight. The raspberry, blueberry and blackberry beer were so strong it was hard to find the beer in the flavour profile. Overall, a fantastic experience and I hope they ask me back again.”
But enough about the judges already, let’s talk about the winning beers you can buy and have a taste of. The Grand Ridge Brewing Company has again walked away with a top award. In a world first 2 products tied for the Premiers Trophy and both were from Grand Ridge Brewery. Supershine and Supershine Vintage shared the prestigious Premiers Trophy. Grand Ridge Brewery also won the award in 2002 and 2003. In fact, since 1994 Grand Ridge has won well over 100 international medals for their beers which include Lager, Ale, Wheat, Dark, Stout and Light class categories. The company situated in the tiny hamlet of Mirboo North, Gippsland, has proved beyond any doubt that it consistently produces some of the best beers in the world, picking up a total of 12 awards from it’s range of beers this year.
Matilda Bay Brewing Company has been awarded the Champion Lager Trophy for its popular Bohemian Pilzner. According to Matilda Bay’s ‘Malt, Hops and Water Guy’ Brad Rogers “Winning gold at the AIBA is an honour in itself, but for Bohemian Pilzner to be awarded a Champion Trophy – it’s just fantastic. At Matilda Bay, we’re all about creating Australia’s best craft and specialty beers and this award is an amazing acknowledgement from fellow brewers and the brewing community.” With Bohemian Pilzner, Brad has produced a beer celebrating the style that began around 160 years ago when the brewers of Bohemia made the first true lager style beer in the town of Pilzen. The beer is brewed with premium Australian pale malt and authentic Czech Saaz hops, to provide a beer that has a spicy, floral aroma and a clean, rounded palate with a bitter finish. Matilda Bay was also fortunate enough be awarded 23 medals for beers as diverse as Redback Wheat, Rooftop Red Lager, Dogbolter Dark Lager, Alpha Pale Ale and Stickler’s Best Bitter. Also awarded was a ‘Best in Class’ for the delicious Redback Mild.
Champion Stout has once again been taken out by Coopers Best Extra Stout. This stout has continually impressed judges since it won Beer of the Year in 1994. Coopers took home 18 medals against intense competition from leading breweries across the globe. Coopers Best Extra Stout was also awarded a gold medal in the International Packaged category. Best Extra Stout won the International Draught Stout section outright for the second consecutive year while it also took out the International Packaged Stout category outright. Coopers Managing Director, Dr Tim Cooper, said winning one gold medal, six silver and 11 bronze medals was testament to Cooper’s global reputation for producing high quality beverages. “While Best Extra Stout was a star performer, we were also delighted to win silver medals for Sparkling Ale and Special Old Stout,” he said. “This is a fantastic result and a major global vote of confidence in Coopers”.
Toohey’s Ltd. didn’t do home empty handed on the night, as their Hahn Premium Light took the trophy for Champion Reduced Alcohol Beer, and Hahn Premium winning best in two classes of Australasian lagers. Lion Nathan Chief Brewer, Bill Taylor, was delighted with the recognition received for the brands saying: “We have long been convinced that Hahn Premium and Hahn Premium Light are great brews and now we’ve had it reconfirmed with further success at these awards”. “It’s great to have our efforts commended by an independent group comprised of some of the best brewers in the world,” Taylor said of the judging panel. “Hahn drinkers can again be reassured that their favourite brews are in fact the beers of choice of some of the best brewers in the business.” Taylor attributes the brews’ success to Hahn’s commitment to quality brewing and the distinctive hoppy characteristics of its brews. “Hahn Premium Light is a superior tasting light beer that is brewed for full flavour and refreshment,” he said. “The outstanding taste is achieved through modern brewing techniques, using the combination of imported hops and the finest Australian malt.” “Hahn Premium is handcrafted with higher malt levels and a blend of three special hops. The unique pleasant bitterness and finish of the brew is produced by late hopping with European aroma hops,” Taylor said.
.Their ‘little sister brewery’ Malt Shovel didn’t miss out either with best in class victories for their James Squire Porter and in-house beer Speculator from the James Squire Brewhouse & Restaurant at Kings Wharf, Sydney. Brewmaster Chuck Hahn was quite pleased with the results. “It’s fantastic to do so well and tributes to our craft brewers who have created distinctive flavoursome ales that are a unique experience for the Australian beer drinkers.”
Before we close our review of the 2005 Beer Awards, I’d like to acknowledge a few other small Australian breweries that impressed the judging panel. Sydney’s Redoak Brewery continues to kick goals with Best in Class awards for their Oatmeal Stout, Special Strong Ale, Honey Ale and Rauch Ale. Queensland Brewer Brennan Fielding is starting to get some well overdue recognition for his Oxford Brewery’s Oxford Nights lager and low alcohol Oxford 152. West Australian Bootleg Brewery continues their outstanding success with their fantastic Raging Bull Porter. Canberra’s Wig & Pen pub brewery seems to win gold with their Russian Imperial Stout every year, while Woodend Victoria’s hometown champion brewer Paul Holgate impressed the judges with their potent Holgate Brewhouse Winter Ale. Look for some special beers coming from Mildura Brewery to be gaining some recognition in the near future.
Nationalistic favouritism aside, we acknowledge the efforts and achievements of the import beers that made their mark on the 2005 judges. A salute to our ANZAC partners who continue to offer excellent beers, in particular small breweries Emerson’s and Steam Brewing Company from the North Island of New Zealand... Richard Emerson won 2 best in Class Awards: Best Australasian Ale- Emerson’s Old ’95 and Best Small Brewery –Specialty Section- Herb & Spiced Beer -Emerson’s Taieri George. And Luke Nicholas from the Auckland Cock & Bull pub- brewery seems to be enjoying the larger brewery at Steam Brewing winning best in Class for the second year in a row with his Best India Pale Ale -Monks Habit.
And love ‘em or hate ‘em, you have to respect the American small breweries and the fantastic products they produce. Samuel Adams has been dazzling us with a splendid display of specialty beers since winning Grand Champion in 2002 with their outstanding Samuel Adams Double Bock dark ale. This year is no exception winning Best in Class Light Beer and a gold medal for their Honey Porter. Impressive results were noted for perennial winner Rogue Ales, with gold medals for their Imperial India Pale Ale and Belgian styled Saison. Without a doubt, the Pelican Pub-brewery from the tiny Oregon town of Pacific City, population of 800, has blown away all comers large and small at this event. Grand Champion with a perfectly balanced Doryman’s dark ale is accompanied by accolades of Champion International Brewery, plus Best Stout with their ill-timed titled Tsunami Sweet Stout. The fact that such a small brewery from overseas can win for the second year is a testament to our judging panel, not a condemnation of Australian brewers and should be applauded for their fairness in their efforts.
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Don’t Blame The Brewers
Hear ye, here ye, the final round bell has rung for full strength beer. The hulky Aussie icon lager of 4.9% A/V is weakened and buckling at the knees like a punch drunk heavyweight boxer. Draught beer has been forced to reduce its weight a ‘teardrop’ at a time, according to David Park, Manager of Marketing Communications for Carlton & United Breweries, against a bruising bully who fixes his fights, the ‘wowser tax’. Rather than setting the scales evenly, as was the case under the old sales tax of 37%, the GST driven excise tax is indexed twice a year adding up to a permanent inflation rate of 10% per year for a beer over the bar.
But as the Aussie brewer staggers back to his corner, he’s greeted by a hostile crowd sniping at him with ‘value for money’ taunts. If ever the brewing industry needed support from its grassroots audience its now, yet they shuffle out of the arena in search of drinks that offer more bang for their buck. When the budget conscious drinker looks at the statistics, they find that a standard glass of cask wine is taxed nine cents whilst beer gets walloped at forty-two cents per glass. As for value added incentive that glass of cask wine is over double the alcohol but only about twenty cents dearer than the trusty ten-ounce pot. Yet still the crowd remains silent as our cultural heritage is watered down.
So what went did wrong for the Champ? To answer that we need to go back to the late seventies to an Australian invention, the four-litre wine cask and a Labour Federal government hell bent on lifting the profile of wine. The fledgling wine industry desired and got preferential treatment to develop an export market, and increase the amount of vineyards that concentrated on low quality high volume grape varieties. The state governments chipped in to provide excise concessions to assist small wineries, while their counterparts producing beer received tax relief only if they produced less than 300,000 litres per year.
With the new millennium brought a new Liberal Federal Government and a new taw tax structure, the GST. The antiquated wholesale sales tax of 37% across the board was replaced by an excise and customs duty tax system and the new WET (Wine Equalisation Tax) for grape, fruit, and vegetable wines plus vermouth, marsala, cider, and sake. WET maintains a 29% rate on the wholesale price of wine and the state governments provide a 15% wholesale price rebate for cellar door sales. In addition, the commonwealth provides a further 14% rebate of up to $ 300,000 wholesale sales to assist small wineries. Small breweries, on the other hand, continue to only be offered tax subsidies of production levels less than 3,000.000 litres per year. According to local small brewery Mountain Goat Beer, they produce that amount in six weeks.
But it’s in the local pub and bottle shop where the changing drinking habits and ‘bang for your buck’ philosophy is most apparent. Once the centre of Australian tradition, quaffing a few quiet ales with your mates, is no more. Draught beer sales now only account for 20% of total beer sales. As for value, a four-litre cask of wine contains approximately the same amount of alcohol as a 9-litre carton of beer, yet many of these casks retail for less than a six pack of full strength beer. When you compare the alcohol levels in cask wine and bottled beer from the bottle shop, the tax imposed per standard drink on cask wine is 16% compared to full strength beer taxed at 37%. Quite simply, a slab of full strength beer (33.6 standard drinks at 4.9% ABV) compared to a cask of wine (34.7 standard drinks at 11% ABV) is taxed six times more In terms of your wallet, that glass of cask wine at the pub should be costing the consumer around $ 7.00, but then nobody would purchase it would they.
Alan Giles, Victorian President of the AHA, sums it up well when he states “The government has milked the beer cow for years making the price of beer out of reach for many drinkers. Every time we get slugged with an increased excise indexation, the pubs see a drop off of 10% in draught beer sales. Without draught beer sales the local pubs cannot survive and another working man’s environment is lost, particularly in rural communities.”
Last year in an effort to inform the public and raise concern to these issues, the Australian breweries pooled together close to seven million dollars with their “It’s Your Shout” campaign. Their efforts went unrewarded by the public, and even fewer worries for the tax driven coalition who expected the blasé attitude of the boozers. So don’t blame the brewer or the publican, and cry into your chardonnay as we lose our cultural heritage. The fault lies with the beer drinking public who need to voice their protests with federal representatives to create a fairer drink tax for all rather than being forced to live in a wowser driven society.
But as the Aussie brewer staggers back to his corner, he’s greeted by a hostile crowd sniping at him with ‘value for money’ taunts. If ever the brewing industry needed support from its grassroots audience its now, yet they shuffle out of the arena in search of drinks that offer more bang for their buck. When the budget conscious drinker looks at the statistics, they find that a standard glass of cask wine is taxed nine cents whilst beer gets walloped at forty-two cents per glass. As for value added incentive that glass of cask wine is over double the alcohol but only about twenty cents dearer than the trusty ten-ounce pot. Yet still the crowd remains silent as our cultural heritage is watered down.
So what went did wrong for the Champ? To answer that we need to go back to the late seventies to an Australian invention, the four-litre wine cask and a Labour Federal government hell bent on lifting the profile of wine. The fledgling wine industry desired and got preferential treatment to develop an export market, and increase the amount of vineyards that concentrated on low quality high volume grape varieties. The state governments chipped in to provide excise concessions to assist small wineries, while their counterparts producing beer received tax relief only if they produced less than 300,000 litres per year.
With the new millennium brought a new Liberal Federal Government and a new taw tax structure, the GST. The antiquated wholesale sales tax of 37% across the board was replaced by an excise and customs duty tax system and the new WET (Wine Equalisation Tax) for grape, fruit, and vegetable wines plus vermouth, marsala, cider, and sake. WET maintains a 29% rate on the wholesale price of wine and the state governments provide a 15% wholesale price rebate for cellar door sales. In addition, the commonwealth provides a further 14% rebate of up to $ 300,000 wholesale sales to assist small wineries. Small breweries, on the other hand, continue to only be offered tax subsidies of production levels less than 3,000.000 litres per year. According to local small brewery Mountain Goat Beer, they produce that amount in six weeks.
But it’s in the local pub and bottle shop where the changing drinking habits and ‘bang for your buck’ philosophy is most apparent. Once the centre of Australian tradition, quaffing a few quiet ales with your mates, is no more. Draught beer sales now only account for 20% of total beer sales. As for value, a four-litre cask of wine contains approximately the same amount of alcohol as a 9-litre carton of beer, yet many of these casks retail for less than a six pack of full strength beer. When you compare the alcohol levels in cask wine and bottled beer from the bottle shop, the tax imposed per standard drink on cask wine is 16% compared to full strength beer taxed at 37%. Quite simply, a slab of full strength beer (33.6 standard drinks at 4.9% ABV) compared to a cask of wine (34.7 standard drinks at 11% ABV) is taxed six times more In terms of your wallet, that glass of cask wine at the pub should be costing the consumer around $ 7.00, but then nobody would purchase it would they.
Alan Giles, Victorian President of the AHA, sums it up well when he states “The government has milked the beer cow for years making the price of beer out of reach for many drinkers. Every time we get slugged with an increased excise indexation, the pubs see a drop off of 10% in draught beer sales. Without draught beer sales the local pubs cannot survive and another working man’s environment is lost, particularly in rural communities.”
Last year in an effort to inform the public and raise concern to these issues, the Australian breweries pooled together close to seven million dollars with their “It’s Your Shout” campaign. Their efforts went unrewarded by the public, and even fewer worries for the tax driven coalition who expected the blasé attitude of the boozers. So don’t blame the brewer or the publican, and cry into your chardonnay as we lose our cultural heritage. The fault lies with the beer drinking public who need to voice their protests with federal representatives to create a fairer drink tax for all rather than being forced to live in a wowser driven society.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Draught vs. Bottled Beer
The popularity of premium and imported beers continues unabated. Bars and clubs, as well as pubs, now serve enormously diverse and exotic styles of beers from around the world in draught form as well as in a bottle. So what is the difference between the two methods of presentation and which one is the better beer I hear you say? Let’s ask the opinions of the experts.
Without question, every brewer agrees that draught beer is the closest route from brewing vessels to your lips. If all conditions are correct you can’t serve a better beer. According to Sean Prendergast InBev Regional Director Australia and New Zealand, “It’s the theatre of the pouring ritual with branded glass and proper coaster that meets our client’s requirements. We were the pioneers of the pouring ritual through our Belgian Beer Cafes which provided a new way of presenting our Stella Artois to the Australian market.”
James Tait, Corporate Affairs Lion Nathan Australia states that tap sales currently account for approximately 1/4 of the total beer market in volume terms. “Beer drinkers love the entire experience of tap beer from watching their drink being poured, to its presentation with the perfect head, to watching the rings appear down the side of the glass as they drink it. Increasingly we're identifying ways of making our beers available to as many consumers as possible on tap. An example is the innovative Heineken David System which is a portable 20 litre draught solution being used increasingly by smaller venues such as restaurants and premium cocktail bars. We're identifying ways of ensuring the attributes associated with these beers, including strong branding, can be transferred from the pack to tap offering. For example, at the Beck's Icon Bars we've installed special dishwashers to ensure glassware is as clean as possible and supplied branded glassware and coasters. In addition, staffs have been trained in the theatre of the pour to ensure the beer is presented in the best possible light. All of this adds value for the consumer while also giving them the experience associated with a tap beer.
Beck’s is the most popular German beer in the world: brewed in Bremen since 1873, and in strict accordance with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. The success of Beck’s is based on a few important factors, including an emphasis on being a German ‘spitzen Pilsner von Welt’ or ‘world class premium pilsners’, and the inclusion of Hallertau hops of Bavaria, considered by some to be the finest pils hops in the world. The use of these hops may cause a few raised eyebrows due to the lightness in colour and put to question its strength and character, but after a swallow or two you will experience a clean crisp taste with plenty of back bitterness and a full rich flavour. Beck’s has a clear crisp white blond appearance with a creamy well-compacted head, subtly sweet aroma, with emphasis on lightness in style.
We spoke with Carlton & United Beverage’s Beverage Ambassador Dermot O’Donnell on the subject. “Without doubt, tap beer is the freshest beverage to the consumer, and provides us with an immediate test market situation. We can take their comments back to the office and act upon them to enhance the drinking experience. It’s a win-win for all concerned. The beer consumer is willing to pay for the ritual pour experience, while draught beer offers a better margin for the bar or club. It’s also allows for more places to dispense the product without the added costs of boxes, labels, and bottles which are a more costly investment” According to Brad Rogers Head Brewer for Matilda Bay Brewing “ Its all about visibility and point of difference. Seeing the beer font will influence drinker’s choice, no doubt. Beer drinkers want the whole package and literally ‘drink with their eyes.”
Japanese Asahi and French Kronenbourg 1664 and two imported beers in the CUB stable that have made quite a splash in the glass of recent times. Asahi draught was developed in 1987 by the demands from Japanese consumers who wanted a beer with similar attributes to white wine. A beer that was lighter, more refreshing, and compliments more varied food accompaniments. The resulting Super Dry was so popular the brewery couldn’t keep up with demand. Carlton & United Beverages has a tight and controlled distribution strategy which they intend to maintain. To ensure long term customer viability and consumer appeal. For those customers who have made the required investment and effort in extensive staff training and glassware reticulation there has been a positive return.
Kronenbourg 1664 is another success story on tap. It’s France’s #1 selling beer and #2 in the UK. The use of locally grown Alsace hop strisselspalt known as ‘the caviar of hops’ creates a flavour profile of a beer that’s more bitter than sweet with a distinctive tangy citrus taste at mid-palate. Kronenbourg 1664 was launched in the UK in 1952 to mark the Queen’s accession to the throne. On tap features the Head Injection Tap (HIT) that provides a tight smooth white creamy head that lasts to the bottom of the glass.
So are there any downsides to beer on tap? Most brewing people agree that areas of possible concern lie in poorly maintained dispensing systems and the lack of properly managed cellaring procedures would be the biggest concern. After that it’s lack of stock turnover leading to stale beer. Plus, bottles are more expensive to produce and perhaps less consistency According to Mr Predergast “If you’re not selling at least a keg a week you should be selling by the bottle.”
So are there any good points to bottled beer? Back to InBev “It allows the consumer to badge themselves to show others the experience.” And from my opinion, you have the ability to replenish the head to reinvigorate the aroma. Besides, very few households have the luxury of keeping a keg in the fridge. Plus, on the run and thirsty, nothing beats a coldie.
Without question, every brewer agrees that draught beer is the closest route from brewing vessels to your lips. If all conditions are correct you can’t serve a better beer. According to Sean Prendergast InBev Regional Director Australia and New Zealand, “It’s the theatre of the pouring ritual with branded glass and proper coaster that meets our client’s requirements. We were the pioneers of the pouring ritual through our Belgian Beer Cafes which provided a new way of presenting our Stella Artois to the Australian market.”
James Tait, Corporate Affairs Lion Nathan Australia states that tap sales currently account for approximately 1/4 of the total beer market in volume terms. “Beer drinkers love the entire experience of tap beer from watching their drink being poured, to its presentation with the perfect head, to watching the rings appear down the side of the glass as they drink it. Increasingly we're identifying ways of making our beers available to as many consumers as possible on tap. An example is the innovative Heineken David System which is a portable 20 litre draught solution being used increasingly by smaller venues such as restaurants and premium cocktail bars. We're identifying ways of ensuring the attributes associated with these beers, including strong branding, can be transferred from the pack to tap offering. For example, at the Beck's Icon Bars we've installed special dishwashers to ensure glassware is as clean as possible and supplied branded glassware and coasters. In addition, staffs have been trained in the theatre of the pour to ensure the beer is presented in the best possible light. All of this adds value for the consumer while also giving them the experience associated with a tap beer.
Beck’s is the most popular German beer in the world: brewed in Bremen since 1873, and in strict accordance with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. The success of Beck’s is based on a few important factors, including an emphasis on being a German ‘spitzen Pilsner von Welt’ or ‘world class premium pilsners’, and the inclusion of Hallertau hops of Bavaria, considered by some to be the finest pils hops in the world. The use of these hops may cause a few raised eyebrows due to the lightness in colour and put to question its strength and character, but after a swallow or two you will experience a clean crisp taste with plenty of back bitterness and a full rich flavour. Beck’s has a clear crisp white blond appearance with a creamy well-compacted head, subtly sweet aroma, with emphasis on lightness in style.
We spoke with Carlton & United Beverage’s Beverage Ambassador Dermot O’Donnell on the subject. “Without doubt, tap beer is the freshest beverage to the consumer, and provides us with an immediate test market situation. We can take their comments back to the office and act upon them to enhance the drinking experience. It’s a win-win for all concerned. The beer consumer is willing to pay for the ritual pour experience, while draught beer offers a better margin for the bar or club. It’s also allows for more places to dispense the product without the added costs of boxes, labels, and bottles which are a more costly investment” According to Brad Rogers Head Brewer for Matilda Bay Brewing “ Its all about visibility and point of difference. Seeing the beer font will influence drinker’s choice, no doubt. Beer drinkers want the whole package and literally ‘drink with their eyes.”
Japanese Asahi and French Kronenbourg 1664 and two imported beers in the CUB stable that have made quite a splash in the glass of recent times. Asahi draught was developed in 1987 by the demands from Japanese consumers who wanted a beer with similar attributes to white wine. A beer that was lighter, more refreshing, and compliments more varied food accompaniments. The resulting Super Dry was so popular the brewery couldn’t keep up with demand. Carlton & United Beverages has a tight and controlled distribution strategy which they intend to maintain. To ensure long term customer viability and consumer appeal. For those customers who have made the required investment and effort in extensive staff training and glassware reticulation there has been a positive return.
Kronenbourg 1664 is another success story on tap. It’s France’s #1 selling beer and #2 in the UK. The use of locally grown Alsace hop strisselspalt known as ‘the caviar of hops’ creates a flavour profile of a beer that’s more bitter than sweet with a distinctive tangy citrus taste at mid-palate. Kronenbourg 1664 was launched in the UK in 1952 to mark the Queen’s accession to the throne. On tap features the Head Injection Tap (HIT) that provides a tight smooth white creamy head that lasts to the bottom of the glass.
So are there any downsides to beer on tap? Most brewing people agree that areas of possible concern lie in poorly maintained dispensing systems and the lack of properly managed cellaring procedures would be the biggest concern. After that it’s lack of stock turnover leading to stale beer. Plus, bottles are more expensive to produce and perhaps less consistency According to Mr Predergast “If you’re not selling at least a keg a week you should be selling by the bottle.”
So are there any good points to bottled beer? Back to InBev “It allows the consumer to badge themselves to show others the experience.” And from my opinion, you have the ability to replenish the head to reinvigorate the aroma. Besides, very few households have the luxury of keeping a keg in the fridge. Plus, on the run and thirsty, nothing beats a coldie.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Carlsberg Elephant Beer
Beer drinkers around the world rely on lagers to quench their thirst. The similarity of taste aroma and appearance meet our needs, but sometimes we seek something else without having to venture to far out of our comfort zone. Carlsberg Elephant is just such animal, rich on the mouth but not overbearing, plus light on its feet for such a powerful beast at 7.2% Al./Vol. considering that the local brews are tiring at 4-5 A/V under the weight of the beer tax laws.
The Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen has been around for 150 years and along with Germany, developed the lagering style our palates rely on today. The founder J C Jacobsen build his famous brewery empire on new technology, research, and technique, and the Elephant is proudly displayed on the gates as their symbol of strength and character. After a stint working at the Spaten Brewery in Germany, Jacobsen assumed correctly that beer drinkers around the world would endear themselves to clean crisp Munich styled pilseners based on sweet pale malt with a hint of Hallertau hops. His vision and foresight helped Carlsberg become one of the largest international breweries worldwide.
Carlsberg Elephant is technically described as a German styled bock, or strong beer based on the high alcohol level, golden colour, with a sweet malt barley flavour. The smoothness of this delicious drop implies extended lagering for maturation. The elephant goes well with any game based dish or a spicy beef dish.
Carlsberg Elephant is available at most leading bottle shops and sell for $ X.XX per 330 ml. bottle.
The Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen has been around for 150 years and along with Germany, developed the lagering style our palates rely on today. The founder J C Jacobsen build his famous brewery empire on new technology, research, and technique, and the Elephant is proudly displayed on the gates as their symbol of strength and character. After a stint working at the Spaten Brewery in Germany, Jacobsen assumed correctly that beer drinkers around the world would endear themselves to clean crisp Munich styled pilseners based on sweet pale malt with a hint of Hallertau hops. His vision and foresight helped Carlsberg become one of the largest international breweries worldwide.
Carlsberg Elephant is technically described as a German styled bock, or strong beer based on the high alcohol level, golden colour, with a sweet malt barley flavour. The smoothness of this delicious drop implies extended lagering for maturation. The elephant goes well with any game based dish or a spicy beef dish.
Carlsberg Elephant is available at most leading bottle shops and sell for $ X.XX per 330 ml. bottle.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
On The Buses
We continue our beer tour of Europe from the last edition of B & C by concentrating on the nations to the north. In contrast to Britain, the northern European beers are dominated by the lighter lagers and seasonal specialty ales that highlight the sensational produce of the area. As the ‘Beer Bus’ finished up in Italy, it’s only natural we begin the second part of our journey in Germany.
Germany is the world’s greatest beer nation, and beer is an integral part of their customs and culture. In the Catholic south of Bavaria there is always a reason to celebrate with a different beer style for in any given season. It seems almost every village and hamlet has a brewery, even if only to refresh visitor’s palates. From these little breweries come the ancient recipes and special blends to create beers for all seasons and celebrations.
Germany can lay claim to making beer a civilized drink for two main reasons, the Reinheitsgebot Law or the ‘Pure Beer Pledge’, and the introduction of bottom fermented lagers. The pure beer pledge or German Purity Laws were enacted in the sixteenth century stipulating that beer can only be brewed with malted barley and wheat, hops, yeast, and water. Not only did this enforce cleaner beers, but essentially restricted imported beers from entering Germany allowing for local breweries to flourish. German brewers launched a campaign against imported ‘chemi-beers’ suggesting these beers as inferior to their own. This tactic assisted the small ‘hometown’ breweries who displayed plaques announcing their beers adhere to the Purity Laws. In Bavaria, the only change since brewing began is the switch from warm to cold fermentation. Munich or ‘the monks place’ became the major town along the salt route from Austria to Northern Germany. Being so close to the Alps, brewers began to store their beer in deep caves to withstand hot summers. The lower temperatures encouraged yeast to settle to the bottom of the fermenting vessel resulting in turning malt sugars to alcohol more slowly. The result is a cleaner, less fruity and more stable beer.
But what about the beers I hear you say, well here goes with a fairly condensed list based on geographical location. As Germany has 1500 breweries, we can only scratch the surface and describe a few drops available here in Australia.
Any discussion about German beer has to include Becks and Lowenbrau. . Beck’s is the most popular German beer in the world: brewed in Bremen since 1873, and in strict accordance with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. Beck’s is one of the fastest growing International premium beers that arrived in Australia in 1906 and became their largest buyer within 3 years. As a lead-in to Beck’s being brewed here in Australia in 2005, two advertisements will be aired titled “Life beckons, choose wisely”. These high profile ads are an investment in a brand that has seen a 40% growth rise in the past twelve months The success of Beck’s is based on a few important factors, including an emphasis on being a German ‘spitzen Pilsner von Welt’ or ‘world class premium pilsners’, and the inclusion of Hallertau hops of Bavaria, considered by some to be the finest pils hops in the world. The use of these hops may cause a few raised eyebrows due to the lightness in colour and put to question its strength and character, but after a swallow or two you will experience a clean crisp taste with plenty of back bitterness and a full rich flavour. Beck’s has a clear crisp white blond appearance with a creamy well-compacted head, subtly sweet aroma, with emphasis on lightness in style.
Literally translated, Löwenbräu means Lion's Brew. It can be traced back to the medieval days of 1383 when an innkeeper brewed his own beer at the "Zum Löwen" or Lion's Inn. The lion is also the traditional symbol of Bavaria so Lowenbrau represents a traditional Bavarian-style beer. Lowenbrau Pure Bier beer is made from the highest quality ingredients giving it a superb natural head, golden colour, distinctive, refreshing flavour and a pleasant, enjoyable aftertaste. Limited to only 4 natural ingredients which include a special strain of Löwenbräu lager yeast, two-row barley, that’s malted with special technology to get its unique blend, a light Pilsner type malt of special composition and the finest aromatic hops from the world’s largest hops growing area, Hallertau, just 50 kilometres northeast of Munich Add to that their soft, clear and clean Bavarian well water and you’ve got a very special beer..
A classic of the Munich wheat beer style, Schneider Weiss is a delightfully spicy version that leaves a clean clove presence on the tongue. Traditionally brewed for Oktoberfest, the flavour profile is a balance of fruity sharpness with a sweet, clove infused hop maltiness. The lemony clove aroma gains richness as the beer warms.
Brewed in the small German Rhineland Lake District town of Bitburg since 1817, Bitburger is a Bohemian style pilsener, which uses the finest of locally grown spring barleys (Alexis, Arena, and Steiner); plus four hop additions (Hersbrucker, Huller, Perle, and Tettnang). In the past, the ice from nearby lakes was used in the lagering process. Today, Bitburger still has a three month extended lagering policy and is not pasteurised which helps to maintain the delicate balance of malt and hop flavours, while the export variety is sterile filtered. Rhineland Pilseners tend to be hoppier than those produced in the Bavarian South, but less dry and bitter from those of the Prussian influenced north. Golden straw in colour, Bitburger has a hop driven aroma with subtle tones of vanilla, mild caramel malty sweetness, and slightly floral hoppiness. As is the case with most pilseners, it’s moderately bitter on the palate with hints of smoky hop flavour and citric fruitiness.
Austria not only lost an empire but a beer style as well. Best known for the Vienna style based on red malt which master brewer Anton Dreher perfected in the Vienna suburb of Schwechat. The brewery went bust in 1930 and the style of beer became a fading memory. Today Austrian beers imitate the Bavarian styled lagers. In Vienna, Zipfer has a fine perfumed hop with well balanced malty mouth feel. The other major beer region of Styria is most noted for their hops where Gosser Pale and Dark Ale are brewed in Graz. The pale ale combines the sweetness of caramalt, maize and rice with noble hops Hallertau, Spalt, Styrian and Golding. Gosser Dark provides a malty mouth feel, mild hop bitterness with a smooth sturdy presentation and finishes with a nutty malty flavour.
The Czech Republic formerly referred to as Bohemia gave us the first cold fermented Pilsener. Monasteries dominated beer production until the thirteenth century, when ‘citizen breweries’ began suppling beer to the Moravian aristocracy. Regional hops go back to 850 AD and still held in esteem today. Pilsner Urquell is the flagship of the Czech brewing industry, and has been since 1842.Urquell means “original source” in German, the official language of Bohemia, once part of the Austrian empire. And as it says on the bottle, Pilsner Urquell is the original pilsner from the Pilsen, the birthplace of the pilsner lager style. Adding to its mystique, the beer introduced the now famous conical pilsner style glass when the world was switching over from stoneware and pewter tankards. Pilsner Urquell is golden in colour with a rich, well-compacted creamy head. The flavour and aroma profile is driven by the use of Saaz hops, which provide a floral, spicy aroma and adequate back bitterness without going over the top. Equally important in its structure is the renowned Moravian barley malt, which provides a malty softness and overall balance to the beer.
Talk about beer from Holland and the word Heineken isn’t far behind. G.A. Heineken was so appalled at the depravity and drunkenness caused by gin drinking that he swore to his mother that he would brew for the people if she bought the Haystack Brewery for him. Now enjoyed in over 170 countries, Heineken's global success has been built on a passion for quality, a dedication to innovation and a respect for the world it lives in. Heineken lager contains no additives or preservatives, and only the purest natural ingredients are used in the six week brewing process. And thanks to three generations of the Heineken family, the Heineken lager enjoyed all over the world today is still brewed to the original recipe, perfected in Holland in 1873.Another popular Dutch beer treat is Grolsch premium lager. Grolsch has been producing superb beers since the early 1600’s when Master brewer Peter Cuper established the brewery in his hometown Grolle (now Groenlo) in Gelderland. Considered a small independent brewery until recent times, Grolsch products have been synonymous with three major factors: extended lagering and fermentation, unpasturised beers, and that infamous swing-stoppered bottle. The swing top dates back to 1897, when other Dutch breweries started phasing them out claiming they were too expensive for mass production. A seemingly useless appendage for modern drinking habits, it provides a distinctive novelty factor and instant recognition for all Grolsch products. Grolsch Premium is a fresh hoppy pilsner style lager with plenty of Herschbruger and Hallbrtauer hops for aromatics and Yakima and Golden Nugget hops for bitterness. All natural and triple cold filtered, the lager is well balanced with rich malty yeasty sweetness and a subtle bitter finish. The extended lagering provides that distinctive European flavour and classic golden colour.
The image of drunken Vikings marauding the countryside is as much a part of Scandinavia as the land itself. They brewed a barley based beer they called aul and handed down the method of top fermenting ales to all of Europe. And similar to Holland, the beers are dominated by two breweries, Carlsberg and Tuborg. Carlsberg has been brewing in Copenhagen since 1847 and remains a popular favorite around the world. Its light hoppiness compliments a dry malty mouth feel, with a sweet malty finish. Carlgerg’s slogan on the side of a building in Copenhagen’s city hall says it all “Probably the best beer in town”.
If Carlsberg Lager is noted for its light refreshing nature, then their Elephant Malt Liquor would be infamous for its unexpected stampede on your brain. Carlsberg Elephant is named for the life-size carved granite elephant that flank the breweries arched entryway. Golden-hued it starts off with a crisp floral character followed by a malty, yeasty aroma. Strong wheat like presence takes over and remains in the background Carlsberg Elephant is technically described as a German styled bock, or strong beer based on the high alcohol level, golden colour, with a sweet malt barley flavour. The smoothness of this delicious drop implies extended lagering for maturation.
Tuborg was first brewed in 1873 at Aktieselskabet Tuborgs Fabrikker in Copenhagen, and joined forces with the household named and well loved Carlsberg Breweries in 1970’s.Exquisitely presented and worthy of the Danish crown on the logo, this quality, full bodied, refreshing beer offers all the complexity of its Carlsberg brother, with the ice cold bite of a clean, smooth lager. A low astringency and yeast tone leaves a carbonated, smooth tasting mouthfeel, rich in body. Equal dry & warm characteristics with less bitterness than the well known Carlsberg Green label; leave an enjoyable after taste on the palate. Independent Distillers in Melbourne are now the proud wholesalers for Tuborg and Carlsberg.
Where Germany brought civility to beer, the Belgians brought the passion. It’s hard to take in that such a small country could produce so many fantastic styles of beer. This revival worldwide of Belgian ales is nothing short of phenomenal. They give us pale ales, golden ales, brown, red, and white ales plus the fruity iambics and abbey ales, not to mention their ‘specialty ales’. The list is seemingly endless, but for the everyday drinker the people in Belgium consume vast amounts of lager like the rest of the world. Brewing giant Interbrew’s Stella Artois was first brewed as a Christmas beer in 1926, and was so popular that it became an all year round beer. The name ‘Stella’ also comes from the Latin word for star, probably linked to the traditional star atop the Christmas tree. Stella Artois has a bright crystal clear pale gold appearance and a delicate hop aroma that requires pouring into a glass to truly appreciate. The pilsener lager has a pleasing hop flavour leaving the palate with a combination of grainy malt flavour, moderate hop bitterness and a slight citric sourness in the finish.
Hoegaarden White Ale has become a bit of a cult drink with the younger Belgian set, and with good reason. Its creamy light lemony taste is an ideal refresher beer, with hints of coriander and curacao. Its history goes back to 1445 employing a secret recipe, the purest of ingredients, and locally grown wheat.
When Trappist monks were hounded out of France during the Revolution, they took their brewing skills north. Chimay is by far the most famous Trappist brewery. The local water is soft and acidic, and the malts are considered a blend of caramalt with candy sugar. Add some Hallartau and American Yakima hops, then prime it with sugar and you have a beer with great depth of complex flavours with fruit and spice from the hops. Chimay has three beers, Red (Premiere), Blue (Grande Reserve), and White. Leffe is Belgium’s original abbey beer, with origins back to 1152. The Blond is made with clear malt of medium strength which provides a dry, fruity, lightly spiced beer that’s full, creamy and delicately sweet. The Leffe Brun is sweetened with brown sugar and balanced with a slight bitterness from roasted malts. And finally the lambic fruity beers whose most famous face in the beer world is Belle Vue Kriek. Kriek is the Flemish word for cherry, and along with its spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, and a long fermentation in oak barrels, provide a sweet and sour explosion in your mouth.
Germany is the world’s greatest beer nation, and beer is an integral part of their customs and culture. In the Catholic south of Bavaria there is always a reason to celebrate with a different beer style for in any given season. It seems almost every village and hamlet has a brewery, even if only to refresh visitor’s palates. From these little breweries come the ancient recipes and special blends to create beers for all seasons and celebrations.
Germany can lay claim to making beer a civilized drink for two main reasons, the Reinheitsgebot Law or the ‘Pure Beer Pledge’, and the introduction of bottom fermented lagers. The pure beer pledge or German Purity Laws were enacted in the sixteenth century stipulating that beer can only be brewed with malted barley and wheat, hops, yeast, and water. Not only did this enforce cleaner beers, but essentially restricted imported beers from entering Germany allowing for local breweries to flourish. German brewers launched a campaign against imported ‘chemi-beers’ suggesting these beers as inferior to their own. This tactic assisted the small ‘hometown’ breweries who displayed plaques announcing their beers adhere to the Purity Laws. In Bavaria, the only change since brewing began is the switch from warm to cold fermentation. Munich or ‘the monks place’ became the major town along the salt route from Austria to Northern Germany. Being so close to the Alps, brewers began to store their beer in deep caves to withstand hot summers. The lower temperatures encouraged yeast to settle to the bottom of the fermenting vessel resulting in turning malt sugars to alcohol more slowly. The result is a cleaner, less fruity and more stable beer.
But what about the beers I hear you say, well here goes with a fairly condensed list based on geographical location. As Germany has 1500 breweries, we can only scratch the surface and describe a few drops available here in Australia.
Any discussion about German beer has to include Becks and Lowenbrau. . Beck’s is the most popular German beer in the world: brewed in Bremen since 1873, and in strict accordance with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. Beck’s is one of the fastest growing International premium beers that arrived in Australia in 1906 and became their largest buyer within 3 years. As a lead-in to Beck’s being brewed here in Australia in 2005, two advertisements will be aired titled “Life beckons, choose wisely”. These high profile ads are an investment in a brand that has seen a 40% growth rise in the past twelve months The success of Beck’s is based on a few important factors, including an emphasis on being a German ‘spitzen Pilsner von Welt’ or ‘world class premium pilsners’, and the inclusion of Hallertau hops of Bavaria, considered by some to be the finest pils hops in the world. The use of these hops may cause a few raised eyebrows due to the lightness in colour and put to question its strength and character, but after a swallow or two you will experience a clean crisp taste with plenty of back bitterness and a full rich flavour. Beck’s has a clear crisp white blond appearance with a creamy well-compacted head, subtly sweet aroma, with emphasis on lightness in style.
Literally translated, Löwenbräu means Lion's Brew. It can be traced back to the medieval days of 1383 when an innkeeper brewed his own beer at the "Zum Löwen" or Lion's Inn. The lion is also the traditional symbol of Bavaria so Lowenbrau represents a traditional Bavarian-style beer. Lowenbrau Pure Bier beer is made from the highest quality ingredients giving it a superb natural head, golden colour, distinctive, refreshing flavour and a pleasant, enjoyable aftertaste. Limited to only 4 natural ingredients which include a special strain of Löwenbräu lager yeast, two-row barley, that’s malted with special technology to get its unique blend, a light Pilsner type malt of special composition and the finest aromatic hops from the world’s largest hops growing area, Hallertau, just 50 kilometres northeast of Munich Add to that their soft, clear and clean Bavarian well water and you’ve got a very special beer..
A classic of the Munich wheat beer style, Schneider Weiss is a delightfully spicy version that leaves a clean clove presence on the tongue. Traditionally brewed for Oktoberfest, the flavour profile is a balance of fruity sharpness with a sweet, clove infused hop maltiness. The lemony clove aroma gains richness as the beer warms.
Brewed in the small German Rhineland Lake District town of Bitburg since 1817, Bitburger is a Bohemian style pilsener, which uses the finest of locally grown spring barleys (Alexis, Arena, and Steiner); plus four hop additions (Hersbrucker, Huller, Perle, and Tettnang). In the past, the ice from nearby lakes was used in the lagering process. Today, Bitburger still has a three month extended lagering policy and is not pasteurised which helps to maintain the delicate balance of malt and hop flavours, while the export variety is sterile filtered. Rhineland Pilseners tend to be hoppier than those produced in the Bavarian South, but less dry and bitter from those of the Prussian influenced north. Golden straw in colour, Bitburger has a hop driven aroma with subtle tones of vanilla, mild caramel malty sweetness, and slightly floral hoppiness. As is the case with most pilseners, it’s moderately bitter on the palate with hints of smoky hop flavour and citric fruitiness.
Austria not only lost an empire but a beer style as well. Best known for the Vienna style based on red malt which master brewer Anton Dreher perfected in the Vienna suburb of Schwechat. The brewery went bust in 1930 and the style of beer became a fading memory. Today Austrian beers imitate the Bavarian styled lagers. In Vienna, Zipfer has a fine perfumed hop with well balanced malty mouth feel. The other major beer region of Styria is most noted for their hops where Gosser Pale and Dark Ale are brewed in Graz. The pale ale combines the sweetness of caramalt, maize and rice with noble hops Hallertau, Spalt, Styrian and Golding. Gosser Dark provides a malty mouth feel, mild hop bitterness with a smooth sturdy presentation and finishes with a nutty malty flavour.
The Czech Republic formerly referred to as Bohemia gave us the first cold fermented Pilsener. Monasteries dominated beer production until the thirteenth century, when ‘citizen breweries’ began suppling beer to the Moravian aristocracy. Regional hops go back to 850 AD and still held in esteem today. Pilsner Urquell is the flagship of the Czech brewing industry, and has been since 1842.Urquell means “original source” in German, the official language of Bohemia, once part of the Austrian empire. And as it says on the bottle, Pilsner Urquell is the original pilsner from the Pilsen, the birthplace of the pilsner lager style. Adding to its mystique, the beer introduced the now famous conical pilsner style glass when the world was switching over from stoneware and pewter tankards. Pilsner Urquell is golden in colour with a rich, well-compacted creamy head. The flavour and aroma profile is driven by the use of Saaz hops, which provide a floral, spicy aroma and adequate back bitterness without going over the top. Equally important in its structure is the renowned Moravian barley malt, which provides a malty softness and overall balance to the beer.
Talk about beer from Holland and the word Heineken isn’t far behind. G.A. Heineken was so appalled at the depravity and drunkenness caused by gin drinking that he swore to his mother that he would brew for the people if she bought the Haystack Brewery for him. Now enjoyed in over 170 countries, Heineken's global success has been built on a passion for quality, a dedication to innovation and a respect for the world it lives in. Heineken lager contains no additives or preservatives, and only the purest natural ingredients are used in the six week brewing process. And thanks to three generations of the Heineken family, the Heineken lager enjoyed all over the world today is still brewed to the original recipe, perfected in Holland in 1873.Another popular Dutch beer treat is Grolsch premium lager. Grolsch has been producing superb beers since the early 1600’s when Master brewer Peter Cuper established the brewery in his hometown Grolle (now Groenlo) in Gelderland. Considered a small independent brewery until recent times, Grolsch products have been synonymous with three major factors: extended lagering and fermentation, unpasturised beers, and that infamous swing-stoppered bottle. The swing top dates back to 1897, when other Dutch breweries started phasing them out claiming they were too expensive for mass production. A seemingly useless appendage for modern drinking habits, it provides a distinctive novelty factor and instant recognition for all Grolsch products. Grolsch Premium is a fresh hoppy pilsner style lager with plenty of Herschbruger and Hallbrtauer hops for aromatics and Yakima and Golden Nugget hops for bitterness. All natural and triple cold filtered, the lager is well balanced with rich malty yeasty sweetness and a subtle bitter finish. The extended lagering provides that distinctive European flavour and classic golden colour.
The image of drunken Vikings marauding the countryside is as much a part of Scandinavia as the land itself. They brewed a barley based beer they called aul and handed down the method of top fermenting ales to all of Europe. And similar to Holland, the beers are dominated by two breweries, Carlsberg and Tuborg. Carlsberg has been brewing in Copenhagen since 1847 and remains a popular favorite around the world. Its light hoppiness compliments a dry malty mouth feel, with a sweet malty finish. Carlgerg’s slogan on the side of a building in Copenhagen’s city hall says it all “Probably the best beer in town”.
If Carlsberg Lager is noted for its light refreshing nature, then their Elephant Malt Liquor would be infamous for its unexpected stampede on your brain. Carlsberg Elephant is named for the life-size carved granite elephant that flank the breweries arched entryway. Golden-hued it starts off with a crisp floral character followed by a malty, yeasty aroma. Strong wheat like presence takes over and remains in the background Carlsberg Elephant is technically described as a German styled bock, or strong beer based on the high alcohol level, golden colour, with a sweet malt barley flavour. The smoothness of this delicious drop implies extended lagering for maturation.
Tuborg was first brewed in 1873 at Aktieselskabet Tuborgs Fabrikker in Copenhagen, and joined forces with the household named and well loved Carlsberg Breweries in 1970’s.Exquisitely presented and worthy of the Danish crown on the logo, this quality, full bodied, refreshing beer offers all the complexity of its Carlsberg brother, with the ice cold bite of a clean, smooth lager. A low astringency and yeast tone leaves a carbonated, smooth tasting mouthfeel, rich in body. Equal dry & warm characteristics with less bitterness than the well known Carlsberg Green label; leave an enjoyable after taste on the palate. Independent Distillers in Melbourne are now the proud wholesalers for Tuborg and Carlsberg.
Where Germany brought civility to beer, the Belgians brought the passion. It’s hard to take in that such a small country could produce so many fantastic styles of beer. This revival worldwide of Belgian ales is nothing short of phenomenal. They give us pale ales, golden ales, brown, red, and white ales plus the fruity iambics and abbey ales, not to mention their ‘specialty ales’. The list is seemingly endless, but for the everyday drinker the people in Belgium consume vast amounts of lager like the rest of the world. Brewing giant Interbrew’s Stella Artois was first brewed as a Christmas beer in 1926, and was so popular that it became an all year round beer. The name ‘Stella’ also comes from the Latin word for star, probably linked to the traditional star atop the Christmas tree. Stella Artois has a bright crystal clear pale gold appearance and a delicate hop aroma that requires pouring into a glass to truly appreciate. The pilsener lager has a pleasing hop flavour leaving the palate with a combination of grainy malt flavour, moderate hop bitterness and a slight citric sourness in the finish.
Hoegaarden White Ale has become a bit of a cult drink with the younger Belgian set, and with good reason. Its creamy light lemony taste is an ideal refresher beer, with hints of coriander and curacao. Its history goes back to 1445 employing a secret recipe, the purest of ingredients, and locally grown wheat.
When Trappist monks were hounded out of France during the Revolution, they took their brewing skills north. Chimay is by far the most famous Trappist brewery. The local water is soft and acidic, and the malts are considered a blend of caramalt with candy sugar. Add some Hallartau and American Yakima hops, then prime it with sugar and you have a beer with great depth of complex flavours with fruit and spice from the hops. Chimay has three beers, Red (Premiere), Blue (Grande Reserve), and White. Leffe is Belgium’s original abbey beer, with origins back to 1152. The Blond is made with clear malt of medium strength which provides a dry, fruity, lightly spiced beer that’s full, creamy and delicately sweet. The Leffe Brun is sweetened with brown sugar and balanced with a slight bitterness from roasted malts. And finally the lambic fruity beers whose most famous face in the beer world is Belle Vue Kriek. Kriek is the Flemish word for cherry, and along with its spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, and a long fermentation in oak barrels, provide a sweet and sour explosion in your mouth.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Euro Beer Tour
An interest in imported beers will always require a journey back to Europe, and I find it best to begin with England and Ireland, then over to the mainland. The British Isles including Ireland are the sacred site of top fermented ales that are bitterly hopped, malt driven brews providing a plethora of popular styles which include bitters, milds, porters, stouts, strong ales and seasonal beers. Walk into any English public house (pub) and chances are your draught will be brown, cask conditioned and drawn from hand pumps. Until the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the use of coke in kilning malt, all beer was brown as the malt was cured over wood fires. So let’s have a look at a couple of these beers that are available here in Australia.
The southern county of Suffolk, a rural flatland area once known as East Anglia is the largest growing region for malting in England. The dominant brewery, Greene King is based in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk. Anglia’s King Edmond was murdered by the Vikings and buried at the local abbey. When Henry VIII dissolved abbeys in the 1500’s the monks hid in the tunnels which more than likely became the brewery cellars. A brewer called Greene acquired the brewery in the 1700’s and along with a partner; Greene King has become one of the largest independent breweries in the UK. Among many products my favourite is their Strong Suffolk Ale. A remnant of a bygone era dating back to the eighteenth century, Suffolk Strong employs the ancient practice of blending old and young beers. The ‘old’ brew is aged in wooden tuns then blended to achieve sweetness and acidity. The two blends settle down to 6% A/V, tawny in colour, with hints of passion fruit and chocolate.
Manchester’s most famous beer, Boddingtons Draught is classified incorrectly, but befits the image of the working class centre of textiles in north-western England. Two hundred years ago the brewery was erected north of town by Thomas Carsten and Thomas Fry to provide parched palates after work with dry bitter ale, and to avoid the excessive tax on grain. Manchester is synonymous with the industrial revolution of the 18th century, and the logo employed on the Boddington cans, a barrel keg and two bees, represents the “hive of industry”. The Christmas bonus for brewery workers during the era was two days pay and a quart of strong ale.
Locals demanding an assertively dry, pale bitter style of beer provided Boddingtons popularity and international fame. Changes to the style occurred with the takeover of the brewery by Whitbread Brewing Group in 1989 and the introduction of the widget in the can in 1992. To reach a larger target audience, the bitterness was toned down to create a smoother thirst quencher. The typical Manchester pub draught is hand pulled for a thick creamy ‘Queen Anne’s lace” head. To recreate this appearance, the widget was introduced to the Boddingtons can which injects liquid nitrogen to assist in compacting of the carbonated beer bubbles.
In North-east England, brown ale has been as important as shipbuilding and mining and was developed as a rival to the pale ales of the eastern midlands. Newcastle Brown was created by Colonel Porter in the 1920’s as another blend, this time a dark brown beer and a 3% A/V Amber Ale. The recipe is made up of pale and crystal malts, brewing sugar and a touch of caramel. Hallertau, Northdown, Northern Brewer and Target hops provide mild back palate bitterness. ‘Newky Brown’ as we call it is the biggest selling bottled ale in Britain and exported to over 40 countries. Tradition has it that Newcastle Brown should be served in small glass that’s constantly ‘topped up’. Sounds good to me.
Just the mention of Ireland and the words stout or pubs usually follow. Other than the Czech Republic, Ireland is the smallest nation to impose a major beer style into the consciousness of drinkers around the world, and since 1759 that word is Guinness. Arthur Guinness was shrewd enough to know that his stout would be a winner and took out a 9000 year lease on his newly acquired St James brewery. Other than the city of Cork where Beamish and Murphy’s stouts are brewed, just an order from the bar for a glass of stout will bring you a Guinness. The ‘dryness’ of an Irish dry stout is achieved by deep roasted barley and generous hopping. The original recipe was actually a scam to avoid tax which in those days was assessed on the amount of malt, not alcohol. Arthur Guinness 11 experimented with using unmalted, therefore untaxed, barley in the grist. The heavily roasted blend provided colour and a slightly charred taste to the brew, making it darker, drier, and more bitter than the English styled porter of the day. When first exported to Australia, the recipe was tinkered with to add more alcohol. This brought on the continual criticism of our Guinness not tasting the same as it did in Ireland. This anomaly was amended two years ago when the company went back to the original 4.1% A/V levels.
Crossing the pond to the mainland we land in France and Italy, places not usually associated with the consumption of beer. Over here, the beers of choice are lagers and seasonal wheat beers with their noble hopped fruitiness and moderate to low bitterness making them popular. In France beer is drunk throughout the country in bars and cafes called Brasseries-breweries. Over half of the countries total beer production is achieved by Kronenbourg located in the northern region of Alsace-Lorraine, an area under German rule from 1871-1919. Kronenbourg 1664 began along the banks of the Rhine, and gained fame for the aromatic hoppy fruity citrus notes plus a sweet smooth malty full bodied lager. The title K1664 was introduced in the 1980’s and the label and bottle were jazzed up in 2003 to help it compete on the international beer stage.
It was the Romans who brought the concept of beer to Europe from the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. But as we all know, the vino was the go at toga parties and has dominated the preferred drink category since. Brewing transplanted from the Austrian Alps wasn’t introduced until the nineteenth century. It took the youth and fashionable Italians of the 1960’s to re-launch beer into modern times. Wine was their parents and the peasant to drink; they wanted English-styled pubs and Bavarian Beer halls. Market leader Peroni’s main brand Nastro Azzuro is the ‘Blue Ribbon Italian Pilsner’ which includes 20% corn maize to sweeten the brew and then hopped with Saaz to spice it up. At 5.3% A/V Nastro Azzurro is quite a refreshing well balanced lager for its sweetness.
We’ll continue the beer tour in the next issue when we look at Northern Europe and how this region has affected the beer consciousness of drinkers around the world.
The southern county of Suffolk, a rural flatland area once known as East Anglia is the largest growing region for malting in England. The dominant brewery, Greene King is based in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk. Anglia’s King Edmond was murdered by the Vikings and buried at the local abbey. When Henry VIII dissolved abbeys in the 1500’s the monks hid in the tunnels which more than likely became the brewery cellars. A brewer called Greene acquired the brewery in the 1700’s and along with a partner; Greene King has become one of the largest independent breweries in the UK. Among many products my favourite is their Strong Suffolk Ale. A remnant of a bygone era dating back to the eighteenth century, Suffolk Strong employs the ancient practice of blending old and young beers. The ‘old’ brew is aged in wooden tuns then blended to achieve sweetness and acidity. The two blends settle down to 6% A/V, tawny in colour, with hints of passion fruit and chocolate.
Manchester’s most famous beer, Boddingtons Draught is classified incorrectly, but befits the image of the working class centre of textiles in north-western England. Two hundred years ago the brewery was erected north of town by Thomas Carsten and Thomas Fry to provide parched palates after work with dry bitter ale, and to avoid the excessive tax on grain. Manchester is synonymous with the industrial revolution of the 18th century, and the logo employed on the Boddington cans, a barrel keg and two bees, represents the “hive of industry”. The Christmas bonus for brewery workers during the era was two days pay and a quart of strong ale.
Locals demanding an assertively dry, pale bitter style of beer provided Boddingtons popularity and international fame. Changes to the style occurred with the takeover of the brewery by Whitbread Brewing Group in 1989 and the introduction of the widget in the can in 1992. To reach a larger target audience, the bitterness was toned down to create a smoother thirst quencher. The typical Manchester pub draught is hand pulled for a thick creamy ‘Queen Anne’s lace” head. To recreate this appearance, the widget was introduced to the Boddingtons can which injects liquid nitrogen to assist in compacting of the carbonated beer bubbles.
In North-east England, brown ale has been as important as shipbuilding and mining and was developed as a rival to the pale ales of the eastern midlands. Newcastle Brown was created by Colonel Porter in the 1920’s as another blend, this time a dark brown beer and a 3% A/V Amber Ale. The recipe is made up of pale and crystal malts, brewing sugar and a touch of caramel. Hallertau, Northdown, Northern Brewer and Target hops provide mild back palate bitterness. ‘Newky Brown’ as we call it is the biggest selling bottled ale in Britain and exported to over 40 countries. Tradition has it that Newcastle Brown should be served in small glass that’s constantly ‘topped up’. Sounds good to me.
Just the mention of Ireland and the words stout or pubs usually follow. Other than the Czech Republic, Ireland is the smallest nation to impose a major beer style into the consciousness of drinkers around the world, and since 1759 that word is Guinness. Arthur Guinness was shrewd enough to know that his stout would be a winner and took out a 9000 year lease on his newly acquired St James brewery. Other than the city of Cork where Beamish and Murphy’s stouts are brewed, just an order from the bar for a glass of stout will bring you a Guinness. The ‘dryness’ of an Irish dry stout is achieved by deep roasted barley and generous hopping. The original recipe was actually a scam to avoid tax which in those days was assessed on the amount of malt, not alcohol. Arthur Guinness 11 experimented with using unmalted, therefore untaxed, barley in the grist. The heavily roasted blend provided colour and a slightly charred taste to the brew, making it darker, drier, and more bitter than the English styled porter of the day. When first exported to Australia, the recipe was tinkered with to add more alcohol. This brought on the continual criticism of our Guinness not tasting the same as it did in Ireland. This anomaly was amended two years ago when the company went back to the original 4.1% A/V levels.
Crossing the pond to the mainland we land in France and Italy, places not usually associated with the consumption of beer. Over here, the beers of choice are lagers and seasonal wheat beers with their noble hopped fruitiness and moderate to low bitterness making them popular. In France beer is drunk throughout the country in bars and cafes called Brasseries-breweries. Over half of the countries total beer production is achieved by Kronenbourg located in the northern region of Alsace-Lorraine, an area under German rule from 1871-1919. Kronenbourg 1664 began along the banks of the Rhine, and gained fame for the aromatic hoppy fruity citrus notes plus a sweet smooth malty full bodied lager. The title K1664 was introduced in the 1980’s and the label and bottle were jazzed up in 2003 to help it compete on the international beer stage.
It was the Romans who brought the concept of beer to Europe from the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. But as we all know, the vino was the go at toga parties and has dominated the preferred drink category since. Brewing transplanted from the Austrian Alps wasn’t introduced until the nineteenth century. It took the youth and fashionable Italians of the 1960’s to re-launch beer into modern times. Wine was their parents and the peasant to drink; they wanted English-styled pubs and Bavarian Beer halls. Market leader Peroni’s main brand Nastro Azzuro is the ‘Blue Ribbon Italian Pilsner’ which includes 20% corn maize to sweeten the brew and then hopped with Saaz to spice it up. At 5.3% A/V Nastro Azzurro is quite a refreshing well balanced lager for its sweetness.
We’ll continue the beer tour in the next issue when we look at Northern Europe and how this region has affected the beer consciousness of drinkers around the world.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Sacred Ales
An interest in imported beers will always require a journey back to Europe, and I find it best to begin with England and Ireland, then over to the mainland. The British Isles including Ireland are the sacred site of top fermented ales that are bitterly hopped, malt driven brews providing a plethora of popular styles which include bitters, milds, porters, stouts, strong ales and seasonal beers. Walk into any English public house (pub) and chances are your draught will be brown, cask conditioned and drawn from hand pumps. Until the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the use of coke in kilning malt, all beer was brown as the malt was cured over wood fires. So let’s have a look at a couple of these beers that are available here in Australia.
The southern county of Suffolk, a rural flatland area once known as East Anglia is the largest growing region for malting in England. The dominant brewery, Greene King is based in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk. Anglia’s King Edmond was murdered by the Vikings and buried at the local abbey. When Henry VIII dissolved abbeys in the 1500’s the monks hid in the tunnels which more than likely became the brewery cellars. A brewer called Greene acquired the brewery in the 1700’s and along with a partner; Greene King has become one of the largest independent breweries in the UK. Among many products my favourite is their Strong Suffolk Ale. A remnant of a bygone era dating back to the eighteenth century, Suffolk Strong employs the ancient practice of blending old and young beers. The ‘old’ brew is aged in wooden tuns then blended to achieve sweetness and acidity. The two blends settle down to 6% A/V, tawny in colour, with hints of passion fruit and chocolate.
Manchester’s most famous beer, Boddingtons Draught is classified incorrectly, but befits the image of the working class centre of textiles in north-western England. Two hundred years ago the brewery was erected north of town by Thomas Carsten and Thomas Fry to provide parched palates after work with dry bitter ale, and to avoid the excessive tax on grain. Manchester is synonymous with the industrial revolution of the 18th century, and the logo employed on the Boddington cans, a barrel keg and two bees, represents the “hive of industry”. The Christmas bonus for brewery workers during the era was two days pay and a quart of strong ale.
Locals demanding an assertively dry, pale bitter style of beer provided Boddingtons popularity and international fame. Changes to the style occurred with the takeover of the brewery by Whitbread Brewing Group in 1989 and the introduction of the widget in the can in 1992. To reach a larger target audience, the bitterness was toned down to create a smoother thirst quencher. The typical Manchester pub draught is hand pulled for a thick creamy ‘Queen Anne’s lace” head. To recreate this appearance, the widget was introduced to the Boddingtons can which injects liquid nitrogen to assist in compacting of the carbonated beer bubbles.
In North-east England, brown ale has been as important as shipbuilding and mining and was developed as a rival to the pale ales of the eastern midlands. Newcastle Brown was created by Colonel Porter in the 1920’s as another blend, this time a dark brown beer and a 3% A/V Amber Ale. The recipe is made up of pale and crystal malts, brewing sugar and a touch of caramel. Hallertau, Northdown, Northern Brewer and Target hops provide mild back palate bitterness. ‘Newky Brown’ as we call it is the biggest selling bottled ale in Britain and exported to over 40 countries. Tradition has it that Newcastle Brown should be served in small glass that’s constantly ‘topped up’. Sounds good to me.
Just the mention of Ireland and the words stout or pubs usually follow. Other than the Czech Republic, Ireland is the smallest nation to impose a major beer style into the consciousness of drinkers around the world, and since 1759 that word is Guinness. Arthur Guinness was shrewd enough to know that his stout would be a winner and took out a 9000 year lease on his newly acquired St James brewery. Other than the city of Cork where Beamish and Murphy’s stouts are brewed, just an order from the bar for a glass of stout will bring you a Guinness. The ‘dryness’ of an Irish dry stout is achieved by deep roasted barley and generous hopping. The original recipe was actually a scam to avoid tax which in those days was assessed on the amount of malt, not alcohol. Arthur Guinness 11 experimented with using unmalted, therefore untaxed, barley in the grist. The heavily roasted blend provided colour and a slightly charred taste to the brew, making it darker, drier, and more bitter than the English styled porter of the day.When first exported to Australia, the recipe was tinkered with to add more alcohol. This brought on the continual criticism of our Guinness not tasting the same as it did in Ireland. This anomaly was amended two years ago when the company went back to the original 4.1% A/V levels.
Crossing the pond to the mainland we land in France and Italy, places not usually associated with the consumption of beer. Over here, the beers of choice are lagers and seasonal wheat beers with their noble hopped fruitiness and moderate to low bitterness making them popular. In France beer is drunk throughout the country in bars and cafes called Brasseries-breweries. Over half of the countries total beer production is achieved by Kronenbourg located in the northern region of Alsace-Lorraine, an area under German rule from 1871-1919. Kronenbourg 1664 began along the banks of the Rhine, and gained fame for the aromatic hoppy fruity citrus notes plus a sweet smooth malty full bodied lager. The title K1664 was introduced in the 1980’s and the label and bottle were jazzed up in 2003 to help it compete on the international beer stage.
It was the Romans who brought the concept of beer to Europe from the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. But as we all know, the vino was the go at toga parties and has dominated the preferred drink category since . Brewing transplanted from the Austrian Alps wasn’t introduced until the nineteenth century. It took the youth and fashionable Italians of the 1960’s to re-launch beer into modern times. Wine was their parents and the peasant to drink; they wanted English-styled pubs and Bavarian Beer halls. Market leader Peroni’s main brand Nastro Azzuro is the ‘Blue Ribbon Italian Pilsner’ which includes 20% corn maize to sweeten the brew and then hopped with Saaz to spice it up. At 5.3% A/V Nastro Azzurro is quite a refreshing well balanced lager for its sweetness.
We’ll continue the beer tour in the next issue when we look at Northern Europe and how this region has affected the beer consciousness of drinkers around the world.
The southern county of Suffolk, a rural flatland area once known as East Anglia is the largest growing region for malting in England. The dominant brewery, Greene King is based in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk. Anglia’s King Edmond was murdered by the Vikings and buried at the local abbey. When Henry VIII dissolved abbeys in the 1500’s the monks hid in the tunnels which more than likely became the brewery cellars. A brewer called Greene acquired the brewery in the 1700’s and along with a partner; Greene King has become one of the largest independent breweries in the UK. Among many products my favourite is their Strong Suffolk Ale. A remnant of a bygone era dating back to the eighteenth century, Suffolk Strong employs the ancient practice of blending old and young beers. The ‘old’ brew is aged in wooden tuns then blended to achieve sweetness and acidity. The two blends settle down to 6% A/V, tawny in colour, with hints of passion fruit and chocolate.
Manchester’s most famous beer, Boddingtons Draught is classified incorrectly, but befits the image of the working class centre of textiles in north-western England. Two hundred years ago the brewery was erected north of town by Thomas Carsten and Thomas Fry to provide parched palates after work with dry bitter ale, and to avoid the excessive tax on grain. Manchester is synonymous with the industrial revolution of the 18th century, and the logo employed on the Boddington cans, a barrel keg and two bees, represents the “hive of industry”. The Christmas bonus for brewery workers during the era was two days pay and a quart of strong ale.
Locals demanding an assertively dry, pale bitter style of beer provided Boddingtons popularity and international fame. Changes to the style occurred with the takeover of the brewery by Whitbread Brewing Group in 1989 and the introduction of the widget in the can in 1992. To reach a larger target audience, the bitterness was toned down to create a smoother thirst quencher. The typical Manchester pub draught is hand pulled for a thick creamy ‘Queen Anne’s lace” head. To recreate this appearance, the widget was introduced to the Boddingtons can which injects liquid nitrogen to assist in compacting of the carbonated beer bubbles.
In North-east England, brown ale has been as important as shipbuilding and mining and was developed as a rival to the pale ales of the eastern midlands. Newcastle Brown was created by Colonel Porter in the 1920’s as another blend, this time a dark brown beer and a 3% A/V Amber Ale. The recipe is made up of pale and crystal malts, brewing sugar and a touch of caramel. Hallertau, Northdown, Northern Brewer and Target hops provide mild back palate bitterness. ‘Newky Brown’ as we call it is the biggest selling bottled ale in Britain and exported to over 40 countries. Tradition has it that Newcastle Brown should be served in small glass that’s constantly ‘topped up’. Sounds good to me.
Just the mention of Ireland and the words stout or pubs usually follow. Other than the Czech Republic, Ireland is the smallest nation to impose a major beer style into the consciousness of drinkers around the world, and since 1759 that word is Guinness. Arthur Guinness was shrewd enough to know that his stout would be a winner and took out a 9000 year lease on his newly acquired St James brewery. Other than the city of Cork where Beamish and Murphy’s stouts are brewed, just an order from the bar for a glass of stout will bring you a Guinness. The ‘dryness’ of an Irish dry stout is achieved by deep roasted barley and generous hopping. The original recipe was actually a scam to avoid tax which in those days was assessed on the amount of malt, not alcohol. Arthur Guinness 11 experimented with using unmalted, therefore untaxed, barley in the grist. The heavily roasted blend provided colour and a slightly charred taste to the brew, making it darker, drier, and more bitter than the English styled porter of the day.When first exported to Australia, the recipe was tinkered with to add more alcohol. This brought on the continual criticism of our Guinness not tasting the same as it did in Ireland. This anomaly was amended two years ago when the company went back to the original 4.1% A/V levels.
Crossing the pond to the mainland we land in France and Italy, places not usually associated with the consumption of beer. Over here, the beers of choice are lagers and seasonal wheat beers with their noble hopped fruitiness and moderate to low bitterness making them popular. In France beer is drunk throughout the country in bars and cafes called Brasseries-breweries. Over half of the countries total beer production is achieved by Kronenbourg located in the northern region of Alsace-Lorraine, an area under German rule from 1871-1919. Kronenbourg 1664 began along the banks of the Rhine, and gained fame for the aromatic hoppy fruity citrus notes plus a sweet smooth malty full bodied lager. The title K1664 was introduced in the 1980’s and the label and bottle were jazzed up in 2003 to help it compete on the international beer stage.
It was the Romans who brought the concept of beer to Europe from the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. But as we all know, the vino was the go at toga parties and has dominated the preferred drink category since . Brewing transplanted from the Austrian Alps wasn’t introduced until the nineteenth century. It took the youth and fashionable Italians of the 1960’s to re-launch beer into modern times. Wine was their parents and the peasant to drink; they wanted English-styled pubs and Bavarian Beer halls. Market leader Peroni’s main brand Nastro Azzuro is the ‘Blue Ribbon Italian Pilsner’ which includes 20% corn maize to sweeten the brew and then hopped with Saaz to spice it up. At 5.3% A/V Nastro Azzurro is quite a refreshing well balanced lager for its sweetness.
We’ll continue the beer tour in the next issue when we look at Northern Europe and how this region has affected the beer consciousness of drinkers around the world.
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