Europe
« Previous EntriesDab from Dortmund
By Rocky | April 28, 2008
This is story no 266 on Hoppsy, I can’t believe we waited until now to talk about Dab one of Germany’s best and most popular beers. Dab comes from the city of Dortmund which is in the North Rhine district just north of Cologne. Beer along with mining are the city’s major business. Dab dates back to 1868 when three German businessmen Laurenz Fischer and brothers Heinrich and Fridrich Mauritz and a master brewer Heinrich Herberz came together to form the a brewery called Herberz & Co. The brewery had a chequerd history and was destroyed in World War II, but was rebuilt in 1949. The brewery is today is controlled by the huge German food company Radeberger which owns a suite of breweries. The brewery makes a few products but the most readily available throughout the world is the Premium Lager which is very refreshing. It like most German beers is brewed to the traditions of the purity laws and has a fresh smooth taste with a hint of sourness similar to many of the beers in the Rhine region like Becks and even Cologne’s very tasty Kölsch.
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St Arnoldus the patron saint of hops and brewers
By Rocky | April 20, 2008
Being a Sunday we thought we would pause for a religious moment and tell you about good old St Arnoldus or Arnulf or Arnold to his mates. St Arny is the patron saint of the hop pickers and the Belgian brewers. He was born in Flanders in Belgian around 1040 and lived to a ripe old age in those days of around 47 and was a career solder before joining the Benedictine monastery in Soissons France. He became a hermit for a few years before becoming the Abbot of the monastery before becoming the bishop. The abbey brewed beer under leadership at the monastery. Today in Brussels they have a special day in July where they remember Saint Arnoldus with a huge parade which they call the ‘Day of Beer”.
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Stella for the driver
By Rocky | April 17, 2008
We don’t usually do stories on alcohol free beers but we accidently tried this one on a road trip through Belgium recently. To wash down our sausage and frites we grabbed an interesting looking Stella Artois bottle and proceeded to the cashier, only to find a few minutes later it was alcohol free- the horror, but no the beer was good. It had a similar taste to the Stella we know and love but it was a little sweeter and a perfect ‘beer’ for the driver, although after a couple the rest rooms stops got a bit closer together. The beer has 0.5% alcohol content and is most enjoyable served about 2 degrees. The beer is available throughout Europe and hasn’t reached many other markets but when it does it will make welcome change to the sickly sweet soft drinks the dedicated driver has to stick to, keep an eye out for the red and white label. Read the rest of this entry »
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Schwarzbier the black beer
By Rocky | April 10, 2008
Scharzbier pronounced “shvahrts-beer” is a interesting black beer with very dark chestnut red hues and a tan head. You would expect this beer was a heavy beer but no it is fairly light and has a very chocolatly malt flavor with very smooth malt finish with a slight bitterness. Nothing like it looks. It comes from the Kulmbach region of Germany in Bavaria and is best enjoyed with a meaty meal. The beer evolved like many of Europe’s great beers from Monastery brewer’s who have perfected their crafts over centuries. There is documentary evidence of beer being brewed in Kulmbach area from way back as 1174. As we have mentioned before in Hoppsy the beer glass makes the beer, and to best enjoy this lovely dark beer a tulip shaped glass with narrow opening is best it allows the beer to breathe properly and helps form the beautiful rich creamy head.
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Fancy a bit of Bitburger?
By Rocky | April 7, 2008
Bitburger Premium Beer is Germany’s no draft beer and once you have tried it it is no wonder why. Bitburger Brewery pump out an amazing 4.12 million hectolitres of beer every year the Premium Pils makes up a large propotion of it. With over 200 years of brewing expertise the brewery makes this full bodied clear golden beer in accordance to the strict German Purity Law. The beer has a dry finish and fairly hoppy taste and has a 4.8% alcohol vol. It is exported all around the world, look out for the handy 5 litre keg at the bottleshop next time you are looking for a great beer.
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Kellerbrau from Monchshof
By Rocky | April 5, 2008
Kellerbrau is a beer brewed by the Monchshof which is situated in the Kulmbach of Germany’s Bavaria. The town is famous for the beautiful Plassenburg castle which is one of the most spectacular in all of Germany. The Kellerbrau is one of seven varieties the brewery bottles, this rich beer is kept in oak kegs to mature before bottling and is fairly cloudy with a golden colour and a rich although mild taste. The brewery has been brewing this beer using traditional methods for centuries and the quality and the taste of the product shows. The beer is exported to some international markets including the US where it is sold at 5.4% alc volume in 500 ml bottles and also at some specialty pubs and restaurants on tap.
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World’s first Champange Lager
By Rocky | March 27, 2008
The Cobra Beer has just released what is noted as the World’s first Champagne Lager and is becoming a huge hit on the premium beer market. Called Krait Prestige, the beer is actually injected with ale yeast and corked and refermented being conditioned for two weeks before market, a bit like Belgium Trappist ales are produced. To keep this beer unique only 10,000 cases of it will be produced each year and it is being imported from the world famous Rodenbach brewery in Belgium in magnificent dark champagne style bottles with the lovely golden elephant logo. Cobra Beers are available in about 40 countries around the world, they have major distribution in the UK, USA, South Africa and India. Read the rest of this entry »
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Hygienically sealed with a lip cover
By Rocky | March 24, 2008
As you have taken your first mouthful of beer have you ever wondered if a creepy crawly like a rat or mouse or even a cockroach has crawled over the top of the can with all their germs? Well Spanish brewer Grupo Cerveza Alhambra has the answer a clever lip cover. This simple device is just a tin lid which fits over the top of the can, you then peel it back to open the top and start drinking. So simple and a great way to keep out those nasty germs. To stop extra rubbish this lid is actually part of the tin can so it doesn’t create any more rubbish unlike some other covers on drinks which need to be peeled off and thrown away. The only issue is with this one making sure you don’t cut off half your face drinking it.
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A Dutch brew fit for royalty
By Rocky | March 23, 2008
Oranjeboom is a Dutch beer and is produced at Dommelsch brewery which is owned by huge InBev company. The beer was originally brewed in Rotterdam and dates back to 1528, but production shifted to Dommelsch after a few year stint at Brenda during the early 1990’s. The name Oranjeboom translates as Orange Tree in English, which is a symbol of the Royal family in the Netherlands. The beer has a 5% alcohol volume and the refreshing golden pilsner is best served a little warmer than the average at temperatures between 4 and 6 degrees Celsius. The beer has won some very prestigious awards including “The best draught lager in the world” according to judges at the 2002 Brewing Industry International Awards and is doing quiet well in the UK as a draugh beer.
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Madonna’s gone and bought a pub
By Rocky | March 21, 2008
Reports in several London newspapers this week have reported that pop superstar Madonna has bought an English Pub in Mayfair. The pub known as the Mayfair has reportable been sold for about 2.5 million pounds from a friend of Madonna and her husband Guy Richie. The pub features a beer called Timothy Taylor’s Landlord beer and news is that Madonna doesn’t mind a glass or two of the frothy golden nectar. Madonna and hubby only live around the corner and have been seen frequenting the establishment quiet a few times for a drop or two. The material girl has been reported as picking up a fair bit of London real estate recently, a few weeks ago she was meant to have spent 12 million dollars for a house next to hers to put in a gym.
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