“The roots and herbs beaten and put into new ale or beer and daily drunk, cleareth, strengthen and quicken the sight of the eyes. ”

Do you know that?
Belgian Achouffe Brewery was created by two brothers-in-law  Pierre Gobron and Christian Bauweraerts in the late 1970s.

Started as a hobby, the brewery developed at such a pace that the brothers-in-law devoted themselves to the adventure full-time. Nowadays, Achouffe beers are supplied to more than 20 countries worldwide.

The Achouffe Brewery offers a wide range of excellent beers. Let’s dwell on their Houblon Chouffe (9% alc./vol.), for instance.

Brewed for the first time in 2006, the Houblon Chouffe is an Indian Pale Ale with a harmonious balance between a marked bitterness (three types of hops are used to make it) and a pleasant fruitiness.

The Houblon Chouffe is unfiltered and re-fermented in the bottle as well as in the keg. The beer is available in 33cl and 750ml bottles as well as in 20 litre kegs. The larger size of the packaging encourages people to share the beer with friends and families, which is very sociable!

Enjoy!

Time to drink March Beer

Every year in March when nature is reawakening, March beer arrives to tickle the palate and announce the coming of spring.

March beer, or Biere de Mars, is the first brew of the year, made from the fresh crop of malts and hops, The Worldwide Gourmet informs.

This is a mellow, fruity beer with a full flavor – floral aromas (from the Strisselspalt hops), fruit (bananas, ripe fruit) and subtle notes of roasted and caramelized malt. The beer has an elegant well-balanced bitterness.

Its head is light as a breeze, the color warm as the first rays of sunshine. It’s a golden opportunity and the initiated know that the time has come: March marks the arrival of one of the best beers of the year. Fresh and sparkling like the first thaw, a symbol of nature on the verge of bursting forth. One of the highpoints of the traditional brewing calendar, March beer was originally the first beer of the year.

It’s the skill of the brewers and the proportioning of the ingredients that gives each beer its distinctive qualities. March beer is no exception. While it is traditionally gold in color, each brewer gives it a particular aromatic note, a personal “signature” that makes it unique.

Famed for its mildness, smooth head, slight bitterness and freshness, March beer returns each year to herald the arrival of spring, and then disappears again until the following year.

Beer with a smoky aroma

Have you ever had a beer with a smoky aroma? Such beer goes very well with sausage, smoked salmon and recipes with bacon. But how, then, does smoky beer get that aroma?

The answer is in the kind of malt a brewer uses, The Japan Beer Times explains. This unique ingredient is called Smoked or Peated malt.

When barley or wheat is made to germinate, enzymes are created that break down the starches into sugar. If it is allowed to continue germinating, those sugars are consumed in the maturation of the embryo, culminating in a seedling we don’t want that. Therefore, the germination must be halted at a certain point. These days germination is halted at an ideal point through the use of a special kiln-drying process. In the old days, however, that technology did not exist and germination could only be halted by drying out the malt on a rooftop, for example, through the help of the wind and the sun, or by utilizing fire. With fire, some mesh was placed in an oven and the malt was spread around. The fire was kept going at an appropriate distance from below. The germination would stop and the result sometimes was? you guessed it: smoked malt. So basically, in the old days, brewers could only use wind-dried malt and smoked malt.

There’s nothing like brewing a beer with smoked malt. Smoked malt delivers exceptional brewing creativity, making it possible to develop complexity as well as rich, robust smoky flavor in beers.

If you are ever in a restaurant or pub and spot a smoky beer, definitely try it out with some smoky food!

Let’s try now a berry beer

Berry beer is a lot like what it sounds: a beer flavored with berries or fruit. Some common flavorings in berry beer include raspberry, blueberry, cherry, and loganberry, but any number of berries or fruits could potentially be used. Many breweries offer a berry beer seasonally, and it is also possible to make berry beer at home, although it helps to have beermaking skills before you begin, Wise Geek advises.

The flavor of a berry beer can be quite varied, depending on the base beer used. It can range from a very rich, dense stout to a lighter, more frothy wheat beer, paired with the fruit flavor which best matches the beer. Pairing berries with beers is actually quite an art form, as you might imagine, because some flavors will clash horribly, while others will turn out bland and dull. In the best of all possible worlds, berry beer has a complex flavor with a luscious fruit finish which brings out the natural fruity tones in the beer.

Many berry beers are made with pureed fruit or berries added into the beer as it ferments. In other instances, fruit extracts may be added. Some people feel that the use of fruit extracts is not advised, as it can create a chemical flavor in the beer, and fruit extracts may not yield the complex flavor which one generally desires with a berry beer. Fresh fruit is also advised, as dried fruit can lose flavor during the drying process.

Some people loathe berry beer, often because they have not tried a high-quality berry beer. Others dismiss fruit flavored beers as girlie beers, despite the fact that many very robust and manly beers already have berry and fruit overtones created through the fermentation process. Fans of berry beer tend to be rather selective about their beer, often preferring the work of a particular brewery which they trust to make a good berry beer.

In the world of gourmet beer, options can get confusing and very complex. Just like regular beers, berry beers pair better with some foods than with others, and it is a good idea to taste a beer before serving it with a meal. Some foods will bring out the natural flavors in the beer, while others will muffle them, and in some cases, a food can cause a clash of flavors. For example, a very citrusy meal might not always pair well with a berry beer, because the beer could seem extremely cloying when paired with the tart citrus, or it may turn fiercely sour or bitter.

United States: Craft brewers increase sales by 7% in 2009

The Brewers Association of the US said on March, 8 the nation’s craft brewing industry grew 7.2% by volume and 10.3% by dollars last year (compared to growth in 2008 of 5.9% by volume and 10.1% by dollars).

The estimated volume sold by the US craft brewers in 2009 was 9,115,635 barrels (10.67 mln hl) versus 8,501,713 barrels in 2008. Overall, US beer sales were down 2.2% (approximately 5 million barrels) in 2009.

Imported beer sales were down 9.8% in 2009, equating to a loss of 2.8 million barrels.

In 2009, craft brewers represented 4.3 percent of volume and 6.9 percent of retail dollars for the total U.S. beer category. With the total U.S. beer industry representing an estimated retail dollar value of $101 billion, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2009 was $7 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2008.

The total number of U.S. craft brewers grew from 1,485 to 1,542 in 2009, the highest total since before Prohibition.

Guidelines for choosing chocolate

As a general rule of thumb, good chocolate should have a high percentage of cocoa, so about 55-75% is a good number, Sweet Diet Delights informs.

Of 55-75% cocoa, some 30% should be cocoa butter. Most of the remaining 25% or so of the bar consists of sugar. The best is made with natural sugars. The cocoa content of lower quality chocolate will be “cut” with extra sugar, and cocoa solids will be replaced with other milk solids and vegetable fats.

When looking for good chocolate, a good rule of thumb is to first start with dark chocolate.

Some people believe that that good chocolate should be “shiny.” This is an indication of the cocoa butter content (which is higher if it is shiny). Watch out however, that the chocolate does not contain paraffin which WILL make them nice and shiny. Some producers put it in to make the chocolates keep their shape and look better when you get them. The paraffin takes away from the taste and makes them slightly “waxy” even though it does not harm you to eat it.

If the chocolate is “whitish” or has a “grayish cast” don’t bother with it…the chocolate has seen its better days. This is called “bloom.” The most destructive type of bloom, sugar bloom (when the sugar crystals rise to the surface of the candy), can develop if moisture contacts the chocolate (which happens easily in the refrigerator if you’re not careful).

You may also go by how the chocolates taste and smell. Ultimately taste and smell is rather personal; if you (or the person you’re buying for) likes the flavor and aroma, you’ll do fine.

“Beer is good food”

Do you know that?
Brunehaut Brewery was founded in the Belgian village of Brunehaut in 1890. Brunehaut is the name of the paved Roman road running between Amiens, France, right down to Cologne, Germany.

The company produces three excellent ranges of beers: St Martin Abbey beers, Organic beers, and Regional beers.

St Martin Abbey beers were previously brewed (since 1096) in the St Martin’s Abbey in Tournay. Brunehaut’s brewmaster uses the recipes developed by the monks, following the same spirit and using the purest ingredients.

St Martin Abbey beer family includes St Martin Blond, St Martin Dark, St Martin Triple, and St Martin Cuvée de Noël. Let’s taste the first of them, St Martin Blond.

Hazy gold with a creamy white head, St Martin Blond is a yeasty, slightly spicy and fruity beer of 7% alc. vol.

Its perfect taste has won a number of important awards  the silver in World Beer Championship 2007, a Superiour Taste Award in 2007, and the bronze medal in the Australian International Beer Awards 2008.

Keep it up and cheers!

World: More than 50% of global beer market held by the four largest brewers

The world’s four biggest brewers now account for over half the global market for beer, researcher Plato Logic communicated on February, 8.

Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev, London-listed SABMiller, Dutch Heineken, and Denmark’s Carlsberg have moved ahead of the rest of the pack led by China’s Tsingtao Brewery in fifth place.

“The new Big 4 have established a clear lead, with combined market share estimated at just over 50 percent (pro forma 2009),” Plato said.

Budweiser-brewer AB InBev had beer volumes of around 350 million hectolitres in 2009, well ahead of Miller-brewer SABMiller at just under 250 million, Heineken at just over 200 million, and Carlsberg around 125 million, while Tsingtao trailed at just over 50 million hectolitres a year.

In sixth place was North American Molson-Coors Brewing Co, while Mexico’s Grupo Modelo, China’s Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co Ltd and Japanese brewers Kirin Holdings Co Ltd and Asahi Breweries Ltd made up the rest of the top 10.

Plato said the world beer market grew less than 0.1 percent in 2009, but expected it to pick up in 2010 to growth of about 3 percent.

“While this may appear quite optimistic, we would expect growth to resume in some emerging markets,” Plato director Ian Pressnell said.

Latest beer production statistics show variable results

The majority of brewers in Europe, North America and Japan have reported bad results for 2009, an analysts report summed up on February, 1.

South America, Africa and Southeast Asia showed variable, but mostly positive results.

Where output figures were negative, the large brewing groups of the world managed anyway to show profits due to price adjustments and severe cost-cutting measures, analysts said.

Bulgaria’s beer production declined by 11% last year, initial estimates of the Czech beer output show a 10% decline (domestic sales  minus 7%, export  minus 12%). Beer production in Denmark dropped by 8% in 2009, in France by 0.8% to 14.3 mln hl. Germany last year produced less than 100 mln hl of beer for the first time in recorded history as output declined by 2.8% to 99.983 mln hl. The nation’s domestic sales declined by 2.1%, exports fell by 7.2%. UK’s beer production dropped by 4.2% in 2009, it is reported.

Russian brewers reported a 4.2% decline in output (result has been improved artificially by large December sales ahead of the tax increase in January). Ukraine’s beer output dropped by 6.2%, that of the US  by 2.2%.

Brazil is expected to report a total output of 107 mln hl, as sales in January  November showed an 11% increase. Colombia and Peru produced 6% and 1% more beer respectively last year, according to SABMiller’s estimates. Japan’s beer production declined by 2.1% in 2009, whereas China produced 406 mln hl in January  November last year (+6.4%).

There is no beer without hops

In the beer making process, hops act as a preservative and a flavouring agent adding a bitter taste that offsets the sweetness of the maltose or malt suger. Hops also add an aroma that resembles a piney come citrus smell, Beverage Answers informs.

Beer making has not always included hops and their use as an ingredient only came about in Europe around 1100 AD. The use of hops helped to produce more beer from the same amount of malt.

As a preservative, hops allow for a lower alcohol content to be present, whilst serving to keep the beer fresh enough to be consumed after more than a few weeks.

Since the alcohol in beer is the product of fermentation of barley grain, adding hops to the mixture allowed for the use of less barley grain to make the same amount of brew, thus reducing the grain cost and the overall beer production costs.

Hops also act as a flavoring agent and contribute to the overall flavour in multiple ways. The fruit of the hop plant contains compounds called alpha acids which when heated become bitter.

Hops, like many plants, also contain oils that add distinctive aromas. Since aroma and taste are closely related, the addition of a herbal or piney like smell can greatly influence the perceived taste of the final product.

Some of those oils will vaporize during heating, so it is not unusual for additional hops to be added all through the brewing process, even right at the end solely to add additional aroma and flavor. The technique is commonly used when brewing ales, contributing to their more heady nose and flavor over many lagers.

Hops even possess a mild antibiotic that helps suppress some of the organisms in the wort (the liquid fermented to make beer), allowing the yeast to carry out the fermentation process more efficiently.

Today, there are many basic varieties of hops together with numerous sub types.

Considering that hops have practically no other commercial use beyond their application to beer making, the world is fortunate that clever brewmasters exist that can turn a limitation into such delightful advantage.

Serve beer at home in a correct way

Here is the perfect way to serve a beer at home, as recommended by the Union of Belgian Brewers:

First of all, bottled beer should be stored in a dark, dry place.

In order to properly cool the beer, place the bottles in the fridge at least 24 hours before serving.

The serving temperature for thirst-quenching beers is +/- 3°C, that for gourmet beer +/- 6 to 8°C.

Clean glasses with cold water in which a good detergent is dissolved and rinse thoroughly with water. Glasses for gourmet beers should be dried.

If you choose thirst-quenching beer, pour it all in one go. Tip the glass slightly to one side and then raise it gradually to an upright position. Let the froth flow over the sides and then skim off the surface bubbles of the froth with a clean knife. Rinse the outside of the glass.

Gourmet beer is served slowly so as to create a rich foamy head. Leave some beer in the bottle so the glass can be topped up afterwards. For beers that are refermented in the bottle, leave the yeast deposit in the bottom of the bottle and present the bottle with the glass.

Cheers!

Leonidas offers a new way to enjoy real Belgian chocolate

Always true to its principle of surprising us with increasingly refined chocolate treats, Leonidas, the famous Belgian chocolate magician, now gives us Pyramids, a new way of making hot chocolate.

Pyramids by Leonidas are a new way of making velvety smooth hot chocolate. All you need to make our favourite drink is to plunge a succulent Pyramid into hot milk. The Pyramid dissolves, releasing irresistible aromas and forming a creamy foam. The preparation process is in itself a genuine treat for the senses and a delicious moment of luxury we can all enjoy.

High quality plain chocolate Pyramids by Leonidas are available in three flavours: Caramel Chocolate, Classic Chocolate and Cappuccino Chocolate. They come in boxes of five Pyramids. These boxes can in turn serve as refills for the presentation box which contains an assortment of no fewer than fifteen Pyramids. It is also something beautiful to place in front of your guests at snack or dessert time!

Focus your sights on a chocolate-flavoured ritual of relaxation and wellbeing. Enjoy and be happy!