Beer Penicillin Anthropologists have found that thousands of years before the 1928 discovery of penicillin, people in ancient Nubia were using beer as an antibiotic to treat everything from gum disease to infected wounds. Nubia, located south of Egypt in present-day Sudan, has always valued its brewers and now it's clear why. Scientists began to suspect that Nubian beer may have been brewed to contain more than just alcohol. The Nubians, like the Egyptians, made their beer from bread. The bread was broken into a vat containing tea made from the unmilled grains. The mixture was then fermented, turning it into beer. An extended analysis of ancient Nubian bones revealed consistently high concentrations of tetracycline, a a broad-spectrum polyketide antibiotic. The only place researchers found this was in unearthed Nubian brewing equipment and serving vessels. |
What's An Organic Beer? An organic beer is made with ingredients that come from a certified organic growing source. This means hops, barley, apples, grapes, sugar and other ingredients used in various recipes are grown in a special manner. The requirements are: *No toxic fertilizer Some examples of organic and non toxic fertilizers are seaweed, worm castings, chicken manure, lime, molasses and fish emulsion. *No chemically treated seedsIt takes research for growers to find seed that have not been treated. The laws for packaging have not caught up with the desire of some to go completely organic. It does not have to be stated on the package. *No fungicides, insecticides or herbicides can be used in the growing of the ingredients. *Products need to be dried naturally without drying agents. Some enthusiasts or purists insist that even the way the beer is brewed has to be earth- friendly – only then the product can be considered an organic beer. If there is electricity used, where does it come from? Can it be powered with wind? It is clear to see there are different standards of organic beer. Some say that organic beer is healthier to drink, and the debate is still out there. Few however say it tastes better. |
| Feature News from beernexus.com |
Edited by Jim Attacap
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| BEERNEXUS the crossroads of the beer world |
Have a Guinness
Guinness was unquestionably
Ireland's beer of choice for decades. During
that time stouts made up 70% of the beers
consumed by Irish drinker. But now just issued report
from Ireland's Competition Authority noted that European
and American lagers had become "more fashionable" and
taken 63% of Ireland's beer market compared with just
32% for stout.
Today, Guinness leads all beers in Ireland with a 26.6%
share of the pub take, according to Euromonitor
International. Yet its two closest competitors -- Heineken
and Budweiser -- already eclipse the dark stout with 30%
of all sales. Some of that's come directly out of Guinness'
till, as Guinness' share of Irish pints is down from 31.1%
five years ago, while Heineken sales are up 0.6 percentage
points, Bud's risen 0.3 and brands including Miller,
Carlsberg's Tuborg and Corona have little change.
Beer drinkers everywhere might consider drinking more
Guinness since a recent study at the University of
Wisconsin revealed that a daily pint of it may be as
effective as a daily aspirin in the prevention of
heart-attack-inducing blood clots.
Besides, it tastes a whole lot better than asprin.