Drunken Crayfish

Do you know that?

Belgian Brewery Lupiline is the result of the passion for beer of Jan and Veerle, a beer couple with a dream of their own beers.

The name of the company is a slip of the tongue of the word lupuline, the yellow powder in hop flowers.

Brewery Lupiline produced its first beer on the 8th of September 2007. So far, the Lupiline beers are brewed in the brew installation of Brewery De Graal. Recipes are first developed in the small installation of Brewery Lupiline.

One of the company?s beers is Koriala (7%), a spicy golden-blond beer with a big white head.

The nose is mix of hops, spices and citrus fruit, whereas the taste is soft bitter with a hint of citrus.

Koriala has a long dry hoppy finish.

Enjoy!

World: AB InBev?s Budweiser named world?s most valuable beer brand 2010

European beers have suffered as their American, Mexican and Australian rivals have increased their ?brand value?, Brand Finance said in its latest survey of the world?s 500 most valuable brands.

Budweiser, Corona and Foster?s have moved closer to the top of the brand value list, at the expense of Heineken, Amstel and Stella Artois.

US beer Budweiser now owned by the Belgium-based brewing giant AB InBev secured its position as one of the world?s 20 most valuable brands with a 27% rise in brand value and a four-place climb to 15 in the Global 500.

Bud was named as the most valuable beer brand in the world, while Heineken took second place, followed by Corona.

Budweiser is the second most valuable beverage brand overall, behind Coca-Cola.

The index is compiled by analysts who choose the world?s top 500 brands by analysing a firm?s commercial success and setting this against its popularity.

No stroke, heart and vascular diseases if you drink beer

Whether you prefer ales, lagers, stout, bitter or wheat beers, studies show that one drink a day for women or up to two drinks a day for men will reduce your chances of strokes, heart and vascular disease, Essortment informs.

What?s interesting is that it was proven that those who drank one beer a week compared to those who drank one beer a day experienced no variance in reducing stroke risks. It is said that light to moderate drinkers will decrease their chances of suffering a stroke by 20%.

A researcher at the Texas Southwestern Medical Center reported that those who consume moderate amounts of beer (one to two a day at the most) have a 30-40% lower rate of coronary heart disease compared to those who don?t drink. Beer contains a similar amount of ?polyphenols? (antioxidants) as red wine and 4-5 times as many polyphenols as white wine.

Alcohol has also been attributed of its ability to increase the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) into the bloodstream as well as help to decrease blood clots.

Beer also contains vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of amino acid called homocysteine that has been linked to heart disease. Those of us who have high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart and vascular disease. A new study performed at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in Utrecht indicates that those who drink beer had no increase in their homocysteine level but those who drank wine or liquor had an increase of up to 10%. Also noted was the fact that those who drank beer experienced a 30% increase in vitamin B6 in their blood plasma, thereby proving that beer (in moderation) is actually healthier to drink than wine and other liquor.

Pairing Belgian beer and food

There’s a natural affinity between Belgian beers and fine food. When the two meet, any occasion becomes a cause for celebration. Belgian beers complement a variety of foods, providing a balance of flavors and aromas to elevate your experience, ABC posted on January, 14.

Belgians enjoy one of the most vibrant and diverse beer cultures in the world, and beer is incorporated into all aspects of the meal, even dessert. No other country offers such a stunning variety of authentic and colorful beer styles.

Belgian brewing methods vary widely, and some are extremely unique, such as Belgian lambic beers that provide a fascinating combination of earthy aromas and fruity tartness. Six of the world’s seven Trappist breweries reside in Belgium. These strong ales are brewed following a monastic tradition that dates back more than a thousand years.

Today, Belgium has approximately 125 breweries that produce more than 500 different beers. The most popular styles include European pils, white, dubbel, tripel, blonde, brown, amber and Flemish red.

When pairing beer and food, one of the most important things to consider is the balance between the beer and the food it’s matched with. This includes the weight and intensity of the food, and the aroma and taste of the beer. Achieving the right harmony between the aromatics of the beer and food is one of the guiding principles of pairing.

The wide range of Belgian beer styles ensures there’s a beer for every setting and meal. Experimenting with different combinations is the key to great cooking and to a great tasting meal.

Pairing beer and chocolate also offers opportunities to discover complementing and contrasting flavors. Beer, in many ways, make a better pairing with chocolate than wine because of the broad range of aromas and flavors found in different beer styles. In addition, beer’s carbonation helps cut through rich chocolate flavors, also refreshing your palate to get you ready for the next bite.

Belgian Lambic beer

Beers are most commonly divided into two great classes, ales and lagers, depending on the yeast strain used in fermentation. But most ale and lager yeasts are cultured, with many hybrids and sub types and sometimes the classification is a little forced. There is one type, however, that clearly stands apart and that is Belgian Lambic Beer, Beverage Answers posted.

True Lambic beer is made only from wild yeasts, and only those grown in a very specific region in Belgium, the Payottenland southwest of Brussels, Belgium.

Here nature has generously provided a strain of fungus (all yeast is this type of unicellular organism) in the Senne Valley that forms a key component in beers produced here. The special techniques employed have a long and honored tradition, passed down from generation to generation since medieval times.

In a deviation from ordinary brewing practice, when the wort is cooled, it is deliberately exposed to air. Spontaneous fermentation then occurs. Brewing this way is done only between October and May, to prevent the introduction of unwanted bacteria.

The result is a fruity brew, delightfully acidic and tart, almost like cider. Served with a sharp cheese and brown bread, Lambic beer drinkers have the opportunity to enjoy the perfect taste experience.

Those looking for a standard taste will be disappointed, though. Every batch is unique, owing to the use of wild yeasts and the natural fermentation process.

There are several other differences between Lambic beer and conventional brews, from differences in ingredients to fermentation and storage techniques to aging.

To the usual raw materials is added raw wheat, which makes up about a third of the total. During fermenting, yeasts from the walls and storage casks ‘infect’ the beer to carry out fermentation. Unlike the vast majority of beer brewing, casks are wooden, often oak, sometimes having been used to transport wine and often 100 years old.

Fermentation typically takes place over a much longer period. Ales ferment in about a week or two, lagers for perhaps as long as a month or so. Lambic beer brewing may take two to three years to complete.

Homebrewers and connoisseurs are blessed with another byproduct of the process as many Lambic brews age as well as wine. Kept in the proper conditions, some Lambics are actually better after 20 years than when drunk fresh.

The genuine article was once heinously difficult to find, but with the growth of the Internet importation is easier. Good copies that respect the name by using Lambic style or pseudo Lambic are also more common than in decades past. Lambic yeasts can be purchased by home brewers, as well.

But for the best experience a visit to Brussels is in order, where Belgian Beer Lambic is served at the Gueuze Museum housing the still operational Cantillon Brewery.

Chocolate consumption reduces risk of heart disease

Previous research has shown varying effects of chocolate consumption on the risk for heart disease. A team of Canadian researchers has reported that eating more chocolate may be linked to a lower risk for stroke and stroke-related death, Health and Age reported on February, 15.

The Canadian scientists performed a systematic review of studies that looked at the effects of chocolate on stroke risk. In one study, just 1 serving of chocolate per week was associated with a 22 percent reduction in stroke risk. In another study, consuming 50 grams of chocolate on a weekly basis was linked to a 46% reduction in stroke-related death.

Chocolate contains flavanoids, which have been associated with lower heart disease risk. However, different types of chocolate vary in the amount of flavanoids they contain and black chocolate has been recognized as the healthiest type as yet.