Beer...

[GeneChing]

This New Hotel Will Have Built-In Shower Beer
No need to bring your own anymore
BY ABBY REISNER
3/10/18


Shower Beer at BrewDog Beer Hotel in Scotland Photo: BrewDog

Shower beer has been a long-standing solution for anyone who's ever struggled with time management skills to the level of being unable to both maintain personal hygiene and kick back with a brew.

Scottish beer company BrewDog will capitalize on that niche when it opens crowdfunded craft beer hotel DogHouse next year, with locations in both Cleveland, Ohio, and Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Focusing on the important things—like a beer-stocked minibar in the shower, in-room taps and a brewery next door, this new hotel will have it all. As opposed to last year, when we only thought we had it all—in a bottle.

If you don't want to wait until 2019 to hole up in a beer-themed hotel paradise, you have options—like one in New Hampshire with its own brewery and the Pendry San Diego with its beer hall. The only catch, of course, is that showering will be a BYOB affair.

Dang. I had to give up beer and now this? Oh bother.

[David Jamieson]

I didn't have to, but I don't consume alcohol anymore.
Mostly because intoxication is overrated. lol

I may have a sip of high grade whisky once or twice a year now.
But that's more of a study / understanding thing really. There's no inebriation at all involved.

Still though, Vag beer? I wouldn't drink it for fear of tongue polyps!

[Oso]

BrewDog makes some really good beer.

[GeneChing]

Scientists revived a 220-year-old beer found in a shipwreck


The precious 220-year-old beer recovered by a diver.IMAGE: QUEEN VICTORIA MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

BY JOHNNY LIEU
MAY 02, 2018

Beer has a lot of history to it, but maybe not all wrapped up in one drink.

Australian brewers are working to revive a 220-year old beer, made from the yeast found in a shipwreck discovered more than two decades ago.

The porter-style beer will be aptly named The Wreck - Preservation Ale, and is being produced by brewing company James Squire for a limited release in June.

The yeast was found on a merchant ship called Sydney Cove, which was travelling from India to the then British colony of Port Jackson until it became shipwrecked at Preservation Island near Tasmania in 1797.

Tea, rice and tobacco were carried on the ship, as well as 40,000 litres of alcohol. Those bottles of beer remained sealed, and the yeast remained preserved in the ice cold waters of Bass Strait.


IMAGE: QUEEN VICTORIA MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY


IMAGE: QUEEN VICTORIA MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

These were excavated and donated to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) in Launceston, Tasmania, where researchers worked with the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) to isolate the yeast.

"I thought we might be able to culture yeast and recreate a beer that hasn’t been on the planet for 220 years," museum conservator and chemist David Thurrowgood said in a post.

Yeast strains change over time, but the AWRI discovered that it was a rare hybrid strain that differed from modern ale strains.

Brewers tested and tried different ways to use the yeast in modern brewing methods, but were able to create a beer that apparently has hints of blackcurrant and spices. Oh, and expect it to be a little bit funky.

A portion of the beer's sales will be used to further QVMAG's research into the Sydney Cove collection.

40,000 litres of alcohol - that's a fair share of booze.

[Oso]

interesting find...would love to try that.

right now I'm drinking Founder's new seasonal 'Azacca IPA'. one of the best beers i've had in a while

[highlypotion]

A bottle of beer has 198 calories per bottle (12 oz)

[Oso]

only if you're drinking some weak-ass beer.

[GeneChing]

Ms. Netting is my new hero.

100-Year-Old Woman Says a Daily Guinness Is the Secret to Her Longevity


Bloomberg/Getty Images

She began drinking the Irish stout as a way to get extra iron.

MIKE POMRANZ May 11, 2018

Back in the 1920s, the beer brand Guinness had a slogan that probably wouldn’t fly today: “Guinness Is Good for You” advertisements openly exclaimed. Though openly touting the health benefits of beer doesn’t happen as often as it used to, a 100-year-old English woman—who lived through the 1920s, by the way—still prescribes to that old mantra. She credits her longevity to drinking a Guinness every day since her 30s. That about 70 years of Guinness. Or to do the math, over 25,000 beers!

Doris Olive Netting of Plymouth, England, is so committed to Guinness that she even themed her 100th birthday party after the well-known Irish stout, decorating her nursing home with things like branded balloons and a life-sized Guinness toucan logo. If you didn’t quite catch that, yes, Netting hasn’t let living in a care home slow down her beer habit. “She refuses to go a day without drinking it,” the centenarian’s 37-year-old granddaughter Tammy told the Independent.

Apparently, Netting began drinking Guinness after seeing one of those aforementioned Guinness ads touting the beer’s iron content. “After the war there was a big marketing campaign to buy Guinness—drink Guinness to get your iron—following on from the ration years. So Olive did just that: a glass [mini bottle] of Guinness a day for the rest of her life,” Tammy further explained. “She reckons that's why she's lived for as long as she has, because of the iron intake through Guinness. She's doing really well. She's remarkable.”

Like all Brits who reach 100 years of age are eligible for, Netting also had the honor of receiving a telegram from the Queen; however, she might have been more impressed with another well-wisher. After hearing of her devotion to their brews, Guinness sent her a personalized gift basket to mark the occasion. Hopefully, it contained at least a few bottles of Guinness, though knowing Olive as we now do, they won’t last long.

THREADS
Give it up to the elderly!!!!!
Beer...

[GeneChing]

Just Saying by Yonden Lhatoo
Is ‘gweilo’ really a racist word? Hong Kong just can’t decide
Yonden Lhatoo shakes his head at the on-again, off-again debate over the use of the word that is obviously racist in its roots, but has become benign due to widespread acceptance among Caucasians themselves



PUBLISHED : Saturday, 08 September, 2018, 4:19pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 08 September, 2018, 10:32pm
Yonden Lhatoo
yonden.lhatoo@scmp.com

Here we go again. The same old question that Hong Kong can never give a straight answer to after all these years: is it acceptable to use the word gweilo for Caucasian people, or anyone who’s not Chinese for that matter?

The latest catalyst for this on-again, off-again debate is the case of a British man who has filed a discrimination lawsuit against a construction contractor he worked for, citing what he called a “general underlying hostility towards non-Chinese employees”, who were referred to as “gweilo in a derogatory sense”.

The offending Cantonese term literally translates as “ghost man”, the pejorative intent harking back to the unpolitically correct days when passive-aggressive natives perceived those pale Europeans who colonised Hong Kong as being ghostlike foreign devils.

There’s no denying the xenophobic roots of the word, but the fact is, it’s now used so widely and commonly in this city that most of those pesky foreign devils don’t take it as a racist epithet.

Now, of course, that can change depending on the situation as well as the tone and delivery of the term, and it can be used as a disparaging descriptor.

But where do you draw the line? Some of you might remember the controversy back in 1998, when, during a debate in the legislature about attacks on the local currency, veteran politician James Tien Pei-chun referred to international speculators as gweilo.


James Tien once used the word to refer to international speculators. Photo: Sam Tsang

“We should never let the gweilo know our last card,” he said. He defended it as just a slip of the tongue at the end of a long speech, when foreign diplomats complained it would spread prejudice against non-locals – an “us versus them” mentality.

The thing is, two decades later, not a single Caucasian colleague I’ve asked in my office feels unduly offended by the word. Many of them see no problem in regularly using it to describe themselves.

And one of them reminded me of the successful Gweilo Beer brand in Hong Kong, the brainchild of a bunch of – yes – gweilo, who have no qualms about using the word to make money.


A can of Gweilo beer in Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

“The trademark registry is quite conservative,” co-founder Ian Jebbitt, an intellectual property lawyer, told the Post. “It did initially reject it on the basis of it being derogatory, but I spent three months putting together a legal submission showing how the word is not being used in this racially deprecating manner … and it was accepted.” There you go, folks.

But I must remind you that our in-house Cantonese specialist at the Post, the lovely Luisa Tam, has reservations about using gweipo, the feminine version of the word. And this one has more to do with being sexist than racist. The word po, as she rightly points out, refers to older, rather than younger women. And we can’t have that.

I’m neither white nor fluorescent in any way to justify the tag, but I do get called a gweilo myself like any other member of an ethnic minority group in this city. Not South Asians and Africans, though – the Chinese have separate nicknames for them that are not so benign when it comes to offensive impact.

Just the other day, I was taking the lift to my flat when three construction workers got in. “See, I told you, there are so many gweilo in this building,” one of them said to his mates in Cantonese, making it obvious I was the evidence to prove his point.

I wasn’t in the least offended, but I did feel I should clarify matters right there and then, employing my limited grasp of the local dialect.

“I’m not a gweilo, dai lo [big brother],” I told him. “I’m ethnic Tibetan. Are you saying I’m a foreigner in this country?”

The lift doors opened for my floor just then, and I had to leave them hanging like that, jaws agape. Sticks and stones may break my bones...

Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post

Gweilo beer. That's awesome.

THREADS
Cantonese help?
Beer...

[GeneChing]

...and I had to give up beer last year - too many carbs.

ERIC NIILER
SCIENCE
10.15.1811:00 AM
CLIMATE CHANGE MIGHT DOUBLE THE COST OF A BEER


OLE JENSEN/GETTY IMAGES

BEER DRINKERS MIGHT pay more and find less of their favorite beverage as climate change comes for barley. Scientists expect that extreme droughts and heat waves will become more frequent and intense in the regions that grow the grain.

Many farmers are already adapting to the slowly warming planet—with advanced plant breeding techniques to create more drought-resistant grains, for example, and by using more efficient irrigation systems to conserve water—but a new study out today in the journal Nature Plants says that many regions won’t be able to cope with the arid conditions of the future. The work was done by a group of researchers in China along with Steven J. Davis, an environmental scientist at the University of California Irvine.

The team looked at the areas around the world that grow barley, which is turned into malt for beer, and projected what will occur under five different climate warming scenarios by 2100. Using models of both economic activity and climate change, the group made predictions about what will happen to barley production, as well as beer price and consumption.

During the most severe climate events, the study predicts that global beer consumption would decline by 16 percent, an amount about equal to the total annual beer consumption of the United States in 2011. It also expects average beer prices to double. Each country would be affected differently. The price of a single pint of beer in Ireland, for example, will rise by $4.84, followed by $4.52 in Italy and $4.34 in Canada. American tipplers will see beer prices rise up to $1.94 under the extreme events, the study said, and barley farmers will export more to other nations.

Davis, who has published several papers on climate change and the Chinese economy, says many extreme drought and heat events will force farmers to feed barley to livestock instead of selling it to domestic breweries. “When we have these shortages, our models suggest people are going to feed the barley to the livestock before they make beer,” Davis said. “That makes sense. This is a luxury commodity and it’s more important to have food on the table.”

The effects of climate change are already being felt by craft brewers, says Katie Wallace, director of social and environmental responsibility at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2014, the US barley-growing region—Montana, North Dakota and Idaho—was hit by an extremely wet and warm winter that caused crops to sprout early, rendering much of it useless. Farmers were forced to tap into reserves in storage.

In 2017 and again this past summer, the Pacific Northwest was hit by severe drought that affected production of hops that give unique flavors to craft brews. Wallace says that climate change is on the minds of all craft brewers as they plan for how to avoid future shortages of both barley and hops. “Its stressful,” Newman said. “We are seeing an increased level of vulnerability and some near escapes in some cases. All of these things have happened periodically, but the frequency is growing.”

The craft beer industry is already planning for the future, says Chris Swersey, a supply chain specialist at the Brewer’s Association, a trade group that represents 4,500 small breweries across the country. Swersey says he is skeptical of the paper’s findings, mainly because it assumes that the amount and location of barley production will stay the same as it is today. He says barley growing is already moving north to Canada, while researchers are hoping to expand barley's range with winter-hardy breeds.

“The industry is already aware that barley production is shifting,” Swersey says. “We need to be thinking ahead and be smart about what is our climate going to look like 50 or 100 years from now.”

It’s not just the little guys who are thinking of climate change. The king of US beer production remains Budweiser, which produces the number 1 (Bud Light) and number 3 (Budweiser) top-selling brands. Budweiser buys barley from a vast network of farmers in the northern US and is investing in new breeds of drought-resistant barley strains, according to Jessica Newman, director of agronomy for Budweiser. “It’s all about getting the right varieties, getting the right mix, and getting the right technology to our growers,” Newman says from her office in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

She says Budweiser’s crop science lab in Colorado is working on new barley strains dubbed Voyager, Merit 57 and Growler. “We are breeding for drought resistance and sprout resistance,” Newman said. “If we see rainfall coming earlier, or if it rains in the wrong time of year, the barley can sprout and it wouldn’t be used. We also want it to use less water and fewer agricultural chemicals.”

Climate scientist Davis says he and his colleagues wrote the study as a thought exercise to perhaps stoke conversation about how climate change affects our daily lives. “A paper on beer might seem a little bit frivolous when it's dealing with a topic that poses existential threats,” Davis said. “But some of us have a personal love of beer and thought this might be interesting.” Climate change won’t just alter the weather; it’ll also hit our grocery tabs and hobbies.

[PalmStriker]

I think this article is filled with an overabundance of beer fear-mongering, possibly to affect market dominance and market shares. All agricultural systems are in play with shifting weather patterns and global temperatures. This planet has a long history of extreme migration of environmental upheaval, gradual and abrupt. Barley will be grown, as well as all other grains where it is most suited. An example of faulty reasoning from this "news alert" : Davis, who has published several papers on climate change and the Chinese economy, says many extreme drought and heat events will force farmers to feed barley to livestock instead of selling it to domestic breweries. “When we have these shortages, our models suggest people are going to feed the barley to the livestock before they make beer,” Davis said. “That makes sense. This is a luxury commodity and it’s more important to have food on the table.”

[GeneChing]

FORGET PROTEIN SHAKES: DRINK BEER AFTER A WORKOUT
VinePair Staff @VinePair
1 MINUTE READ



Should you be gulping a cold one instead of a protein shake after a workout? According to recent research, the answer might be yes.

Charlie Bamforth, professor of brewing sciences at the University of California, Davis, says when consumed in moderation, beer contains nutrients, among them selenium (which contains antioxidants), B vitamins (which aid in energy), phosphorus (which is said to help with strong bones and teeth), and niacin (which is possibly beneficial to cholesterol). Moreover, beer packs in a good amount of protein, a bit of fiber, and silicon, which some sources say can prevent osteoporosis. These are all nutrients that are ideal for your body to consume after hitting the gym.

An added bonus? Studies also credit beer with stress reduction (well, we could’ve told you that) and muscle upkeep. Additionally, Bamforth stated that while both beer and wine contain antioxidants, those contained in the former are possibly more likely to be readily absorbed by the body.

While some of you may be running out to grab an IPA, others may be asking yourself if the calories in beer will actually undue your workout – not really. Think of beer as a small meal, which is basically what a protein shake is. According to Dr. Arthur Klatsky, who’s a researcher on the effects of drinking booze, “beer has more nutrients, often more calories, B vitamins. It’s more like a food [than wine or spirits].” That being said, the lower in alcohol your beer, the fewer calories it’ll have. Remember you want a “small” meal, not a feast. For this we recommend a session beer, like Founder’s All Day IPA.

Another fun fact? The beer belly is a myth. There’s no real evidence behind the beer belly, other than if you drink beer in excess, you’ll end up intaking a lot of calories and end up putting on fat. However, there’s nothing unique to beer’s nature that makes you resemble Santa Claus. Those with beer bellies are probably just indulging in some greasy bar food.

The bottom line? Moderation is key, but beer has some serious perks – definitely enough to justify stopping by the bar after your next workout.

Okay, confession time. Back in the late 80s, I was trying to put on some bulk. I came in at about 130 and was hoping to add 20 pounds. That was the story of my youth. So I tried drinking beer for the carbs (actually this research isn't new - beer was being bandied about for its nutritional value back then even). I drank a Guinness a day - for health! Now I'm 160 but all the bulk went to my belly (which according to this article, is NOT a beer belly). And I don't drink beer because of pre-diabetic issues.

THREADS
Protein drinks
Beer...

[GeneChing]

101-YEAR-OLD VETERAN’S SECRET TO LONG LIFE IS A DAILY COORS LIGHT
1 Minute Read
Produced by Cat Wolinski / @beeraffair
Updated on 2018-12-06


Photo Credit: Coors Light / Facebook.com

Andrew E. Slavonic of McMurray, Penn. turned 101 years old on December 1. His secret to the long, healthy life he continues to enjoy? A daily Coors Light at 4 p.m.

According to Fox News, Slavonic has been drinking a Coors Light daily in the afternoon for the last 15 years. Before that, it was Coors — he’s been a fan of the brand since 1996.

His son, Bob Slavonic, who lives with his father, says he introduced Andrew to the brand. “I think I am the one to blame for the switch because that is all that I have been drinking for about the past 25 years,” he told Fox News.


Credit: wdrb.com

Andrew is still “spry,” his son says, and keeps a regular schedule. He wakes at 8:30 a.m., makes his own breakfast and lunch, and reads the newspaper every day.

And each afternoon, “around 4:00 p.m., he tells me that it is 4:00 p.m., and it is time for our beer,” Bob said. “He gets his Coors Light from the garage beer fridge and enjoys a nice cold one. The bluer the mountains are on the can, the better.”

Andrew is a true American: He’s a WWII Air Force Veteran who served as a nose gunner and top turret gunner, along with training new pilots during the war.

Bob reportedly reached out to MillerCoors about his father’s affection for the brew, but has not gotten a response.

Published: December 6, 2018

Daily Coors Light? Nah, I don't want to live to 101 that bad.

THREADS:
Give it up to the elderly!!!!!
Beer...

[GeneChing]

Would you drink your bathwater?

You Can Take a Bath in Craft Beer at This Resort in Japan


Patrick Sgro

KATIE LOCKHART AUGUST 06, 2018

As I walk into the Hinotani Onsen at Misugi Resort, I’m hit with a mixture of scents from cedar to hops. This being my first onsen experience in Japan, I step over the threshold in the Kangetsu Noten Bath room without removing my shoes first, something I’m quickly chastised for by an older female onlooker.

I take off my sandals and my yukata, a traditional kimono worn at an onsen. The warm, humid air hits my lungs and I’m instantly relaxed. On one side of the stone-floored room are shower heads with stools, buckets and local soaps used to clean yourself before and after bathing in the onsen.

On the other side are several steamy onsen pools ranging in depth and one large outdoor pool surrounded by tranquil bamboo, volcanic rocks and a flowing water spout. In the middle of the room is the beer onsen. A brand new concept in Japan and wildly popular among guests to this remote Mie Prefecture resort.

I clean myself thoroughly and walk over to the ceramic tub big enough to fit two. The water is hazy and foamy, like a dark lager. I try to time it perfectly so I can catch the homemade craft beer in my hands before it mixes in with the hot natural spring water every thirty minutes.


Patrick Sgro

The combination of black and sake rice gives the brew a slightly sweet, yet dry flavor profile. Considering its location near one of Japan’s most famous Samurai Gardens, it’s appropriately named Ninja Beer. Brewed on-site at Hinotani Brewery for over twenty years, the uber-friendly Nakagawa family has perfected their signature ale.

The family-owned resort incorporates the small community into their daily offerings in a variety of ways, including producing organic barley and wheat for their beer with area farmers. They also grow an ancient organic species of black rice and sake rice for the Ninja beer. Only natural spring water from the surrounding mountain ranges is used for both the beer and the onsen, some of the cleanest water in Japan.

Not only is the beer mostly organic, but Japanese people rave about the health benefits, although not scientifically proven. “The yeast in the beer gives you very smooth skin and the hops have an antibacterial power that is also good for your skin,” said Youki Nakagawa, part owner of Misugi Resort and brewmaster. “On top of that, the C02 in the beer is good for blood circulation.”

The beer onsen is hot and the temperature outside is pushing 100, but soft, tingling skin is worth braving the heat for another few minutes. When I’ve had enough, I get out, wash off, throw on my yukata and head up past the old-school, pink lobby and back to my traditional ryokan style room for a nap on my mat feeling relaxed and full of beer.

There are two public onsens, one designated for men and one for women. They switch each day so everyone can try the beer onsen, and are open from early morning to midnight (with a brief closure for cleaning from 9–10:30 am) so you can soak as much as you want. But be warned, if you have large colorful tattoos, you may be discouraged from using any onsen in Japan, as they are associated with Japanese Yakuza gang culture.

If you happen to have an arm full of tats, that doesn’t mean your time at Misugi is a wash. There are loads of other activities from stone bread making (with beer yeast of course), swimming in the pool or local river, enjoying the waterpark or signing up for Baumkuchen or pizza classes. Save room though because Misugi’s traditional dinner buffet comes with Wagyu beef, interactive somen noodle catching, and mochi making.

Leaving the resort is also highly encouraged, as the small country town of Misugi is filled with cultural gems and unique Japanese experiences that can be arranged through the hotel.

Head to the lush mountains with a forest expert for a forest therapy guided tour or go on a cruisy cycling tour around 100-year-old traditional homes and ancient shrines. Take a walk on Ise Honkaido, an old pilgrimage route, and stop at a local women’s teahouse for authentic matcha making lesson. After that, head back to the hotel brewery for a bottle or two and another soak in the onsen.

Misugi Resort is located about two hours from Kyoto and around three and a half from Tokyo. The Mie Prefecture resort may seem remote, but it’s as authentic and pocketbook-friendly a country onsen experience you can get on a trip through Japan.

[GeneChing]

More on Slavonic

Still not drinkin Coors.

MILLERCOORS SURPRISES 101-YEAR-OLD VETERAN WHO DRINKS DAILY COORS LIGHT WITH SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GIFT
1 Minute Read
Produced by Tim McKirdy / @timmckirdy
Updated on 2018-12-10


Photo Credit: MillerCoors

Last week, World War II veteran Andrew E. Slavonic celebrated his 101st birthday. The secret to his long and healthy life? Drinking a daily Coors Light at 4 p.m.

News of the veteran’s preferred tipple soon went viral, with MillerCoors, the parent company behind Coors Light, quick to respond with a special birthday gift.

According to Fox News, the brewing company delivered a fully-stocked Coors Light fridge to Slavonic’s home in McMurray, Penn. The belated birthday gift also included branded hats, pullovers, and sweatshirts for Slavonic and his family.

“On behalf of the entire Coors Light family, we wanted to wish you a Happy 101st Birthday,” a message from MillerCoors read. “We wanted to personally thank you for your years of service and being a lifelong fan of Coors Light.”

But the company had one more, extra-special gift in store for the Coors Light fan. MillerCoors announced it would fly Slavonic and son Bob, with whom he enjoys his daily 4 p.m. beer, to Golden, Colo. for a tour of its brewery and headquarters.

“We will see you in the Rockies!” the brewing company said via a statement to Fox News.

Published: December 10, 2018