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September 3, 2010

Organic Beer

I went to my local supermarket just a couple of days ago and was somewhat startled to see a number of “organic” beers offered in the “green” section of the store. This got me wondering about what the differences are between “organic” and normal beer might be.

It turns out that, in its simplest terms, beer qualifies for the organic definition when all the ingredients used in the beer brewing recipes have been grown in acceptable “green” fashion. Generally, this means that the hops, barley, and everything else in the recipes have not been exposed to fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides. Proponents of this beer brewing method claim that organic beverages taste better than their larger non-organic competitors.

Not surprisingly, most organic growers are very small, with less than 100 acres under cultivation. They also tend to sell their product within a geographically small area, to local microbreweries specializing in offering organic products. This limited production and distribution prevent any meaningful economies of scale with, in turn, will mean that these offerings will be priced higher, in some cases substantially so, than the more familiar competitors.

On the plus side, these patronizing these local microbreweries have other positive effects for the environment. These include consuming a locally produced product which reduce the negative effects of wide area distribution. (more…)

Where Bar Games Come From

Drinking and games seem to go together. This has been true for centuries past and will more than likely be true for centuries to come. Who among us has not participated in a drinking game at one time or another? While the college years usually see the most frequent participation, especially in years one and two, some of us will admit to continuing to participate into our adulthood as well.

And why shouldn’t we? Even Plato celebrated a drinking game in his book Symposium which was written around 385 BC. In it, he describes a game where a bowl filled with wine is passed among the participants. Each person drank the wine, slapped the bowl, and passed it along to the next person. It sounds very simple but don’t all drinking game rules sound simple before you start?

“Kottabus” is another drinking game played the Greeks 2,500 years ago. The game was played by throwing the wine lees (the sediment at the bottom of the barrel) at a target. The player was required to speak the name of his beloved as be tossed the lees. This game was something like the “she loves me, she loves me not” variety with flower petals today.

The Chinese also developed drinking games of their own that involved dice, riddles and a silver canister. The players would place written instructions into the canister that described which player had to drink as well as a specific amount. These games also had “officials” who were responsible for maintaining order and were able to call penalties which, of course, included more drinking.

Today many of these games have been transformed into the various past times found at your local tavern such as billiards, darts, pool, and ski-ball. These establishments are carrying on a centuries old tradition that traces its roots back to both the cradles of both western and Asian civilizations.

The Difference Between Ale and Lager

What is the most fun about learning to brew your own beer is there are so many different kinds to choose from. It is really hard to get tired of beer when you have so much to choose from. While beer is brewed virtually everywhere in the world the traditional beer brewing regions are Europe, the United Kingdom, North American, and Australia. As you might imagine these different regions all produce very different tasting beers.

Despite these regional differences, beer is categorized into just two main types generally based on the temperature of the brewing process. The temperature differences effect how the yeast behaves during brewing. Beers brewed at lower temperatures use slow acting yeast are classified as “lagers”. Beers brewed at higher temperatures use much faster acting yeast are classified as “ales”. Because of the regional differences, ales are broken down into more sub classifications such as “pale ale”, “brown ale”, and “stout”.

Let’s take a brief look at both main types.

Ales are typically brewed with “top-fermenting yeasts” and, as I noted above, are brewed at higher temperatures. The usual temperature range for fermentation is between 60 and 75 degrees F. In this temperature range the top-fermenting yeast produces a large amount of “esters” (critical for the formation of alcohol) (more…)

Tips For Tasting Your Home Brew Beer

If you are fairly new to home beer making, I am sure that one of your biggest challenges is waiting long enough for the fermentation process to complete before you take that first taste of the new batch. Believe me, we have all had the same challenge!

But what I want to talk about here is not the agonizing wait for the batch to be ready but, instead, the way you taste the beer when it is ready. These tips are what me and my friends have come up with over time and they work for us. But feel free to modify them to suit your particular needs.

Don’t eat right before you taste: The goal here is to taste the beer you just made and not dinner!

If you smoke, put it out: Smoking will interfere with the way you taste your new beer. Even having smoke in the air will change how you taste the batch.

Pour the beer into a clear glass: This does a few things; One, it allows the beer to form a head. Two, it lets you see the color and clarity, and three, it will help you fully appreciate the aroma of the new batch.

The first taste: Take in just enough to cover your tongue. Different recipes will feel heavier or lighter depending on the ingredients you used. Hold the (more…)

Make Your Own Beer

You might have heard of people enjoying home beer brewing in their kitchens and have been intrigued by the idea. Well, who wouldn’t be? Of course you probably have no idea how to begin to learn how to brew your own beer. But don’t worry; this is not as complicated as you think. Here are a few of the basics you will need to get started on a satisfying hobby.

First let’s look at the equipment you will need. The first two things you are going to need for home brew beer is a brew pot and a kettle. You will not be able to get away with using your normal pots and pans for brewing beer. For one reason they just will not be big enough to get the job done. Secondly, If you use your cooking pots, all of the other food you cook in them will have a beer taste.

You will next need to add a fermenter. These come in various sizes but the most common is five gallons. This is where your home brew will live during the time it ferments. You will also need to get a funnel to make it easier to pour the beer from one location to another.

Next up you are going to need to get bottles. To save money I recommend buying a batch of brown or amber colored glass bottles making sure they are not the screw type caps. The color matters because green or clear glass does not do a good job in filtering out UV rays that will harm the brew inside. Also using the proper cap type bottles instead of screw tops will prevent oxygen from getting into the bottles. This keeps your home brew beer staying fresh.

Then, of course, you are going to need the proper ingredients. Depending on the type of beer you want to brew, there will be different ingredients you will want to purchase for your home brew beer. Most of the online beer sites have large selections of brew kits available, and any number of recipe ingredients to help you have a great brew every time.

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