| World Beer Cup 2008 World Beer Cup competition, often called the Olympics of beer, has announced this year's winners. Winning the title of "Best Brewery in the World" were: 1. Large Brewery- Blue Moon Brewing Company, U.S. Brewer: Warren Quilliam 2. Mid-Size Brewing Company- Privatbrauerei Hoepfner GmbH , Germany Brewer: Peter Bucher 3. Small Brewery- Port Brewing Company and The Lost Abbey, U.S. Brewer: Tomme Arthur Gold Medal winning beers included: Best Classic English-Style Pale Ale: MacTarnahan's Amber Ale, Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle, WA Best American-Style Light Lager: Old Milwaukee Light, Pabst Brewing Co. Other medal winners included a silver to JW Dundee's Dopplebock in the German-style strong bock category, Brewery Ommegang with a silver for its Ommegang Witte in the Belgian-style white/wheat category; Brooklyn Brewery, a bronze for its Brooklyn Lager in the American-style lager category and a gold for its Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout in the British-style imperial stout category; FX Matt Brewing Co. winning silver for its Saranac Pale Ale in the classic English-style pale ale category. |
| Table Taps Georgia is a state that still bans residents from picking up a six-pack on Sundays but it is now home to a new system that lets diners pull their own beer at the table. "It turns out the law supports it. It's the same as putting a pitcher of beer at the table, and it actually increases monitoring," says Jeff Libby, who patented the system. His concept is simple. Taps boasting two beer spouts are built into tables. Each is hooked into a cooler of kegs in the bar's basement through a network of tubes and pipes. To fly with state officials, serve-yourself beer had to include some built-in deterrents. A waitress must first check IDs before turning on the tap. When the digital ticker counting each ounce hits 180 — or about three pitchers — the taps shut off until a server comes by to check on the table. Each tap has two spouts offering a selection of the bar's available beers, Customers can only pick which taps they get by reserving the "tap party" table. Meters and valves monitor the flow and instantly display how many ounces the table has tapped. Libby promotes it as a way to cut down on serving time. It also allows restaurants to charge for every drop, even spillage or foam |
Feature News from beernexus.com
| The Ultimate Organic Beer There's a new breed of beer that pushes into "new age" territory. According to the brewer/owner John Lemont, it "not only does tastes great, it's also ethical since it is produced using biodynamic farming." According to owner/brewer Ben LeMone, "biodynamic farming is founded on a holistic and spiritual understanding of nature and the human being." LeMone calls his lager Vollmond. He is especially proud of that fact that it is "brewed in harmony with the lunar cycle." Translation: he brews it exclusively on the night of a full moon. Vollmond beer only uses barley grown in the Engadin region of Switzerland. At 5,250 feet, it is the highest crop growing region in Europe. That results in barley that matures at an especially slow rate which in turn yields a very rich flavour. This is truly organic barley since at such an altitude pests cannot live and therefore no chemicals are needed. The water used in Vollmond lager comes from the brewery's own natural spring, found high in the Swiss Alpstein Mountains. The water is 100% pure and is added to the mix untainted, and untreated. Vollmond has received the BIO award, which is the highest organic certification award in Switzerland. Indeed, the locals are so certain of the beer's health giving properties that cosmetic and bath products are now being made from it. |
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