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HOMEBREW Digest #0495
This file received at Mthvax.CS.Miami.EDU 90/09/13 03:16:08
HOMEBREW Digest #495 Thu 13 September 1990
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
New Amsterdam Ale (David Schwartz)
Beer Marketing (Steve Anthony)
RE: Matt's and Ballantine (Mike Fertsch)
Ballantine India Pale Ale (Ihor W. Slabicky)
Nickel-a-drink crime (Richard Stueven)
IPA,NewAmsterdam (Russ Gelinas)
Beer Taxes (bob)
Re: vexing vortices (Ed Falk)
Lower calorie soft drinks (Dave Sheehy)
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Date: 12 Sep 1990 08:01:37 EDT
From: David Schwartz <DSCHWART@umab.umd.edu>
Subject: New Amsterdam Ale
I am sure New Amsterdam is from NYC. I was at the taproom
several years ago, and it was definitely in Manhattan.
I'm not sure if the taproom still exists, but the beer
and ale are still around, and the ale particularly is just
as hoppy as ever.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 08:57:03 EDT
From: Steve Anthony <steveo@Think.COM>
Subject: Beer Marketing
Reprinted without permission, from Bill Richard's front page story on slugs,
9/11/90...
"Slugs' well-known penchant for beer is something else that fascinates
researchers. Organic gardeners know to put out containers of beer for slugs and
snails to climb into and perish. "People kept asking me which beer do they like
best?" says Whitney Cranshaw, a biologist at Colorado State University in Fort
Collins. So, three years ago, Mr. Cranshaw conducted a taste test that might
have pleased Anheuser-Busch, but probably didn't.
"He rounded up 2,500-odd slugs and put out 16 brands of beer in saucers.
Budweiser was the slugs' favorite, 5-to-1, according to Mr. Cranshaw's paper on
the project. The winners, as does happen, died in their beer. Anheuser-Busch
hasn't used the research findings in its advertising, Spuds Mackenzie being a
more effective spokes-animal for Bud Light than a suicidal, alcoholic,
hermaphroditic slug could be.
...so I wonder if a beer-drinkin' man is known by the company he keeps?
"Bartender, a saucer of Bud for my friend here!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 09:04 EDT
From: Mike Fertsch <FERTSCH@adc1.adc.ray.com>
Subject: RE: Matt's and Ballantine
Steve M. Cohn talks about New Amsterdam Ale:
> Well, if this is the beer I am thinking of, it is neither new or from Utica.
> When I lived in New York City (1986), the beer was widely available, and the
> ale somewhat more difficult to find. I do remember that it had the most
> remarkable aroma of hops I have ever encountered in a commercial brew. VERY
> flowery. The reason I am relatively sure it is not from Utica is that it
> was marketed as the only beer brewed in the borough of Manhattan. I don't
> know if this is still true, but it certainly suprised many of my friends.
New Amsterdam products were originally made by Matt's in Utica, then WERE
made in Manhattan (around 34th St and 10th Ave). The brewery was not
profitable, and was closed down a couple of years ago. Matt's makes the
current New Amsterdam products.
===========================
Paul L. Kelly asks about Bally IPA:
> Wandering through one of the local liquor stores the other day, I spotted a
> section of the "import" shelf that had several six-packs of an India Pale
> Ale. I'm not really sure, but I think the brand name was "Ballantine" or
> something.
I went into a beer store a year or so ago, and asked if they had Ballantine
India Pale Ale. The clerk clearly never heard of the product, but she
directed me to the import case, perhaps a "bait-and-switch" tactic. No
luck. I suppose the clerk thought IPA came from India. Ballantine IPA is
made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, so is definitely a DOMESTIC product. Perhaps
Falstaff should rename this beer "Indiana Pale Ale".
IMHO, Ballantine IPA is at the top of the Ballantine line, and is probably
the best beer Falstaff has ever made. Prior to being brewed in Indiana,
Bally IPA was made in Cranston, Rhode Island, and, before that, in the New
York City area. People tell me that each relocation resulted in lower
quality beers.
> BTW -- the underside of the caps are worth a look -- kind of a beer-
> drinker's gameshow.
These caps are great! All Falstaff beers use the "game-show" cap, so buy
some cheap Bally XXX or Haffenreffer if you like the caps and want to save
some money.
Mike Fertsch
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 09:23:34 -0400
From: iws@sgfb.ssd.ray.com (Ihor W. Slabicky)
Subject: Ballantine India Pale Ale
Falstaff did buy out the P. Ballantine's brewery's names
and formulations, and in spite of driving out/closing a
large number of regional brewers (Ballantine and Naragansett
here in the north east) and being a maker of p (I mean b)eer,
thay do make the Ballantines's India Pale Ale, which is rather
good for a product from such a commercial brewery. They also
make the Haffenreffer's Malt Liquor, which is not too bad either!
The Narragansett Porter was so-so as it seemed to be a caramel
colored lager. Their other brews are good if guzzled cold!
The bottle cap are fun to try and solve, and I save them.
I don't know how many there are, several hundred different ones?
Ihor
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 08:03:10 PDT
From: gak@Sun.COM (Richard Stueven)
Subject: Nickel-a-drink crime
I'm trying to drum up some local opposition to the proposed alcohol
tax. Just so I can be sure I have my facts straight, does anyone out
there have an online copy of the bill that they can email to me?
Failing that, whom do I need to contact to get a hardcopy?
thx
gak
** Richard Stueven attmail!gak gak@sun.com **
** Monday is a work day, Tuesday's much the same **
** Wednesday comes and goes away, Thursday's back again - Madness **
** Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew! **
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 11:24 EST
From: <R_GELINA%UNHH.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu> (Russ Gelinas)
Subject: IPA,NewAmsterdam
That IPA that (someone) mentioned *was* Ballantine, made by Falstaff. I had
a few this summer (and mentioned on the list just how good they were). Others
on the list informed me that Falstaff is not the nicest of brewers, taking
over smaller breweries and "watering-down" their product, so to speak. The
Ballantine IPA is very good though, so maybe Falstaff is changing their ways.
Re. New Amsterdam Ale/Beer: I'm pretty sure it is made in Utica, NY. Maybe, as
in the Falstaff case, the smaller brewery (that was in Manhattan) was bought
out by a larger brewer.
A couple of conflicting thoughts about this "bigger fish eat littler fish"
phenomenon: It *does* make good brew originally developed at a smaller
brewery more widely available, but the quality may suffer, and even worse, the
*real* big fish (you know who I mean) may take notice, buy up the intermediate
breweries, and *really* ruin the original product. I dunno, tough call....
Russ
------------------------------
Date: Wed Sep 12 12:53:44 1990
From: semantic!bob@uunet.UU.NET
Subject: Beer Taxes
Mike Fertsch writes:
> Based on other numbers I've seen, a nickel a bottle is more than big brewers
> spend on ingredients. I recall that packaging costs more than the beer
> ingredients. Labor is the big ticket item in breweries.
If I remember correctly, a completely unsubstantiated rumor, the cost to
produce a beer is only cents. I think it was less than 10. The rest
of the costs are packaging, transportation, taxes and of course price
mark-ups for every one who touches the product. With taxes being the
biggest percent, and transportation next. And, as Mike said, packaging
costs where more than the ingredient costs.
Can anyone verify or disprove any parts of this rumor? Or was I just
dreaming.
- -- Robert A. Gorman (Bob) bob@rsi.com Watertown MA US --
- -- Relational Semantics, Inc. uunet!semantic!bob +1 617 926 0979 --
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 12:04:52 PDT
From: falk@Eng.Sun.COM (Ed Falk)
Subject: Re: vexing vortices
>
>
>
> Much ink has been spilled over the years on the Coriolus effect, in partic.,
> how the vortices in bathtub drains go in opposite directions in the northern
> and southern hemispheres. I heard (on CBC's "Quirks and Quarks", I think)
> that although there really is a difference in the force which depends upon
> latitude and hemisphere, the magnitude of the force is so tiny as to make
> it irrelevant. The direction of the vortex in your bath (I take showers,
> personally) is determined by the net spin you exerted on the body of water
> by sloshing about in the tub.
>
Read "The Straight Dope" by Cecil Adams. He talks about this for a
while. Somebody experimented with a large circular tub, filling it
so it would swirl clockwise. When drained, the tub would drain clockwise.
If he let the water sit for 24 hours, when drained, the tub would drain
counterclockwise (the way the Coriolus effect would dictate).
By experimentation, he was able to get the water to start draining
in the direction the tub was filled, and then stop and start swirling
the other way.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 16:03:05 PDT
From: Dave Sheehy <dbs@hprnd>
Subject: Lower calorie soft drinks
Full-Name: Dave Sheehy
Awhile ago someone asked about making a diet or at least lower calorie soda
pop. Here's an idea I came up with along these lines.
I have been interested in making a lower calorie soda pop especially after
making a few batches and seeing exactly how MUCH sugar there really is in
soda pop. Here is an idea I've come up with that I'm going to try on my next
batch. Fructose tastes 70% sweeter than sucrose (according to some nutrition
book I read) and they are nearly equal in caloric content. Therefore, if I
substitute fructose (available in bulk at my local Raley's) for the sucrose
and use 1/2 as much I should end up with about half the calories and a drink
that is a little less sweet than 'normal'. My main concern is the possibility
of exploding bottles. If the sugar density is acting as a preservative and
preventing the yeast from fermenting then I may be in trouble. On the other
hand if the lack of nutrients is the controlling factor in yeast activity then
I should be ok. I am less concerned with flavor differences due to the
fructose. Opinions?
Dave Sheehy
dbs%hprnd.hp.com
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #495, 09/13/90
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