An article on Slate yesterday focused on the death of beer sales in America, which have grown less that one percent since 2000. Where have the customers gone? To wine. In fact, the article highlights, a 2005 Gallop poll showed that Americans preferred wine to beer.
What's this mean for the aspiring beer geek? Maybe not much. As the article points out, one of the reasons for the switch to wine is that the American middle class is becoming "connoisseurs of everything". So maybe the issue isn't so much that Americans are turning away from beer - maybe the issue is that Americans are asking for more from their beer. Which, if you ask me, is a win for everyone.
Showing posts with label Beer Facts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beer Facts. Show all posts
31 May 2007
10 April 2007
New study on beer released . . .
I snatched this interesting article from another beer site. Hmmm . . . : 
12 December 2006
Now we can pay our bar tab!
lifted from allaboutbeer.com
Drinkers Earn More Money Than Nondrinkers
A study by economists Bethany Peters and Edward Stringham has found that drinkers earn 10 to 14 percent more money at their jobs than nondrinkers. In addition, men who drink socially, visiting a bar at least once a month, bring home an additional seven percent in pay. The study, published by the Journal of Labor Research and Reason Foundation, was titled "Social Drinking Builds Social Capital." Stringham, an economics professor at San Jose State University, said "Social drinkers are out networking, building relationships and adding contacts to their BlackBerries that result in bigger paychecks."
The study found that men who drink earn 10 percent more than abstainers and that women drinkers earn 14 percent more than nondrinkers. Women who frequent bars at least once per month do not show higher earnings than women drinkers who do not visit bars.
Drinkers Earn More Money Than Nondrinkers
A study by economists Bethany Peters and Edward Stringham has found that drinkers earn 10 to 14 percent more money at their jobs than nondrinkers. In addition, men who drink socially, visiting a bar at least once a month, bring home an additional seven percent in pay. The study, published by the Journal of Labor Research and Reason Foundation, was titled "Social Drinking Builds Social Capital." Stringham, an economics professor at San Jose State University, said "Social drinkers are out networking, building relationships and adding contacts to their BlackBerries that result in bigger paychecks."
The study found that men who drink earn 10 percent more than abstainers and that women drinkers earn 14 percent more than nondrinkers. Women who frequent bars at least once per month do not show higher earnings than women drinkers who do not visit bars.
09 December 2006
Who was Gambrinus?
So the beer trivia post got me looking a little more into the Patron Saint of Beer, Gambrinus, a saint even those of us who are non-Catholic can pray to (and probably have after having a few too many). I lifted this from Wikipedia:
Gambrinus is a legendary king of Flanders, and an unofficial patron saint of beer or beer brewing.
The origin of the character is most widely believed to be John, Duke of Burgundy (1371–1419), who some also believe to be the inventor of hopped malt beer. One of Charlemagne's cupbearers was also called Gambrinus.
In what is possibly the earliest known record of the name, the German poet Burkart Waldis mentioned Gambrinus in the year 1543, explaining that Gambrinus learned the art of brewing from Isis, the ancient Egyptian goddess of motherhood and fertility.
Possible Latin etymologies of the name include cambarus (cellarer) and ganeae birrinus (one who drinks in a tavern). The Gambrinus brewery of Plzeň, Czech Republic explains the name as originating from Jan Primus (John the First), referring to John I, Duke of Brabant.[1]
Although not as likely, Gambrinus might also derive from camba, a word from the Celtic language family that refers to a brewer's pan. Alternatively, Gambrinus may be a corruption of the name Gambrivius.
Gambrinus is often depicted either in kingly garb, dressed as an English knight of the Middle Ages, or (less commonly) as a plump old man.
Because of Gambrinus' significance, numerous European and North American brewers have adopted the character (or his name) in their beer brands. Several notable breweries are named for Gambrinus, including:
Gambrinus Brewery of Plzeň, Czech Republic
Gambrinus of Mulhouse, Alsace, France
The Gambrinus Company of San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
Gambrinus Brewing Co. of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
The Gambrinus Brewing Company of Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
Gambrinus is a legendary king of Flanders, and an unofficial patron saint of beer or beer brewing.
The origin of the character is most widely believed to be John, Duke of Burgundy (1371–1419), who some also believe to be the inventor of hopped malt beer. One of Charlemagne's cupbearers was also called Gambrinus.
In what is possibly the earliest known record of the name, the German poet Burkart Waldis mentioned Gambrinus in the year 1543, explaining that Gambrinus learned the art of brewing from Isis, the ancient Egyptian goddess of motherhood and fertility.
Possible Latin etymologies of the name include cambarus (cellarer) and ganeae birrinus (one who drinks in a tavern). The Gambrinus brewery of Plzeň, Czech Republic explains the name as originating from Jan Primus (John the First), referring to John I, Duke of Brabant.[1]
Although not as likely, Gambrinus might also derive from camba, a word from the Celtic language family that refers to a brewer's pan. Alternatively, Gambrinus may be a corruption of the name Gambrivius.
Gambrinus is often depicted either in kingly garb, dressed as an English knight of the Middle Ages, or (less commonly) as a plump old man.
Because of Gambrinus' significance, numerous European and North American brewers have adopted the character (or his name) in their beer brands. Several notable breweries are named for Gambrinus, including:
Gambrinus Brewery of Plzeň, Czech Republic
Gambrinus of Mulhouse, Alsace, France
The Gambrinus Company of San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
Gambrinus Brewing Co. of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
The Gambrinus Brewing Company of Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
Beer Trivia
What is the Most Expensive Beer in the World?
Answer: It’s called “Tutankhamen” and is prepared according to the recipe recovered by a group of University of Cambridge archaeologists in Queen Nefertiti’s Temple of the Sun in Egypt. It costs US $52 a bottle, and is produced in limited and numbered edition.
What country has the most individual beer brands?
Answer: That would be Belgium, with 400.
From what part of brewing did the term “rule of thumb” originate?
Answer: before the advent of thermometers, brewers tested the temperature of their maturing brews with their thumbs: too cold, and the yeast wouldn’t grow, too hot, and it would die.
Who was the first American to brew lager type beer?
Answer: The first US lager was brewed in 1840 by John Wagner, who had a small brewery in the back of his house on St. John Street in Philadelphia. Wagner brought the first lager yeast to the United States from a brewery in Bavaria.
What is Cenosillicaphobia the fear of?
Answer: Fear of an empty glass
What is brew master in Latin?
Answer: braxator
Explain the roots of the Scandinavian toast, sköl.
Answer: The familiar Scandinavian toast sköl derives from scole, the drinking bowl shaped like the upper half of a human skull. Originally, these bowls were fashioned from the actual skulls of enemy killed in battle.
What king is known as the "patron saint of beer?"
Answer: King Gambrinus (not to be confused with St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewing).
What was the length of Prohibition?
Answer: Prohibition lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours, 32 1/2 minutes
What is the best selling brand in the Western Hemisphere outside of the United States? What country is it brewed in?
Answer: Brahma Beer. It is brewed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Answer: It’s called “Tutankhamen” and is prepared according to the recipe recovered by a group of University of Cambridge archaeologists in Queen Nefertiti’s Temple of the Sun in Egypt. It costs US $52 a bottle, and is produced in limited and numbered edition.
What country has the most individual beer brands?
Answer: That would be Belgium, with 400.
From what part of brewing did the term “rule of thumb” originate?
Answer: before the advent of thermometers, brewers tested the temperature of their maturing brews with their thumbs: too cold, and the yeast wouldn’t grow, too hot, and it would die.
Who was the first American to brew lager type beer?
Answer: The first US lager was brewed in 1840 by John Wagner, who had a small brewery in the back of his house on St. John Street in Philadelphia. Wagner brought the first lager yeast to the United States from a brewery in Bavaria.
What is Cenosillicaphobia the fear of?
Answer: Fear of an empty glass
What is brew master in Latin?
Answer: braxator
Explain the roots of the Scandinavian toast, sköl.
Answer: The familiar Scandinavian toast sköl derives from scole, the drinking bowl shaped like the upper half of a human skull. Originally, these bowls were fashioned from the actual skulls of enemy killed in battle.
What king is known as the "patron saint of beer?"
Answer: King Gambrinus (not to be confused with St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewing).
What was the length of Prohibition?
Answer: Prohibition lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours, 32 1/2 minutes
What is the best selling brand in the Western Hemisphere outside of the United States? What country is it brewed in?
Answer: Brahma Beer. It is brewed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
17 August 2006
As if We Really Need Another Reason . . .
Next time some health freak is giving you shit for drinking beer, just tell them you're trying to be healthy.
Rich in Vitamins and Good for the Nerves
Beer is rich in important vitamins - most are delivered to you by the beer's yeast. Vitamins B1, B2, and B6 and H contained in beer are food for the nerves: They improve your ability to concentrate, support the production of red blood cells, have a positive effect on your blood circulation and stimulate your metabolism.
Minerals for the Metabolism
A scientific study undertaken at the Technical University of Munich concluded that the collection of minerals and trace elements in beer have a favorable effect on nerves and muscle strength, electrolyte usage, enzyme activation and hormone levels. In addition, iron and copper help blood production, phosphorus supports metabolism and magnesium strengthens the heart muscle. Zinc is necessary for your pancreas' production of insulin and fluoride protects your teeth from cavities. Finally, Maganese also helps in the production of beer's Vitamin B, which is very valuable to the human body.
Beer helps you relax
A hectic lifestyle, stress or problems with your job or family often lead to nervousness and sleeping problems-your blood pressure rises. A glass of beer before going to bed is the "best medicine" against all of that: The hops in beer (with all four important B vitamins) have a calming effect on exhausted nerves and relax your muscles. The small amount of alcohol (4.5 to 5.5%) and the carbonation relax your body. The commentary of the Munich study concludes: "The life expectancy of people who drink beer in moderation is longer than of people who abstain."
The calorie count rises...
Beer is comparably a low-calorie drink. A twelve ounce glass of beer has about 160 calories; only mineral water, coffee and tea (without milk or sugar), skim and butter milk have fewer calories than beer. "Hard drinks", wine, champagne and liqueurs as well as fruit, lemonade and whole milk do not. Additionally, beer, because it has practically no sodium, promotes tissue drainage and sodium expulsion.
Beer gives you momentum
Beer is healthy-sport medicine specialists have also recognized that fact and have drawn uses from it. One example is the two Italian sport doctors Antonelli and Romano who came to the conclusion that a liter of beer a day increases performance, concentration and reaction and strengthens muscles. The American cardiologist Sheehan maintains that after long distance running, jogging, cross country skiing or marathons, beer ideally replaces bodily fluids and energy. The French doctor Gulpin discovered decades ago that beer increases lung capacity and speeds the lung's ability to process oxygen.
Beer in old Age
Doctors and geriatricians have recognized that beer - in addition to all of the previously mentioned health effects - works against the possible breakdown of the aging human body. Also noteworthy is beer's sociological aspects: Beer is cheerful, makes one sociable and makes it easier to make contact and win new friends. In an opinion poll of German general practitioners, 81% were convinced that one or two beers a day could "beautify" retirement.
Rich in Vitamins and Good for the Nerves
Beer is rich in important vitamins - most are delivered to you by the beer's yeast. Vitamins B1, B2, and B6 and H contained in beer are food for the nerves: They improve your ability to concentrate, support the production of red blood cells, have a positive effect on your blood circulation and stimulate your metabolism.
Minerals for the Metabolism
A scientific study undertaken at the Technical University of Munich concluded that the collection of minerals and trace elements in beer have a favorable effect on nerves and muscle strength, electrolyte usage, enzyme activation and hormone levels. In addition, iron and copper help blood production, phosphorus supports metabolism and magnesium strengthens the heart muscle. Zinc is necessary for your pancreas' production of insulin and fluoride protects your teeth from cavities. Finally, Maganese also helps in the production of beer's Vitamin B, which is very valuable to the human body.
Beer helps you relax
A hectic lifestyle, stress or problems with your job or family often lead to nervousness and sleeping problems-your blood pressure rises. A glass of beer before going to bed is the "best medicine" against all of that: The hops in beer (with all four important B vitamins) have a calming effect on exhausted nerves and relax your muscles. The small amount of alcohol (4.5 to 5.5%) and the carbonation relax your body. The commentary of the Munich study concludes: "The life expectancy of people who drink beer in moderation is longer than of people who abstain."
The calorie count rises...
Beer is comparably a low-calorie drink. A twelve ounce glass of beer has about 160 calories; only mineral water, coffee and tea (without milk or sugar), skim and butter milk have fewer calories than beer. "Hard drinks", wine, champagne and liqueurs as well as fruit, lemonade and whole milk do not. Additionally, beer, because it has practically no sodium, promotes tissue drainage and sodium expulsion.
Beer gives you momentum
Beer is healthy-sport medicine specialists have also recognized that fact and have drawn uses from it. One example is the two Italian sport doctors Antonelli and Romano who came to the conclusion that a liter of beer a day increases performance, concentration and reaction and strengthens muscles. The American cardiologist Sheehan maintains that after long distance running, jogging, cross country skiing or marathons, beer ideally replaces bodily fluids and energy. The French doctor Gulpin discovered decades ago that beer increases lung capacity and speeds the lung's ability to process oxygen.
Beer in old Age
Doctors and geriatricians have recognized that beer - in addition to all of the previously mentioned health effects - works against the possible breakdown of the aging human body. Also noteworthy is beer's sociological aspects: Beer is cheerful, makes one sociable and makes it easier to make contact and win new friends. In an opinion poll of German general practitioners, 81% were convinced that one or two beers a day could "beautify" retirement.
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