All about brewing beer.
Made this up with 1kg of Morgans Choc
Malt, 16g Fuggles (Standard Method) &
Safale Yeast. Cracked one after a month
in the bottle and lovely creamy head,
great complex flavor. Probably the best
brew I’ve made (minus some stouts which
I seem to have mastered. A little on
the bitter side, but let it warm up a
bit out of the fridge and the bitterness
drops and flavour improves. Great brew.
– Rating:5/5
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The Brewers Association, which tabulates industry growth data for U.S. breweries, announced that today’s small independent craft brewers are gaining alcohol market share due to a shift toward full flavor beer and increased support for local breweries. From 2007 to 2008, estimated sales by craft brewers were up 5.8 percent by volume and 10.5 percent in dollars. Overall share of the beer category from craft brewers was 4.0 percent of production and 6.3 percent of retail sales. More than 1 million new barrels of beer were sold in 2008, and close to half of those barrels were beer from craft brewers.
“2008 was a historic year for beer with the large brewers consolidating and imports losing share, while the top ten selling beer brands dropped in sales. At the same time, small independent craft brewers continued to gain share and attention,” said Paul Gatza, Director of the Brewers Association.
With total U.S. beer being more than a $100 billion industry, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales from craft brewers in 2008 were $6.34 billion, up from $5.74 billion in 2007. Taxable barrels of the total beer category was 1,210,018 more in 2008 with craft brewers producing 473,364 of those barrels. Total craft brewer barrels for 2008 was 8,596,971, up from 8,123,607 barrels in 2007.
Beer’s popularity as America’s favorite fermented beverage continued in 2008 with Gallup stating “beer is back to a double-digit lead over wine.” Taking into account the challenges in today’s economy, BevincoNielsen released a survey showing beer was faring better than spirits, with wine lagging. The Brewers Association emphasized trading across from wine and spirits to beer continues, with some of today’s wine drinkers discovering the affordable enjoyment and rewards of craft beer.
This was my second ever homebrew batch,
and I was thoroughly impressed!
I used the kit, 1kg Dark Crystal Malt,
dark malt spray, wheat plus flavour
pack.
This was to achieve a Guiness mimmick,
and I’ve found it a great, full beer.
It’s about 2 months old now and getting
better and better
– Rating:4/5
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The Brewers Association today announced that craft beer sales surpassed more than 4 percent of overall beer sales for the first time in 2008, and that craft breweries now claim for 6.8 percent of dollars spent on beer.
“2008 was a historic year for beer with the large brewers consolidating and imports losing share, while the top ten selling beer brands dropped in sales. At the same time, small independent craft brewers continued to gain share and attention,” Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, said in a BA press release.
The BA estimates the actual dollar sales of craft beers in 2008 reached $6.34 billion, up from $5.74 billion in 2007. Craft barrels (a barrel contains 31 gallons) brewed for 2008 totaled 8,596,971, up from 8,123,607 barrels in 2007.
For more information, visit the Brewers Association Beertown website.
Cody Christman of Golden, Colorado, a longtime Wynkoop Brewing Co. customer, has won Wynkoop’s 2009 Beerdrinker of the Year title on Saturday.
Christman has been drinking at Wynkoop since 1991.
He won the title before a boisterous standing-room-only crowd of local supporters. Wynkoop founder and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and his son Teddy were among the locals on hand for the event.
Wynkoop began the competition in 1997 and annually invites three finalists to Denver for the finals.
To begin each contestant much submit a beer resume. In Christman’s he wrote:
Philosophy – To me beer is not a drink, it is a lifestyle.
Everything I do, and every decision I make revolves around beer. I am a tireless advocate of beer culture and the brewing industry. Beer is my passion. Beer is the most diverse and complex drink known to man. Beer’s history and roots are humble, making this fact seldom discussed, but it is true.
No matter how you want to define “extreme beers” all three members of Samuel Adams Imperial series must qualify. “The brewers are again answering drinkers’ thirst for bigger, more intense craft brews,” according to a company press release.
In the introduction of the “Eyewitness Companions Beer” the late Michael Jackson wrote “Tomorrow’s classics will evolve from the currently embryonic American brews categorised by their admirers as Extreme Beers. These are the most intense-tasting beers ever produced anywhere in the world.”
To understand “intense” look for a bottle of the pre-Imperial Samuel Adams Double Bock in your beer cellar and try it opposite the Imperial version. Taste the difference?
Daniel Bradford and company seemed to during a tasting at the All About Beer magazine offices. He writes about the experience in his blog: “Back to the Double Bock after a few minutes and it tastes much richer and fuller, with more candy, less alcohol burn, more texture, more toasted nuts, a greater sense of fireplace and armchair.”
The new Double Bock packs a 9.5% abv punch, comparied to 8.8% in the previous version. The Imperial White, brewed with ten spices, checks in at 10.3% abv, while the chocolate-rich Imperial Stout is a hefty 9.2% abv
“Today, the Big Beer segment in craft brewing offers drinkers a more intense drinking experience. The Samuel Adams Imperial Series, brewed with an aggressive amount of ingredients in each beer, is set to push beer’s boundaries even further,” said Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Co., which brews the Samuel Adams beers.
All three beers will be available year round, with a suggested price of $9.99 for a four-pack.
Put it down in a keg after
fermentation. Tried after two weeks in
the keg but metallic sulphur taste. Will
leave a few more weeks in the keg but
may have to throw this one out. What a
waste!! Brewed a Beez Knees before that
which was outstanding.
– Rating:1/5
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San Francisco Bay Area beer writer Bill Brand passed away last night, surrounded by friends and family, according to Bottoms Up, the blog he wrote for the Oakland Tribune. The Tribune also has an obituary with a guest book for people to sign. According to a family friend, “a memorial service is planned and details will be announced later today.” This is a dark day for the beer community.
William “Bill” Brand
1938-2009
These kits are the most easiest way of
home-brewing…. you simply can’t miss
it! And this one is a real wonder, I did
it exactly as the instructions and had a
great result! Whatch out for
fermentation spill, as the yeast seems
fairly active in the first days…
– Rating:4/5
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This kit was great! I mixed it with a
‘Dark Ale’ kit, added 500g of Oatmeal
flocks before boiling it, and did the
rest as by instructions (but with less
dextrose). Fermented about 3 weeks in
total, tasted 2 weeks after botling. It
was real good, but it gets really
amazing after 6 weeks or so. Would
definitely try it again, with liquid
yeast maybe. – Rating:4/5
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