Beer brewing in Europe continues to be a serious traditional business. For thousands of years, Europe has been a leader in brewing this popular beverage. Many countries have perfected distinctive beers; some are like mythological ambrosia. Maintaining the quality of centuries-old recipes, many brewers realise that their strength lies in maintaining tradition over promoting innovation. Not to say there aren’t several breweries experimenting with new flavours, but mostly they leave the newfangled risk-taking to the Americans. Why fix and change that which is not broken? Click here if you like to learn how to make your own beer.
To promote the preservation of European beer culture, several countries have banded together to create organizations such as the European Beer Consumers’ Union (EBCU). This union was founded in Bruges in 1990 with three founding members: Campaign for Real Ale of Great Britain, Objectieve Bierproevers of Belgium and PINT of the Netherlands. It sounds like a Monty Pythonesque union with contrived names, but it is a legitimate one with twelve countries as members: the above three, plus Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and France.
Their aims are simple: preserve European beer culture, its traditions, beer brewing and breweries; promote traditional beers; support the consumption of traditional beers; and represent European drinkers in a campaign for choice, quality and value. This is not the only pro-quality beer organization in Europe. Others include the Guinness 1759 Society, the British Guild of Beer Writers, and the Brothers of Beer.
The continued production of traditional beers has added one innovation to its traditional facade: beer tours. Beertrips.com, founded in 1998, promotes many beer-tasting experiences in countries like Belgium, France, England, Germany and Austria. If you are interested in experiencing Germany’s beers, for example, there is a 10-day tour of Munich’s Fruhlingsfest and Bavarian Country Breweries. A personal favourite is the Brewers and Distilleries of Scotland tour. Check the website for details.
Each country in Europe seems to have a beer type focus. In Ireland, they continue to promote their stout beers. Stout is thick and heavy, with an earthy, full-bodied taste. They sell lagers and ales, but the focus and specialty is on beers like Guinness. The Guinness brewery was bought and opened in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland by Arthur Guinness. The original stout is strong and bitter-tasting.
In Spain, lager is the most popular. Spanish lagers are a touch stronger than other countries’ lager offerings. Two of their most popular beers are Especial and Extra. Especial is a pilsner beer, quite light in colour and taste while Extra is a pale lager.
Alas, until recently, Sweden had been a beer desert for decades. Their people have choked and sputtered for more to slake their thirst, all to no avail. Histrionics aside, it was the rigidly-controlled regulations for beer brewing that depleted this country’s brewers. Since Sweden joined the European Union in 1995, its regulations have grown more lax and the country has transformed itself from a desert to a vibrant and diverse beer culture. The industry in Sweden imports from many other countries; this has inspired a search for their own beer identity. How better to discover a beer identity than to try many things to see what works for the people of the country?
In Holland, the industry continues to produce their own phylum of beer: Bierbok. A good version of this type of beer is difficult to produce. Bokbier is a 16th century beer from Bavaria that has endured and been perfected. It is dark in colour (red-brown to black), sweet on the tongue with a mixture of bittersweet flavours, such as toffee, raisins, licorice, coffee, and chocolate. These are not ingredients, but flavours. It is a beer strong in alcohol with an alcohol percentage of 6.5% to 8%.
When applied to beer brewing, history and tradition are not necessarily dusty, boring or dry like old history books or documents. Thousands of years ago, beer was a product in development; it was new and ever-changing. Beer brewing traditions live on and interest drinkers because of the exceptional tastes developed over centuries, not in spite of history and tradition. Click here if you like to learn how to make your own beer.
Filed under Wine-Spirts by JamesJay
Breweries in America
Breweries in America are growing at an exponential rate. Beer brewing is becoming big business with a resurgence of traditional types of ales and lagers combining with more exotic offerings. With a colourful history, beer carries on its controversial way to regain the traditional role it’s always played as an every-day beverage, while taking on a more creative flavour to please every palate. Click here if you like to learn how to make your own beer like Breweries in America.
Back in 1620, when the Mayflower came to America’s shores, the boat fell a bit short of its destination due to a shortage of beer, according to a passenger’s journal. One doesn’t think Puritans would have drunk beer – they were Puritans, after all – however this was the every-day drink of choice. People drank beer as we drink pop, juice, milk and water today. Each tavern and inn brewed its own beer.
It is only in modern society that we see beer as having a perilous quality. There were no laws governing beer brewing and drinking. There were no police roadblocks to catch drunk drivers. How much damage could a horse and cart inflict? Certainly there were no scantily-clad women prancing about at parties, drinking beer and impressing men with their sudsy sexiness. Beer was an every-day beverage drunk by everyone in the household from adult to child. When the Mayflower arrived, the people discovered that the Natives made their beer from maize. Wonder which beer was drunk at the first Thanksgiving? This may have been the first ever “Bring Your Own Beer (BYOB).”
The United States has become an international contender in beer brewing and the country can hold its own when in competition with other countries that are notorious for making amazing beer. The U.S. prohibition slowed things down a little, but in the 21st century, things seem to be heating up for American breweries. According to the Brewer’s Association, nearly 7 million barrels of beer will be made and drunk by Americans in 2006. That’s a lot of kegs, bottles, pints and glasses!
Online there are multitudes of sites about beer: beer brewing magazines to read like “Yankee Brew News” and “Brewery News;” breweries to visit; associations for beer-makers to join like the Brewer’s Association; festivals to attend like the Barleywine Festival in Buffalo, New York; and competitions to enter like the World Beer Cup held in Seattle, Washington. Of these sites, about 85% are based in the U.S. so the Americans seem to be leading the pack!
Beer in America
During the 1960s, 70s and 80s, beer in America was primarily made and distributed by large beer brewing companies. In the early 1980s, many of the states passed legislation that allowed the smaller microbreweries to get in on the action. The large companies still do big business, but many patrons are fussy and want high-quality, exclusive beers; they are the “yuppies” of beer drinkers. In and around any city in America, there are anywhere from 2 to 20 breweries within a 15-mile radius of that city and the numbers are growing. Some states have more breweries than others. Each microbrewery has a family tradition they want to maintain and each beer is different; a return to the old days when two taverns a mile apart had two different-tasting beers.
The breweries have gone back to creating beers that are made from all-natural ingredients like malt, hops and yeast. They produce traditional lagers and ales together with exotic beers that have a hint of spices, vanilla, caramel, coriander and anise. One brewery, found online, uses rose hips in their beer. Usually used for tea, rose hips must provide an interesting taste to beer. Lemon coriander beer may be quite refreshing on a hot day.
Soon we will be having discussions about what type of beer goes best with chicken or beef. We’ll hear opinions like: “The caramel-flavoured beer would go great with that cheesecake; a sweet beer just made for dessert.” Is that beer good for pasta? Would it be better with a roast beef dinner? Already there are countless beer-tasting functions. Is beer the new wine? Is there a “twirl-glass-sniff-liquid-swish-in-mouth” process for beer? Like martinis, there are excessive amounts of beer types. Perhaps the process should be expedited; Beertinis for everyone!
The beer brewing companies in America, found online, emphasize the importance of quality. They discuss the importance of tradition. They discuss the importance of bringing beer back to its every-day role played for thousands of years. This time, breweries also seem to feel beer can be creative-tasting and still be in demand. Click here if you like to learn how to make your own beer like Breweries in America.
Filed under Wine-Spirts by JamesJay
There comes a time in your life as a wine enthusiast when you take a leap and decide that you are ready to buy more than just one bottle of a wine you have taken a liking to. It strikes each of us – we get bitten by the wine bug and we want to store a few extra bottles for another occasion.
And there is good reason for this point of view. We discover a wine we enjoy, and when we go back to purchase another bottle we are advised that it is sold out and the winery no longer has any stock .
Good wine, unlike many other consumer products, is a finite commodity for each particular vintage. It is a great idea that when you discover wines that you are passionate about that you locate a suitable wine cellar in which to cellar them for future consumption – one that keeps the wine in excellent condition while the wines mature under controlled conditions.
Storing wine correctly in a temperature and humidity controlled environment is essential in order to assist the managed aging process of the wines being stored and one of the top cellars I have come across in the past few weeks is a BYO (Build your Own) Wine Cellar – either a single cabinet version that can hold 160 bottles, or a double cabinet version that is capable of holding 320 bottles of wine.
Is capacity for 320 bottles enough storage capacity for your needs? Cellaring capacity of up to 320 bottles is definitely enough cellar space, unless you are throwing dinner parties with huge numbers of guests every other weekend.
A few years back I built a wine cellar in my house that could hold up to 3000 bottles of wine. I began to fill up the wine cellar as my passion for wine grew however it reached a point where it was not possible that I could consume all the wine I had acquired and unfortunately some of my wines spoilt before I could drink them. After selling my house a new owner proceeded to do the exact same thing! You don’t require wine storage capacity for 3000 bottles of wine is the point that I am making! A BYO deluxe wine cellar is an inexpensive option to purchase and assemble in your own home, providing you with a temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar with adequate capacity for all your wine cellaring requirements.
First things are to consider the amount of wine you are realistically going to cellar, then check your living space for a suitable location probably in your living room, dining room, or your den – and no renovations are required.
Filed under Wine-Spirts by JamesJay
Oktoberfest is the worlds largest fair taking place every year in Bavaria. You can also throw your own Oktoberfest party using the following Oktoberfest party ideas:
1. Get some cardboard to make your invitations. Cut out shapes of lederhosen, beer goggles, beer glasses, beer kegs, beer steins and bratwurst. Remember to say on your invites that they will be charged an admittance fee if they fail to dress up!
2. For costumes, the guys are expected to wear lederhosen leather shorts. They are truly horrible but very funny. Get some braces to hold them up! Also you’ll need some knee height white socks and a hat with a feather in!
3. For the ladies, you should consider dressing up in a traditional alpine peasant girl costume. This includes a tight bodice and a lacy blouse.
4. The Bavarian flag is of blue and white, so get plenty of decorations including balloons in these colors.
5. To make your venue look like a traditional brau haus bier keller, you need long wooden tables and benches. If necessary fix them together, but they should be in a long line!
6. Cut out bratwursts, lederhosen, beer glasses and beer kegs from cardboard and hang them from the ceiling. If you’re ambitious, you can also hang gingerbread men up too.
7. Dont forget the German flag to hang on the walls and miniature versions for the tables. It may not be pretty, but its traditional!
8. Consider hiring out a brass band to play traditional beer hall music. This of course is budget dependant!
9. You should make some of the many famous German dishes such as; garlic bread, weiner schnitzel, sausage stuffed mushrooms, pretzels, sauerkraut, nuremburgers, meatloaf, bratwurst, black forest cake, apple strudel and gingerbread.
10. Finally on to the beer! Germany makes the best beer in the world! Get in a wide variety of German beer as people will be wanting to sample many different kinds of beer. Make sure you have plenty of glasses and even beer steins.
We hope you have found some useful Oktoberfest Party Ideas here as well as inspiration for your party! We also have many more Oktoberfest Party Ideas to help you with your party preparations and enable you to throw the best Oktoberfest party possible that your guests and yourself will remember forever!
Filed under beer by Damian Jackson
Learn How To Make Your Own German Beer
Throughout Germany, beer is very popular with the culture. Germany contains well over 1,000 breweries, which is more than any other location in the world. All beer that is manufactured in Germany must follow the purity law, which lets manufacturers know what ingredients can and can’t be used. Basically, the only ingredients allowed to make beer in Germany are water, hops, and barley malt. Click here if you like to learn how to make your own German beer.
Due to the strict purity requirements, you can easily notice German beers by their overall level of quality. They have a distinct taste, with little to no aftertaste. Some styles of German ale include Koelsch, Weizen, and Altbier. Some types of German lagers include Bock, Pilsener, Dunkel, Helles, and Maerzen. Keep in mind that the taste, aroma, and color can vary, although all can be identified as being true German beers.
The German beer Altbier
The German beer Altbier is a very common dark ale, that is top fermented in the lower regions of Germany. The beer proposes a yellow color, with a taste that is rich in hops. Another ale, Rauchbier, is known to have a smoky flavor with a smoked color. These beers taste great, and happen to be very popular throughout the regions of Germany.
German lagers are also very popular, and happen to be popular in other areas of the world as well. Pilsener is one of the most popular and most familiar of all German beers, providing you with more hops and less malt. Pilsener can be found for sale all over the world, and happens to be very popular throughout North America as well. Several bars serve it as well, as it happens to be one of the most popular dark lagers out there.
4,000 different brands of beer
Throughout Germany, there are several different companies, produce over 4,000 different brands of beers. Some of the more well known and larger companies of north Germany are Beck, St. Pauli, Warsteiner, and Krombach. In the southern region of Germany, there are more breweries, although most of them are smaller, as they are locally owned and operated. Southern Germany also contains the Benedictine Abbey, which is one of the oldest breweries in the world. This brewery started producing beer in 1040 – very impressive indeed!
Germany is also home to Oktoberfest, which is held every year in Munich. Oktoberfest starts in late September and carries on for two weeks, ending in early October. During Oktoberfest, beer drinkers from all over the world will travel to Germany and celebrate German beers. Each and every year, over 5 million people attend the event, making it one of the biggest beer celebrations in the world.
During Oktoberfest, local breweries in Munich are the only breweries allowed to serve beer in the bigger tents. There are six breweries in total, producing a variety of different beers. By attending this yearly event, you can learn more about German beer, sample the different varieties, and enjoy the rich bold flavors that make German beer so very popular.
Due to the success Oktoberfest gets each and every year, other cities around the world try and mimic this event. Even though they have success, their level of success isn’t near as much as the original Oktoberfest – Germany. German beers are very popular around the world, with Oktoberfest helping to prove that very claim. If you drink beer but have never experienced what beers from Germany have to offer, you really should give them a try. Once you do, you’ll quickly realize why German beers are so very popular – and why the taste simply can’t be duplicated with any other beer. Click here if you like to learn how to make your own German beer.
Filed under Wine-Spirts by JamesJay
David Artsmith - There are a lot of pros and cons to throwing a party. From an optimistic perspective, being the host puts you automatically on your own home ground, with all of the advantages that come from such a situation. On the other hand it’s a lot of work. You are going to have a lot of people coming into your space, touching your things, and making a general mess.
However the bottom line is, if your going to bother to throw a party, you want to do it right. The question is, how do you ensure that you are the best host that you can possibly be?
The cornerstone of throwing a successful party is to understand the needs of your guests. Depending on who you invite, people will have vastly different requirements and expectations. You have to know the people who will be attending, and be able to interpret their vision of a successful party, in order to provide the experience they are looking for.
To a large extent throwing a party is about image. You are creating an atmosphere, a festive spirit that settles upon your home and encourages people to relax and enjoy their time there. Without this subtle feeling of celebration a party will suffer from a lack of inspiration.
Creating this subtle spirit is about adding details that cue of celebratory responses in the human mind. For instance, festive lights sparkling in a window or from the ceiling, makes people instantly think of a party, or a special occasion. The same can be true of colors which are brighter, or patterns which are reflective.
You also have to consider the physical temperature of the environment. You have to remember that when a building is filled with humans giving off body heat, its going to be considerably warmer than before the party when its relatively empty. Be sure to have access to windows that you can open if necessary, and fans or even air conditioning if possible. In general air conditioning is problematic as it tends to cool off only one small area, and since you have to close the windows it can often leaving the space feeling stuffy. For this reason you may want to stick to fans that can better circulate the air in the space.
Food and drink is often the centerpiece of a party. Whether it’s a formal dinner engagement, or just a cocktail party with some friends, it is customary to provide a variety of refreshments to entertain the taste buds of your party guests.
Appetizers are pretty standard party fare. In general this will consist of small finger foods, or tiny portions of specialty dishes which are easy to eat while walking around and being mobile. In the case of parties centered around a meal of course the food will be much more elaborate and on stage.
As for drinks, you should be certain to provide a wide range of beverages. people tend to be finicky about liquids, with many people having very specific tastes as to what drinks they like and which ones they will refuse to imbibe. By having a wide assortment on hand you will ensure that everyone is satisfied. Don’t forget to have plenty of drink coasters around to protect your surfaces.
The question of whether or not to use disposable dishes and utensils is one which is hotly debated. On the one hand disposable implements are a lot easier to clean up, and when a party is over you will be thankful for every short cut you can take. However disposable utensils are also not as good for the environment, creating a huge glut of trash. They are also less attractive and stylish. When you compare a cheap plastic Spork to an elegant metal spoon, there is really no contest.
When getting your home ready for a fancy party it is important to consider your guests first. Who are they, what will they expect, how can you make them feel more comfortable? You have to answer all of these questions while preparing for the party.
Filed under Wine-Spirts by JamesJay
