What is the difference between Cognac, Brandy, Bourbon, Scotch and Whiskey? All these taste and look pretty similar. What is the difference between them?

Bourbon and scotch are types of whiskey and cognac is a variety of brandy.

Bourbon is a type of whiskey, whereas not all whiskies are bourbons! The main difference between scotch and whisky is geographic: they are made in Scotland.

Bourbon is a type of whiskey, whereas not all whiskies are bourbons!

  Bourbon is a type of whiskey that gets its name from Bourbon County, Kentucky, where it originated. Bourbon tends to be amber-colored, and a little sweeter and heavier in texture than other whiskeys.

What is Scotch?

  The main difference between scotch and whisky is geographic, but also ingredients and spellings. Scotch is whisky made in Scotland, while bourbon is whiskey made in the U.S.A, generally Kentucky. Scotch is made mostly from malted barley, while bourbon is distilled from corn. If you’re in England and ask for a whisky, you’ll get Scotch. But in Ireland, you’ll get Irish whiskey (yep, they spell it differently for a little colour).

What are whiskeys?

  Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn (maize), rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.

  Whisky is a strictly regulated spirit worldwide with many classes and types. The typical unifying characteristics of the different classes and types are the fermentation of grains, distillation, and aging in wooden barrels. Whisky (Wikipedia)

Brandies are not whiskeys, but is a spirit produced by distilling wine.

  Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically drunk as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, others are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of aging, and some are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from southwestern France. Brandy (Wikipedia)

What is Cognac?

  Cognac is a variety of brandy named after the town of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.

  Cognac production falls under French Appellation d'origine contrôlée designation, with production methods and naming required to meet certain legal requirements. Among the specified grapes Ugni blanc, known locally as Saint-Emilion, is most widely used.2 The brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais. Cognac matures in the same way as whiskies and wine barrel age, and most cognacs spend considerably longer "on the wood" than the minimum legal requirement.

  The white wine used in making cognac is very dry, acidic and thin. Though it has been characterized as "virtually undrinkable",4 it is excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from a strict list of grape varieties. In order for it to be considered a true cru, the wine must be at least 90% Ugni blanc (known in Italy as Trebbiano), Folle blanche and Colombard, while up to 10% of the grapes used can be Folignan, Jurançon blanc, Meslier St-François (also called Blanc Ramé), Sélect, Montils or Sémillon.5 Cognacs which are not to carry the name of a cru are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90% Colombard, Folle blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François, Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect. Cognac (Wikipedia)

What is Armagnac brandy?

  Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of cognac. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels before release. Production is overseen by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA). - Armagnac (brandy)

One last note. There also exists a liquor that is generally known as fruit brandy and is quite popular in various regions around the world.

  Fruit brandy or fruit spirit1 is a distilled beverage produced from mash, juice, wine or residues of culinary fruits. The term covers a broad class of spirits produced across the world, and typically excludes beverages made from grapes, which are referred to as plain brandy (when made from distillation from wine) or pomace brandy (when made directly from grape pomace). Apples, pears, apricots, plums and cherries are the most commonly used fruits.

  According to a legal definition in the United States, a "fruit brandy" is distilled "solely from the fermented juice or mash of whole, sound, ripe fruit, or from standard grape, citrus, or other fruit wine, with or without the addition of not more than 20 percent by weight of the pomace of such juice or wine, or 30 percent by volume of the lees of such wine, or both."

  In the European Union, fruit brandies may not be labeled as "fruit brandy"; instead, the legal English denomination is fruit spirit, which is "produced exclusively by the alcoholic fermentation and distillation of fleshy fruit or must of such fruit, berries or vegetables, with or without stones".4 A great number of European fruit brandies have a protected designation of origin, and are labeled with their respective protected names instead of "fruit spirit" ("apricot spirit", etc.). Cider spirit and perry spirit (fruit brandy distilled from cider or perry) form a separate legal category. Some fruit spirits may be labeled with alternative names such as kirsch (cherry spirit) or slivovitz (plum spirit) regardless their country of origin.

  In British usage, "fruit brandy" may also refer to liqueurs obtained by maceration of whole fruits, juice or flavoring in a distilled beverage, and such liqueurs are legally labeled as "cherry brandy", "apricot brandy" etc. all across the European Union.1 Such beverages are used similar to cordials, and as an ingredient in cocktails and cakes. Fruit brandies obtained by distillation are often referred by the French term eau de vie.

  Fruit brandy usually contains 40% to 45% ABV (80 to 90 US proof). It is often colourless. Fruit brandy is customarily drunk chilled or over ice, but is occasionally mixed.


Is mulled wine just for Christmas? With the weather deteriorating and temperatures dropping my thoughts drifted to mulled wine.  Traditionally a Christmas treat, but is it 'fashionable or OK' to drink it even in the summer, or will my dinner guests be appalled?  Are there any Summer Mulled wine recipes, and if so do they use drastically different ingredients?

MULLED WINE BASIC RECIPE:
1 (750 ml) bottle of dry red wine.
1 orange, sliced into rounds.
8 whole cloves.
2 cinnamon sticks.
2 star anise.
2-4 tablespoons sugar
optional add-in: 1/4 cup brandy (or your favorite liqueur)

Is mulled wine just for Christmas?

The short answer is no.

Drinking mulled wine anytime of the year is more than okay. It can create an excellent atmosphere if done tastefully. I have served it myself on Easter Day to guests at my place and all enjoyed the spiced wine. Okay it was a little cold outside still, but that is besides the point. I live in Canada.

In Brazil, they drink Quentão, a type of mulled wine especially during summer festivals.

  In Brazil, we have some festivities on July, and in this period it's common to drink warm and hot wine, pure, or with some fruits and spices. It's called "quentão" and is usually made with cubes of apple and cinnamon. Res

Some recipes use cachaça (sugar cane brandy) in lieu of wine and is served very hot.

  "Quentão " is a traditional "Festas Juninas" (winter party) grog cocktail, especially in the South Region, the coldest area of Brazil. Its irresistible scents combine sweet and spicy notes and it is traditionally served hot in small earthenware, ceramic or thick glass cups, which retain heat well.
  It is a very popular cocktail recipe in the rural areas, and probably made its first appearance in the hinterland of São Paulo and Minas Gerais states. In absence of formal information, one would assume that this recipe is a variation of European mulled wine and grog recipes, made with "cachaça", the Brazilian national sugar cane spirits. In the 18th and 19th Centuries the consumption of "cachaça" has become synonymous of "Brazilianness" against Portuguese domination. After the "Modern Art Week " of 1922 it becomes a symbol of Brazilian cultural autonomy.

  The word "quentão" is derived from "quente" which means hot, plus the augmentative suffix -"ão" (literally very hot). At the beginning of the 20th Century it came to designate the "drink made by boiling sugar cane spirits with sugar, ginger and cinnamon. -  Quentão

Further reading can be found below:

‘Quentão’: Spicy Brazilian Mulled Wine

Quentão

One last note!

  Bonfire is taking Southern Alberta by storm, and it is warming hearts and melting colds.  It is a traditional European winter wine but also warms you up on cool summer nights. Bonfire is pre-mulled, so the only thing you need to do is warm the wine in either a pot or microwave. It is crafted from black currants, saskatoons, cinnamon and cloves.  The berry notes make it a great base for a perfectly balanced mulled wine and provide a much smoother finish than the traditional mulled wine made with grape wine due to the absence of tannins. Drinking it will make you feel like Christmas, no matter which time of the year.  It will warm you to the bone after a day of skiing, hockey, tobogganing, ice fishing, or around the bonfire on cool summer nights.  The perfect wine for Alberta winter and summer camping enjoyments.

  Bonfire pairs great with Alberta weather winter weather and summer nights.


How do you mull beer? It's pretty cold at the moment. Mulled wine being more of a Christmas drink, mulled beer is getting popular. What beers, and what spices should I use to make it?

This answer was originally an answer to Optimal mulling temperature?, but adapting it to this question seemed better, as the former asked a more specific question I couldn't address.

  Most well known of all the mulled beers was Wassail. Recipes for this holiday favorite vary, but all were based upon the same basic formula. Sugar was placed in the bottom of a bowl, one pint of warm beer was then poured in along with nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon.

Smith, G. "Mulled beer." [URL]

One mulls beer by simmering beer in a pan, nearly always with the following ingredients:

ginger
nutmeg
cinnamon
cloves
honey, agave nectar, or sugar

but also sometimes adding

egg yolk
cardamon
star anise
coriander
black pepper
allspice berries

and occasionally garnishing the drink with orange rinds. The mixture should be brought to a simmer but not a boil, and heated for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the recipe.

Some even refer to warmed beer as "mulled" beer, i.e. beer heated it in its bottle in a pot (or slowcooker) filled with water. For this case, there is not a consensus on the heating temperature, as it appears to vary according to the beer:

  Mulled beer needs to be heated slowly. A slow-cooker half-filled with water works well. Just open the bottle and stand it in the uncovered appliance. I also have used a large pot on the stove, with the burner on low. Don't let the water to get anywhere close to boiling -- 130 to 140 degrees is ideal. It's also important to keep the water level constant, so replace the water as it evaporates.

Brooks, J. R. "Brooks on Beer: Hot, Mulled Beer?" 2011. [URL]

  Before serving, you warm the opened bottle [of Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes' La Dragonne] in a pot of hot water to raise the ale's temperature to about 110 degrees.

Russell, D. "Cold day, cold beer? Give warm beer a try." 2010. [URL]

  [Unibroue "Quelque Chose"] should be served like a mulled wine at 122 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Unibroue Quelque Chose Beer." [URL]


What glasses are meant for which beers and why? I know there are already one or two questions that touch on specific beers. However, I would like more of a comprehensive list. I would also like to understand why those types of glasses are chosen. Is it for head retention? Breathability? Appearances?

Function

Beer glassware serves a few primary purposes:

it is part of the branding of the beer (for beers with their own glass)
it presents the beer (beauty is in the eye of the beer holder) showcasing the beer's color, clarity and/or carbonation.
it influences how quickly volatiles (aromatics) are released
it influences how much beer can be consumed per sip (e.g. compare champagne flute vs. beer mug)
it can promote head retention (through the shape, plus small etchings in the base of the glass)

Some examples

A Pilsner glass is a long tall V-shaped glass. It emphasizes the
color, clarity and effervescence of the Pilsner. It's similar in
principle to the fluted champagne glass, but having larger rim,
affords larger sips.
The traditional mug is a robust glass, primarly aimed at "chinking"
glasses together and allowing large swallows of beer.
The challace/goblet can be beautiful pieces of work, designed to
showcase the beer, and also promote and maintain a large head.
The tulip glass captures volatiles (in the narrow part of the glass)
while the large opening at the top supports a large head.
The Sniffer, typically used for cognac/brandy, but also for very
strong ales, has a large base that curves up to a small opening to
capture the aromatics, and to allow for swirling to encourage more
aromatics to be released.
The Stange, a long tall glass, amplifies the malt and hop
characteristics by concentrating them in a smaller area, while also
providing a simple elegant presentation of the beer. Often used with
delicate beers.
The Weizen glass is similar to the pilsner glass, but larger
(typically 0.5l minimum) with plenty of room for the large head
typical of a wheat beer.

For more details and images, see Glassware for Beer.


How can one pasteurize beer at home? Pasteurizing is a common task at industrial brewers. But in a home brewing context following questions arises:

Is it feasible to pasteurize in the kitchen?
Which equipment is necessary to do it?
What are the best-practices of such process?
Is there a risk of degrading the overall taste of the beer?

To do this, you should have a thermometer that you can throw into the water to measure the temperature, a pot for boiling water, and some bottles of beer.

Boil the water.
When the water reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit, turn off the water.
Carefully put the bottles into the pit.
Put the lid on the pot and wait about ten minutes.
Carefully remove the bottles with a kitchen tong (or a mitten).
Put them on the counter to cool until they reach room temperature.
Refrigerate them.

Remember that the bottles are pressurized, so don't bang them while putting them in the pot, don't apply heat to the pot while the bottles are in there, etc.


Is there evidence that drinking beer on airplane have more "kick"? I remember when my brother said that drinking beer on a plane have more "kick" than when in land, so we tried it. It was my first time being on a plane, so I don't know if that's the reason, but I felt the "kick" sooner, and it gave me a worse headache than usual, and that's just one can.

Is this common? Does drinking in a plane make you more intoxicated?

The 'kick' you are describing is being caused by a mild altitude sickness. As you can read in these medical guidelines for airline passengers the cabin pressure is contrary to popular belief, not pressurized to sea level pressure:

  On most flights the cabin altitude will be between 6,000 and 8,000 ft.
  (1,828m and 2,438m) even though the aircraft is flying at much higher
  altitudes. In other words, on most flights, it is as if you are on top
  of a hill or small mountain. This imposes two stresses on the body:
  less oxygen; and, expansion of gases in the body cavities.

The reason for feeling drunk more quickly is due to the lack of oxygen presented by the lack of pressure. Lack of oxygen, according to this source, gives rise to the following symptoms and comes to the same conclusion:

  There are various symptoms, including dizziness, lightheadedness,
  fatigue, drowsiness, weakness, nausea, unsteady gait, and a headache.
  Sounds familiar, right? Yeah, the symptoms of altitude sickness are a
  lot like the effects of alcohol intoxication.

Another interesting read can be found here.


What makes IPAS stronger than "regular" beers I've only tried IPAS once, but when I can regularly drink 6 beers without feeling any type of alcohol in my system, it only took one and a half pints for me to feel the alcohol kicking in when drinking the IPA. I just know what it stands for but I have 0 knowledge about them, are they beers? how are they much stronger than regular beers?

Answer to the easiest part of the question: Yes, IPAs (India Pale Ales) are beers.

Unfortunately, there isn't a clear and concise answer to the rest of you question.

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that by "regular beer", you mean Budweiser. Budweiser sits at 5% ABV. IPAs are often in the 5-7% ABV range, so let's call an "average" IPA 6%. You will feel the alcohol substantially more quickly in the 6% IPA than in the 5% Budweiser.

Lifehacker has a nice article that explains this phenomenon well, but it boils down to the rate at which your body can process alcohol. Suppose that 1% ABV corresponded to 1 "alcohol unit." If, for example, your body could process 4.5 alcohol units/hour, after 6 pints of a 5% ABV beer (1/hr), you'd have 3 alcohol units left in your body [(5.0-4.5)*6]. However, you'd reach the same mark after only 2 beers (1/hr) of a 6% ABV beer [(6-4.5)*2].

TL;DR Version: It probably has to do with the beer's ABV you were drinking.

Side note: There is a lot of variability in strength within any given style. If you like IPAs, you should check out Session IPAs - They are IPAs designed to be lower in ABV than the average IPA, so you can drink more of them in a drinking "session." For a list of the top Session IPAs and more information on the style, check out Ratebeer's Session IPA page.


Indian Army supply of Alcoholic beverages? Indian Army cantonments are supplied all kinds of alcoholic beverages. These supplies are only for army men. Do the drinks strengthen their guts?
My question is: Are the manufacturing special and tastes separate from products sold in the market. Is the reason subsidy or because the drink is strong. Are the supplying companies special for armies?

Indian Army supply of Alcoholic beverages?
Are the supplying companies special for armies?
Regardless of which national forces (army) one is in, the main reason for suppling some for of booze is to boost troop moral.
Generally supplies will be obtained by local sources as best possibly done. There are no supplying companies special for armies? Local conditions and local economies will influence the army’s decision on what type of boozes to buy for the troops.
The Romans had wine rations for their troops. That became rations of beer in northern countries.
Wine was give to the French troops in World War I.

It was Arnold Zweig, German anti-fascist writer and WW1 volunteer, who said that it was possible for a man to fight a war “without women, without ammunition, even without strongpoints, but not without tobacco and not at all without alcohol.”
Forces on both sides of the war appreciated this fact: for the maintenance of troop moral, alcohol had an important part to play.
And beyond the tenches, the social and cultural impact of the war would sound the beginning of the 20th Century, and with that, the cocktail boom that would help to define the inter-war years in Europe.
So, from the trenches of three of the major protagonists and two cocktail innovations that are enjoyed to this day, we have assembled the top five drinks associated with the Great War.
When France went to war in 1914, troops were only issued water, but the army quickly began issuing a daily wine ration as early as September 1914.
This consisted of Pinard (a word whose english equivalent would be “plonk”), which was a low-quality red wine. Generally, soliders were issued with ½ liter of Pinard per day, but this could fluctuate depending on the logistical situation.
Soldiers were sometimes issued beer, cider, or brandy in lieu of Pinard, but it remained the most common alcoholic drink consumed at the front.
On special occasions, other drinks like spiced wine or sparkling wine would be issued. Pinard was sometimes mixed with brandy; some reports mention it even being mixed with ether.
Better quality wine, Cognac, and other brandies were also widely available behind the lines, particularly in cafés and brothels catering to soldiers. - Top Five World War One Drinks

Supply and demand for alcohol for troops will vary according to region and economic situations involved, this includes the Indian Army.

Why is liquor drinking encouraged in the Indian Armed Forces?

As others have pointed out only tax is not charged and limited supply is given.

Rationed liquor ie in small doses is good for health.

Liquor helps in relaxation and also frees mind from stress of daily hard routine.

Liquor high reduces self-censorship so that many times it allows the person to loosen up his feelings clamped up inside. This is like a release valve of pent-up stress. Within limits such regular dispersal of stress is a good thing. Though out of limits it can lead to creating situations which will actually lead to more stress. Given the strict discipline and obedience required in army it might help unwinding from stressful situations.

Why alcohol helps with stress : As per Ayurveda wine and alcohol are classified extra sweet (not in taste but in after-effect on mind and body). They bring sweet taste to life. Many times people get addicted to this sweet effect of alcohol. For example in Ayurveda alcohol addicts are advised to slowly reduce and replace alcohol with sweet smell, sweet taste, sweet music, sweet warmth, sweet emotions of love, comfort, safety and caring etc. This helps reduce the withdrawal symptoms and slowly wean away the dependence on alcohol.

It’s not very surprising that people who lead a hard and stressful life away from comforts of family and civilian life need a bit of sweetness in their life as well. It comes in a bottle and can be had in limited quantities on demand.

Not all postings are on border or troubled areas. Also not all army men are involved in military field operations as some may be in administration or teaching or other duties. Still the traditions of British times may have continued irrespective of type of work.

The Indian Army will acquire their provisions of alcohol, like all other armies, locally if possible and at the best price possible.
War is hell, and soldiers need a little lift from the misery of their life style. It is more a question of maintaining good troop moral!
The Russians love their vodka, the French their wine and the Indian troops love their rum.


Where can I found out which beer cans are "collectable"? I have started to collect beer cans over the past year or so, some are older and some are new.  I am curious to see where I can find more information on what specific old or new beer cans (by brand, etc) are considered valuable and/or collector items?

Breweriana has a database of collectable beer paraphernalia with prices.  Tick the "include All (In-Stock & Sold)" button for their complete range.  They're trying to sell to you, of course, so their prices are probably a bit higher than you'd getting selling the same thing, but it's useful if you have an item you want to get valued.

Ebay, on the other hand, is more limited but more practical.  It's a good first stop for selling any collectable, since you can see what people have actually gotten for items.  That'll be the most accurate price estimate, although you're not likely to find really rare stuff on there because of the small audience.

Also, there are a number of books on the subject, of which breweriana helpfully lists a few.

Finally, the BCCA is the largest organization around beer can collecting, and have a lot of resource son the subject.  You can use their site to find a local chapter and ask someone about your specific collection in person.

To expand on this a little, here is a really quick guide:

If it's from the mid 70s or so on, it's probably not that valuable.  Exceptions sometimes include aluminum cans, cans with punch tops, and cans with cone tops.
If it's in poor condition, it's probably not worth much unless it's quite rare.  Unless it's better than "grade 2" (defined as "Has a clean label, but there may be rust or other blemishes near the seam, the lid, or the bottom. Colors may be irregular"), it's probably not valuable.
American OIs (opening instructions, named after the instructions that came with them on how to open them) can be worth $35 to $1000.  Most others before the 70s will have a chance of being between $10 and $500, depending on their rarity.


Why does canned Guinness DRAUGHT have a plastic sphere? Into a canned DRAUGHT Guinness I found a plastic white sphere. What is its purpose?

It's called a floating widget and is used (together with nitrogen instead of carbondioxide) to give the beer it's typical, creamy head when poured from the can. The method was invented by the Guinness Brewery in the 1960ies.
Cite from Wikipedia:

Some canned beers are pressurized by adding liquid nitrogen, which vaporises and expands in volume after the can is sealed, forcing gas and beer into the widget's hollow interior through a tiny hole - the less beer the better for subsequent head quality.
[...]
When the can is opened, the pressure in the can quickly drops, causing the pressurised gas and beer inside the widget to jet out from the hole. This agitation on the surrounding beer causes a chain reaction of bubble formation throughout the beer. The result, when the can is then poured out, is a surging mixture in the glass of very small gas bubbles and liquid.


What is the average percentage of commission of a commission only wine representative? Just checking other views on what commission wine representatives make off sales.

So, when I owned my winery (after 15 years I had to shut it down) I went through distributors and agents. Distributors typically buy the wine from me at a 50% discount from the retail price and then mark it up to the 30% discount mark and sell it to retail/restaurant at that price, where the retailer marks it up to to whatever they want.

So, let say I have a $10 bottle of wine. I sell it to a distributor for $5. They mark it up to $7 and sell it to retail. Retailers usually will sell it for around 100% of the price you suggest. Restaurants sell at usually 200% of retail.

So, on a $10 bottle of wine the distributor is making $3 a bottle. That's what we have to work with. Of that $3 there are overhead costs, profits and % goes to the salesman. I once worked with a commission only wine sales guy and he was making 10% on a case of wine. So in our theoretical exercise he makes $1 a bottle or $12 a case. I think 10-12% is typical for commission only sales.

Being a wine salesman is a tough business and it takes a lot of relationship building and cold calls and super thin margins. Good Luck!


Extracting oils and flavours before fermentation Distillation of ethereal oils is made with different pressures and temperatures than distillation of alcohol. So when distilling spirits out of mash directly most of the tastes get lost. I wonder if it could be an idea to distil the natural oils and flavours of fruits (ingredients) before fermentation and add those components later to the product to conserve a stronger taste of the ingredients used.

Has somebody tried that out?

Actually, yes. Though usually not with essential oils. In most cases, as an infusion.

For low-alcohol beverages: punch, some dry-hopped beers, vermouth

For spirits: liqueur, gin, rumtopf, Chinese paojiu

Compound gin is an example where essential oils might be used.


How to order a beer without garnish, simply? Is there a simple word for ordering a beer sans garnish?  Say for instance I want a Hoegaarden...  It's a great beer in it's own right, and I don't want it to come decorated with a slice of orange that I have to take responsibility for disposing of.  How can I order the beer without it, quickly and easily?  I've tried "no decoration," but that sounds pretentious.  For a scotch, I would say "neat."  Is there a way to do that for beer?

For me, I usually just ask for "no fruit" or "no orange/lime/garnish" and it has always seemed to work. Sometimes I will say "straight up" though I do still get the garnish on occasion I've come to find. I am not sure if this was because the bartender was busy and forgot or if there was some other reason, but I just tend to not say this as much anymore. I've never felt pretentious when I ask, I feel like I am just asking for a beer as is because I just happen to not want the garnish in it. Just be polite about ordering it and I am sure you won't come across as pretentious.


What are the drawback of not using "brewer's yeast" when brewing beer? When walking through a brewery supply store, you will see a variety of yeasts.

Likewise, you can find a variety of yeasts when walking through a grocery store.

What "happens" if you use the 'wrong kind' of yeast when brewing? How much of a beer's flavor / texture / body / etc is derived from the yeast vs all other ingredients?

Short answer; you get a lot of the flavour from the yeast, you can get a fairly big difference by varying the yeast in your recipe.

For example, a Saison and a Pale ale have similar ingredients, but taste quite different, a Saison yeast imparts a considerable amount of flavour... likewise if you use a lager yeast, and properly lager your beer, you can get a different flavour again, without modifying any other part of your recipe.

Lots of discussion on HomeBrewTalk forums, and other places. For a fun experiment, brew split batches and try two different yeasts to compare!


Sour Beers for the beginner What sour beers would be a good starting point for someone that enjoys pale ales and too strong of a flavor profile may turn them off at first?

I'd start an introduction to sour, or wild ales  with the more approachable Lambics, like Lindemans Framboise Lambic.  With a beer like that, the sour notes from the wild yeast are offset by the sweetness of the fruit and the pleasant texture from the fizz of the carbonation, making it an approachable drink not only for one not used to sour ales, but for one not used to beer at all.

Another option (for a North American) might be a beer categorized as an American Wild Ale, such as Russian River's Consecration, or Sierra Nevada Brux which will have the sour character but also be conscientious of the flavors favorable to the American palate.


Why do people brew their own beer? I am living in Germany and know at least 2 people that do it. But why would you take the risk if you could just buy very good beer at your local stores?

Hobby

Some people do it as a pleasurable hobby.  You might also ask why someone would build furniture if they could buy it, or why they play a musical instrument if they can just listen to the radio.

Personal Taste

You may like a particular style of beer that isn't popular.  And, especially in Germany, you may want to make a style of beer that you can't buy in the store - one that has other flavor ingredients, so it doesn't comply with the beer purity laws.


Whiskey - Irish vs. Scottish I know that, in general, Scottish whiskey is peaty because of the way they dry the malt with peat smoke while Irish whisky is not because they use unpeated malt.  Is the difference legally established in these two countries or is it convention?  Can an Irish distillery make Scottish whiskey and vice versa?

Legally, a Scotch Whisky is a distilled spirit made in Scotland from cereals, water and yeast and has been matured for a period of not less than three years (The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009).

An Irish Whiskey is distilled in Ireland and aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

Thus an Irish distillery can not produce a Scottish whisky!

However our question does not end here because the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 define five categories of Scotch Whisky:

  •Single Malt Scotch Whisky: A Scotch Whisky distilled at a single distillery using only malted barley.

  •Single Grain Scotch Whisky: A Scotch Whisky distilled at a single distillery.

  •Blended Scotch Whisky: A blend of one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain Scotch Whiskies.

  •Blended Malt Scotch Whisky: A blend of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies which have been distilled at more than one distillery.

  •Blended Grain Scotch Whisky: A blend of Single Grain Scotch Whiskies which have been distilled at more than one distillery.

But some Scotch Whiskies have a smoky flavor which originates from the peat fire over which the green malt is dried, prior to grinding and mashing.

Hold on for one moment, "in Ireland, whiskeys distilled at Cooley are only distilled twice, and they make smoky whiskeys there too (Connemara)."

Thus the question as what the differences are between an Irish Whiskey and a Scotch whisky, other than how one spells whiskey remains a question of geography!


Where to buy Absinthe I have heard a lot about this legendary beverage and I know it was forbidden in the market for a while because of some rumors, anyway, I want to give it a try but I have never seen it in any store.
It is still available on the market?

In Canada you are able to purchase absinthe in most liquor stores including government run liquor stores.

Here in British Columbia, I have never seen a liquor outlet without absinthe for sale. They are usually imported from various countries such as the Czech Republic and France.

Canada also produces some of its’ own absinthe as is seen here.

  Liquor laws in Canada differ in the provinces, with no blanket national regulations. As of this writing, there is no law that bans or outlaws absinthe in Canada, but like in the United States, there are laws governing the amount of the psychoactive chemical thujone, which is present in absinthe.

  British Columbia has no regulation for thujone content, essentially legalizing absinthe in any form there. The provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia allow the sale of absinthe with a thujone content of about 10 milligrams per kilogram. The remaining Canadian provinces do not allow the sale of absinthe containing thujone.

  As the laws governing thujone content in Canada vary by province, the laws are subject to change. - Absinthe Laws


What dishes pair well with black wine? What food stuffs pair well with black wine?

Black wine in reality is a very, very dark red wine and I would like to know what pairs well with this wine as well as if there are specials occasions that pair well with this wine if any.

  Wait, what the heck is black wine? Despite its nickname, it’s a red wine made from Saperavi grapes—but its color is such a rich, dark purple, that it looks black. Saperavi is Georgia’s most popular red wine, and the grapes are now being grown throughout the world, including the Finger Lakes region of the U.S., Australia and Eastern Europe. - Psst: Black Wine Is the New Trend You Need to Know

Saperavi is a Teinturier type grape, which usually means red skins and red flesh. I have grown two of these types of grapes. Dunkelfelder and Agria and they both are used to make deep red wines that are almost undrinkable. They are usually used in very small quantities to boost the color of lighter colored grapes like Pinot Noir. On their own you need to take special care in the winery to have a light hand in the wine making area otherwise you end up with a tannic monster that you can't drink. You can pretty easily buy a similar grape in the USA called Alicante Bouchet which has been grown in California for over 100 years. You can usually buy them at a decent wine shop. I have had Saperavi wines and they tend to be huge tannic monsters unless tamed in the winery.

Pair with food as you would Cabernet or Nebbiolo, red meats, bold cheeses, heavy sauces, etc.


How hard is it to find a Three Floyds Dark Lord? I'm not looking for any specific vintage or special variant. Just the standard Dark Lord RIS.

I'm also well aware of the fact that Three Floyds has limited distribution in the Midwest, and I'm for sure not going to find it on the West Coast.

However, I sometimes travel back to Ohio, where they do distribute. What are my chances of walking into a decent bottle shop back there and finding one of these? Do i have a good shot, or is this a very seasonal brew?

As far as I know it is only sold on dark Lord day at the brewery and you need to buy tickets.  I've only had it once from someone who went.

Three Floyds Brewing cuts off packaged sales on Dark Lord Day


Beers that are popular but hyper-localized I grew up near Baltimore, Maryland (USA), and spent a few years living in the city. One very popular beer in Baltimore is National Bohemian ("Natty Boh" in local parlance). You can see the beer's one-eyed mascot, Mr. Boh, all over the city. Apparently more than half a million cases of Natty Boh are sold in the city of Baltimore each year, which seems pretty high for a city with population 620,000.

One thing that I've found very odd is that outside of the small state of Maryland, you really can't find the beer at all, and 90% of the beer's sales are within the city of Baltimore. Thus, while the beer is reasonably popular, the interest is hyper-localized to a single city.

Are there other examples of beers that have high sales volume but are hyper-localized, or are Baltimore and Natty Boh unique in this respect? Is there some sort of economic or marketing phenomenon behind hyper-localized popularity of a high-volume beer?

The kings beer sold in the goan state of India. Super popular, but only available within the state. Granted, it's a state vs a city but its a really small state.


How safe are eggs in cocktails like fizzes? Many cocktails such as fizzes call for an egg white (or an egg yolk in some cases).

Given that I'm not sure I would eat a raw egg, how safe is it to put one in my drink? Are there any alternatives I can use instead of egg white?

According to a USDA report, a study done in 2000 showed that of the estimated 47 billion eggs consumed in the U.S. annually, 2.3 million of them were estimated to be contaminated by salmonella, leading to approximately 240,000 illnesses.  So, if my math is correct, for any given egg, you have something like a 1 in 100,000 chance of getting one that has salmonella, and the chance of getting ill is somewhat less that that...Somewhere between 1 in 100,000 and 1 in a million.

So, relatively low risk, I'd say, assuming that the global numbers are at least on the same order of magnitude as what we see in the U.S.

That said, there is a way to reduce the risk even further...Nearly to zero.  That is to use pasteurized eggs.  Most shell eggs sold in the U.S. are unpasteurized, but you can find pasteurized shell eggs, and the pasteurization process does quite a good job of killing salmonella, and so these eggs are highly recommended in any concoction that requires raw, or undercooked eggs.


Do "premium" liquors contain more sugar? People tend to prefer the taste of "premium" liquors. How much of the taste difference is simply due to them having more sugar? Have there been studies on this?
(I've learned recently that some chemical compounds found in some alcoholic drinks can break down into sugar molecules right in your mouth, due to the enzymes found there. For the purposes of this discussion, we should probably count them as "sugar" also)

I have been in the luxury spirits business for a couple of decades.  I can tell you that in the case of brown spirits, whiskey (including subsets like bourbon) and cognac (or in most cases anything aged in high quality wood) the best producers never add sugar.  In almost all cases, the legal standards forbid it.  The fine taste and smoothness has to do somewhat with quality of raw grain material, and very much with distilling methods (and therefore much higher expense) and the aging wood itself.  The best brown spirits producers highly distill their raw spirit (clear without color off the distilling process) that removes a very high amount of fusil oils.  Fusil oils are a bad bunch of chemicals that even include benzine.  These quality producers have a lower yield of liquid that others include in their spirits. This makes the raw alcohol coming off the stills more expensive.  Getting a distillate like this is called a "narrow cut" - retaining only the purist of the distillates.  Won't go into it here.  The second most important thing is the quality of the wood in which they age the liquid.  One company I am intimately familiar with pays 900 Euros for their barrels while most pay 90 USD.  Now 90 USD wood is excellent but only if you are experts in wood buying and many pay in between 90 and 900.  This is why great liquids taste smooth, are complex and leave no hangover (no fusil oils that are the hangover culprit).
Finally, some inferior Russian vodkas add a very small amount of sugar to make them "smoother"  Its not legal but they do.  And they are expensive some of them.  But high quality producers of pure clear alcohol from which is made gin, vodka and is the base for other drinks are also very high quality and exclude as most all fusil oils.  They cost more, and it's worth it for your heath - most have no sugar added.
Finally, remember that a high amount of sugar combined with alcohol (think cocktails) can produce hellatious hangovers because high sugar with low quality alcohol makes for a bad Saturday morning.
Hope this helps the discussion.


Why is there no mention on labels especially IPAS of alcohol content? I don't understand how beer can be sold in a supermarket, yet not be required to have the alcohol content listed on the bottle. This can lead
to serious consequences, if the person drinking does not realize the amount. Triple IPAs up to 13%...Not good.

There is no requirement from the TTB at the federal level to include ABV% on beer labels. Individual states can mandate that. Washington state, where I live, mandates that any beer over 6% needs to put it on the label. So, what you end up having is a hodgepodge of different beer labels. Nationally distributed beers usually put it on the label since they don't want to have different labels for each state. Locally made beers in your state may not require it, so that's why you aren't seeing it.


How fast do I need to finish a Hefe Weissbier Keg? If I remember correctly, the website of Erdinger states their 'Dunkle Hefe' needs to be finished within just 3 days after opening. I know it isn't pasteurized but I wonder, can we stretch that a little? 3 days for a keg is kind of short....
Why is that anyways? Is it because the yeast settles?

Where did you read this? I am unfamiliar with Dunkle Hefe exactly, but this is true for wooden casks.
Typically a wooden cask is served with gravity or with a hand pump to lift from a cellar. There is an opening in the top that draws air in to equalise the pressure. This air will reduce the shelf life to 3 days.
A "Donkey Pump" on the common sankey keg is similar. The beer will spoil quite fast.


Vintage port stored on the side Many sites state that bottles of vintage port should be stored on their side, like wine, in order to prevent the cork from drying out. However, at the bottle shop, bottles are standing upright on the shelves to display themselves more attractively.

We don't know how long the bottle has been standing upright, and it could have dried out the cork, and then do bad things to the port once layed on its side again. Once a bottle comes out of the cellars and is put upright on a shelf for let's say a couple of months or a year, is it advisable to lay the bottle down in storage again?

It is generally preferred to store wine on it's side, but I think the climate the wine is stored is even more important. Generally, a wine like a vintage port, will spend only a short part of it's lifetime on a shelf in a store. I really doubt that even a year or two will dry out the cork unless the humidity levels are very low. One way to check if the ullage level is low. Ideally, any wine that you want to age should be kept on it's side, in a dark, cool location. Moving the wine upright and back once a years is not ideal. Will it hurt the Port? I really doubt it. Port is pretty sturdy stuff since it's fortified. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The age is also a factor. If it's 10 years old, that's nothing for a port. If it's 50 years old, then I start to worry about it...


What can I do to prevent beer staling in a keg being pushed by air? On a private party or picnic when we use hand pump to push beer out of a keg the beer can relatively quickly get stale. What can be done to keep the beer in a good quality for as long as possible?

I can imagine that a low temperature and not moving the keg can help. What about air pressure? Is it better to keep it low or higher? I guess that low pressure is better because lower amount of air should dissolve in the beer in such a case. What other factors could influence the beer durability in such a situation?

Avoiding agitating the beer and reducing the temperature are the two key ways to slow down the rate of staling, but really once there's air in the beer it's just a matter of time before it goes bad.

Have you considered using a small CO2 charger like this -

This uses small CO2 cartridges to push the beer. The advantage being that the keg won't stale quickly since very little air is introduced.


Beer Rating Acronyms and their Origins We often see the following acronym on beeradvocate or ratebeer

ATMOS: Appearance, Smell, Taste, Mouthfeel, Overall

LSTFO: Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, Overall

Where do these acronyms come from? What is the original source of these acronyms?

It's sort of tough to chase down the origins of this stuff.  It likely grew out of wine competition judging, which itself may have been based on the internal QA process of breweries and wineries.  But that's conjecture, I can't find anything concrete.

The best information I've got is that the websites like BA and RateBeer use the criteria set down by the American Homebrewers' Association and the Beer Judge Certification Program (AHA/BJCP).  The BJCP was formed in 1985, but their style descriptions were likely based on Michael Jackson's famous book: The World Guide To Beer, published in 1977.  But realistically it just sort of makes sense...describe how it looks, how it smells, how it tastes, how fizzy/thick/thin it feels, and then any ephemeral qualities it has to give an impression of the beer.  Pretty much covers all the bases.


Where can I find a Coriolis IPA in the UK? We tried the amazing Coriolis IPA by New England Brewery during a trip to the USA. However, upon our return to the UK, we have been unable to find it anywhere.

Long shot, but has anyone ever seen/found this beer in the UK?

Thank you for the help!

From their website, it looks like they only distribute around Connecticut.  If you are really interested in pursuing it, acheong87's recommendation of finding someone to trade with may be your best bet.


Is overcarbonated IPA an IPA or a different style? I usually brew my own beer. I prefer IPA (American) to all other styles. I like more carbonated beers (with CO2 volume >4, refer to the chart -http://www.drinktanks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/CARBONATION_CHART_DRINKTANKS.png). Would an overcarbonated hoppy (IBU >70) ale qualify as an IPA or would that be a completely different style?

Thank you.

I would argue that an overcarbonated IPA is still an IPA. IPAs are characterized by the intense hoppy aroma, a malt backbone, and color. The carbonation level isn't referred to in style guides, generally.

Beer Advocate's IPA Style Guide
Ratebeer's IPA Style Guide

What I believe you're doing is creating a slightly more sour IPA. With more dissolved CO2 in the beer, you're creating slight amounts of carbonic acid, and acids make things a bit more sour. Seems like a pretty cool variant of an IPA, actually.


How do I build a beer room/cellar? I've got an extra room in my house that I was thinking of turning into a "beer cellar", or as much of a cellar as an above ground room can be. I don't have a problem with the actual construction, but especially since I'm in Phoenix, Arizona, I was trying to figure out how to insulate and cool the room for optimum storage.

Also, should I build the shelves to store both 6 packs still in the original cardboard casings along with individual bottles, or should I plan to remove all bottles from packaging? Separate temperature control? Lighting considerations?

One final consideration, should I keep all bottles of similar size on separate shelves, or should I have more open shelves for more air flow around bottles?

You'll probably do best keeping the room layout simple and as easily organized as possible.  The main thing for the beer is to keep the temperature steady and relatively low (around 50F) and keep light out.  Even with brown bottles there's still some UV penetration, which you want none of.  So keep it dark when you're not in there and try to avoid florescent lighting when you're there.  Keeping it organized also helps you minimize your time in there, which keeps light and temperature steady.

I wouldn't worry too much about the air flow as long as it's not completely stagnant and all the areas of the room are getting some air of the right temperature.  Liquid and glass hold temperature a lot better than air on their own so they won't have significant fluctuation once you get them where you want them.  I think most collections prefer shallow shelves for this reason.


West coast beer recommendations, please! I'm an east coast guy who loves east coast and mid-west beer. I'm about to head out on a west coast tour with a show band and am looking for "must have" west coast beers. We will be all over CA, OR and WA. I'm aware of the ones that are must tries like Russian River, Deschutes, etc. I'm wondering if there are some hidden gems out there of some beer stores/breweries that can't be missed. West coast beer aficionados, brag away!

Seattle: Black Raven, Elysian, Georgetown, and Naked City
Spokane: Iron Goat and River City
Bellingham: Boundry Bay, Chuckanut, and Kulshan

In Oregon, Hop Valley, Deschutes, Boneyard and Laurelwood would be on my list.

If driving around Washington you will probably be going by Roslyn so stop by Wild Earth and check out the Brick Tavern.


How can I add post-flavoring to beer? I'm having a party and I want to add flavors to my already-brewed beer. How can I do that and have it mix?

Any time you mix things into beer you'll lose some carbonation. Any powder would nucleate bubbles very quickly, so the flavoring should be in liquid form. The liquid should be as similar to beer possible: cold, equally carbonated, and not too much alcohol if it can be avoided. Stir gently in a cold glass and serve right away.

Or, if you are brewing the beer yourself just add it at kegging or bottling time.


Yeast beer and the gastric problems Does drinking yeast beer (known in Germany als Hefe-Weissbier) have any potential influence on gastric problems?

Yeast can become active in intestines, starting there fermentation processes and causing bloating. When such symptoms occur, is that the effect of yeast activity, or it's rather some kind of food intolerance?

Here's a good link regarding yeast, now this article is talking about candida but can likely apply to other strains of yeast

http://www.needs.com/product/NDNL-0704-01/a_Probiotics

In a nut shell, a definite answer is not always easy to come by in medicine since many factors can give different results. Anything from the make up of your intestinal flora, your diet, to medications you take can have different affects that may be causing bloating or excessive flatulance. To answer your question, yes it could be the yeast activity but also it may be an intolerance to the yeast itself, also the bacteria in your intestines may not like the "new" yeast introduced and may produce additional toxins. Or  a combination of all this plus more.


What is the definition of Beer or the Beer "family" of drinks I was picked up by someone on another SE site (unrelated) when I used the phrase "Some beers, like mead...(blah blah)" - Apparently a mead isn't a beer.  I'm good with that in the pedantic sense that it's correct, but I wasn't intending to be quite so specific, and was merely suggesting that I was not talking about spirits etc.  It got me thinking about the definition of what could, or could not be called a beer, and whether a beer is an actual drink at all, or just the name of the group of drinks that we call beers, but which really have more specific names and definitions.

The key phrase for me, in understanding it from a simple taxonomy point of view is that alcoholic drinks are essentially either Beers Wines or Spirits.  That's my starting point, which may well be rudimentary at best and wrong at worst

Using this definition, a Mead must clearly be a beer in the most basic definition; it's certainly not a win or spirit?  Obviously under beer you then have ales, lagers, ciders, perrys, meads, stouts, bitters and probably a million others, and probably further sublevels (dry cider, sweet cider, sparkling cider....), but is there a second level "beer" also at this level?

Really, is there actually a single specific drink that is a beer that is not further defined as, for example, an IPA, or a Stout?

IMHO, I would classify ciders, perrys, and meads to be more like wine than beer -- they are made by fermenting fruit or honey without substantial change to the base ingredients. Beer is made from malted grain, which must first be mashed to convert starch into fermentable sugars. Beer must contain 4 essential ingredients: Malt extract (from the grain), hops, water and yeast. It may contain others as well, but if any of these four are missing it is not beer.

I think that your premise of "that alcoholic drinks are essentially either Beers Wines or Spirits." is wrong because it oversimplifies and excludes some beverages. Besides mead and cider, there are also malt-based alcho-pop beverages (Mike's Hard Lemon, Twisted Tea, etc.) that I would not call beer either - they contain 3 of the four ingredients, but lack hops. There are other local indigenous alcoholic beverages around the world that don't fit any of these categories, like Japanese sake.

There are many styles of beer -- so the word "beer" refers to all of them, and there is no style that is called just "beer". Here is a link that describes many styles of beer, mead and cider. Note that this is not a comprehensive list; brewers keep developing new styles all the time to create desirable products. For example, Black IPAs came into vogue a couple of years ago, now I am seeing White IPAs.

BJCP Style Descriptions


Who was Michael Jackson? Not referring to the internationally famous pop icon, of course.  I have heard beer aficionados talk about someone named Michael Jackson, and it's clear that be played an important part in the modern beer world.  Who was he, and what were those contributions?

He was an English author who was a noted expert on beer and whiskey, and he wrote a number of books on beer, probably most famously The World Guide to Beer.


Looking for a very hoppy beer (in Germany) Which beer, that is available in Germany, can you recommend that is more bitter than Jever?

Or, to re-phrase the question: What is the beer with the most hop that you know of, in Germany?

Well, when it comes to very hoppy beers nowadays, I can't help thinking about American IPAs. It's not even close to any german style, off course, but if you are looking for hops, that's the one style to go for.

Fortunately, there are some german microbreweries making IPAs there, like Hans Müller Sommelierbier's Backbone Splitter IPA, Ale-Mania's Imperial IPA and Crew IPA. I just don't know how available they are over there.

In general, german styles aren't so hop-forward, favoring balance over excess. Styles like Munich Helles and German Pilsners have a definite hop profile, which I find just the exact right amount to balance malt and compose the aroma profile, but nothing overwhelming like an IPA. The rare doppelstick style (double altbier) has a high IBU count, but just to balance the malt sweetness, which is massive in this style, and not to stand alone.

Californian brewery Stone is going to open a production plant in Berlin soon, so their beers will be available when it kicks off. And, just in case you aren't aware, Californian beers = loads of hops. So, keep an eye open.


How to chill a 30cl bottle to "cellar" temperature? I got my hand on a few bottles of Trappist Westvleteren (yay!) and of course I want to drink it at the right temperature. The "right" temperature is "cellar", but alas, I do not have a cellar.

What is the best way to chill a 30cl bottle to "celler" temperature, using a fridge? Drinking it too cool or warm would be quite a pity for a 8 euro bottle.

Cellar temperature is generally anywhere between 7-18 degrees Celsius (45-65F) though people don't often go above 13C (55F), so there's a decent range to be in.

You can use your fridge.  For comparison you can fill a glass with the same volume of liquid and set it next to the bottle, leaving a thermometer in it.  As long as they start off near the same temperature, that'll give you a pretty close approximation of the current temperature of the beer.  It might be easier to chill to the fridge temperature then let them warm back up.  It's not going to damage the beer and most fridges are close to the bottom end of "cellar" anyway so it won't take too long to warm up to where you want it.  Evaporation and glass thickness are going to create a difference, but given the range of temperatures, it should be close enough.

If you wanted to get really fancy, water is a much better conductor of thermal energy than air.  You could get a large jug and fill it with 13C water, then put one of the Westy bottles in it for maybe 10-20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Though all that said, when trying expensive and multifaceted beers like this, I really enjoy chilling them to my fridge temperature then nursing the beer for a good while to compare the flavors as it warms up.


What ingredient may I be allergic to in certain beers? Mandatory disclaimer: I'm not asking for health related advices, this question is just out of pure curiosity.

I drink the occasional beer, wine, or whatever other alcoholic drinks: no issues with that, not getting drunk with just a beer, etc. etc. But...since I have memory, a single red beer can put me under the table.

From the next day. (yeah, not the same day)

With lot of stomach and intestinal pain and "funny" side effects.

And a few days needed to recover.

Now, it's not a big deal: on my list of things to avoid "Red beer" has been put in the top 5, and problem solved. It doesn't happen with 100% of the reds, but at 95% occurrence I just play safe...plus I prefer dark beers anyway :-D

Only, exactly one week ago I got the same amazing effects, but worst, and I'm still halfway from full recovery...from a bock. Ok, "bock" is a pretty wide definition, but while I'm not an expert on beers I've always been pretty certain that if I order a bock I never feel bad the next day.

So now I'm extremely curious to understand what it may be to knock me down this way, but as I said I'm no expert and that's the reason I'm asking here.

Question: What 95% of red beers and a Scheyern Kloster Doppelbock Dunkel (Poculator) have in common, in terms of ingredients and/or preparation?

(bonus: I get the same effect with some Scotch)

Sounds like allergy to

malted barley or other grains, such as wheat and sorghum
hops
yeast
assorted colorings, flavorings, and preservatives

Can you eat rye normally?


How did the phrase "beer me" originate? The question says it all: where does the phrase "beer me" come from? And, is it widely used other than in the United States?

The phrase 'beer me' meaning, "give me a beer!"

Good question, and no real origin that I can find; the oldest documented use that I could find is from The Simpsons, Episode 19, Season 2 (November 15, 1990):

Homer: "Marge, beer me! ... Don't toy with me woman."

AS HEARD IN SEASON 2 - DEAD PUTTING SOCIETY


What spirits are made in Cuba? A family member will soon be travelling to Cuba and has offered to bring me back some alcohol.

The obvious choice is Rum, but considering it's easy enough to get Cuban rum in Canada, I'd like to know if there are other spirits that originate from Cuba.

I think your best option is a Guayabita de Pinar. It's a spirit made with tiny guava fruits, it's nice and sweet. I'd choose the one made by La Occidental. Here's a good picture of it from flikr.

Otherwise Aguardiente de Cuba is an option. Aguadiente means firewater, and it's not nearly as friendly as the Guayabita. My understanding is that it's related to rum in the way that mescal is to tequila. Funky. I'd only go for it if you have a decent amount of cocktail experience and you'd like to experiment. Ron Santero makes the most popular bottle.

Aside from that, you might consider something like a local soda, or some Coca-Cola. Coke changes the recipe depending on where it's shipped, so if you want to drink a proper Cuba Libre ask for some.


Is there a taste or texture difference between gravity breweries and those that use pumps? I visited the UK's oldest licensed brewery, the Three Tuns, in Shropshire, which has been licenced since 1642. One of its key features is that all transfers can be carried out using gravity:

all raw materials are brought to the top of the tower, and then each movement of materials or fluids is carried out using gravity - not pumps

My question is: does this provide a difference in flavour, texture or other qualities to beers from those breweries that use pumps? I can imagine it might, as pumps cause agitation that won't exist in a simple pipe letting liquid flow downhill.
(additional information: the Three Tuns is well worth a visit - all the beers on show that day were delicious)

Directly not. Agitation won't change the properties of the beer enough as such. BUT... when pumping, it is harder to avoid oxygen/air being mixed into the wort/beer. Oxygen is very bad for the beer in most stages of the brewing process. So if you have a pumping system, it needs to be a good one that doesn't wirl air into the wort/beer.

The only stage in the brewing process where you actually want as much oxygen/air as possible is when pitching the yeast. At every other stage you will get oxidation which is one of the top reasons for off flavours, stuck fermentations, etc.


Bananas in cocktails or other drinks I have a lot of bananas at the moment - too many to consume by just eating or cooking or using in general.  What is the best way to use banana in a drink - assume that I have a fairly wide and varied bar to choose from for the base of the drink.

I suppose this is obvious, but how about the Banana Daiquiri.


What liqueurs can be paired with a particular movie? I enjoy watching movies with friends as a group and was hoping that some of you could possibly come up with a recommendation and pairing of a liqueur or two with a particular movie?

I am going to make the following recommendation for the "Harry Potter" series.

Mandrágora Liqueur from the Basque region of Spain.

  This liqueur from Navarra (in Spain) contains mandrake extract – a plant whose medicinal properties are the subject of many myths and legends.  Alkaloid, an active component contained in the plant, can supposedly initiate hallucinatory experiences.

  The legend goes that a mandrake elixir was consumed by witches who were learning how to fly.  Mandrake is also a key ingredient in many of the magical elixirs present in the famous “Harry Potter” series.

  In Harry Potter, as well as in other more traditional myths, mandrake root is portrayed with human characteristics since the root itself is said to resemble a human body.

Liquor Mandrake "Mandrágora"


Does real ale make you fart more than lager? I've read anecdotal evidence that says that real ale, though not as gassy as lager, makes you fart more.

Is there any truth to this and does it apply to ales in general or just certain types?

Technically, yes.

The actual answer has more to do with yeast content than carbonation.  Unfiltered beers like real ale have much more yeast in suspension, and yeast has a tendency to make you gassy when digested.  Lager in general has very little yeast due to the long, cold, aging process.  I believe commercial examples are filtered as well.  In general most commercial beers are filtered, or at least have had the yeast killed off somehow, which mitigates the effect.  Real ale's major selling points are that it's unpasteurized and unfiltered, and is refermented in the cask...so it's basically got way more yeast and way more active yeast than other kinds of beer.  And then cask ales are served from a tap at the front near the bottom...near the yeast.  Basically the perfect storm of fart-induction.


What to and what not to mix with alcohol Are there any restrictions to mix alcohol with other things? A friend of mine mixed whisky with milk and then he turned sick. he got rashes all over his face. But when i searched a little bit it turned out it's fine to mix whisky and milk. I want to know are there any limitations for mixing or can we just add anything we want to alcohols(mostly any) for better taste.

The main hazards of mixing alcohol with milk are that you may denature the milk proteins and get curds.  Unpleasant, but probably not likely to provoke an allergic reaction.

Does your friend have any nut or pollen/tree allergies?  Depending on what the whiskey was casked in, there could be some residual allergens that were the actual culprit.


Is non-alcholic beer nothing else than unfermented wort? Is non-alcoholic beer nothing else than unfermented wort? That is to grains which the sugars have been cooked out of, bittering agent added and then just the step of fermentation omitted or is there more to it than that?

No, it is fermented to break down the sugar; otherwise it would be very sweet and sugar cannot be cooked off. After fermentaton is complete, the alcohol is removed. Note that most NA beers do actually contain a small amount of alcohol: < 1%.


Ordering a Drink in Non-Traditional Glassware I find drinks that are traditionally served in stemmed glasses are difficult to carry (I'm a wheelchair user). What terminology would I use if I wanted to order a drink like a martini or Manhattan served in a rocks glass (but without the ice)?

I believe the type of glass you are looking for is called an "Old Fashioned glass" named for the cocktail typically served in it. Depending on the size of the drink you may possibly want request your drink in a "Double Old Fashioned glass". I would hope that simply requesting your martini be served in an Old Fashioned glass would suffice.


What types of glasses are used for Fortified Wines? Please explain, what types of glasses are used for Fortified wines and why?
For example:

Spanish: Jerez/Sherry, Moscatel
Portuguese: Port, Madeira
Italian: Marsala

What types of glasses are used for Fortified Wines?
First of all, why even use port or dessert wine glasses?

Port glasses unveil the seductive nuances of dessert wines and are intrinsically decadent in the hand. Designed to concentrate the aromas of sweeter and late harvest wines, dessert wine glasses reveal the complex flavors of port and sauterne as you linger into the evening. Port wine glasses are simply delightful to hold, and a port wine glass set is always a cherished gift. Find sleek, stemmed port glasses and beautifully blown sipper sets ready to be marveled over and sipped from. - Port & Dessert Wine Glasses

Fortified wine glasses come in a variety of shapes these days and are constantly being updated.

There are as many different styles of glassware as wine styles these days, but which glass is best to use for fortified wines? There are many options but most likely you will have a suitable glass tucked away somewhere in your cupboard… possible next to an old fortified wine forgotten! Get both out and give them a try, you may be surprised!
Fortified wines deserve a large glass that allows you to swirl and smell the wine. These wines have amazing aromas and depths of flavour so allowing the wine to concentrate these flavours in the glass will only add to your enjoyment of the wine. We recommend a good sized wine glass with a rounded body and slightly tapered sides towards the top.  This will allow for swirling will minimal chance of spill and more importantly get your nose in for a good sniff to experience all the wine has to offer. Using a larger sized glass also allows you a generous sized pour you can sit down, relax and enjoy your wine. Don’t feel tempted to fill it to the top though, a good splash you can swirl about is all you need.
For entertainment at a dinner party you may wish to consider port sippers. These little hand-blown glasses look similar to a headless cat with a round body and a tail running the side. There is some merit to these in that while holding the glass you hands warm up the wine and helping release more flavour. They also make a loud slurping sound as you sip your glass entertaining your guests and signifying the bottle/decanter may need to be returned in that direction for a refill.
So put away the old style thimbles and get yourself a decent size glass, pour, swirl and savour the flavours of your fortified wines! - which Wine Glass?

For more information about this subject matter the following may be of help:

The Top Dessert Wine Glasses And Port Glasses


What are some types of red wine that aren't buttery or sweet-ish? I'm just getting into wine, and I've tried some red wines, but nothing I particularly liked.
I found a few pinot noirs too sweet, and last night I had a Paso Robles cabernet sauvignon that was a bit too buttery and smooth for me.
What should I look into for wines that are more, I guess, acidic and have an edge to them?  I don't need anything particularly bitter, but butteriness and sweetness do put me off.

What are some types of red wine that aren't buttery or sweetish?
My guess is that one could try a red wine like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. Generally speaking they are dry and thus not sweet.

Red Wine Sweetness Chart
Some Chardonnays may in fact be buttery, but not all.

What does the term “buttery” mean in reference to wine?
"Buttery" can refer to a flavor, smell, texture or some combination of all three, and it's most commonly associated with Chardonnay. Buttery flavors usually come from diacetyl, an organic compound that’s a natural byproduct of fermentation. Diacetyl can also be a result of putting a wine through a malolactic conversion. Exposing a wine to oak barrels can also emphasize buttery notes—both from the toasting on the inside of the barrel, and the softening effect barrels can have on a wine’s texture.
Have you ever smelled a wine and it’s a dead ringer for butter-flavored popcorn? That’s not a coincidence. Diacetyl is sometimes added to foods for its buttery flavor—think movie-theater popcorn, margarine, crackers and cooking oil.
I consider “buttery” a positive note. Just like any other wine characteristic, I prefer it in balance with a wine’s other elements. But buttery Chardonnays used to be very fashionable, and now much less so. These days, sometimes “buttery” is used as a pejorative term.
Other descriptors in a similar vein are cream/creamy, piecrust, caramel, butterscotch or brioche.


Beer swapping online? I've tried hundreds of beers in recent years. But it starts to get expensive buying some beers less accessible online. Is there any site about swapping beers between people of different countries?

Check out BeerTrade.  It's not specifically limited to swapping between countries, but there is no reason you couldn't organize something there. There are about 10,000 people watching that subreddit currently.


Why is some beer kept in/served from a firkin in a bar? I've been to several bars recently that feature a "What's on cask?" section of the beer menu. The menu does not, however, suggest why that particular beer is being held in a firkin and served via the hand-pulled tap.

I do not mean this as a repeat of this question. I am interested in the reasons bars, specifically, might wish to have and serve from firkins, and not just the general difference in beer varieties.

I understand there is a historical nature to this, which might be amusing for some purposes. But I want to know if there are specific effects on the beer itself: storage timing, retention of flavor, temperature needs, pouring effect (slower, no CO2, whatever), and so on.

If the bar offered the exact same beer, one in a cask and one on a regular tap, should there be noticeable differences in the resulting served beer?

Yes the same beer from a cask and a keg will be VERY different.

To your first point, breweries and bars will often have specially treated casks in ways that are impossible to do with kegs.  Stuff like dry-hopping the beer in the cask at the bar so it's at its freshest and most intense.  With a keg you'd need to put this between the tap and the glass like a Randall but with a cask you can just pop the cap and shove whatever you want in there.

Casked beer also generally still have active yeast in it, at least according to CAMRA's rules, while kegs are filtered and have no yeast in them.  Because of this there's a lot of preparation involved in a proper real ale cask.

The cask will come sealed from the brewery.  First a soft spile or peg must be driven into the top hole.  This is just a porous plug that allows air out.  Based on how foamy this gets the bar can see how active the yeast is.
When the yeast dies down the soft spile gets replaced with a hard spile which stops gas exchange.  The cask then has to sit for a while so all the yeast can fall to the bottom as well as any other particulates or large proteins in the beer.  This is called "Dropping Bright"
Finally, once the beer has dropped bright the cask can be tapped which involves removing the hard spile and also either hooking up the side hole to a beer engine or a simple tap.

Because of all this and traditionally being served from a cellar or bartop at "cellar temperature" vs kegs which are refrigerated the beer that comes out will be slightly warmer (40-50F vs 30-40F), much slower because of the pumping and off-gassing from the pour, and way less carbonated.  Some beer engines will also use "sparkler" taps that fizz up the beer even more on the way out to generate more head but also results in a less carbonated beer.

The result is a beer that will generally be smoother and rounder, you may get more flavor and more sweetness since it's warmer.  Some flavors will come out more in the warmer and less carbonated and some will be overshadowed.  Mouthfeel will be affected a lot by both factors as well.  It's a hugely different animal and sometimes people like it.


What possible health benefits are there with drinking alcohol in moderation? What possible health benefits are there with drinking alcohol in moderation?
The other day, I was reading the St. Paul’s Letter to Timothy where Paul had recommended that Timothy take a little wine for the sake of his stomach.

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. - 1 Timothy 5:23

This got me thinking that there could be some possible health benefits of consuming alcohol in moderation, whether it be wine, beer or some other stronger drink?

This might sound strange on alcohol.SE, but "to thine own self be true".
Studies that show that not drinking is less healthy do it because the "teetotalers" are, often enough, former alcoholics.
Skeptics SE has several threads about the "benefits" of moderate drinking:

Is alcohol beneficial in small amounts?
Is a glass of red wine a day beneficial for the heart?

This article by The Guardian examines the flaws of those studies that show moderate drinking to be beneficial:

Never drinkers are also different in a lot of ways, mostly bad, which
makes sense if you think about the why people might choose to abstain
from drinking – for example, illness, poverty, and previous
alcoholism.

The article also reviews a couple of recent studies that show that moderate alcohol consumption is not beneficial.


Why were lagers invented? What made brewers in the 19th century decide to start using bottom-fermenting yeast and cooler fermenting temperatures? Were they trying to solve some specific problem, like making the best of available ingredients or dealing with cooler-than-ideal environments? Or were they just experimenting and trying to create something new?

I think it would be right to say that lagers were discovered rather than invented. Lager yeast is apparently the result of an unlikely mating of ale yeast and a wild yeast from South America. It's ability to ferment at lower temperatures probably led to its establishment in some brewery in some cold part of Bohemia centuries ago.

According to Wikipedia, lagering became more commercially viable with the appearance of refrigeration systems. But White & Zainasheff describe why this was desired. After Pasteur showed that yeast are responsible for fermentation, the Carlsberg brewery isolated S. carlsbergensis, now known as S. pastorianus, for commercial use. This is a lager yeast, and since many ales were brewed with mixed (S cerevisiae plus wild yeasts, bacteria) cultures, it created the perception was that lager, as a style, was cleaner than ale, and the improved shelf life made it a more attractive product to produce. And so, lagers took over the beer world after that, despite so many small breweries that make high quality ales.


Is there a modern wine that is designed to resemble Noah's wine? After seeing this question once again on this site (Is there a modern wine that is designed to resemble ancient Roman winemaking?) sometime back and I became interested in knowing if there is a modern wine that is designed to resemble Noah's wine from the Turkish region of Mt. Ararat after the biblical deluge? I am not interested if one believes in the story of Noah's Ark or not. Nor am I interested in any possible historical timeline for the great regional flood which spared Noah and his family.

  Noah's wine is a colloquial allusion meaning alcoholic beverages. The advent of this type of beverage and the discovery of fermentation are traditionally attributed, by explication from biblical sources, to Noah. The phrase has been used in both fictional and nonfictional literature.

  "Noah's wine" refers to alcoholic beverages. In the Bible, the few chapters that come between the creation of Adam and the birth of Noah contain no mention of alcoholic drinks. After the account of the great flood, the biblical Noah is said to have cultivated a vineyard, made wine, and become intoxicated. Thus, the discovery of fermentation is traditionally attributed to Noah because this is the first time alcohol appears in the Bible. Noah's wine has been described as a "pleasant relief for man from the toilsome work of the crop".

  From a biblical view, fermented beverages presumably spread throughout the world after Noah's supposed discovery, as alcoholic beverages are historically widespread. - Noah's wine (Wikipedia)

Is there a modern wine, commercially available today, that is intended to resemble the ancient Noah's wine as closely as possible from any of his many possible timelines (more or less)?

Noah’s Original Identity: The First Winemaker

A depiction from the Holkham Bible c. 1320 AD showing Noah and his sons making wine

These guys aren't claiming that it's Noah's wine, but they are saying they are using the same methods that they used 8000 years ago to make wine and you can buy it in the Republic of Georgia. Is Georgia's Ancient Wine Making Method Making a Comeback? You can buy it around the world supposedly.

"Kvevri wines from Georgia can be found in a few stores and restaurants in New York City, San Francisco and Washington DC. Noel Brockett, who distributes both conventional and kvevri wine from Georgia in Washington DC for the Georgia Wine House, says it may take time to reach the general public but, “the Sommelier community is definitely becoming much more interested in the kvevri wines as the general market turns toward authenticity.”

Other than trying something out for historical purposes, the wine probably didn't taste all that great. They probably drank it young since they didn't have bottles and it was likely very cloudy and low alcohol. Probably not red since that would require fermenting on the skins in a controlled manner. Probably like a cloudy rose' or a orangeish white. We'll never know what grapes were used by Noah.


Local beers to try at airports (major airports only) I fly a lot, and like to seek out new beers while waiting or between connecting flights. Frequent flyers: let's help each other out and compile (community wiki-style) a list of establishments in major airports that serve local beers.

For definition's sake, though arbitrary, let's say a "major airport" is one which

serves more than 5,000,000+ passengers per year ("enplanements"),
or serves the most passengers per year in its country.

So, outside of the U.S., check the airport's Wikipedia page for the stats—for example Berlin's Schönefeld Airport, with 7,000,000+ enplanements in 2010. Also eligible are airports like Luxembourg's main airport, serving less than 5,000,000 passengers per year, but the most in its country. If this definition seems to rule out some rather important airports, we can modify the rules.

This list would probably help me with "tiebreaking" when I can't decide what flights I'd rather take. It would also give me a reason to enjoy longer-than-desired connections :-)

This is a question asked among the series of regional-but-potentially-useful-if-specific-enough questions. See

Asking brand-specific / regional questions "responsibly"
What kinds of questions will keep Beer.SE active? (Relax the culture against brands and regional questions.)

This is a community wiki. Please be respectful while editing others' contributions.
Let's keep the list alphabetical by IATA code.
ATL — Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta Int'l Airport

Concourse B. SweetWater Draft House & Grill.

BOS - Logan Int'l Airport

Terminal A / Gate A22. Harpoon Tap Room. (Highly rated!)

CLE - Cleveland Hopkins Airport

Main Terminal Great Lakes Brewery
https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/home
Full selection of beers on tap.
The Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is delicious and year-round, but the Spring 2014 seasonal is most likely the Chill Wave Double IPA, which is one of their best.
Sometimes, they have brewery-exclusive kegs, which are always very good!

JFK - John F. Kennedy Int'l Airport

Terminal 2 / Gate 67. (That's most popularly the Domestic US Delta terminal.) BRKLYN Beer Garden. As of 2014, they've got 6 Brooklyn / Bronx beers on draught, and a few from Long Island and upstate.

Source: acheong87

LHR - London Heathrow

Terminal 5 / near gate A7. The Crown Rivers always has some real ale on tap, from a hand pump.

MSP - Minneapolis / St. Paul Int'l Airport

Terminal 1 / Concourse G near gate 17. Taste of Mill City Tavern serving Surly Bender, Summit IPA, Fulton Sweet Child of Vine and Shell's Pilsner on tap.

ORD - Chicago O'Hare Int'l Airport

Terminal 3 / Gate L8. Goose Island Beer Company.

SAN - San Diego Int'l Airport

Terminal 2 / Gate 23. (Terminal 2 is the more popular of SAN's two terminals, by far.) Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens features 12 taps—10 Stone brews, 2 rotations from other craft brewing companies—and many bottled selections.

Source: http://blog.stonebrew.com/index.php/stoneairport/

TPA - Tampa Int'l Airport

Airside C Terminal. Cigar City Brewing. Advertised on website as "nation's only airport brewery" with airport exclusive beers and Tampa-style cuban food.

Source: http://cigarcitybrewing.com/cigar-city-brewing-airport-location/?age-verified=90aad2c053


Who started pruning grape vines? Does anyone know when pruning the leaves from vine first started or who by? I know it wasn't practiced until recent (last 500 years or so) but haven't been able to pinpoint who and when?

I'm assuming you want to say, "Who are the first people to domesticate grape vines?". Grapevines are not "bushes" they are technically vines. In the wild they grow up the side of trees in a forest and try to reach their leaves above those of the trees and also grow their fruit high so the birds can eat berries and scatter the seeds.

Wild grape vines have 2 sexes but domesticated vines are hermaphroditic, which means they are self fertile (both sexes in the same flower) which makes it so much incredibly easier for the vines to produce fruit. It was a game changer when humans found these vines. Instead of only female plants producing fruit, now all vines produced fruit and lots of it. At the same time humans realize you could easily propagate vines by taking cuttings from a mother vine and they would produce the same exact vine over and over (a form of cloning).

There is evidence that suggests that humans had domesticated grape vines almost 10,000 years ago. It probably started with some people growing vines up trees deliberately and then switching to a trellis system to simulate trees. There are pictures in the ancient Egyptian tombs showing grapes being trained and harvested on a trellis system. So they were pruning them way back then. Later on, if you walked through a vineyard near ancient Rome, it wouldn't look too much different from vineyards you see anywhere in the world. So, we have been growing vines essentially the same way for at least 2000 years.


Traditional drinks for St Patrick's Day? St Patrick's Day is celebrated every year on March 17. It brings back those old Irish stories and legends that abound with this Saint.

We all know of some of that traditional Irish drinks that people drink on the Feast of St Patrick, such as Irish Coffee or drinking Green Beer.

Are there any other St Patrick's Day drinking traditions celebrated on this day?

I don't think the Irish really care too much as long as they have a drink in front of them. How about Irish Whiskey and Guinness? Maybe some Irish Coffee, Bailey's or cider. All the Irish I know aren't too picky. I don't think you find too much green beer in Ireland, that's a made up American thing.

Origins of Green Beer

Ireland's top 10 drinks


How is non-alcoholic beer produced? Is it made brewed in such a way as to have no alcohol, or is it just normal beer with the alcohol removed, or some other process?

Non-alcoholic beers (in the U.S., no more than 0.05% ABV) begin their lives like every other beer; they go through the same 8 step process outlined here, but one step is added between the last two steps -- the conversion.

The beer has already been fermented when added to a conditioning tank, where it is left to mature for several days (the 7th step), from here it is cooked to remove the alcohol. Due to the absurdly high boiling point of water (100°C), it is easy to evaporate the alcohol (boiling point = 78.3°C) and leave the rest of the beer behind.  Vacuum evaporation is also used in most modern breweries to preserve flavor and speed up the process.

Another method used is reverse osmosis, which allows the water and alcohol to escape from the beer through a membrane. The alcohol is then distilled from the solution, and the water is added back to the sugary syrup originally left behind, reforming the beer (minus alcohol).

The beer is now non-alcoholic and continues to the last step of the brewing process where it is filtered, carbonated, and stored (until it is packaged for sale).


Distilling fermented beverages to remove head without concentrating alcohol? AFAIK, good distillers discard (or at least reduce) the head (typically the first 5%) of any primary distillation run because it is predominantly less desirable high-VOC compounds.

Is distillation ever used to remove these "head compounds" from a fermented beverage just to improve its taste?

For example, if removing the head improves our cognac, wouldn't removing it from otherwise finished wine also improve the wine?

No, this would destroy the wine/mash/beer that your were trying to remove the "head" from. Just to make the first pass in a still to remove this head, you would need to get the liquid up to around 200f to start the process, thereby destroying whatever your were trying to get the less desirable aspects out of it.


How do I remove the smell of sulphur from my elderflower wine? My wine is fully brewed. My hydrometer states that definitely. The issue is that it smells of eggs or similar. I do not want to put it in an aging barrel. So, how do I remove the smell of sulfur from my elderflower wine?

Sounds like you have a hydrogen sulfide problem. There is a three steps I follow when I get this problem.

Give it time. Many times it will dissipate on it's own, especially with racking and introducing oxygen. But this doesn't always work.
Add some potassium metabisulfates (campden tablets). This sometimes will drive out the problem making the sulfides dissipate on their own.
Add copper sulfate. This is the last resort and most of the time I end up here. There are kits to help you figure out how much to add. Some people will just tell you to add some copper pipes to your wine but not nearly as effective as copper sulfate.

This is a common problem for amateur and professional wine makers. There is a good article here but searching google will yield many results.

BTW, do not put it in the barrel. You might ruin the barrel. Take care of the problem first then put it in the barrel.


Belgian Styles brewed in Seattle? Suggestions on breweries that brew Belgian styles within Seattle city limits?

Lantern Brewing

  Lantern Brewing is a family-owned microbrewery in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.  We focus on creating unhurried, honest beer following the brewing traditions of Belgium and Northern France.


What type of stemware is this? I've recently inherited a set of these glasses and I can't seem to figure out what type of glass/stemware they are and what cocktails are traditionally served in them (if any). Picture attached, jigger for reference.

They are probably dessert wine glasses for sherry or port.
Today they usually have a longer stem, especially mondern designs, but in the past, there were quite a few short stem sherry glasses and often also with such a knob in the stem (see attached images)


How do beer manufacturers keep the taste the same? Beer yeast change over time due to new generations. It's biology. To my knowledge you can't keep the same generation of yeast alive.
Which should mean the taste should change or evolve over time? At least that's how I understand how different beer yeasts are created.

Would the same brand of beer really taste and be equal over time, as in scientifically analysed and compared?

I think this homebrew post has a good explanation of how brewers keep yeast strains. Homebrew yeast discussion

White labs from San Diego also has a great slide about how they do it. White labs is the company just finished the study of the yeast domestication tree, where they analyzed the DNA of several yeast used in fermentation and determined how they are related. I've seen Chris White the founder speak at a homebrew event and it was very interesting. He has a Phd in microbiology from the university of california and sells to all sorts of professional brewers, distillers, and wine makers.

I'll summarize the information from the references here,
but the bottom line is that they store samples at very cold temperatures so it's metabolism is almost shutdown and it won't evolve.

Brewers isolate there yeast in slants or plates. These are the pure strain.
The yeast that is isolated will be stored at a very cold temperature to remain dormant and unchanging. (-80 Celsius)
When they need to recharge because their yeast has drifted they remove a small amount from storage.
Using petri dishes they will grow a small size they can verify is still good.
With this small batch they will add to wort (what brewers call the sugary liquid that makes beer) and then make a large batch of yeast.


1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die Does anybody know someone that has completed the 1001 beers of the book:
1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die - Adrian Tierney-jones

If there is someone here trying, please tell me: In your opinion which beer was the best until now and why do you consider it the best.

I have not done the 1001 to drink before you die, but I have rated more than 1000 beers on RateBeer. :)

I have many favourites, but a favourite depends on so many things! Westvletern 8 is one of the best beers I have ever had, but I would not like to drink it while mowing the lawn! Snow and Bud are great for quenching a thirst, but not something I would drink with good meal.

London Pride, Stone Ruination, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, Dogfish Head 60, 90, Midas Touch. Weihnstephaner Weiss, Pilsner Urquell, Duvel, Cockpit Crazy Diamond, Windhoek Light, Badger Golden Glory... The list just continues.

Use sites like Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate to see what others think of the beers.

And sometimes the best beer is the one in front of you. :D


Apps for recording variety of beers consumed I'm looking for apps, as a beer aficionado, to record the different beers that I try. Is there a vivino for beer?

I would suggest the app Untappd. It gives you an opportunity to comment on beers and include pictures and locations. You can even earn badges that notate various "beer achievements".


Angove's 1995 "Port": Drinkable or Not? I came into possession of a bottle of fortified wine - it says on the label "Premium Vintage Angove's 1995 Port".

I happened to be at Angove's cellar door doing a tasting and I mentioned to them that I had the bottle at home, and the person behind the counter gave me the impression that it was not likely to be worth keeping / drinking (without saying as much).

There is little information that I can find about this wine on the internet, which leads my to my question": would it be possible / likely that this wine would be drinkable and possibly good?

Here is the bottle in question:

I cannot vouch for how it has been kept over the years, all I know is I've had it for four years or so but have never dared open it.

If Angove's are suggesting it may not be good, then its value as an investment is going to be low or zero, so if I were in your shoes I'd probably open it and try it. What's the worst that could happen?

That said, Vintage Ports are typically supposed to last a long time. As it mentions on the label, "extended bottle maturation" where the port is bottled with unfiltered sediment usually means they should be cellared for 20 or 30 years or even 40 years. So I'd suggest it will be coming into its own soon. Give it another few years and then open it.


Why aren't all wines vegetarian? I've already done some research and from what I understand, in the fining phase agents such as fish bladders or egg whites are used to group together the debris in the wine. This makes filtering them out easier. So in theory the fining agents should get removed in the filtration process too. But some may get missed. So a wine that advertises itself as vegan or vegetarian used an alternative to fining agent? Do some vegan wines simply skip the fining phase, or do all wines go through fining?
Is it more of a marketing thing to call a wine vegan since realistically most already are?

So a wine that advertises itself as vegan or vegetarian used an alternative to fining agent?
That's true. There are alternatives to the use animal products for fining. Examples are clay, silica and vegetable plaque.
Do some vegan wines simply skip the fining phase, or do all wines go through fining?
There are a lot of wine makers that prefer not to fine their wines. Not necessarily because they are animal friendly, but because they believe this process deprives the natural flavour and texture. Those wines are often called "natural wine".


Are there any Italian craft beers? I'm spending my summer in Florence, Italy. I've been here for a week already and I've since realized they much rather prefer wine, but I don't. I'm looking for some Italian craft beers because I don't know how much longer I can drink Heineken. So any ideas?

The question could be changed to "craft Italian beer" or "Italian real ale" instead of good. That would fix the question quality.
To answer the better question, there are about 360 micro-breweries in italy under the umbrella MoBI organization (http://www.movimentobirra.it/) which is similar to CAMRA and has an English translation to their website. I would recommend using that as an initial source of information as breweries change and I am not familiar with the Florence area.
http://www.pintamedicea.com/birra/ based in Florence may also be helpful depending on your level of Italian language skills.