Shout About Alcohol

posted by Jodie Alcopops on Aug 20

There seems to be a pattern emerging when you look at what’s happening to certain drinks in the alcoholic beverage industry… Apparently, the Chancellor announced a 50% duty reduction on beers of 2.8% volume or less last March. This is news to me, but some of the larger breweries have since been trying to develop weaker beers they will be able to sell more cheaply.

Research appears to show that people would opt for the cheaper and weaker beer if the taste remained the same. It could also mean a potential reduction of 50p per pint, which I suppose is a good thing.

The problem that breweries have to get round is the malt content. Malt provides the alcohol content, but it also gives beer its flavour. If the malt content has to be reduced in order to make the beer less alcoholic, the breweries risk ending up with a beer that has no taste at all…

There’s still a little way to go before this ‘weak’ beer is available at the bar. The duty reduction will come into force in October this year.

posted by Jodie Alcopops on Aug 11

If there are any wine-lovers amongst you who like to have a small stock of the stuff to show off to friends and family, then you should start saving your pocket money now. The rumours are that this year should produce a bumper crop of outstanding wine in France.

Experts are suggesting that a hot, dry spring followed by plenty of rain in July will result in early crops that will deliver in terms of quality and quantity. The harvests could take place as much as 30 days earlier than usual, unless some major and unexpected weather conditions hit between now and September.

Apparently the dry spring conditions accelerated grape growth, while July’s rain fell at just the right time to make them nice and plump. The weather conditions also helped by reducing both the occurrence of disease and the need for chemical treatments.

So, unless France experiences frost and torrential rains between now and harvest, 2011 bottles should be worth a taste. Experts predict that this year’s crop will provide something special, although not a s exceptional as 2009.

posted by Jodie Alcopops on Aug 6

With Heston Blumenthal making experimental cooking fashionable, it now seems that the cocktail is next in line for a make-over.
The US industry magazine Nation’s Restaurant News has reported on the emerging cocktail trends that are sure to end up here if they become popular over there. The first trend is the use of herbs, which, let’s face it, doesn’t seem too outlandish. Mint, basil, thyme and rosemary are all making it into cocktails to add a bit of a difference. Salt, too, is being added to drinks in the same way it is used in cooking to make flavours pack a punch.

So far, so good, however the magazine also mentions the use of flavoured vinegars as a replacement of lemon and lime, which I don’t find too appealing. I am quite sure that the next time I have a cocktail in my hand, I am unlikely to go for the savoury choices. Especially when I see recipes like the one for The Decoy, which has appeared in Washington, and includes the following ingredients:
Fleur de sel, duck fat-infused mezcal, Cointreau, orange and sage. Not quite my cup of tea…

posted by Jodie Alcopops on Aug 4

An Australian wine producer thinks it has spotted a gap in the market, and is getting ready to launch a new range of low alcohol wines in the UK.

The new range has been baptised ‘Beachcomber’, and includes white, red and rosé wines with only 5.5% alcohol. Compared to the typical 11-14% usually found in wine, this makes a significant difference to the alcohol content. Some wines can even have 18% adv, although this is not common.

While this is big part of their marketing strategy, McWilliams (the producer) is also keen to point out that they haven’t reduced the alcohol to the detriment of taste, and that they have developed a high quality drink that will easily find its place in the market.

The bottles should be on the shelves in Tesco by the end of this month, so keep your eyes peeled and give it a go. It’s not going to revolutionise your life, but if it does mean you can enjoy a couple more glasses without getting drunk, then it can only be a good thing, right? I suppose it aims for the market at the other end of the spectrum from those who aim to get as drunk as possible as cheaply as possible…

posted by Jodie Alcopops on Aug 3

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