ANNUAL HOTV PUB CRAWL
from Lee Smith
For those of you who are not aware, the Annual HOTV Pub Crawl is
scheduled for Saturday, March 23. The theme this year is "The Journey
South." This means Eugene and Springfield will be on our itinerary. A
40-seat school bus will leave Laidlaw Transit (945 NW Hayes, corner 9th
in Corvallis) at 10:00 a.m. Vehicles may be left in their parking lot.
The first stop will be the now vacant Thrifty Store at Highway 20 and
Springhill Road, where beer and Albanians will be taken aboard. The
departure time from Albany will be 10:30 a.m. From there it's on to
Eugene. A few seats may still available; contact Lee Smith for more
information.
PUB CRAWLERS GET HI-TECH SUPPORT
from Dianna Fisher
(Reuters) London, March 8, 2002
You'd like a drink, but don't know where to turn? A pair of beer-loving
entrepreneurs have just the solution-a computer that straps onto the
wrist and directs the wearer to the nearest pub, Britain's Sun newspaper
reported.
The hi-tech device uses satellite-positioning systems to determine the
wearer's location, then prints the addresses of the four nearest pubs on
a screen, the paper said Friday.
The contraption, called eSleeve, also recognizes the wearer's voice and
can even help drunken revelers find their way home, according to Bristol
University inventors Cliff Randell and Henk Muller. Randell was quoted
as saying, "It works perfectly, but might have trouble recognizing your
voice after one too many pints."
COMMERCIAL BEER REVIEWS
by Kendall Staggs
EXTRAORDINARY IMPORTS
Here are some brief reviews of some of exceptional imported brews
available at Belmont Station in Portland.
Young's Special London Ale (Millennium Edition)
[500 ml, 6.4 percent
abv]
Light amber color, modest head. Sweet, fruity aroma. Sweet and
caramelly on the palate. Just enough hop bitterness at the end for
balance. The bottle says there are a "phenomenal amount of hops" but
many HOTVers will find this not hoppy enough. I thought it was
delicious-an exceptional British beer.
Kapuziner Hefe-Weizen
[500 ml, 5.4 percent abv]
Pale straw color, dense rocky head. Authentic German Hefeweizen, with
more of the clove than the banana esters in the aroma and flavor. Some
hop bitterness is evident-about average for the style. Its appealing
flavor is accentuated by a very creamy mouthfeel. This is one of the
tastiest Weizenbiers I've ever had, from the famous Mšnchshof (monk's
hood) Brewery in Kulmbach, Bavaria.
Crystal Diplomat Dark Czech Lager
[500 ml, 5.0 abv]
Dark chestnut brown color, modest cream head. A dark lager from the
second most famous brewery in Ceskè Budejovice (the most famous makes
beer known in the United States as Czechvar). This lovely beer has
fine, subtle aromatics and a delicious malt flavor. It is very
satisfying; better than any Munich Dunkles I have had. When in the
Czech Republic, remember to say "tmavè" if you want a dark version of a
beer brand.
St. Amand French Country Ale
[750 ml, 5.9 abv]
Pale amber color with a big, foamy, white head. A great Bière de Garde,
more reminiscent of wine than beer. Earthy yeast aromatics dominate.
Slightly sweet malt. Easy to drink for such an exotic beer. Very
satisfying. Brewed by the Castelain Brewery in Bènifontaine, France,
one of the few remaining Bière de Garde brewers, it uses barley malt
from the Champagne region and hops from Alsace.
Boskeun Special Belgian Ale
[333 ml, 8.0 abv]
Murky brown color with a thick beige head. The name of this seasonal
beer from the Mad Brewers means "Easter Bunny." It is spicy, somewhat
tart, and very fruity. Lots of fruity flavor and very potent. Like all
the products from this brewery in Esen, Belgium, this beer takes
drinkers on a wild ride.
Remember these words of wisdom: "More and more of our imports come from
overseas." -George W. Bush, Beaverton, Oregon, September 25, 2000
VITAMIN-FORTIFIED BEER?
from the Real Beer Page
Officials in Scotland are investigating an idea to add vitamin
Thiamin-also known as Vitamin B1-to beer because it might reduce
alcohol-related health problems. A spokeswoman for the Scottish
Executive said ministers were in the early stages of looking into the
possibility of asking brewers to add thiamin to prevent some forms of
alcohol-related brain damage. She also said the ministers backed moves
to put extra information on the drinks labels outlining how many units
were contained in the products. "We have asked advisers to look at
scientific evidence of putting the vitamin into alcohol and to see what,
if any, benefits it would bring," she said.
DRINKERS BITTER OVER "FAST" GUINNESS
from Dianna Fisher
by Kevin Smith (Reuters), Dublin, February 25, 2002
Plans by British drinks giant Diageo to cut the time needed to pour the
perfect pint of Guinness stout were met with cries of "blasphemy" in the
beer's homeland on Saturday. In a bid to revive declining sales, the
makers of Ireland's national tipple are testing a new pouring system
which they say will slash the waiting time on a pint to 15 to 25 seconds
from the traditional two minutes.
News of the move came after Diageo's half-year results this week showed
a one percent dip in overall Guinness volumes, with a four percent fall
in the Irish republic. "A two-minute pour is not relevant to our
customers today," the company's chief executive Paul Walsh said.
For more than two centuries-since Arthur Guinness founded his famous
brewery at Dublin's St. James' Gate-drinkers have been accustomed to
waiting for their Stout. The new technique, which uses ultrasound to
release bubbles in the Stout to form the characteristic white head
instantly, will all but eliminate waiting time.
Emmet Bunting, barman at The Brazen Head in Dublin-reputedly Ireland's
oldest pub, dating back to the 12th century-said the move would be
stoutly resisted. "Our customers will certainly not go for that.
Guinness is a traditional drink and I don't think people will sacrifice
that for a little extra speed and efficiency," he said.
Richard Donovan, manager of Doheny & Nesbitt's bar in central Dublin,
concurred.
"You pull a pint (of Guinness) for an Irishman and he expects to wait.
If you pull one in less than a minute he'll say Ôwhere the hell did you
drag that from,'" he said.
Saturday afternoon customers at O'Dwyers bar were skeptical. Declan
McCauley, a student, doubted whether the move would make any difference
even if it were accepted by Ireland's notoriously conservative drinking
community.
"Most young people drink cider and lager not because it's quicker but
because they don't like Guinness. If anything this could alienate the
core Stout drinkers," he said. Guinness sales may be declining-volumes
have been slipping for the past two years, according to a Guinness
Ireland spokeswoman-but the drink and its iconography are inextricably
linked with the image of Ireland.
Attempts to tamper with such a cherished touchstone could well bring
matters to a head.
