Beers And Hops Bees are nature's pollinators, honey makers, and wing shakers. They're one of man's greatest resources but they are constantly under attack by pests, including the Varroa destructor mite: a parasite that infests a honey bee colony and is believed to contribute to colony collapse disorder. There are ways of handling these pests, though they've mostly been synthetic chemical based, through physical means, or derived from herbal essential oils until now. Beer, or at least a component of it has recently been developed into another tool in the fight against pests with the creation of a hop-based pesticide. The Protection Agency just released it's final ruling on the use of hop derived pesticides giving it full approval. Let's hope this doesn't add to the hop shortage. |
Notes From The Great American Beer Festival GABF isn’t a cheap ticket. The retail price of each one was $80, but once you’re in, you’ve got 4.5 hours to choose from 3,500 different beers. Some may require longer waits than others, but you’re free to have as much as you’d like – one ounce at a time, of course. Scalpers were asking more than $500 per ticket in the weeks leading up to the Festival, but as the show got underway, there was a liquidation sale on the street – though, as with any major event, a fair number of those were likely counterfeit and the festival had very prominent signage warning people not to buy from brokers. GABF attendees drink their beers in one-ounce samples – and pouring each one from a tap makes no sense. Brewers keep pitchers filled with their offerings to keep the lines moving. It helps though in some cases the lines still are long and slow. Many brewers try something new at GABF, but no one has pushed the envelope quite as much as Dad & Dude's Breweria has this year. with their Indica Double IPA is made with cannabidoil - cannabis that has had the mind-altering THC removed. It doesn’t alter the taste of the beer, says co-founder Mason “Dude” Hembree, but it sure does turn heads (including, at one point prior to the show, those of federal officials). Small Town Brewery, maker of the hit Not Your Father’s Root Beer, had plenty of foot traffic at its booth at GABF – offering a version of the product with 10.7% alcohol by volume. And it expanded its nostalgia line of beers with Not Your Mom’s Apple Pie, Not Your Mom’s French Toast and Not Your Mom’s Strawberry Rhubarb. We didn't try any of those. ---------------------------- |
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Blue Moon Is "Craft" Says Judge MillerCoor's Blue Moon is a now a legal "craft beer" after a judge threw out a lawsuit saying that there are no truly definable standards for what is a ‘craft’ brew. That’s ruling from a U.S. District court in dismissing a class action lawsuit that sued MillerCoors for labeling Blue Moon (which they produce at a rate of over 70 million barrels a year) as a craft beer. The lawsuit was filed in California by lead plaintiff Evan Parent who also alleged that Blue Moon was conspicuously over-priced in comparison with the rest of the MillerCoors portfolio, that it does not meet requirements agreed upon by the Brewers association, and that it misleads customers by disguising the ownership. Judge Curiel denied that last claim, referring to the company’s website where it is clearly labeled. He also rejected a claim that Blue Moon’s grocery store shelf placement (mixed in with all the craft brews) has misleading intent.. |