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Monks' Brew Showers Blessings on Belgian Town

I don't really get the point of these light/ultra beers that the US is seemingly so keen on. Sure we get some weaker beers in the UK, but except from some bitters at about 3.5-4%, I do not know anyone who drinks them. Could someone enlighten me as to why they exist?

It's illegal to export most of it to the US, and the divine liquids don't travel well anyhow. But has anyone drunken their way through Bohemia's many distinct, flavorful, complex, unique beers? Each town in Bohemia crafts several of its own: Nova Paka and Stara Paka in the north, Ceske Budejovice in the south...over 80 beers in the area. Perfect agricultural conditions for growing hops must be Bohemia's secret. 1100 years ago, in 903, Bohemian hops were so prized that King Wenceslas ordered death to anyone caught exporting the cuttings, from which new plants could be grown. In 1088, the first Czech king, Vratislav II, decreed that his estates should pay a hop title to the church. The U Fleku microbrewery in Prague has been in operation since 1499 and is still going strong. I'd venture that Czech beer puts everything from Germany to shame and that even Belgium is hardpressed to compete. Granted, lighter beers are my preference, black and chocolate being most often too heavy for my palate. But after spending over a year in Bohemia drinking the stuff, I returned to the States largely incapable of stomaching American beer, except the occasional (6-pack or two of) Bud and the delicious Blue Heron when I'm in the NW. In my experience, even the most earnest US attempts to make a palatable beer pale pathetically.

I discovered Gales HSB this weekend on a trip to Hampshire. I know Gales' is pretty much a regional company and does not own any pubs in London, but I was wondering if any London eGulleters have encountered HSB as a guest anywhere? For my 2 quid it was vastly superior to most of the more common bitters served in London.

I wanted a Guiness. Go to my liquor store and now there are at least 3 different but similar kinds. 4 pack tall cans with H2o cartridges or something 6 pack bottles with the same cartridges 6 pack bottles sans cartridges Do they taste the same or are they different? What to get for the true Irish Pub Guiness like-experience? Thanks.

Craft Beers Make Fine Dining Companions

If you havent seen this commercial its well worth a look if you are a Matrix or Heineken fan...Its a perfect tie in (for the the exact shade of green )...It made me go out and buy a 6 pack! http://www.heineken.com/usa/ or for less time-consuming download... http://www.ifilm.com/?sctn=main&pg=movieclips&cch=10 BTW, for people that have seen the film, is Heineken placed in the movie at all?

The name must have taken a crackerjack marketing staff months to develop. Yes, it's "The Beer Machine" (and I'm not referring to Schielke here, either): http://www.beermachine.com

http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/artic...le.jsp?id=lw997

I just reached into a 12-pack of PBR (I know, I know) and pulled out an Olympia. Both beers are made by Pabst, but it's still kind of odd. Is it the same beer, sold under different brand names?

Coming soon to a city near you! HE'BREW

I'm new here, just found this site last night looking up beer's and wine's. So my fav. Beer is Budlight or Bud.

The Amazin' Beer Chiller uses patented XTR (Xtreme Temperature Reduction) Technology for maximum chilling efficiency. XTR Technology is the patented spinning action that acts as a peristaltic pump to pull in cold water from a separate ice water chamber, and push away the warm water that forms around the can as it chills. The Amazin' Beer Chiller! (PRNewsFoto) http://www.beerchiller.com/

Rather than disucssing beers scattershot, or collectively (both approaches seem futile, in different ways), I think it makes sense to try and discuss them by TYPE. Lets start with IPAs. I've always liked the ones I've tried, but I don't know enough about them. Educate me. What distinguishes this style, who makes the best, where did it come from, why is it called what it is, etc?

Had some friends take me to the Heartland Microbrewery in Union Square today to try their Cornhusker Ale. It was alright I guess... but I think the best small/micro brew I ever had was Boulevard out of KC. Michigan Brewing Company would line up there with the worst. Taste reminiscent of Schlitz.

come one, come all

I am interested in hosting a Bockfest in spring, similar to that hosted by the Schell's brewery in New Ulm, MN. Unfortunately, they have a particular tool that I CANNOT find! It's a long, wooden-handled, cast-iron implement. The iron end is a long, thick, solid cylinder. It gets put into coals until it is redhot, then the beers get "poked" by it, creating a beautiful caramel-y head. I've seen a similar implement on Cooking with Julia: She used it to return a pot of water to boiling almost instantly by first heating the iron over the burner. She calls it a "buffalo iron". Does anyone know where I might get my hands on one of these?

Health benefits of beer could surpass wine, studies indicate

Kronenbourg have launched a new premium lager called 1664 Permier Cru. Retailing at £1.99 for a 500ml bottle, it is somewhat more expensive that the standard 1664 which you can pick up for around £3.99 for a pack of 4 440ml cans. It comes in a striking matt blue bottle and is 6% volume (1% more than the standard brew). The website states that it is made using a "combination of roasted barley and hops" which are fermented slowly over a long period to create a "mellow premium lager with a dark, lustrous colour and an aroma with hints of honey, bourbon and soft fruits". I really liked the look of the bottle, so couldn't resist trying some. I have to say I was underwhelmed. The beer was certainly stronger and darker with a little more flavour than your average lager, but that wouldn't be terribly difficult to achieve. Honey, bourbon and soft fruits were not in evidence, to my palette at least. So despite how nice it looked in the fridge, I won't be tempted to pay over a third more for my Saturday night (and any other night of the week come to think of it) beer.

I was once a big fan of Coors beer about 20 years or so ago when it was not pasturized. Is it just me or does Coors beer now taste somewhat bitter? (btw I am a fan of English IPA's) Is the difference caused by the pasturization or did they change the ingredients too? Do any of you remember the old Coors? Do any of you know of a similar tasting beer to the old Coors? Maybe I am just overdue to brew some fresh beer...

The 2003 GABF is now over, a rollicking weekend in Denver, and here are the medal winners. The Philadelphia area was well represented, but, for me, the best things about the medals list are the names of the brews: http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/03winners.htm Enjoy!

In less than 10 days, we will once again experience Friday The Firkinteenth at the Grey Lodge Public House (6235 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia). a benchmark beer event in Philadelphia for the last 7 years. Every Friday the 13th, our buddy Scoats (owner Mike Scotese) brings forth almost a dozen (I think it's actually 11 this year) small barrels of cask- conditioned beer, arranges them around his bar and serves them up via gravity pour, to the giddy delight of beer aficionados from up and down the East Coast. This year, the lineup is really impressive, I think. You can check out the details of this year's lineup on the Grey Lodge's website, www.greylodge.com (check out the Random Bar Joke Generator, too!), and have your taste buds teased. If you've ever wanted to taste a selection of extraordinary local beers, served up in small servings for variety's (and safety's) sake, and served up as they were meant to be enjoyed, without extraneous carbonation, you will be rewarded with an experience like no other. I havent missed one of these yet, and every year, the selection and offerings get better and better. This is truly an epicurean event. It starts at 6PM on Friday June 13th, so get there extra early, it fills up quickly. Hope to see many of you there! (I have no financial or public relations interest in the Grey Lodge, but I do love telling people about the place, a truly unique part of Philly's hospitality sector.)

I have dabbled over the past year in making beer at home. I started off with a very simple kit I bought at the local grocery store for $10 Canadian. It was an Australian lager from Cooper. With an initial investment of less then $40 I brewed my first batch... It was awful, but it had an interesting aftertaste I wanted to duplicate in a good beer. I went to the local brew store and asked for some advice. I left the store that day with a glass carboy, an airlock and was told to take the same kit but this time siphon the beer out of the primary fermentation vessel after 4 days and put it into the glass carboy for two – three weeks to let it clarify. It worked. The beer was 100% better and my friends kept asking for more. I have made 10 different kit beers this year and I now want to brew my own lager/ale at home without using a kit. I am looking to develop some different flavours and incorporate different sugars, maple syrup and honeys. I have looked on the Internet and the sites are all selling kits. Bookstores have beer books but they are all written by hippies and seem to all include hemp in one form or another. For all those interested I would like to start an online brewing forum. We will start by developing a recipe using our own resources on eGullet; individually procure the products and work through the fermentation process. First question: What type of beer is best brewed at home; ale or a lager?

Someone was nice enough to comp my round of golf yesterday, so I spent what would have been my green fees on beer! A local store has a pretty good Belgian selection, so I picked up a six pack of Leffe, and singles of Westvleteren (how is this pronounced?!?) and Rochefort 6. I also bought a six pack of Grant's Perfect Porter, which I found to be less than "perfect" , a little on the watery side, and an off, soapy taste. The Westvleteren, on the other hand, was great--very complex with caramel, toffee chocolate flavors.

A friend has asked me to post this, it's a great opportunity for you young 'uns to get those creative beer juices flowing...I would be so proud if someone from eG won!! If anyone has any questions not answered herewith, PM me. Coors Brewers announce the Young Voice of Beer Competition > >Coors Brewers announce the launch of an exciting new competition, 'The Young >Voice of Beer', which aims to encourage 18-28 year olds* to give their >personal interpretations of the pleasure and beauty of beer. > >Prizes will include £3,000 for the winning entry, with £1,000 for second, >£500 for third place and with ten runners-up each receiving an international >selection of beers. > >The 'Young Voice of Beer' is seeking competitors from all over Britain via a >wide range of 'arts' centres including Music Colleges, Art Schools, Film >Academies, Acting and Media schools, Performing Arts establishments and >Journalism courses. > >The new competition is open for entries in a wide variety of formats >including poetry, song, music, video, short film, prose, TV, radio, website, >photography, animation, advertising, painting and performance art. (See >Terms & Conditions, below). > > Paul Hegarty, External Communications Manager for Coors Brewers, comments: >"For me, beer is the ultimate four letter word. It is brewed all over >Britain and in practically every country of the world. It comes in a >kaleidoscope of colours, flavours and textures and from ingredients as >diverse as barley, hops, wheat, oats, rye, rice, heather, spices and fruit. > >"We are hoping that the entries we receive will mirror that eclectic mixture >and that the final judging process could see a work of art, pitted against >examples of photography, mime, music and the written word. > >"The National Union of Students are fully supporting the competition, which >aims to encourage younger people to see beer in a new, far more colourful >light, whilst having a bit of fun at the same time. This more thoughtful >approach to beer links with the NUS's responsible drinking campaign." > > >To enter the competition, fill out an on-line application form from >www.coorsbrewers.com <http://www.coorsbrewers.com> or ring 020 7384 1333 to >request one by post. Entrants should send completed application form & entry >to: > >Caitlin Smith >R&R Teamwork >The Basement >754 Fulham Road >London SW6 5SH > >or caitlin@randr.co.uk > >The closing date is 17th October 2003 and judging will take place in >mid-October. The winners will be announced in November at an awards ceremony >in London. > >For further information, please contact Caitlin Smith on 020 7384 1333 > >* Terms and Conditions > >1) Entrants must be over 18 and under 28 years old on the closing date of >17th October 2003. >2) On this date, entrants must not be employed by Coors Brewers, or as a >beer trade journalist. >3) Entries will be considered in any format that expresses the wonder and >beauty of beer. However, the judges will require entries to be available on >one of the following formats: >a) paper/card/photographic paper or canvas, no larger than A1 and >unframed >b) CD or DVD >c) audio casette or mini disc >d) email file, ie. MP3, JPEG, MPEG, gif etc. >e) video cassette >4) A maximum of 3 entries will be accepted per person >5) No correspondence will be entered into >6) Entries will not be returned >7) The judges' decision is final >8) Coors Brewers is a member of the Portman Group - promoting responsible >drinking"