Tag: charles nouwen

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Dry Jan

A bit of history

Dry Jan is here so … whether you are part of the 35% of American doing it or not, there’s going to be a lot of talks about it. And if you’re more into “Sober October” or “Tournee Minerale” in France and Belgium all I’m going to say is still valid.

Abstinence is nothing new. There’s been many historical times during which the consumption of alcohol was forbidden. Think about Prohibition in USA (1920-1933), in Canada (1918-1920), in Finland (1919-1932) or the very intense pressure from Temperance organizations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries (mostly in English speaking, protestant countries). I’m Belgian and as far as I remember, I have never known any prohibition.

Brewing non alcoholic

Dry Jan is a different story though, in the sense it is a personal decision! A kind of lifestyle personal challenge whichever way you take it. In all disclosure I never do it. I just feel like my consumption is about right so…

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Beer infusion DIY

The French Press Experience

Let’s picture the situation…

You’re in lockdown, you have reduced your essential shopping experience to the bare minimum. When you go to the beer store – which made it to the essential survival  short list – you pick a couple large 12, 15 or 24 packs and you go. No more touching and reading every pack to find your experimentation of the week.

Worse than that. As you open the first can you realize the freshness is not what it used to be. Rotation has slowed down and as much as you have empathy… this is frustrating.

I’ve got your back. You want to add a bit of zing ? Some powerful citrus aroma’s ? Some fresh coriander notes ? Even better, you want to customize your beer and treat it like a mixologist ?

 

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Beer & Campfire

Campfire is a place of togetherness. A place of marshmallows, smoke, bacon, pancakes, ice and fire, cosiness…and beer!

@thebeertrale and @beerisaconversation  (yup that’s me)  settled in Virginia, along the Appalachian, next to Devil’s Backbone brewing to run some “Beer & Campfire” experiments.

Warning: try this at home

Smoke your Beer

Turn up the heat and the volume as we’re going to Smoke (on the Water). Just like Scotch Whiskey and cured ham beer has been smoked for ages. Actually all beers were smoked up until recently.  Not the beer itself but the grains. The old school way to dry  malted barley was to kiln it above wood fire and that was still the case until the 19th Century. As the heat was kilning the grains, the smoke was also imparting flavors. Smoke is a natural heritage flavor in beer.  Some beer styles are still living to that tradition nowadays, using a portion of beechwood or oakwood smoked malts in their bill, like German Rauchbier, London Porter, Lichtenheiner or Grodzikie…

In this video we smoke beer on the spot, by the campfire, choosing our smoke in the wild (spruce, pine, oak,…). It’s not smoking the beer itself so much but add a complementary aromatic component floating on the glass and the foam. A beautiful way to turn a Jalapeno Sour or a Baltic Porter into a complex smoked beer! Enjoy and try this at home!

Beer & Marshmallow

We named our best result the Baltic Mallow. Roasted Marshmallow and Baltic Porter!

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HOPPY(TM) is Live

Long time in the making HOPPY™ is now available to everyone (above LDA, I mean).

HOPPY™ started as an ambition to bring beer culture to everyone in a new, different way. Not too academic, not too sophisticated, not too technical,… in a fun, casual and engaging format.

So what is HOPPY™?

It’s a web access app. The look and feel directly sets the tone. A playful smiling beer glass! Because HOPPY™ is a learning game, unlocking badges and collecting beercoins along the way.

The content can be accessed in any sequence. No need to complete the ingredients 101 before you can explore glassware or learn about Octoberfest. You choose to learn what you want and there’s content for every beer lover. How beer is made, beer culture, styles, how to taste, gluten free beer…

The pace is gamified, with quizzes at the end of each lessons (beer flights) and a leaderboard to compete with your friends! The daily challenge (which you can repeat as much as you like) will challenge your knowledge with 5 questions. Nail them 5 right before the glass is empty and you’ll collect extra beercoins!

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Homebrewing in my backyard

When I visited Mexico City a few years ago I got to try a few very unusual drinks. Pulque in particular, Smokey Mezcal with orange wedges and gusano worm salt,… and Tepache, a more or less sponteneously fermented pineapple juice.

So on this Columbus day I brought my SS homebrewing equipment in the backyard to brew an IPA inspired by Tepache. I also added Jalapeno to give it a kick…. want to see more? Check this out!!

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Europe Beer Tour – Stop 4 – Abbey of Leffe

Dinant Belgium. This is where one of the most famous abbey beer was born from the name of a small river, the river Leffe.

An Authentic Abbey Beer must follow some key fundamental rules. Be genuinely connected to a monastery and give back to charities.

Abbey beers have a unique distinct quality. Heritage from time when beer was offered to pilgrims as only safe beverage to sustain.From time when only the monks had the knowledge to read and write.

And as per medieval tradition , we were warmly welcomed to visit the courtyard of the abbey…

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