Do you know that?
Trouffette Blonde is an excellent beer brewed by Belgian Brasserie de Bastogne.

It pours a hazy gold color with a persistent creamy white head.

The flavor of Trouffette Blonde is spiced with pale malts and fruity hops leading to a pleasantly complex aroma. The taste is a good mix between a strong bitterness and a deep current of flower sweetness.

The word ?Trouffette? comes from the name of a funny legendary character: a bandit called Trouffet.

Trouffette Blonde, an authentic taste and a new craft beer to discover!

Cheers!

Drink beer, be happy

People who drink two pints of beer or glasses of wine a day are healthier and happier than teetotallers, The Sun cited on May, 20 a recent study by the Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris.

Beer and wine lovers are not as stressed, had lower blood pressure, better heart and lung health and were less likely to suffer from depression, the study shows.

All drinkers tend to exercise more. Alcohol thins the blood, improving circulation, and acts as a relaxant, boosting wellbeing, the French team said.

They speculated that moderate drinkers may be wealthier, have better general health and a lower risk of heart disease.

Although they admitted they could not prove the benefits were just down to booze, they added: “Our results cannot eliminate the cardio-protective effect of alcohol.”

Dr Boris Hansel and his team from the Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris analysed the lifestyles and drinking habits of thousands of men and women over 18.

Beer begins with four basic elements

In our sophisticated days, most breweries use a wide range of quite unusual ingredients to produce beer that will attract more consumers, but the four basic brewing elements still remain the same ? malt, hops, yeast and water.

Malt provides the sugar that works to give a beer much of its flavor. Hops are added to balance the malt flavors. Hops tend to be quite bitter, so this works nicely to add flavor and aroma to the beer.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Pale Ale and an India Pale Ale? The answer is the amount of hops added to each beer. Hops also act as a great preservative, and brewers in the 1830s and 1840s would saturate the beer with it in order to prevent it from spoiling during long trips on ships to India.

Just like malts, there are several choices for hops that will give a beer a distinct flavor and aroma.

You may be thinking that water is just water when it comes to homebrewing. Actually, water can influence a beer?s behaviour as much as malts and hops.

The addition of yeast to beer earns beer the moniker ?liquid bread.? Yeast is what makes the beer alcoholic. Yeast is a living organism and it eats the grains in the beer and ends up producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. The type of yeast used will also determine the kind of beer that you make: an ale or a lager.

Most people have a hard time distinguishing the difference between an ale and a lager. The differences are in the yeast used and the brewing process.

Ale yeast loves warmer temperatures, and as such, creates beers that are top-fermenting – that is when the yeast rises to the top of a fermenter and can be done fermenting in just a few days.

Lager yeast, however, likes cooler temperatures and is a bottom-fermenting yeast, which means it will take a few weeks of colder conditioning for it to finish the fermentation process.

So now that we have all of the main ingredients, it is time to decide what style of beer to make. Brewers would probably agree that beer is generally divided into two types, ales and lagers. This is a starting point for many breweries and several have branched out and explored and created many styles and sub-styles of ales and lagers.

To be continued…

Space hops stolen by aliens?

Hops seeds that were taken into space last year and supposedly brought back to Earth last month on the space shuttle Discovery have gone missing, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced on May, 13.

The seeds entrusted to JAXA by a Tokyo-based science education venture were taken to the International Space Station in August last year and were stored inside Japan’s Kibo laboratory module until Discovery’s flight back home in April.

But JAXA was notified by NASA in late April that the 120 grams of soybeans, hops and other seeds were missing despite records showing they were brought back to Earth by the shuttle.

JAXA officials said the organization will investigate what happened, while the venture said it is holding talks with JAXA over the matter.

The project aimed to study the impact of zero-gravity on the taste and smell of the plants.

After the experiment, the hops were supposed to be given to one of the leading Japanese brewers, Sapporo.

Belgium: Various beers, various glasses

Beer in Belgium is more of an experience than it is a beverage, and every beer has its glass. Why use an authentic glass? Glass shape can greatly affect aromatic presentation, head formation, even how well carbonation will be sustained. The ideal in these areas varies from beer to beer thus so do the glasses.

Here are just a few examples of traditional (and unusual) Belgian beer glasses:

Pilsener glass is used for many types of light beers, including pale lager or pilsener. Pilsener glasses are generally smaller than a pint glass, usually in 250 ml or 330 ml sizes. They are tall, slender and tapered. The slender glass will reveal the colour, and carbonation of the beer, and the narrow top will help maintain a beer head.

A wheat beer glass is used to serve wheat beer. This glass is narrow at the bottom and slightly wider at the top; the width both releasing aroma, and providing room for the often thick, fluffy heads produced by wheat beer. It tends to be taller than a pint glass, and generally holds 250-500 millilitres with room for foam or “head”.

A flute glass is the preferred serving vessel for Belgian lambics and fruit beers. The narrow shape helps maintain carbonation, while providing a strong aromatic front. Flute glasses display the lively carbonation, sparkling color, and soft lacing of this distinct style.

Chalices and goblets are large, stemmed, bowl-shaped glasses adequate for serving heavy Belgian ales, and other big sipping beers. The distinction between goblet and chalice is typically in the glass thickness. Goblets tend to be more delicate and thin, while the chalice is heavy and thick walled. Some chalices are even etched on the bottom to nucleate a stream of bubbles for maintaining a nice head.

Typically used for serving brandy and cognac, a snifter is ideal for capturing the volatiles of aromatic beers, such as Belgian ales, India pale ales, barleywines and wheat wines. The shape helps trap the volatiles, while allowing swirling to agitate them and produce an intense aroma.

A tulip glass not only helps trap the aroma, but also aids in maintaining large heads, creating a visual and olfactory sensation. The body is bulbous, but the top flares out to form a lip which helps head retention. It is recommended for serving barley wines, Belgian ales and other aromatic beers. Some pint glasses which taper outwards towards the top are also called tulip glasses, despite having notably less curvature.

Kwak is a freely available deep amber beer, served in a very unusual glass which is shaped rather like a small yard of ale. To keep the glass upright, it sits in a wooden stirrup.

Cheers!

Noble and precious chocolate by Laurent Gerbaud

Laurent Gerbaud, chocolatier in Brussels, marries chocolate, fruit and spices for 7 years.

During a prolonged stay in China, he discovered the rich realm of Asian tastes and smells and began to coat delicious kumquats (small candied oranges) with dark chocolate: an unexpected delicacy. Back in Belgium he passionately continued to create tasty combinations: “I do only what I like. When I am developing products, my only guide is my personal taste,” he says.

The ingredients that compose each of his creations are all selected among the best ones in their league, and each delicacy is hand-made: ” The chocolate and every ingredient we use are noble and precious: their character can be preserved only through a hand-made treatment.”

These jewels are presented in a sophisticated packaging that visually enhances each product and turns them into irresistible temptations: precious gifts or a personal treat. The very distinctive Laurent Gerbaud’s logo features a red seal with the word ‘chocolate’ in Chinese. The deep and bright colours help create a distinctive identity to the range and contribute to evoke the world of tastes and travels in store.

Laurent Gerbaud’s chocolates are currently sold in more than fifty delicacy stores and specialized tea shops in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, London and other main cities in Europe.

“There is no such thing as a bad beer. It’s that some taste better than others”

“I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer.”

Homer Simpson

Do you know that?
Tournay Noire is a refermented in the bottle beer with an alcohol content of 7.6% brewed by the Belgian Cazeau brewery.

Tournay Noire contains only natural ingredients: water, four malts, two hops, yeast and sugar. The brewery selects special malts and very traditional hops to give this beer a powerful, long flavour in the mouth and a quite a strong hint of bitterness. Tournay Noire is a beer that will undisputably appeal to Stout lovers!!

The Brasserie de Cazeau has been a traditional farm brewery since 1753. Beer-making was halted in 1969 but restarted in 2004. It produces classic beer brewed in the purest tradition of high-fermentation Belgian beers. Tournay is the only beer brewed in the whole of the Tournai region.

Cheers!

Belgium: AB InBev?s Q1 beer volumes almost flat, net profit decreases

World?s No. 1 brewer AB InBev said on May, 5 its total 1Q10 beer volumes increased 0.6% to 80.3 mln hl, with own beer volumes up 0.7%, driven by a strong performance in Brazil, China and Canada.

Focus Brand volumes grew 2.1% led by Skol, Brahma and Antarctica in Brazil, Budweiser and the Bud Light family in Canada, and Harbin in China.

The company said it gained market share in markets representing almost half of its total beer volumes in the first quarter of this year.

Revenue rose 1.9% to $8.38 bln, or 1.1% per hl, with continued focus on premium brands and improved pricing to offset cost pressures. On a constant geographic basis, i.e. eliminating the impact of stronger volume growth coming from countries with lower revenue per hl, growth in revenue per hl would have been 2.5%.

Cost of Sales (CoS): CoS decreased 1.3%, or 2.5% per hl, as favorable Zone mix and production efficiencies more than compensated for higher raw material costs in Latin America North and an inflationary environment in Latin America South and Central and Eastern Europe. On a constant geographic basis, Cost of Sales per hl would have increased by an estimated 0.5%, the Belgian brewing giant said.

Operating expenses increased 2.7%, mainly due to a 4.8% increase in sales and marketing investments, as the company?s operational discipline and synergy savings held expenses below global inflation.

AB InBev achieved synergies of $130 million relating to the combination with Anheuser-Busch in 1Q10, bringing total synergies achieved to $1,490 million.

1Q10 EBITDA grew 5.1% to $3,086 million, with an EBITDA margin of 37.1% compared to 35.1% in 1Q09, up 112 bp organically.

The Netherlands & Mexico:
Heineken/FEMSA Beer deal completed

Dutch brewer Heineken N.V. announced on April, 30 that it has completed the acquisition of the beer businesses of Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., following approval from all relevant anti-trust authorities and shareholders of Heineken N.V., Heineken Holding N.V. and FEMSA.

Heineken is now implementing its strategy to incorporate the new business into its portfolio. The FEMSA Cerveza division ? operating primarily out of Mexico and Brazil but with a growing exports business to the United States ? will be placed under the remit of John Nicolson within the Heineken Americas region and will be shown in Heineken?s accounts from May 1.

Heineken?s rival SABMiller had been a rival for the acquisition but dropped out of the auction in January, leaving Heineken free to agree a deal worth approximately ?5.3 billion ($7.6 billion). The money will be paid in 115,000,000 shares ? made up of 86,000,000 up front and 29,000,000 more over five years ? giving FEMSA a 20 per cent holding in Heineken. However Heineken is in the middle of the first phase of a share buy-back scheme, for which ?200m ($262m) has been allocated.

The move adds the Dos Equis, Tecate and Sol brands to Heineken?s portfolio as well as allowing it to instil its signature beer into profitable Latin American markets through FEMSA?s existing routes.

Jean-François van Boxmeer, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Heineken N.V. commented: ?Today represents the start of a new era for Heineken. I am delighted to welcome a group of highly talented and ambitious people into the Heineken group and FEMSA as a major shareholder. Their contribution to the future development and continued growth of our business will be significant and we look forward to building our future together?.

The Lambic branch of the Belgian Beers family

Belgian Lambic beers, or Lambics, are brewed using wild yeasts, bacteria and a cocktail of many other (often unidentified) micro-organisms and matured for about 3 to 5 years in wooden casks. Some beginners may think such beer should be totally disgusting and undrinkable, but on the contrary, these are some of the most delicious, remarkable and refreshing beers you could ever drink.

Lambic beers fall into four categories:

Lambic itself is found in only a relatively small number of bars, mainly in the Payottenland and Brussels. It is the young, un-blended product which has not yet developed the acidity of the more matured versions.

Faro is lambic sweetened with candy sugar. As with ordinary lambic, it is not widely available, although it is sometimes bottled.

Geuze (sometimes spelled Gueuze) is a blend of several years’ lambics, bottled in champagne bottles and further matured.

Fruit Lambics. Large amounts of fruit are infused into geuze for a period of several months. When well done, the contrast between the sweetness of the fruit and the sourness of the geuze can make for a deliciously well-balanced drink. The commonest varieties are Kriek (cherries) and Frambozen/Framboise (raspberries) although other fruits such as grapes and peaches are also sometimes used.

It is worth noting that some beers called Krieks and Frambozens are not made with lambic, but with brown ale instead. Whilst some people enjoy these, the balance is generally nothing like as good as lambic fruit beers as they are often sweetened. However, if you ever get the chance to try unsweetened (ongezoet) versions, it’s well worthwhile as in this (unfortunately rare) form, there’s a lot more to taste.

Cheers!

A look into alcohol and sugar content in beer

Light beers have a normal alcohol content (10 – 11,6 g/250 ml glass), while the sugar content (2 – 3 g/250 ml) has been reduced to one fifth to one quarter of normal lagers (7 – 10 g/250 ml), informs Beer&Health.com.

As a result light beer only contains 20% to 30% of the calories of a normal lager.

Various techniques can be used for producing beers with a low alcohol content. The beer can go through the complete production cycle, after which the alcohol is removed or the alcoholic fermentation can be stopped by cooling down the fermentation or by removing the yeast.

A distinction has to be made between low alcohol and alcohol-free beer. Alcohol-free beer contains less than 0.5% alcohol while the alcohol content in low alcohol beer is between 0.5% and 1.2%. The alcohol content in table beers is also low, ie. a maximum of 1.5%.

Furthermore a distinction has to be made between beers with a normal sugar content and those with a high sugar content. Beer with a low alcohol content and a normal sugar content in fact have rather more sugars (8.2 to 16 g/250 ml) than ordinary lagers (7 to 10 g/250 ml). However, as a result of their lower alcohol content, they contain up to 50% fewer calories than ordinary lagers. Therefore these beers are recommended for people with weight problems, but should be avoided by people with diabetes.

Beers with a low of alcohol content and high sugar content (27.2 – 31.2 g/250 ml) contain around three times as many sugars as ordinary lagers and thereby contain around as many calories as ordinary lagers, despite their low alcohol content. These low alcohol beers are thus of no help to overweight people. Special beers with a high alcohol content (13 to 20 g/250 ml) often contain more sugars (7.5 – 22.5 g/250 ml) and thus more calories (130 – 200 kcal/250 ml) than ordinary lagers. People with weight problems should therefore consider that heavy beers generally contain more calories than ordinary lager.

Just the odour of chocolate can improve your mood – research

While just eating chocolate is enough to put most of us in a good frame of mind, latest research suggests “odour du chocolat” ? just the smell of it ? can improve your mood, The Sydney Morning Herald communicated on April, 8.

This happy news comes from the Human Olfaction Laboratory at Middlesex University, where Neil Martin, a reader in psychology, investigates the effects of room smells on human behaviour. In his laboratory Martin has a square box called an AromaCube, which heats up “odorants” and percolates the smell around the room.

belowFrom that box, he discovered the power of chocolate in an experiment where he filled rooms with three smells, one of chocolate, a “malodour” of machine oil, which most people find unpleasant, and a lemony, pleasant-but-alerting odour, then monitored testers’ moods.

“The aim was to compare the effects of pleasant and unpleasant ambient odours on stress, anxiety, depression and mood,” Martin explains. “And whilst we’re still continuing the experiment, so far it seems that the smell of chocolate really does make people less stressed and anxious, and more relaxed.”

Chocoholics will also be pleased to hear about some of Martin’s earlier research. “In another study we looked at the effect of chocolate on brain activity,” he says. “We presented people with a range of smells, some artificial food odours and some real food odours, with both samples including chocolate.” Martin used EEG (electroencephalography) technology to record his participants’ brain waves as they sniffed the air, and found that in both experiments, the chocolate smell consistently led to a reduction in a particular type of brain activity called theta, which is thought to be an index of attentiveness. “Theta levels dropped significantly across both indexes when testers smelled chocolate.”

The experiment also shows there is no need for chocolate snobbery. “I know connoisseurs say posh chocolate, with a higher cocoa content, is better for your health, and it might be in some ways, but when it comes to the smell of chocolate and its resultant relaxing effect, we found it was the same however much milk the bar contains,” Martin says.

Do you know that?
La Corne du Bois des Pendus (5.9%) is an excellent beer produced by the Belgian Brasserie d?Ebly.

This is a sunny beer with a reach and creamy head and a well-balanced bitterness.

With light notes of citrus and rose, it is a sweet and at the same time thirst-quenching beer.

La Corne du Bois des Pendus is to be enjoyed in a special horn glass.

Cheers!

Beer, so different and tasty…

With the popularity of craft beer on the (quickly growing) rise, it?s painfully clear that beer is not just beer anymore. There are different brewing techniques and ingredients, which can be classified into main types of beer. This knowledge can come in quite handy when selecting your brew from a long menu, Microbrew Index advise.

Beer types can be roughly subdivided into three main categories: ales, lagers, and miscellaneous.

To be an ale, the brew will have a higher concentration of yeast, which is caused by warmer temperatures during fermentation. Because of the higher yeast content, there is also a higher alcohol content. A lot of ales are fuller and ?breadier,? and many types have a wheatier tone. Some types of ale:

The barley wine is called so because its alcohol content is like that of wine. Barley wines are usually darker and fuller, and balance a sweet, malted flavor with a hoppy, bready bitterness.

The English bitters are, well, bitter. There is a higher hops content, which makes the flavor less sweet and more biting and sharp. Speaking of hops, the English bitter is most often brewed with one of only a few types of hops, mostly English in origin.

The pale ale is the hoppiest of all beers ? the most common type of pale ale is the India Pale Ale, or IPA. Because of the high concentration of hops, the pale ale is wheaty and bitter. This is often balanced out by the addition of sweeter flavors, like fruits.

The Belgian strong dark ale is low on hops and uses special types of yeast to achieve a bready, spicy flavor ? full of different notes ranging from sweet to bitter. It has a higher alcohol content than other ales.

The Porter is a dark, rich, full brew that often blends different ale components together; certain hops, certain yeasts. It spawned the stout, and is very similar. The main difference is the lack of bitterness that a porter has compared to a stout.

An Imperial stout is basically an amplified stout: it has a higher alcohol content, it has a stronger bitter, barley flavor, it is darker, and richer. It?s usually quite smoky and has espresso notes.

A lager is what you think of when you think of basic beer. It ferments in cooler temperatures, with less yeast. It has a lower alcohol content, less complex flavoring, and is lighter and crisper. Some lagers:

American Lager: No additional flavors, no notes, lots of water. Need we say more?

Pilsner: Take the American lager and add more hops ? now you?ve got that nice crispness going. Then, add flavor and sweetness, like caramel notes. That?s a pilsner.

Bock: Keep that sweetness of a Pilsner, but add more bitterness and strong aroma by increasing the hops.

Helles: The Helles is like a bock that has a more fleeting bitterness ? the hops flavor quickly gives way to a sweeter, smoother flavor.

The Dunkel is a Helles with a higher content of roasted malts ? the result is a chocolatey, coffee-esque brew.

Miscellaneous:

Wheat, White, or Weissbier is wheaty and light. It often has wheaty, crisp, sweet flavorings ? like hops, banana, and spices. Yeast and wheat malt also play a predominant role in the flavoring.

A smoked beer is often a darker, fuller beer like a stout. However, instead of the malts tasting roasted, they taste smoked ? which is how they are prepared before brewing.

Rye Beer: Take a beer with barley malt, replace the barley malt with rye malt.

A lambic is brewed with spontaneous fermentation instead of manipulated fermentation, meaning it?s exposed to natural yeasts and bacteria. It sounds gross, but it?s a perfected process from Belgium that leaves us with sour, cidery, crisp, delicious beer.

Cheers!

Focus on Ancient Egypt?s beer

It is widely recognised that the Egyptians most likely brewed the first beer, but just how much did they know about what was happening and what have we learned about the process in the past 3000 years or so?

Early Egyptian brewing was thought to have arisen using bread as a source of starch and liquid drained from that kneading process was fermented sometimes with the addition of dates as an extra source of sugar. Models of women kneading bread and sieving the extracted juice are found in excavations. Shards of broken vessels have been found in Egypt that contained beer.

One of the constituents of beer sometimes found in beer hazes (calcium oxalate) crystallises out onto the shards and has a characteristic diamond shape. Some of these crystals had starch granules attached along with tiny yeasts. Actually the size of the yeast tells us a lot ? the tiny yeasts are generally found in the atmosphere and would naturally ferment a liquid derived from bread if left, especially in the heat of that area. But did the starch always come from bread or did they know how to malt cereals? A close examination of the starch granules from these old pots suggests that they did malt.

Scientists have proved that the Egyptians did use malted cereal but not in a controlled way. Perhaps they left some grain to get wet and it started to malt naturally. Maybe they knew a little about the need to immerse the grain in water as some hieroglyphics can be interpreted.

Certainly the Egyptians didn?t use barley for brewing but used what is more like a wheat ? the Emmer grain. Piles of this grain that had started to malt and then stuck together have been co-excavated with beer jugs.

The beer itself was probably quite rough and not bittered ? they called it Hek.

The Emmer plant grew to a height of 2 metres and was likely very high in protein. Modern barley is just around 750 cm tall, and has much lower protein content that makes it easier to germinate and mill after kilning.

Modern malting practice has of course moved strides ahead and even since the late 1950?s malting times have tumbled from 20 to 8 days from steep to kiln.

Saint Arnold – Patron Saint of Brewers

Saint Arnold, a bishop born in 580, is considered the patron saint of beer.

He encouraged people to drink beer instead of water during the Plague. Indeed, the Plague suddenly disappeared once his word spread (though some suggest because beer was boiled in the brewing process, it would have been safer than water, which had previously spread the infection.)

He is credited with having once said, “From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” It goes without saying that the people loved and revered Arnold.

When Saint Arnold died in 640, the citizens of his hometown carried his body from Remiremont to Metz (France) for reburial in their church. On this journey, another miracle occurred – when the weary porters stopped to share their only mug of beer, they discovered the mug never ran dry.

Each July, Belgium’s brewers pay homage to Saint Arnold at a church service. On this ‘Day of Beer,’ brewers march through the streets dressed as the ‘Chevalrie du Fourquet’ (or ‘King of the Mashing Fork’).

Saint Arnold was canonized and is recognized by the Catholic Church as the Patron Saint of Brewers.

Beer cocktails

It goes without saying that beer is a perfect drink by itself, but sometimes one?s soul craves for some additions to set off its perfection.

That?s how we arrive at beer cocktails or shandies.

A beer cocktail is a cocktail that is made by mixing beer with a distilled beverage. In this type of cocktail, the primary ingredient is beer. A mixture of beer with a beverage that does not contain distilled alcohol is called a shandy.

Here is the list of the most popular beer cocktails:

Black Velvet: Guinness and champagne.

Boilermaker: Beer served with a shot of whiskey, tequila, or vodka.

Brazilian Submarine: A shot glass of Steinhäger dropped into a glass of beer.

Down Low: A shot of bourbon topped with beer.

Flaming Dr Pepper: An alcoholic cocktail that does not contain any Dr Pepper soft drink.

Hangman’s Blood: Porter combined with brandy, gin, and rum.

Irish Car Bomb: Irish stout with a mixed shot of Irish Cream and Irish whiskey.

Lunchbox: Half beer and half orange juice with a shot of amaretto dropped in.

Meltdown: A shot glass of Everclear dropped into a glass of beer.

Mussolini: 12 oz. of beer (preferably Peroni) mixed with 2 oz. of Campari and served in a pint glass.

Poktanju: A Poktanju (Korean for ?bomb drink?) is made by dropping a shot of whiskey or soju into a pint of Korean beer. It is sometimes called a Soju Bomb by English:speakers.

Porch Crawler: Equal parts of beer, vodka, and frozen lemonade mix.

Snakebite: Equal parts of lager and alcoholic cider. Add blackcurrant juice to make Snakebite and Black.

Tom Bass: Bass ale with one shot of Jägermeister served in a pint glass.

Belgium chocolate, one of the world?s finest pleasures

Belgian chocolate is, undoubtedly, the finest in the world and certainly a delight that should be savored. Made with quality in mind, if you are getting chocolates from Belgium, rest assured they are most likely the finest of their kind, Gourmet Chocolate Tips communicates.

The history of chocolate in Belgium is interesting. Belgium has been producing fine chocolates since the 1800?s and are world renowned for their exquisite chocolates. Not only do they make great chocolate, they are pioneers of some the greatest chocolate ?inventions? in history.

Since 1840 when the Berwaerts Company introduced chocolate pastilles and figurines, Belgium has been a leader in the chocolate industry. In 1912, the credit of the first hard chocolate shell or couverture goes to Belgian Jean Neuhaus. This was an important creation in chocolate history as it allowed for fillings to be put inside the chocolate. Due to the hardness of the shell, the fillings could be creamy and soft. These fillings were further developed with different flavorings such as maple, vanilla, and so on to create the praline chocolates that are much loved today.

In fact these Belgian chocolate pralines are so prized that the recipes are kept secret and famous chocolate houses like Godiva and Neuhaus guard their recipes and methods of production quite carefully, passing them down from generation to generation. But it is not just the recipes that make these chocolates so delicious it is the utmost attention to the details of making and presenting the chocolates as well as the care of selecting quality ingredients that make the chocolates a pleasure to eat as well as to look at.

Today, Belgian chocolate is highly sought after the world over. Luckily this demand can be met as there are many very skilled chocolatiers in this tiny country.

Do you know that?
La Cré Tonnerre is a new beer recently launched by the Belgian Silly brewery.

This is a regional tripel style top fermention beer. Its excellent taste is partially explained by the fact that it is re-fermented again in bottles with the addition of Cuban rum.

La Cré Tonnerre is a perfect summer beer with a sweet, round and very appetizing savour.

Enjoy!

World: Beer and football go just fine together

There’s no trophy at the end, but Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller are likely to emerge as the brewing winners of the football World Cup starting in June, Reuters communicated on April, 28.

SABMiller should benefit from higher sales in hosts South Africa, where it has an 89 percent share of the market, while AB InBev stands to profit from its first World Cup sponsorship since its merger and a good showing from the Brazil team.

Hosting a World Cup is certainly good for beer sales, as Germany showed in 2006 when the influx of some 2 million foreign visitors helped stem a decade-long decline in consumption.

South Africa is expecting to benefit too. SABMiller has predicted it will sell an extra 10 million litres of beer during the five week World Cup period, a 4 to 6 percent boost.

Trevor Stirling, analyst at Bernstein Research, believes that will translate into a 0.6 percent bump for South Africa for the year. This is lower than the 1.8 percent boost for Germany in 2006 for a number of reasons.

The distance for many foreign fans means only 200,000 are expected, although they will probably stay longer. It will be winter in the southern hemisphere, not core drinking season, and the host nation is not expected to go far.

While few brewers will admit to favouritism, they stand to gain from the successes of teams from their core markets. A good tournament for the five-time champions and second favourites Brazil could lead to the equivalent of four or five extra Saturday’s worth of beer sales, benefiting AB InBev.

AB InBev Chief Executive Carlos Brito enthused about the World Cup this week.

“It’s a great beer event… In the southern hemisphere, it’s like a second summer for four weeks,” he said.

The country is firmly the territory of the world’s largest brewer, with two-thirds of the beer market. Indeed, AB InBev dominates most of Latin America, selling for example three-quarters of all beer in Argentina.

“On a global basis AB InBev is likely to enjoy the greatest relative uplift due to its dominance of the football crazy Latin American markets in the winter months,” said Evolution Securities analyst Simon Hales.

Brazilian fans also suffer less from a “hangover” in the month after the tournament, according to Bernstein’s Stirling.

In Britain, for example, June beer volumes surged 5 percent in World Cup and European Championship years. However, they were 3.5 percent lower in the following month than a July in non-event years. The net effect is a 0.7 percent increase.

Stirling said there was a similar pattern in many other spectator nations, with exceptions such as Brazil and possibly favourites Spain.

In brewing terms, the latter’s passage to the final would most benefit Dutch Heineken, the world’s third largest brewer, whose Amstel and Cruzcampo give it a leading 29 percent share of the beer market.

A dream final for Heineken could be one that pitted favourites Spain against Nigeria, both key markets for the Dutch firm.

Carlsberg might be happy with a Denmark versus France match. The failure of Russia to qualify has been a blow, given its Baltika unit has a 40.6 percent market share there.

SABMiller will miss Colombia, where it has market share of 98 percent, along with other non-qualifiers such as Poland and the Czech Republic.

Its dream final might be a somewhat improbable last match between South Africa and the United States.

AB InBev could also gain from its sponsorship of the tournament.

Budweiser has been the official beer of the World Cup since 1986, an odd status given soccer remains a secondary sport in the United States, the beer’s chief market, where it is principally played by non-drinking children.

However, the 2010 World Cup will be first since Belgian InBev $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch in 2008.

The company has said it plans to extend local sponsorship rights to leading former InBev brands such as Brahma in Brazil, Hasseroeder in Germany and Jupiler in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Hales of Evolution Securities cautions about getting carried away. More beer sold does not necessarily mean greater profit.

“You do see a pick-up in volumes, but in a lot of cases that is partly offset by extra spending on promotions.”

Heineken Chief Executive Jean-Francois Van Boxmeer told shareholders this month that the World Cup would boost volumes for all brewers, but for his group the full-year effect would be less than one percentage point.

United States: Brewers Association posts Top 50 US brewers? lists

United States? Brewers Association released on April, 14 its annual lists reporting the top 50 brewing companies in the country, based on 2009 beer sales volume.

?Beer lovers continue to find great value and enjoyment in fuller flavored craft beers,? said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. ?Americans have an increasing appreciation of craft beers, and the growing number of brewers behind them.”

The nation?s Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies are: AB InBev, MillerCoors Brewing Co., Pabst Brewing Co., D. G. Yuengling and Son Inc., and Boston Beer Co.

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies List names the following companies as the nation?s top five brewers: Boston Beer Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co., Spoetzl Brewery, and Pyramid Breweries Inc.

Three new breweries have made their first appearance on the Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies list: Oskar Blues Brewery, Saint Arnold Brewing Co. and Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, USA, the Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts.

Belgium: Brewer Duvel Moortgat says turnover and brands performed well in Q1 2010

Belgian brewer Duvel Moortgat said on April, 26 its first quarter turnover grew and all brands have shown improvement with respect to the same period in 2009.

In previous years, malt prices have risen to record highs. They will decrease slightly in 2010, but will remain at a high level, the company believes.

For packaging materials, an increase in prices is expected in the second half of 2010. In the years to follow, these markets will mainly be controlled by a probable rise in demand versus a stable to decreasing supply.

For Duvel Moortgat, energy costs remained practically stable in 2009. Also in 2010 they will remain stable.

Despite the weak economic climate, Duvel Moortgat managed to record higher results. Should no new and unexpected economic developments occur on the major markets, this growth shall be continued in 2010, the brewer said.

The Duvel Moortgat group, founded in 1871, is an independent producer of authentic specialty beers and premium brands. Around the world, the group is considered to be the leading producer of blond, bottle conditioned, high-fermentation beers, a dominant position owed largely to the success of its best-selling product Duvel.

Beer is great match for food

“Beer is a great match for food because of the complexity of its flavors, its ability to provide refreshment and to interact with many food flavors,” Marc Stroobandt, master beer sommelier for the Food and Beer Consultancy, UK, is quoted as saying by Men?s Fitness.

When pairing beer and food, it all comes down to matching the food’s flavors to the flavors of the beers. Here are the experts? recommendations on mating the best brews with your favorite bites.

Wine and cheese is a universally-known pair, but what most people may not know is that beer is one of the best matches for cheese. “Wine may cover up some of the flavors in cheese while the carbonation in beer creates a lighter acidity and lifts the fats in the cheese off the palate,” says The Beer Sommelier, Matt Simpson. “Whether it’s a straight-up cheese platter, pizza, sandwich, goat cheese salad, almost any beer is a go when it comes to cheese.

The one rule with dishes like chicken, fish, salads or pastas are that you don’t want to overpower them with a beer. Therefore, lighter is better. A light Belgian Saison with chicken or fish is perfect. (If creams or sauces are added you need a heavy, richer beer.) Pasta is slightly more versatile but still pairs well with similar brews like blonde ales and wheat ales.

In general, fries (or frites) are light in flavor profile, so opt for a brew that will help cleanse the palate. “In general ask for a beer to cleanse your palate without washing away all the salty flavors, cutting through and bringing out the taste of the food,” says Stroobandt, who prefers a nice Stella Artois with his frites. The same recommendation goes for most fried, salty dishes.

Steak and Cabernet are classic, but darker, heartier beers like brown ales or stouts can balance the bigger meats. It’s all about finding a beer that is equal to the meat. “The idea is to balance the sweet malt and bitter aromatic hops,” says Simpson. “Any big robust beef or meaty food should include a beer that is big and bold enough to stand up to roasted meat like a darker, fuller porter or stout.”

Spicy Thai, Szechuan Chicken and Mexican dishes all go well with light lagers – basically anything with more hops, which help cut down the spices in the food.

“It’s almost like milk when it comes to spicy food. It doesn’t coat the tongue, but the spice in the hops cut through the spiciness in the chilies and peppers and allows the beer to shine through,” says Matt Simpson.

The Chocolate notes in stouts always pair well with brownies or any rich dessert. Lighter, fruit-based lagers or ales can also provide a nice balance or contrast. Think raspberries and chocolate. “Beer and dessert is not the first choice for most, but a whole new world of flavors await you when you try fruitier beers with a wide variety of puddings, ice creams or sorbets,” says Stroobandt.

“It’s all about trial and error and finding that unique combination of food and beer,” says Stroobandt. “The wine industry is years ahead with informing and educating the consumer, so brewers have to step it up a gear and provide some info on how their beers can work with food.”

Summer comes with new Cocktail pralines by Leonidas

Famous Belgian chocolatier Leonidas is proud to present its completely new range of Cocktail pralines, bursting with sun-drenched festive flavours.

Cocktail pralines are an inspired combination of the bittersweet taste of delicious Leonidas chocolate and the sun-filled secret of the most stylish cocktails in the world. Simple indulgence is all it takes to immerse yourself in the intensely tropical flavours, colours and rhythms.

There?s something for everyone: Banana Daiquiri, Pina Colada, Mojito, Sex on the Beach, Blue Lagoon and Tequila Sunrise.

At Leonidas, summer?s already in full swing!

Cocktail pralines come in pretty boxes containing 18 chocolates ? just right for a party or a dance. Each box also includes cocktail recipes designed by the master chocolate maker, giving everyone the chance to get into the party spirit throughout the summer season.

With its Cocktail pralines, Leonidas has devised an irresistible new taste sensation ? for savouring in the sun, toes stretched out, or during delicious summer evenings?