If you love beer, a visit to BeerFest is a must. You get to drink loads of beer of various brands, in the company of fellow beer lovers. Just pay the entrance fee and you can drink beer to your heart’s delight! However, to ensure you enjoy yourself and don’t end up doing something you will regret after all that beer, here is a quick beer festival survival guide to help you.
1. An empty stomach won’t help you enjoy more brews. Eat a meal before you start the beer binge or your enjoyment will last only a few beer rounds. However, don’t eat any spicy foods as they will only destroy your ability to properly taste a mug of beer.
2. Hydrate yourself! Drink lots of water, your day at the beer festival will be very long and hot!
3. Take your time. You have come to the beer festival to enjoy yourself and your beer. Pace yourself and enjoy as many types and mugs of beer as possible. Don’t drink uncontrollably, relax and just taste the beer and either dump it or take your time to drink it. The festival lasts for hours. No one’s racing – just relax and enjoy your day!
4. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Shoes matter a lot as seating is limited. You will spend lots of time moving from one beer booth to the next, so wear comfortable shoes.
5. Bring cash. Cash is important to buy some things with so many beer vendors and food to try. Though some vendors accept credit cards and the festival might have ATMs, it’s more convenient if you carry some cash.
6. Take notes. You never know; you may find some beer you like and no matter how strong your memory is, you won’t remember the names after all the beers, so carry some way of remembering. I like to take cell phone photos of the bottle to help me, but you may prefer the old-fashioned pen and paper method.
7. “If lost please send to.” If you traveled from out of town, it’s also a good idea to write down the name and address of your hotel or sleep accommodations. That way at the end of the night, you know where to have the taxi deliver you. Large amounts of beer can sometimes affect the memory.
8. Take lots of photos. Last, but not least, a camera is a must at any beer festival. You get to see many crazy things worth clicking to remember. Share your pics with others to give them an idea of how great a beer festival actually is!
Survival Guide
Edmonton BeerFest logo
If you love beer, a visit to BeerFest is a must. You get to drink loads of beer of various brands, in the company of fellow beer lovers. Just pay the entrance fee and you can drink beer to your heart’s delight! However, to ensure you enjoy yourself and don’t end up doing something you will regret after all that beer, here is a quick beer festival survival guide to help you.
1. An empty stomach won’t help you enjoy more brews. Eat a meal before you start the beer binge or your enjoyment will last only a few beer rounds. However, don’t eat any spicy foods as they will only destroy your ability to properly taste a mug of beer.
2. Hydrate yourself! Drink lots of water, your day at the beer festival will be very long and hot!
3. Take your time. You have come to the beer festival to enjoy yourself and your beer. Pace yourself and enjoy as many types and mugs of beer as possible. Don’t drink uncontrollably, relax and just taste the beer and either dump it or take your time to drink it. The festival lasts for hours. No one’s racing – just relax and enjoy your day!
4. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Shoes matter a lot as seating is limited. You will spend lots of time moving from one beer booth to the next, so wear comfortable shoes.
5. Bring cash. Cash is important to buy some things with so many beer vendors and food to try. Though some vendors accept credit cards and the festival might have ATMs, it’s more convenient if you carry some cash.
6. Take notes. You never know; you may find some beer you like and no matter how strong your memory is, you won’t remember the names after all the beers, so carry some way of remembering. I like to take cell phone photos of the bottle to help me, but you may prefer the old-fashioned pen and paper method.
7. “If lost please send to.” If you traveled from out of town, it’s also a good idea to write down the name and address of your hotel or sleep accommodations. That way at the end of the night, you know where to have the taxi deliver you. Large amounts of beer can sometimes affect the memory.
8. Take lots of photos. Last, but not least, a camera is a must at any beer festival. You get to see many crazy things worth clicking to remember. Share your pics with others to give them an idea of how great a beer festival actually is!
Survival Guide
David Nutt, a neuro-scientist from Great Britain, is introducing alcosynth, a synthetic beverage which he says is 100 times safer than alcohol. His product promises to give users the experience of drinking beer without having to suffer the negative effects the morning after. Alcosynth is currently undergoing testing for public consumption, and its long-term effects are not yet known.
Because alcosynth is free from a compound called acetaldehyde, Nutt explains that it will not produce a hangover after a night of drinking. Acetaldehyde is a toxin produced by the body while drinking that causes hangovers and that can accumulate in the body faster than it can be gotten rid of. The unpleasant side effects of nausea, headache, and dry mouth can be then exacerbated by dehydration.
Alcosynth has a calming on the body in a similar way to alcohol without hurting organs like the liver and kidneys. David Nutt has expressed caution over interfering overly much with the neurotransmitter GABA that is responsible for lowering anxiety in people. He states that products like his affect the system which is responsible for pleasure, and that when taken in excess, it can have unintended consequences. Moderation, even with synthetic beer, is key.
Nutt is also concerned with reducing the problems related to alcohol abuse, such as missed work and lowered job performance. Cited as a concern, is also the fact that users will often drink again in order to alleviate the symptoms of a hangover. Alcosynth has been found to be virtually calorie-free, however it is not yet known whether it is habit-forming or if a person can overdose. More testing is needed.
Photo by alles (Pixabay)
Edmonton BeerFest logo
If you love beer, a visit to BeerFest is a must. You get to drink loads of beer of various brands, in the company of fellow beer lovers. Just pay the entrance fee and you can drink beer to your heart’s delight! However, to ensure you enjoy yourself and don’t end up doing something you will regret after all that beer, here is a quick beer festival survival guide to help you.
1. An empty stomach won’t help you enjoy more brews. Eat a meal before you start the beer binge or your enjoyment will last only a few beer rounds. However, don’t eat any spicy foods as they will only destroy your ability to properly taste a mug of beer.
2. Hydrate yourself! Drink lots of water, your day at the beer festival will be very long and hot!
3. Take your time. You have come to the beer festival to enjoy yourself and your beer. Pace yourself and enjoy as many types and mugs of beer as possible. Don’t drink uncontrollably, relax and just taste the beer and either dump it or take your time to drink it. The festival lasts for hours. No one’s racing – just relax and enjoy your day!
4. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Shoes matter a lot as seating is limited. You will spend lots of time moving from one beer booth to the next, so wear comfortable shoes.
5. Bring cash. Cash is important to buy some things with so many beer vendors and food to try. Though some vendors accept credit cards and the festival might have ATMs, it’s more convenient if you carry some cash.
6. Take notes. You never know; you may find some beer you like and no matter how strong your memory is, you won’t remember the names after all the beers, so carry some way of remembering. I like to take cell phone photos of the bottle to help me, but you may prefer the old-fashioned pen and paper method.
7. “If lost please send to.” If you traveled from out of town, it’s also a good idea to write down the name and address of your hotel or sleep accommodations. That way at the end of the night, you know where to have the taxi deliver you. Large amounts of beer can sometimes affect the memory.
8. Take lots of photos. Last, but not least, a camera is a must at any beer festival. You get to see many crazy things worth clicking to remember. Share your pics with others to give them an idea of how great a beer festival actually is!
Survival Guide
Edmonton International BeerFest
There is no doubt that home brewing is becoming more popular. Beginner kits are easier to find and tempt beer lovers everywhere with the dream of making a flavorful home brew that will let their inner brewmaster out.
Even though you are going to have a fun time using your kit there are few techniques and tips that your kit may not mention. The following tips will help your first and future brews be a success.
Keep it Simple, Keep it Clean
Kits normally come with a beginner’s recipe. Use it. Don’t worry about adding additional ingredients to make your beer more exotic. If you don’t know what your doing there is a chance of ruining the batch. Learn a good form and routine first.
Unfortunately the best conditions for yeast to grow and ferment the wort are also the best conditions for bacteria to grow. Clean and sanitize everything the wort will come in contact with including thermometers, buckets, tubing…EVERYTHING. Also remember to clean what the final product will be stored in. Acid-based sanitizers and iodine-based sanitizer are recommended.
Chill Fast After Boil
There are various methods to chill your wort. For beginners a simple ice bath will do. Bacteria can infect your wort at temperatures above 80 degrees so you need to drop the temperature quickly. This will also reduce the haziness in the finished beer by causing proteins to coagulate and drop out.
Aerate the Wort
Boiling causes the wort to loose oxygen, which is important for proper yeast production. If the yeast doesn’t get the oxygen back it can lead to strange flavors. A good simple method to aerate the wort is shake it after it is placed in a sealed sanitized carboy or bucket. Place the container on the ground and rock it back and forth until it is frothy.
Pitching the Yeast and Controlling Temperature
Healthy yeast is crucial to a good brew. Pitching rate calculators can help determine the amount of yeast you need in your batch. Liquid yeast is a good way to achieve the appropriate amount, but is expensive. Other options include creating a yeast starter or using dry yeast. All three methods have their pros and cons so it is a good idea to research and figure out which method is best for you.
After pitching you’ll need to control the fermentation temperature. This is what helps the yeast turn the sugar in to alcohol. Each strain of yeast will vary slightly in the fermentation temperature so it is a good idea to check with the manufacturer for the proper temperature.
Take notes throughout the home brew process. They can come in handy next time and may give insight on how to improve your next batch.
Our annual BeerFest in Edmonton offers some of the best selections from the micro brewing community. Those interested in attending the event in 2018 can keep up to date by liking our
Facebook page.
Canada’s stoic brewing history can be traced back to one year: 1982. It took the dream of three Canadian bar hoppers who grew sick of the lack of variety when it came to their beer choices. Three years later, after the rise and fall of their pub, the Horseshoe Bay Brewpub, something else rose from its ashes: micro brewing.
In 1984 the first micro brewery was opened and several months later there were breweries shooting up all over the country, marking a renaissance in micro brewing. These breweries would give birth to the start of craft movement in Canada. Although it wasn’t universally loved at first, the crafts would slowly gain a following, culminating with many of these micro breweries merging with the big name brewers in the country.
It wasn’t until the 90s that crafts would gain its second wind. One after another, new breweries were opening their doors, and what made them different from their 80s counterparts was the addition of pale ales, IPAS, and porters. These choices were completely foreign to the traditional beer drinker in Canada.
Currently the craft scene seems to be going for the hat trick. Recently Canada has seen the opening of more breweries. What they will put on the table that their previous incarnations didn’t is anyone’s guess, but judging by their past experiences, the next few years are going to be great for any Canadian craft fan ready to get a taste of what micro brewing has in store.
Our annual BeerFest in Edmonton offers some of the best selections from the micro brewing community. Those interested in attending the event in 2018 can keep up to date by liking our Facebook page.
