Having a desire to learn more about beer and the brewing process gives a whole new slant on a ‘thirst for knowledge’. Some have a passing interest to find out more about the amber fluid, and others have a full blown obsession. Either way, there are plenty of ways to gather significant information to satisfy most hop heads.
Most Capital cities have major breweries that provide tours of their facilities. It’s a matter of giving them a call to find out the who, what, where, and when’s to getting on board. Small breweries and pub-breweries are also very accommodating with brewers often leading the tour and proud of their set-ups and products. Without sounding to schoolmarmish, it’s always a good idea to take pen and paper to jot down interesting comments and questions you’d like to ask, as after a few pints you might forget.
Our big breweries are often maligned but when it comes to educating the public about beer, their efforts have been first rate. An enormous amount of expertise, manpower, and financial support has been expended to better inform and educate the hospitality employees and beer enthusiasts in general
Carlton & United Beverages developed the Draught Beer Academy in 2001, and has trained over 2,500 workers in every state and territory. The star of the show is undoubtedly the massive “beer school on wheels” which has covered 65,000 miles including remote and rural areas around the country. In fact, its popularity has demanded that another beer bus be built in 200x. The academy was created with the assistance of more than 25 leading publicans and hoteliers to insure that Australians received the most perfectly poured and presented beers in the world. To learn more about the Draught Beer Academy, go to their website at www.draughtbeer.com.au. There you can find out about the course content, take a virtual tour, and even pinpoint where the ‘beer truck’ is located at the moment on the location tracker.
In May 2002 Lion Nathan Australia developed an education program called Beer Masters that is available on CD-ROM and as a link from their website that can actually be used by TAFE and hospitality students to gain accreditation/credit points in their courses. Beer Masters enables the students to sit exams online and obtain a certificate that, if successful, is recognised as meeting the academic requirements of Operate a Cellar System module which is part of a number of hospitality courses run by TAFE Meadowbank (NSW) campus. Novices like me can visit the website http://www.lion-nathan.com.au/all+about+beer+appreciation/beermaster.htm: There you can learn about the history of beer, a flowchart explaining the brewing process, beer appreciation, and a whole lot more including a virtual brewery tour.
Ian Watson is an independent ‘Beer consultant and Sommelier’. The job description includes helping restaurants, cafes and pubs with their beer and food menus providing independent tasting notes to venues and breweries, staff training-, plus speaking at beer tastings, dinners and festivals as well as being on the restaurant floor. His base of operation is “Oropa Bier Café” at the Spotted Cow hotel in Toowoomba, Qld. On Friday and Saturday evenings he can be found helping diners with their beer selection for both pairing with a meal and general consumption.
According to Ian “The key to this is education of both staff and consumer, helping them understand flavour profiles like sour, chocolate, champagne and banana. I often encourage the consumer to realize their own selection through a series of flavour analogy examples rather than straight deciding their accompaniment for them. But many want my choice to be theirs as well, understandable when Oropa has a menu of about 12 draught beers and 40 bottled beers as well as another 20 or so beers that I keep aside as my hidden treats.”
Beer education is also achievable in slightly more formal or direct settings of beer tastings, beer dinners and Beer 101 classes. At theses events it is possible to take things to a more specific area or a more involved level. An example of which is an upcoming event that I am doing called “la Femme de Bier”. This is a women’s only beer tasting that will explore the important role that women have played in the last 10 000 years of brewing history, as well as give some of the girls a chance to explore the concept of beer without the intimidation of guy The more we can get people talking about beer, the more they will learn about beer the more craft beer will grow in Australia
“Tales and Ales” are presented by the brewers of James Squires ales, lagers, and porters. These events are the equivalent of a beer cocktail (tale) function, where a variety of beers are tasted (and described), while being matched with a variety of interesting food dishes. It is an informal stand-up version of a beer dinner (similar to the wine dinner hosted by the winemaker). According to Doug Donelon “We have found that this format works very well in the hotel environment and also allows the hotel to showcase some its finer dishes to an interested and enthusiastic group of connoisseur’s. Ideally all the beers would be on tap (served in jugs), but bottles served on trays can be just as effective.
Format as follows:
1. Upon arrival, guests are given a beer glass that is used throughout the evening. This special glass is their “ticket” to further beers. In some instances the first beer may be a light beer. This beer is used as a palate cleanser and is the only beer served until most of the people arrive.
2. The 2nd Beer is served. A Malt Shovel Brewer describes how to taste and fully enjoy the beer “an organoleptic evaluation” and usually some history about the beer. As the Brewer is talking, the first finger food dish is served. Brewer will comment on why the choice of this beer & food has been matched together.
3. About 15 minutes later, the second beer is served (via jugs or bottles served around). The Brewer talks and the food is served.
4. This sequence is repeated, using the same glass throughout, until all beer & food combinations have been enjoyed.
5. At the conclusion of the beer and food matching a cleansing larger/ale is served to finish off the evening. The Brewer makes some concluding remarks about beer & food enjoyment and of course introduces the chef. Total time is about one & half to two hour’s maximum.
6. The Patrons can then go on to enjoy the beers they have sampled throughout the night.
SAMPLE BEER& FOOD MATCHINGS
Possibly Hahn Premium Light (on tap) upon arrival as a palate cleanser.
1. Australian White Beer oysters with a dill/vinaigrette sauce
2. Hahn Premium Lager Sashimi/sushi with wasabi
3. James Squire Amber Ale Lamb Cutlets with mint sauce
4. James Squire Pilsener Chicken satay kebabs with peanut sauce or another spicy dish
5. James Squire Porter Chocolate mud cake/fudge/brownies
6. Cleansing Lager/ale from the tap – Draught James Squire is the usual preference.
Getting involved with beer lovers and increasing their understanding of beer and brewing is central to Matilda Bay Berwery’s philosophy. The entire Matilda Bay team spends a substantial amount of their time with bartenders, consumers and the media discussing all facets of the humble blend of malt, hops and water.
“Our goal is to make everyone as obsessed about beer as we are! Beer appreciation is meant to be fun and we always keep it that way” said Michael Comerton, The Words, Pictures and Directions Guy from Matilda Bay.
Education sessions are regularly conducted for bar and hotel staff, and an array of events are held in venues across the country. Lavish beer and food matching dinners, informal finger food evenings, and Matilda Bay’s Beer 101 (beer, food and a “very unserious” test) are coordinated for groups of varying sizes throughout the year.
“Sometimes Brad Rogers could be discussing dark lagers with a group of six at Kingsleys Ale House in Woolloomooloo, while on the same night Phil Gallagher is fielding questions about wheat beer from a crowd of 100 at the Sail & Anchor in Fremantle” Comerton said.
Matilda Bay’s Bar Shouts are naturally very popular too and the teams in each of the states often undertake a wee crawl around a few pubs, shouting Matilda Bay beers for those present and chatting about various beer styles and flavours.
Providing a very different business experience, Matilda Bay also holds corporate events with an emphasis on education around beer flavours, styles and dishes. In addition, Matilda Bay’s website has a key focus on education. Online, the brewing process and ingredients are explained in detail, along with ‘Brewer’s Notes’ from Brad covering his thoughts on each beer’s recipe and process.
And if you like getting along to shows, you’ll find Matilda Bay at numerous festivals and events nationally. Matilda Bay is present at Australia’s leading food and wine events, and Brad can often be found in the demonstration kitchens or auditoriums discussing brewing with the crowd.
According to Comerton “many people are surprised when they meet us at pubs or at shows and get chatting. People find it refreshing not to get a sales pitch – we just love to chat about beer! We enjoy talking with fellow beer lovers about beer styles, brewing, and food among other things. And it’s so important to hear feedback from people who have tasted our beers and are already entrenched fans as well as from those who are tasting any of our beers for the first time.”
Without trying to bow my trumpet to loudly, I present a beer appreciation course at the Melbourne Belgian Beer Café Bluestone on one Saturday afternoon a month that is coordinated through the Centre of Adult Education (CAE). The course lasts for two hours in which participants taste test eight beers that are accompanied by specially selected entrée sized dishes that compliment the differing beer styles. During the class, the course content includes presentation, glassware, handling and storage, as well as palate identification, judging a beer, styles of beer,and a short history of beer through the ages. It’s a great day out but we do advise you take public transport home as many students continue their further education at the bar afterwards.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
Seasonal & Limited Release Beers
When I’ve queried brewers as to why we don’t see more new varieties of beer on the market, they inevitably blame the marketers who don’t want to waste their tight budgets on questionable products. This stiff upper lip mentality is softening with the success of specialty and limited edition premium beers. It provides an opportunity to test the waters without committing to a large advertising campaign. Without doubt seasonal and special edition beers are a favoured method of sales by small batch micro breweries, but the bigger boys are catching on to the benefits of short sharp beer launches.
A classic example of testing the market has been the summer seasonals by the Malt Shovel Brewery in Sydney. A Belgian styled white ale was launched in February 2000 called Summer Wheat. An orange and coriander flavoured wheat beer that had an amusing label and six-pack carton design which featured a duck flying overhead with an orange up it’s bum. Ten months later they changed the packaging under a Mad Brewers White Ale logo which featured an Australian white pointer shark. The Belgian whites achieved a fairly respectable sales levels, but not enough to halt another change, and two years later in November 2002 Malt Shovel announced their summer special James Squire Colonial Wheat, a German weizen styled wheat ale featuring banana and clover characters. As is the case of limited edition ales, another change occurred two years later, James Squire Summer Ale, this time an English styled ale. First brewed at the Portland Hotel in Melbourne, Golden Ale is 30% wheat with a good dollop of Amarillo hops late in the boil providing a stone fruit aroma and restrained bitter finish. Sales figures this year have been impressive but whether the Summer Ale will be around in 2005/2006 who knows. During the chilly season why not give their Australian Strong Ale a go. According to Chuck Hahn “ Last year we thought the brew was a bit to dark so we’ve gone back to the original recipe to include some carapils and dark crystal malts plus some fantastic Tasmanian Hallertau hops. The result is a smooth well balanced ale and at 6.8% A/V has no ethanol finish, almost to smooth.”
The Matilda Bay Brewing Company is another brew shop to catch the seasonal bug in a bottle. This winter look forward to a special Brewers Reserve six pack including three bottles of Alpha Pale Ale and Dogbolter Dark Lager. Alpha Pale Ale, along with Beez Neez honeyed wheat beer, has remained a part of the family since it’s origins at Sanctuary Cove, Queensland. This American styled pale ale is all about big cascade hopped flavour. Well balanced with a big citrus hop aroma, full malt character with a big bitter finish. “The Dog” has been an Aussie dark beer icon since it’s creation over in Freemantle in 1987 during the defence of the America's Cup when Matilda Bay was brewed at the Sail & Anchor Pub Brewery. Dogbolter is certainly a winter warmer with heaps of German Munich dark lager malt and Hersbrucker hops. Adding a subtle floral hop aroma. Look forward to their experimental ESB Sticklers English styled bitter in a bottle later in the year,
This year also marks 21 years in the business and a birthday bash will be something special according to Head Brewer Brad Rodgers.
Speaking of commemorative brews, Carlton & United Beverages has gotten into the swing of things by celebrating the introduction of Victoria Bitter 150 years ago when Thomas Aitken founded the Victoria Brewery in East Melbourne. VB Original Ale is reminiscent of the taste and look of beers from around the turn of the 19th Century. The brew itself was inspired by the Victoria Brewery’s 1894 award-winning Bitter Ale, while the old-style bottle shape and label design closely resembles the VBs of yesteryear. “No other beer can boast the heritage of VB and we wanted to celebrate our rich history,” said Matt Keen CUB’s GM of Regular Beer. “In doing so we’ve delved into our archives and studied early beer making methods and ingredients. The result is Victoria Bitter Original Ale – it’s as close as you’ll get to the beer your great-grandfather enjoyed, but it’s been produced to meet the expectations people have of a great beer today. “We used malt instead of sugar because brewing sugars were really hard to come by in the late 1800s,” said John Cozens, CUB Master Brewer. “We added a touch of roasted barley to give it a toasty flavour as well as its rich amber colour which, when poured, is topped with a compact creamy head. Its lingering bitterness, a result of traditional kettle hopping methods, is balanced with a subtle fruitiness. VB Original Ale will appeal to those with a hankering for heritage and who savour a good brew,” Cozens added.
The Tasmanian breweries have also found seasonal and special release beers beneficial in demonstrating their diversity and craftsmanship. I made reference before about changes to Cascade’s range of beers including the loss of this year Winter Warmer from their Four Seasons seasonal beer range. Well, they still aren’t prepared to tell all about the new beers, but at least they’ve provided another round of First Harvest Ale, now in its fourth edition. We asked Master Brewer Max Burslem what we could expect from this year’s brew. “The purity of taste has been improved with the 2005 release. This year’s First Harvest Ale shows greater balance due to the hops being sourced from a single location. The hops for the 2005 brew were harvested from Bushy Park, located in the Derwent Valley in Tasmania, and travelled only two hours to the brewery, making this year’s brew one of the most freshly-made beers in Cascade’s history. In 2004, hops were sourced from locations four hours from the Cascade Brewery in Hobart. A rich burnished orange/amber colour, the beer has lemon/citrus aromas with a well-balanced hop character and mouth feel. Cascade First Harvest Ale uses Willamette and Cascade hops, brewed in small kettles while still ‘wet’, green and rich in flavour. Pale malt, Cascade’s signature yeast cultures and the purest water in Australia complete the recipe.
J.Boag & Son produced a limited edition 1881 Pale Ale in May of 2002. Its success led to the release of a Honey Porter in June of 2003. The new bottling system installed last year prevented another go; but another Honey Porter has crossed the shores in June 2005. Boag’s Honey Porter is brewed with uniquely Tasmanian ingredients, most notably Leatherwood honey and Van Diemen hops. One and a half tonnes of Leatherwood honey is used in the brewing of Boag’s Honey Porter, all of which is sourced from the Stephens family apiary in north west Tasmania. With such an in demand product, the question arises, “Why isn’t it available all the time?” Master Brewer, Tim Penton, explains “We would love to make Boag’s Honey Porter on a permanent basis, but we are restricted by the supply of the crucial ingredient, Leatherwood honey. The honey supply varies each year depending on the weather conditions and this means that there are times when we just can’t get enough to make the beer”.
A classic example of testing the market has been the summer seasonals by the Malt Shovel Brewery in Sydney. A Belgian styled white ale was launched in February 2000 called Summer Wheat. An orange and coriander flavoured wheat beer that had an amusing label and six-pack carton design which featured a duck flying overhead with an orange up it’s bum. Ten months later they changed the packaging under a Mad Brewers White Ale logo which featured an Australian white pointer shark. The Belgian whites achieved a fairly respectable sales levels, but not enough to halt another change, and two years later in November 2002 Malt Shovel announced their summer special James Squire Colonial Wheat, a German weizen styled wheat ale featuring banana and clover characters. As is the case of limited edition ales, another change occurred two years later, James Squire Summer Ale, this time an English styled ale. First brewed at the Portland Hotel in Melbourne, Golden Ale is 30% wheat with a good dollop of Amarillo hops late in the boil providing a stone fruit aroma and restrained bitter finish. Sales figures this year have been impressive but whether the Summer Ale will be around in 2005/2006 who knows. During the chilly season why not give their Australian Strong Ale a go. According to Chuck Hahn “ Last year we thought the brew was a bit to dark so we’ve gone back to the original recipe to include some carapils and dark crystal malts plus some fantastic Tasmanian Hallertau hops. The result is a smooth well balanced ale and at 6.8% A/V has no ethanol finish, almost to smooth.”
The Matilda Bay Brewing Company is another brew shop to catch the seasonal bug in a bottle. This winter look forward to a special Brewers Reserve six pack including three bottles of Alpha Pale Ale and Dogbolter Dark Lager. Alpha Pale Ale, along with Beez Neez honeyed wheat beer, has remained a part of the family since it’s origins at Sanctuary Cove, Queensland. This American styled pale ale is all about big cascade hopped flavour. Well balanced with a big citrus hop aroma, full malt character with a big bitter finish. “The Dog” has been an Aussie dark beer icon since it’s creation over in Freemantle in 1987 during the defence of the America's Cup when Matilda Bay was brewed at the Sail & Anchor Pub Brewery. Dogbolter is certainly a winter warmer with heaps of German Munich dark lager malt and Hersbrucker hops. Adding a subtle floral hop aroma. Look forward to their experimental ESB Sticklers English styled bitter in a bottle later in the year,
This year also marks 21 years in the business and a birthday bash will be something special according to Head Brewer Brad Rodgers.
Speaking of commemorative brews, Carlton & United Beverages has gotten into the swing of things by celebrating the introduction of Victoria Bitter 150 years ago when Thomas Aitken founded the Victoria Brewery in East Melbourne. VB Original Ale is reminiscent of the taste and look of beers from around the turn of the 19th Century. The brew itself was inspired by the Victoria Brewery’s 1894 award-winning Bitter Ale, while the old-style bottle shape and label design closely resembles the VBs of yesteryear. “No other beer can boast the heritage of VB and we wanted to celebrate our rich history,” said Matt Keen CUB’s GM of Regular Beer. “In doing so we’ve delved into our archives and studied early beer making methods and ingredients. The result is Victoria Bitter Original Ale – it’s as close as you’ll get to the beer your great-grandfather enjoyed, but it’s been produced to meet the expectations people have of a great beer today. “We used malt instead of sugar because brewing sugars were really hard to come by in the late 1800s,” said John Cozens, CUB Master Brewer. “We added a touch of roasted barley to give it a toasty flavour as well as its rich amber colour which, when poured, is topped with a compact creamy head. Its lingering bitterness, a result of traditional kettle hopping methods, is balanced with a subtle fruitiness. VB Original Ale will appeal to those with a hankering for heritage and who savour a good brew,” Cozens added.
The Tasmanian breweries have also found seasonal and special release beers beneficial in demonstrating their diversity and craftsmanship. I made reference before about changes to Cascade’s range of beers including the loss of this year Winter Warmer from their Four Seasons seasonal beer range. Well, they still aren’t prepared to tell all about the new beers, but at least they’ve provided another round of First Harvest Ale, now in its fourth edition. We asked Master Brewer Max Burslem what we could expect from this year’s brew. “The purity of taste has been improved with the 2005 release. This year’s First Harvest Ale shows greater balance due to the hops being sourced from a single location. The hops for the 2005 brew were harvested from Bushy Park, located in the Derwent Valley in Tasmania, and travelled only two hours to the brewery, making this year’s brew one of the most freshly-made beers in Cascade’s history. In 2004, hops were sourced from locations four hours from the Cascade Brewery in Hobart. A rich burnished orange/amber colour, the beer has lemon/citrus aromas with a well-balanced hop character and mouth feel. Cascade First Harvest Ale uses Willamette and Cascade hops, brewed in small kettles while still ‘wet’, green and rich in flavour. Pale malt, Cascade’s signature yeast cultures and the purest water in Australia complete the recipe.
J.Boag & Son produced a limited edition 1881 Pale Ale in May of 2002. Its success led to the release of a Honey Porter in June of 2003. The new bottling system installed last year prevented another go; but another Honey Porter has crossed the shores in June 2005. Boag’s Honey Porter is brewed with uniquely Tasmanian ingredients, most notably Leatherwood honey and Van Diemen hops. One and a half tonnes of Leatherwood honey is used in the brewing of Boag’s Honey Porter, all of which is sourced from the Stephens family apiary in north west Tasmania. With such an in demand product, the question arises, “Why isn’t it available all the time?” Master Brewer, Tim Penton, explains “We would love to make Boag’s Honey Porter on a permanent basis, but we are restricted by the supply of the crucial ingredient, Leatherwood honey. The honey supply varies each year depending on the weather conditions and this means that there are times when we just can’t get enough to make the beer”.
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
Australian Beer Awards 2005
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.
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.
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.
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