Useless, Irish Beer Facts...Got Any!

Useless, Irish Beer Facts...Got Any!

• chef_irish 15 years ago
  Most beer was imported from England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. However in 1756 Arthur Guinness set up a small brewery, moving to Dublin in 1759. Having initially brewed bitter, he switched to producing porter, which was a style from London. Unlike the London beers he used some unmalted roasted barley, as this avoided tax (which was on malted barley only), making it more bitter and dry. In the early twentieth century Guinness became the largest brewer in the world, exporting the Irish style to many countries.
  There are 19 different versions of Guinness.
  Brewing in Ireland has a long history, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century there were over 200 breweries in the country, 55 of them in Dublin. During the nineteenth century the number of breweries fell to about fifty, and today only about 12.
  Historically Ireland produced ale, without the use of hops as these are not native to Ireland. Even in the late 18th century hops were not used, when almost all other countries had adopted the use of them as an ingredient to preserve and flavor their beer.
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• trigger 15 years ago said:
  These are some great facts about beer thank you for that and for this group.
  
  Refrigeration changed everything in the beer brewing businesses.
  I know that all beer had to be locally brewed until refrigeration cam along or it would spoil . Afterward it could be distributed by trains all over the country then world wide.
  
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• chef_irish 15 years ago said:
  The traditional German festival called Oktoberfest was not really a festival at all, but a celebration of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Theressa of Bavaria on October 17, 1810. Held in Munich, the party featured a horse race, beer, food, music and dancing.
  
  Celebrations continued each year, usually starting in late September and ending in the first week of October. Oktoberfests have been held in Munich for almost 200 years. Today, close to a million people show up to consume some 750,000 spit-roasted chickens, more than 800,000 wursts and sausages and around 10 million pints of beer.
  
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• chef_irish 15 years ago said:
  When the Romans arrived in Britain, they attempted to introduce wine as a replacement for beer. But the British climate is really better suited for cereal growing. So, the British carried on with their brewing.
  
  Beer was brewed in the home, on farms, and, later in the great monasteries where ale was the staple drink of the people. There were no breweries that we would recognize today, and until refrigeration was introduced in the 1880s, beer was only produced in the colder months from September to around April or May, Ale was brewed for centuries without hops. It took almost 150 years but hops eventually came to be accepted as a vital part of the taste of ale. Prior to the 1400s, ale had been flavored with herbs such as rosemary and thyme, but the hop, with its mildly antiseptic quality, helped preserve ale from spoiling.
  
  Tetley'sTetley’s is the name of a brewery and the ale produced by it. It was set up in 1822 by Joshua Tetley in Leeds, England. It became a large brewery and owner of public houses.
  
  The company no longer owns any public houses and, along with its sister brewery in Northampton, are dedicated brewers.
  
  In 1998 it was taken over by Carlsberg, who had previously had a 50% stake.
  
  The company is now called Carlsberg UK Limited and is a part of Carlsberg AS group.
  
  The Leeds brewery produces a wide range of products, including traditional cask ale, keg ale, keg lager, bottled lager, and has recently begun producing canned (widget) ale and lager.
  
  Draught AlesTetley’s Cask (3.7% ABV Cask Ale)
  
  As a result of brewing this beer in Yorkshire Squares, it has a full-bodied roasted malt flavor with just a hint of caramel. Tetley’s Cask also has a smooth hop character and bitterness derived from English hops, and is served at the traditional temperature of 12°C.
  
  Tetley’s Smoothflow (3.6% ABV Nitro Keg Ale)
  
  An extremely smooth, creamy pint created from a perfect combination of traditional and modern brewing techniques. With a nutty roasted full-bodied flavour, classic hop aroma and crisp bitterness on the palate, Tetley’s Smoothflow is smoother and creamier than traditional ales. It is served at 8oC, which is 4oC cooler than traditional ales in order to give extra refreshment.
  
  Tetley's Extra Cold (3.6% ABV Nitro Keg Ale)
  
  This new smooth ale is served at 3-4° C and provides a more refreshing beer, which still has the full flavour that Tetley’s is famous for.
  
  Tetley’s Imperial Cask (4.3% ABV Cask Ale)
  
  180 years of brewing expertise has been combined with the finest ingredients to create this classic premium cask ale. The use of traditional Yorkshire Square fermenting vessels enables Imperial to get its unique character from not one but three yeasts. The result is a full bodied, 4.3% ABV beer with a perfect balance for fruity and nutty flavours combined with a distinctive dry hop character.
  
  Tetley’s Mild (Available in Keg, 3.2% ABV and Cask, 3.3% ABV)
  
  The year round classic. Tetley’s Mild is mellow, rich in body and sweetness with an underlying bitterness and aroma from the English hops.
  
  Tetley’s Dark Mild (Available in Keg, 2.9% ABV and Cask, 3.2% ABV)
  
  Rich and dark with more than a hint of roasted malts and caramel flavours. A wonderful balance of hop bitterness and aroma, all captured in the one glass.
  
  Tetley’s Imperial Keg (4.1% ABV Keg Ale)
  
  Specially brewed for the North East region where they like their beer dark and strong. Full bodied roasted malt flavour and aroma from the English hops.
  
  Canned AlesTetley's Smoothflow (3.8% ABV Widget Ale)
  
  A beer in the same style as its draught counterpart, but with a higher alcohol content to meet the needs of the home-based drinker.
  
  Tetley's Original (3.8% ABV Non Widget Ale)
  
  A traditional style canned ale with a full-bodied hoppy flavour and a refreshing crispness on the palate.
  
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• chef_irish 15 years ago said:
  There are only two types of beer. Ale and lager. Ale is a top-fermented beer. The yeast in ale ferments at warmer temperatures and the process results in a faster fermentation that creates a somewhat fruity-tasting, crisp brew, that lacks carbonation. Lager is a bottom fermented, lightly hopped beer. Lager, which is German for storehouse, is aged under refrigeration for six weeks to six months. Most lagers are fairly light in color, highly carbonated and with a medium hop flavor. Larger beer is the dominant beer type throughout the brewing world today.
  
  History of Harp LagerHarp Lager was first produced in 1960 in the Dundalk Brewery as a bottled beer, in response to the trend among drinkers in Britain and Ireland toward continental lager. By 1961 it was brewed under an alliance of the brewing companies, Courage, Barclay & Simonds, Scottish & Newcastle, Bass, Mitchells, & Butlers and Guinness. These companies grouped together under the name of the Harp Lager Ltd. consortium. By 1964 it was being sold on draught and quickly lead its category in sales. Members of the Harp consortium changed over the years, with Courage and Scottish & Newcastle leaving in 1979 but becoming franchisees. Dr. Herman Muendar, a distinguished German “Braumeister” was chosen to manage the new venture. He was eminently suited to the task, having gained considerable experience supervising and directing the re-building of war damaged breweries in the Ruhr area of Germany. And so Harp Lager was born, with the Brian Boru Harp as it emblem. In 2005 Harp saw a makeover, Diageo Ireland separated the brand from Guinness and gave it a new look, with new advertisements appearing on TV. Ironically there is no longer an actual Harp on the design of the new tins and bottles as that logo belongs to Guinness.
  
  Harp’s distinctive, refreshing taste has earned it six gold medals in the famous annual Monde Selection beer tasting competition. It is Northern Ireland’s number one lager.
  
  Harp is brewed using golden barley and the choicest hops to give a smooth satisfying lager taste. In blind taste testing research in Ireland, Harp receives most favoured status time after time.
  
  Since its launch in 1960, Harp has remained a premium Irish lager. In 1996, its already successful export brew was launched in Irish off-licences. Harp 5% Export is a premium lager with a 5% alcohol content and a rich, smooth taste. Harp is also exported to Europe and Canada.
  
  DescriptionHarp is a 4% abv pale lager. It is brewed with barley and flavoured with hops. It is sold as a filtered draught beer from pressurized kegs, and as a filtered beer in bottles and cans.
  
  Harp ExportHarp Export Lager is a 5% abv pale lager.
  
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• chef_irish 15 years ago said:
  Scotland has nurtured a unique brewing culture for much of its history. Scottish brewers were very active in exporting beer around the globe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
  
  Despite the variety of beers produced in Scotland over the last few centuries, one particular flavor profile emerged as the characteristic style of the land
  
  A major crop of Scotland is Barley. Barley produced in the north of Scotland most often becomes Scotch whiskey while that grown in the south is better suited to the making of beer.
  
  In contrast to barley, hops refuse to flourish in Scotland. Long after the English had conceded to use hops, the Scots continued to prefer other bittering substances Such as ginger, pepper, spices and aromatic herbs.”
  
  As a result of these influences, we today recognize four styles of beer that hail from Scotland. Three are called Scottish ales and the fourth style is known as Scotch ale.
  
  McEwan's Scotch Ale *McEwan’s Scotch Ale is the name which the keg 70/- product of S&N is sold into the market in the North East of England. It is mild strength and gassy.
  McEwan’s 70/- is the real ale version of the above - otherwise known as ‘Special’
  McEwan’s 80/- is a cask conditioned strong Scottish Ale otherwise known as ‘heavy’
  McEwan’s Lager was introduced in the 1970s as lager became more popular. It was discontinued in 2003.
  McEwan’s Export is a strong, caramelised dark beer originally made for export. It remains one of the most popular canned or bottled beers in Scotland. It is famous for its various logos “To copy is forgery” and “quality and Strength” and “only ever made in Edinburgh, Scotland”.
  William McEwan opened the Fountain Brewery in 1856, in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh. By the time it became in public company in 1889, the brewery was valued at £1 million. At the beginning of the 1900s, the brewery had a large share of the market throughout Scotland and north-east England, and was exporting to Australia, New Zealand India and South Africa. McEwan’s merged with William Younger’s Brewery (founded in Edinburgh in 1749) in 1931, becoming Scottish Brewers. The company merged again in 1960, joining with Newcastle Breweries to form Scottish & Newcastle.
  
  
  In February 2004 Scottish & Newcastle announced the closure of McEwan’s Brewery, at the same time as partially buying Caledonian Brewery in Slateford, Edinburgh. McEwan’s brewery finally closed in June 2005, with production of the McEwan’s and Younger’s beers being transferred to Caledonian.
  
  
  Its logo depicts a character from a Frans Hals painting known popularly as The Laughing Cavalier enjoying the beer.
  
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