"Here and There" by Clay Moore and Jay Silvers Looking for the a brewery at the highest elevation in the world? Well, one contender is Bier Vision Mountain Brewery located in Davos, Switzerland, It's nestled in the Alps at an altitude of 5,120 feet. Average year round temp is 32F. One beertail we enjoyed recently was a "Steamroller". Here's the recipe: mix one once St. Germain and half an ounce of Heering Cherry Liqueur. Combine with an ounce of rye whiskey and an ounce of lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. File the shaker with ice and then (what else?) shake. Strain into chilled pint glass and top with Anchor Steam or equivalent. Cascade has beer the top selling hop every year since 2009! Coming in second place last year was Centennial with Chinook finishing third. In the 1990s both Russia and Poland saw the rise of a new democratic group called the Beer Lovers Party. It's platform was based on the reduction of taxes on beer. They never won any kind of election but we still intend to write them in this year. One indicator of hops' bitterness is the percentage of alpha acids it contains. Polaris hops from Germany have been around only since 2012 but they have the highest alpha acid level of 18-23%. Get some for you next home brew. Try a Guinness Cream Soda if you don't feel like having a beer (or a cream soda for that matter. Fill a pint glass half way with six parts club soda and one part each of ginger liqueur and vanilla liqueur. Then take a spoon, hold it upside down over thee glass and pour chilled Guinness over it to fill the glass. It's actually not bad. The most famous beer drinking bear has to be "Wojtek" who served as an "official" member of the 22nd Artillery of the Polish army after he was adopted as a cub. Wojek enjoyed several beers daily and survived until the ripe old age of 22. We love fish and chips served with just about any British Bitter. But that's just us. Two dates have laid claim to being the day to celebrate beer. The first, National Beer Day, is on April 7 and commemorates the law that legalized (3.2%) beer again after Prohibition. The second is September 28, National Drink Beer Day. We celebrate both of course with the latter being toasted daily. Plato really did say "he was a wise man who invented beer". He also said "Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something." Not bad but we prefer the beer one. Plato also said "Opinions is the medium between knowledge and ignorance." Actually we don't care about that one either. Lagers are fermented at cooler temperatures by so-called “bottom fermenting” yeast. Beers in the lager family need to be conditioned—or “lagered”—somewhere cool for a number of weeks before they are ready to drink. Ales are fermented at warmer temperature by top-fermenting yeast strains, and are ready to drink sooner. There are about 13 carbs in a standard beer, 5 in a light beer. Even if you're on a low carb diet the light still isn't worth it. Want to be a beer judge? the American Homebrewers Association trains and certifies homebrew judges. This group, now an independent nonprofit organization, sponsors the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), and it has over 3,000 members throughout the United States, Canada and many other countries. What gives some beers their aging potential? Higher alcohol content is one of the primary factors. Alcohol is a preservative, so stronger beers (double digit ABVs) will stand the test of time much more gracefully than beers with less alcohol. Another very important factor is bottle conditioning. This process leaves live yeast in a beer so it will continue to age and develop over time. The government-requires (federal and state) information on every beer bottle label, including address, contents, brand name, description of product (beer), UPC code and health warning. Surprisingly the alcoholic content is not mandated. The "Beerdrinker of the Year" competition is not a popularity contest, nor is it a beer- guzzling chug-a-thon. This nationwide competition, originated by Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Co. in 1997, is an analysis of personal commitment, a measure of knowledge, a true test of passion—all about beer. Check their website to enter. If your beer is pasteurized it has been subject to a temperature of 142 - 145 degrees Farenheit for thirty minutes to destroy disease-producing bacteria and to check fermentation. George Washington was a devout beer lover. In particular, he was fond of the dark, English-style brew that became known as porter, and always demanded that an ample supply of it whenever he took a trip. "You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning." Clay and Jay See you next month! |
Clay Moore dedicates this page to his and Beer Nexus' favorite band, Lunch Hour- Six Pack "beer for the ear" |