EPIC Pale Ale - Supreme Champion - NZ Beer Awards

EPIC Pale Ale - Supreme Champion - New Zealand Beer Awards

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EPIC - Official Website

Is today's beer all image over reality?

So Foster's bought in the UK is now not only brewed here, it is also owned by a British firm. Four out of every five pints of Fosters are now brewed by a UK firm.

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Ben & Jerry's sorry for 'Black & Tan' upset

Ice cream makers Ben & Jerry's have apologised for causing offence by calling a new flavour "Black & Tan" - the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland's war of independence.

[check out the comments at the end of this article]

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Scientists working on beer for menopause

Women struggling with the discomforts of menopause may soon find relief in a cold glass of beer.

Experts in the Czech Republic are working on a beer specifically brewed for women experiencing hot flashes, troubling sleeping and other woes during this phase.

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Photos from Seattle - World Beer Cup 2006

I have uploaded some images from my week in Seattle, judging at the World Beer Cup and attending the Craft Brewers Conference. I also had the privilege to attend a 9 course dinner with Michael Jackson with about 60 invited guests.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nzbrewer/sets/72057594111782352/

Check out the images, and a review will hopefully follow soon.

Cheers
Luke

Cheers to Beer: Amazing Benefits

What if your doctor prescribed you a medicine that could reduce strokes, heart and vascular disease, and the incidence of cataracts and breast cancer cells? You would take it every day, right? Well, you won’t have to go see your doctor for this remedy, but you may want to visit your favorite bartender.

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Beer Wars - A Classic

Three Reasons to love Beer Wars:

It is about beer
It is a homage to Star Wars
Budweiser stuff gets blown up.

What else could you ever need?

Glass Tip: The ever erudite Geoff Griggs

RateBeer wants New Zealanders

Every day or two I catch up with the tasting notes of Sam, a friend of mine currently on his OE in Europe. We might go for several weeks without speaking but I always know what beer he's drinking. Sam, aka TheGrandmaster, is a certified beerhunter (some may say he's certifiable). One week he's sipping Bieres de Garde during a ski trip to France, while the next he'll be sampling the famous beer-based meal - carbonade flamande - with a Flemish Sour Ale or two, in Belgium. Week in, week out, he's sipping the the best real ales in the world at, one of his locals, The White Horse at Parson's Green.

I follow Sam's travels at RateBeer, a community that is certainly one of the most popular beer websites in the world. It boasts a database of around 6,000 breweries, over 50,000 individual beers and almost 800,000 beer-lover's ratings. The site receives a staggering 20,000 visitors each day. Looking deeper, into the workings of the site, reveals quite complex statistical processes and some superb features that will please everyone from the average beer lover to the most avid trainspotter. Ratings at RateBeer are "hedonic" rather than to particular styles (something that has been discussed in our own RealBeer forums recently). This means anyone, no matter what their knowledge, can join in and let people know what they think. It's sort of like a democracy of beer - beer judging by the home enthusiast – it’s not perfect but it’s interesting. My main gripe about RateBeer is the lack of New Zealanders actively taking part.

So, why do I rate beer, and more importantly, why would you?

Firstly: I love beer. I make it, I drink it, I help other people formulate recipes, I enjoy talking about, reading about it and recommending new beers to friends. I rate beer for my own personal records and to increase my knowledge. I learn something new with every new beer that I rate. If you want to know more about beer, or just want a bit of a laugh, it's a great place to look around.

Secondly: I love beer and enjoy the community nature of the drink. Beer is a communal drink, and RateBeer is a definite community. I've chatted with other beer lovers, got tips on bars to visit or odd beers to try and I've even met up with fellow enthusiasts when visiting other cities. People here even send each other rare beers as Christmas presents. If you want a total stranger to send you free beer, join up and start rating.

Thirdly: As you’ll probably appreciate - I really do love beer. I appreciate the brewers who make such wonderful creations, so this is my feedback - my recommendation, or occasionally my red flag. My thoughts are there, good or bad, right or wrong, in black and white, for any brewer or beer drinker to look at (or to ignore). I know that at least a couple of NZ's most prominent microbrewers are regular visitors to the site, and that they enjoy the feedback. Let them know what you think, and feel free to be as poetic or as concise as you wish.

Some people might think, and one even has even gone so far as to write, that my head’s up my own cellar. However, since I began rating beer I've made new friends, made much better beer myself, discovered some absolutely outstanding beers and had a lot of fun reading what other people have to say. Most importantly – either with friends or alone – I’ve had a lot of fun sampling and discussing the amazing flavours we can achieve with water, malt, hops, and yeast (and it's almost always in moderation).

World Beer Cup #2

The World Beer Cup website is here.

The New Zealand breweries who have entered are:

Cock and Bull
Epic
Lion
Mac's
Martinbourough Brewing Company

Best of luck to all.

Glass Tip: yalnikim (aka Stu)

World Beer Cup #1

New Zealander to Judge at the Olympics of Beer
Apr 6, 2006
Author: RealBeer.co.nz

New Zealand will be represented for the first time on the judging panel of the World Beer Cup - "the Olympics of Beer" - which will be held next week in the American city of Seattle.

Luke Nicholas, brewer of the award winning beers in the Cock and Bull pubs, will join 112 international beer judges from across the globe to award gold, silver and bronze medals to beers judged in 85 style categories.

The World Beer Cup is a global competition held every two years and this year the entries have grown by 45% to include 2,257 beers from 541 breweries in 55 countries to become the largest international professional beer competition in the world. They will be judged April 10-11.

Luke Nicholas says he is delighted and honoured to become this country 's first World Beer Cup judge. "This is a fantastic chance for New Zealand to be represented on the biggest stage in the beer world. Our brewers make some world-class beers and it will be great to have a Kiwi voice on the judging panel," he said.

To become a judge, Luke needed to be nominated by two current or previous judges from the World Beer Cup. International beer judge and US brewmaster, Jon Graber was one of the judges to nominate Luke. He said “Luke ’s medal-awarded beers, which he brews, are of world-class quality and drink-ability, and would fair very well in any international competition. I found him to be discerning, and a skilful beer taster. His knowledge of beer styles runs deep. He will bring a knowledgeable palate and valued perspective to any table at which he judges” said Graber.

The Cock & Bull has won 130 medals for their beers since they opened in 1995. This includes an unprecedented double winning of the Supreme Champion beer of New Zealand trophy.

Only in Australia File #23

Story spotted by Australian Correspondent and Television Star Belinda Lawton:

Andrew Knight wanted his marriage proposal to combine something he and his girlfriend both enjoyed.

In true Aussie style he stocked the fridge at his New South Wales Central Coast home with beer for the occasion - but not just any beer. Andrew designed a special beer label that carried his marriage proposal and a picture of the engagement ring.

He emptied all the food from his fridge and filled the shelves with his customised brew.

Carly Henderson, 28, was shocked when she finally opened the fridge door. "My first thought was 'Where has all the food gone'," Carly said yesterday. "I was thinking Andrew had a lot of beer in the fridge, but that wasn't entirely weird. I grabbed one and realised it had my name on it. It was a real shock. Then Andrew got down on bended knew and asked me to marry him."

Carly regained her composure and accepted the unconventional proposal. Her three-year-old daughter Imogen then presented her with the diamond engagement ring featured on the label.

Andrew, a 32-year-old Newcastle solicitor, admitted being a bit nervous when Carly took forever to open the fridge door. "Carly was late home and we were supposed to be going out for dinner," he said. "She was in a rush and was getting ready while I was in the lounge room hopping up and down with excitement. "When she eventually finished I asked her if she wanted a beer but she said no. I then casually asked her would she get me and beer and she did. "It finally worked but I had some nervous moments."

Andrew designed the labels on the website of Brewtopia, a Sydney company that brews and customises their own beer. "People use them for things like business cards but this is the first time we've done a marriage proposal," Brewtopia co-owner Larry Hedges said.

Monteith's Winter Ale to Return May 15

Monteith's Press Release

WARM UP TO WINTER

Monteith's invites you to experience the taste of winter with Monteith's Winter Ale, an enlivening six per cent beer with distinct warming properties, brewed especially for the colder months.

Available as a seasonal release for only the second time, Monteith'sWinter Ale is developed using a range of five premium malts, with hints of spicy cinnamon resulting in a rich, bold malty flavour and velvety smoothness.

Monteith's master brewer Barrie Calder says "Winter Ale's cinnamon flavour provides the warming characteristics to this beer, while premium quality Nelson hops help to exude its spicy, yet flora aroma. When poured, a creamy collar of foam will form to create a look true to this style of beer."

Calder says Monteith's Winter Ale is best served at aslightly warmer temperature to enhance the aroma and flavour characteristics of the brew. 8-10 degrees is recommended.

The Monteith's Winter Ale picked up abronze medal at the International Brewing Awards in Munich.

Monteith's Winter Ale is available from selected supermarkets, liquor retailers and exclusively on tap at Monteith's concept bars from May 15th onwards.

BEST PLACE TO BUY A BEER IN A COUNTRY SETTING

Hallertau

Considering it's only 20 minutes from the CBD, Hallertau is very country. Surrounded by orchards, the brewery's lounge bar area has comfy leather loungers, roaring fireplace and a weighty pile of reading material. All that's missing is the bloke with pipe. It's entirely appropriate that Hallertau follows the German tradition of brewing beer, using only water, yeast, hops and barley to make their stable of beers. As general manager Lisa Clark says, there's no artificial trickery in this beer. There are five beers, with seasonal brews like Maximus Decimus Meridius - not for the faint-hearted. Hallertau also make fruit wines the traditional way. Next Saturday, April 8, is Hop Harvest Beer Festival, complete with a 9-piece Oompah band.

Where: 1171 Coatesville-Riverhead Highway, Riverhead.

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Independent talks under way

The Erceg family is understood to be talking to investment banks about selling Independent Distillers.

Several options are open to the Erceg family: a trade sale, an initial public offering, a leveraged buy-out or even a management buy-out. No decision on how the family will sell the business or who will sell it for them is expected for six to eight weeks.

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Alcohol cloud spotted in deep space

Astronomers say they have spotted a cloud of alcohol in deep space that measures 463 billion kilometres across, a finding that could shed light on how giant stars are formed from primordial gas.

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Wacker has a handle on beer and an eye on the future

Jeff Wacker has seen the future and it involves a blue plastic tag stuck to the side of a beer keg.

The individualised signals it pumps out have helped to solve a major logistics headache for a US trucking company: identifying, sorting, delivering and collecting kegs from multiple breweries.

"Bar masters love it too because they know exactly what they've got and how old the beer is," Wacker says.

Full Story - NZ Herald