Booze News

[rynner2]

Free Beer!

'Creative plumbing' delivers beer

A woman said she thought she was in heaven when she turned on the kitchen tap to find a plentiful supply of beer.
Haldis Gundersen was planning to do the washing up when she made the unusual discovery at her apartment in Kristiansund, west Norway.

But two flights below, workers in a bar faced the more disappointing realisation that water was flowing from their beer taps.

A worker had connected a beer barrel to the apartment water pipe by mistake.

"I turned on the tap to clean some knives and forks, and beer came out," Ms Gundersen told Reuters news agency. "We thought we were in heaven."

But the beer was flat and tasted odd, she said.

'Really creative'

Downstairs at the Big Tower Bar, workers realised what the problem was - a new barrel had been misconnected to Ms Gundersen's water supply.

"The water and beer pipes do touch each other, but you have to be really creative to connect them together," said Per Egil Myrvang from the local beer distributor. He helped employees to rectify the problem over the telephone.

Ms Gundersen bore no grudge. "If it happens again, I'm going to order Baileys," she said.

In Norway, the sale of alcohol is controlled through a state monopoly and beer prices are some of the highest in the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4802928.stm

 

[gerardwilkie]

I was on holiday in Norway 2 years ago , and the beer prices are trouser-messingly horrific . I once got charged approximately £15 for a pint . Halfs were all about £6 , so that woman was lucky to say the least . I'd have been bottling it if it were me.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Woman Gets Beer From Her Kitchen Faucet

POSTED: 2:57 pm EST March 13, 2006

OSLO, Norway -- It almost seemed like a miracle to Haldis Gundersen when she turned on her kitchen faucet this weekend and found the water had turned into beer.

Two flights down, employees and customers at the Big Tower Bar were horrified when water poured out of the beer taps.

By an improbable feat of clumsy plumbing, someone at the bar in Kristiandsund, western Norway, had accidentally hooked the beer hoses to the water pipes for Gundersen's apartment.

"We had settled down for a cozy Saturday evening, had a nice dinner, and I was just going to clean up a little," Gundersen, 50, told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. "I turned on the kitchen faucet and beer came out."

However, Gundersen said the beer was flat and not tempting, even in a country where a half-liter (pint) can cost about 25 kroner ($3.75) in grocery stores.

Per Egil Myrvang, of the local beer distributor, said he helped bartenders reconnect the pipes by telephone.

"The water and beer pipes do touch each other, but you have to be really creative to connect them together," he told local newspapers.

Gundersen joked about having the pub send up free beer for her next party.

"But maybe it would be easier if they just invited me down for a beer," she said.

-----
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.

www.local6.com/news/7966797/detail.html

 

[Stormkhan]

As Gerard said, I'd be bottling the stuff and living off bottled water until their barrel went dry.
Beer on tap? For free?? My kind of heaven!

 

[rynner2]

Beer on tap? For free?? My kind of heaven!

My original title was 'Free beer!'

(But I think Emps had a Pam Ayres moment... )

 

[rynner2]

All the pleasures of alcohol, with no downsides
11 April 2006
Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition
Graham Lawton

CASUAL drinkers are unlikely to have raised their glass to the news last month that most people who suffer severe alcohol-induced liver disease are social drinkers not alcoholics. Nor to the finding that moderate drinking might not, after all, help prevent heart disease.

There may, however, just be a solution to our drinking woes - one that will allow us to go to a bar and drink as much as we want; get merry, not legless; wake without a hangover; and never have to worry that one of our favourite pastimes may be killing us. It's a cocktail of drugs that mimics the pleasurable effects of alcohol without the downsides. The idea is only on the drawing board, but there is no scientific reason why it could not be made right now, says psychopharmacologist David Nutt of the University of Bristol in the UK.

Alcohol exerts its effects on the brain mainly by latching onto signalling molecules called GABA-A receptors. There are dozens of subtypes of these, some of which are associated with specific effects of alcohol. Memory loss, for example, seems to occur because alcohol binds to a subtype in the hippocampus called alpha-5. Nutt says it would be possible to design molecules that bind strongly to the good subtypes but more weakly to the bad ones.

In fact such "partial agonists" of GABA-A receptors already exist in the form of bretazenil and pagoclone, which were developed as anti-anxiety drugs but never commercialised. These molecules also have the advantage of being instantly reversible by the drug flumazenil, which is used as an antidote to overdoses of tranquillisers such as Valium. Alcohol also inhibits NMDA receptors, which are part of a general excitatory signalling circuit, so a second ingredient of the alcohol substitute would be an NMDA antagonist such as dizoclipine, originally developed as a drug for stroke.

The trick pharmacologists need to pull off is to make a mixture of molecules that deliver alcohol's pleasurable effects, notably relaxation and sociability, without the aggression, nausea, loss of coordination and amnesia that can cause drinkers and those around them so much grief. Long-term problems such as cirrhosis of the liver could also be eliminated, says Nutt, who publishes the idea next month in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, (vol 20, p 318).

There would be obstacles of course. The pharmaceutical industry may be unwilling to develop and test such a complex and expensive formulation, while there would be political and moral difficulties in creating a new lifestyle drug. And drinkers might need some persuading to give up fine wine or their favourite beer. Still, it's an idea worth toasting.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg1 ... 025474.100

A bit technical, admittedly.

But will I live long enough to experience these new 'substances', given the current state of my liver?

 

[rynner2]

Greenland ice cap beer launched

A brewery in Greenland is producing beer using water melted from the ice cap of the vast Arctic island.
The brewers claim that the water is at least 2,000 years old and free of minerals and pollutants.

The first 66,000 litres of the new dark and pale ales are on their way to the Danish market.

The beer from Greenland - a semi-autonomous Danish territory - has 5.5% alcohol and costs 37 kroner (£3.4; five euros) per half-litre bottle.

It is the first ever Inuit microbrewery - located in Narsaq, a hamlet 625km (390 miles) south of the Arctic Circle.

The beer is shipped to Stralsund, on Germany's north coast, to be bottled.

With a capacity of 400,000 litres a year, the brewery has ambitions beyond the Danish market.

"We've got enquiries from the US and from Germany and we will probably be launching it on the German market in, let's say, six months," Steen Outzen, the brewery owner, told the BBC's World Today programme.

It is claimed that the Greenland beer, officially launched in Copenhagen on Monday, has a softer, cleaner taste than other beers, because of the ice cap water.

The gigantic island of Greenland measures 2.2 million square km (844,000 square miles) - 85% of it covered with ice that is up to 4,000 metres (11,000 feet) thick.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5234194.stm

 

[Stormkhan]

The Great British Beer Festival is on until Saturday! It's at Earls Court (opp. the tube station) and it's dead brill!
http://www.camra.org.uk

 

[almond13]

It is claimed that the Greenland beer, officially launched in Copenhagen on Monday, has a softer, cleaner taste than other beers, because of the ice cap water.

The gigantic island of Greenland measures 2.2 million square km (844,000 square miles) - 85% of it covered with ice that is up to 4,000 metres (11,000 feet) thick.

Drink Greenland Dry (ice free)

 

[littleblackduck]

It is claimed that the Greenland beer, officially launched in Copenhagen on Monday, has a softer, cleaner taste than other beers, because of the ice cap water.

The gigantic island of Greenland measures 2.2 million square km (844,000 square miles) - 85% of it covered with ice that is up to 4,000 metres (11,000 feet) thick.

Drink Greenland Dry (ice free)

As I have already said, elsewhere, it's nice to know that the melting ice caps won't go to waste.

 

[rynner2]

Cattle on 40 pints a day of beer

A Cornish farmer is believed to be the first in the county to experiment with breeding cattle on beer.
The Limousin herd at Woodland Farm in Fentonadle get through up to 40 pints of local brew a day as part of their enviable diet.

And they even get a massage to help produce the speciality Kobe-style beef, based on traditional Japanese production methods.

Farmer Darren Pluess says the cattle are not harmed by the diet.

'Kobe' beef

"They are completely happy and they do like drinking beer," he said.

"Beer is basically, hops, water and barley which is consistent with their diet anyway.

"We have problems digesting it, but they are ruminants and it suits them better."

In Japan, Kobe beef is produced only by the expensive Wagyu cattle, but outside the country it can be sold as Kobe-style beef.

At Woodland Farm the beer, which is kept in 1,000 litre vats, is tapped into the sheds of the five Limousin cattle.

Two of the recipients, Olly and George, named after actor Oliver Reed and footballer George Best respectively, appear to be enjoying the diet which is complemented by regular massages to encourage tenderness.

'Run riot'

Mr Pluess's wife Katy said Saturday night could get a bit rowdy.

"If they don't have enough and they run out, when we bring the beer in they get incredibly excited and run riot.

"I don't think they're alcoholics because they do have water as well if they want, but they certainly do enjoy it."

The result is fatty well-marbled beef with burgers from the herd fetching up to £40 each in London restaurants.

"You can't really taste the beer, it just tastes like really, really good beef," said Mr Pluess.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6345289.stm

yum! hic!

 

[JamesWhitehead]

Cattle Schmattle, takes too long!

Whitehead's Gin-Shrimps on the other hand can be yours for a mere tenner a piece!

Ready tomorrow. 8)

 

[rynner2]

Purists look away... this is the shape of malt whisky in 2007
FERGUS SHEPPARD
MEDIA CORRESPONDENT ([email protected])

IT IS one of the world's most famous single malt whiskies.

But the Macallan is now being trialled as a liqueur in the United States - complete with ingredients such as maple and pecan - in a bid to appeal to upmarket women drinkers.

The new drink, called Amber, is being test marketed across Washington, Denver and Seattle after small-scale trials in Boston. It is the first time Macallan has built a liqueur around its malt, which has achieved global renown since its launch 183 years ago.

However, the trial has provoked controversy among some purists. One expert last night said it was "madness" to tamper with a flagship like Macallan.

The Scotsman understands the Macallan single malt in the drink is not a ten or 12-year-old vintage. Instead, it is somewhere between three years old - the minimum required to be classified under UK law - and eight years.

The drink is being targeted at "upscale" drinkers, particularly affluent women, who might have traditionally been resistant to whisky. The curved glass of the bottle is suggestive of perfume packaging.

Amber will be distributed in the US by Remy Cointreau and is on sale at trial outlets at around £20 for a 750cl bottle.

Sample tastings appear to have proved favourable.

One US-based website, The Scotch Blog, gave its hearty endorsement. Editor Kevin Erskine told The Scotsman: "Amber smells like the best maple syrup you've ever had. You have to really get your nose in to detect the Macallan.

"It's not for purists, it's an entry-level drug which gets people acquainted with the taste of whisky."

The trial does not necessarily mean Macallan will go on to market the drink. If it fails to register with its target audience, it may be shelved.

One industry insider said the low-key testing was not without its risks for the company. "This is part of the Macallan brand, regarded as the finest malt in the world," he said. "It is like Bentley introducing a two-seater sports car when they've always been in a different market."

Michael Jackson, a whisky writer, said it was a mistake to tamper with Macallan.

"It is madness to do this. It is like putting go-faster stripes down the side of a Rolls-Royce.

"If you are going to do something like this, Macallan is not the whisky to use. It sounds like a bit of an alcopop," he said.

Joe Howell, manager of Boston-based Federal Wines and Spirits, said the drink had "flown out of the store".

Mr Howell said as well as the strong maple taste, the liqueur had a distinct "nuttiness" to it. "A chef could do wonderful things with it," he said. "You could drizzle some in a pan with scallops and bacon."

Macallan is owned by the Edrington Group, which also owns brands including the Famous Grouse and Highland Park.

Ken Grier, director of malts at the Edrington Group, said: "This reinforces our position as the leading innovator in the Scotch whisky market."

CULT ASPIRATION IN A BOTTLE
DEMAND for upmarket drinks in the United States has been boosted by the rap world in recent years.

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Snoop Dogg have both championed Cognac. Busta Rhymes wrote a song called Pass the Courvoisier. Expensive Cristal champagne has also been elevated to cult status through rap music. Whisky and its Irish counterpart continue to enjoy general luxury status.

Rob Allanson, editor of Whisky magazine, said: "Upmarket liqueurs and premium Scotch have a strong appeal in America.

"There is a lifestyle element to it and the middle and upper classes aspire to these kind of premium products."

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=218862007

 

[Leaferne]

If you need your whisk(e)y sweetened with syrup, you might not be ready for whisk(e)y yet.

 

[maureenmac1]

If you need your whisk(e)y sweetened with syrup, you might not be ready for whisk(e)y yet.

Also known as 'wreck the hoose juice'.

 

[Analogue Boy]

Purists look away... this is the shape of malt whisky in 2007
FERGUS SHEPPARD
MEDIA CORRESPONDENT ([email protected])

IT IS one of the world's most famous single malt whiskies.

But the Macallan is now being trialled as a liqueur in the United States - complete with ingredients such as maple and pecan - in a bid to appeal to upmarket women drinkers.

The new drink, called Amber, is being test marketed across Washington, Denver and Seattle after small-scale trials in Boston. It is the first time Macallan has built a liqueur around its malt, which has achieved global renown since its launch 183 years ago.

However, the trial has provoked controversy among some purists. One expert last night said it was "madness" to tamper with a flagship like Macallan.

The Scotsman understands the Macallan single malt in the drink is not a ten or 12-year-old vintage. Instead, it is somewhere between three years old - the minimum required to be classified under UK law - and eight years.

The drink is being targeted at "upscale" drinkers, particularly affluent women, who might have traditionally been resistant to whisky. The curved glass of the bottle is suggestive of perfume packaging.

Amber will be distributed in the US by Remy Cointreau and is on sale at trial outlets at around £20 for a 750cl bottle.

Sample tastings appear to have proved favourable.

One US-based website, The Scotch Blog, gave its hearty endorsement. Editor Kevin Erskine told The Scotsman: "Amber smells like the best maple syrup you've ever had. You have to really get your nose in to detect the Macallan.

"It's not for purists, it's an entry-level drug which gets people acquainted with the taste of whisky."

The trial does not necessarily mean Macallan will go on to market the drink. If it fails to register with its target audience, it may be shelved.

One industry insider said the low-key testing was not without its risks for the company. "This is part of the Macallan brand, regarded as the finest malt in the world," he said. "It is like Bentley introducing a two-seater sports car when they've always been in a different market."

Michael Jackson, a whisky writer, said it was a mistake to tamper with Macallan.

"It is madness to do this. It is like putting go-faster stripes down the side of a Rolls-Royce.

"If you are going to do something like this, Macallan is not the whisky to use. It sounds like a bit of an alcopop," he said.

Joe Howell, manager of Boston-based Federal Wines and Spirits, said the drink had "flown out of the store".

Mr Howell said as well as the strong maple taste, the liqueur had a distinct "nuttiness" to it. "A chef could do wonderful things with it," he said. "You could drizzle some in a pan with scallops and bacon."

Macallan is owned by the Edrington Group, which also owns brands including the Famous Grouse and Highland Park.

Ken Grier, director of malts at the Edrington Group, said: "This reinforces our position as the leading innovator in the Scotch whisky market."

CULT ASPIRATION IN A BOTTLE
DEMAND for upmarket drinks in the United States has been boosted by the rap world in recent years.

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Snoop Dogg have both championed Cognac. Busta Rhymes wrote a song called Pass the Courvoisier. Expensive Cristal champagne has also been elevated to cult status through rap music. Whisky and its Irish counterpart continue to enjoy general luxury status.

Rob Allanson, editor of Whisky magazine, said: "Upmarket liqueurs and premium Scotch have a strong appeal in America.

"There is a lifestyle element to it and the middle and upper classes aspire to these kind of premium products."

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=218862007

Welcome to Weston-Super-Mare on the second day of this vital series of the world whisky drinking triathlon After rain stopped play yesterday, it appears to be tipping it down today too. Ooooooh. Look at that. A majestic view over those mud flats. They must go on for miles, don't you think Ronnie?

'Well the drinking here has been legendary to say the least. In many cases the wives and girlfriends of the team have been coping with shopping and low-level hallucinagenics on an impressive scale. I did manage to catch up with Flintoff earlier on by the ice cream kiosk by the Crazy Golf Course. He was asking for a double maple syrup topping and something for the ladies. The clown's face gave me an odd look.

 

[maureenmac1]

Cattle Schmattle, takes too long!

Whitehead's Gin-Shrimps on the other hand can be yours for a mere tenner a piece!

Ready tomorrow. 8)

I sent you a cheque, so where's my Gin-Shrimps? A lady could die of thirst here you know!

 

[LaurenChurchill]

The Great British Beer Festival is on until Saturday! It's at Earls Court (opp. the tube station) and it's dead brill!
http://www.camra.org.uk

Funny that it's in the mainly Aussie area of London

 

[rynner2]

shock horror!

Irish are shunning Guinness
By Harry Wallop, Business Correspondent and Simon Caldwell
Last Updated: 2:04am GMT 16/02/2007

It is as Irish as shamrock and the Blarney Stone, but a pint of Guinness is falling out of favour in its home country.

The iconic drink, which has been brewed in Dublin for the last 250 years, is suffering a severe downturn in sales, the company admitted yesterday.

Diageo, the UK drinks giant that owns Guinness, said volumes of the stout fell by 10 per cent in Ireland in the last six months as increasing numbers of drinkers die off.

Paul Walsh, Diageo's chief executive, said: "What is happening in Ireland is that 50 to 60 year olds who were going out five or six nights a week and drinking five or six pints are being replaced by a younger consumer, who goes out three nights a week and drinks two to three pints."

Drinks experts think the problems could run deeper than a shift in demographics.

Roger Protz, the author of the Good Beer Guide, said: "Guinness is not the beer it used to be 20 or 30 years ago in my view. It is now thinner and has a rather unpleasant bitterness."

The company insists it has not changed the "taste profile" of Guinness in recent years and said it was still the favourite drink in the pubs of Dublin, Galway and Kilkenny, outselling nearest competitor Heineken by two to one.

The Catholic bishops of Ireland have added to the company's woes, calling for their flock to give up the black stuff for Lent - meaning that drinkers would have to stay dry on St Patrick's Day.

http://tinyurl.com/36jva3

 

[Stormkhan]

Earl's Court is also a 'gay' area, so what does that say?

The GBBF is a great event; I've done voluntary work for it on several occasions and always attend. Good food, nice folks ... and lots and lots of beers, wines, ciders, and even lagers.

 

[rynner2]

Drunken Australian catches shark with his bare hands
AP
Published: 16 February 2007

A man who caught a four-foot shark with his bare hands off an Australian beach today said he only did it because he was drunk on vodka.

Bricklayer Phillip Kerkhof was fishing for squid with friends off a jetty at Louth Bay, a town on South Australia state's Eyre Peninsula, on Monday night when he spotted the bronze whaler shark swimming in the shallows, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

"I just snuck up behind him, and eventually I went for the big grab and I fluked it and got him," Mr Kerkhof said. "He was just thrashing around in the water ... starting to turn around and try to bite me and I thought 'well, it's amazing what vodka does'," Mr Kerkhof said.

As he wrestled the shark onto the jetty, the shark bit a hole in Kerkhof's jeans but all he suffered was a slight scratch.

Mr Kerkhof said he'd had two meals already from the shark and planned to use the rest in a weekend cookout for friends in the town, which lies about 870 miles west of Sydney.

"It's beautiful mate - restaurant quality," he said.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/aus ... 275397.ece

 

[LaurenChurchill]

It's making me hungry. The guy up the road used to catch bronze whalers and make little bitey bits covered in breadcrumbs and spices. It was so good, almost made up for continually asking my mother to watch gay porn with him.

 

[rynner2]

this could also go in Climate Change...

Le Fizz Anglais
Warming forces French champagne house to plant English vineyard
By Jonathan Thompson
Published: 18 February 2007

One of the French Champagne region's largest and most influential houses has opened negotiations to plant a vineyard in southern England.

For Duval-Leroy, one of Champagne's grandes-marques, it would be a ground-breaking first. It hopes to begin planting the three types of champagne grapes - chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier - at a 200-acre site in Dorset in time to have the first bottles matured and ready to drink by the 2012 Olympics.

Land agents and vineyard owners elsewhere in southern England are reporting an influx of inquiries from large Champagne houses, as fears grow that climate change is causing soil temperatures to rise in their native region.

The wine industry is one where even the slightest variation in conditions can drastically affect the product, and this is why the slightly cooler climes of southern England - particularly around Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Dorset - are now being seriously considered to ensure the long-term future of Champagne.

Frazer Thompson, the managing director of Chapel Down Wines, the largest producer of English wines in the country, said the secret was a shared cross-Channel chalk seam.

"In south-eastern England, the ground itself is almost identical to that of Champagne, in terms of its chalk content and acidity," he said.

"Some of these areas are only 80 or 90 miles north of Champagne as the crow flies, yet the climate is cooler - and champagne is a cool-climate wine. We have the temperature here, the correct soil - and land that doesn't cost around £350,000 an acre, as it does in Champagne."

In recent years, the quality of sparkling wine produced from southern England has noticeably improved. Chapel Down, along with vineyards such as Nyetimber and Ridge View in Sussex, have won international awards. This, along with recent claims that Christopher Merret, an Englishman, was the first to invent sparkling wine, in 1662 - some 30 years before the French monk Dom Perignon claimed to have done so - has helped to turn the English wine industry from something of a joke into a serious business proposition.

The Champagne house Duval-Leroy, based in the village of Vertus in the Cotes des Blancs region, is believed to have already considered a number of sites in Kent for potential vineyards, before it opened discussions with the wine writer Steven Spurrier and his wife, Bella, over their rolling farm in Dorset.

The soil there has already been successfully analysed and Carol Duval-Leroy, the proprietor of the 150-year-old champagne producer, is expected to view the property, situated in the Bride Valley between Dorchester and Bridgeport, in a matter of weeks.

The Spurriers, who currently use the land for grazing sheep, believe that up to 70 of their 200 acres would be prime winegrowing land. "The analysis showed that the chalk content is perfect and the acidity good," said Mr Spurrier. "All of the land is south-east, south or south-west facing with good drainage, and there are existing barns on the site that would convert brilliantly into a winery."

Mr Spurrier said he hoped to see the first harvest in 2009, with the wine ready for drinking by the time the sailing Olympics begin in nearby Weymouth in the summer of 2012. He plans to call the product Bride Valley Brut.

"It would be a joint venture if it goes ahead," said Mr Spurrier, who is a consultant editor at Decanter. "We would only plant the three types of champagne grapes, and would try to make it as close to champagne as possible."

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 281399.ece

Cheers!

 

[filcee]

this could also go in Climate Change...

Le Fizz Anglais
Warming forces French champagne house to plant English vineyard...

...One of the French Champagne region's largest and most influential houses has opened negotiations to plant a vineyard in southern England...

...The Champagne house Duval-Leroy, based in the village of Vertus in the Cotes des Blancs region...

...Mr Spurrier said he hoped to see the first harvest in 2009, with the wine ready for drinking by the time the sailing Olympics begin in nearby Weymouth in the summer of 2012. He plans to call the product Bride Valley Brut.

"It would be a joint venture if it goes ahead," said Mr Spurrier, who is a consultant editor at Decanter. "We would only plant the three types of champagne grapes, and would try to make it as close to champagne as possible."...

I wonder if Duval-Leroy were one of the producers that insisted champagne could only be produced in the Champagne region? If they are, this could also go on the Irony thread...

 

[rynner2]

Irish EU's 'worst binge-drinkers'

Ireland has the highest rates of binge-drinking in the European Union, a survey exploring attitudes to alcohol has indicated.
Finland and Britain came second and third in the Eurobarometer survey.

In Italy and Greece, by comparison, only 2% of people said they did binge-drink - defined as having five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting.

The survey comes just a few days before Ireland, and much of the world, celebrates Saint Patrick's Day.

BINGE-DRINKING IN THE EU
Ireland 34%
Finland 27%
UK 24%
Denmark 23%
Portugal 4%
Italy & Greece 2%
Source: Eurobarometer

Binge-drinking is a particular problem among young people, with almost a fifth of the 15-24 age group usually binge-drinking when consuming alcohol, according to the results of the survey on attitudes towards alcohol, presented by the European Commission on Thursday.

According to the data, men drink more than women, and one in 10 Europeans usually drinks five or more drinks in one session. [Gosh, amazing!]

Almost eight out of 10 Europeans agree with putting warnings on alcohol bottles and adverts to warn pregnant women and drivers of the dangers of drinking alcohol.

Irish debate

One in three Irish people questioned in the EU survey regularly binge-drink.

In Ireland, there is an ongoing public debate about attitudes to alcohol, especially among young people, says the BBC's James Helm in Dublin.

The Catholic Church has added its voice to those warning of the dangers to society of alcohol abuse.

Saint Patrick's Day on 17 March, the feast day for Ireland's patron saint, can be the cue for heavy drinking.

In recent years there has been much concern about underage drinking on Irish streets on Saint Patrick's Day and some of the resulting problems, including violence, our correspondent says.

This year, police will patrol outside many off-licences where alcohol is sold and there have been calls for stores selling alcoholic drinks to restrict their opening hours in order to try to prevent excessive drinking.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6451019.stm

 

[rynner2]

A fresh future for flat old beer
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 10/04/2007

Researchers have discovered an extraordinary potential for vintage ales. Science Editor Roger Highfield reports

A century and a half ago, their dark-brown contents would have tasted something like a barley wine. Today, however, they have changed beyond recognition, entrancing beer lovers and biotechnologists alike.

A stash of ancient beer was recently found in a vault under the streets of Burton upon Trent. The bottles were cool and still had corks and wax seals in place. "It was always rumoured that there were some vintage beers on site, but uncovering such an interesting collection is fantastic," says Steve Wellington, head brewer of Worthington White Shield, of the find.

The collection included strong commemorative ales brewed to celebrate royal marriages, visits and births. The oldest was Ratcliff Ale, created to mark the birth of a son into the Ratcliff brewing family. The beer was brewed in 1869, when Neville Chamberlain, future prime minister, was born and Charles Dickens was embarking on one of his last literary tours.

A tasting of the brews was held in London for the Guild of Beer Writers. Wellington had feared the old ales would be dreadful, but he was in for a surprise. "Contrary to a widely held belief that beer cannot age for as long as wine, most of the bottles seem to have developed subtlety over the years," he says. Although complex, they did not taste like a modern beer. They were flat, alcoholic and more like port, madeira or, in the case of his favourite - Ratcliff Ale - like a sherry.

At the tasting, wine expert Oz Clarke called the Ratcliff Ale "astonishing" and waxed lyrical about the taste of beef tea, reduced fish bouillon, jams, smoky charcoal and old leather wrapped in liquorice. "The flavours are fantastically intense," he said. A few more bottles of the old beers are to be sacrificed later this month in another tasting at Waterstone's Piccadilly.

Today, these bottles are providing scientists with an intriguing glimpse of the complex chemistry of fermentation, a form of biotechnology that dates back thousands of years. They are fascinating because beers were never intended to last this long. Modern cask ales have a shelf life of a few weeks, where the brewer's maxim is "fresh is best".

This reflects the origins of this drink. Beer drinking, like tea drinking, first evolved as a way to slake a thirst and avoid disease: fermentation, like boiling, is a great way to kill the bugs in water. But as safe supplies of water developed, so did a taste for higher-alcohol beers, rather than the thirst-quenching, low-alcohol variety. And that change is the secret of the longevity.

"It has always been known that beers with higher alcohol levels normally age for far longer than less alcoholic beers," says George Philliskirk, of the Beer Academy, "and, as hops are a preservative, highly hopped beers such as India Pale Ales have long been known to have great ageing potential. The discovery of these bottles is remarkable, especially as the oldest beer dates back to 1869 and tastes so fresh, with attractive ripe-plum and honey flavours."

While wine makers refer to ageing as maturing, brewers refer to the same process as "staling" (as in going stale). Both are united by elaborate chemical changes. The characteristic flavour and aroma of a beer depends, in part, on raw materials, such as malt, hops and the yeast strain used to effect fermentation, the all-important conversion of sugar from the malted grain into alcohol, according to Dr Chris Bolton of Coors. Burton upon Trent, where the Ratcliff Ale was brewed, can also draw on Trent Valley springs that provide water rich in natural salts such as gypsum and magnesium that enhance flavour and maximise both malt and hop character in beers. For these beers, the hops were boiled in copper cauldrons, fired with coal, creating hot spots along with caramel flavours and brown colours.

Cask ales are only fermented once and with one yeast. But bottled beer, like these ancient ales, is fermented a second time, says Prof Katherine Smart, a Nottingham University expert in yeast fermentation. "It is not unlike what happens in the maturation of wines and Champagne," says Prof Smart, who is continuing a great tradition of women master brewers that goes back millennia.

The secondary fermentation takes place for longer than in cask beers. It may employ the same yeast as primary fermentation, thought to be the case here, or a different strain can be used to expand the palette of flavours. The yeast will carry on working for weeks, exhausting the fermentable sugars and dissolved oxygen. When the food runs out, the yeast cells draw on their reserves and turn off metabolic processes that are not strictly necessary for survival, becoming the sediment at the bottom. Finally, cellular structural components are degraded before the yeast cells die and their contents spill into the beer. The passage of yeast metabolites and cellular breakdown products in beer introduces another set of molecules which then participate in further chemical reactions, either between themselves and/or with other beer components.

The effects of this chemistry on flavour can be far-reaching. Research suggests that the breakdown of genetic materials might be implicated as "moreishness". Prof Charlie Bamforth of the University of California Davis, adds that he suspects chemical changes that give a more rounded flavour include "acetal reactions between alcohols and aldehydes".

The use of dark-brown bottles to store the beers cut the likelihood of light driving chemical reactions, while the sealed tops helped to stop oxygen from entering. But the stash of old bottles takes beer science into unknown territory, not least as oxygen always seeps in over the years.

Traditional barley wine flavours include liquorice, mouthwarming alcohol and an underlying sweetness balanced by tangy hops. But after a century, the extraordinarily chemistry within these bottles exerts a kind of magic, highlighting the decayed wood, dried fruits, molasses and other warts in their original flavour. In order to preserve these beers for years to come, Wellington and his team have embarked on a programme to recork them. Paul Hegarty of Coors Brewers, which owns White Shield, says that they now plan to lay down two pallets (about 2,000 bottles) of the beer every year to see how it ages. This marks a new dawn in boozing: the vintage beer.

http://tinyurl.com/2wyqvo

 

[ramonmercado]

Alcohol damages for Seoul woman

Alcohol damages for Seoul woman

The woman said she had to drink until early in the morning
A South Korean woman pressured by her former boss to drink alcohol at company dinners has been awarded damages by a court.
The unidentified woman's ex-employer was told to pay her 30m won (£16,275) by the Seoul High Court.

"It's a violation of human dignity to force one to drink against his or her will," Judge Kang-Young-ho was quoted as saying by the Associated Press (AP).

Heavy drinking sessions are common in South Korea's corporate culture.

A lower court had already ruled in favour of the woman's case and awarded her 7m won (£3,800) in compensation, which was increased by the high court's ruling.

If he or she suffered mental stress through forced drinking, it constitutes an illegal act

Judge Kang

The court had heard the drinking sessions went on as late as 0300, twice a week.

Her employer, according to AP, once threatened he would get a male colleague to kiss her if she did not take part in the drinking sessions. He also pressured her to drink when she was suffering from stomach problems, the agency reported.

"Forcing drinking against (an employee's) limit and willingness infringes on personal rights," the court said in a statement.

"If he or she suffered mental stress through forced drinking, it constitutes an illegal act," Judge Kang was quoted by AFP.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6631615.stm

 

[rynner2]

We boozers are not just thoughtless slobs, you know:

Fred's footprint: A can-load of energy

I wanted to find out where the aluminium in my beer can came from. And I ended up in Gladstone in Queensland, Australia, one of the greenhouse-gas emissions hubs of the world.

Smelting aluminium is one of the most energy-hungry industrial activities on the planet. It uses 2% of the world's electricity. In Gladstone, one of the world's biggest mining companies extracts the metal from the ore bauxite. This is mined across the state at Weipa, where 10% of the world's bauxite is stripped from land that used to be native bush.

Most aluminium smelters use hydroelectricity. But Rio Tinto gets its power from a 30-year-old power station in the town that burns cheap Queensland coal.

In Gladstone, the bauxite arrives by barges which thread their way around the Great Barrier Reef. First it is refined into aluminium oxide – alumina. Then the alumina goes to one of three giant smelting halls, each 900 metres long.

Stepping into an aluminium smelter is like going back to an earlier industrial era. "The Hall-Herout smelting process is virtually unchanged since it was invented in the 1880s," production manager Alan Milne told me.

The process heats the alumina to almost 1000° C and then subjects it to an immense electric current delivered through thousands of carbon anodes, each weighing more than one tonne.

The current strips the oxygen from the alumina and combines it with the carbon from the anodes. Result: pure aluminium ingots and a great deal of carbon dioxide gas.

Combining the CO2 emissions from the smelting and the 900 megawatts of coal-fired power needed to sustain the process, you get 17 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of aluminium. That's 270 grammes of CO2 per aluminium drinks can.

Gladstone makes enough aluminium for almost 40 billion cans a year – six for every person on the planet. In doing that, it emits 10 million tonnes of CO2 a year – as much as a typical European city of one million people.

Besides using one-fifth of the Queensland state's electricity, around the world, Rio Tinto smelters use one-sixth of New Zealand's power, a quarter of Tasmania's and a tenth of Wales's.

Not surprisingly, Rio Tinto is growing worried about its CO2 emissions. They don't fit well with its new environmentally- and socially-aware image. And even though Australia is currently a Kyoto refusenik, the company reckons the government will soon sign up to future emissions reduction targets.

So what is it doing? Last year it announced plans to build a new smelter in Abu Dhabi, powered by natural gas. Rio Tinto is not alone. As its managing director pointed out: "The Middle East is fast becoming a key region in the global aluminium smelting business."

Why so? It's a no-brainer. As the company's head of climate change told me when I asked about the new geography of aluminium smelting: "Abu Dhabi is outside the Kyoto protocol." It has no emissions targets. Silly me.

But don't despair. There could be salvation for the aluminium business. Its green credentials are not as bogus as you might imagine. Guess why. Answer in my next blog in a fortnight.

Fred Pearce, senior environment correspondent

http://www.newscientist.com/blog/enviro ... nvironment

 

[rynner2]

UK distillers given green light after EU vodka ruling
By Cahal Milmo
Published: 20 June 2007

What is genuine vodka? The answer, much to the relief of Britain's £1.8bn vodka industry, is a clear spirit that can be made from stuff other than potatoes or cereals.

A potential European vodka war was averted yesterday when an attempt to restrict the use of the name "vodka" to a spirit made only from tubers or grains was rejected by the European Parliament.

The measure, proposed by vodka producers in Scandinavia and Poland, would have been a significant blow to British distillers, who use additional ingredients such as sugar beet and are now the second largest vodka producers in Europe.

Instead, the latest in a long line of Euro-wrangles over food and drink definitions, from chocolate to feta cheese, was resolved by an agreement that any ingredients other than potatoes and cereals used to make vodka will have to be listed on the label.

The compromise ends a 10-year squabble over the definition of the colourless firewater, which is a £7bn market across Europe.

Edwin Atkinson, director of the trade body, the Gin and Vodka Association of Great Britain, said: "We are very pleased that an agreement has been reached which avoids the extreme position taken by other producers."

The vodka industry has seen steady growth in recent decades. Popular as a mixer in cocktails and flavoured drinks, the drink recently overtook whisky as the biggest-selling spirit in the UK.

There has been intense competition between British-owned brands, such as Diageo's Smirnoff, and rival producers in Finland, Sweden and Poland. Proponents of the stricter definition said that it was vital to protect vodka as a European product.

Vodka connoisseurs say there is a difference in taste between vodkas made from the two "traditional" ingredients and those made with additional products. British producers dispute that, and say there is evidence that the original "vodkas" were made from grape alcohol.

Around one third of the vodka made in Britain contains alcohol derived from products such as sugar beet or cane sugar.

Linda McAvan, a British MEP, said: "Only vodka made from either potatoes or cereals can simply be called vodka. All other vodkas will have to be labelled - but all European vodka producers will be able to keep their products on the market."

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 679467.ece

 

[rynner2]

Brewing up tribute to famous dog

A beer inspired by chef Rick Stein's dog is to be sold across the country.
Chalky's Bite is named after the chef's well-known companion, who died in January aged 17, and will soon be sold in Sainsbury's stores across the UK.

Cornwall-based brewery Sharp's worked with Stein to come up with a beer which would go well with seafood.

The beer was created before Chalky's demise but Joe Keohane, from the brewery, said it now provided a fitting tribute to a "much-loved" dog.

'A wonderful find'

The beer was created when Stein challenged Sharp's head brewer Stuart Howe to create a beer to drink with seafood dishes.

Mr Howe came up with the brew using wild Cornish fennel, Cornish malted barley and three different hops and Stein says it is an impressive beer which is "distinctively English and very much a product of Sharp's Brewery".

The Rock-based brewery was founded in 1994 and now employs 52 people.

Trish Penn, Sainsbury's beer buyer, said: "I am so excited to offer so many of our customers this unique product, visitors to the South West kept on telling me what a wonderful find it was for them."

Chalky, who died in January, became well-known through his appearances on Stein's television series and a House of Commons motion was even tabled to pay tribute to him.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6225064.stm