| Gruit (or sometimes grut) is an old fashioned herb mixture used for bittering and flavouring beer, before the extensive use of hops. Gruit or gruit ale may also refer to the beverage produced using gruit.
Gruit was a combination of herbs, some of the most common being mildly to moderately narcotic: sweet gale (Myrica gale), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), heather (Calluna vulgaris) and Marsh Labrador Tea (Rhododendron tomentosum, formerly known as Ledum palustre). Gruit varied somewhat, each gruit producer adding additional herbs to produce unique tastes, flavours, and effects. Other adjunct herbs were juniper berries, ginger, caraway seed, aniseed, nutmeg, and cinnamon or even hops in variable proportions; many of these ingredients may have psychotropic properties too. Some gruit ingredients are known now to have preservative qualities.
Some traditional types of unhopped beers such as sahti in Finland, which is spiced with juniper berries,and twigs, have survived the advent of hops, although gruit itself hasn't.
The 1990s microbreweries movement in the USA and Europe has seen a renewed interest for unhopped beers and quite a few have tried their hand at reviving ales brewed with gruits, or plants that once were used in it. Notorious current commercial example would be, to name but a few, Fraoch (using heather flowers, sweet gale and ginger) and Alba (using pine twigs and spruce buds) from Williams Brothers in Scotland, Myrica (using sweet gale) from O'Hanlons in England, Gageleer (also using sweet gale) from Proefbrouwerij in Belgium, and the Cervoise from Lancelot in Brittanny (using a gruit containing heather flowers, spices and some hops).
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Charlie Papazian
Charles N. "Charlie" Papazian is an American nuclear engineer who founded the Association of Brewers and wrote The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.
In 1979 Papazian founded the Association of Brewers and remained President of that organization until 2005, when the Association of Brewers merged with the 63-year-old Brewers Association of America, and Papazian was named President of the combined organization. Papazian also founded the American Homebrewers Association in 1978, and remains President of that organization as of August 2005. Other organizations and annual events subsequently founded by Papazian include the Institute for Brewing Studies, Brewers Publications, the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup, and Zymurgy magazine.
In 1984, Papazian wrote his first book on the subject of homebrewing, titled The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. As of August 2005, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing has seen 25 reprintings, 3 editions, and has sold over 900,000 copies. As the first (and, for over a decade, the only) mass-market book to provide in-depth information on subject of how to brew beer in the home, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing was very often the sole source of homebrewing information for novice homebrewers. Consequently, the book has gained iconic status among the homebrewing community, and is frequently referred to as the "homebrewer's bible." Papazian has since written five more books.
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Singha
Produced by Boon Rawd Brewery
Singha (Thai: สิงห์, correctly pronounced sing or singh, but typically pronounced by foreigners to Thailand as sing-ha) , is a 6% alcohol-by-volume (abv) pale lager. It is also available in 6% abv draught version as Singha Lager Draft, and the new 3.5% abv Singha Light introduced in 2006.
Beginning in September 2007, a 5.0% (abv) version of Singha Lager has replaced the 6.0% (abv) original version that has earned the Singha name its reputation. This new version, while still brewed in Thailand by Pathmthani Brewery Co., Ltd., proclaims on its labelling to have been brewed under the supervision of Singha Corporation Co., Ltd. instead of Boon Rawd Brewery Co. Ltd. The last known fill date for Singha Lager 6.0% bottles sold in the United States is October 18, 2007.
Beer production capacity is 1 billion liters per year. Until recently Singha was the best selling beer in Thailand, but is now challenged by the less expensive and more potent (6.4% abv) Beer Chang, brewed by ThaiBev (formerly the Beer Thai Company).
In 2007, Boon Rawd camp has regained its throne of beer market leadership in Thailand.
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Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo, and when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells, but naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers. |
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The Buffalo Theory as explained on an episode of Cheers by Cliff Clavin to his drinking buddy, Norm Peterson |
Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany.
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