Local Brewers Research Articles

Improving craft beer style classification through physicochemical determination and the application of deep learning techniques

The consumption of craft beer at fairs and festivals is a phenomenon that keeps growing in the world. For this reason, it is important to control the quality characteristics of the different styles. This study aimed to analyze the different styles of beer, classify them according to their physicochemical parameters, and propose a predictive pattern-based model known as deep learning that best defines the styles that are presented at festivals. Physicochemical analyses of final gravity, color, alcohol, bitterness, and α-acids were carried out on eight styles of beer. The first four parameters are those that characterize the styles according to the Beer Judge Certification Program style guide. The incorporation of the α-acid determination allowed a more realistic classification that considers the brewers' new tendencies. This study will lay the foundations to improve local recipes, implement standardization, and provide training to local brewers.

Peanut Butter Milk Stout [MicroBusiness

I very much enjoyed attending the International Microwave Symposium (IMS2022) in Denver last June. Among the many outstanding activities was the welcome reception on Monday evening. It was outdoors in a sculpture garden and featured a variety of food options as well as a broad selection of craft beers from local brewers. When I got there, I went to the closest brewery’s station and sampled a couple of their offerings. I didn’t bother trying their Peanut Butter Milk Stout. I know that I wouldn’t enjoy a beer like that. I like a good stout from time to time. I also think peanut butter is quite tasty. But I don’t see the appeal of mixing them. I’m a bit of a purist in these things. I’ve often told friends and family that I like beer that tastes like beer and coffee that tastes like coffee. No hazelnut vanilla java for me, please!

A Validated Liquid–Liquid Extraction Method for the Quantitative Analysis of Ethanol in the Different Types of Home-Brewed Alcoholic Beverages of Botswana Using Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector

PurposeHome-made alcohol-related deaths are a significant public health issue which is often overlooked. To date, approximately 30 people have died following the consumption of home brewed alcoholic beverages in Botswana. The process of brewing such alcoholic beverages remains unmonitored and makes it difficult to pinpoint the cause of these deaths. Ethanol content in these beverages is thought to be high and therefore contributing towards the deaths. The aim of this research was to develop and validate a method for the quantification of ethanol in the different types of home-brewed alcoholic drinks of Botswana.MethodsTwenty-six different samples of home-brewed alcoholic drinks were collected from local brewers in different districts of Botswana. A Liquid–Liquid Extraction-Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector method was optimized for extraction of ethanol using ethyl acetate and validated for accuracy, precision, repeatability, selectivity, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, stability. Following this, the method used to measure the concentration of ethanol in the different home brewed beverages.ResultsThe method demonstrated linearity in the concentration range of 2.5–60% v/v with correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.996 and, was found to be precise with %RSD values ≤ 5%. Repeatability was acceptable with %RSD values ≤ 5%. Percentage recoveries were within 100%. No interference was observed from likely excipients commonly found in home brewed alcoholic beverages, demonstrating good selectivity. Limits of detection and quantification were found to be 0.37% v/v and 1.12% v/v respectively. The analysed samples were discovered to contain ethanol with concentrations ranging from 2.56 to 36% v/v.ConclusionA method for the quantification of ethanol in home-made alcoholic beverages of Botswana was developed and validated. It is simple, cheap, rapid and does not require sophisticated instruments.

Capitalism, Protectionism, and Beer Wars in Rock Island, 1880–1900

Capitalism, Protectionism, and Beer Wars in Rock Island, 1880–1900

Impediments to the Actualization of Legislation on Local Brew in Kenya: a Study within the Kenya-Uganda Border Community, Busia County

Despite the aggressive efforts by the legislators and the moralists to demonize local brew in Kenya, Chang’aa and busaa have withstood all the suppression and they remain the most preferred alcoholic drinks for rural and lower class citizens. This study made an inquiry into the challenges facing the implementation of local brew policies, with specific focus on the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, 2010 and the County Alcoholic Drinks Control Act which is currently being adopted by the counties across Kenya. The study area was unique in the sense that it strategically links Kenya and Uganda and there are deep intricacies in relation to cross border relations. No such study has been conducted in a local community along the Kenya-Uganda border with a long history of local brewing in the western parts of Kenya. The study data was collected from 60 local brewers using questionnaires. Personal interviews were used in gathering data from key informants that included 10 police officers and 10 national administrators. The study found major pitfalls both in the design and implementation of the policies on local brew. The study revealed that the major policy implementation challenges are related to influence from traditions, skewed implementation and coordination measures, inadequate implementation resources, poor conduct of the implementing officers, poor court practices and increased smuggling of sub-standard brew from Uganda. The police are some of the beneficiaries of local brew illegalization efforts since they fleece money from the gullible local brewers. The study recommended that local brew should be legalized and standardized because the current prohibition efforts only benefit Ugandan economy and promote the growth of the black market at the Kenya-Uganda border. There is a need for more investment on the socioeconomic aspects of life that more often lure people to local brewing. The study findings challenge the government to consider meditating upon the realities on the ground before prohibiting local brew. Keywords: Actualization, Legislation, Policy, Public Participation DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/109-08 Publication date: May 31 st 2021

Craft Beer Market in Argentina: An Exploratory Study of Local Brewers’ and Consumers’ Perceptions in Mar del Plata

AbstractDuring the last twenty years, Argentina’s craft beer industry has experienced steady growth, which led to an increase in the number of both breweries and consumers. One of the first and most important craft beer clusters in the country is in Mar del Plata, a popular tourist destination on the coast in east-central Argentina. The sustained popularity of craft beer in this city provides an interesting case study to analyze thoroughly the evolution of a craft beer cluster in a developing country. This article aims to analyze producers’ perceptions as well as consumers’ preferences toward craft beer, in order to understand the craft beer drinkers’ decisions and choices. We interviewed five craft brewers and conducted two focus groups with local craft beer consumers. The results show that neolocalism is highly valued in the industry by both producers and consumers. We identify two groups of craft beer consumers: beginners or social consumers and sophisticated or craft beer lovers. The attributes most appreciated by consumers are quality, flavor, and bitterness.

The Craft Beer Market in Argentina: An Exploratory Study of Local Brewers’ and Consumers’ Perceptions in Mar del Plata

During the last twenty years, Argentina’s craft beer industry has experienced steady growth, which led to an increase in the number of both breweries and consumers. One of the first and most important craft beer clusters in the country is in Mar del Plata, a popular tourist destination on the coast in east-central Argentina. The sustained popularity of craft beer in this city provides an interesting case study to analyze thoroughly the evolution of a craft beer cluster in a developing country. This article aims to analyze producers’ perceptions as well as consumers’ preferences toward craft beer, in order to understand the craft beer drinkers’ decisions and choices. We interviewed five craft brewers and conducted two focus groups with local craft beer consumers. The results show that neolocalism is highly valued in the industry by both producers and consumers. We identify two groups of craft beer consumers: beginners or social consumers and sophisticated or craft beer lovers. The attributes most appreciated by consumers are quality, flavor, and bitterness.

Carcass Characteristics of Intact West African Dwarf Bucks Offered Varying Levels of Brewer’s Dried Grain with Ber (Ziziphus Jujube) Leaves Basal Diet

The present study investigated the Carcass characteristics of Castrated West African Dwarf bucks offered varying levels of Brewer’s dried grain with Ber (Ziziphus jujube) Leaves basal diet. Twelve West African Dwarf bucks with average age of Twelve months weighing 13 (+_0.7) Kg was used for the experiment. Each treatment was replicated three times. The experimental diets consisted of Ber leaves (Ziziphus jujube) as basal diet, supplemented with local brewers’ dried grain at 50g, 100g, 150g and 200g levels designated as treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively.

Growth performance of castrated West African Dwarf Bucks fed varying levels of local brewers' dried grain with Ber (Ziziphus jujube) leaves basal diets

Growth performance of castrated West African Dwarf Bucks fed varying levels of local brewers' dried grain with Ber (Ziziphus jujube) leaves basal diets

Local traditions as a means for commercial production of historical beers: The case of Vossaøl, Norway

ABSTRACTThe aim of the article is to analyse challenges facing the commercial production of historical beers, which are ‘extinct’ beers. The concept of ‘fictive terroir’ is introduced to emphasize these challenges. The author addresses the following questions: What kind of knowledge is needed to produce historical beers? How can this knowledge be acquired? How can it be used commercially in craft breweries? The studied case is Vossaøl, a craft beer imitation of a beer produced in the early 19th century. The data were obtained from written sources and interviews with local home brewers and brewers at Voss Brewery in Norway. The study revealed the need to reconstruct the terroir in the early 19th century. Additionally, Voss Brewery had to acquire knowledge about how to process and combine the ingredients, which included the traditional yeast (kveik). Involving traditional home brewers was crucial to determine how ingredients could be combined to produce Vossaøl. The author concludes that a synthetic knowledge base was a useful point of departure in this respect. Participation in the traditional culture of brewing proved an important means when working with this knowledge base. The results are interesting in the broader context of the reconstruction of beverages and food.

Microbiology and quality assessment of ‘<i>burukutu</i>’ a Nigerian fermented alcoholic beverage

Burukutu is an indigenous alcoholic beverage made in Nigeria from guinea corn. Microbial quality of the brewed burukutu was investigated using standard spread plate method. Ten (10) samples of commercially prepared burukutu were aseptically collected in 500 mL sterile bottles in triplicate from ten randomly selected brew houses in Army barracks and Angwan kaje, Minna, Niger state, Nigeria. The total viable counts, coliform counts and fungal counts ranged from 6.7×107 cfu/mL – 7.9×107 cfu/mL, 1.6×106cfu/mL – 2.6×106 cfu/mL and 2.3×104cfu/mL – 1.54×105 cfu/mL respectively for all locations sampled. The microorganisms isolated from commercially produced burukutu are Esherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtillis, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and species of Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Saccharomyces, Streptococcus, and Fusarium. Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtillis, E. coli, Aspergillus flavus and Saccharomyces species were isolated from burukutu prepared in the laboratory. The proximate analysis revealed that, pH values ranged from 3.0-3.9, temperature ranged from 27.20 - 29.00, titratable acidity ranged from 0.14-0.16, alcoholic content ranged from 1.8-3.6%, dry matter content ranged from 3.6-8.0%, ash content ranged from 0.16-0.36% and crude protein content ranged from 3.18-3.29%. While the mineral analysis revealed that, magnesium content of the samples ranged from 119.30–1073.61ppm. Laboratory prepared burukutu was found to contain the highest calcium (3532.10ppm) and the lowest (917.28ppm) was found in burukutu from Angwan Kaje. The iron content of the samples ranged from 76.00-113.20ppm. The data obtained from proximate and mineral analysis were subjected to a One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) which showed that there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in levels of crude protein, ash content, temperature, magnesium and iron. While there were significant differences (p<0.05) in levels of pH, total titratable acidity, dry matter content, alcohol content and calcium analyzed. Consumption of burukutu may pose a public health hazard because of reported abilities of some fungi isolated to produce mycotoxins. There is therefore need for training local brewers on basic hygiene and measures to reduce risk of contamination by microorganisms.Keywords: Alcoholic beverage; Burukutu; Microorganisms; Mineral analysis; Proximate analysis; Quality assessment

The 1855 Lager Beer Riot Dodgeball Reenactment and Beer Tasting by Pocket Guide to Hell (review)

Reviewed by: The 1855 Lager Beer Riot Dodgeball Reenactment and Beer Tasting by Pocket Guide to Hell Scott Magelssen The 1855 Lager Beer Riot Dodgeball Reenactment and Beer Tasting. By Pocket Guide to Hell. Benton House, Chicago. 25 April 2015. By the sixth match the game had degenerated into chaos. The referees had joined in the scrum, taking the side of the sweating, mustached aggressors. Stray balls knocked spectators’ drinks from their hands. The players slid and stumbled on the beer-slicked floor as balls careened off their bodies in loud smacks. Perhaps the “epic dodgeball battle” achieved what Rebecca Schneider evocatively terms the “touch across time” in reperforming the public demonstration that had taken place 160 years ago near this same spot, when police clashed with Chicago’s Irish and German immigrants—even as the missiles exchanged this night deliberately mismatched the original volley of bullets across the Chicago River. Pocket Guide to Hell’s 1855 Lager Beer Riot “audience interactive” reenactment commemorated the first act of public civil disturbance in Chicago. The April 21st riot (named for the beer popular among German immigrant workers) was motivated by the actions of the American Party (the “Know Nothings,” colloquially) that, although not popular among Chicago’s majority with their ultra-conservative, anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant platforms, had taken control of the mayor’s office and common council with low voter turnout the previous month. Within weeks the Know Nothings banned non-US-born citizens from city employment, closed saloons and beer gardens on Sundays, required liquor licenses to be renewed every three months, and raised the renewal fee from fifty dollars to an impossible $300. The legislation targeted Chicago’s Irish- and German-immigrant saloonkeepers and the six-day-a-week working-class citizens who patronized the saloons for community on their day off. When saloon and beer garden owners’ refusal to close shop on Sundays resulted in several arrests the Irish and Germans took to the streets. The demonstrations climaxed in a confrontation between North Side German immigrants and a posse of Chicago police and volunteer militia over the Chicago River at the Clark Street Bridge. The standoff erupted in a clash of gunfire, with many wounded and one dead, before the police and militia rounded up the protesters. This night’s reenactment took place in the gymnasium of Benton House, a former settlement house and now a Bridgeport neighborhood social-service agency and community center. Pocket Guide to Hell, a “series of interactive and participatory talks, walks, and reenactments dealing with Chicago’s past,” put on the event in coordination with Marz Community Brewing Company and the 2015 Version Arts Festival. The conceit of the reenactment was to pit “10 Chicago Brewers as the Forces of Law and Order” against “10 Bridgeport Citizens as the Irish and German Saloonkeepers,” while everyone in attendance, performers and spectators alike, quaffed any and all of the fifteen kinds of beer supplied by local brewers. Thirty dollars bought admission to the reenactment; fifty dollars bought the chance to play in one of the ten matches. Proceeds for the event benefited the youth and senior programs at Benton House. Click for larger view View full resolution Participants in The 1855 Lager Beer Riot Dodgeball Reenactment and Beer Tasting. (Photo: Roslyn Cohen.) This was not so much fidelity as a camp winking to the past that has come to define Pocket Guide to Hell’s signature form of reenactments. In 2011, for example, Pocket Guide organized a spectacular 125th-anniversary commemoration of the “1886 Haymarket Affair” in which a participants played speakers, anarchists, and police at the site where the law’s attempts to break up a labor rally ended in a violent explosion, allegedly of a bomb hurled into the crowd by the anarchists (a cartoonlike confetti bomb stood in for the real one in the reenactment, although in a more sober turn toward the end, Paul Durica read aloud the names of the victims on all sides). To be sure, contemporary ideals like pro-labor political involvement and the vigilance of Occupy [End Page 716] are the morals here. On this night Edward Marszewski of Marz Brewing, in a wine-colored waistcoat...

CHARACTERIZATION OF Escherichia coli STRAINS ISOLATED FROM SOME LOCALLY BREWED BEERS IN JOS METROPOLIS

This study investigated the microbiological quality of some traditionally brewed and sold beers in Jos, Nigeria. A total of 72 samples, 24 each of mash, wort and beer were collected from six localities namely: Angwan-Rukuba, Gada-Biyu, Tudun-Wada, Ojukwu Street, Kugiya-Bukuru and Jenta Adamu. The different kinds of local beer brands collected from the areas where Moskas, Redcorn, Pito and 9inches. The physico-chemical properties of tap and well waters from the six areas were analysed. The pH and the total titratable acidity of the samples of mash, wort and beer were determined. Samples of raw materials and final products were cultured on various selected media to determine the total bacterial, fungal and faecal coliform. Isolated faecal coliforms were plated on Eosin-Methylene Blue Agar for E.coli identification. Isolates of Escherichia coli were further subjected to rabbit ileal loop assay for enterotoxin production. The result of the physico-chemical parameters of the tap and well waters from these six localities showed only turbidity to exceed acceptable limits, with the highest average value from Jenta Adamu with 10.76 ± 0.21. The pH value of the samples was lowest in the beer samples from Moskas with 4.18 ± 0.15, while the total acidity was highest in Moskas with 0.078 ± 0.0098 mg/L. The average values of bacterial plate counts in all the locations and brands recorded the highest in the mash of the Redcorn with 9.5 x 107. Cfu/ml of Fungi was highest in all beers brands when compared to their mash and wort samples with the highest fungi plate count in the final product of 9inches with 23.3 x 107 cfu/ml. Out of the 36 Escherichia coli assayed for enterotoxin producing attributes only 13 (36.11 %) exhibited fluid inducible capability in animal model. Effective education of food production safety and hygienic handling methods should be encouraged among the local brewers.

Staphylococci and other selected microbiota associated with indigenous traditional beer

The nature and origin of indigenous traditional beer, makes it is prone to spoilage by a variety of microbiota in particular post-fermentation. In this study, samples of commercially and homebrewed indigenous traditional beer were collected using sterile sampling Whirl-pak® bags from local informal brewers in typical marginal urban settlements of South Africa. Both commercially and homebrewed traditional beer recorded the mean counts for total coliforms and Staphylococcus spp. circa 105 cfu.ml-1 whereas the mean TVC and total fungi counts amounted to 106 and 107 cfu.ml-1, respectively. The counts from homebrewed indigenous traditional beer were about one log-phase higher than its commercial counterpart. Further characterisation of staphylococci identifiedStaphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus xylosus,Staphylococcus homonis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. S. aureus was the dominant species in both traditional beers and S. saprophyticus and S. homonis were the least identified. The implementation of sanitation guidelines, licensing of informal brewers, training programmes in aspects such as good manufacturing practices, five keys to safer food is a prerequisite in the study area and the rest of South Africa. Key words: Indigenous traditional beer, food safety, microbiota, staphylococci.

When Local Beat Global: The Chinese Beer Industry

This article is about a rare example of failure by the world’s biggest global brand companies. In the 1990s the world’s top beer producers tried to set up in China. After years of failing to break into the market, many of them have recently been cutting back, even selling their new stateof-the-art production facilities to local brewers. A few, however, have succeeded in entering the China market. This article discusses how they did so and the lessons their experience holds for other companies looking to invest in China. China’s longanticipated entry into the WTO has made this issue important even for companies which have hitherto ignored it.

The Changing Structure of UK Brewing and Pub Retailing

This article charts the major structural changes that have occurred in both UK brewing and pub retailing during the period 1989–2000. A key theme has been the rapid consolidation of the brewing sector in an attempt to achieve economies of scale in production, distribution and marketing. The dominance of the national brewers has allowed them to place increased product emphasis on marketing and me power of brands — particularly lager, me national breweries control all me major lager brands. In tandem with these brewers, me growth and dominance of me national pub chains has garnered apace over the past ten years and in order to maximise profit margins they have established supply arrangements with me national brewers; it has been in the interests of these chains to limit choice thereby maximising the discounts received from their suppliers. The article therefore shows that regional and local brewers cannot compete on price. Competition between pubs is also highlighted. Because beer prices are relatively inelastic, emphasis is placed on the level of amenities provided in pubs, and in particular the branding of pub outlets. Key among these amenities is the provision of food, which now accounts for a substantial percentage of total pub sales.