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Father's Day is around the corner in Australia. September 4 - next weekend to be precise. As usual, there is a lot of product on the market to entice the unwary into spending money to give gifts to we fathers.
Of course, most men (and pretty much women too!) like beer.
The idea of a microbrewery at home is such an appealing idea. In these days where MasterChef and the like tout the necessity for fancy skills in the kitchen it has also overflowed into other traditional areas of life - like beer.
I was in a major chain store earlier in the week and saw a pallet of Beer Machine. There was a tag on the side of packing that said "New... $14..." or words to that effect. I had a closer look and checked out the website. Looked like a nice bit of kit and worth a punt at that price. However, being a slightly more serious brewer, I also labelled it as 'tat'.
The reason I drew that conclusion is because everything from fermentation to forced CO2 carbonation occurs in the same vessel. That, and the total production volume per batch is '2.6 gal', or about ten litres. A usual batch of kits and bits is 21 litres, with some as low as 18 litres. Therefore, the low production volume and the production method cause me to retain the same opinion.
Walking back through that store today and seeing that the price was actually north of $120, the opinion that it is not good value was reinforced.
Those of you considering to choose that item as a gift for Father's Day for next week, or those fathers of you considering it as a gift to yourselves: I encourage you to look a little deeper. For about the same expense, you can gain the necessary equipment to make larger batches more economically and get a deeper insight into the brewing process - and perhaps join what is a lifelong hobby that you will find satisfying and creative.
For those who are satisfied with mega-swill (i.e. cheap Aussie crap beers, flavourless Euro lagers and that piss-weak American shite), then that appartus will probably be suitable for you.
For those of you who know the taste of a fine, hand-made beer and want to enjoy that for a lower expense and add your own finesse to it then visit your local home brew shop and get started the right and traditional way.
Like most things in life, a little attention to detail will give a result that you will be quite proud of.
* All prices in Australian Dollars.
NB - I have not used the Beer Machine and am very unlikely to. I base my opinions on an extensive knowledge of home produced small batches of quality beers, stouts, ales and lagers. Do your research and draw your own conclusions.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Hiatus, Schmiatus... or something like that.
Just a quick post to apologise for the lack of updates during 2011. Sometimes, life intervenes in the goodness of bread and brew.
I've been blessed with a lovely son. He's a fine lad. We're wonderfully happy.
However, keeping mind, body and soul together while experiencing sleep deprivation and undertaking the tasks related to a planned relocation all at the same time... well... something had to give.
Thus brewing is on hiatus until we finally relocate. Baking is using the cheater's delight: a bread machine. And experiments, well, it's better to put those aside until after someone has signed a contract to buy my place.
I'll endeavour to post something relevant and interesting soon.
In the meanwhile, take care and make sure that you brew and bake and do all those good yeasty things that are good for you, your family and the environment. Besides, they're a few of the remaining things that you can do that are pretty much carbon neutral.
Until soon!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The BBC doesn't like Beer!
The BBC, supposedly the source of all good things British, seems hooked on flogging plonk.
According to the article linked below, they only talk about wine from high street sellers and refuse to talk about beer, let alone pairing it with food.
Somehow, I get the feeling that it's some kind of leftist 'snobbery'. Then again, it's hard to call it snobbery when it's the crap wine that is usually sold in the high street.
Drink British Beer!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/28/beeb_beer/
Friday, April 8, 2011
Beers In Spaaaace!
Beer in Space?
Something that only an Australian can think of.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/sci-tech/space-the-final-beer-frontier-20110407-1d5kr.html
Thank God I'm Australian!
Beers to You!
Something that only an Australian can think of.
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/sci-tech/space-the-final-beer-frontier-20110407-1d5kr.html
Thank God I'm Australian!
Beers to You!
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Friday, April 1, 2011
Beer. Is there anything it can't do?
In short, beer saved a horse's life. Well... almost beer... it was Queensland's (in)famous XXXX.
Not a lot to say about this one other than click the link.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/xxxx-beer-brings-horse-back-from-the-dead-after-bout-of-colic/story-e6freoof-1226031616394
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Russians Classify Beer as Alcohol - FOR THE FIRST TIME!
Russia is a wonderful place. Top food. Awesome vodka. Cheap vodka. Lots of vodka.
I don't remember much about their beer, to be quite frank. And neither, it seems, do they.
Finally, beer is being classified as alcohol. Kind of a shame because if it was still classified as a soft-drink/soda, it wouldn't be an employment contract violation to have a few litres with lunch, would it?
Read the article at the other end of the link for more edifying prose about this momentous occasion in beery history: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8342920/Beer-to-be-classified-as-alcohol-for-first-time-in-Russia.html
Not yet beer o'clock - Yeasty.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Vegans, Overmarketing, Lies and Bullshit.
The debate about veganism vs vegetarianism vs omnivorism has raged on for a long while.
Some people choose one or the other, or the choice is made for them, on religious grounds. Those who make a dietary choice for religious reasons are certainly welcome to their faith and their reasons for that choice. It is the right one for you.
The strongest objection towards those who encourage others to choose veganism is towards those persons and organisations who over-market, and with great fervency, falsehoods, misquotes and misinformation in order to further their particular cause.
Having been in the selling profession for a very long time, I've noticed that when someone is selling something - an idea, some goods, anything - that if they over-sell then there is a huge chance that they need gullible customers to achieve their goal. It's the flip-side of "if it looks to good to be true, then it probably is". It's the "if it looks too horrific to be true, then - yep - you guessed it" situation.
Not long ago, I found a link that offered a free CD about food production in the USA and promised to tell the truth. I thought it interesting enough to write away to receive it and perhaps to learn more about that. After all, food is very dear to our hearts and slightly essential for sustenance of human life. I'm keen on quality food, well grown, ethically produced and harvested and doing it at a fair price so that everyone can be healthy and happy and productive.
I received that disc in the mail. It was a shonky, low-rent collection of pro-vegan propaganda with more copyright violations than I would care to mention. I think Pink Floyd wants their song back, guys. And probably the other 'artists' and their emo-tastic content too.
Propaganda? Yes. Not even thinly veiled. It was pure "if you eat meat, you hate animals" white-hot hate. If a religious organisation was uing similar methodologies, they would be extremists.
It's fair enough to mention that any kind of propaganda like this, regardless of which side of whatever argument is presenting, is quite likely to be weighted to suit their particular and peculiar agenda. Perhaps as a reference, former Soviet era and present North Korean 'news' and 'morality plays' might be a fair representation of propaganda.
Weighting of information? Understandable - it can part of forming a persuasive argument. Marketing spin? So long as it's plausible, factual and ethical then OK, I'll listen and weigh and measure. However, when the content relies on ignorance or innocence to falsely market an ideology - well - that's when I call the material a lie.
The video content was emotive. There were inaccuracies, footage was obtained unlawfully and it was old. Real and accurate visual representation of events? Yes. Majority of meat production occurring in the manner demonstrated in those videos? No. Sorry guys - your content is more sensationalist than some major syndicated 'news' channels.
The audio content? Reprehensible and so full of falsehood and overstatement as to render any good and useful facts and truth therein indistinguishable from the bullshit, extrapolation and misrepresentation. If you listen to the content with an open mind, take the time to assess each 'fact' stated by the speaker and compare the claim to both scientific neutral evidence, WHO data and recommendations, and the anecdotal fact that our species seems to keep surviving... draw your own conclusions.
Excessive non-vegetable content in one's diet? Yes - detrimental. Draw a line in the sand and listen to your body. Eat meat, fish and chicken and pork and all of God's tasty creatures (as permitted by law), but eat plenty of leafy greens, orange vegetables, root vegetables, rice, fruit and all of God's tasty plants too. If you eat three to five more times volume (not weight!) of plants matter compared to the amount of meat you eat, you'll feel better, be healthier and live longer. Give fast food and restaurants a big miss - they don't give a crap about how long you live, just about how much you spend with them.
If you live longer, you can give these nutbag vegan propagandists the mouthful of sensible living advice they deserve. One group decided to rename 'fish' as 'sea-kittens'. I kid you not. Google it. Be prepared to be amazed how much of that amazing vegan THC-containing plant their marketing department must have been consuming to come up with such material and how much completely vegan organic Colombian marching powder the officer who signed off on it may or may not have been consuming. Fish == Sea Kittens? Get outta here.
Go watch "Food Inc" and be wiser about the US food production chain and the errors in quality and management in favour of profit therein. Take the time to find out about bull shit in your food supply. It and the pathogens therein may be in your preferred source of processed meat. Buy local and fresh, if you can.
Ladies and Gentlemen - choose whatever diet you prefer for the reasons you prefer it - but do not let yourself be badgered into a meat-free diet by bullshit.
Some people choose one or the other, or the choice is made for them, on religious grounds. Those who make a dietary choice for religious reasons are certainly welcome to their faith and their reasons for that choice. It is the right one for you.
The strongest objection towards those who encourage others to choose veganism is towards those persons and organisations who over-market, and with great fervency, falsehoods, misquotes and misinformation in order to further their particular cause.
Having been in the selling profession for a very long time, I've noticed that when someone is selling something - an idea, some goods, anything - that if they over-sell then there is a huge chance that they need gullible customers to achieve their goal. It's the flip-side of "if it looks to good to be true, then it probably is". It's the "if it looks too horrific to be true, then - yep - you guessed it" situation.
Not long ago, I found a link that offered a free CD about food production in the USA and promised to tell the truth. I thought it interesting enough to write away to receive it and perhaps to learn more about that. After all, food is very dear to our hearts and slightly essential for sustenance of human life. I'm keen on quality food, well grown, ethically produced and harvested and doing it at a fair price so that everyone can be healthy and happy and productive.
I received that disc in the mail. It was a shonky, low-rent collection of pro-vegan propaganda with more copyright violations than I would care to mention. I think Pink Floyd wants their song back, guys. And probably the other 'artists' and their emo-tastic content too.
Propaganda? Yes. Not even thinly veiled. It was pure "if you eat meat, you hate animals" white-hot hate. If a religious organisation was uing similar methodologies, they would be extremists.
It's fair enough to mention that any kind of propaganda like this, regardless of which side of whatever argument is presenting, is quite likely to be weighted to suit their particular and peculiar agenda. Perhaps as a reference, former Soviet era and present North Korean 'news' and 'morality plays' might be a fair representation of propaganda.
Weighting of information? Understandable - it can part of forming a persuasive argument. Marketing spin? So long as it's plausible, factual and ethical then OK, I'll listen and weigh and measure. However, when the content relies on ignorance or innocence to falsely market an ideology - well - that's when I call the material a lie.
The video content was emotive. There were inaccuracies, footage was obtained unlawfully and it was old. Real and accurate visual representation of events? Yes. Majority of meat production occurring in the manner demonstrated in those videos? No. Sorry guys - your content is more sensationalist than some major syndicated 'news' channels.
The audio content? Reprehensible and so full of falsehood and overstatement as to render any good and useful facts and truth therein indistinguishable from the bullshit, extrapolation and misrepresentation. If you listen to the content with an open mind, take the time to assess each 'fact' stated by the speaker and compare the claim to both scientific neutral evidence, WHO data and recommendations, and the anecdotal fact that our species seems to keep surviving... draw your own conclusions.
Excessive non-vegetable content in one's diet? Yes - detrimental. Draw a line in the sand and listen to your body. Eat meat, fish and chicken and pork and all of God's tasty creatures (as permitted by law), but eat plenty of leafy greens, orange vegetables, root vegetables, rice, fruit and all of God's tasty plants too. If you eat three to five more times volume (not weight!) of plants matter compared to the amount of meat you eat, you'll feel better, be healthier and live longer. Give fast food and restaurants a big miss - they don't give a crap about how long you live, just about how much you spend with them.
If you live longer, you can give these nutbag vegan propagandists the mouthful of sensible living advice they deserve. One group decided to rename 'fish' as 'sea-kittens'. I kid you not. Google it. Be prepared to be amazed how much of that amazing vegan THC-containing plant their marketing department must have been consuming to come up with such material and how much completely vegan organic Colombian marching powder the officer who signed off on it may or may not have been consuming. Fish == Sea Kittens? Get outta here.
Go watch "Food Inc" and be wiser about the US food production chain and the errors in quality and management in favour of profit therein. Take the time to find out about bull shit in your food supply. It and the pathogens therein may be in your preferred source of processed meat. Buy local and fresh, if you can.
Ladies and Gentlemen - choose whatever diet you prefer for the reasons you prefer it - but do not let yourself be badgered into a meat-free diet by bullshit.
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