MdV: Merchant du Vin beer e-newsletter – Wednesday Feb. 10, 2010: Hops!

In This Issue:
Lindemans for Valentine's Day
Facebook & Twitter
News & Accolades
Hops


This is the monthly newsletter from specialty beer importer Merchant du Vin. It's designed to promote understanding, enjoyment, and sales of fine beer.

Lindemans for Valentine's Day: Don't forget to pick up a bottle or two of the perfect Valentine's Day beer: Lindemans (Valentine's Day is Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010)

Quick sources of information: Facebook & Twitter
Nowadays news and info spread more quickly than ever before, and Facebook and Twitter have become major conduits for many people. If you prefer to get news and updates this way, we'll try to help:
Merchant du Vin's Facebook fan page (Please become a fan!): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Merchant-du-Vin-Specialty-Beer-Importers-Since-1978/81814213283
Merchant du Vin on Twitter: http://twitter.com/merchantduvin


Accolades, News & Events

Merchant du Vin's benchmark import beers continue to gain attention in the media:

On Feb. 5, 2010, The Wine Enthusiast published this article on organic beer by writer Gregg Glaser - it features both Pinkus and Samuel Smith's organic beers, with a nice Pinkus photo. http://www.winemag.com/Wine-Enthusiast-Magazine/February-2010/Beer-Goes-Green/

The March '10 All About Beer Magazine features Lindemans Cassis in the "Lambic" article by K. Florian Klemp; as usual, Ayinger beers placed top in their BTI Buyer's Guide categories: Jahrhundert-Bier, 93; Oktober Fest-Marzen, 93; Celebrator 98. Also, on Jan. 26, '10, Rochefort Trappist 8 was chosen as All About Beer's "Beer of the Week." http://allaboutbeer.com/daily-pint/beer-of-the-week/2010/01/rochefort-8/

Here is a nice Traquair House recap, from a widely-read blog based on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. http://alaskanbeer.blogspot.com/2010/02/march-of-time.html

The Jan/Feb '10 issue of DRAFT Magazine suggests Ayinger Brau-Weisse as a pairing for jalapeño poppers - see Sean Z. Paxton's article on p.58; also, Orval Trappist Ale and Westmalle Trappist Tripel were included in Draft's "Top 25 Beers of the Year 2009."

The Nov/Dec '09 issue of DRAFT Magazine features Westmalle Trappist Tripel ("this perfect, 100-point Belgian tripel defines the style . . . ") in the "ultimate holiday season mix-pack," (p. 20); Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale in "A Dozen Holiday Beers," (p. 28); Lindemans Framboise in the "Get Razzed," recipe (p. 57); Rochefort Trappist 8 in "The 10 (Most Interesting Belgian) Beers of Christmas," (p. 73); and Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout with an "exceptional" rating and 90 points in Brew Reviews (p. 89). Plus, there is this detailed article about the naming of Ayinger Celebrator doppelbock. http://www.draftmag.com/magazine/articles/92

A full current news listing is always on our news page; you can also check local beer tastings, dinners and festivals on our national events page. If you are interested in beer glassware, clothing and collectables we also have an online e-store - http://store.merchantduvin.com/e/mdv .


Hops

Beer starts as water and grain - barley, usually - but almost every beer is seasoned with a traditional spice: hops, the flower of a fast-growing perennial vine. This wonderful, bitter seasoning balances the deep richness of malt flavors, and also adds aroma and flavor notes that can range from elusive to outrageous. Hops were included in Pliny the Elder's "Natural History" encyclopedia of the first century AD, and they have been cultivated for 1000 years, with the first records coming from Bavaria's Hallertau region.
The part of the hop vine that brewers use is the flower of the female plant. This flower, which looks like a small, soft green pine cone, has an aromatically herbal aroma and a bitter flavor. Brewers add some hops as their kettle comes to a boil, because the bitter component of the hops is not very water-soluble: it takes time in the boil for the bitterness to get into the liquid. Because the boil drives off some of the nice herbal aroma, brewers who want that aroma in the beer add more hops close to the end of the boil: those hops aren't in long enough to add much bitterness, but the aroma isn't boiled away. Hops added early are called "bittering" or "kettle" hops, and those added close to the end of the boil are called "finishing" hops, or sometimes "aroma" hops if they are added right at the end. Dry hopping? That's adding hops to the finished (fermented) beer, either in a keg or in a conditioning tank just before bottling. Dry-hopping provides freshest hop aroma, and doesn't add bitterness.
While there are many many varieties of hops, they all can be analyzed two ways:
First, how much bitterness does a specific hop variety provide? Bitterness in beer comes from the "kettle" hops, and it is one of the "basic flavors" that our tongue can sense. The bitterness of a hop variety can be measured as a percentage of alpha acids by weight and can range from 2% all the way up to near 20%. To increase bitterness in beer, brewers can use more hops, or use a "higher-alpha" hop, or boil the hops longer. The final bitterness level is a number: International Bittering Units, or IBUs. For reference, a yeast-forward beer style or a light American lager may have 10-12 IBUs; many craft beers and imports range around 25-45 IBUs; and some styles - particularly from American craft brewers - can surpass 70, 90, or even more IBUs. It is important to note that a super-bitter beer is usually backed up with lots of malt and alcohol flavors for balance. A super-roasty imperial stout at 9% abv and 90 IBUs may taste less bitter than a medium-bodied India Pale Ale with 65 IBUs.
(Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale: 31 IBU; Smith's India Ale: 46 IBU; Ayinger Brau-Weisse: 13 IBU; Ayinger Celebrator: 24 IBU; Lindemans Peche: 10 IBU; Westmalle Trappist Tripel: 37 IBU; Orval Trappist Ale 31 IBU; Zatec Bright Lager: 24 IBU.)
The second way to analyze hops applies mainly to hops used for finishing: beer tasters use wonderfully subjective adjectives like "citrusy, earthy, noble, spicy, barnyardy, zippy, musty, grapefruity, fresh, herbal, or piney," and the list goes on. Whatever the hop variety, whatever the alpha acid levels, and however the brewer uses hops . . . they may be one of the spices of life. They are certainly the spice of beer.

Until next month, cheers and thanks for enhancing your life with excellent beer - and a special thanks to our wholesale and retail partners.

merchantduvin.com

Merchant du Vin | 18200 Olympic Avenue S. | Tukwila | WA | 98188