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The Celiac Sprue Association (CSA), the largest non-profit celiac support group in America, announced that Omission Beer has met stringent requirements for earning the organization’s Recognition Seal. The CSA Seal, embodies the CSA’s commitment to a consistent, meaningful, and verifiable definition of products that are the most risk-free for consumers on a celiac diet. Omission Beer underwent CSA gluten testing methods – the industry’s strictest – and tested well below the FDA standard for gluten-free of 20 ppm. Omission Beer, Portland, Oregon, is made with traditional ingredients, including malted barley, but undergoes an innovative process to remove gluten. The CSA conducts independent tests using mass spectrometry testing, which shows the trace amounts of gluten remaining in beer. CSA also requires documentation of ingredient sourcing, allergen control and sanitation plans, training procedures for controlling cross-contamination. |
Longtime Harlem brewmaster Celeste Beatty, head honcho of the 13-year-old Harlem Brewing Company, says a startup with a similar name is causing quite a brew-haha on social media and among distributors and customers.What’s in a name? Everything when it comes to Harlem’s beer legacy. Beatty’s Harlem Brewing Company makes Harlem Brew. Harlem Brew House will soon roll out Harlem Blue. Confused? Beatty says her rival Julian Riley intentionally did it. However,Riley argues that the public will be able to differentiate between the cures for what ales them.“There’s no confusion in the marketplace,” he said, noting Beatty’s flagship beer is Sugar Hill Ale. “Harlem is big enough as a brand or name to have more than one brand. She thinks she owns ‘Harlem’ for beer. I don’t think so.” Experts say neither company can own the word “Harlem,” but noted the similar names could cause confusion in the marketplace and could prompt federal trademark officials to deny a second manufacturer the right to use the name. Lawsuits are expected. . |
Free Beer For Alcoholics Amsterdam has begun employing alcoholics to clean the city's streets, paying them in cash, tobacco and beer. City authorities say it's solving the problems related to public drunkenness. Critics question whether the program unethically enables addiction. The idea came about some time ago in a somewhat messy way in Amsterdam's Oosterpark. The green space near the city center, with its duck pond and expansive lawns, was a pleasant retreat for families. If not for the drinking, that is. "There were complaints from residents for years," says Caspar Itz, spokesman for the Oost district government. A group of as many as 40 alcoholics were making the park unsafe, he says, with fist fights, public urination and plenty of shouting.City authorities tried everything to fix the problem, Itz says, including fines and an absolute ban on alcohol in the park. It was all in vain, until someone came up with the street cleaning project. The deal works as follows: Alcoholics are provided with a broom to go about keeping the streets and parks clean. In return they receive €10 ($13.50) per day, as well as a half a pack of rolling tobacco and up to five cans of beer -- two in the morning, two in the afternoon and one more after they finish the day's work. "It works like giving heroin to addicts," he says. "An addiction expert is always there and controls how much each individual is getting." Even the five cans of beer per day amount to less than what the alcoholics would be drinking if left to their own devices, he adds, which is one of the reasons why they don't just give out money. "We wouldn't have any control. With us, there's a fridge, and the fridge has a lock. And we decide when that lock is opened." The workday begins at 9 a.m. in a tool shed that functions as the project headquarters. Each person gets a coffee, a cigarette and two cans of Grolsch, a Dutch domestic brew. Then they don their neon orange safety vests, grab a garbage bag and litter picker and hit the streets of Amsterdam. Send contributions for On Tap to webmaster@beernexus.com |
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