from realbeer.com:
HOEGAARDEN TO CLOSE
Brewing giant brewer InBev announced today that it would close Belgium's famous Hoegaarden brewery, long associated with classic "white beer." InBev, based in nearby Leuven and the largest beer producer in the world, said belt tightening would eliminate 232 jobs. Production of Hoegaarden Grand Cru and other beers will move to InBev's Jupille brewery in the south of Belgium, although the storage and bottling facilities will remain open. Staff at the Hoegaarden brewery walked off the job after hearing the news on Wednesday, broadcaster VRT reported.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002780.php
IT'S THE TUMMY, DUMMY
A beer belly increases the risk of a heart attack - even if the rest of the body is skinny, according to a report out of Canada. The traditional measure for obesity - a rough estimate of body fat, based on height and weight, called the body mass index - is misleading and obsolete, and should be replaced with a new calculation called the waist-to-hip ratio, the new study concludes. The research, published in the medical journal The Lancet and based on a study that included 27,000 people in 52 countries, adds more weight to the growing body of evidence that fat around the abdomen is the most damaging to a person's health. Further, it suggests that big hips reduce the risk of disease - or heart disease at the very least - because larger hips tend to suggest more muscle mass. Currently, the most popular method of determining obesity is calculating BMI - dividing a person's weight by their height.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002756.php
BROWN GOOSE GETS THE GOLD
Goose Island Beer Co. captured Champion Beer at the Festival of Wood and Barrel-aged Beer in Chicago, winning with Imperial Brown Goose. More than 500 beer drinkers sampled nearly 70 different beer from 31 breweries in the third annual festival. Breweries from 13 states sent beers to the festival/competition. Judges evaluated 68 different wood-aged beers in eight categories. The festival spotlights beer aged with the intention of imparting the particularly unique character of wood and/or what has previously been in a barrel. Ultimately, a balance of flavor, aroma and mouthfeel are sought with the marriage of beer, wood and/or barrel characteristics. "There are still a lot of stouts and barley wines," said festival organizer Jeff Sparrow, "but experimental beer was the largest category this year. The results:
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002773.php
BEER GOING TO THE DOGS?
First, Dog Star Brewing Co. - in Napa Valley, it figures - makes beer for dogs. Second, all Rogue Nation Embassies - also known as pubs - offer gourmet treats for dogs.
- To begin, the doggie beer. Dog Star's Happy Tail Ale might have started as a lark, but turned into a serious venture. Dog Star's first Happy Tail Ale recipe consisted of soda water, yellow food coloring and beef bouillon. Right away the founders learned one quick lesson about combining ouillon cubes in soda water, "It explodes like a volcano," said one with a laugh.
Additionally, they discovered dogs really don't like carbonation. "It upsets
their stomachs," she said.
- Rogue now offers Gulley's Dog Menu at all six of its rewery/restaurants.
A burger and fires combination runs $9.95 but most items are around a dollar. These include a carob cupcake, a peanut butter bone and a croissant with beef.
http://www.realbeer.com/blog/?p=28
'INTELLIGENT DESIGN' BEER FOR UTAH
A Park City brewer known for tweaking Utah sensibilities with satirically
named beers, ales and porters now offers "Evolution Amber Ale." Wasatch
Brewery owner Greg Schirf notes that the Bible says it took God just seven days to create the heavens and the Earth, while it takes 27 days to create Evolution Amber Ale. Schirf, whose company also created "Polgamy Porter," says his latest creation was inspired by the brewing national debate over the teaching of "intelligent design" alongside Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
'GOGGLES' WITHOUT THE BEER
A group of British scientists determined that you can experience the "beer
goggles" effect without drinking. "Beer goggles" is a slang term for a phenomenon in which one's consumption of alcohol makes physically unattractive people appear beautiful. "The beer goggles effect isn't solely
dependent on how much alcohol a person consumes," said Professor Nathan Efron, Professor of Clinical Optometry at the University of Manchester. "There are other influencing factors at play." Other factors that can make ugly people appear attractive include: the level of light in the bar; the drinker's eyesight; the smokiness of the room; and the distance between two people. An eyewear company funded the research.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002777.php
TURBO TAP OFFERS HOME VERSION
A Chicago-based company that received a flood of publicity for speeding up draft beer dispensing in sports stadiums - making a gadget that Time magazine ranks as one of the coolest inventions of 2005 - has begun selling Turbo Tap to home drinkers as well. A large practical advantage that Turbo Tap offers - pouring more beer for more customers in less time - may not matter to those dispensing beer in their rec rooms and basements, but they are attracted to claims of higher efficiency. Laminar Technologies says that Turbo Tap can yield up to 30% more beer from a keg (20 more beers) for people who have no experience pulling beer.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002768.php
A STAMP WITH THAT PINT?
A country pub in England now doubles as a post office. Diane Nicholson, who runs the Grey Horse Inn in Glazebury, near Leigh, provides a range of
services in an annex at the Warrington Road pub. The village had been without a post office since August last year, when the subpostmaster retired. "I've lived in the village all my life and I think the villagers need it - the customers are really up for it," Nicholson said before the post office part opened.
http://www.realbeer.com/news/articles/news-002767.php
[img][133:500]http://www.beerlabels.com/labels/full/0/1/2/beerlabels.com-01255.jpg[/img]