Beer, revisited

[PhilM]

I was intrigued when on a brewery tour some years back to find that (some) brewers strip the water they use (for certain brews) back to (best described as neutral) then build the water profiles back up to reflect the water from the area of the original brew (pils etc).

Example for Guinness

View attachment 87175

Brewing Water Target Profiles - Brewer's Friend

www.brewersfriend.com

A friend of mine who worked for Diageo, in their Guiness division, said the brewery's lease entitles them to obtain water from a stream that comes from the Liffy.

Basically, he said they haven't paid for water for hundreds of years now and legally - can't confirm it's entirely true but I can't see him making it up.

Another point, more similar to your own above, is how Diageo can replicate the taste of most whiskies in a fraction of the time it takes in barrels etc.

It would be much cheaper too and only real connoisseurs can tell the difference, but they'd have to charge much less: it pays for them to actually be traditional.

 

[Gwlacticos]

Just finished work. Off til Tuesday now. Cotleigh Brewery, Barn Owl is my first bottle and it is a good start.

 

[COYBL25]

Just finished work. Off til Tuesday now. Cotleigh Brewery, Barn Owl is my first bottle and it is a good start.

Nice stuff, had it a few times on draught in the South West.

All their beers are named after owls and birds of prey for some reason ?

 

[verreauxi]

Never though beer and national security might collide within a single beer app, but here we go:

Military And Intelligence Personnel Can Be Tracked With The Untappd Beer App - bellingcat

Surprise! The beer-rating app Untappd can be used to track the location history of military personnel. The social network has over eight million mostly European and North American users, and its features allow researchers to uncover sensitive information about said users at military and...

www.bellingcat.com

 

[sdk]

Fiddlehead is a brewery in Shelburne, Vermont, and this is their IPA. It was an early iteration of what American beer enthusiasts now call a NEIPA, or New England IPA. Pungently hoppy. Vermont pumps out some great brew for sure.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Fiddlehead is a brewery in Shelburne, Vermont, and this is their IPA. It was an early iteration of what American beer enthusiasts now call a NEIPA, or New England IPA. Pungently hoppy. Vermont pumps out some great brew for sure.

Here is what is widely regarded to be the original NEIPA and is a beast of a brew. Its a legend and sadly a bit of a rarity but a must try if you can.

The Alchemist Heady Topper

www.ratebeer.com

If you fancy a crack at home brewing though ...

Off the Topper Small Batch 1 US Gallon (3.8L) Recipe Kit

Alchemist's Heady Topper: the beer that some say was the first New England IPA, and which kicked off the haze craze currently sweeping the craft beer world. Unfortunately for us, it's elusive at best in its home state of Vermont, and nigh-on impossible to get your hands on in the UK. What else...

www.beerhawk.co.uk

 

[coollino]

Where is @summerisle ? Not seen him for ages.

 

[Lanolin]

San Miguel that you drink in the UK is brewed in Northamppton like a lot of other beers to be honest: very few are actually brewed from their home countries.

Most the main foreign lagers now come from either there, Burton-on-Trent (the big one) or Manchester; very few are actually brought over from their home land.

That means the water content is different, which is very important as you'll see later, and the hops and barley are probably the same variety but a different source.

Guinness is either brewed in Dublin or Nigeria (they drink lots of the stuff), but it's produced in a concentrate form and then tankered to distribution plants.

The Guinness you drink in the UK is transferred from concentrate in Preston Brook, near Daresbury, so the major water source is difference hence the taste.

Your pint in Fuerteventura was probably made from a different factory and different water source, so will taste different; looking after it is important too.

I do still think the Mythos effect plays a part too: I brought Mythos back from a holiday in Cyprus where we'd drank it and Keo a lot and was lovely.

When I drank it in the garden however, it tasted like piss. I love Kronenbourg when in France, but the stuff they make over here is like cats piss.

Beer writer Pete Brown has written about this quite a lot. He's a serious beer geek, but talks about how some of his favourite drinking experiences have been drinking mass produced stuff, because of the location/company/weather whatever. It definitely makes a huge difference. I remember raving about a beer i'd had in Prague, telling anyone and everyone how amazing it was. When I drank one back at home though, it was nothing like I remembered. It wasn't a brewing issue either, i'd had bottles there too so it was literally just the way my brain/tastebuds received it.

 

[sdk]

Here is what is widely regarded to be the original NEIPA and is a beast of a brew. Its a legend and sadly a bit of a rarity but a must try if you can

Ah yes, I never visit Vermont without bringing home a case of Heady Topper. Wonderful beer.

 

[obc]

Beer fridge at my brother-in-law's house. Nicely stocked, we were able to do a quick stop at Burial in Ashville before arriving here.

 

[carlos21]

Beer fridge at my brother-in-law's house. Nicely stocked, we were able to do a quick stop at Burial in Ashville before arriving here. View attachment 87877

Can I have some please how are you doing today.

 

[obc]

Can I have some please how are you doing today.

Better hurry, the cervezas are going fast. I'm doing well now, with family for a few more days, have beer. And you?

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Beer fridge at my brother-in-law's house. Nicely stocked, we were able to do a quick stop at Burial in Ashville before arriving here. View attachment 87877

What are the bottles, mate?

 

[carlos21]

Better hurry, the cervezas are going fast. I'm doing well now, with family for a few more days, have beer. And you?

Yes I am good today mate.

 

[obc]

What are the bottles, mate?

Burial - Bonedagger IPA
Burial – Surf Wax IPA
Wicked Weed – Pernicious IPA
Terrapin – Luau Krunkles IPA
Terrapin – Hopsecutioner IPA
Scofflaw – Hooligan IPA
Fat Bottom – Knockout IPA
Elkmont Exchange – Legion of Haze
Oskar Blues - Florida Man DIPA
A Peanut Butter Milk stout and a few others I forget.

And finally her brother’s reserve stash in the back:

Bourbon County Stout
Oskar Blues – Ten Fidy Barrel Aged Stout