Saisons: The Summer’s Best Beer

Saisons: The Summer’s Best Beer

As temperatures become warmer during the summer months, people naturally choose lighter, different flavored food and drinks than in the winter. Heavy, full-bodied stouts, porters and other heavy beers are too overpowering for the heat and sunshine of the hotter months. When you think about switching up your beer for higher temperatures you probably want something light, refreshing, and easy to drink. 
What’s the perfect beer for summer? The Saison! In fact, the word Saison means “season” as this beer was originally brewed as a lunchtime drink for field workers. A Saison’s medium average ABV of between 5.0% and 6.0% is reflected in this, as an intoxicated worker wouldn’t be of much use. This makes them perfect for session drinking on long, hot days. The flavor profile of Saisons also reflects it’s farm focused roots.Saisons are, by definition, a drink that brings the best parts of the warmer season together. Saisons have a dry finish and a high carbonation, which makes them taste uniquely refreshing during a heat wave. Saisons can have a wide range of taste profiles, from licorice to herbal, fruity notes, but the dry finish is the unique aspect that makes this drink perfectly light and crisp.

Saisons pair well with many hot weather foods too. They are delicious with fresh seafood or fish, and the Saisons’ mild, yet aromatic notes go beautifully with spicy ethnic foods. They are also well-suited to lighter fare like salads, yet stand up to even the stinkiest of cheeses.

All in all, Saisons are the best choice for your summer drinking adventures, no matter the time, place, or food.

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.
Single-Hopped Beers: Are They Still Worth Drinking?

Single-Hopped Beers: Are They Still Worth Drinking?

Many people choose to drink single hopped beers in the hopes that they will become better verse in the specific flavors of different hop varieties. It is a way to help identify other beers when you come into contact with them. The unfortunate thing is that these beers can get a little bit boring after awhile. Luckily, many different breweries are picking up on this and introducing new varieties of single hopped beers. 
This is a great way to get out there and taste something that you never have before. Places like BrewDog are serving up these hoppy delights in all different ways, some with bitter orange or lemon, and others with subtler flavors. These beers are refined enough to stand out for the beer geeks, but it is still understandable and tastes great for those who may not be aficionados.Either way, new places like BrewDog are pumping out these creations at a rapid rate, and the beer drinkers of the world are really lapping it up. It is like a new take on an old classic and it can allow people to become better versed in beers more quickly because it is enjoyable and interesting at the same time. The secret is being able to taste all of the components of beers like Chinook, without losing any of the value or complexity. They can all stand on their own without being overpowered by the bitterness that can sometimes come with hoppy beers. Don’t miss these new creations are they may be coming to the International Beer Fest where you could get the chance to test them out for yourself.

 
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.

A Wallet for Beer Lovers

 
If you plan to go to the 2018 Edmonton International Beer Festival next year think about getting the Trayvax Element a wallet designed for the beer lover. It is made of leather and has a metal clip to hold money, a beer opener, and rear section for cash and cards. It holds up to 10 credit or debit cards designed to provide security.

Any man will feel comfortable and secure with this item at festivals. It is made of leather and steel and fits comfortably in your front pocket. It has RFID protection that protects your credit cards from electronic theft. They use special materials that protect your cards from being read. When you use the Trayvax wallet while traveling your money is secure.

The Trayvax Element is a slim and made in the United States. It is tough and can be used on the job, in construction, and warehouses. The best part is that is has a lifetime warranty. It comes in several different colors to suit your tastes like stealth black, canyon red, brown, Mississippi Mud, and tobacco brown.

A beer lover will find the Trayvax Element withstands the elements of a wild beer festival and other special events. This versatile wallet is designed for the beer lover, rugged outdoors person, the office, and everyday use. Well made and rugged it is a good investment.

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.
Beer- Grilled Meat Lovers’ Next Bestfriend

Beer- Grilled Meat Lovers’ Next Bestfriend

There are so many reasons why we all love grilled meat. First is the flavor. Then there is the fact that grilling meat is fun to do, especially, with guests or friends over. However, in unfortunate news, the great taste that comes with grilled meat compromises on the health quality of the meat. The process of barbecuing meat leads to the formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Carbons (PAH). This is due to the intensive burning of proteins and fat present in meat. These are free radicals that have the ability to alter DNA. Therefore, taking grilled meat can in the long run lead to colon cancer.

That was the bad news. Now here is the good news- Isabel Ferreira, from the University of Porto, and other researchers have found that this impact could be reduced by adding beer. From the Agriculture and Food Chemistry Journal that Dr. Ferreira and the others wrote, you can see that they first conducted an experiment to see if this really works.

Beer is one of the most powerful antioxidants. When burnt, beer produce melanoidins, which performs the role of countering free radicals. Therefore, if it is added to the grilling meat, it will help prevent the production of the Polycyclic Aromatic carbons.

The experiment was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the researchers use Pilsner, which is a pale lager. In the second phase, they repeated the same experiment, but used black beer in this case. They found that few of the PAHs formed when the pale beer was used (18 nanograms PAHs per gram of barbecued meat) and even fewer when the black beer was used (10 nanograms of PAHs per a gram of grilled meat). The varying results were caused by the melanoidins content difference in the two types of beer. Black beers have have a melanoidin content than pale beers and hence are more effective.

Bottomline is, whatever type of beer is used in grilling your meat, and you will be a step closer to eradicating those free radicals in your meat completely.

 

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

Beer vs Wine

Beer vs Wine

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

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