Brew Community

The British government has appointed a minister of pubs, who will be in charge of trying to slow the rate at which pubs are closing.

Wentworth MP John Healey, also housing and planning minister, will head a five-minister task force. The morning advertiser reports he is considering tax breaks for pubs and giving tenants the right to buy pubs from landlords if they are threatened with closure.

British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said the rate of pub closures slowed from 52 a week in the first half of 2009 to 39 a week, but remains a serious problem.

The BBPA hailed the decision as “great news” and a “clear sign” that its campaigns, Axe the Tax and I’m Backing the Pub, had had an impact. “Pubs now have a strategic place in Government and we could not have asked for a better minister than John Healey,” said BBPA director of communications Mark Hastings.

Healey himself said: “Pubs are often at the heart of community life. And they are important meeting places for many people. While we can’t stop every pub from closing it’s right we do everything possible to back them. But they need help now so I am determined to have a deal on the table with a package of practical help in the next few weeks.”

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HB shop owner pushed this over the
Thomas Coopers Irish Stout. Made with
200g of lactose and Stout Mix(Dark malts

extra). Very disapointed with the result

so far. Thin on character, nay, no REAL

character at all! Being a Stout drinker

from the UK and loving Coopers Best
Extra Stout I was looking to improve on

my Stouter Stout previously made using
Coopers Stout with only 18l of
water(fantastic!). Hopefully this will
improve with age!!!
– Rating:2/5

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Goose Island in Chicago has rolled out a new beer called Green Line Pale Ale that is part of the brewery’s Green Line Project, an initiative to reduce the brewery’s environmental impact.

Goose Island is making the beer available only on tap, which reduces packaging. The tap handles were made from reclaimed ash trees killed by the ash borer in Wilmette.

“We had been thinking of ways to brew more sustainably for a while,” Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall told the Chicago Tribune during and event to launch the beer. “So we did an organic beer for Whole Foods a few years back but we wanted to do something more local. We know that when you go into Chicago alleys you often see a lot of garbage, bottles and boxes for beer. We wanted to find a way to reduce that and so we figured one way would be to go with an all draft beer.”

What does it taste like? From the Tribune story:

“Monica Eng, who claims no beer expertise whatsoever, says: nice malty nose, a light refreshing flavor lovely corny finish.

“Josh Noel, our beer correspondent’s take: Considering how good Goose Island’s higher end products are (Matilda, Sofie, Bourbon County Stout) and how middling the lower end stuff is (312, Honker’s Ale, IPA), I wasn’t optimistic about this pale ale. But it’s a winner. Green Line Pale Ale is so drinkable because it doesn’t try to do a lot. The hops are clear (more in the taste than nose), but don’t overwhelm. The malt is roasty, but appropriately restrained. It could stand to pop with a few more grapefruit notes like a good pale should, but a brewer said he expects future batches to be improved in this respect. Green Line will make a particularly fine warm weather beer for those who want a little more muscle than 312. It immediately vaults to the top of Goose Island’s more affordable beers.”

And from blogger Andrew Gill:

“I thought it was kind of like an India Pale Ale with training wheels. Brewmaster Greg Hall said his inspiration for Green Line was mixing 312 with Goose Island IPA at the Pitchfork Music Fest. I think that’s exactly what it tastes like – a session beer with just enough bitterness to be interesting.”

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Wynkoop Brewing Company’s judging panel has picked its three finalists for the brewpub’s 2010 Beerdrinker of the Year award.

They will compete in the Beerdrinker of the Year finals on Feb. 27 at Wynkoop in Denver. The event is open to the public and admission is free. Two of the three were also finalists in 2007. They are:

Phil Farrell, a Cumming, Georgia commercial pilot, homebrewer, and beer judge. He has tasted beer in every country in Europe, 1000 of the world’s pubs and 400 brewpubs. He’s known to many in the beer community as the “Chicken Man” because he’s hauled his homebrew club’s mascot, a rubber chicken, around the world and photographed it with thousands of beer people.

His philosophy about beer: “Beer is first and foremost a social drink. It is the most flexible and universally affordable fine beverage there is. Every social gathering and every food item is enhanced with beer. Beer is the greatest gift ever given to the human race and meant to be shared with others.”

William Howell, a Sterling, Alaska, college administrator, retired Navy officer, homebrewer, and beer educator. In 2007 he created a new course for Kenai Peninsula College entitled The Art and History of Brewing, and has traveled extensively across Alaska and the West in pursuit of great beer.

His beer philosophy: “I have been a lover of craft beers since 1984 and a homebrewer since 1989. Since my retirement from active duty I’ve been really been able to “get serious” about beer. I decided it was time to start giving something back to the world of craft beer that had given me so much.”

Logan Perkins, a Denver, Colorado beer enthusiast who has tried nearly 5,000 beers in 45 states, 21 European countries and 5 Asian nations.

His philosophy of beer drinking: “Drinking beer is about enhancing the quality of life through flavors, feelings and friends. I love beer alone, but especially enjoy sharing it with others. I believe in handling, collecting and tasting beers with the same respect as a wine lover. I try to keep everything in moderation, including moderation itself.”

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Beer Wars, a documentary which played in theaters across the country for a single night last April and in limited screenings since, will be distributed for home viewing through Warner Bros. and Netflix.

Ducks In A Row Entertainment offered details in a press release:

In the U.S., Beer Wars is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision, Charter, Insight, Bresnan, Verizon FiOS, AT & T U-Verse, Dish Network and DirecTV. It is also available for download on iTunes, Amazon Video On Demand, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

In Canada, the film is available to rent On Demand through Digital Cable and Satellite providers Rogers Cable, Cogeco, Videotron, Sasktel and Shaw.

The film is also available on Netflix either on DVD or “Watch Instantly” beginning February 2nd. And the DVD is available for purchase from Amazon.

More information is available at the company website.

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Brewed this one with 1 x can of
Morgan’s Lager Pale
Extract + 500g LDM + 250g Dex. Fermented
at
18C~21C for 10 days. Very malty with
clean finish.
The maltiness stands out and gives the
impression of
heaviness. For me 2 glasses of this in
one sitting is
enough flavor wise. I would add POR hops
next time
to “cut” through some of the
maltiness. Still excellent
beer ! – Rating:4/5

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My first brew for 15
years and very happy I have been to th
local U brew it a couple of times and
not been impressed
basic 23.5litres (stuffed up)22-23deg c
be2 as per directions coops yeast extras
beechworth honey 100g golden syrup 80 g
og 1042 fg 1008
8 days then bottled tried it after 4
days it is a fine drop as good as my u
brew but better price next batch started
with 1k ldm and will add nelson or
cascade finishing hops – Rating:4/5

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Made
this twice with 1 kg dme. Left primary
for 3 weeks and bottle for 2 months.
Fantastic result. as good as you could
hope for and then some….well worth a
try. Nicer than most commercially
available bottled stouts in ireland
anyway. – Rating:5/5

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I have made this kit twice. Once with
1kg kit enhancer and the results are ok
but a bit bland. Second time 1kg DME and
some cascade hop tea. There is a big
difference with thte dme and hop tea
one. Tastes much fuller and lot more
flavor. – Rating:3/5

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Made as per isntructions except to
approx 30 pint level. Fermented for 3
weeks in primary at 19C. Bottled 4
weeks. This kit is absolutly simple to
make and ther results stand up to an All
grain brew ( maybe could be improved
with some dry hopping). Fantastic result
best kit i ever made – Rating:5/5

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