The earliest alcoholic drink in history is a 9,000 years old Neolithic grog brewed in China’s Yellow River Valley. However, barley beer seems to have been born in the Middle East. The Sumerians in Mesopotamia were the earliest brewers. The evidence that support this assumption includes a 4,000-year-old hymn to the Sumerian beer goddess and a 3100-3000 BC beer recipe on a clay tablet.
Beer brewing also flourished in ancient Egypt. According to Smithsonian magazine, Egyptian pyramid builders were partly paid with beer. Interestingly, according to The Atlantic, the beer in Ancient Egypt was brewed by women.
Monks and nuns also played a great role in the evolution of beer. The practice of monastic brewing appears to have started in medieval times. Some monks began brewing and selling beer to live according to The Rule of Saint Benedict. The rule requires monks and nuns to live by their sweat and not accept charity.
Still, during the Medieval Times, water was usually contaminated. The beer was safer to drink than water. Monks were encouraged to brew and drink beer rather than drink germs-carrying water.
We can also trace the development of modern breweries to monks. Archeologists found the oldest drawings of a modern brewery in the Swiss monastery of Saint Gall. The drawings date back to AD 820. They show three breweries each producing beer for different groups of people. There was a brewery for monks, monastery guests, and pilgrims and the poor.
In 1200 AD, beer brewing monks discovered that adding hops can give beer its distinctive bitter edge. Hops are today referred to as “the spice of beer”.
In 1685, France’s La Trappe monastery set the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. Beers that are brewed per the order are called Trappist beers.
In the 17th Century, The Paulaner monks of Bavaria started producing a Lent beer called Doppelbock. The “liquid bread” was excellent for fasting monks.
Monks and artisans continued experimenting with beer, and this led to modern beer flavors. The first beer bottle in history was sold in 1850. Today, beer is wildly popular. There are thousands of breweries across the world and numerous beer flavors and brands.
Photo Credit: Pixabay.com
It’s that time of the year, when we make your Christmas even merrier. Edmonton BeerFest Tickets are now on Sale!
Calling all beer enthusiasts to get ready for the next BIG event and expect an even GREATER Beer Festival. Edmonton International BeerFest is BACK with over 200 beer brands to offer from all over the world plus a one-of-a-kind entertainment atmosphere.
Edmonton BeerFest will be held on April 1-2, 2016 at Shaw Conference Centre.
Beer and wine divide the world so spectacularly. Each of these popular beverages has its dedicated connoisseurs. Debate on which of the drink is better continues and here is our voice:
On getting you drunk
A medium glass of wine and a pint of lager contains roughly the same alcohol content. For a drink to get to your head, it needs to go to your stomach from where it’s absorbed into the bloodstream. If you hold other factors constant, wine enters the blood stream faster than beer. The verdict here is: a glass of wine goes to the head more quickly than a pint of beer.
On giving you a potbelly
Alcohol contains sugars and calories. A standard glass of wine contains about 130 calories while a pint of beer contains about 180 calories. Beer can, therefore, lead to weight gain faster than wine. However, moderate drinkers of either of the drinks need not to worry. And no, beer doesn’t cause men to develop breasts!
On producing the worst hangover
A hangover is certainly a drinker’s most formidable enemy. Research on what causes a hangover is ongoing. Present scientific evidence points at dehydration and fermentation byproducts known as congeners. Darker drinks are believed to contain more congeners. Perhaps, that is why dark spirits such as bourbon seem to give a worse hangover than crystal clear vodka. Still, regarding a hangover, there appears to be no difference between different types of beer and wine.
On health benefits
Wine dominates the health bulletins. There is news for instance on how wine has helped French people ward off angina despite their diet. The health benefits of wine are linked to the polyphenols in wine. It’s believed that wine lowers the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Although, beer has fewer health advocates, it also contains life-sustaining polyphenols. On scale red wine leads followed by white wine and beer respectively. Drinking in moderation is, however, important.
Beer has an illustrious history. There are even anthropological suggestions that our taste for beer led us to farm grains. That may have led us to agriculture and into civilization. Browse through Edmonton’s International Beerfest, and learn many amazing beer facts. You will also learn about Edmonton’s International Beer Fest. Beer fests are a fantastic time to meet brewers and other connoisseurs. They’re an excellent time to taste new flavors and get thoroughly entertained.
Photo Credit: FreeImages.com/ miamiamia
Ever peeked through a brewery’s window expecting to see guys tasting and enjoying freshly brewed beer? Many who steal a glance see many shiny tanks, hoses, and gizmos that leave them wondering what goes on in a brewery. So how is a typical day in a brewery?
An ordinary day in a brewery depends on the kind of alcoholic beverage being brewed, a brewery’s capacity and tricks of the trade. Nevertheless, the brewing process is similar for most breweries. Here are seven steps that make up the brewing process:
1. Milling
Beer making starts with the milling of brewing grains. The different types of malted barley are measured depending on the recipe. They are mixed and crushed into a coarse grist, neither too coarse nor too fine.
2. Mashing
Mashing looks like porridge making. It involves the mixing of milled grain with water and methodically heating this mixture. Mashing allows the breaking down of starch in the grains and eventual conversion into sugars. These malt sugars feed the yeast when it’s fermentation time.
3. Lautering
Lautering is a process of separating the mash (the thick porridge) into a clear sugary liquid called wort and spent grain. The separation is done using either a lauter tun or a mash filter. Usually, the sweet wort is run off first. The remaining substance is recirculated before sparging. During sparging, the extract that remains with the residual grains is rinsed off with hot water.
4. Boiling
The sweet wort is boiled evenly and intensely to ensure its sterility. The boil may last between 50 and 120 minutes. During the boil, brewers add bittering and aromatic hops that give beer its bitterness, flavor and aroma.
At the end of the boil, brewers set the wort into a whirlpool. Whirlpooling helps to collect accumulated dense solids mainly hop matter and coagulated proteins. Soon after filtration, the wort is cooled to prevent oxidation.
5. Fermentation
The chilled wort is pumped into tanks for fermentation. Brewer’s yeast turns the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The kind of yeasts used and the fermentation temperature will determine whether the final product is an ale or a lager beer.
6. Filtration and Conditioning
We now have the beer! After fermentation, the beer is chilled and allowed to settle. Filtration and period of settlement depend on beer style. Filtering is meant to stabilize the beer’s flavor, but not all beers go through filtering.
7. Packaging
From the conditioning tanks, the finished beer goes into bottles, cans, and kegs. The beer is now ready to leave the brewery. Secondary fermentation may continue to offer natural carbonation. You can now enjoy a pint in a pub near you!
To learn more about how your favorite beer is brewed, please visit Edmonton’s International Beerfest. Many brewers and beer enthusiasts will be in attendance. You will learn about new beer technologies and taste new beer flavors. The Edmonton’s International Beerfest- beer and total entertainment.
Photo Credit: FreeImages.com/ fliku
Steam Whistle Brewing is an independently owned microbrewery in Toronto, Ontario. Steam Whistle was founded by the “Three Fired Guys.” The present owners are “The Good Beer Folks.”
“The Three Fired Guys” refers to three guys who got fired after the micro they worked for changed owners. “The Good Beer Folks” is a group of private investors most of whom are employees, family, and friends.
Steam Whistle is renowned for its beloved Canada’s Premium Pilsner. The company’s founders made a conscious decision to brew only one kind of beer. The choice has enabled the company to focus all of its energy in brewing one Premium, proudly Canadian beer.
Steam Whistle is also a fantastic story of entrepreneurship with a big heart. The company is green, literally and figuratively. The brewery has even won many environmental awards. To help save the planet, the company has numerous green initiatives that include:
1. Green bottles are really green. The bottles can potentially be re-used for up to 45 times- the industry’s standard is 15 times. Their painted logo saves trees and eliminates the need for ink, varnish and glue. And every element from their packaging line is also recycled.
2. Reliance on all natural products. Incredibly, Steam Whistle uses only four ingredients that are all-natural and GMO-free. The ingredients are pure spring water, malted barley, hops, and yeast.
3. Since 2007, Steam Whistle Brewing has been using clean, renewable power.
4. Since 2006, the brewery has been using biodiesel in their delivery trucks.
5. The company’s building is also very environmental friendly.
6. Waste diversion program- Among other ways of diverting waste, their “spent grain” is used by Wellington County farmers as animal feed.
A story on Steam Whistle Brewing can’t be complete without a mention of the brewery’s green vintage vehicles. The company’s vintage vehicle fleet makes a spectacular sight. Each of the green delivery vehicles has a personality and a name. There are names such as Chuckles, Grumpy, The Party Bus, Lumpy, Betty, Shakey, and The Scout.
Edmonton’s International BeerFest endeavors to bring you all the good beer news and tales. We also honor amazing brewers who work hard to give beer lovers fantastic beer flavors. We also love talking about International Beer Fests that bring together good brewers and beer enthusiasts.
Photo credit: Steam Whistle
Since 7000 BC when people in Mesopotamia brewed the first beer, the popularity of this beverage keeps on growing. Today, beer is the world’s most popular alcoholic beverage and the fourth most popular drink.
Unless you are in Kuwait where beer is illegal, enjoying a bottle of beer with friends is a favorite past time. People drink beer when they are celebrating and when they are mourning. However, beer sales are highest during the holiday month of December. According to the latest alcohol statistics here are the top 20 beer drinking countries per capita.
1. Germany
Germany appears to be the booziest country with an average of 147.8 liters per year per capita. In 2014, Germany produced 9,560,000 kl of beer.
2. Ireland
The Irish average is 138.3 liters per year per person. The country brewed 728,800 kl of beer in 2014.
3.Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has led for many years but has now slipped to the third position with an average of 138.1 per person per year. The country produced 1,851,000 kl of beer in 2014.
4. Australia
Australia consumes an average of 119.2 liters per capita per year. The country produced 1,691,000 kg of beer in 2014.
5. Austria
106.3 liters per person per year is Austria average. Austria brewed 901,000 kl of beer in 2014.
6. United Kingdom
The UK drinks an average of 96.8 liters per person per year. The UK produced 4,120,400 kl of beer in 2014.
7. Belgium
Belgians consumed an average of 93.0 liters per capita. The country produced 1,820,700 kl of beer in 2014.
8. Denmark
The Danes consumed an average of 89.9 liters per capita. Denmark produced a total of 61,100 kl in 2014.
9. Finland
The Finnish average is 85.0 liters per person per year. Finland production for 2014 was 410,000kl of beer.
10. Luxembourg
Luxembourg has an approximate beer consumption rate of 84.4 liters per capita. The country produced 27,100kl of beer in 2014.
11. Slovakia
Slovakia average beer consumption rate is 84.1 liters per capita within the year. In 2014, the country brewed 285,700 kl of beer.
12. Spain
Spain has an average of 83.8 liters per person. Spain production for 2014 stood at 3,353,500 kl of beer.
13. United States
The US average is 81.6 liters per person per year. In 2014, the country produced 22,547,400 kl of beer.
14. Croatia
Croatians drank an average of 81.2 liters per capita within the year. Croatia brewed 340,500kl of beer in 2014.
15. Netherlands
The Dutch consumed an average of 79.0 liters per capita. The country produced 2,369,600 kl of beer in 2014.
16. New Zealand
New Zealand average per person for a year is 77.0 liters. In 2014, the country brewed 457m liters of beer.
17. Hungary
Although they don’t like the clinking of mugs or glasses when drinking beer, Hungarians love beer. This European country consumes approximately 75.3 liters per capita. Hungary brewed 623,900 kl of beer in 2014.
18. Poland
Poland’s average consumption rate is 69.1 liters per capita. The country beer production in 2014 stood at 3,987,000kl.
19. Canada
Canadians consumes an approximate 68.3 liters per person per year. In 2014, Canada produced 1,894,000 kl of beer.
20. Portugal
The Portuguese consumed 59.6 liters per capita within the year. The country brewed 729,000kl of beer in 2014.
21. Bulgaria
Bulgarian average for the year is 59.5 liters per capita. The country produced 489,000 kl of beer in 2014.
22. South Africa
South Africa produced 3,150,000 kl of beer in 2014. The country has an average of 59.2 liters per capita per year.
23. Russia
The Russian average is 58.9 liters of beer per person per year. Russia beer production for 2014 was 7,636,100kl of beer.
24. Venezuela
Venezuela’s average is 58.6 liters per capita per year. In 2014, Venezuela produced 2,065,000 kl of beer.
25. Romania
Romanians consumed an average of 58.2 liters per capita within the year.1,475,000kl of beer in 2014.
Photo Credit: FreeImages.com/ biborné veres dorottya
Beer does some amazing things in batter for deep-fried foods. The CO2 gas in a can of Bud keeps things light and airy, and helps the batter cook fast, meaning the cod underneath can emerge moist and properly à point. But what kind of beer?
Aggressively hoppy beers (West Coast IPA, for example) can leave those zucchini fritters trailing a bitter aftertaste, but that doesn’t mean your best option is a bland factory macrobrew. A deeper, richer flavor can be important in some battered fry foods—think of the malty, bready flavors in a porter, for instance, in that batter for sweet apple fritters. Here, in random order, is a brace of beers you should consider adding to your fry-batter mix.
1. PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon)
Cheap, accessible, and classic, this pop-top macro lager adds CO2 without aggressive flavor, and a hipster credibility that might be the perfect accessory for your semi-ironic Midwestern Friday fish fry.
2. Coors Banquet
Another macro lager (see PBR, above), this Golden, Colorado classic gives you unobtrusive flavor and a big, fizzy lift.
3. Old Milwaukee
A Wisconsin fish fry calls for a Wisconsin macrobrew. Also, for the cost of a craft-brew 6-pack, you can lug home a 24-pack. Plenty for the batter, plenty for you.
4. Deschutes Brewery’s Bachelor ESB
British bitters aren’t actually bitter, they’re rich and malty, with a bready taste that works really well in batter. This Deschutes Bachelor gives a nice golden-brown color to the finished coating, too.
5. Widmer Brothers’ Drop Top Amber Ale
Amber ales are relatively sweet, but in a batter surrounding the right food (fennel or zucchini slices, for instance) it tastes exactly right.
6. Samuel Smith’s Pure Brewed Organic Lager
Fish and chips taste extra-English when you pop a bit of this in the batter. This pale, malty lager adds fizz and a bit of subtle richness without asserting itself too much.
7. Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Lager
Clean and crisp, with a nutty bit of caramel at the end. This is a pedigreed craft brew to devote to your fry-up, so wait till your guests arrive to tip it into the bowl.
8. Portland Brewing’s MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale
The hops give this one a floral quality—they’ll be lost in the cooked batter, but the caramel-edged malty sweetness should survive nicely.
9. Newcastle Brown Ale
Roasty, with a lightly malted flavor, scant caramel and zero bitterness. Perfect choice for a vegetable fritto misto.
10. Asahi Super Dry
Crisp and elegant, but with a richness you feel mid-palate. Tip some into calamari batter and sip the rest.
Source: 10 Best Beers to Use in Beer Batter Recipes
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Beer is the world’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third-most popular drink overall (after water and tea). People all over the world just love beer. An average American consumes 23 gallons of the beverage a year. But do you know what nation has the highest beer consumption per head? Or what is the strongest beer in the world? To find out, check out these 10 little known beer facts.
1. The world´s strongest beer is Brewmeister´s “Snake Venom”. While regular beer usually have about 5% ABV, this Scottish killer has a stomach-burning 67.5% ABV.
2. The most beer-drinking country in the world is the Czech Republic. With an incredible per capita beer consumption of almost 40 gallons a year, the Czechs are way out in front in the beer drinking world league table.
3. The world’s most expensive beer is Belgian’s “Vielle Bon Secours”. One bottle costs around 1000 American dollars.
4. At any given time, 0.7% of the world population is drunk. It means 50 million people are drunk right now. Beer is obviously the main contributor to the drunkenness.
5. Beer strengthens bones. It is rich in silicon that increases calcium deposits and minerals for bone tissue.
6. Nowadays, there are about 400 types of beer in the world. Belgium is the country that has the most individual beer brands.
7. In 1814, almost 400,000 gallons of beer flooded several streets in London after a huge vat ruptured in the parish of St. Giles.
8. The foamy head is a very important part of the beer. It is formed by a complex carbon-dioxide reaction and can say a lot about the quality of the beer. If the head is missing, it can mean that your beer is flat and bland-tasting.
9. Ancient Babylonians were so serious about brewing beer that if anyone brewed a bad batch, they would drown him in it as a punishment.
10. Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass. Terrifying phobia indeed.
Source: 25 Interesting Beer Facts That Will Leave You Tipsy
Photo Credit: Aux Délices Franco-belges via List25.com
All beers are either lagers or ales (and sometimes hybrid). All beers are fermented from a combination of malts, hops, water and yeast. Whether you have an ale or a lager depends on the brewer’s yeast used and the brewing technique.
What is a Lager?
Lagers originated from Germany. Bavarian brewers discovered that “lagering” (aging beer after the initial fermentation) produced a cleaner beer. They also realized that such a brew was less susceptible to contamination.
With time, scientists discovered lager yeast. Unlike ale yeasts, lager yeasts flocculate at the bottom of the fermentation tank. They also thrive at lower temperatures and are more aggressive than ale yeasts. With such aggressive fermentation, lager yeasts leave little or no residual sweetness and flavor. They don’t contribute much to the beer’s aroma or flavor.
A combination of lager yeasts and a cold and efficient brewing process produces a simple, clear, clean, and refreshing beer called a lager. Lagers typically have a light aroma and flavor. A lager is served cold.
What is an Ale?
Ale is the oldest kind of beer. Ales are fermented with top-fermenting, less aggressive yeasts. They are also aged at higher temperatures and for a shorter period than lagers. The warm and complex brewing process produces complex, flavorful beers. Ales have a rich aroma and flavor and are usually served closer to room temperature.
And what is a Porter?
The history of the port remains unverified. However, porters are ales fermented with dark malted barley, hops, and top-fermenting ale yeasts. Once the most popular beer in America and England, Porter has undergone many transformations. Today, there are many broad interpretations of the brew translating to different tastes. Normally, a porter is very dark, mild flavored and thin but not watery. Porters are also the great-grandfathers of modern stouts.
What’s the Difference Between a Port and a Lager?
The difference between porters and lagers translates to the difference between lagers and ales. Apart from the yeast and brewing process, porters and lagers look, smell and taste different. Porters are darker and have a fruitier and spicier flavor than lagers. Porters also tend to be heavier, more robust and complex. Lagers are cleaner and crisper.
Stay Tuned for the 2016 Edmonton International BeerFest Dates
Beer is undoubtedly one of the world’s most popular and loved beverages. If you love your beer or want to learn fascinating beer stories, stay tuned for the 2016 Edmonton BeerFest dates. There will be over 200 beers available for tasting, and maximum entertainment. Get your tickets early.
Photo Source: Pixabay
Beer is one of the world most loved beverage. It is an alcoholic beverage produced by saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugars. The sacchrification enzymes and starch are derived from malted materials that include malted wheat and barley. Other ingredients used to brew beer include water, starch source, flavoring agents, yeast for fermentation, and sometimes a clarifying agent.
There are different flavors agents used by the breweries to come with a unique flavor for their clients. For a brewery to come up with a new flavor they are influenced some factors. The factors include:
Need of originality
There are very many beer brewing companies that produce beer that has a similar flavor. A beer brewing company may try to break the monotony and create their own unique flavor. This helps a company to create its own customer base. This is because most beer customers like trying out new flavored beers.
The needs of the clients
A beer company may create a new flavor for beer to cater for their customer needs. Most customers like the adventure of trying new flavors of beers rather than the common flavors.
To develop new variety of beers
We all know that there are different types of beers all over the world. If a beer brewing company wants to make another variety of beer, the company must come up with a new flavor.
A beer brewing company may come up with a new flavor through a number of ways. For a company to come up with a new flavor it takes one common flavor and manipulate it by adding a new ingredient. For example, a company can pick malt flavor and add coconut flavor to come with a new relishing flavor. Other beer flavors include crisp, hop, roast, smoke, fruit & spice, and tart & funky flavors.
If you would like to know more about your beer, new flavors, and new technologies that are being used to make beer please visit Edmonton’s International Beerfest.
Photo Source: Pixabay
Last September 25 and 26, Edmonton International BeerFest came to Grand Prairie for the largest beer festival in the West of Canada. The festival was a huge success with hundreds of beers available for tasting (over 200 to be more precise) and a whole new line-up of entertainment. Edmonton International BeerFest did their best to bring the best beers and ales for this exciting event.
The show occupied 18,000 square feet of space in Bowes Family Crystal Gardens with over 2,000 people showing up to enjoy the various succulent, crisp tastes beers and ales, and the great entertainment atmosphere. There were approximately ten bands performing over two days. Tons of beer samples were given over attendees of the event. Another great part of the event was the show of the instructors teaching patrons on how different beers were brewed and created.
Stay tuned as we will be posting photos of the event soon.
Photo Source: Pixabay
Now that the craft beer revolution is old news, a microbrewery can’t just make better-than-average beer to get noticed. They have to do something really unique to get their name out there—and there seems to be no end to the weird things beer makers will do to get noticed. Here are some of the strangest beers on the market today.
1. THE WORLD’S MOST POTENT BEER
Here’s a title that seems to change every year or so. It started in 1999 with Sam Adams’ Utopia, which clocked in at 21 percent alcohol by volume. Last year, the title was topped by Brewmeister Brewery’s Armageddon, which contained 65 percent ABV, and just this week, Brewmeister upped their game by announcing their new Snake Venom, which contains 67.5 percent alcohol—making it an impressive 135 proof, which is stronger than many hard liquors.
One bottle of Snake Venom will run you $80 (if you can even find it), and each bottle has a warning tag reminding you not to drink too much of the brew.
2. THE MOST SPACEY BEERS IN THE WORLD
Want a beer with ingredients that are out of this world, literally? Then you actually have two options. Sapporo Space Barley features barley that was on the International Space Station. The 2009 limited edition beer was released in 250 six packs that sold for around $100 each. Proceeds were used to support science education.
Alternatively, Dogfish Head Brewery’s Celest-jewel-ale contains dust from lunar meteorites. If you’re wondering why the company would put crushed space rocks in your beer, it’s not just to be fancy. As it turns out, since the meteorites are mostly minerals and salts, the dust aids the fermentation process. Unfortunately for those interested, you can only get this space beer from the company’s Rehoboth Beach pub. But on the upside, if you do make it out there, it’s served in a koozie made from the same material as an astronaut’s space suit, so at least they make an effort to go for a theme. Oh, and you’d better hurry if you want to try some, as it was only made in a limited edition batch at the beginning of October and once it’s gone, it’s gone for good—just like a beautiful shooting star of beer.
3. THE ONLY BEER SOLD IN DEAD ANIMALS
If you’re looking for something with a nice blend of weirdness and a package certain to catch the eyes of your guests, try getting your hands on Brewdog’s “The End of History,” a 50 percent ABV beer released in 2010 that sold for the absurd price of $765. But you weren’t just paying for potency at that price: “The End of History” was a special, limited-edition Belgian blond ale. Only 12 bottles were made, and they were all contained within the taxidermied body of a squirrel or weasel.
4. THE WORLD’S OLDEST BEER RECIPE
It’s difficult to quantify the title of “World’s Oldest Beer” because humans have been brewing since around 9500 BC—before we even started writing. Since we can’t crack open a bottle of beer from the dawn of time, we have to make do with what we can, and right now the oldest brew anyone has been able to replicate comes from a 5000 year old recipe found in the Sumerian “Hymn to Ninkasi.”
The beer was recreated as a joint experiment between archaeologists from the University of Chicago and brewers from the Great Lakes Brewing Company. To keep things as authentic as possible, they used recreations of ancient tools and ceramic fermentation pots, malted the barley on a roof, and hired a baker to create a yeast source similar to the kind used in ancient times. They even refrained from using modern cleaning methods to clear natural bacteria that grow in the pots.
So how did the experiment go? Well, researchers think they recreated the beer just right, but they found it was far too sour for modern day tastes and almost tasted more like vinegar than our modern beers. The brewer hopes to give it another try only with some sweet additions from the time period, like dates and honey to get rid of some of the overwhelming sour flavor. If he’s successful, you might just get to try a 5000 year old beer recipe for yourself one day courtesy of the Great Lakes Brewing Company.
5. BEER PRE-DIGESTED BY ELEPHANTS
Actually, the beer itself hasn’t been digested yet. It’s really only the coffee beans that were used in a special coffee known as Black Ivory. Rather than using civets to digest the coffee beans before they are processed, this coffee uses elephants. Then, once the elephants poop out the beans, it’s made into coffee and at that point, the coffee is brewed into Sankt Gallen’s Un, Kono Kuro. Reviewers say it was actually quite delicious, with a strong, bitter taste followed by a wave of sweetness and a mellow body.
Unfortunately, this limited edition treat sold out within minutes (even at the heavy price of $100 a bottle), so if you want to get your hands on some elephant poop beer, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty and start from scratch.
Source: Strangest Beers Ever Brewed
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Heineken is easily one of the most iconic beer brands in the world – but how much do you know about the beer and the company that brews the stuff?
The Dutch lager with the lone red star on a green bottle can be something of an enigma. Thankfully, we’ve researched these 10 facts about Heineken that you can rattle off to your mates next time you enjoy a bottle or glass of the world-famous beer.
1. Heineken is available in more than 70 countries
Of course, it should surprise no-one that Heineken is a huge multinational beer brand, considering its beer is almost as omnipresent as Coca-Cola. However, it’s only when you actual travel to some of the world’s most remote corners that it really dawns on you just how popular this beer is.
2. It hails from Amsterdam, but the Heineken you’re drinking probably doesn’t
It started in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, but these days Heineken is brewed by more than 140 different breweries around the world. Chances are you’re not reading this article in Amsterdam, so the last Heineken you probably had was brewed domestically.
3. Heineken International owns more than 250 brands
These brands include Amstel, Desperados, Sol, Strongbow cider, Dos Equis, Tiger, and Bintang. You’ll notice that many of the Heineken International beer brands are relatively dull-but-highly-marketable light lagers.
4. Heineken is more than 150 years old
Heineken was founded in 1864 by one Gerard Adriaan Heineken. We’ll guess that even he couldn’t predict how successful his beer would turn out to be just 150 years later.
5. It makes HEAPS of money
Heineken’s revenue in 2013 was €19.2bn ($21.8bn USD). That’s a lot of beer. To put it in perspective, that figure is higher than the GDP of many of the world’s smaller countries – including Jamaica, Cambodia, and Albania.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Source: Heineken Facts
A strange combination of beer, alcohol and fire that winds up tasting like Dr. Pepper. It also tastes like Dr. Pepper coming back up so I would recommend only having a couple of these.
Supplies:
1/4 oz 151 Rum
3/4 oz Amaretto
1 12 oz Beer
1 pint glass
1 shot glass
Matches or a lighter
Directions:
1) Fill the pint glass 3/4 full with a cheap lager such as Coors, Bud, etc. This should amount to about 1 12 oz beer.
2) Take the shot glass and fill it 3/4 full with Amaretto. Fill the rest of the glass with 151 Rum. The Rum must go in last.
3) Light the liquid in the shot glass on fire.
4) Drop the shot glass into the pint glass full of beer.
5) Chug the drink as fast as you can.
Source: Beer Shot
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
As most people know hangovers are due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol. This occurs because Alcohol is a diuretic, however, there are other ingredients in some forms of alcohol that also contribute to a hangover. These are called cogeners and are found in dark drinks such as Brandy, Red Wine, Whiskey, etc. Beer is on the low end of the hangover spectrum, although it can still cause a pretty terrible hangover…if you do it right.
In this article, we are going to go through some hangover remedies as well as prevention techniques that will hopefully help you get through the day after a good bender. Obviously, not drinking in the first place is the best way to prevent a hangover, but it is also a stupid thing to do and not something I would ever recommend. Below are some much better options.
– If you smoke, quitting will cut your hangovers in half. I know this from personal experience as well as that of others.
– Drinking water between drinks seems to be a very good hangover prevention technique. You may spend your entire night in the bathroom, but might be worth it if you are prone to painful hangovers.
– A lot of people will take an aspirin or other pain killer before they go to bed after a good binge session. The problem with this is that alcohol and pain killers (especially acetominophen/Tylenol) mixed are very bad for your kidneys.. or is it liver.. who cares, it may help prevent a hangover, but its REALLY bad for you.
– There are a ton of pills on the market that claim to prevent hangovers if taken before you start drinking. There is much debate as to whether these work. A lot of them are just aspirin and vitamins mixed together. Some commonly found pills are RU-21 and Chaser.
– If you are going to get your drink on, there are 2 very important times to eat – before and after. For you pukers, eating after might be tough, but if it makes you puke, that is probably a good thing.
– I find puking to be for the feeble and weak, but for those of you with substandard intestinal fortitude, this is your body trying to tell you something. It will certainly help minimize your hangover the next day.
– The old saying goes, “Liquor before beer, never fear. Beer before liquor, never sicker”. To me this is BS witchcraft psychobabble, but if you are superstitious then you might want to follow the “rules”.
If you are reading this section, it means that the damage is already done and you have wrecked yourself. Fortunately, all hope is not lost.
– Feel like shit? Why not sleep until you don’t anymore. C’mon people, its just common sense. If you have to be awake for some reason, try some of the others below.
– NOW is the time for painkillers, not the night before.
– Your body needs sugar to break down the alcohol that you still have in your system.
– Pedialyte is a formula containing electrolytes and carbohydrates designed specifically to rehydrate babies. It apparently works wonders on hangovers in adults (or children). I have never tried this, nor have I met anyone that can stomach this crap. I hear the popsicles are easier to get down.
– Don’t waste your time with water. It takes too damn long to rehydrate that way. Gatorade contains electrolytes and is designed to rehydrate athletic types. During my career as a beer athlete, I have had some pretty good success with Gatorade. Lime flavor seems to be the least offensive to a weak stomach.
– Here is another one that defies science, however, if you exercise or do some yard work with a hangover, you will sweat it away. It makes no sense since you are further dehydrating yourself, but it works well for me and many others. The problem with this one, is that being active is about the last thing you want to do with a hangover. You really have to force yourself to pull this off. Here is some incentive – after you work up a disgusting, rotten alcohol smelling sweat, go to the store and stand really close to people and see if you can get a reaction. If you haven’t brushed your teeth yet, try striking up some conversations.
– The absolute best and most elusive hangover cure is an IV. I hear this is a common trick among med students who give themself and IV for an hour and they are completely rehydrated.
– The best vitamin for a hangover is B1 (Thiamine). You can find B1 in rice, beans, nuts, etc. Potassium is another important one which can be found in Bananas.
– Juice contains a lot of vitamins and is a faster, better tasting way to rehydrate yourself than water.
– This is an amino acid that helps remove toxins from your body. You can buy pills or it can be found in eggs, which supports breakfast theories.
– Fill your bathtub with cold water and some ice. Jump in and stay in as long as you can take it. Repeat as necessary. If you are near a cold river or glacier runoff, this will work too. I have tried this and it does work for a while. It is hard to feel your hangover if you can’t feel anything at all.
Source: Beer Hangover
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Guinness (dark beer)
- 1/2 cup butter, cubed
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup baking cocoa
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
TOPPING:
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Preparation:
- Grease a 9-in. springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat beer and butter until butter is melted. Remove from the heat; whisk in sugar and cocoa until blended. Combine the eggs, sour cream and vanilla; whisk into beer mixture. Combine flour and baking soda; whisk into beer mixture until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Remove sides of pan.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar and cream; beat until smooth (do not over-beat). Remove cake from the pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake so that it resembles a frothy pint of beer. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.
Source: Chocolate Guinness Cake
Let the Games Begin!
The Beer Olympics combine the competitive nature of intramural sports, with the enough beer to drown a small village. But, if you’re going to partake in the most sacred of competitions, you have to do it the correct way.
Basic Rules
Teams must be made up of no more than 6 participants, and no fewer than 4. Every team must have an equal number of players.
4 teams minimum, no maximum.
Ideally teams will have the same number of girls on them, to avoid one team being at a disadvantage.
There needs to be between 15-20 cans of beer allocated per player, per team. It’s always better to air on the side of caution and go with the bigger number, because if you run out of beer mid-competition, you are disqualified and your team loses a set number of points, and it’s not like any extra beer would go to waste.
Every team competes in every event, but not every team member.
For scoring, you take the number of teams you have, and award that many points for first in each event (6 teams=6 points for first). Last place always gets 1 point. Every team in between…you get the point.
To avoid confrontation, teams represent a color, not a country. There’s no way I’d represent any country besides the good ole’ Canada! (And I know my fellow bros echo that sentiment)
Opening Ceremony
Teams are introduced. Coming out to a legendary song is not only awesome, but also encouraged.
The order of events are announced (as decided upon by team captains).
Trash talking commences.
Events
Volume Chug: Number of Participants – Whole Team
This is the best event to start off with. Not only does every team member get to participate, everyone gets really drunk, really quickly.
Rules:
1. Each team is given one large bucket.
2. Into the bucket 1 can of beer per team member is poured.
3.The clock starts when the first participant beings to chug, the clock stops when all the beer has been finished. Points deducted if there is an ‘excessive’ amount of beer spilled.
4. Fastest time wins.
Beer Pong (Beirut for you traditionalists): Number of Participants – 2 per team
Tried and true, beer pong is a staple of every BROlympic event. However, this isn’t your mother’s 10-cup.
Rules:
1. In lieu of said tradition 10-cup, 21-cups are played with (6-5-4-3-2-1 rack).
2. Each team is allowed two members per side.
3. 1 celebrity shot per team, per round.
4. If the ball is bounced into a cup, that cup and another are to be consumed by one team member. If the ball is bounced, it can be swatted. If a player knocks his own cup over on a swat, a penalty is assessed. He/she must chug a can of beer, and while they’re doing that, the opposition gets to shoot until that can of beer is finished. Regardless of how many cups were hit and by whom, “rollback” and “fire” rules do not apply during penalty shots.
5. In official Beer Olympics play, in the spirit of speeding up competition, “catching fire” and team “rollbacks” are allowed. Fire is achieved after a single player hits 3 cups in a row, and rollbacks occur when team members both hit cups in the same turn.
6. If both players on one side sink the same cup, the game is not over (as is tradition), the opposing team has to chug 3 cups each, including the cup that was hit twice.
Body Shot/Funnel Relay Race: Number of Participants – 4 per team
For this event, each team needs 4 participants. A girl (This is why having at least one girl per team is crucial. Hopefully you get the thin girl who has a little divot in her stomach when she’s on her back, but if you get a “bigger” girl, you’re taking that shot out of the belly button, son), a bro to take the shot off of her, a bro to hold the funnel, and another bro to actually funnel the beer. You cannot hold your own funnel, there is no “I” in team. The girl lays down on a table, and one shot of an agreed upon liquor (usually tequila) is poured on to her. Salt is then spread in a line on her chest, and a sliced lime is put in her mouth. Before “go” each team is allowed to pour the beer into the funnel. On go, the bro funneling has to get down on a knee, finish his beer, get up and then run across (ideally the lawn) and tag his other bro in, who then runs to the end of the yard, takes, the shot, licks the salt, grabs the lime and then sprints back to the finish line (which is on the opposite side of the lawn from the girl). Fastest time wins.
Rules:
1. Starting Positions
- Funnel holder and funneler: Start at the finish line
- Bro taking the body shot: Directly in the middle
- The girl: On the opposite side of the yard from the finish line
2. A point-deduction penalty is assed if:
- Any beer is spilled from the funnel
- Any alcohol is left on the girl
3. If any player cannot hold their alcohol for this specific event, that player is disqualified, and the team must finish the Olympics one man down.
Flip Cup: Number of Participants – Whole Team
At this point in the day, your motor skills are on par with those of a mentally handicapped penguin, that’s why flip cup is the perfect game to get into. Everyone knows how to play, and in this event there are no penalties. Only difference is in the Beer Olympics, there is one anchor per team. The person who is going last has to chug two cups of beer and successfully flip both cups. Once everyone on the team has been an anchor, that round is considered completed, and the points are tallied up. In the event of a tie, one more round without anchors is played.
Civil War: Number of Participants – 3 per team
Congratulations. You’ve made it to the final event. Civil War. This game follows the basic rules of civil war; three cups per person, once your cups are sunk, you’re eliminated. If the ball is shot, and bounces off of a cup and to the side of the table, it’s fair game for each team. Only the person closest may retrieve that ball, no jumping across the table. While they’re down, their teammates can protect their cups from bounce shots.
Rules:
1. Once your eliminated you may do nothing more than offer your team moral support in the form of catchy cheers. No celebrity shots, no drinking their beer for them.
2. Points are based on how many cups the winning team has remaining at the end of each round.
IN THE EVENT OF A TIE
There is to be a case race. However many teams are tied send up two representatives (unless 4 or more teams are tied, then one each). A 30-rack is then placed in the middle of them. On go, they have to drink as many beers as they can. When the case is done, or when all sides have decided they can’t drink anymore, whichever team has the most empty beer cans on their side is declared the winner.
Closing Ceremonies
Once all the points have been tallied up, a winner is declared.
Only gold medals are given out, because first place is the only place that matters in the Beer Olympics. If you’re not first, you’re last.
Any leftover cans of beer are allocated to the winners.
Now, take this knowledge that I’ve bestowed upon you, and make your parents proud, as a Beer Olympian.
Source: Beer Olympics
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Many consumers have a beer once in a while when going out, without putting much thought into it. Others, however, are passionate beer drinkers who take several things into account when choosing their beer, and beer apps aim to improve the whole experience. From what beer would go best with your meal, be it salmon or burgers, to locating a craft brewery serving that special pumpkin ale you’ve wanted to try to a review of which establishments have the best cheese boards and wings to go with those beers to helping plan a beer-sampling road trip, these apps up the enjoyment level of the beer-drinking experience.
Both iOS and Android users can choose from a slew of beer apps available, either free or paid, but not all of them are worth your time. Here are 5 beer apps (in no particular order) generally rated at the top of their category:
1. Untappd
Untappd is one of the most popular applications in its category, with numerous beer drinkers relying on it to improve their experience. The app is easy to use, has a clean design, a strong community and several other neat features that place it at the top of beer-drinking apps. Untappd lists nearby establishments serving craft beer so you can get an idea of available options, while user reviews and photos aim to paint a picture of what to expect from a certain establishment.
The app will recommend different beers, give you badges as you try out more brews, allow friends to compete, and let users share their experience on Facebook, Twitter, or Foursquare. Lastly, Untappd also works like a beer journal, keeping track of the beers you liked or disliked based on your ratings. Untappd is a free app available for both iOS and Android, as well as other platforms.
2. BeerMenus
This free app is widely considered the best tap list finder, as it features frequently updated tap lists that enable users to find out what’s available on tap at a certain establishment before the go. The app will deliver notifications when a specific beer becomes available, or in case there are any changes to the “On Tap” menu, and it also lists available options. BeerMenus is available only for iOS, but interested beer lovers can also use it online.
3. iBrewMaster
Widely considered one of the best apps of its kind, iBrewMaster aims to get you started in the art of brewing your own beer. The app comes with 50 preinstalled recipes, but users can buy more through the app or create their own recipe. For personal creations, the app will provide estimations regarding alcohol content, calories, color and IBUs, the International Bittering Units scale, a measure of the actual bitterness of a beer from the alpha acid from hops. iBrewMaster can guide users through the whole process, offering info on everything from availability of ingredients to the fermenting process, bottling options and others aspects of home brewing. The app costs $6.99 and is available for both iOS and Android.
4. Elixr
This free app basically provides a Yelp feed that lists drinks instead of bars and restaurants. Elixr delivers a slew of photos into one’s feed, organizing everything into clean listings that are easy to scroll through. The whole app is revolving around specific drinks, allowing users to check in with their individual beverage. Simply put, instead of checking in at a certain bar, you’ll check in with the specific beer you’re drinking. The app even has a geolocation map of nearby bars, which can help users find the beer bar that has the type of brew they like. Elixr doesn’t deal exclusively with beer, as it offers such info on all sorts of drinks, but its beer community is quite dedicated. The app is free and available for download on iOS and Android.
5. Any Beer ABV
This free app has an extensive trove of roughly 13,000 ABVs listed in its database, allowing users to easily search and find out how much alcohol is in that beer. The app lists the alcohol by volume content of beers both domestic and imported. It’s quite straightforward and easy to use. The app is available for iOS and Android.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Every beer producer always wants its brands to stay on top in the market by all means. Some of the brewers spend millions on slick advertising while others are forced to pay a king’s ransom just to pimp the name of their beer. However, it is not always easy for smaller breweries in the market. They might produce great beer but it is rare for anyone of them to get the desired reception in the crowded beer market. So what these small breweries decided to do is come up with ingenious methods that will help them stand out from the rest. To ensure that, most of the microbreweries have developed funny, bizarre and sometimes offensive as well as attention-grabbing brand names. From Santa’s butt, Old speckled hen all through to Bishop’s finger, there is an endless list of weird beer names that you can expect.
Here are some of the top five beers with weird names in the market today:
- Arrogant Bastard Ale
From Stone Brewing Company, a brewery based in California, comes the Arrogant Bastard Ale. The beer is so good that the brewers basically decided to mock anyone that is daring enough to try it. The use of the devil on the beer’s bottle perfectly matches its name and the ‘You’re not worthy’ phrase endorses the brand name as well.
- Bishop’s Finger
With an ABV of 5.4 percent, Bishop’s Finger features as one of the strongest premium bottled ales in Britain. Shepherd Neame did a great job in producing BF, which is essentially made with desired levels of water, barley and hops, making it one of the finest and most enjoyable beers for any customer.
- Panty Peeler
Panty peeler is one of the Belgian Tripel’s finest beers that is brewed with American boldness. The beer was initially called Extreme Polar White Bier but it underwent a change of name to Panty Peeler, and it now contains more orange peel and coriander than before.
- Buttface Amber
Buttface is one of Big Horn’s most complex beers with a total combination of five different malts and 4 hop varieties. The beer is easy to drink and that is as a result of its high malt character as well as lack of evident hops.
- Santa’s Butt
Brewers always strive to come up with rich, hearty blends, all meant to satisfy finicky beer drinkers especially during winter. Santa’s butt-brewed by Ridgeway Brewing- is one of such beers. The ‘Butt’ is a play in words in that it is used to refer to a 108 imperial gallons barrel. The beer is popular in the North Pole and it is apparently meant to be drunk in winter.
Visit the Edomonton International Beer Festival and look for these beers with weird names.
Thirsty? Nothing like an ice cold Leinenkugel or a Goose Island. Infinitely better than that watered-down Natty Light or, worse, Keystone…. right? You might cherish your small-batch brewery buzz, but the truth of the matter is that you probably have no idea just how big the people backing your beer actually are. Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest brews actual origins.
It’s not all cut and dry though. You’ll notice that AB InBev owns a startling majority of some of the market’s most popular brands. Molson Coors and SAB Miller, the second and third runners up, would never be able to keep up on their own, so they joined together in one hoppy, unholy union to create Miller-Coors. And so on.
You’ll probably be surprised—perhaps even dismayed—by what you see. But hopefully, that will just make those actual local brewery beers all the more special.
Source: Gizmodo
Many beer drinkers look forward to visiting several festivals a year, but you don’t like them all equally. For those that you absolutely love though, like the Grand Prairie BeerFest, you don’t just return year after year, but you get your tickets as early as you can because the event always sells out!
Edmonton International BeerFest is coming to Grand Prairie and is getting bigger and better every year, occupying 18,000 sq. ft. of space. There are numerous events with hundreds of beers for you to sample, including Grand Prairie’s best serving establishment, as well as a fantastic line-up of entertainment.
So, what makes a great beer festival?
From the organiser’s point of view, it would have to be one that sells out, runs out of beer, and everyone goes home happy. The running out of beer part is flexible, since it mostly depends on how well you can estimate your order so everyone is satisfied, without pouring any beer down the drain.
From the beer lover, there are several things that matter.
- Being able to find quality beers
It is hard for organisers to ensure that both the early and late attenders can get to sample the interesting beers. If all the top beers were availed at the beginning of the festival, then those attending later would not be expecting to find any interesting beers. Some festivals mark reserve beers in the programme, though it is unlikely that attenders would miss good beer from hundreds of beer options.
- Being able to accomplish your goals
People visit festivals for different reasons. Some go for the new beers and breweries, others for the local beers they can’t get in their local area, and some for tried and tested beers they enjoy. Many large festivals tend to accommodate all types of visitors, though the smaller ones can concentrate on one of the three areas.
- Venue
Some festivals are held in completely unsuitable places, so it is important to consider the clientele you’re expecting and the ideal environment for them: pub or open ground. Beer lovers need a decent environment to be able to enjoy their drinks.
So, what every beer lover wants at a festival is a great, entertaining environment to drink quality beer that is reasonably priced and in good nick.
Come and have a great time September 25 -26 at Bowes Family Crystal Gardens, Get your TICKETS TODAY!
Canadians spend billions of dollars on beer every year. This is not surprising, considering that Canadian beet is considered to be made better, better tasting, and delivers a greater kick compared to other American beers. In addition, it stays cold longer, given the northern weather.
Every Canadian province and territory has its own beer that the locals love to call their own. Be it a small-batch brew or craft beer, the following is a list of top Canadian beer brands that are considered favourites by both beer lovers and the North American Brewers Awards.
- Labatt
Labatt’s Blue Pilsner has been a Canadian favourite since it was created in 1951. On top of that, it is the best-selling Canadian lager in the world. Besides the popular Blue, Labatt brews other labels, like the Labatt 50 ale that was introduced in 1950.
It is important to note that Labatt is no longer a pure Canadian brand. In 1995, it was acquired by Belgian-based Interbrew, which then combined with Brazil’s AmBev in 2004, before merging with Anheuser Busch in 2008 to create the largest brewing entity in the world.
- Moosehead
This is Canada’s oldest independent brewery that was started in 1867 by Susannah Oland in Nova Scotia. The brewery went through a series of fires, deaths, and name changes, eventually becoming Moosehead Breweries Ltd in 1947. Some people consider Moosehead the true Canadian beer, and have even made it the Canadian National Basketball Association’s official beer. The brewery produces ales and lagers.
- Whistler
Anyone who enjoys craft beers has definitely sampled some of the Whistler Brewing Company beers. The brewery was established in Whistler, British Columbia in 1989, and organises tours for fans looking to witness the brewing process and taste the magnificent craft brews at their source.
- Sleeman Unibroue
This is one Canadian brand that consistently wins with its La Fin du Monde on the beer Advocate website. The brewery has won numerous awards in North America, including 183 international awards for its brews, with La Fin du Monde – a Golden Ale – earning the bulk of those awards. The brewery also has a bunch of other beers.
So, while some people may be opting for imported beers from Mexico and the US, there is still plenty of local beer brands to try out.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The City of Grand Prairie in northwest Alberta got its name from the large prairie that lies to its north, east, and west. The region’s first economic mainstay was Agriculture, and the region still produces barley, wheat, canola, and oats, which are essential for the brewing industry.
The region hosts a variety of festivals, including summer-long music festivals organised by community-minded individuals and charitable organisations. The locals get to enjoy Grande Prairie’s amazingly wide range of local music genres, including Metal (Arrival of Autumn), Reggae (Tasman Jude), Country (such as Brad Sims and Tenile), rock, folk, and much more.
There are many cultural venues, like the Bowes Family Crystal – a concert hall and hockey rink, and the gardens where the Grand Prairie international beer festival is held. Other notable venues include the Art Gallery of Grand Prairie, the Grand Prairie Museum, the Rabbit Hole Bookstore, and the Live Theatre Second Street where the five-day international short-film festival in Grand Prairie, referred to as “The Reel Shorts Film Festival” takes place in early May.
Grand Prairie is also home to “Broadway Live Broadway” – a professional musical theatre company that engages equity actors and performs on the college campus.
The International Beerfest
Edmonton’s International BeerFest is coming to Grand Prairie and takes over 18,000 sq. ft. in the Bowes Family Crystal Gardens. It is bigger and better every year, and from 25th to 26th September, 2015, beer lovers will be trickling in to taste from the hundreds of beers available, including those from Grand Prairie’s most popular and top serving establishments.
The event has sold out every year for the last 9 years straight with shows across all of Alberta, and with this year’s amazing line-up of entertainment, it will be no different this year.
This is Alberta’s biggest beer festival. You don’t have to come full as food vendors will be on hand to provide samples of Grande Prairie’s finest food and gourmet treats.
Of course, all beerfest attendees must be 18 and over.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
There has always been some kind of pride associated with drinking in colder climates like Russia, Canada, or Alaska, under the assumption that they produce stronger brews up there because it helps to keep them warm. Many Americans have dismissed such sentiments as myths, but when it comes to Canadian beer being stronger than American beer, there is a bit of truth to that claim.
Why some people don’t see any difference
Some people argue that Canadian beer is not stronger than American beer. They even claim that the strongest Canadian beers are no match for the highest alcohol-by-volume (ABV) US beers.
These people claim that the “myth” of Canadian beer being stronger than US beer was a result of the differences in how alcohol was traditionally measured in the two countries. While Americans used the alcohol-by-weight (ABW) technique, Canadians used the alcohol-by-volume (ABV) method. So, what is the difference?
For starters, alcohol is less dense than water (weighs about 80 percent as much as water). So, a typical 12-ounce macro lager can that has 5 percent Alcohol by volume actually has 4 percent alcohol by weight. Because of differences in labelling, Canadian brews (measured in ABV) appeared to be more potent than American beers.
Canadian Beer is still stronger
Today, most American beers also use the ABV method. Using the same measure, full-bodied lagers in both countries tend to be contain between 4.0 and 6.1 percent ABV.
While American breweries can claim to have some really strong beers, like Samuel Adams Triple Bock (17.5% ABV), Canada also has a selection of strong beers, like Critical Mass (17%), The Black Bullet (15%), and Korruptor (16%). That said, Canadian craft beers tend to be higher in strength than those produced by macro brewers.
Some American breweries produce beers with less than 5 or 6% ABV because of restrictions imposed by laws. But still, the difference in beer strength between the two nations is only marginal, and may not really warrant the king of national pride that Canadians have in their beer.
Photo Credit: Canadian or American
You probably know which beer you like best. You might how much it costs. You may know where it’s sold. But how much do you really know about beer? Here are some amazing trivia to share with your friends.
1. All vitamins and minerals necessary for good health can be found in beer and other alcohol beverages.
2. Early recipes for beer sometimes included mushrooms, poppy seeds, butter, bay leaves, sugar, aromatics, honey, and bread crumbs.
3. Beer was first sold in bottles in 1850. It was first sold in cans in 1935.
4. If you collect beer bottles you are a labeorphilist.
5. In eleventh-century England, a bride would distribute ale to her wedding guests in exchange for donations to the newlyweds. This brew, known as Bride Ale, is the origin of the word ‘bridal.
6. The powers that be at Guinness say that a pint of beer is lifted about ten times, and each time about 0.56 ml is lost in a beer drinker’s facial hair. That’s a lot of wasted beer!
7. U.S. beer sales surpass that of both wine and spirits combined. (2007)
Beer Sales: $98 billion
Spirits Sales: $62.6 Billion
Wine Sales: $28.1 Billion
8. Noah loaded his ark with beer according to Assyrian tablets dated to about 2000 BC.
9. The first beer six-pack of beer was sold in the 1940s. It was designed to be light enough for most people to carry easily.
10. Belgium has over 400 brands of beer.
Source: Beer Trivia, Genius of Drinking
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The trend for home breweries and craft beers has led to an explosion of inventive and original beer label designs. Here are some of the best.
Wine bottles may get a lot more of the spotlight when it comes to label design, but a recent trend to home breweries and the growing popularity of small run craft beers is opening up a whole new world in beverage label design.
While companies such as InBev may have the market cornered in terms of big name beers like Budweiser, Beck’s, or Stella Artois, it’s the smaller brew houses – which you may never of heard of until now – that are getting really creative with their label designs. So here we’ve gathered together 05 of the most creative examples of beer bottle label designs to inspire you.
5. Half Acre
Half Acre describes its beer as “a reflection of those that keep it alive, the people that hoist the beer and the places where it’s found” – and that ethos is also reflected within the labels. After each beer is lovingly crafted, the label is designed to reflect the inspiration behind the brew. Ranging from cats and robots to donkeys and daisies, the label designs are just as delicious as you’d expect the beer to be.
4. Russell Brew Co. Angry Scotch Ale
Why wrap your beer bottle with a label that can peel off when you can print it right on the bottle? Russell Brewing Co.’s Angry Scotch Ale, brought to you by the people at Atmosphere Design, features ink right on the bottle. It’s a good way to save on paper and glue while also creating a striking design.
3. St. Stefanus
When you look at the label created by Brandhouse for St. Stefanus, you are seeing history. In fact you are seeing almost 700 years of beer brewing tradition, dating back to the Augustijn monks who originated the recipe. Some elements of the font used on the bottle and label even come from songbooks found in the Augustijn’s monastery library.
2. Innis & Gunn
If you haven’t heard of the creative team at Stranger & Stranger then their design for the Innis & Gunn label is great introduction. They do some of the best package design work in the industry, which is easily reflected in the amount of detail you see in this Innis & Gunn label. They manage to invoke both a classic and modern aesthetic with the use of red and gold and classic illustration elements.
1. Hilliard’s Brewery
We can’t discuss beer labels without throwing in at least one beercan design. Seattle’s latest craft beers from Hilliard’s Brewery are a testament to classic Americana. The can design from Mint explores a feeling of nostalgia for the ’70s with its use of font, dominant blue and white colour, and earth tone plaid patterns.
Source: Brilliant Beer Designs
So you let yourself down! That’s OK, it happens to everyone, though probably not to the same degree or with the same consistency as it happens to you. Your compromises are many, your inadequacies abundant. The good news is that failure no longer stings as badly as it once did. For instance, it probably doesn’t even bother you to know that your desensitization to failure is, in itself, a new kind of failure to throw on the pile. Yes, things are looking up already.
When faced with your own bad decisions and shortcomings, sometimes you need a drink, and while most wines, beers and spirits are created with celebration in mind, the 99 Cent Store carries an array of alcoholic beverages for the opposite of that. You won’t find them in the refrigerated racks with the sodas because these drinks aren’t meant to be enjoyed, they are meant to be consumed, and lukewarm. They are sold individually or by the pallet from a conspicuous pile in the dankest corner of the store, and most of the cans or bottles are significantly cheaper than a dollar, which means that just by recycling them when you’re done, you can still break even. That’s because the 99 Cent Store knows that right about now, you could use a win.
Now, the beer selection is as diverse as your own personal failures, which is why I bought every beer I could find and created this guide to help you pair each mistake with the best draft. This should also save you the humiliation of asking one of the clerks at 10 a.m. on a weekday. So join me as we uncover how each beer complements your unique brands of misery, or you can just skim this list if you have something more pressing you need to do. No, I’m kidding, let’s get started.
3. Seven Kings Lager Beer
Actual Tagline:
Fit for a king with its premium brew and regal character, Seven Kings Lager is a beer of victory and intrigue.
Upon opening this beer, I was immediately impressed with how much regal character I got for only 59 cents. It has a golden, clear color, and it wears its frothy head like a crown for upwards of three seconds before turning into fizzy apple juice. Given the name, I’m frankly a little surprised that HBO hasn’t tried some kind of Seven Kingdoms tie-in. The beer even smells almost exactly how I would expect every person from the Middle Ages to smell.
The flavor is also bold; I don’t brew beer, but I imagine it takes a lot of courage to make one that tastes like nothing but corn and metal. Fortunately, that’s exactly what you want from a beer designed as punishment. If you choose to drink it with dinner, I think you’ll find that Seven Kings is completely competent at washing down a hamburger bun dipped in ketchup.
Pairing Advice:
I recommend pairing Seven Kings with the personal disappointment you feel after bailing on a charity cancer bike ride you promised you’d attend and instead spending the weekend watching your BitTorrent version of Game of Thrones for the third time. I refuse to believe this beer wasn’t brewed specifically to complement regret. Even the Seven Kings website is depressing. It’s a single, sparse page that tells me I can buy their beer at Big Lots. It also maintains a section for all their awards and accolades, which, if I counted correctly, is zero. I’m honestly baffled why they included this on their website; it’s the equivalent of someone tattooing their unaccomplished dreams and ambitions on their chest. Seven Kings is a reminder that no one will ever consider you the king of anything, except maybe unreliability.
2. Goldmine Lager
Actual Tagline:
Strike gold in just one sip with the delicious taste of Goldmine Premium Lager Beer.
If this is what it feels like to strike gold, then California had no business becoming a state. In general, I distrust any canned good with an adjective like “premium” on the label, but in the spirit of self-flagellation with which everyone else must be consuming this beer, I made an exception. Just for context, I’ve also seen Goldmine Lager at Whole Foods before, but never as cheap as 59 cents a can, which makes me wonder how it fell so low. Maybe the upper crust has run out of reasons to punish itself.
The beer is thin, light yellow and watery. It tastes a lot like if Coors Light tried to remind you with every sip that it spent the last six months in an aluminum can. While there isn’t an immediate aftertaste, there’s a lingering flavor of salty metal, like your mouth just lost a tooth, or like you just discovered a vein of ore in the creases of your tongue.
Pairing Advice:
This beer goes best with an ended relationship that could have easily been saved if you were just willing to put in the proper effort. Like an excitable prospector setting out West to strike it rich, you were ill-prepared for the real work necessary for a relationship, and once winter came, you killed and consumed the energy of your significant other, metaphorically. Goldmine Lager pairs well with the regrets of love and it will distract you from the thoughts of what your ex is up to now, which is undoubtedly something more constructive than drinking beer from the 99 Cent Store.
1. Beer 30 Light
Actual Tagline:
None. There isn’t even a product description from the brewer anywhere online.
Judging by the color, smell and taste, I’m pretty confident I could pass a urine test with a cup of this beer. Everything about it, from the can to the contents, feels like a prank designed to make me drink pee. The beer is watery even for light beer but makes up for blandness with the brutal and unmistakable taste of iron.
Individual beers were 59 cents at the store, but there was a spectacular deal where I could buy a 12-pack for three dollars. The logo features a clock where all the numbers are replaced with “Beer 30,” suggesting that you have to get up pretty early in the morning to fit in all the mistakes you’re going to make in a day. This beer also, perhaps wisely, steers away from the “Drink Responsibly” campaign. Beer 30 knows that responsibility has no authority over the kind of people who would buy a pallet of off-brand beer from the 99 Cent Store.
Pairing Advice:
This beer really complements the sense of failure that comes from the sudden awareness that you’ve established artificial hurdles in your life for fear of ever being truly successful. Without your sense of dissatisfaction with the world, you wouldn’t recognize yourself, and the barriers you’ve created give you reason to consistently fail without it ever being entirely your fault. In that tradition, now you can build much more tangible obstacles out of Beer 30 cans, preferably the night before you have a job interview or a meeting that could help define the rest of your life. Beer 30 isn’t just an arbitrary time on a clock; it’s marking the middle point in your life, reminding you how many times you’ve abandoned the hard work necessary to achieve your dreams, and instead opted for the immediate gratification of a beer. It also goes really nicely with a Bratwurst!
Source: 5 Pairing Cheap Beers
Beer is perhaps the most famous beverage in the world. It is enjoyed all over the globe, and most people of legal drinking age are familiar with it.
However, as popular as beer is, there are many things most people don’t know about it.
5. Beer and Facial Hair
Facial hair can make drinking beer rather difficult. However, it can also produce drinkable beer. A brewmaster in Oregon has actually discovered a way to make beer from yeast collected from his own beard.
Although this may sound rather disgusting, it is actually a valid way to collect yeast. Most of the fermenting yeast in the world is harvested from rotten bits of nature, so snagging some from someone’s beard is just a logical (if slightly disturbing) extension of the normal process.
4. The Foam
Many drinkers disapprove of the foam on top of a beer glass: It makes drinking difficult and looks unappetizing to some. However, the foam is a very important part of the beer. The foamy “head,” as it is called, is formed by a complex carbon-dioxide reaction and can say a lot about the quality of the beer. Many stout beers, Guinness in particular, are characterized by their gloriously foamy head. The lack of head, on the other hand, can mean that your beer is probably flat and bland-tasting.
The Holy Grail of foam enthusiasts is so-called Brussels Lace. It is the perfect foam that refuses to go away and forms a lace-like residue pattern once the glass is empty. This can only be achieved with a high-quality beer. Interestingly, Brussels Lace will never form on a dirty glass, so it also tells the drinker that their glass has been properly cleaned.
3. Marijuana and Beer
Not many people are aware that marijuana and beer are actually quite close relatives. The flavoring agent in beer, hops, is a member of the Cannabaceae family, which (as you might deduce from the name) also includes Cannabis sativa, the marijuana plant.
Although the plants are of the same family and share many genetic similarities, you can’t just replace one with the other. Still, they are similar enough that enterprising souls have attempted to graft hops into marijuana and brew marijuana beer. Details of these projects are hard to find—which presumably means the results have been less than pleasant.
2. Water and Beer
Although water is generally quite tasteless, it is actually a very important factor in the taste of a beer. The vast majority of beer is water, after all—no amount of skill or fine ingredients will save a beer if the water is low-quality.
Throughout history, many breweries chose their location exclusively because there was quality water nearby. Purity is obviously a factor: Many home brewers get unfortunate surprises because they have been using chlorinated tap water. Also, water reservoirs in different areas vary in taste and beer-making quality.
Many think that some of the best beer-making waters in the world come from Ireland’s mountains. This water is used to make Guinness. Take that as you will.
1. The Best Beer in the World
Beers are extremely difficult to rank. One’s superiority to another is largely a matter of taste. However, when it comes to naming the absolute best beer in the whole world, beer lovers are in complete agreement. This honorable drink is called Westvleteren 12. It is a 10.2 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) Trappist beer that has been in production since 1940.
Westvleteren 12 is a dark beer with a refined, chocolate-like taste that is said to be unrivaled by any other beer. It is instantly recognizable by its distinct yellow cap and complete lack of any labels. Usually, it is only available by driving to the monastery that makes it (located deep in the countryside of Belgium) and buying it straight from the monks, which often involves waiting patiently in a line of cars that can extend for miles. However, the monks are fully aware of the superiority of their product and are willing to use its reputation to their benefit on occasion. When their monastery needed a new roof in 2012, they briefly exported Westvleteren 12 to various countries with prices ranging between $75 and $85 for a six-pack and two tasting glasses.
It sold out in minutes.
Photo Credit: Fun Facts About Beer
People have always said a man’s drink says a lot about his personality — but often, they’re referring to hard liquor. What about beer, the real man’s drink? What can you tell about a man based on his brew? We did some investigating on the subject, and with a little help from this study done by Mindset Media, here’s what we came up with:
Budweiser: The All-American
If you visit Budweiser’s website, you’ll learn that Adolphus Busch, the founder of Budweiser, believed there were three ways to do things: the wrong way, the right way and the better way. He used practical innovation to create a great American lager and forged his business through the tough years of prohibition, building a company that is now an iconic representation of the American dream. From what we’ve discovered, Busch infused some of this inspiring personality into his brew; men who choose Budweiser tend to be sensible, grounded and practical. They enjoy living in the moment and aren’t ones to plan in advance. They dislike the concept of authority and aren’t afraid to “live outside the box,” bearing a similar resemblance to the pioneer himself, Adolphus Busch.
Blue Moon: The Tree Hugger
People who drink Blue Moon tend to have an attitude that their beer of choice is better than yours, but you’re not worthy (or capable) of understanding why. They despise moral authorities and take pleasure in sarcastically criticizing the world around them, offering no useful solutions. Your best chances of spotting them are while they’re driving their hybrid car, shopping for organic food, surfing the Web on their MacBook Pro, or hugging a tree.
Heineken: The Poser
Men who drink Heineken are an absolute catch. Their taste for luxury clothes, fancy cars and fine dining is something the rest of us can only dream about. They’re always up-to-date with the latest technologies and will enthusiastically educate you on them. If you believe them when they tell you how smart, good looking and successful they are (yes, them — not you) and give them 110 percent of your undivided attention, you’re bound for a relationship full of eternal bravado and bliss.
Bud Light: The Frat Boy
When you think of Bud Light, does a frat boy playing drinking games in his Vineyard Vines polo come to mind? If your answer is yes, you’re probably familiar with the personality I’m about to describe. Bud Light drinkers tend to be outgoing and easy to get along with, making for a great personality in a social setting. But be forewarned: They’re also prone to taking unnecessary risks, so if you spend too much time with them, you may find yourself crossing the lines of socially acceptable behavior. Now, let’s play a game: Which came first, the Bud Light or the frat guy? That may be harder to figure out than the chicken and the egg conundrum!
Corona: The Party Animal
Always expect something extra when hanging out with Corona drinkers. These people are energetic, fun, and the life of the party. They’ll make strangers feel like friends, and while their extroverted personality may be a little much for a Tuesday night happy hour, give them a chance. Deep down inside, they likely have an altruistic side that’s yearning to come out.
Michelob Ultra: The Guy Drinking Low-Cal Beer
Besides his ultra-strict diet (Michelob Ultra has a measly 95 calories), there’s nothing really ultra about this guy. He might be young and beautiful, but he’s a bit conceited. He has a strong, confident opinion, but can also be confrontational and controlling. Perhaps he’s into you, but he’s probably more into himself. And he might be drinking an Ultra, but to us, he’s just another man drinking a low-cal beer.
Source: Men’s Personality based on Beer
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
As the summer heat kicks into full gear, you’re going to need a proper way to cool off. Forget that lime-flavoured “lite beer” swill and let these refreshing beverages be your go-to drinks when the mercury spikes.
1. Phillips Ginger Beer
Ginger beers aren’t for everyone. But for the ones who do indulge, this Victoria, BC brew is perfect for the dog days of summer. With a tag line that says, “with more ginger than Gilligan can handle” it shouldn’t be surprising that it has a strong ginger taste. But it’s got a nice refreshing kick that’d be perfect after a round of golf on a hot summer day.
2.Creemore Kellerbier
Creemore has been pumping out a near-perfect beer for ages and they’ve added a fourth variation to their stable of brews. The Kellerbier differs from the classic version because it’s unfiltered. It has a brown, cloudy colour, and a citrusy scent and taste that are all tied off with just a touch of a hoppy bitterness at the end. Surely a beer fit for summer drinking.
3. Schneider Hopfen Weisse
This bottle-fermented brew is interesting because it is billed as a collaborative effort between German-based Weisses Bräuhaus and New York’s Brooklyn Brewery. Long story short, the brew masters from each place are buddies – and they each brew a similar beer (slightly different because of variations in local hops.) Get it before the hipsters ruin it for everyone.
4.Celt Golden Crafted Ale
The best way to describe Celt’s Golden Crafted Ale is to just call it a classic beer done well. It’s got a beautiful golden brown colour and strong caramel and toffee notes to go with a slightly fruity, hoppy taste. It’s simple, it’s traditional, but it’s done nearly (it’s a bit on the light side) to perfection.
5. Propeller Extra Special Bitter
When one thinks of great beer destinations in Canada, the Maritimes should be the first place that comes to mind. This copper-coloured English-style bitter is a Halifax classic and has a nice balance of maltiness and (obviously) bitterness from the hops. Plus, if you actually live on the east coast you can get it in 1.9L growlers! Bottoms up.
Source: Sharp Magazine
