This Week in Beer - Ale-induced Anecdotals Part Three

A post by Scott F

Continuing our tradition of bringing you all that's weird and wonderful in the world of beer; check out the stories below to find out what's new with the true nectar of the gods. 

Delirium Tremens Finds its Way onto Ontario shelves

Once there was an absolutely fantastic beer with an absolutely terrible name. That beer was Delirium Tremens, and until last week Ontario’s beer retail monopoly, The Beer Store, had refused to allow it on store shelves. Delirium Tremens refers to the shaking symptoms alcoholics get during withdrawal. To further the analogy, the bottle also features a pink elephant reminiscent of the hallucinations that may be experienced alongside “the shakes.”

Naming a substance after the symptoms one who is addicted to that substance might experience when trying to kick that substance, is a little offside. Sadly, it’s a beer that’s tough to hate. Stuart Kallen gave it the number one spot in his book The 50 Greatest Beers in the World, and yes, it is that good. I found a glass at Pauper’s Pub a couple weeks back and this bold, toweringly fruity Belgian strong ale packs flavours of honey, clove and plum into its 8.5 ABV frame.

More here.

Paying Alcoholics with Beer… Why Didn’t I Think of That! Oh Wait...

Those cleaver Germans have devised to pay homeless alcoholics in food, beer and cigarettes to clean up their cities. Okay, I’ve perhaps overplayed how ridiculous this sounds, as it’s actually a pretty sound project. In exchange for sweeping streets, these folks receive a structured environment which allows for modest alcohol intake. 

Read more.

Does Your Beer-making Kit include Volcanic Rocks?

Garage Project out of New Zealand is redefining extreme brewing with every batch. Pushing boundaries is the name of the game, and they do that in spades. One of their beers needs the purest seawater requiring a submarine and professional diver to collect it. Another uses volcanic rocks to flash boil the wort. The wort is then poured through the rocks to caramelizes the sugars and give the beer distinction.

More on the Garage Project. 

Beer Makes You Smarter… I Knew It!

Scientists in Oregano State University  have identified a flavonoid found in hops and beer that increases brain function. Mice given large doses of this flavonoid (it’s just fun to say, flavonoid!) showed marked improvements in adapting to changes in their environments. I knew it! I knew it all along! 

One small caveat the study mentioned is that a human would be required to drink 2000 litres of beer a day to see benefits… well darn.

Ten to the power of five times more information.

The Great Beer Pipeline

A brewery in Belgium is planning to build a two mile beer pipeline under the cobblestone streets of Bruges. No, this isn’t a glorious smuggling operation, nor does it end in a magical beer waterfall. The pipeline will deliver the beer from the brewery to the bottling facility and will eliminate about 85 per cent of the town’s truck traffic.

Check out the story.

Know a cool story in the world of beer? Post it in the comments below.