WHB MAY - JUNE - Wort Hog Brewers

Official Newsletter of the Wort Hog Brewers, South Africa
www.worthogbrewers.co.za
MAY / JUNE 2005
The sign of Superior Craftmanship !
INSIDE :
*IRELAND CUTS TAXES FOR MICROBREWERS. *OPEN FERMENTATION
*WORTHOG SUMMER FESTIVAL 2005
*GOODBYE COPPER COIL
2.
Hoegaarden on Tap !
Fancy some Hoegaarden on tap ?
Well, rush down to the following Pubs in
Joburg for a pint of the best Belgium
can offer. It is absolutely divine. But
beware, go to gym first and exercise
those biceps. You are certainly going
to need it to drink this lot. The authentic
500ml Hoegaarden glass looks like a
see through flowerpot....it is huge !
The ladies drink it with both hands on
the glass. Wonder if all Belgian women have strong biceps ?
*Jolly Roger 10 4th Ave Parkhurst 011 442 3954
Hoegaarden and Leffe on tap
*Harrington Pub Parkmore Shopping Centre 011 884 5261
Hoegaarden and Leffe on tap
*Carvers Restaurant Darrenwood Cresta 011 678 5417
Hoegaarden and Leffe on tap
*Giles’ Restaurant 9 Grafton Ave Craighall Park
011 442 4056 Leffe on tap only
*Mc Ginty’s Randburg Waterfront (Bright Water Commons) 011 789
4572 Leffe on tap only
I got this info from the Marketing Dept at NMK Shultz - the company that
brings us these heavenly draughts. They say it is the strong rand that
makes all this possible. Let’s hope it stays that way!
Interesting is the fact that they could not give me a name of a single
place in the lovely city of Tshwane that stocks Hoegaarden on tap!
If anyone wants to complain about the lack of Belgian Draught in his or
her area, please contact:
NMK Shultz’s Marketing Manager Brett Jacobz at
011 933 1974
3.
BEER TOURS 2005
Steve Gilroy, the hand that feeds us !
BEER TOURS by Andy Tasker
2005 has so far seen an increase in the interest shown for beer related tours.
Since I put out the survey at the beginning of the year, we have put together a few
excellent tours. The first was the visit to the Pelindaba Sorghum Brewery in
Pretoria West which was very interesting. It was fascinating to see the production
of a commercial 'sour mash' and to understand their mashing technique and yeast
pitching. A truly live beer is produced that basically ferments in the bottle and is
ready to drink after 4 days on the shelf. The resulting lactic acid, sour character is
not everyone's taste but one has to try these things.
The next tour was at end April to Gilroy's Brewery on the West Rand. This
evening was more of a beer cabaret with our host, Steve Gilroy in fine form with
jokes and stories in between the story of his brewing history. Along the way a lot
of information on the art and science of brewing flows with the lively conversation.
A very memorable tour and one that will definitely be an annual event.
The May tour was around the Drayman's Brewery on a thirsty Friday afternoon.
To page 7
4.
The Pelindaba Sorghum Brewery Tour
Cheers !
Curiosity is a brewers middle name.
5.
Happiness is a 5 litre Leopard !
Dryman’s Brewery Tour
There is no Diacetyl in this joint !
6.
GOODBYE COPPER COIL
Brewing in copper has come a long way and it still has a huge commercial
marketing appeal. One can only look at the majority of Brewpub systems on the
market. They are mostly copper cladded, so they can be polished up and look
good in a pub.
Unfortunately, in South Africa the beer culture and general brew knowledge is still
in the neanderthal stage.
And through personal experience, the majority of South Africans - especially the
Afrikaans speaking sector -almost immediately associate gleaming copper with a
distilling process of some sorts.
I love to show strangers around my brewery.
It is something that fills me with great joy and pleasure to share my brewery with
other people.
Typically they keep dead quiet, take in everything and generally look greatly
impressed. Then the moment of truth. The first words laden with newly acquired
brewery knowledge. At least you expect a compliment of some sorts.
And the first thing you hear is “Wat stook jy ?” (What are you distilling ?).And you
realize that it took only one glance at the counterflow coils to come to this educated
conclusion. ItMr.
is then
I abruptly abbreviate the brewery tour, promptly open my
Davethat
Walker
fridge and pour my worst diacytally laden brew in the tallest glass I can find. And
will not move until the person has downed the glass. Such blatant ignorance of the
fine art of brewing should not go unpunished. Bahh....!
I eventually got tired of this punishment and simply decided to hide the copper
counterflow chiller whenever I get visitors in the brewery.
But a solution is at hand! The friendly Alva Laval Company has come to the rescue.
The CB 20/12 is a miniature version of what Moritz and all the other bigger
breweries use every day. A miniature and powerful compact counterflow plate,
stainless steel chiller.
And at an a affordable price ! It retails in the region of R 1 600,00 depending on
what the rand currency feels like at the moment of purchase, as this one is
imported straight from Alva Laval Switzerland. And the quality is excellent.
The main thing that got me going in this direction is the whole idea of bugfree
brewing! The copper coils are bulky and spew a lot of green gunk when exposed to
the strong chemicals in the cleaning process. And one often wonders what is going
to be worse : the bugs or the gunk ? And when the whole treatment is over and
done, what is the possibillity of more bugs hiding away somewhere in the middle of
that long curled upThe
pipe.
WithTun
thisand
in mind
one then
Mash
Fermenter
in takes the precious wort that
took such a lot of effort,
love
and
concentration
to
produce and runs it through
the background.
copper pipe germ paradise.
7.
This is not the case with the CB 20/12 chilling brick (and it is
literary the size of a fair sized brick).
You invest in a pressure cooker, dump your stainless plated
friend inside, close the lid and give the bugs a oneway ticket.
What can be more convenient ?
And just as I thought I have discovered a revolution in
homebrewing, I found that some members are already
brewing like this. Llewellyn van Rensburg and Andre de Beer
are both proud owners of the stainless brick. And they brew
great beer !
The model CB 20/12 that Andre uses is an updated model on
Llewellyn’s chiller. According to the supplier this chiller is well
adapted to low head pump pressures, and should work even
with the low pressure washing machine pumps, that a lot of
us currently use.
For more information and orders contact Shaun of Alfa Laval
at:
Alfa Laval [Pty] Ltd.
Gauteng, Head Office 100 Electron Avenue, P.O.Box 187 ,
Isando 1600 Gauteng Phone No: +27 11 570 3155
Fax No: +27 11 570 3195 Email: info.sa@alfalaval.com
Recircalating some
From page 7
BEER TOURS 2005
This event was a real inspiration to all who attended. There was a good mixture
of beginners and experienced brewers so the questions were thick and fast, but
Moritz never faulted and really went the extra mile to provide an evening
thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. As well as the wealth of knowledge so freely
given, the beers on offer were exceptional, ending with a superb example of
Rauchbier (Jolly Monk) which was hailed as "The best yet" which is great
compliment for a beer following the heritage of fine brews that have been
produced by this micro-brewery.
We have other tours planned so make sure your membership is up to date and
that you are registered as a 'user' on the WortHog website with your correct email details. This will ensure that you get the e-mail notification in good time to
plan ahead.
The proposed KZN tour is still being discussed and the next one will probably be
Bavaria Brewery. So here's looking forward to some really fun beer evenings.
Cheers
Andy
8.
OPEN FERMENTATION
by Jim Busch
This article is going to cover the concepts of using open fermenters in brewing. The
debates over open versus closed fermentation will no doubt continue for as long as
there are interested brewers to debate. I intend to present some of my feelings,
opinions, and experiences with using open fermenters, and point out some of the
inherent pros/cons of using this technique. I want to emphasize one thing about this
issue: the choice of fermenters is not going to be *the* deciding factor in your
finished product, many other factors will play a more important part in the character
of your beer. Namely, malt choices, mashing programs, and above all, yeast
strain/viability/cleanliness will be the dominant influences on the finished beer.
Having said this, there are instances where breweries who changed from open
fermenters to closed unitanks have noted distinct changes in the perceived quality
of the beers, when judged by experienced taste panels.
Open fermentation is a concept that most homebrewers think is a sure route to
infected beer, or as something to be employed in some dark cellar in an old
European brewery. I say nonsense! Think for a minute about some of the best world
class beers and then think of how many are made using open fermenters: Sierra
Nevada, Anchor, numerous English, Belgian and yes, even German brewers use
them. It is a common sight in Bavaria to see a brewer mucking around in the thick
krausen on top of the open fermenter, collecting samples, skimming yeast, generally
doing things that homebrewers are told to avoid. Eric Warner has noted in his
excellent book on Wheat beers that open fermenters are the preferred method of
German weizen production, and that when open fermenters are used the yeast can
be repitched for many more generations compared to when a closed fermenter is
used.
So what’s an open fermenter? At the simplest, it is a vessel with an open top.
Depending on the size of the fermenter, they are often covered by some form of lid.
The bigger versions are truly open, large shallow vessels, some are lined with
stainless steel or an enamel like coating that is usually used over a concrete/block
foundation. Often the fermenters are just large stainless steel cylinders. Most, but
not all, have some form of attemperater device, to combat the temperature rise
during ferments. This can be in the form of exterior jacketing, or metal piping that is
immersed in the wort, cold water or glycol is pumped inside the pipes, cooling the
ferment. Probably the most classic open fermenters are the Yorkshire Squares used
at the Samual Smiths brewery in Tadcaster, England. These are made of flat slate
walls, sealed together, with a collecting lid where the excess krausen is contained.
OK, so you’re thinking open fermentation only works in big breweries since they are
filtering the air, and keeping the whole room under positive pressure, and nobody is
allowed in. Yes, and no. Sure, lots of breweries go to the extreme of maintaining a
separate room with filtered air. Lots more don't do anything. Certainly, the breweries
in England that I visited never went to the extreme of filtered air, nor did the
9.
breweries in Bavaria and Belgium. Belgian methods of brewing may seem strange,
but the dominant flavor profiles found in Belgian beers are a result of the choice of a
yeast strain(s) that throws high levels of esters and phenolics, and rarely a result of
some infection in the fermenter (even though this is the way to produce lambics, the
word infection is a misnomer in this context). Certainly, the Bavarian brewmasters
would recoil in horror if any foreign bacteria or wild yeast were to be found in the
open fermenter, and in practice, they are not a problem.
I did not always use open fermenters, the first hundred or so of my beers were
made with a "closed carboy" system. I put “closed” in quotes, since the carboy can
be fitted with a blowoff tube, resulting in a kind of hybrid closed/open fermenter.
Since fall '92, I have been using an open fermenter exclusively, and I am a devoted
fan of the concept. My fermenter is a stainless steel cylinder, of roughly equal height
to width, with a heavy lid. If you brew with a 10 or 15 gallon stainless steel kettle,
this can double as your fermenter, once you remove the hot break. Some brewers
employ modified 1/2 BBl Sankey kegs, and these too make excellent open
fermenters. I have also read of brewers modifying Golden Gate kegs and using
these as fermenters. The least desirable, but easiest to start with, is the plain plastic
bucket. The reason I say least desirable is that cleaning plastic is more difficult than
stainless, and the inevitable scratches in the plastic walls can be harder to sanitize.
Even so, I know of an award winning homebrewer who ferments in food grade
plastic trash cans, and another 2 BBl brewpub which ferments in large High Density
Poly- Ethelyne (HDPE) containers. I have found that as you increase the brew
length (volume of beer produced), it is easier to fabricate some sort of fermenter
that can hold the entire batch. In this way, you will be limiting the number of vessels
to sanitize and clean up. It is far cheaper and easier to fabricate or modify a
container to be an open ferementer than to make a closed one, particularly as the
volume increases. An important consideration when sizing the fermenter is to
account for a large amount of krausen that can develop during the ferment. Head
space of 30% is optimum, but less can be used, with the result being some possible
loss of product (which also occurs when using the blowoff carboy method).
Of course, there are some limitations to using open fermenters. I believe they are no
more prone to infections than using carboys, but there is an increased chance for
infection if one has numerous fruit flies or other animals around the fermenter,
provided the lid is off. Probably the biggest limitation is that of time, I do not advise
leaving the beer in the fermenter for more than 2 weeks. Of course, any ferment
should be racked by the second week, so maybe this isn't such a limitation after all.
The reason time is more important in open fermenters is not so much the proximity
of the still beer to dead yeast, but of the danger of oxidation reactions occurring as
the beer sits. In a closed system, this will not be a problem, but as long as the beer
is moved in a timely manner, the CO2 produced during open fermentation will
protect the beer. Another important factor to consider is the overall cleanliness of the
fermentation area. It need not be sterile, but a reasonable degree of cleanliness is in
order, in particular for fermentation inside of a refrigerator. Many brewers use a
temperature control device to moderate the ferment temperature inside of a
refrigerator. If you use an open fermenter inside of a refrigerator, be sure to clean all
obvious sources of contamination and general dirt. Some may even want to sponge
10.
down the interior of the refrigerator with a mild sanitizer such as chlorine/water. At
the very least, all spilled trub, yeast and wort should be thoroughly cleaned up.
Household pets should also be prevented from crawling into the fermenting beer,
they may like the results too much! My fermenter is located in the basement, a few
feet off the ground, away from large drafts and any foreign debris sources.
Here is a summary of how I use my open fermenter. Since I use a stainless
fermenter, I don't want to use a chlorine based sanitizer, due to problems with
corrosion. So, I prepare a solution of Iodophor, at 12.5 ppm (1 oz in 10 gallons), of
a few gallons. Using rubber gloves, I sponge the sanitizer over the sides of the
fermenter. I let it run out the drain, then back over the sides of the fermenter. I also
run Iodophor through my wort chiller into the fermenter, followed by a hot water
rinse. Once the hot water is drained, the vessel is ready for cast out wort. I fill the
fermenter from the wort chiller, oxygenate and add thick yeast slurry. As in any
fermentation, there is no substitute for pitching enough viable clean yeast. The key
to success with an open fermenter (or closed) is a sanitized vessel, and an
adequate amount of pitching yeast. Remember to use significantly more yeast if
the original gravity of the wort is higher than 1.060. If one is using enough yeast,
visible fermentation is evident within 12 hours (ale wort, fermented between 60-70
F). As soon as the fermenter is full and the yeast is pitched, place the lid on. Once
the fermentation is generating a thick head of krausen, I have found it helpful to
leave the lid partially cracked, allowing an airspace for the large amounts of CO2 to
vent. With the ferment in high krausen, the classic dense rocky heads will form. At
this stage, trub will be scrubbed from the ferment, and rise to the surface, along
with other solid matter that was carried over into the fermenter. This scum can be
skimmed off with a sanitized spoon (I leave a long handled stainless steel spoon in
some Iodophor and just rinse it off when needed). The ability to skim the trub and
yeast that rise to the top of the fermenter is one of the main advantages of open
fermentation. Don't overdo it, but about once a day or every other day, depending
on the rate of ferment, skim the top. Many ale yeasts tend to flocculate at the top of
the ferment as the ferment diminishes. This yeast is excellent to skim and store in a
sanitized container, in a cold fridge (as close to 32F as possible). When choosing
yeast to save, be sure to wait a few days into the ferment so that the trub is
scrubbed away and the harvested yeast is clean. As the ferment dies down, keep
the lid over the vessel. Another great plus of open fermenting is the ease of dry
hopping. What I do is let the main fermentation subside and when the yeast clumps
to the surface, skim as much off as possible, then add the loose whole hops (I find
that whole hops give better aroma and are easier to use with an open fermenter).
Allow at least 3 days time for the dry hopping to take affect. I would avoid leaving
the beer in the primary for longer than 2 weeks, and aim for 10 days when dry
hopping, and a mere 5 days otherwise. These are optimum figures for ale
ferments, and are often not realistic in homebrewing, the primary cause being
inadequate oxygenation of the cast out wort, and/or insufficient yeast cell
densities/viabilities in the pitching yeast. To rack off of the hops, use a sanitized
copper/brass or stainless "choreboy" scouring pad, held over the racking cane with
a rubber band. Alternatively, the hops can be removed with a sanitized strainer,
provided a minimum of air is introduced to the still beer.
11.
Important points to remember:
Pitch plenty of healthy yeast slurry, between 1/2 and 1 oz. of slurry per gallon of wort,
or at least 1 QT of yeast starter per 5 gallons wort. Professionally, pitching rates are
on the order of 1/2 to 1 pound of slurry per barrel of wort.
If you have a way to increase the disolved oxygen levels of the wort, do so. At the
least, splash the wort when filling the fermenter. Using an airstone and filtered air for
the first few hours is even better.
Keep the lid on most of the time. This helps to trap the CO2, and since the finished
still beer will have around 1 volume of dissolved CO2 in solution, there will be a thin
blanket of CO2 over the beer, protecting the beer from detrimental oxidation
reactions. Once the ferment is producing large quantities of foam/krausen, it is good
to leave the lid cracked, but as soon as the krausen begins to subside, keep it
covered.
To harvest yeast, wait for the initial fermentation to scrub the dark trub and remove
this trub with a sanitized spoon prior to harvesting the yeast. Some yeasts can be
stored for 2-3 weeks in a sanitized container, preferably in a cold 32F refrigerator.
Some yeasts are quite prone to mutations, and if this is the case, storing for 10 days
is the upper limit. If the yeast is to be stored for longer periods, it is advisable to feed
fresh wort into the container, and allow another period of fermentation to occur prior
to pitching into a fresh batch of wort.
Fining agents, such as isinglass, can be added directly to the primary fermenter,
provided the desired degree of attenuation has been achieved. Polyclar, or PVPP
can also be added directly to the fermenter, although these products should be
filtered from the beer prior to serving.
Lagers can be made using open fermenters but the timing and temperature control
issues make it more difficult to do than ales. When fermenting lagers in a refrigerator,
I would recommend keeping the lid on for the entire primary, and racking the beer
into the lagering vessel as soon as primary fermentation is complete, or 90%
complete.
Conclusion:
Fermenting in an open vessal can be an effective and convenient method of beer
production and yeast harvesting, especially when brewing ales. It is an easy way to
skim trub that rises to the surface of the ferment, and can be a cost effective method
to increase batch sizes.
Footnotes:
[1] Classic Beer Styles Series #6, Belgian Ale, Pierre Rajotte, pg. 79.
[2] Classic Beer Styles Series #7, German Wheat Beer, Eric Warner, pg. 71.
Jim Busch is an electrical engineer developing real time systems for NASA. He has
been an all grain brewer and beer traveler since 1988. When he is not beer hunting,
he can be found on the Internet at: busch@daacdev1.stx.com
12.
The Day of Champions !
Jeremy Wallis and assistants won the day.
His Trelawneey Ale was awarded first prize.
Congratulations Jeremy.
13.
Prof. Mike won second prize
with his American Pale Ale
Ant Hayes won third
with his India Pale Ale
14.
SUMMER FESTIVAL 2005
BREWING IN
A LIGHTHOUSE
Moritz Kallmeyer and wife Hester pouring beer on the stoep.
The thirsty crowd on the stoep.
15.
The stalls were even more original this year round.
The effort and pride reflects the passion that we share.
Kimiad Park is a wonderful and spacious setting for this venue.
16.
COOL IDEA : 3 TIER BEER TREE
Beer Tree: A
Three-Tiered
System with
Roots in
Simplicity
By Dave
O'Neil
A quest for
simple
solutions led
to the
development
of a novel
home brewery
setup.
This grafted
specimen is
the result of
our effort to
design the
best way to
problem-free
brewing.
Wanted: as
few places for
contamination
as possible, nothing in the kitchen, minimum footprint, in-garage hose-end
operation, setup for all-grain or extract brewing, precise temperature
control, no need to dip from a boiling kettle, and other niceties of
simplicity - in short, a next-generation beer-making appliance.
One way I've found to eliminate problems is to eliminate parts, such as
pumps, wort valves, recirculators, threaded fittings, and electric heating
elements in the brew; simplicity has its own elegance.
17.
Dry Yeast Rehydration, it's critical!
By Moritz Kallmeyer
Chief Brewer Drayman's Microbrewery, Silverton Pretoria, March 2005
Each brand of ADY (active dry yeast) specifies its own optimum rehydration
temperature, ranging from 35°C to 40°C. As you drop the strike temp from
40°C to 15°C the yeast will leach out progressively more of its insides,
damaging each cell. The yeast viability thus drops proportionally. At 40°C
there is 100% recovery of the viable dry yeast while at 15°C there can be as
much as 60% dead cells. The dried yeast cell wall is very fragile and it is
essentially in the first minute, even seconds of rehydration that warm
temperature is critical while it is reconstituting its cell wall structure. During
these first initial minutes of rehydration, the yeast cell wall can not
differentiate what passes through the wall. Materials which is toxic to the
yeast at this stage like sugars, hop products and SO2 that the yeast normally
can selectively prevent from passing through its cell wall, rush right in and
seriously damage the cells. The moment the cell wall is properly
reconstituted the yeast can regulate what goes in and out of the cell. This is
why the suppliers warn against rehydration in wort, instead of water.
The water should be normal tap water ideally with 250-500ppm hardness
present. The hardness is essential for a good recovery. This is the reason
why distilled or de-ionized water should never be used. I further prefer the
water to be carbon filtered to remove any chlorine and impurities, then boiled
to sterilize and force chilled down to the required rehydration temperature.
Ideally if you have access to it, the warm rehydration water should contain
0.5-1.0% yeast extract like Go-ferm from Lallamand.
Active dry yeast is dormant or inactive, not inert, so it should be kept
refrigerated at all times at around 4°
C. It will only loose 4% of its activity in a year if kept at this temperature.
Remember to remove the package from the refrigerator early on brew day so
it can naturally attemperate to the rehydration temperature. This prevents
one stressor, temperature shock. I prefer to do the rehydration process in a
hygienic polyethylene bucket. The yeast should be sprinkled into 10 times its
own weight of rehydration water and gently folded in with a spoon to wet
them. Oxygen is not needed at this stage so stirring should be avoided. After
sitting for the recommended 15 minutes give it a vigorous whirl then again
close the lid of the bucket lightly and leave it for 5 more minutes at the
specified rehydration temperature.
Built into each cell by the manufacturer is a large amount of glycogen and
To page 18
18.
BELGIAN DRAUGHT BEER
B 1430 Boddingtons Ale Draught
(UK)
1 X 30L KEG incl. VAT
R501.60
B 290 Stella Artois Lager Draught (Belgium) 1 X 30L KEG incl. VAT
R501.60
B 292 Hoegaarden Wit
(Belgium) 1 X 20L KEG incl. VAT
R410.40
B 295 Leffe
(Belgium)
1 X 30L KEG incl. VAT
R615.60
DRAUGHT BEER DEPOSIT all above kegs R 300 deposit per keg.
For Orders phone NMK Shultz marketing (011) 933 1974.
Why not club together for our next meeting and get a keg of the best on
tap ? ED.
From page 17
trehalose reserves that give the yeast a burst of energy to kick off the growth cycle
when it is added to the wort. It is quickly metabolized and used up by the yeast
within about 30 minutes of rehydration. There is no damage done to the yeast if it
is not added to the main batch of wort within this period of time you just do not get
the benefit of that sudden burst of energy and lag times are likely to increase. The
rehydrated yeast, being warm, should now be cooled to within 4°C of the wort
before pitching. This attemperation is done over a brief period by adding in
increments, a small amount of cold wort (removed earlier from the kettle and
chilled) to the rehydrated yeast container. Rehydrated warm yeast pitched into
cold wort will cause many of the yeast cells to produce petite mutants that will
never grow or ferment properly and will cause them to produce H2S.
Some ADY manufacturers recommend slightly lower than normal wort aeration
while others argue that most ADY yeast actually require no O2 addition for
successful, average gravity wort fermentation. There are enough lipids built into
the cell at the yeast factory. It will however need O2 addition on the next repitching.
Sources:
Dr. Clayton Cone, Lallamand, yeast frequently asked questions.
19.
Irish microbrewery tax cut recognises beer trend
The Irish government's 2005 budget, which halves the alcohol products
tax for microbreweries, comes at a time when Europeans are drinking
more beer from small breweries than ever before, writes Kim Hunter
Gordon.
The decision to support breweries that produce up to 20,000 hectolitres
per annum follows a budget proposal submitted by the Irish Brewer's
Association and Trinity College Dublin economist Constantin Gurdgiev.
The document pushed for the move, demonstrating that similar changes in
Britain had led to the investment in and growth of what has become a
"diverse and healthy brewing industry".
Rudolph Delooz-Croswarem, from The Brewer's of Europe association
based in Brussels, spoke to BeverageDaily.com. "In Europe", he said, "we
are going back to traditional methods, and people want to drink a local
beer. Whilst European beer production is going down as a whole, small
breweries are producing more new ones keep being created. The big
brewers are going to emerging foreign markets."
In Ireland, the move will help nurture the successful beers of the future.
"Over the last 10 years Ireland has been hugely successful in attracting
outside investment, but not in developing its home grown industries," said
Gurdgiev. "Removing these overheads will create skilled jobs and give
Irish microbreweries a chance to grow."
Brewer Cuilan Loughnane told the Irish Times that yesterday was "the
best day" in his working life. "I'm the smallest brewery in the country,
there's just myself. I did have one other guy but I had to let him go. I rang
him straight away after the budget and asked him to come back. That's
what this means for me." 800 skilled jobs are expected to be created in
Ireland over the next 5 years.
Microbrewers will also be able to invest more in distribution contracts and
marketing. But, Trinity College's Gurdgiev told BeverageDaily.com, that he
thought small beers would be less likely to pose competition for the
ubiquitous Guinness than "with the influx of foreign, branded lagers that
have began to dominate city centre trade in Ireland over the last three to
four years." He also said "there is real a growth in pubs in Ireland that
want a larger range of beers to complement their food menu."
Iain Low, spokesperson for the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in Britain,
welcomed the Irish government's decision but said that " the big three
To page 20
20.
From page 19
stouts - Beamish, Murphy's and Guinness have had such a tight grip on
the Irish beer market, that the few Irish microbreweries that do exist have
had to sell their products on the UK market."
Gurdgiev's budget proposal claimed that since the advent of
microbrewing, larger brewers in the US had had to compete by using
fewer additives and diversifying their product lines. Low hopes that the
big three Irish stouts will have to do the same. "Guinness used to
produce a delicious Porter, and until recently exported bottled ale to
Britain. They actually still sell a very good stout in Belgium, but the cheap
dark fizzy liquid that we know is poor by comparison."
Progressive beer tax complies with EU guidelines and has been in place
for a long time in countries such as Belgium and Germany. It was
introduced to the UK in 2002. The result in all countries has been to
encourage a varied marketplace of small to medium-size breweries
growing in niche markets at home and abroad.
In Belgium, which is Europe's fourth largest beer exporter, 46 per cent of
production leaves the country. Given that InBev's Stella Artois is brewed
under licence abroad, most of this 7 million hectolitres have therefore
come from small to medium-sized brewers. Even those that are owned
by larger companies, such as Hoegaarden and Leffe, have gained their
market value as specialist, regional products.
Iain Low, from CAMRA, was reserved over his predictions of how the
beer market will evolve over the next decade. "We have seen massive
consolidation at the top [Interbrew and Ambev this August merged to
create InBev, the world's largest brewer] and there is certainly growth at
the bottom. I just hope that the middle players, such as, in the UK,
Adnams and Greene King, will be able to work out where there markets
lie and continue to sell a high quality beer, at home and to other
markets."
NEXT JHB WORTHOG DATES
Our meeting dates for the rest of the year are : 6 July; 7 September; 9 November
HOW TO GET THERE !
Directions to SA Breweries Training Institute
Take the Allendale Road off-ramp from the N1 Ben Schoeman highway between Johannesburg and
Pretoria, and proceed west on the R561 road towards Kyalami. At the Kyalami race track, turn left and
continue downhill and accross the Jukskei bridge. Pass the Kyalami Cafe on the right hand side, and 100
m thereafter turn right into Shakespeare Road. Continue to a T junction and turn right. Proceed arround a
sharp left bend, and the SA Breweries Training Institute is situated on the right.
21.
Stages of Inebriation
Stage 1 - CLEVER
This is when you suddenly become an expert on every subject in the known
universe. You KNOW you know everything and you want to pass on your
knowledge to anyone who will listen. At this stage you are always RIGHT.
And, of course, the person you are talking to is very WRONG. This makes for
an interesting argument when both parties are CLEVER.
Stage 2 - GOOD LOOKING
This is when you realise that you are the BEST LOOKING person in the
entire bar and that people fancy you. You can go up to a perfect stranger
knowing that they fancy you and really want to talk to you. Bear in mind that
you are still CLEVER, so you can talk to this person about any subject under
the sun.
Stage 3 - RICH
This is when you suddenly become the richest person in the world. You can
buy drinks for the entire bar because you have an armoured truck full of
money parked behind the bar. You can also make bets at this stage, because
of course you are still CLEVER so, naturally, you will win all your bets. It
doesn't matter how much you bet because you are RICH. You will also buy
drinks for everyone that you fancy, because you are now the BEST LOOKING
person in the world.
Stage 4 - BULLET PROOF
You are now ready to pick fights with anyone and everyone, especially those
with whom you have been betting or arguing. This is because nothing can hurt
you. At this point you can also go up to the partners of the people who you
fancy and challenge them to a battle of wits or money. You have no fear of
losing this battle, because you are CLEVER, you're RICH and Hell - you're
BETTER LOOKING than them anyway!
Stage 5 - INVISIBLE
This is the final stage of drunkenness. At this point you can do anything,
because NO ONE CAN SEE YOU. You can dance on a table to impress the
people who you fancy because the rest of the people in the room cannot see
you. You can also snog the face off them because the rest of the people in
the room cannot see you. You are also INVISIBLE to the person who wants
to fight you. You can walk through the street singing at the top of your lungs
because no one can see or hear you and because you're still CLEVER you know
ALL the words.
22.
Festival Choice
After the Great Britain Beer Festival, in London, the brewery presidents decided to go out for a beer.
The man from Interbrew sits down and says, "Give me Europe's most popular beer." The barman
nods and pours a glass of urine-coloured lager.
The guy from Budweiser says, "I'd like the best beer in the world, give me 'The King Of Beers', a
Budweiser." The barman gives him one.
The guy from Coors says, "I'd like the only beer made with Rocky Mountain spring water, give me a
Coors." He gets it.
The guy from Guinness sits down and says, "Give me a Coke." The bartender is a little taken aback,
but gives him what he ordered.
The other brewery presidents look over at him and ask "Why aren't you drinking a Guinness?" and the
Guinness president replies, "Well, I reckoned if you fellows aren't drinking beer, neither would I."
*If you've planned the landscaping at your new house around the location of your Cascade Hop
trellis!
* If the workers at the hardware store ask how the latest homebrew is coming along.
* If your 4 year old asks Santa for a refractometer for you.
* If you've ever taken a final gravity reading of a commercial beer.
*If you have ever hugged your primary fermenter.
*If you spend more time thinking about beer than drinking beer.
* If you have ever had an intense argument about corn.
*If you sparge your tea bags with 170 degree water to prevent astringency.
* If you live in a small one bedroom apartment, and you have two refridgerators.
*If your pet rabbit will only eat crushed German pilsner malt.
* If your wife starts buying two of every kitchen utensil so she doesn't have to search the brewery
when it's time to cook.
*If you understand how water chemistry and pH affect the mash, but barely passed high school
chemistry.
* If you take two fermentors with you shopping for
refridgerators.
*If you tackle your wife in the kitchen before she
sneezes.
*If your child's science project is on fermentation.
*If you own more stainless steel than your local
hospital.
* If you have bottles of bleach and no white clothes.
* If you name your new puppy "Fuggles" or
"Growler".
Kiss of the Saaz ?
*If someone says they've had a yeast infection and
you ask what they were brewing at the time.
23.
When: Friday afternoons
Time: 15:H00 - 17:H00
Cost: R50 per person (Minimum 10 people)
What’s up ?
* We will show you the brewery and tell you more about beer and
brewing.
*We will do a beer tasting of the three different beer styles that
we brew.
*We will supply a snack so that you don’t drink on an empty stomach.
*You may drink as much as you like of whatever is on tap.
*You will take home not only 1L of bottled beer, but also a designer
glass.
*You are welcome to buy beer/glasses/t-shirts from us afterwards.
What must be done ?
Just get a minimum of 10 people together and phone Moritz / Hester
to make a booking on tel:(012) 804 8800
Contact BEVAN BASSON for
complete systems and service backup
(phone contact preferred):
! Tel: (012) 804-1995
! Cell: 083-417-7543
! E-mail: bevan@lantic.net
! Snail mail address:
1 Lise Lund
27 Orpen Avenue
Lydiana
0184 Pretoria
South Africa
24.
Need Plastic Beer Bottle’s ?
Tully’s Plastics
Minimum order is 200 bottle’s @ R 380.76
price includes vat and lid’s
They only stock 500ml Amber beer bottle’s
Need a seamless Stainless Steel Cone ?
This amazing company has very powerful hydrolic
spinning machine’s. They can spin a Stainless Steel
cone for you up to 6mm thick. They have a 60
degree die for the job.
The diameter of the die is roughly 500mm and they
can go right down to 40mm on the narrow end.
After the spinning is complete the cone is polished.
The
result is a homebrewers dream...a smooth conical complete with a
butt-weld. Phone them on (011) 474 2644 speak to Rob Berti
METAL TANK INDUSTRIES
* Stainless Butterfly valve DN 25 R 289-00
*Stainless Ball valves with interlock R 181.09
* Stainless Sprayballs R 180-00
TY
QUALI
GOOD
* All fittings are made with
quality 316 stainless steel
* For orders contact
Mr. Deon Koen at :
(011) 968 2232.
Or visit:
www.metaltanks.co.za
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please contact;
Dirk van Tonder
on 082 464 9387