FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
| BOOZE Brewtopia '98 If you're a fan of microbrewed beers, then you will want to mark April 2nd to 4th on your calendar as Brewtopia '98 gets under way at the Red & White Club, adjacent to McMahon Stadium. Almost half of the beers offered are produced locally, with the remainder originating from other parts of the country. While it is nice to recognize the quality brews being produced in Canada (it is, after all, a national beverage of sorts), it would also be interesting to taste some of the microbrews that now proliferate the US market. The problem is that the profit margin on beer, for both the agents and retailers, is very low, making it almost impossible to make any money on small-batch American imports. In any event, there are some very fine brews being offered at the Brewtopia festival, so let's start with some background on the various styles being offered this year. Ales are, by far, the predominant style of beer at Brewtopia '98. Ales fall into the category of top-fermented beer, whereby the yeast rises to the top of the vat during a warm fermentation. Lagers are bottom-fermented beers, and in this case a cold fermentation causes the yeast to fall to the bottom of the vat. Both methods can produce thick, intensely flavored beers or, by contrast, those of a light, crisp nature. There are around 100 different additives permitted in the commercial production of beer, ranging from flavoring agents such as hop oils, fruit juices, and spices, as well as some less desirable components such as foaming agents. Beer starts out as a boiled mixture of malted grain and water (known as wort), although malt extract (usually used in home brewing) can be used in place of whole, malted grain. Some brewers, especially Belgians, will use unmalted grains, but the majority adhere to the German Bavarian Beer Act of 1515, known as the reinheitsgebot, which dictates that only malted grain may be used. Malting is essentially a process of drying the moist grain, halting the germination process. The degrees and various styles of malting play a large part in the final result of the brewmasters craft. I have tasted some decent beers made with malt extract, but the use of this product tends to give them a slightly unnatural-tasting sweetness. It is the addition of yeast that converts the natural sugars in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide, and the type of yeast used, be it wild or cultivated, is an important consideration in beer making. Belgian lambics can lay claim to the oldest known commercial fermentation, whereby the windows in the brewery are left open to allow wild yeast strains to settle on the cooling grain and water mixture. As this is a very unstable method of adding yeast, the results are not always positive, and sometimes fail completely. When this method does work, however, the result is a beer unlike any other, with intense, fruity, wine-like notes. The cone-shaped flowers of the hop vine have become the overwhelming choice of flavoring agents, and there is some evidence to suggest the use of hops goes back as far as the eighth century. Hops are highly aromatic and intensely flavored, as well as containing a substantial amount of tannin, which acts as a natural preservative. The petals can be used in their natural state, but are usually processed into pellets or an extract that appears in the form of an unappetizing green goo. As you would expect, the origin of the hops plays a large part in the flavor it imparts to the beer. Hops are added to the mixture of water and malt and then (usually) boiled, and the brewer decides at what point in the boiling process to add them, as this, too, will effect the final product. You will also encounter some bottle fermented beers (from Unibroue) at this year's festival. These beers receive an additional dosage of yeast just prior to bottling, causing a second (or sometimes third) fermentation to occur in the bottle, giving them a good deal of natural carbonation. As Belgian beer is difficult to find in the Alberta market, the Belgian-style beers of Unibroue (out of Quebec) represent a fine alternative. Big Rock will also be present at this year's festival, and while they need no introduction to Albertans, their beers are always worth tasting as they remain among the best ales made anywhere in the world. They have recently changed their Pale Ale to a "dry hopped" style, adding the hops after the boiling process, which should offer up a very flavorful ale. Ontario's Creemore Springs will be pouring their lager, which is always very good, and from BC there is Tree, Chilkoot, Tin Whistle, Grizzly, Nelson and Okanagan Springs brewers. There are a couple of Calgary brewpubs being represented - Brewsters and Mission Bridge - as well as other Alberta microbreweries, such as Bow Valley, Wild Rose, Alley Kat and Brew Brothers. As for the big boys, Molson will be pouring their Capilano Pale Ale and Rickard's Red. On a final note, recent evidence suggests beer may contain cancer-fighting properties as well as other health benefits - good news for most of my friends, as their status can now be elevated from beer-swilling barflys to rosy-cheeked health nuts. Cheers! Brewtopia runs Thursday April 2 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday April 3 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, April 4 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance from TicketMaster or $8 at the door, and each 4-ounce. sample will cost you $1. Proceeds go to Alberta Theatre Projects. New arrivals Molson Breweries in Western Canada is now making its export ale available at home. Export has always been Molson Breweries' most popular ale - in fact, Molson is the only major brewer of ale in Canada. Until now, its Molson Export Ale has only been available to Western Canadians on tap at selected bars, pubs and restaurants. However, 12-pack bottles of "Ex" are now being offered at retail stores throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. Export, Canada's oldest continuously brewed ale, was developed by John Molson, the brewery's original brewmaster, to combine characteristics from traditional English ales and German lagers. This exclusive Canadian ale recipe was handed down through generations of the Molson family until 1903, when it was first brewed and sold as Molson Export Ale. The ale is brewed using Molson's traditional ale yeast strain that dates back over 210 years, specially selected malted barley, and both Nugget and Bramling hops to provide a rich color, full-bodied "higher hop" flavor and a smooth taste, with no preservatives. |