Beer...

[GeneChing]

Revived for 2011!

Someone sent me this ad. I'm sold. I'm going to buy some Sapporo again, next chance I get.

Sapporo Beer Commercial - Legendary Biru

[Oso]

good question...i certainly haven't stopped drinking good beer.

The latest two are both from Terrapin Brewing in Athens, GA.

http://www.terrapinbeer.com/

Have a bottle of this but also had some on draft yesterday.
Very big, russian imperial stout. delish.

http://www.terrapinbeer.com/beers/58...g-Daddy-Vladys

working through a 6-pack of this:

http://www.terrapinbeer.com/beers/6-...Imperial-Stout

best coffee stout and best oatmeal stout ever...also good with a peanut butter cookie dipped in it.

Terrapin is hitting the scene harder and harder and I'm impressed with everything they are putting out. Their 'Hopsecutioner' was my go-to beer for the summer.

[GeneChing]

One of my good Kung Fu brothers is Lenape and the terrapin is one of their spirit animals. Thanks for the tip, Oso!

Peanut butter cookie indeed!

[jdhowland]

A fairly recent trend on the left coast is the "CDA" or cascade dark ale. A good idea to make a dark ale and hop it up to the level of an IPA. Widmer Bros. make a good one. I was pleased to find that one of the local micros, St. Elias Brewing, makes an even tastier one.

[solo1]

Palmetto Brewing Company in Charleston SC makes a Porter to die for.

[GeneChing]

Because it's the holidays again and what would the holidays be without beer?

Photos: Enormous Christmas tree constructed of beer bottles in Changzhou is the best ever



This 10-meter-tall Christmas tree made up entirely of beer bottles in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province has probably captured the spirit of the holidays better than another decoration we've seen yet this year. Finally, someone really gets it.

More than 1,000 green bottles were used and balanced on 22 tiers with wire to create this masterpiece, topped off with a decorative star.

It's beautiful.



[Images via: pic.gmw.cn]

[GeneChing]

Oooh look at the clock. It's almost happy hour.

Science Says: ****tails Could Protect You From Getting Sick
—By Benjy Hansen-Bundy
| Thu Dec. 19, 2013 3:00 AM GMT


With the onslaught of holiday parties upon us, a bad case of the sniffles could threaten your merrymaking. Luckily science has swooped in with the jolliest solution of all: You can boost your immune system, a new study claims, by drinking that spiked eggnog.
The moderate drinkers demonstrated an enhanced immune response—better even than the teetotaling control group.

A team of researchers from Oregon Health & Science University trained 12 rhesus macaques—chosen for the similarity between their immune system and ours—to drink a 4 percent ethanol ****tail. They vaccinated the monkeys against small pox and divided them into two groups: one that had access to the ****tails and one to sugar water. (Both groups were also given food and regular water.)

Over the course of the 14-month study, the researchers found that the monkeys in the booze cage drank varying amounts—some got stewed all day, clocking blood ethanol concentrations higher than 0.08, while others kept their intake moderate, between 0.02 and 0.04. "Like humans," lead author Ilhem Messaoudi said, "rhesus macaques showed highly variable drinking behavior."

After drinking for seven months, the macaques received another booster shot, and their reactions were remarkably different. The immune systems of the bad monkeys that drank too much failed to produce the antibodies the body usually makes in response to a vaccine. The moderate drinkers, on the other hand, demonstrated an enhanced immune response—better even than the teetotaling control group. The researchers can't yet fully explain the results, but one possible explanation is that modest amounts of alcohol stimulate the immune system.

The benefits of moderate drinking are well documented, from reduced risk of Alzheimer's to improved cardiovascular function. But while a glass or two of wine with dinner might promote health, the researchers emphasized that excessive alcohol consumption is deleterious to immune function, no matter how merry one may feel.

[GeneChing]

Off topic becomes on topic. Cheers!

Hong Kong Beer Co.
Hong Kong's First Microbrewery



Wushu Warrior White IPA on tap now for #ipaday Come and celebrate all things hoppy and try this emerging beer style. #hongkong #craftbeerhk #craftbeer #craftrevolution #hkig #beerstagram #hongkongbeer ##hkbeer #whiteipa #wushu #warrior http://ift.tt/1M7c0bo

Wushu Warrior White IPA on tap now for #ipaday Come and celebrate all things hoppy and try this emerging beer style.
#hongkong #craftbeerhk #craftbeer #craftrevolution #hkig #beerstagram #hongkongbeer ##hkbeer #whiteipa #wushu #warrior http://ift.tt/1M7c0bo
IFTTT Instagram

Man, I wonder what this tastes like? I'm surprised it's not non-alcoholic

[highlypotion]

I think it's 43 calories per beer, But it depends on what type of beer. Here's what i found.

[Oso]

that list is very suspect highlypotion.

most lite beers list there calories as that is what they are selling...I think Miller Lite came in at 96 calories as one of the lowest Mich Ultra also hits around that point.

so, most 'beer' is well above 100 calories per serving/can/bottle

interestingly, Guinness Draught is only 125 calories.

you are correct, it differs by the beer, mostly around the ABV as you get the higher alcohol from an initially higher sugar portion.

[GeneChing]

Dock Street Brewery Is Ready For You To Try Their Wu-Tang Beer
October 29, 2015 1:48 PM


(credit: Dock Street Brewing)

By Michael Cerio

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — From the slums of Shaolin to a pint glass in West Philly. Philadelphia’s Dock Street Brewery is debuting their latest beer made with a little help from The Wu-Tang Clan.

Wednesday, November 4th you can get your first taste of “Dock Street Beer Ain’t Nothing To Funk With,” a brew that has been aged for months while listening to Wu-Tang. The trunk-rattling bass and razor-sharp lyricists of the Staten Island group have been used to move the yeast and create different flavors – while also giving it an added dash of ruckus.

Even before being tapped, the beer and the brewery have received national headlines. According to Head Brewer Vince DesRosiers though, it’s all the result of a joke.

“We were walking around the brewery and we come up with puns non-stop about stuff, and we just started to go off on a trail about rap songs. If we could name beer after rap songs or after rap groups that we liked” explains DesRosiers. “Any time a beer has kind of a tart character to it or a sour character that it’s supposed to have, people call it funky. So I ended up saying ‘oh, we should do something called Dock Street Beer Ain’t Nothing To Funk With’ after Wu-Tang. We all just started laughing. And then we just took it one step further and another step further and we’re like ‘we should just age it in a barrel and play music around the barrel and see if the vibration stimulates any of the yeast or if it produces any other types of flavors.’ So it really kind of started out as a joke, and then it really turned into an excuse for us to play Wu-Tang non-stop for six months.”

Now seven months later, this Wu beer is ready to be released. Dock Street Brewery will celebrate with a party November 4th at their brewery (701 South 50th Street). There they will be getting down tiger style by spinning 36 Chambers, showing the Kung Fu film “Shaolin And Wu Tang,” and of course drinking some “Dock Street Beer Ain’t Nothing To Funk With.” The highlight though will be a visit from one of the members of The Wu-Tang Clan.

“I don’t think that anybody knows yet but one of the guys will be here” says DesRosiers anxiously. “Between you and I, Inspectah Deck is coming.”

“It’s so ridiculous,” he exclaims. “Got a call from Wu-Tang’s manager like, yo we heard what you guys are doing, this is awesome.”

It’s probably a toss-up on who has listened to The Wu more – Inspectah Deck over a lifetime or this beer for the last seven months – either way you can raise a glass with both of them at this event. Thankfully though, the beer does not taste like Ghostface’s Wallabees or any other part of the group. It is a Belgian saison that is “a little fruity” and “easy to drink” according to Vince.

“I was holding off until the very last moment to even test it and the rest of the crew here convinced me on Monday. They’re like, listen we have to know if this tastes any good or not” laughs DesRosiers. “It’s awesome. It really really is. It was like goosebumps after trying it.”

To hear more from Dock Street Brewery’s Vince DesRosiers check out the full interview below, and for more details on their event and “Dock Street Beer Ain’t Nothing To Funk With” check out DockStreetBeer.com.

I must reach out to these guys to see if they might sponsor next year's Drunken-Style-Championship

[Oso]

calling bull**** on that beer...ain't no way a beer associated with the Wu Tang Clan should be a Belgian saison ...just...NO...so many other styles that are just deeper and funkier in flavor...'fruity'??? Anyone really think RZA or Ghostface down with being called 'fruity'?


and...wow...look at dem formatting options...

[GeneChing]

calling bull**** on that beer...ain't no way a beer associated with the Wu Tang Clan should be a Belgian saison ...just...NO...so many other styles that are just deeper and funkier in flavor...'fruity'??? Anyone really think RZA or Ghostface down with being called 'fruity'?

Good point. Should be what then....malt liquor? I know from experience that RZA is a Patron man, but I've never noted what kind of beer he drinks.

I'm still going to reach out to them. I do love Belgian beers, but only drink saisons on hot summer days.

[Oso]

nah, not malt liquor either...how 'bout Devil Dancer from Founder's Brewing...it's a triple IPA coming in at about 12% ABV and tastes like you just stuck the fattest, juiciest bud in your mouth. I've never tasted any other beer that had such a marijuana'ish hop profile

[GeneChing]

Good call. Personally I'm not a big IPA guy either, and I tend to avoid hop-heavy beers that are trending way too much nowadays. But if I find it, I'll give it a taste on your recommendation.

Meanwhile, check this out:

BREWED IN CHINA
BY CHRISTOPHER DEWOLF
It’s a balmy Thursday evening in Hong Kong and a crowd with pints of beer in their hands is spilling out onto the steep slope of Peel Street in the Soho neighborhood. It’s well past happy hour, so they’re here for a reason: the launch of One Beer, Two Systems, a collaboration between two of the most exciting breweries in Asia, Jing A Brewing from Beijing and Moonzen Brewery from Hong Kong.

I push my way through the crowd with my wife, Laine, who orders a bottle of the new beer. She pours it into a glass and takes a sip. “It tastes like suen mui tong!” she exclaims—smoky and sweet, with just a hint of tartness, exactly like the sour plum drink you get when you’re eating hot pot.

“Good, because that’s exactly what it is,” says Moonzen’s brewer, Laszlo Raphael, who is standing nearby. Jing A’s Kristian Li grins and raises his glass in appreciation.

This is the first time breweries from Beijing and Hong Kong have worked together, though it hasn’t exactly been a long time coming. The craft beer revolution reached these shores only a few years ago, bringing with it the same thirst for full-flavored beer that has transformed the market in the United States, where craft now accounts for 11 percent of all beer consumed.

Beijing and Hong Kong each have about a dozen craft breweries, including Moonzen and Jing A. Most of them make beers that would be familiar to any stout lover or IPA drinker in Chicago or New York, but a handful of brewers are going one step further and producing beers that reflect who they are and where they are from: Distinctively Chinese brews that aren’t like anything else around.


Since its launch in 2014, Moonzen Brewery has found inspiration for its beers in Hong Kong's food and culture.
Photo by: Christopher DeWolf

One Beer, Two Systems is one of those beers. Its name is a cheeky reference to “one country, two systems,” the compromise hatched by Britain and China that allows Hong Kong to maintain its own laws, language, currency, and political system even though it is officially part of China. The flavor is inspired by suen mui tong, also known by its Mandarin name, suan mei tang.

“Suan mei tang is really popular in Beijing and a lot of people in Hong Kong know about it,” says Li. People in Beijing use it to fight the summer heat, while in subtropical Hong Kong, it’s a staple of hot pot eating, when friends gather around a boiling cauldron filled with meat and veggies.

Li first encountered Moonzen when he visited Hong Kong last spring. “Laszlo is the perfect guy for us to do a brew with because we are very similar in our philosophy about beer,” he says. That’s obvious enough in their branding: Jing A’s name and logo are based on Beijing’s license plates, while Moonzen refers to mun sun, or “door gods,” whose icons are traditionally placed by the entrance of homes and shops for good luck. Each Moonzen beer is named after a different deity, from the Kitchen God Honey Porter (made with lychee-inflected local Hong Kong honey) to the Jade Emperor IPA (a West Coast-style hoppy pale ale).

“All the seasonal beers we do, we release according to the lunar calendar,” says Raphael. He has made beers with local kumquats, osmanthus, chrysanthemum, roselle, and jasmine, along with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Earlier this year, Moonzen released a set of two high-alcohol “brew tonics” made according to the “yin yang” principle of balance found in traditional Chinese medicine. One was a wheatwine packed with substances like orange peels, Chinese yam, and lily bulbs, the other an imperial porter made with dong quai, a root with a beguiling bittersweet taste, along with star anise, peony root, and other ingredients.

Raphael was born in Mexico. His father was a brewer by trade and while Raphael pursued engineering, his heritage caught up with him and he eventually became an avid homebrewer. Raphael met his Hong Kong-born wife, Michele Wong, when they were both living in Beijing, and when they moved to Hong Kong a few years ago, they decided to start a brewery. Moonzen occupies a tiny space on the seventh floor of an industrial building in Kwun Tong, a district that made plastic flowers and cheap clothes until all the factories left for Mainland China. Mounted on the wall is an altar to Choi Sun, the Chinese god of wealth, with a bottle of beer presented as an offering.


Young Master Ales, founded in 2013, is one of Hong Kong's first craft breweries. The Mo'Mo Wit uses a blend of five Chinese spices.
Photo by: Christopher DeWolf

Across town, on the island of Ap Lei Chau—where hulking factory blocks are wedged between verdant hills and a turquoise sea—I meet another pair of brewers on a similar mission. Delhi-born Rohit Dugar was an investment banker until he founded Young Master Ales in 2013. He was joined by Ulrich Altbauer, a veteran German brewer, and together they have made some remarkable beers, including a robust IPA with passionfruit notes and a rye wine aged in whiskey barrels and bottle-conditioned with whiskey yeast. Earlier this year, Dugar and Altbauer decided to make a gose, a salty-sour style of beer native to Leipzig, Germany. They added salted preserved lime and called it Cha Chaan Teng Gose, an homage to haam ling chut (salted lime 7-Up), a classic beverage in the Hong Kong-style cafés known as cha chaan teng, whose menu and atmosphere fall somewhere between an American diner, a British “caff” and a Chinese takeaway joint.

The gose was a surprise success. What was meant to be a one-off experiment turned out to be the hit of the summer, especially at The Ale Project, a taproom owned by Dugar and two other beer professionals, Chris Wong and Philip Chan. “We didn’t expect it to be so popular, but I think for people it’s the association with salted lime, something very refreshing,” says Dugar when I meet him for a drink at TAP. He explains that he used lactobacillus bacteria from Yakult, a popular probiotic drink found in every Hong Kong convenience store, to sour the beer. I look over to the next table, where a middle-aged woman watching Cantonese television on her iPad is already on her second pint of gose.


Young Master Ales founder Rohit Dugar tests a batch of barrel-aged beer at his Hong Kong brewery.
Photo by: Christopher DeWolf

“We want to use local ingredients, but they need to be rooted in something, where the flavors make sense,” says Dugar. Young Master’s Mo’Mo Wit puts a Chinese spin on a traditional Belgian style, with chun pei (aged Mandarin orange peel), zedoary, coriander seeds, chrysanthemum, chamomile, and white pepper. In the Mood for Spring, a saison, includes jasmine, osmanthus, and chrysanthemum, while the ***** Wongs—a beer originally brewed to celebrate Chris Wong’s wedding—featured locally-grown roselle, a tart, earthy kind of hibiscus flower.

“What we haven’t done so far is take a local ingredient and design an entirely new beer around it,” Dugar says. (That’s not entirely true: one of Young Master’s recent releases is Tai Sui, a barrel-aged wild rye beer fermented with a local baker’s decade-old sourdough starter.) There may yet be room for that kind of experimentation. As the success of the Cha Chaan Teng Gose suggests, Hong Kong drinkers are more adventurous than many brewers expected.

“Expats tend to think that craft beer equals IPA, but for locals, it’s all new. They don’t have any preconceptions,” says James Ling, TAP’s general manager. Kristian Li says that when Jing A sent its beers to Hong Kong for the first time in October, their best-seller was the Koji Red Ale, an unusual brew made with sake rice, wasabi, ginger and lemony Sorachi Ace hops. “For some reason it really struck a chord with people there,” he says.

continued next post