tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16349851128090139442024-03-14T05:56:08.471+00:00StringersBeerStringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-10871216504450652842017-01-05T16:48:00.000+00:002017-01-05T20:19:42.590+00:00The Professor on Lemons, Peaches and Cask."So,", chuckled the Professor, "I gather it's all over for craft cask".<br />
<br />
"Over-supply, is it? Or perhaps something...", he paused, portentously, "Else?".<br />
<br />
He threw open the doors to his workroom, from which, for some days, had been issuing a rattling and clinking cacophony. We followed, and stood open-mouthed at the sight and sound that greeted us. A huge assemblage of pipe and little paddle wheels was channelling thousands of marbles around tortuous and intersecting paths, almost filling the room. The clinking marbles hurtled into cunningly gimballed cups, which flipped their contents onto new paths according to no obvious rule. He handed us ear-defenders and then held up a sign:<br />
<br />
"ANALOG COMPUTATION" He dropped it, to reveal another:<br />
"EMBODIED IN MARBLE RACE" Another:<br />
"NEARLY FINISHED"<br />
<br />
We noticed that the flow of marbles into two large buckets, which had been rapid, had begun to slow down. Which a final convulsive flipping of cups and clattering down pipes. the monster spat out its , last marbles into the buckets.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEO-ZPJdaA0/WG57QD3eBBI/AAAAAAAAA1I/xQRVeQ9cpqsmGYSozdFxWGBz0i4AEwL3QCLcB/s1600/vhsbucket.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEO-ZPJdaA0/WG57QD3eBBI/AAAAAAAAA1I/xQRVeQ9cpqsmGYSozdFxWGBz0i4AEwL3QCLcB/s1600/vhsbucket.png" /></a></div>
"Take them off!" He removed his own ear-defenders, dislodging a couple of pairs of spectacles in the process, "See?" He gestured at the fuller of the two buckets, a yellow one, "Every time!"<br />
<br />
We didn't see, and said so.<br />
<br />
"The Lemons! The lemons win out every time!" He pointed at a neighbouring pink bucket. "So few peaches. Indeed, if I set the parameters only slightly differently - No Peaches AT ALL! But I seem to have mislaid the stepladder, and that adjustment is now " He chuckled, and pointed towards the very top of his machine "beyond my reach."<br />
<br />
"What we have here is a model of a market in which purchasers, represented by these little cups, can make their choices - lemons or peaches. Now the peach is high-quality, and would, you'd think do well in the market, assuming the price is right, Whereas the Lemon , er. Isn't or Doesn't. They're sour. No-one likes them as much as peaches. For the sake of argument. Clear?"<br />
<br />
We nodded.<br />
<br />
"But, you see, the buyers - the cups - aren't 100% sure of the difference between a lemon and a peach. So the price they'll pay will be some sort of average. More than they'd otherwise consider a fair price for something they're sure is a lemon, but less than you might think a peach would be worth.<br />
<br />
"What this means, is that peach producers " He indicated a large pink hopper near the ceiling, "will be disinclined to put their fruit in this market at all"<br />
<br />
We asked the professor if this was like a craft cask producer giving up on the format. <br />
He nodded, "Yes, quite so, but there's more to it than that"<br />
<br />
"Now we have less peach in the market, the average price must fall, since, while the buyers aren't sure they're getting a lemon, they know there's a reduced chance that they're getting a peach.<br />
<br />
"And now more peach producers will pull out, the lemon proportion goes up, the average price falls, until there's no incentive to drop peaches into the top of my machine. And everyone has to have lemons no matter how much they would like a peach."<br />
<br />
He grinned, "Of course, I don't eat fruit." He proffered a tin, "Biscuit?"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Becky has suggested I should credit <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Akerlof" target="_blank">George Akerlof</a> whose <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons" target="_blank">"The Market for Lemons"</a> foreshadows the Professor's machine. I thought you'd get (or at least, google) the reference. I mean, I'm not that smart. Anyhoo. There you go.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-51121234999446581012016-11-27T13:30:00.002+00:002016-11-27T13:42:14.317+00:00Mutiny - Too niche?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMb0OwyNLOk/WDrBicjvnBI/AAAAAAAAAz4/bjoRIgGl58g09258B2WIrk5JMA_23LHfACK4B/s1600/mutiny.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMb0OwyNLOk/WDrBicjvnBI/AAAAAAAAAz4/bjoRIgGl58g09258B2WIrk5JMA_23LHfACK4B/s320/mutiny.JPG" width="200" /></a>Great News! This little guy has been picked as CAMRA's Champion Bottled Beer of Britain, for 2016. I know it's getting on for 2017 now, but you will appreciate that the CAMRA mill grinds exceedingly slow. What with the members votes, regional tastings and what have you, leading up to the final (held in a safely roped-off area at the NEC surrounded by the BBC Food & Drink Fair) it's taken this long for the organisation to strain, purple-faced, and plop out a result. <br />
<br />
We're pleased, of course, and genuinely consider this an honour. Say what you like about CAMRA, but decisions like this come out of a huge collective wealth of beer drinking experience, expert as well as enthusiast, unswayed much (we like to think) by considerations of trendiness.<br />
<br />
So thanks to everyone who helped get us here - particularly those folks who knew the beer was special without being told - and bought it.<br />
<div style="clear: both;">
</div>
And now, let's answer a few questions:
<br />
<br />
<b>Barrel aged?</b><br />
No. It matures in a Stainless Steel tank for a minimum of 3 months.<br />
<br />
<b>Oak?</b><br />
Nope. We tried oak chips a few years ago, but it was a waste of time.<br />
<br />
<b>Coffee? Chocolate?</b><br />
No. It's beer.<br />
<br />
<b>Vanilla?</b><br />
No, seriously, it's beer. Vanilla is for ice-cream. Or cake. You could have cake, or ice-cream, <i>as well!</i><br />
<br />
<b>Is it really bottle-conditioned?</b><br />
Yes, it's bottled pretty much flat with a dose of sugar and a dab of fresh yeast. Then it has 2 weeks warm-conditioning. Then (finally) we can sell it.<br />
<br />
<b>A "dab" of yeast?</b><br />
Er, yes. Actually, we target something like 600k cells/ml. Which is considered rather a lot round here.<br />
<br />
<b>Why do you have to make it so strong? I mean, 9.3%, sheesh!</b><br />
OK, consider, what we call large glass of wine is probably 250ml. So that large glass of Malbec your mother is drinking delivers more alcohol. Are you calling your mother a drunk? Shame on you.<br />
<br />
Of course, some of the flavours we're after depend on the alcohol to develop. So I'm afraid you'll have to grin and bear it.<br />
<br />
That said, we have considered blending the Mutiny with our regular Dry Stout. You could try that.<br />
<br />
<b>Well, then, why don't you bottle-condition your weaker beers?</b><br />
Because we don't believe it adds anything to them. We don't do this just to be eligible for CAMRA awards. It's about the beer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-52811323983585152592016-07-23T10:41:00.001+01:002016-07-23T13:50:56.333+01:00Over to you. (Not "over you") Bottle conditioned beer.<div>
Some of our beers are bottle conditioned. This means we bottle them with the beer (pretty much) flat, but make sure that there's enough yeast (and sugar for it to eat) for the beer to carbonate naturally. We store the beer warm for a couple of weeks so that the bottling yeast can do its thing, and then (once we've tested it, natch) it's released for sale.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At this point it's over to the retailer - we'd love them to store the beer cool at all times, but obviously this isn't always possible. We're confident that the beer won't over-condition (the food for the yeast should be pretty much all used up by the time it leaves us) but warm, or agitated, beer can be prone to gushing. This will not only produce a lot of foam and loss of beer (horror!) but also disturb the sediment. The sediment spoils the look (and some would say the taste) of the beer but also triggers more bubbles - making the situation worse. So don't open the beer as soon as you've bought it. You'll be disappointed. And wet.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyhoo, once you've bought the beer, it's over to you. It's become clear to us that some folks aren't sure how bottle-conditioned beers should be handled (there's no shame in that, it's not something we were born knowing) so, if needed, here's some tips for managing your bottle-conditioned booty:</div>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Always store and transport bottles upright (with the top, er, at the top). The aim is to keep the sediment on the bottom of the bottle, not to shake it up into the beer.</li>
<li>Allow the sediment to settle before serving. This can easily take 24 hours if the bottle has been bounced around in the boot of a car. Longer is better (but waiting is hard).</li>
<li>Store them in a cool place away from direct sunlight. If you're lucky enough to have a (unheated) cellar, that's where you want it. 12°C is generally thought to be the best temperature for storing and serving. </li>
<li>When you pour the beer into your glassware of choice, try to do this smoothly, avoiding "glugging". You should be aiming to leave a little in the bottle. This is all about getting the beer while leaving the sediment.</li>
</ol>
<div>
I have to point out here that some beers which claim to be bottled-conditioned, are no such thing. While they may contain a little yeast (which certainly does no harm and may protect the beer against oxidation somewhat) it's often no more that will "paint the bottom" of the bottle. These beers have usually been force-carbonated before bottling. Nothing wrong with that of course, some good beers are packaged in this way, and unless the thin film of sediment has broken up , they can be good to go as promptly as a filtered beer. The downside, at least from our point of view, is that folk's expectations have been changed - some don't expect to have to <b>do anything</b> to enjoy their beer. (In which case, please consider choosing our filtered products.)</div>
<div>
You probably don't want to <b>store </b>your beer in the fridge (it's too cold, really) but half an hour or so in the fridge won't do any harm. Some beers drink nicely a little colder. Indeed, if you've been forced to store beer warmer than the ideal 12°C, <b>carefully</b> moving it into the fridge for a while will be useful.<br />
<br />
And what about "laying down" beer? Some folks suggest that bottle conditioned beer will continue to improve (like "fine wine") over years. If you want to try this, firstly, don't actually lay the bottle down - you want them upright. You probably do want a real cellar, unless you can think of another way of keeping a stable low temperature, dark environment for your stock. Strong dark beers will usually remain perfectly drinkable for a number of years, decades even (that best before date assumes less than ideal conditions). Do cellared beers keep on getting better? That's a matter of taste, with which there is no arguing.</div>
StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-17048689381478985052016-04-25T13:04:00.000+01:002016-04-25T13:04:18.874+01:00ReinheitsgebotAh, tradition...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.weyermann.de/eng/produkte.asp?idkat=26&umenue=yes&idmenue=&sprache=2" target="_blank">Added Colour</a>. (Malt extract)<br />
<a href="http://www.erbsloeh.com/en/products/beer/brewing_process/foam_stabilisation" target="_blank">Head Enhancer</a> (Yeast)<br />
<a href="http://simplyhops.co.uk/advanced-brewing-aids/hopaid-antifoam-5kg.html" target="_blank">Anti-foam</a> (Hop)<br />
<br />
I'm sure there's more.<br />
<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-52885926780240381232016-02-03T17:09:00.003+00:002016-02-03T17:48:55.957+00:00On allergens.<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6klQh7Qza3o/VrI3_hL_CPI/AAAAAAAAAs0/CucREti_0Yw/s1600/worstpintever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6klQh7Qza3o/VrI3_hL_CPI/AAAAAAAAAs0/CucREti_0Yw/s200/worstpintever.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worst. Pint. Ever.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, all this allergen labelling eh? We get asked (mainly in relation to CAMRA festivals) to make statements about our beer, allergen-wise. As we all (should) know, there's now a "requirement for allergen information to be provided for foods sold non-packed or prepacked for direct sale". This means beer, and applies to us.<br />
<br />
Just the other day Becky was asked if isinglass needed declaring - she was being polite on the phone while I was in the background muttering "not fecking relevant", etc. That said, I recently saw a cask from a local brewer labelled (with enthusiastic, but ill-informed, candour) "Gluten (barley), Gluten (wheat), Fish (isinglass), Sulphur Dioxide" and more.<br />
<br />
So, and bearing in mind that I'm not a trading standards officer (or a lawyer), here's the way (we think) it works:<br />
<br />
There are 14 allergens that might need declaring:<br />
<b>Cereals containing gluten</b> (that'll be your Barley, wheat, oats etc.)<br />
BUT NOT "Gluten" itself, although you might want to clarify the situation by stating, for example,<br />
Malted barley (gluten)<br />
BUT NOT wheat and barley based glucose syrups or maltodextrin.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Crustaceans and products thereof.</b><br />
Relevant? We don't use chitin based finings, but if you do...<br />
<br />
<b>Egg and products thereof.</b><br />
Anyone putting eggs in beer anymore? We don't.<br />
<br />
<b>Fish and products thereof</b><br />
<b>BUT NOT fish gelatine or Isinglass used as a fining agent in beer and wine.</b><br />
OK? Because there's no evidence it's ever caused a problem for anyone.<br />
<br />
<b>Peanuts </b>(I'm tired of writing "and products thereof", but yes, those too).<br />
<br />
<b>Soybeans</b><br />
<br />
<b>Milk</b><br />
Including lactose, but not lactitol<br />
Oh, by the way, Lactic acid isn't produced from milk.<br />
<br />
<b>Nuts</b><br />
Because peanuts aren't nuts.<b> </b><br />
<a href="http://viz.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Screen-Shot-2015-03-18-at-18.30.24.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Celery, Mustard, Sesame seeds</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Sulphur dioxide / sulphites</b><br />
BUT ONLY when at concentrations of more than 10 mg/L, which you shouldn't have in beer anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>Lupin</b><br />
I thought that was just plain poisonous?<br />
<br />
<b>Molluscs</b><br />
(including squid ink - I'm looking at you, HardknottDave)<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/food-allergen-labelling-technical-guidance.pdf" target="_blank">the reference.</a><br />
<br />
So what should that sticker on that cask have said? Well, if that's how the brewer chooses to pass on the allergen info, then "Made with Barley, Wheat" would probably have done it. We just say it on our website.*<br />
<br />
And does anyone need to declare / label Isinglass? No. Isinglass finings in beer are specifically excluded from the labelling requirement. You may wish to inform the consumer, but <b>please don't</b> say it's an allergen, because it's <b>not</b>.<br />
<br />
And what has this got to do with Gluten Free beers? If they're made with barley and wheat, but processed to remove gluten then you'll still have to label for those grains, but you'd also be able to label them "Gluten Free".<br />
But don't say something like "Barley (gluten) Gluten Free" - that's confusing, and the point of labelling is NOT to confuse the consumer.<br />
<br />
<br />
*<span style="font-size: x-small;">and, of course, on our bottle labels.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
requirement
for allergen information to be provided for foods sold non-packed or
prepacked for direct sale - See more at:
https://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label#sthash.gv6Xe4cW.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
requirement
for allergen information to be provided for foods sold non-packed or
prepacked for direct sale - See more at:
https://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label#sthash.gv6Xe4cW.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
requirement
for allergen information to be provided for foods sold non-packed or
prepacked for direct sale - See more at:
https://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label#sthash.gv6Xe4cW.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
requirement
for allergen information to be provided for foods sold non-packed or
prepacked for direct sale - See more at:
https://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label#sthash.gv6Xe4cW.dpuf</div>
StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-51863229967094014932015-09-04T14:40:00.000+01:002015-09-07T22:03:04.345+01:00Cows, magic beans, etc.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cwB97x6Ma4o/Vel1uFlxKoI/AAAAAAAAAoo/leeq8Nuv-5g/s1600/CowBeans.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cwB97x6Ma4o/Vel1uFlxKoI/AAAAAAAAAoo/leeq8Nuv-5g/s400/CowBeans.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cash cow on a hill of beans, earlier.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
"Dad! Dad! Tell us about the brewpooch shares and the <span id="bc_0_23b+seedP2zWD" kind="d">Asset Matcher, please?"</span><br />
<span id="bc_0_23b+seedP2zWD" kind="d">"I'm sorry kids," said the nice Woodsman, "that's far too complicated a story for your young heads, </span>but I'll tell you the story of the cows and the beans. And then you must go to sleep, you rascals."<br />
<br />
"Once upon a time, a group of feeble-minded sons of poor widows agreed to meet up. It so happens that they'd all swapped cows for magic beans. Now, some of those widow's sons had many more magic beans than they knew what to do with, while others felt that more beans would be a good thing and so brought additional cows with them to the meeting, in the hope of making more swaps. So the meeting hall filled up with sons, cows and beans. And the doors were barred.<br />
<br />
"Inside the hall (we're told) many swaps were made, many cows and beans changed owners, and everybody had a lovely time. Some, who on that far-off day when they'd first heard of the magic beans, had only one cow, now had two cows! Everybody felt they'd done well, and everyone expected to live happily ever after.<br />
<br />
"The End."<br />
<br />
The nice Woodsman stood up and snuffed the candle, "Now, you two, snuggle down and off to sleep"<br />
<br />
"But Dad! What about the beans? Were they really magic?"<br />
<br />
The woodsman shook his head, "We'll never know, for the widow's sons and all their cows and beans are all locked in the meeting hall, to this day".<br />
<br />
"Good night!"</div>
StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-8787814299637494332015-07-29T22:29:00.004+01:002015-07-29T22:33:38.642+01:00making beer is easy"Thing is, making beer is easy."
He knocked his glass emphatically against the looming t-bar. Ignoring the gaffer's raised eyebrow he slurred on,
"This stuff, all this lit-up bollocks, all this marketing shite, dressing it up. There's nothing to making beer. Piece of piss. Easiest job I ever had. I mean, what do we do? It's just cooking isn't it? Not f-ing haute cuisine. Big pan of veggie soup is all. My gran used to make yoghurt in her airing cupboard. Same thing really. Rubbish at cakes. Lovely pastry. Shortcrust. Makes you wonder how so many people fuck it up. Other hand, some of it is on another fecking level."
StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-13694544471768091752015-07-28T16:10:00.000+01:002015-07-28T19:46:36.226+01:00Lest we forget (another one)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dyAHh_fCgl0/VbebM0STSmI/AAAAAAAAAnM/u7VBhX8Vcao/s1600/airbrush.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dyAHh_fCgl0/VbebM0STSmI/AAAAAAAAAnM/u7VBhX8Vcao/s1600/airbrush.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:eQbDFzNhYXQJ:totalales.blogspot.com/2014/08/missing-point.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk" target="_blank">As it was.</a><br />
<br />
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:eQbDFzNhYXQJ:totalales.blogspot.com/2014/08/missing-point.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.totalales.co.uk/blog/talales.co.uk/2014/08/missing-point.html" target="_blank">As it is now.</a><br />
<br />
http://www.totalales.co.uk/blog/talales.co.uk/2014/08/missing-point.html <br />
<br />
Now OK, it's only because the new one defaults to "newest comments first". Perhaps there was no intention to hide some comments below the fold. You decide.StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-53349519810302588842015-04-13T16:46:00.001+01:002015-04-13T18:14:59.596+01:00Key brewery staff.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DdWzBIjIRCQ/VSveAHxn1GI/AAAAAAAAAkE/usBsv5YR6Eo/s1600/stock-footage-young-caucasian-couple-with-laptop-excited-to-see-the-results-of-their-online-success.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DdWzBIjIRCQ/VSveAHxn1GI/AAAAAAAAAkE/usBsv5YR6Eo/s1600/stock-footage-young-caucasian-couple-with-laptop-excited-to-see-the-results-of-their-online-success.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You're all rabbits to us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>A misdirected press release marked "for the attention of lazy churnalists" came to our attention recently. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">"We plan to market our beers as great tasting craft beers" said PR hack Billy Bigarms, "I've been doing this kind of shit for years, talking up useless dreck, and kissing the arses of absolutely anyone who might get me ahead"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">"Friends?" He laughed, "I have no friends, but I've made loads of contacts over the years. I suppose you could call me a psychopath - Don't get me wrong, I'll do a favour for anyone, anyone who can scratch my back in return!"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Billy's partner, 198-year-old virgin's blood bather and corporate vampire Trisha Alucard nodded, "There are many people who owe us favours. It's time for us to call some of those favours in. For instance, we have people who will make the beer for us, but frankly, that's a detail." </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">"Brewers and consultants are ten a penny. We may buy them, or, if it amuses me, I'll turn them." </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">She laughed, "No, but seriously, I have access to capital sources that most start-up businesses couldn't even dream of." She paused and the point of her tongue touched her perfect teeth for a heartbeat. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">"We will, of course, be crowdfunding, not so much for the money, but more to give the cattle an opportunity to invite us in, as it were."</span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #292f33; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.000919342041px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-43328296804784564412015-03-12T16:34:00.002+00:002015-03-12T20:32:58.024+00:00Have a pop at Jon here.Go on, you know you want to. Comments are open.
Referring to <a href="http://boakandbailey.com/2015/03/a-disruptive-influence/">this of course</a>. But if there's anything you'd like to get off <b>your</b> chest, to <b>my</b> face (well, virtually) go for it. It'll be good for you. "Better out than in", my Grandma always said.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vIDV42wWaWk/VQHMAE9ulkI/AAAAAAAAAjM/4z7R5owOczE/s1600/subtweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="new heights of passive-aggression" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vIDV42wWaWk/VQHMAE9ulkI/AAAAAAAAAjM/4z7R5owOczE/s1600/subtweet.jpg" height="261" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again?</td></tr>
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StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-33567870652750957892015-01-10T16:42:00.000+00:002015-01-10T22:18:06.133+00:00What is (not "was") the difference between a stout and a porter?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xge--gz6umc/VLFSfk0pYfI/AAAAAAAAAhI/RI5xvbyO9AY/s1600/roastbarley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xge--gz6umc/VLFSfk0pYfI/AAAAAAAAAhI/RI5xvbyO9AY/s1600/roastbarley.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roast barley, earlier.</td></tr>
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A while ago the mighty zythophile was <a href="http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/so-what-is-the-difference-between-porter-and-stout/#comment-12536" target="_blank">able to clarify</a>: "<i>historically, to say roast barley is a differentiator between porter and stout is wrong</i>".<br />
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Of course, "historically" there's a great deal of truth in that. Naturally, it depends what you mean by "historically", but we'll let that stand. But what about non-historically? Or, as we might say, "<b>now</b>".<br />
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It occurred to me that I had an interesting reference staring at me from a bookshelf in the office. To wit; CAMRA's "Good Bottled Beer Guide" (Update: Jeff Evans's, I should say). This doesn't list every stout and porter currently brewed (or even at the time of publication), and of course it's only British beers, but I feel it's an interesting selection. What's particularly valuable is that it lists ingredients for most of the beers it covers.<br />
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How many beers are there that we can be sure the brewers are calling stouts and list their ingredients?<br />
Let's have a quick look...<br />
<b>29 stouts, 21 with roast barley.</b><br />
Also...<br />
<b>15 imperial stouts, 13 with roast barley.</b><br />
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And the "porters"?<br />
Er...<br />
<b>23, 5 with roast barley.</b><br />
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There's a handful where it's hard to tell if they're being thought of as a stout or a porter. And a couple explicitly referred to as sort of hybrids (both contain roast barley, FWIW).<br />
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So let's consider the incidence of roast barley in stouts v. porters.<br />
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Imperial Stouts: 87%<br />
Other Stouts: 72%<br />
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<b>All stouts: 77%</b><br />
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<b>Porters: 22%</b><br />
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So, you pick up a bottle conditioned stout, it's more than three times as likely to have been made with roast barley than a random porter. That's to say, the majority of stouts are made <b>with it</b> (based on this selection), while the majority of <b>porters exclude roast barley</b>.<br />
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Now you might argue, as does Mr Cornell, that this distinction has no "<i>historic validity</i>", and you'd have a good point. You might even choose to stress that here we have "<i>beers being called porter</i>" rather than the true descendants of historical porters. But you know, history tells us mostly about change. And clearly, <b>now </b>isn't entirely like <b>then </b>was.<br />
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A <b>diachronic</b> approach to the "porter" / roast barley question? Or a <b>synchronic </b>one? As someone who brews beer nowadays, it's quite clear:<br />
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What's the difference between <i>most modern, British </i>stouts and porters? Well for one thing, and much more often than not, the use of roast barley.<br />
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<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-21105232307399133682014-12-31T12:39:00.000+00:002014-12-31T12:49:07.270+00:00Not a list.Best thing about this year? The end of it. Getting through it. <br />
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Anyone who has had as bad a year (or worse) than us, cheer up. The next one will be better.<br />
Or not, in which case - at least we're in practice.<br />
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<i>I should say that business-wise, and in spite of everything, it's been an excellent year. Well done you customers. </i>StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-55267500584787987132014-12-15T19:21:00.000+00:002014-12-15T19:29:27.152+00:00Unique? Selling? Proposition?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/news/article-info/5560/uks-first-gluten-free-brewery-to-set-up-in-scotland.aspx" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/news/article-info/5560/uks-first-gluten-free-brewery-to-set-up-in-scotland.aspx" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qrnM6Pr9NcY/VI7OtFXBBiI/AAAAAAAAAgk/AmihwpVUp3A/s1600/firstglutenfree.png" /></a></div>
News just in. Optimists trying to raise funds for a GF (only?) brewery. Good for them, I say. I'm all for optimism. <br />
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We all bandy around the term USP like we know what we're talking about, but let's examine this one.<br />
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UK's First Gluten Free Brewery. Well, bless them, they wouldn't be. Of course. There's lot's of breweries making GF beer. Ah, perhaps they mean that they would be the <b>first </b>brewery making <i>nothing but</i> GF beer. If you ignore <a href="http://poppylandbrewer.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">the tiny brewery</a> that's already doing it. And if they raise the funding to, you know, actually open a brewery. So, their (not quite unique) <b>proposition </b>is something like:<br />
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<b>Buy our GF beer. At some point in the future we will make </b><b><b>only </b> GF beer. Unlike pretty much everyone else, we think.</b><br />
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Fine, but is this a <b>selling</b> proposition? Only time will tell of course, but I suspect most of their customers will be focusing on product rather than brand attributes. i.e. the gluten-freeness of the <b>beer</b>, not the brewery. Unless, as was pointed out to me <a href="https://twitter.com/BeerChannel/status/544465130432786432" target="_blank">on the twitter</a>, <i>"even tiny contamination could be an issue". </i> Is that a real issue? Or is it just FUD? Or <a href="http://stringersbeer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/bullshit-detector-calibration.html" target="_blank">bullshit</a>, even?<br />
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Course, nowadays the whole USP idea is old hat. In a dynamic market, differentiating yourself by "uniqueness" is problematic. Unless you've got well-protected intellectual property what's to stop someone doing the same thing? And if no-one does do the same thing, doesn't this imply they don't think it's much of a selling proposition?<br />
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I suppose the question becomes: Is a beer easier to sell by virtue of being made in a facility that only makes GF products? Or is it better to have GF products as part of a wider, established portfolio? Which plan would you lend money on?<br />
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<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-89350699234494932202014-12-05T12:30:00.002+00:002015-08-15T10:38:06.531+01:00CorianderLots of people chucking coriander in beer at the moment. Gose(s) (Gosen?), Wits, whatever.<br />
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There's a bit of a gotcha associated with this spice. You see, there are two main varieties. A small seeded one and the other one. Mainly grown in tropical and sub-tropical parts, the large-seeded has low levels of the essential oils you want in brewing.<br />
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Your small-seeded variety is the temperate plant. Pretty much. This is the one you want. Unless you can see what you're buying, look for a country of origin that isn't, say, Morocco, India or Australia. Check a map if your geography is a bit weak. There's some good small stuff grown in the Caucasus. Confusingly, there's a large-seeded variety grown in Canada (on the praries). More confusingly, there's a lot of variation in the large one. If you're interested you can weigh the seeds. Simply take a thousand seeds and weigh them. You probably want this to come out less than 8g. If it's only 5g it's deffo small. And you should get a life. <br />
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You'll find you need to use much less and the aroma will be finer.<br />
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<i><b>Update</b>: There's some stuff out there on the interwebs that's saying
precisely the opposite to this. And making out that the large seeded
one is better for brewing. Hmm. Best advice? Be aware that there's more than one kind of coriander seed and decide yourself which you prefer. </i><br />
<br />
You probably don't want to buy ready ground coriander. You don't know which one you're getting (but it's almost certainly the wrong one), how much of it is twigs, grasshopper heads, etc, or how old it is.
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<i><b>Another Update</b>: Ah, now, I've had an opportunity to properly compare a small seeded with a large seeded sample. Both organic as it happens. I wasn't able to brew with them separately but I can report that (freshly ground) the small had more woody / camphor, whereas the larger one had more citrus. I couldn't smell any difference before grinding. So there you go. Be aware. </i>StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-22813677436800086942014-11-17T10:36:00.000+00:002014-11-17T17:02:36.821+00:00Beer belongs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Psu8TH1hvSA/VGnLfv2oNwI/AAAAAAAAAf8/4QnOMKxS0dc/s1600/beerbelongs50s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Psu8TH1hvSA/VGnLfv2oNwI/AAAAAAAAAf8/4QnOMKxS0dc/s1600/beerbelongs50s.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></div>
You might have noticed some of the chuntering about the recent launch of the "There's a beer for that" campaign. I can't work out exactly what the problem that people like <a href="http://totalales.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/theres-beer-for-that.html" target="_blank">Matthew Curtis</a>, <a href="http://chrishallbeer.com/2014/11/02/designed-to-be-human/" target="_blank">Chris Hall</a> or (for that matter) <a href="http://hardknott.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/a-beer-for-that-brewers-view.html" target="_blank">HardknottDave</a> are having with this thing.<br />
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They seem either to be saying it won't sell more beer, or if it does, it'll be the <b><i>wrong kind</i></b> of beer. Allegations of being gagged by the man. There's also a hint of whining about having their brains picked while soaking up free beer at some corporately funded bloggerfest.* Which seems, well, ungrateful. And really, really, naive.<br />
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Whatever, it's maybe a good time to have a look back at some other beer industry campaigns...<br />
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Over the last few years we've acquired a few examples of the delightfully dated "Beer belongs" thing, the famous ad campaign by the United States Brewers Foundation that ran from 1945-1956.<br />
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It's an interesting campaign, aimed (I'd say) at the newly affluent, those with home refrigerators. No sad old men drinking in crummy bars.<br />
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I was going to write at length about it, but it's been done really rather well by one <span class="author post-data-container"><a href="http://allaboutbeer.com/author/jay_r-_brooks/" rel="author" title="Posts by Jay R. Brooks">Jay R. Brooks </a></span> in "All about Beer" magazine in Nov 2009. <a href="http://allaboutbeer.com/article/in-this-friendly-freedom-loving-land-of-ours%E2%80%94beer-belongs%E2%80%A6enjoy-it/">You can read the article here</a>. There's <a href="http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/beer-belongs-01/" target="_blank">additional material by the same author here</a>. With lots of images. (Scroll down if you're not a reader).<br />
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Enjoy.<br />
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* <span style="font-size: x-small;">Not Dave, the other chaps</span>.StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-72787891344414229382014-11-11T18:23:00.000+00:002014-11-14T21:29:15.808+00:00Bullshit Detector CalibrationI don't know if you're familiar with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Frankfurt" target="_blank">Harry Frankfurt</a>'s "<a href="http://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/bullshit/pdf/on-bullshit.pdf" target="_blank">On Bullshit</a>". It's required reading round here. Indeed, we have a copy available in the single occupancy employee lounge (you may refer to this as toilet reading). If you haven't read it, you should. Then you'll know that the expression "marketing bullshit" is a tautology. <br />
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The point Frankfurt makes is that bullshit is not the same thing as a lie. To call someone a <b>bullshitter </b>is <b>not to call them a liar</b>. A piece of bullshit may (or may not) be true. A lie is known to be false (by the liar) and is intended to make us believe it to be true. The key observation is that the bullshitter doesn't really care about the truth value of the statement, it's chiefly (only?) the effect that interests them.<br />
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Thus any marketing language is highly likely to be pretty much pure bullshit. And this is the first step of calibrating the Bullshit Detector (which we assume you were issued with). We have what you might call a high <i>a priori</i> probability of bullshit in any marketing message. That dialed in, we then proceed to scan for other bullshit signals...<br />
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An aside: We don't make a moral judgement here. You're entitled to bullshit if you wish. You may consider that it's your job. It doesn't make you a bad person. I'd suggest that there may be <i>better </i>ways of persuading people.<br />
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So, right, back to it. Unsupported or unverifiable assertions: If I say (for instance) "My beer is best", that's a strong bullshit signal. If I cared about the truth of this statement, I'd give you what you need to evaluate that. How would you even start? Drink all the beer in the world and then some of mine to check? Only "fonefan" has even tried. And besides, it's so subjective. Now, if I say "My beer is award-winning", there's a whiff of bullshit, but at least it's objective, and you could <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=stringers+beer+award" target="_blank">investigate for yourself</a>. I may indeed care that this is true, it may be a key part of my message that it <b>is</b> <b>true</b> and if so, not bullshit.<br />
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An aside: Pretty much all breweries are "award winning". So to assert "My <b>brewery </b>is award winning", while probably true, doesn't convey any actual information. This is a special case of not caring whether something is true or not. Hence bullshit.<br />
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Update: I saw this gem just now,<i> "The <b>fact </b>is we make the <b>best </b>beer in the <b>best </b>way and deliver it in <b>perfect </b>condition". </i>100% weapons grade bullshit.<br />
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Undefined terms: I say, "I am a <b>craft </b>brewer". You say, "Oho! Define '<b>craft</b>'". I say "Hey man , don't be so <b><i>square</i></b>, we're not going down that blind alley, we all know what craft means. I'm it. Those guys aren't". Clearly, if I'm not going to define it, you're not going to be able to tell if it's true or not, and I'm obviously happy with that. Hence bullshit. (N.B. also works for "<i><b>innovative</b></i>").<br />
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Anonymous sources, attribution of motives to nameless entities (not something out of the Cthulu mythos, you know what I mean, like "them", but not: "The Man" - we all know what that means.)<br />
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"Talk is cheap" Is it, in fact, cheap? Blogs are cheap. Newspapers and books are more expensive. Did my lawyers look over what I wrote? Low cost text <i><b>may </b></i>imply low value, high bullshit nonsense.<br />
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Common fallacies. Double points for red herrings. Anyone putting together a piece of persuasive text must know that these will be spotted. But they don't care. Hence bullshit.<br />
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Of course, there are other signals, and it may amuse you to adjust your settings accordingly. But this covers the essential steps of Bullshit Detector Calibration.<br />
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<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-34444872926469585822014-09-09T14:05:00.000+01:002014-09-09T14:05:23.454+01:00Craft blog clickbait<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nyf5N36Kls4/VA76uW0qRsI/AAAAAAAAAd8/O69NrALMpOs/s1600/OU_Beard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nyf5N36Kls4/VA76uW0qRsI/AAAAAAAAAd8/O69NrALMpOs/s1600/OU_Beard.jpg" height="183" width="320" /></a></div>
Blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG blah blah blah CRAFT blah blah blah CAMRA blah blah blah KEG CRAFT CAMRA.StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-35012598924531731392014-08-20T20:17:00.000+01:002014-08-20T20:37:27.403+01:00Cask Quality. A modest proposal."I gather there's been a lot of blathering about cask beer quality", the Professor said, dragging us into his workroom.<br />
<br />
We knew what he was talking about, so didn't even attempt to interrupt his flow.<br />
<br />
"All kinds of explanations have been offered - lack of traditional cellar skills, rubbish little micros, not enough people drinking the stuff to give the throughput, the failure of CAMRA and, for that matter, Cask Marque to adequately signpost good beer - all true to an extent. But see here!"<br />
<br />
He waved a small device at us.<br />
<br />
"Oh no, Prof", we groaned, "Not another hopelessly infeasible invention?".<br />
<br />
"No indeed!", he chuckled, "It's a thermometer!"<br />
<br />
"You see", he continued, "much cask beer is simply too warm."<br />
<br />
We wondered if it could really be so simple.<br />
<br />
"In many cases, for sure. Yes.", He gestured at a <a href="http://cask-marque.co.uk/index.php/blog-news-info/blog/entry/fancy-a-pint-of-bath-water" target="_blank">recent blog post on the Cask Marque site</a>.<br />
<br />
"See, 18% of <b><i>accredited</i></b> pubs were selling bad, or at least not good, beer, and 49% of the others also".<br />
<br />
We must have looked surprised, and he continued "Yes, only 82% of Cask Marque pints were really fit to drink in the summer of 2013. Brave of them to hold their hand up if you ask me. And of the other pubs, you stand about an evens chance of getting a decent pint. And of the 'not good' beers <b><i>'virtually all were at least in part due' </i></b>to being <b>too warm!</b> Too warm before it gets to the pub, and finings will fail. To warm in the cellar and the beer will almost certainly be flat, if not actually spoiled. Too warm in the glass and it just plain won't be nice!"<br />
<br />
"What's to be done? you ask, Stringers."<br />
<br />
We hadn't, as he hadn't given us chance, but nodded anyway.<br />
<br />
"Brewers and distributors can make sure that beer doesn't get too warm in the supply chain - I'm sure most of them are on top of this. Don't leave beer sitting outside in the summer. Look to your cellar, python and (if you've got it) cylinder cooling. Don't serve it in hot glasses. Get a thermometer! Check the temperature of the beer!"<br />
<br />
We were edging towards the door as the Prof waved his thermometer around wildly. He noticed, smiled and drew a breath, "Also, Stringers, you might want to have a look into Cask Breathers".<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-26353317033628559612014-08-10T12:50:00.000+01:002014-08-10T12:50:02.233+01:00Waste of hops."Here, Stringers", said the Professor, "You'll be interested in this."<br />
<br />He waved at the far wall of his workroom, currently the target of the blinding glare of his triple laser digital projector.<br />
<br />
"Say again, Professor?", It was rather difficult to hear over the whine and whirr of the motors which whirled the mirrors of the projector.<br />
<br />
"Ah, yes, sorry about that", He threw a knifeswitch, and as the mirrors slowed and stopped, and our eyes readjusted to normal illumination, we could see that he was holding out some papers.<br />
<br />
"Yes", he continued, "I printed this out for you. It's a jolly interesting <a href="http://www.europeanbreweryconvention.org/PDF/2012/symposium2012/L13_J_Teagle.pdf" target="_blank">presentation on dry-hopping</a>."<br />
<br />
"So, here's someone who's actually done some measurements on what you get out of your hops in a model dry-hopping procedure. It's most educational. Now, Stringers, what sort of efficiency of extraction would you expect to be getting?"<br />
<br />
We weren't quite sure what the Prof meant, and said so.<br />
<br />
"Well", he continued, slowly, "If you were adding 10 kilos of smelly hops into a tank, how smelly would your beer end up?"<br />
<br />
We supposed that would depend on how much smelly stuff from the hops got into the beer.<br />
<br />
"Precisely!", said the Professor, "What percentage of the smelly chemicals added via the hops will be found in the finished beer."<br />
<br />
He went on, "Of course, this will depend to a large extent on the solubility of the compound in water - beer's mainly water - as well as the detail of how the hop material is dispersed in the beer. So it's no surprise to see that, according to this piece of work, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linalool" target="_blank">linalool </a>is extracted with around 100% efficiency. It's an alcohol after all, with a reasonable solubility in water. Whereas other important smelly chemicals, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrcene" target="_blank">myrcene </a>for instance, are pretty much insoluble in water, so you'll not be surprised to see that less than 1% of what you put in makes it into the finished beer. The same thing seems to hold for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryophyllene" target="_blank">caryophyllene</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humulene" target="_blank">humulene</a>."<br />
<br />
We were unsure, "But Prof, if we don't get much of these things out of dry-hopping, but we all love the dry-hopped beers, surely it's because we don't miss them?"<br />
<br />
The Prof nodded, "For sure Stringers, these poorly extracted chemicals have some much more soluble relatives, either naturally occurring in the hop, or produced in the brewing process, or as a result of yeast metabolism. But it seems to me that if you want, say, myrcene, in your beer, dry-hopping is a terribly inefficient way of going about it.<br />
<br />
"And with hops the price they are, to say nothing of the environmental impacts of growing and transporting them, I wonder if it's something you should be giving more thought to?"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-66942844101520247012014-07-30T13:57:00.000+01:002014-07-30T14:33:52.990+01:00What we did on our holidays.It's been a funny couple of weeks, right enough, but we pressed ahead with our trip to Berlin.<br />
<br />
It was the occasion of the (snappily named) <a href="http://www.craftbeerbrewers.org/" target="_blank">Global Association of Craft Beer Brewers</a> inaugural Festival and Competition, so we got a party together (us, the boy, our friend Claire, and her boy) and piled onto the easyjet bound for Schönefeld. Once past the hours of chaos which is security at Manchester, things settled down rather.<br />
<br />
It's not my first visit to Berlin, last time I was there the wall was in bits, but there were still technically two Germanys. So quite a lot of changes. I always liked the place; Berlin's now the largest city by extent in Europe, but the population density is practically half that of London. So, lots of green space and water, and not so very crowded. Always ranks highly in quality of life surveys. Jolly good transit system. Lots of English spoken - and this is important to me since my command of German extends to "bitte", "dankeschön", and a lot of pointing and smiling.<br />
<br />
We were staying in an apartment a spit away from the Brandenberg gate, handy for sight-seeing - which is what the rest of our party did while Becky and I went to the thing.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7PUNEitO0gc/U9jxLJC2e1I/AAAAAAAAAcs/MW4AVXWUmHM/s1600/brandenburg_gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7PUNEitO0gc/U9jxLJC2e1I/AAAAAAAAAcs/MW4AVXWUmHM/s1600/brandenburg_gate.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not covered in marzipan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anyhoo, the "Globals" (as we'll now call them), had staked out an excellent compact venue at the Alte Börse Marzahn. Now, I read that Marzahn had "got a name for itself" back in the day. I didn't get to see what has happened (if anything) to any ghastly blocks of flats plonked down around windswept wastelands. But there's a fair bit of regeneration going on, at least where we were: "<i>home to a community of artists, chefs and other creative engineers</i>". Two breweries within 25m of each other, one a brewpub (<a href="http://marzahner.de/bier/" target="_blank">Marzahner Bier</a>), the other not (<a href="http://www.bierfabrik.de/" target="_blank">Bierfabrik</a>) Decent little conference space, nice big room for tasting, all arranged around an open-air market space.<br />
<br />
The first day was mainly judging (for me) and listening to presentations (Becky). All good. I was tasting "Belgian-style Wits" and a whole load of "Pale Ales". The wits? One was a pretty good Weissebier rather than a Wit, so we couldn't score that one very well. One of the actual wits clearly better than the others (I thought), but the standard was pretty blinking good.<br />
<br />
The "Pale Ales" were hop-forward and in the modern style - of course. And again, the standard was very good. You can <a href="http://www.craftbeeraward.org/award-winners" target="_blank">see the results here</a>.
After tasting 22 beers, I went out to sit in the sun, just in time for the rain to start. Which carried on until the evening when the awards were presented. This is why we're looking so damp (but happy) in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.268662156659967.1073741836.182137301979120&type=3" target="_blank">the awards photos</a>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEDh7k7P5M8/U9jwalXF2hI/AAAAAAAAAcg/G0YxTh0LJh8/s1600/Jon+and+Becky+with+Awards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CEDh7k7P5M8/U9jwalXF2hI/AAAAAAAAAcg/G0YxTh0LJh8/s1600/Jon+and+Becky+with+Awards.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: laurinschmid@gmx.de</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Next day (with much better weather, hot and sunny) was more presentations - I gave one on "Sustainability" - and the public festival. The Globals ran the main bar, and brewers ran little satellite stalls selling their wares to an enthusiastic and well mixed crowd. <br />
<br />
Overall? Well, we won awards*, so of course I'm going to say it was great. But you know, it <b>was great</b>. Hundreds of beers from 20-odd countries. Nice spot. Great beer. Lovely people. If you were there, you know what I mean. If you weren't, why not?<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>*Awards? Yes indeed, <b>best Fruit (or veg) "Damson"</b>, <b>best Belgian-Style Dubbel or Triple "Furness Abbey"</b>, a <b>bronze for the "Dry Stout"</b> And a <b>special trophy (that's the bottle thing)</b> for judges favourite or something (again, "Furness Abbey", I think). </i><br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-58896380676728276502014-05-14T13:12:00.000+01:002014-05-14T18:50:50.048+01:00Pay to play?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AF6e4rD9IxE/U3NPbpxkMWI/AAAAAAAAAaY/BmVZN8klmsU/s1600/bribes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AF6e4rD9IxE/U3NPbpxkMWI/AAAAAAAAAaY/BmVZN8klmsU/s1600/bribes.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
This is an awkward one for me. Let's say I heard a story - that incentives are being sought by some pubs supplied through SIBA's DDS scheme. Now, it's acceptable for a brewer to supply a pub with marketing materials, glassware even, to support the brewer's products which the pub has sourced through DDS. But worryingly, I've heard (and I really can't say more than that) that some pubs are soliciting "off the books" contributions from the brewers as a <b>condition </b>for making orders through DDS. These incentives may be anything from a contribution to items normally considered part of the pub's costs (over and above marketing support), to an extra cask or two delivered gratis. <br />
<br />
<br />
If this is truly happening - I'm appalled. Of course, I appal easily. I should really save my outrage for more serious matters, but there you go.<br />
<br />
If any SIBA brewers have come across this kind of thing, I'd hope that they would think very hard about reporting it officially. This kind of shit is exactly what we don't want. DDS would become another way where larger<sup>1</sup> businesses (who might be able to afford this kind of promotion) can deny market access to smaller<sup>2</sup> ones (who, I guess, can't). Anyone involved in this kind of deal should consider if there isn't a whiff of the old Bribery and Corruption about it. (note: IANAL)<br />
<br />
You might wonder why I'm going on about this here, rather than raising the matter privately, inside SIBA. At this point, I'm mainly interested in other people's experience. Ever heard of this? Come across it yourself? Think it's bollocks?<br />
<br />
If anyone wants to comment in confidence, my office door is always open. (Well, it would be if the circ pump in the big chiller wasn't making such a racket)<br />
<br />
<br />
1. or unscrupulous<br />
2. or large, scrupulous onesStringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-39435248464075693972014-03-18T12:43:00.001+00:002014-03-19T11:30:53.529+00:00This "new" thing they call "craft".It just occurred to me, how much of the problem some people seem to have with the c-word may be down, not to <i><b>over-use</b></i> (and there has been of late), but rather to <i><b>lack</b></i> of familiarity. I spotted a knowledgeable beer blogger apparently <a href="http://boakandbailey.com/2014/03/post-craft-world/#comment-38026" target="_blank">expressing surprise</a> at the term "craft butcher". This is a long established usage; I mean there's even a <a href="http://www.nfmft.co.uk/craft-butcher-magazine.html" target="_blank">magazine</a> called that.<br />
<br />
Did we forget craft potters, craft furniture makers, etc? Looks like we've got some kind of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recency_illusion" target="_blank">recency illusion</a> going on here.<br />
<br />
Update: Someone asks: "why is there a need to dub an honourble old trade which makes a quality product with a contemporary term?" To which the answer has to be: It's not a contemporary (new) term. It's just new to you.<br />
<br />
Another Update: <br />
Time was, any self-opinionated so-and-so might hog a spot at the bar and, unchallenged, discourse on their favourite idée fixe or bugbear. "My opinion's worth (at least) as much as anyone's". This style doesn't translate well to the context we find ourselves in here, for instance.<br />
<br />
While
you are (or I am) holding forth, our readers have got another tab open,
googling any dodgy sounding fact, hauling up counter evidence from
ancient copies of Hansard (or whatever). Get with it, Dad. <br />
<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-41788536489742059222014-02-11T18:26:00.000+00:002014-02-11T18:36:59.728+00:00Mash efficiency, etc, according to the Professor.We recently came across a piece by blogging home/craft brewer (and, we're sure, diamond geezer) <a href="http://broadfordbrewer.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">broadfordbrewer</a> Reading an account of a yummy sounding raspberry wheat brew, we were a bit confused by some of the calculations employed in estimating <b><i>efficiencies</i></b>. So, as we usually do when confused (and we usually are), we asked the Professor for help.<br />
<br />
"Ah yes, Stringers," he smiled, "I've seen the kind of thing you're referring to." He laughed, "These homebrewers and their formulae, passed down like myths and fairy tales from who knows what original source!"<br />
<br />
"Of course" , he continued, "you'd be wise to measure efficiency in terms of how efficient <b>you </b>are in getting stuff out of the grain, so you refer to laboratory extract, rather than simply the mass of the grain (which would include husk, other insolubles, dead mice, etc), as some homebrewers do. Why do they do that?"<br />
<br />
He limped over to the blackboard, "See, Stringers, you may have come across something like this..." <br />
Chalk squeaked. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Extract = (volume) x (specific gravity) x (ºPlato — expressed in decimal form).</span><br />
<br />
"But this doesn't really make sense... since we can convert specific gravity to ºPlato like this..."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">degrees = (SG x 1000) - 1000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">ºPlato = degrees / 4 [approx]</span><br />
<br />
"So why are both SG and ºPlato in this formula? Since we can convert one to the other, we're not adding any information by including both. Formally, they're measures of the same <i><b>dimension</b></i>, expressed in different <i><b>units</b></i>. Pretty much."<br />
<br />
He continued, "We can substitute and rearrange, to show that..." <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">SG x ºPlato = (250 x SG<sup>2</sup>) - (250 x SG)</span> He smiled, "approximately".<br />
<br />
"You see ºPlato has disappeared. So, indeed, there wasn't any point in having it in the first place!"<br />
<br />
We spoke up, "The maths always seems easier if we work with litre.degrees."<br />
<br />
"For sure, yes", said the Prof, "The product of volume and gravity in brewers degrees."<br />
He flourished his chalk, "For instance..."<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">10 litres at SG 1.0<b>40</b> = 10 x 40 = 400 Litre.degrees</span>.<br />
<br />
"Yes", we said, "That kind of thing."<br />
<br />
He commenced pacing, "The maltsters give laboratory extracts for the malts which you might think of as the extract 1 kg would give in 1 litre. If that were actually possible. For decent pale malts this is probably around 300 (assuming a coarse crush / moisture as is)"<br />
<br />
We nodded, he went on, "That's to say, one kg of malt mashed under ideal conditions would give you 1 litre of wort with a gravity of something like 1.300."<br />
<br />
"So, for an example <a href="http://broadfordbrewer.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/ag31-raspberry-blonde/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">homebrew mash</a>:" He turned back to the blackboard.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Pale malt: 2.8 kg @ 293 L.deg per kilo = 820.4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">wheat malt: 0.8 @ 296 = 236.8</span><br />
<br />
He waved at the board, "I got these values for extract from a recent malt analysis, but you can look up typical values <a href="http://www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk/specif.htm" target="_blank">on the InterWeb</a> , or you could call it 300 and wouldn't be far wrong."<br />
<br />
He continued writing,<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">total potential extract 820.4 + 236.8 = 1057.2 litre.degrees</span><br />
<br />
Turning to us, "What you actually get out of the mash might be 24 litres at 1.040 Specific Gravity, i.e..."<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">24 litres x 40 degrees = 960 litre.degrees</span><br />
<br />
"So your <i><b>mash efficiency</b></i> is something like..."<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> 960/1057.2 = 0.908 = <b>90.8%</b></span><br />
<br />
"Post-boil, you might end up with..."<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">18L @ 1.044
i.e
18 x 44 = 792 and 792/1057.2 = 0.749</span><br />
"That is..."<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b>74.9%</b></span><br />
<br />
"Which you might call <i><b>brewhouse efficiency</b></i>!"<br />
<br />
He dropped his chalk and pushed his spectacles back up, "Got that Stringers?"<br />
<br />
"Thanks Prof!" <br />
StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-46446862863904981962014-01-30T16:40:00.001+00:002014-01-30T16:44:48.725+00:00Blog: Poll: Polls on Blogs. You decide.<h2 class='title'>Are there too many polls on blogs nowadays?</h2>
<div class='widget-content' id='widget-content'>
<iframe allowtransparency='true' frameborder='0' height='200' name='poll-widget-1692711630903479261' src='http://www.google.com/reviews/polls/display/-1692711630903479261/blogger_template/run_app?txtclr=%23333333&lnkclr=%23336699&chrtclr=%23336699&font=normal+normal+100%25+Verdana,+Arial,+Sans-serif;&hideq=true&purl=http://stringersbeer.blogspot.co.uk/' style='border:none; width:100%;'></iframe></div>StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1634985112809013944.post-6928610074803769782014-01-21T17:09:00.002+00:002014-01-21T17:22:56.254+00:00The Tie and the Small BrewersJust suppose all this government PubCo malarkey ever reaches some kind of conclusion, and just suppose that a mandatory FOT (free of tie) option ushers in a new world of pubs. What's this new world going to mean for yer small brewer in this country?<br />
<br />
I'm happy to consider myself a small brewer. Of course, if I had my right legs I'd be well over six foot. But hey, short legs run in my family (along with noses).<br />
<br />
As things stand, whatever else they are, pubcos are big beer buyers (also wine, spirits, soft drinks, and everything else). This means that they can demand big discounts from brewers (and everyone else). The big brewers have fantasy price lists, of course, and are adapted to this. The big brewers can also deliver the volumes that these big buyers require. The pubcos operate closely with, or part own, wholesaler / distributors that facilitate this part of the operation. Then they whack a markup onto that discounted price to cover (a) their costs of running this operation and (b) the wet-rent element of their take from the pub.<br />
<br />
We're all aware of the SIBA DDS scheme where small brewers can, if they wish, try to get their beers listed by the pubcos, so that select outlets can order their beer through their normal pubco channels and get it delivered direct by the brewer. Of course, the costs of (a) administering this system and (b) the wet-rent are added onto the price that the brewer gets. So this beer is typically no cheaper (for the pub) than the regular stuff. Dealing with the big wholesalers isn't really an option for the small brewer. We can't make beer for the price, or in the volumes, that they require.<br />
<br />
If many pubs decide to opt out of their tied partnerships, they'll likely be charged higher rents to offset the pubcos lost wet-rent. But they'll be free to buy on the open market.<br />
<br />
And this is the question we started with. What would this expanded free market for beer look like? What's the place of the small brewer in it?<br />
<br />
There will be some new opportunities local to the small brewer - local pubs that have opted out. There may be less call for beer through the DDS. There will be opportunities for wholesalers to expand their free-trade business. The big wholesalers still won't be interested in small brewers. There may be growth among smaller wholesalers. There is the possibility that some small brewers will take advantage of
the opportunities (particularly in the transitional phase) to grow their
businesses quite substantially. Perhaps no longer being quite so very
small. I suspect the overall effect for many small brewers will be a small positive one. Nothing to get really excited about.<br />
<br />
Interesting times. Maybe. Maybe not.<br />
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<i>All the above, strictly a personal thing.</i><br />
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<br />StringersBeerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.com1