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Beer, Bars & Brewers #10

Welcome back to the Beer of it all. This week we take a look at a 130-year old yeast type found in Carsberg’s cellar, we ask ourselves what the world has come to in “is whale vomit a new trend in the craft beer world?”, Aldi expands its beer range with craft beer, and a American brewery produced biodegradable six pack rings that will helpful go a long way to save some marine wildlife. Prost!

Some lighthearted fun aside, aren’t we all secretly fans of Buzzefeed listicles? If yes, here’s your chance to go click crazy. 26 Drinks That Prove Mixing Beer Is A Great Idea

World’s first Pure Cultured Yeast Reused in Carlsberg Beer

The ‘Saccharomyces Carlsbergensis’ was grown by Emil Christian Hansen for Carlsberg in 1883 and revolutionized the beer industry. This yeast is the prototype of all bottom fermented yeasts that are now used to make pils and lager beers. It is the world’s first pure cultured yeast which resulted in beers that no longer suffered from unforeseen, and often inedible, brews. Founder Hansen even distributed his groundbreaking discovery to other breweries. Now, 130 years after the fact, the yeast survived deep within the cellars of Copenhagen’s Carlsberg brewery. Researchers found several bottles of the original beer brewed with Saccharomyces Carlsbergensis and managed to extract live cultures to try and recreate the taste. Only 30 bottles of “Original 1883” were produced, the first of which was gifted to prince Frederik of Denmark.

Whale Vomit: Craft Beer’s Newest Trend?

A team of  South Australian brewers debuted a ambergris (read: whale vomit) enhanced beer at a craft beer festival held in Melbourne earlier this month. Eater set out to investigate if this was a one off, or a trend that we should feel free to embrace. Apparently, the Moby Dick Ambergris Ale is not the first drink product to use ambergris as a flavoring agent: at New York’s Betony restaurant has “at least one cocktail incorporates the pricey whale waste” which is also one of the traditional punch spices. One of the brewers called its flavor “’challenging’, telling ABC South East SA, “it tastes a little bit like the sea,” and “a little bit like marine animals”. Ambergris is said to “form in the intestines of sperm whales as a means of aiding in digestion. It is eventually excreted (or regurgitated) into the ocean once the whale dies, where it hardens over time”. It is also extremely expensive, half a kilo might be worth $63,000. Though the beer was as one off, the brewers still have enough to make a new, bigger batch. We’ll see how fast that flies off the shelves.

Aldi’s Craft Beer Offering

Budget supermarket Aldi is all set to tap into the UK’s craft beer market. From May 29th onwards the grocer will stock “18 UK brewed craft beers in its English and Welsh stores”. Reports note that the supermarket is spending £600m on this initiative. Offerings include beers from Box Steam Brewery, Wadworth Brewery, Sadler’s Brewery, Sussex-based Arundel Brewery and Hogsback Brewery, and several more. The Society for Independent Brewers’ (SIBA) communications director Tony Jerome said “It’s great to see Aldi championing local breweries and bringing the taste of some of Britain’s finest craft-brewed ales to shoppers across the country. Craft brewed beer is the strongest it’s ever been in the UK and Aldi’s range will strengthen that trend even further”. Bring on the masses.

Edible Six Pack Rings

Game changer. Who hasn’t seen those horrific ads in which poor, squashed sea turtles are stuck in six pack rinks, their whole shells deformed? Something’s being done to combat this. The drinks business reports that “a Florida brewery is using waste from the brewing process to manufacture eco-friendly six-pack rings to replace the plastic used in existing products”. The Salwater Brewery is using a bi-product from their own brewing process to create a new, biodegradable alternative to plastic. Made from wheat and barley draff, the rings pose no threat to animals if consumed. Patent pending.

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