Drunken Crayfish

Do you know that?

De Dolle Brouwers is a brewery located in Esen, in the North of Belgium near Diksmuide. According to the archives, the brewery was founded in 1835.

Presently, De Dolle Brouwers offer six delicious brews, of which Dulle Teve has the most striking name.

Actually, Dulle Teve translates from Flemish as Mad Bitch, but do not be shocked. It is brewed in the tradition of a Belgian Triple. Its high density stems from large amounts of pale malt increased with pale candy sugar in the brew kettle. The beer is not meant for aging, De Dolle Brouwers advise.

Dulle Teve is a very fruity and mildly sweet drink, of which 10% abv does not really hit you until to you stand up. An Excellent Beer!

Cheers!

New study says moderate beer drinkers less prone to have high blood pressure and excess weight

A new study has found that people who take ale and lager in moderate levels are less prone to have high blood pressure and diabetes. Also, those who take beer in controlled manner are less likely to get fat, Topnews reported on January, 18.

Dr. Ramon Estruch, a Spanish researcher led the study, which revealed that beer has folic acid, vitamins, calcium and iron, which are beneficial for cardiovascular system.

The researchers are of the view that beer doesn’t always make one plump as there are low fat and kilojoule levels in the drink. One becomes pot-bellied due to binge drinking, taking high-fat content food and less physical activity.

The study suggests that along with taking healthy diet and following regular exercise regime, men should take three small glasses of beer a day and for women, this amount should be two glasses per day.

US Brewers Association updates several beer styles descriptions in its 2011 Beer Style Guidelines

The US Brewers Association (BA) recently released its 2011 Beer Style Guidelines. Updated annually, the guidelines currently describe 140 styles of beer and are used in prestigious beer competitions, like the Great American Beer Festival® and the World Beer Cup®.

For 2011, several beer style descriptions have been significantly updated:

* Belgo-American-Style Ales
* Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin/Oud Red
* German Bock
* Rye Beer

Additionally, two beer styles have been renamed. American-Style Sour Ale is now known as American-Style Brett Ale, and its description has been significantly revised. American-Style Black Ale is the new name for American-Style India Black Ale, and it too has updated style guidelines.

Since 1979 the BA has provided beer style descriptions as a reference for brewers and beer competition organizers. The beer style guidelines developed by the BA use sources from the commercial brewing industry, beer analyses, and consultations with beer industry experts and knowledgeable beer enthusiasts as resources for information. Much of the early work was based on the assistance and contributions of beer journalist Michael Jackson. For 2011, revisions were aided by over 150 comments and suggestions from Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup judges, as well as other beer industry members.

“These guidelines help to illustrate the growth of craft brewers in the United States and also offer insight and a foundation for helping appreciate the hundreds of beer types brewed for the beer lover,” said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association.

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.

Beer is nutricious, medicinal and simply tasty

Beer has been brewing for more than 8,000 years worldwide, and in olden days was considered a food staple.

The word beer comes from the Middle English ber(e), and from the Latin bibere meaning “to drink.” Ancient Babylonian records indicate beer as being used in sacrificial rituals. All of the ancient cultures, including those of Egypt, China, India, and the Incas of Peru, made beer.

Teuton brides drank honey-beer for a month after their wedding ceremony as an aphrodisiac. The custom of honey-beer for a month, poetically referred to as a moon, led to the current term of honeymoon.

Physicians and holistic practitioners of old used beer liberally in their cures. One important reason is that due to the brewing process, beer was actually safer to drink than the water or milk (which was usually preserved as cheese). Thus, beer was often used to mix medicines and was also used as the liquid in recipes in lieu of impotable water.

An old folk remedy to rid the face of freckles was to wash the face with warm beer.

Desperate early American colonists with a shortage of barley and hops in the new world made beer from corn, molasses, wheat bran, pumpkins, and even persimmons!

Beer is brewed from some very healthy ingredients, primarily hops, yeast, barley, and barley malt. Is it any wonder that beer was often referred to as liquid bread? Many Europeans have adopted hops sprouts as a substitute for asparagus and use them for pickling, in spite of their higher cost.

Beer varieties are virtually endless, especially with the current popularity of craft- and homebrewing. Homebrewers have more control over the flavor and alcohol-content which is dependent upon the grains, malts, and brewing methods.

Pilsener, ale, stout, porter, lager and bock beer are all good candidates for addition to your recipes.

Cheers!

As far back as the 1500s, Belgian brewmasters knew that adding fruit to beer was a way to pretty up the flavour and help it last longer, especially in the days before pasteurization.

The variety of fruit that goes into the thirst-quenching summer brews is as diverse as any farmers market stand, from staples like apples, apricots, blueberries and cherries to more exotic offerings, such as cassis, a European blackcurrant, and pomegranates.

Belgian brewmasters add real fruit to “sour beer” or unblended, naturally and spontaneously fermented beer. But the fruit esters – beerspeak for the flavours and aromas – didn’t last long if the beer was unpasteurized because the wild yeast absorbed all the fruit’s sweetness. With pasteurization, beer makers found they could retain the fruit flavours and sweetness in their product because the process stopped unintentional fermentation that can produce off-flavours.

Belgian or Belgian-style beers tend to be made with bolder, sour beer bases such as a lambic, a Belgian wheat that is spontaneously fermented by freeborn, ambient yeasts and bacteria. Belgian beers also tend to use real fruit and juices, instead of fruit extracts typically resulting in bigger, more powerful and flavourful quaffs than their American counterparts.

American fruit brews, by contrast, tend to be made from lighter, softer lagers or wheat beers, although some breweries are using Imperial Amber Ale or Stouts as their base.

Analysts forecast growth for Europe’s chocolate market in 2011

The fall in cocoa grindings by 2.4 per in the fourth quarter of 2010 is not an indication of slowdown in the recovery of the chocolate market in Europe, Confectionery News cited on January, 17 an industry analyst.

A report from the Brussels based European Cocoa Association (ECA) earlier in January showed that cocoa bean processing by European based manufacturers is down to 342,713 metric tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Grindings are a key indicator of demand for cocoa from the chocolate and foods industries. The ECA accounts for around two-thirds of European bean processing.

But Francisco Redruello, senior food analyst at Euromonitor International, argues that grindings are not the only indicator of demand and he puts the lower fourth quarter figures down to the fact that leading chocolate manufacturers were in restocking rather than processing mode during the period as a way to offset higher prices for the commodity.

Indeed, Mr. Redruello said that the market research firm estimates a retail volume growth of 2 per cent in 2011 for chocolate confectionery in Europe, with consumer confidence on the rebound in the UK market in particular.

“Turkey, with a strong emerging chocolate market, will have around a 7 per cent hike in retail volume in this category,” continued Redruello.

The analyst also predicts stability in the cocoa futures markets over the next few months.

“Based on the fact that supplies are getting through to the ports in the Ivory Coast in spite of the political crisis, in addition to the better yields from the heavy rainfall in Ghana, we do not forsee any strong price fluctuations,” added the analyst.