My friend Melissa, who brews at Drake’s, sent me a link to the BBC’s Day in Pictures, commenting simply. “That’s a sad sad sight.”
And I see what she means. Although there aren’t too many details about the photos apart from the caption, it’s the sort of thing you hate to see no matter what the circumstances.
Indonesian officials destroy alcohol confiscated from unlicensed stores in Jakarta.
Beverage World yesterday had an interesting little article about what’s going on with craft beer in the Japanese market. Microbreweries were only made legal in 1994 and there are about 280 operating today in Japan.
Kirin Brewery announced today that they will releasing their third quasi-beer into the populy Japanese alcohol category known as “third-category.” The Japanese media came up with that name, officially they’re classified as “other miscellaneous alcohol” or “liquor.” Naturally they’re subject to lower taxes, are often made with soybeans but without malt. The first and second categories are “beer” and “happoshu,” which is a low-malt beer with less than 67% malt.
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Kirin’s newest entry into the lucrative Japanese quasi-beer market is “Sparkling Hop,” which, according to the press release, will “feature a distinctive aroma created by blending Japanese and New Zealand hop varieties. Strong pressure gives the product a rich head and a refreshing finish, Kirin officials said.” Sparkling Hop’s target demographic is twenty-somethings, the same group that are buying the dreaded alcopops. Also from the press release:
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These “third-category” products along with the low-malt happoshu will likely never reach our shores, because they’re largely a result of taxation. If Japan’s tax structure was different, they wouldn’t exist. But they appear to be having the same damaging effect as alcopops are having here, not so much in terms of underage drinking (in Japan it’s age 20), but insofar as the sweeter drinks are finding favor with kids raised on sweet soft drinks who are not acquiring a taste for bitter drinks like beer as they age. It’s somewhat ironic that Japan’s beer industry in trying to get around the tax laws, may be shooting themselves in the foot with these lower-taxed, highly sweetened alcoholic drinks.
Kirin Brewery, along with the Keio University Institute of Advanced Biosciences have announced the discovery of new yeast strain found by analyzing the metabolic byproducts that brewer’s yeast synthesizes. What they found was that brewer’s yeast creates large quantities of “hydrogen sulfide when processing a tiny number of metabolites of the amino acid asparagine.” The team then selected yeasts that unusually prolific asparagine metabolites. The new strain “processes large amounts of sulfurous acid — an antioxidant that helps keep beer fresh — without synthesizing hydrogen sulfide, which has an unpleasant sulfur smell.” In fact, the new Kirin yeast makes 50% more sulfurous acid but no hydrogen sulfide whatsoever. Kirin plans to start using the new yeast in the beer shortly, presumably after more testing is completed. But if true, it could revolutionize the brewing industry.
What do you get for the beer lover who has everything? How about the new Asahi Robocco BeerBot, a beer pouring robot. It used to be available only in Japan, but now you can buy one anywhere in the world. For a mere $799 (plus $99 shipping) you can have one of your very own. They’re “gently used,” having been part of a Japanese contest that Asahi conducted. The robot features include the ability to store and refrigerate six cans, ensuring the perfect temperature with an internal sensor, a programmable voice (male, female, or custom), a cleaning mode, and most important for American sensibilities, a child lock.
To watch it action and see how it works, watch the video below. What was most amazing to me was that it pour in three stages. First, with the glass tilted it pours less then half into the mug, then stops to let the head settle. Second, it tilts the glass slightly more upright before pouring a bit more. Then lastly, it repositions the mug upright and pours the remainder of the can. It’s a beautiful pour. I wonder if it’s programmed to do it that way every time or if adjusts as it goes depending on the volatility of the beer?
I’m not exactly sure who PS Prakasa Rao is. The best I can figure is he’s a scientist or doctor from India who frequently writes for his local newspaper. At any rate, he’s got an editorial piece titled “Beer Is Healthy Food” in today’s Central Chronicle from India.
In today’s editorial, he goes against conventional thinking and outlines how beneficial beer can be, stating that he believes beer to be “better than Milk.”
From the article:
Unless we have a tendency towards abuse, believe it or not, taken in moderation, Beer is actually a very healthy food. It’s full of vitamins and minerals that are good for nerve production, help you concentrate, increase blood circulation, and stimulate the metabolism. The hops, low alcohol content, and carbonation help relax the body.
He goes on to outline additional health benefits and, naturally, caution against binge drinking, along with a list of certain types of people who probably shouldn’t drink. I certainly prefer that to the neo-prohibitionist agenda that if one person can’t handle alcohol, no one else should be allowed to either. Way to go, Doc.
A food writer, Kim O’Donnel, with the Washington Post, surprised herself by discovering that beer and food do indeed work quite well together. In the article, she describes having a “palate-changing, food-beer pairing experience” at a Japanese restaurant in New York City when her waiter suggested trying a Hitachino Nest Beer with the meal. In O’Donnel’s Post blog, “A Mighty Appetite,” she then goes on to detail other experiences with the Japanese craft beer and even includes a link to an interview with Kiuchi Brewery owner Toshiyuki Kiuchi at StarChefs.com. Also, at the end, fellow Celebrator writer Gregg Wiggins chimes in with a useful couple of links to additional information about beer and food from beer writer Greg Kitsock and Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and author Garret Oliver.
In Japan it will cost you two to three times as much as it does in the rest of the world if you’re keen to drink a beer. That’s because the Japanese government in their infinite wisdom (why is it governments are all so dogmatically stupid in creating laws without thinking them through?) placed an onerous tax on any beer who’s weight of malt extract exceeds 67% of the fermentable ingredients. In fact, that is their definition of what beer — biiru in Japanese — is. This was done to protect the more traditional sake (or nihonshu) and, of course, it backfired.
Breweries did just what you’d expect them to do. They began making beers with less than 67% malt, using rice or other adjuncts. Suntory made the first one in 1994, called Hop’s Draft, and it contained 65% malted barley. Because it no longer fit the definition of beer, a new name was required and it has become known as happoshu, which means “sparkling alcohol.” Naturally the Japanese government saw what was happening but instead of reversing a foolish decision, changed the standard to 50%. Japanese brewers responded by lowering the malt even further so that today about 25% malt in happoshu is common. The lower malt produces more fusel alcohol that many argue leads to greater hangovers. By all accounts, it tastes awful but has been growing in popularity because it’s so much cheaper. One snarky account I read mentioned that happoshu tastes more like American beer.
Recently, around thirty students from Fuji Women’s University, a catholic school, worked with a local brewer, Yasuharu Osugi, from Nihon Ji Biiru Kobo, to develop a pink happoshu brew aimed specifically at women. In hopes of it appealing to females, they lowered the hop character and made it 4.5%, so it’s a bit weaker than most happoshu. The ingredients include a hoshinoyume, a local rice, along with the herb shiso, a pink-colored juice that gives the brew its distinctive hue. The label will feature a four-leaf clover and goes on sale today.
Students from Fuji Women’s University give their pink happoshu a taste test.
It being a catholic university, they chose the name “Cana Story,” after the place in the new testament story in which Jesus is supposed to have turned water into wine. Of course, it may be fitting. I’ve heard some credible theories that when the new testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek that they had no word for beer and thus translated the line to wine instead. Certainly beer being mostly water would make more sense, though makes it a bit less miraculous.
Grupo Modelo, the makers of Corona, will be partnering with Anheuser-Busch (who owns 50% of non-voting stock in Modelo) in China. As of next month, January 2007, A-B will import Grupo Modelo beers throughout China.
Modelo also distributes Anheuser-Busch beers in Mexico and beginning shortly, will also bring Tsingtao to Mexico. Not surprisingly, A-B also owns a piece the Chinese brewer, too.
From the press release:
“This new partnership ideally complements the international strategy that Modelo has successfully implemented for several decades. We are very pleased with this association, which offers excellent long-term growth opportunities for Grupo Modelo’s brand portfolio in China, a very important market for our company,” stated Carlos Fernandez, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Grupo Modelo.
“The popularity and high quality of Corona Extra makes it an excellent complement to our Budweiser and Harbin beers,” said August A. Busch IV, president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. “Corona Extra competes in the super-premium segment of the market, which is experiencing strong growth. With our continued success in this segment, and our 10 years of sales, marketing and distribution experience, we expect to significantly increase the sales of Corona.”
Add hay fever to the growing list of maladies that can be helped by the moderate drinking of beer. A new preliminary study released today by Tadao Enomoto at the Japanese Red Cross Society’s medical center in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture appears to show marked relief in alleviating sneezing and running noses for hay fever sufferers from a flavonol compound in hops. They study’s full findings will be presented next month to the Palynological Society of Japan.
Japanese brewer Sapporo, who co-sponsored the research, has filed for a patent on the process of extracting the hay fever-fighting flavonol, which involves pulverizing the hops and then soaking them in water. By next spring — before the next hay fever season — Sapporo plans to release a new beer containing the isolated hop flavonol that combats hay fever.