Smoke Beer

It took a while, but I finally manged to get my hands on the real deal. Will be giving it a try today.

clipped from www.schlenkerla.de HISTORICAL BREWERY TAVERN In the middle of the old part of Bamberg, directly beneath the mighty cathedral, one can find the Historical Brewery Tavern Schlenkerla. First mentioned in 1405 and now run by the Trum family in the 6th generation, it is the fountain of Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer Bamberg’s Specialty   The Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer is here at the tavern still being tapped directly from the wooden barrel according to old tradition.     Even if the brew tastes somewhat strange at the first swallow, do not stop, because soon you will realize that your thirst will not decrease and your pleasure will visibly increase.     Schlenkerla has become a magic word for a long time, but many do not know where this word originated. Its roots lie within the Frankish vernacular, in which “schlenkern” is an expression for walking not straight – just like a drunken person does. Allegedly one of the former brewers had a funny way of walking due to an accident, or maybe due to the beer, and so he was called the “Schlenkerla” – the little dangler. The ending –la is the typical diminutive for the Frankish dialect. After a while, the residents of Bamberg also called the tavern Schlenkerla, and even though the sixth generation of brewers now taps the beer, the name has remained. Even in the phone book and the internet you can find the brewery under the name Schlenkerla. Today it stands for the tavern, the brewery and, most importantly, for the Smokebeer.   Smokebeer from Schlenkerla is a dark, aromatic, bottom fermented beer with 13.5 percent original extract, which is equivalent to an alcohol content of 5.1 percent. No doubt: there are stronger beers, but nevertheless, one should not underestimate … it can make you “schlenker” quite a bit. Its smoky flavor is being achieved by exposing the malt to the intense, aromatic smoke of burning beech-wood logs at the Schlenkerla-maltings. After mixing it with premium-class hops in the brew, it matures in 700 year old cellars, deep down in the hills of Bamberg, into a mellow, magnificent-tasting beer, best drunk directly in “Schlenkerla”. An Original amongst the beers, even amongst the Bavarian beers. You can drink it in the “Alte Lokal” at white-scrubbed wooden tables – covering them with a tablecloth would be a sin – underneath an old timbered ceiling, even darker than the beer. You can drink it in the “Klause”, a former monastery, built in 1310, or you can drink it in the inner court next to a 500-liter wooden-keg.

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My Neighborhood

From the steps of the First Baptist Church (where is the Second?) just down the street from my house, I can see much of the real Pennington Gap. I see another church right across the street. I also see the houses of two neighbors, both convicted drug dealers. One is on parole, the other will be in prison for a few more years. I see the office of a former dentist, another convicted felon who is in federal prison. He defrauded the government and gets to do his time in a cushy “Club Fed” work camp. I can also see the parking lot where I have seen prostitutes engaging in commerce. I see one of the local pawn shops where you can peruse stolen merchandise or pay usury fees to the modern-day money lender. There are several spots where drugs are openly sold and these have become ubiquitous. And I can see the building where Rooster’s Pub is located. Depending on your outlook, Rooster’s is a bar that serves food or, a restaurant that serves alcohol. But not on Sunday. That would be incompatible with community standards. You don’t have to be a hypocrite to live here, but it sure doesn’t hurt.

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Kit Kat Corner Store

Kit Kat Corner Store

Originally uploaded by Digital Agent

 

I thought this was an HDR image to begin with, but it’s just the fantastic light.

Nicely done, but the quality of the early morning light makes this interesting.

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Biobeer

No thanks . . . beer is beer and wine is wine.

clipped from 2008.igem.org Resveratrol, a phytochemical in plants, has been implicated as a natural product that extends lifespan and prevents cancer, coronary disease and neurodegenerative maladies. Unfortunately, resveratrol is only present at appreciable levels in a small number of foods, such as red wine, peanuts, and blueberries. To create an alternative source for resveratrol consumption, we are introducing a biosynthetic pathway for this compound into a brewing strain of yeast and examining whether this strain can be engineered to produce resveratrol during beer fermentation. Given the high worldwide consumption of beer and the low cost of production, unfiltered beer brewed using our genetically modified yeast should provide a cost-effective source of pharmacologically-active resveratrol. This engineering approach should be useful for cheap biosynthesis of other oxygen-sensitive prophylactics.

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