Brewpot - Lancaster County Brewers

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Next LCB Meeting
June 29th
7:00 PM
Lancaster Brewing
Company
Treasury Report
$ 880.10
Just One (more) Floyd
“Case Swap”
Lou and Bob’s Excellent
Belgian Adventure (continues)
The Real Beer Page
N.Y. Beer Trail
Upcoming Events and
Club Calendar
June 2005
Monthly Newsletter of the Lancaster County Brewers
Volume 13, Issue 6
Just One (more) Floyd
Hi,
The deal this month was BALTIMORE
for the national homebrew competition
and a great time it was. 6 of our esteemed
group went and helped as stewards
during the competition, Karen & Bob,
Bucky, Michael (Garland), Woody and
myself. As you might imagine it is a big
deal with many known individuals in the
microbrew industry participating. There
were a number of seminars and talks but
of course you had to have registered (and
paid, quite handsomely).
In the morning competition there were 70
to 80 judges (and not all male either)
divided into groups of 3+/- and each
group judging up to a dozen entries,
serious stuff. And there were 2 more
sessions. We acted as personal
attendents, usually 1 steward to a 3
person group, getting entries, etc, etc. As
you can imagine one of the bennies was
being able to "verify" the judges
comments and do our own tasting. In
some cases it could be a Clint Eastwood
tasting (the Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
but also the very good as well! I was a
little fascinated by the number of
adjectives that could be associated with
the look, smell, taste (etc?) of a beer.
Never heard so many different and
strange descriptions in my life and all as
serious as hell.
Glad I was able to be there, great time!
See you Wed.
Cheers,
Floyd
CASE SWAP
What is a case swap ?
"We all meet and go to a local beer
distributor that has an excellent
selection. We each buy a case and
then go back to one guy's house. We
then total up the cost of the cases and
settle up so that everyone chipped in
evenly. We split the beer up for each
of us to take home, and sample a
bottle of each while we are there. We
also sample anything else that
anyone brought"
Maybe we could do something along
these lines sometime? Anyone
participating buys a case, brings it to
club, settle up the funds and
exchange all the beers evenly among
whoever participates? It can be kind
of a pain to buy a case of something,
especially something new. Since we
all love sampling and variety, I
thought this might be a good way to
do some exchanging. And I know
that I can't get to State Line very
easily.
Todd Bookman
Anyone interested should contact
Todd.
Page 2 of 7
Lou and Bob’s Excellent Belgian Adventure (cont’d)
The next stop was Cantillon, a family brewery
where LAMBIC, GUEUZE, FARO and KRIEK are
made and where nothing has changed since 1900
when it was founded. This shot is from just inside
the door at 56, rue Gheude, Brussels.
Boiling kettle (note the belt driven stirring units)
This is where the magic happens, the open air
cooling pans allow native microorganisms to join
the party.
Turning around, we see an area where samples are
enjoyed and where the tour begins.
Mash tun below:
Lou and I invite the fellow that gave us directions to
join us for the tour and a tasting that followed.
Page 3 of 7
Real Beer Page
Welcome to RBPMail 11.6, June 2005
Real Beer Page Mail, The Free Monthly Beer News Digest for the Online Beer
Enthusiast. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. For subscription
information,
see instructions at the end of the newsletter.
*****************ADVERTISEMENT*****************
DEFY ORDINARY. DRINK REDHOOK
"Elephants never forget" is crap. As a student in Bombay, I became quite
close with an elephant named Harij and begged him to contact me if he ever
got to the States. Long story short, saw Harij out last night, he didn't
recognize me. Not cool. Defy Ordinary. Drink Redhook.
http://www.redhook.com
***********************************************
In this issue:
* Supreme Court Eases Some Wine Shipping Laws
* Widmer Tops 'Tiger List' of Craft Breweries
* Oregon Brewery Scores Trifecta
* Labatt Rolls Out Colder Beer Can
* Artois Turns to Dark Side
* 'Luxury Light' Beer
* Web Watch
- Great News for Good Beer
- Guinness Ice Lolly
* Brewery Pulls Label Showing Hindu God
* So Long, Falstaff
* Starbucks vs. Star Bock Battle Continues
* 'Wild Brews' Book Released
* Kudzu Herb Could Help Curb Binge Drinking
* Roll Out the $9 Beer
* It's the Thought that Counts
* Quote of the Month
*****************ADVERTISEMENT*****************
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***********************************************
SUPREME COURT EASES SOME WINE SHIPPING LAWS
The Supreme Court handed what was described as a victory to wine producers
and consumers last month when it struck down as unconstitutional state laws
that had blocked out-of-state wineries - but not in-state ones - from
shipping directly to residents. The court said that laws in Michigan and New
York were unconstitutional because they were designed to give in-state
wineries "a competitive advantage over wineries located beyond the state's
borders." What does this mean for craft brewers and craft beer consumers? Not
much. Brewers still cannot direct ship to consumers unless they are certain
that the receiving state allows shipping. And it seems likely that shipping
companies will still be hesitant to ship beer. So not much has really
changed, nor have the economies of shipping beer. Shipping beer has never
been a potentially big business for brewers as much as it has been for
wineries. Shipping a case of beer (or wine) costs about $20 to $30, nearly
doubling the retail cost of beer, and making more sense when sending a $300
case of wine.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002566.php
WIDMER TOPS 'TIGER LIST' OF CRAFT BREWERIES
The Brewers Association has rolled out a "Tiger List" for 2005: the top 10
craft brewers ranked by a combination of size and 2004 growth percentage.
Widmer Brothers Brewing in Oregon heads the list, followed by Pyramid
Breweries (Washington), New Belgium Brewing (Colorado), Boulevard
Brewing
(Missouri), Deschutes Brewery (Oregon), Kalamazoo Brewing (Michigan),
Magic
Hat Brewing (Vermont), Harpoon Brewery (Massachusetts), Rogue Ales
(Oregon)
and Kona Brewery (Hawaii). Each year the Brewers Association collects
volume
sales information from the country's 1400 craft brewers to assess and track
the progress of the craft beer segment. In 2004, the overall segment grew by
7.2% and the Tiger List shows why. "We put together the Tiger List by
assessing both brewery size and 2004 growth percentage," said Ray Daniels,
director of craft beer marketing at the Brewers Association. "These ten have
the best combined rank on those two criteria." The term "tiger" was commonly
used to describe the rapidly growing economies of seven Asian countries
during the 1990s. "Given the relative size of these brewers in the overall
beer industry and their aggressive growth, we felt the analogy was a good
one," Daniels said.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002570.php
OREGON BREWERY SCORES TRIFECTA
Oregon's Pelican Pub & Brewery scored a trifecta in the Australian
International Beer Awards, capturing Grand Champion Beer, Champion
International Brewery and Champion Ale with its Doryman's Dark Ale. "I'm
absolutely thrilled and amazed to win such a huge award again," said Darron
Welch, head brewer of the Pelican Pub & Brewery, "For Doryman's Dark Ale to
be chosen as the best beer among 885 international beers is an honor. To win
Champion International Brewery on top of that, well, it just doesn't get much
better." Pelican entered seven beers in the competition, winning three gold
medals and four silvers. Boston Beer Co. captured the most awards, taking
home 19 medals, including two golds. Boston Beer won a trophy for Champion
Porter with Samuel Adams Holiday Porter. Other U.S. breweries entered
included Rogue Ales of Oregon (nine medals, two gold); BridgePort Brewing of
Oregon (seven medals, one gold), Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner beers) of Texas
(five medals) and Firestone-Walker of California (three medals, one gold).
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002560.php
LABATT ROLLS OUT COLDER BEER CAN
Labatt Breweries in Canada claims its new high-tech can will keep beer cold
up to twice as long. The can will initially be used for the Labatt Blue Cold
One six-pack, the 473-milliliter "tall boy" size of the brewery's flagship
brand. "Getting it cold and keeping it cold - that's always the big concern,"
said Labatt spokesperson Bob Chant. The secret to the new Labatt can is a
wrap-around label, developed by Dupont, with a thin layer of polymer
insulation between two layers of Melinex film.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002561.php
ARTOIS TURNS TO DARK SIDE
Brewing giant Interbrew plans to plans to resume brewing Artois Bock, a 6.2%
abv beer last made in the 1950s. Artois Bock was the forerunner of Stella
Artois and the drinks giant is hoping that the new beer will benefit from the
halo effect of the £40 million investment behind the Stella brand, as well as
an association with Interbrew specialty beers like Leffe and Hoegaarden.
First reports about the return of Artois Bock come from England, where it
will be sold beginning in August. Phil Rumbol, marketing director for
Interbrew UK, said: "The familiarity and trust of the Artois name among
consumers will enable Artois Bock to 'bridge the gap' between premium lager
and specialty beer, widening our drinks repertoire."
'LUXURY LIGHT' BEER
Heineken hopes to stake out new beer territory by creating a category it
calls Luxury Light. A press release from the company states: "Luxury Light,
will surpass the current standards in light beer and moves towards fulfilling
an emerging and fast growing consumer need: high quality drinkability with
premium cachet." The company has launched a campaign to promote both its
Amstel Light, the top selling imported light beer, and the new Heineken
Premium Light Lager. Premium Light rolls out in four test markets in June,
including Dallas and Tampa. "We believe that consumers have been frustrated
by the lack of premium choices within the light beer category," said Andy
Glaser, brand director of Heineken USA. "Simply put, consumers should not
have to sacrifice the quality, taste and cache of a premium brand when
selecting a light beer."
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002579.php
*******************WEB WATCH*******************
Page 4 of 7
Real Beer Page
GREAT NEWS FOR GOOD BEER
Imagine, if you will, a world without Budweiser, one in which beer drinkers
make their selections based not on marketing and T&A, but on taste and taste
alone. Imagine Bud Light, Coors Light and MGD being rump brands, criticized
for lacking flavor and appeal, and Michelob carrying all the cachet of Old
English 800. Sound impossible? Stephen Beaumont admits it probably is, but
explains why there is reason to consider the possibility.
http://www.worldofbeer.com/features
GUINNESS ICE LOLLY
What do you get when you freeze a can of Guinness and put a stick in it? Do
it correctly and your Guinness Ice Lolly will even have a proper head. It's
worth the click just to see the pictures.
http://www.lucaswolfen.co.uk
*****************ADVERTISEMENTS*****************
BAVARIAN HOLSTEIN DEMYSTIFIES DISTILLATION
Holstein distilleries are custom built to each customer's needs. Always using
the latest technology, Holstein distilleries consistently stay on top with
respect to craftsmanship, efficiency and product quality. If you are a
brewery, winery, or simply interested, give us a call at (310) 391-1091.
Think Holstein, for distilleries that perform.
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HOBBY BEVERAGE EQUIPMENT CO.
Hobby Beverage offers top quality less expensive small batch Brewing &
Winemaking conical bottom fermenters plus mash tuns and hot liquor tanks.
Designed by professional -- New innovations; Say NO to floating lids and
topping off, check out our new CO2 Injector Kit. Changing hoses a problem?
Our MiniQuick Connect hose system makes it easy. Nickel plated ball valves
now available.
http://www.minibrew.com
HOMEBREW HEADQUARTERS LEADS THE FIGHT AGAINST THIRST
Looking at a long dry summer? Tired of paying too much for homebrew
supplies?
Homebrew Headquarters leads the attack on thirst with easy-for-anyone
homebrew kits and great summer prices on our huge selection of supplies. Join
the struggle to put good beer in the mouths of you and yours this summer.
http://www.homebrewhq.com
HOPSTEINER
For 160 years the Hopsteiner team has been committed to the satisfaction of
our customers and suppliers. Hopsteiner's first priority is to provide
brewers worldwide with expert service, technical support, and the highest
quality hops and hop products at competitive prices.
http://www.hopsteiner.com
LIQUID SOLUTIONS
Oregon's premier bottle shop. Over 450 beers and 25 meads available online.
We are dedicated to providing the best taste experience possible. How do we
do it? We buy in small quantities to keep it fresh; then store it cold and
dark to maintain stability. The result, great beer in the best possible
condition for you.
http://www.liquidsolutions.biz
PERLA, ONE OF POLAND'S FINEST
Wonderfully "Chmielowa" or "Hoppy", it's one of Poland's finest and most
popular beers. It's a unique, established style of lager. Different from
those of German or Czech origin. Brewed in the town of Lublin,
Central-Eastern Poland. Perla is one of the most distinctive beers offered by
the brewers of Poland. Imported by Stawski Distributing Company
http://www.stawskidistributing.com/polishbeers.html#Perla
************************************************
BREWERY PULLS LABEL SHOWING HINDU GOD
A California man has sued the Lost Coast Brewery in Humboldt, claiming that a
label on its Indica India Pale Ale offends him and Hindus worldwide. The
Costra Costa Times quoted Brij Dhir as saying the label on Indica India Pale
Ale depicting a Hindu god holding a beer intimidates Hindus from practicing
their religion. "How can you show a god in such a way?" he told the paper.
The label shows elephant-headed Ganesh, god of wisdom and remover of
obstacles, holding a beer in one of his four hands, and another in his trunk.
"I don't want to offend any Hindu people," said co-owner Barbara Groom,
adding that her Hindu friends don't mind the label. "They think it's really
cool." The company will take the product off the shelves, the brewery's
general manager stated in an e-mail to Dhir. Dhir seeks at least $25,000 and
his lawsuit mentions that $1 billion would be appropriate to compensate
Hindus around the world. He alleges that the brewery has defamed Hindus and
caused emotional distress. Even though Lost Coast is willing to change the
label, Dhir said he wants a jury to rule that the owners should pay damages
for the two years of using the image.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002558.php
SO LONG, FALSTAFF
Pabst Brewing Co. has discontinued selling Falstaff beer, once one of the
largest selling beer brands in America. Pabst, which owns the Falstaff brand,
decided to stop selling the beer because of dwindling sales, said Allen
Hwang, Pabst's marketing director. Pabst only sold 1,468 barrels (a barrel
equals 31 gallons) of Falstaff nationwide last year, and that figure was
falling, he said. "It's now at such a low rate that we couldn't sustain any
type of minimum (production) run on the product," Hwang said. Last month,
Pabst shipped the last cases of Falstaff beer to wholesalers. The brewer
hasn't yet decided what to do with the brand, such as selling it to another
company. Falstaff was the country's third-largest brewer from 1957 to 1960.
Its production peaked at 7 million barrels in 1966.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002585.php
STARBUCKS VS. STAR BOCK BATTLE CONTINUES
Even though a Texas businessman has run out of a beer he calls Star Bock, he
and coffee giant Starbucks continue to wrestle over rights to the name. Rex
Bell, owner of the Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in Galveston, and Starbucks were
back in court this week as U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent spent less than a
day listening to arguments in the trademark infringement case. Kent promised
a decision by August. Bell said he got the idea for his beer after a customer
asked for one Texas beer, Lone Star, and changed his order to another Texas
beer, Shiner Bock. He's said that when he joked he could serve a Star Bock
beer, the idea for the beer was born. He contracted the now-defunct Brenham
Brewery to "tweak" the recipe for its Brenham Bock and make 100 kegs (a total
of 1,550 gallons) for the Old Quarter. Bell put it on tap in 2002 and finally
ran out of beer earlier this year. Although Bell no longer has beer to sell
and doesn't have the original recipe, he hopes to team up with another
brewery once the legal wranglings are over.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002586.php
'WILD BREWS' RELEASED
Brewers Publications has released the most comprehensive guide to brewing
beers "beyond the influence of brewer's yeast" yet compiled. "Wild Brews"
explores the world of Lambics, Flanders red and brown beers and American
brews in a similar style, with coverage of wood-barrel aging, blending and
the use of fruit in wild fermentations. Addressing the interests of beer
drinkers, homebrewers and professionals, Jeff Sparrow covers the many
subjects unique to spontaneous and mixed fermentations including things like
ingredients, organisms, barrels and blending.
http://www.beertown.org/books/wild_brews.html
KUDZU HERB COULD HELP CURB BINGE DRINKING
The kudzu vine could help curb binge drinking, according to new research.
Kudzu, an ever expanding plant considered a pest in much of the South,
appears to contain a compound that can be effective in reducing alcohol
intake among humans. Researcher Scott Lukas and a team at Harvard-affiliated
McLean Hospital recruited 14 men and women in their 20s to spend four
90-minute sessions consuming beer and watching TV. Researchers selected
people who said they regularly consumed three to four drinks per day. The
research found that subjects who took kudzu drank an average of 1.8 beers per
session, compared with the 3.5 beers consumed by those who took a placebo.
Lukas was not certain why but speculated that kudzu increases blood alcohol
levels and speeds up its effects. In other words, the subjects needed fewer
beers to feel drunk. "That rapid infusion of alcohol is satisfying them and
taking away their desire for more drinks," Lukas said. "That's only a theory.
It's the best we've got so far."
Page 5 of 7
Real Beer Page
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002567.php
ROLL OUT THE $9 BEER
The price of beer is going up for Munich's Oktoberfest, where drinkers will
down more than 6 million liters of beer this fall. Organizers said the
average price for a liter of beer inside the various beer tents would break
through the ?7 (almost $9 in the U.S.), rising to ?7.06. Not every vendor
charges the same about, but drinkers can expect to pay about 15 euro cents
more than last year. Beer isn't all that's becoming more expensive. A liter
of mineral water will average about ?5.62, and soft drinks ?6.59. This year's
Oktoberfest runs from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3.
IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS
New research indicates that the mere suggestion of alcohol may act as an
aphrodisiac. "What is most surprising is that mere expectancy can influence
perception," said Markus Denzler, of the International University Bremen,
Germany, and a co-author of the research report. Other research has proved
that "beer goggles" cause those drinking to judge potential partners as more
attractive in proportion to how drunk a person is. The new study indicates
that people expect from alcohol can be produced by simple exposure to
flashes
of alcohol-related words on a computer screen. Ronald Friedman, a
psychologist at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and his colleagues
tested the idea on 82 male undergraduate students. The findings are reason
for concern, Friedman said: "These expectations about drugs or alcohol can
be
activated without your awareness."
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002555.php
***********************************************
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Homer: Got any of that beer that has candy floating in it? You know,
Skittlebrau?
Apu: Such a beer does not exist, sir. I think you must have dreamed it.
Homer: Oh. Well, then just give me a six-pack and a couple of bags of
Skittles.
**********************************************
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Page 6 of 7
N.Y. beer trail
Lawmakers seek to create N.Y. beer trail
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Lawmakers are
encouraging residents and visitors alike to enjoy a
tall, cold one. A bill making its way through the
Legislature aims to create a New York state beer
trail, similar to those the wine industry has
successfully used to attract millions of oenophiles
to the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley and eastern
Long Island.
would create an "I Love NY Beer" promotion that
will include a brewery trail, vacation itineraries, and
"brewery passports" with information on breweries
and surrounding attractions as well as discounts and
other incentives.
"We're delighted that the Legislature has recognized
the importance of the brewing industry in New York
state," said Stephen Hindy, Brooklyn Brewery's
founder and president. "We think the promotion of
the breweries will be good for tourism and good for
Beer mecca: Country Innsales
on of New York state beer."
Ed Kane, co-owner of the Great Adirondack Brewing
the edge of the
Co., a microbrewery in Lake Placid that makes six or
Catskill Mountains,
seven different beers, also toasted the idea.
stocks five-hundred
"Anything to enhance 'I Love NY' tourism, why not?"
ales, lambics and
he said. "Even if you only got a few extra people a
plain old beers.
year, you can't sneeze at business. Having a trail
would be marvelous."
Sponsors of the legislation say it will highlight the
reemergence of breweries in New York and help
brewers cash-in on the popularity of their oatmeal
stouts, India pale ales and bitters.
Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, who doesn't drink, is
sponsoring the bill not only to attract beer drinkers
to the state, but also to honor New York's rich
brewing heritage, which dates back to the 1630s
when the Dutch West India Company established
the country's first public brewery in New York
City, he said.
A century ago, there were more than 40 breweries
in the Brooklyn borough alone. Currently there are
more than 60 breweries, microbreweries and
brewpubs in all of New York state, according to
the Brewers Association, a nonprofit trade
association.
"Such a rich history of the brewing industry is
here and we ought to be exploiting that if we can,"
said Lentol, whose district was the home of
original Schaeffer brewery and currently hosts the
Brooklyn Brewery, a regional outfit. "I can't think
of any other state except Wisconsin that has as
much brewing tradition as New York. It's part of
our heritage."
Under the bill, which has already passed the
Senate, the Empire State Brewery Trails Program
Lancaster
County
Brewers
Bob Hollman
3077 Bricker Rd.
Manheim, PA 17545
Phone:
(717) 653-9796
Page 7 of 7
June 29th Club Meeting, Lancaster Brewing Co., 7:00pm
July 27th Club Meeting, Lancaster Brewing Co., 7:00pm
The Indiana Craft Brewers' Exhibition Sat, 30 July 05 from 2 to 6 pm.
Lancaster Brewing Co. is sponsoring a bus trip. $225/pp/d.o. (includes bus,
room, admission) Leaving Fri. July 29, 7pm, Returning July 31 ~8pm.
Interested parties should contact [email protected]
17 Sep: Capitol City Brew Fest, Harrisburg
15 Oct: Stoudt's Beer Fest
E-Mail:
[email protected]
( Print this page and cut this table out to keep as a reminder of upcoming events. )
We’re on the Web!
See us at:
http://www.lancasterbrewers.com