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• 

  Have I Had My Interim Kölschkranz Needs Met?

  Posted: March 16th, 2010, 11:20pm CET by Alan McLeod

  I has been almost four years since I put out the call about my need for a kölschkranz. And that New York Times piece by Evan Rail about kölsch back in 2007 was accompanied by one of the most gorgeous photos of beer in a kranz... or in any other container... that I have ever seen. It made my kölschkranz need even stronger. Truly, Ich brauche ein kölschkranz. And it has been ein kölschkranzbrauchen without satiation.

  Until now. It appears that I may well have finally got my wish if only in cardboard care of the new packaging for Beau's Lug Tread Ale from very eastern Ontario. Look, I am the last guy to go all drippy over beer packaging but this is a fantastic take on putting beer in the hands of the consumer, this consumer. And it is a take that is, frankly, kölschkranztastick. Beau's has been using a great ceramic bottle but the costs were not unburdensome and they have had some issues with getting them returned. Now, they have turned to cardboard and a little strip of hockey skate quality cloth to create another - likely more sustainable and certainly more returnable - canny vessel for their ale's transport. While not quite origami it sure is clever.

  As I said, what matters is what is in the glass not how it looks on the shelf but this is a bit of the best of both worlds.

• 

  Book Review: Brewing With Wheat By Stan Hieronymus

  Posted: March 16th, 2010, 12:04am CET by Alan McLeod

  I got my review copy of Stan's new book in the mail today. Stan is so clever he already has the book's own website up. I have a disclaimer. I like Stan. Sometimes we send giggly emails to each other. Disclosure over.

  Stan researched the book on his family's global trip that passed through my house in 2008. The book is primarily organized around chapters on wheat beers from American, Germany and Belgium along with historic wheat beers now lost like Gose and Berliner Weisse. In addition there is information on how and whys of the grain itself as well as, this being from the good folks at Brewer's Publications, information about how to brew these styles. In each chapter there are descriptions of examples illustrating styles or their respective deviants along with history as well as conversations with those brewers he met on his wheat beer world tour.

  We have to face facts when we approach a book like this. Stan is both thorough and a very skillful writer. He makes a good argument, telling you what he is talking about and then talking about it. You get engaged. So, knowing that, I am going to go off and read a bit more and then see if I have anything of value to add other than to tell you to just go buy the book.

  Later: OK, just go buy it. I bet Stan could write an informative, accurate and entertaining book solely on yeast strains.