MdV: Merchant du Vin
beer e-newsletter –
Each issue of Merchant du Vin e-news
will let you know of articles, accolades, events, and beer news. Each issue will also contain a discussion of
a beer style, a brewing technique, or a definition of a beer term. This is intended to interest those who have
beer questions, to help those who get asked beer questions, or to spark
discussions from those who already know a lot about beer.
A note for readers who filter
e-mail: This edition and future editions
will always begin the subject line with: MdV
That way, you can set a rule that
allows our news to reach you.
NEWS, EVENTS, ARTICLES
A complete detailed event listing
can be found at:
http://merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/news.html
WESTMALLE
Westmalle Trappist Ales have become
part of the Merchant du Vin portfolio, and will be available throughout the
CONCORDE
The supersonic Concorde has retired
& can no longer zip you across the
http://www.museumofflight.org/
ORGANIC & VEGAN BEER
Organic food products continue to
grow fast and draw interest, and we are pleased to remind readers that we
import Samuel Smith Organic Ale, Samuel Smith Organic Lager, and the organic
beers of Pinkus Muller, from
We enjoy Cream City Suds, Wine, and
Spirits (a fine publication available in the midwest) and there’s a great
article this month on Porters and Stouts that features Samuel Smith Taddy
Porter, Oatmeal Stout, and Imperial Stout: www.creamcitysuds.com
BEER CHAT FROM THE
All beer is based on grain --
barley, usually -- and all beer is seasoned with hops. This wonderful, bitter
seasoning – hops – balances the richness of malt flavors, and also adds aroma
and flavor notes that can range from elusive to outrageous.
The part of the hop vine that
brewers use is the flower of the female plant.
This flower, which looks kind of like a small, soft green pine cone, has
an aromatically herbal aroma and a bitter flavor. Brewers add some hops just as their kettle
comes to a boil, because the bitter component of the hops is oily and not very
water-soluble: it takes time in the boil for the bitterness to get into the
liquid. Because the boil drives off 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 just adding hops to the finished 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? This flavor comes from bittering hops, and
it's one of the "basic flavors" that our tongue can sense. This 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 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. 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.
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.
Merchant du
Vin imports benchmark beers from