Brad Rogers takes a look at the hop-driven pale ale and how we're making it our own...

I know in the past few issues we've spoken about strange brews that are right out there. I thought this edition I would bring it back a little - right back to the basics of our raw materials, and specifically the HOPS!

There's no better beer style in the world to showcase the complexities of hops than the pale ale - be it the American version like our Alpha Pale Ale or Little Creatures' version - or the classic English pale ale or India pale ale, and we've all tasted a heap of those.

Pale Ale Background

Pale ales have had a long and illustrious history, starting their lives many hundreds of years ago in the UK. More recently American pale ales have taken the world by storm. You would have to travel a long way in the US to find a brewery that isn't brewing one, that hasn't brewed one, or isn't about to start brewing one. Everyone knows the style, full of hop aromatics, hop flavour and hop bitterness - with a few more hops added in or good measure.

What are pale ales? For me, they are defined by hop character, whether it's an English India pale ale, an American imperial IPA or an Australian pale ale. That's not to say they are one dimensional, rather their reason for being is about the hop and how it is used.

It is the relationship of these hops with the malt characters, alcohol content and the residual or un-fermentable malt sugars. In a word it's about ‘balance', it's about drinkability and it's about "do I want to buy another one?"

The Brewers Association technical style description in the World Beer Cup style guidelines suggests that the American-style pale ale should be "characterized by fruity, floral and citrus-like American variety hop characters, producing high hop bitterness, flavour and aroma" and goes further to clarify the hop usage by noting, "the floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character is the perceived end, but may be a result of the skilful use of hops of other national origins."

The hop characters mentioned above can be sourced from a selection of Pacific Northwest American hop varieties, the champion of them all has been the Cascade hop. He does have some brothers and sisters, such as Amarillo, Centennial and even hops like Mt Hood play a role in giving these beers their floral, citrus-like aromas and flavours. Hop growers, especially in the Pacific Northwest, have tried over the years to clone and cultivate a large number of hops in order to give similar characters to the honoured Cascade hop with varying success. The great thing for brewers around the world is that other hop growing nations have also been trialling the growth of their own ‘versions' of this great hop.

Terroir

These traditional growing regions have their specific environments including micro-climates and soils. The French use the term terroir to describe these specific conditions. The term is not well understood, however my take on it is that it is simply about a sense of place, where the local environment produces certain attributes including aromas and flavours in the grapes. It's the sum of the soil, the climate, the geography, the air - everything associated to the growing area or even down to the individual vineyard. With hops different conditions do translate to different flavours.

The Cascade hops grown in the Pacific Northwest and the Cascade hops grown in Tasmania's Bushy Park may be the same variety, however they will display different attributes because they are growing under very different conditions.

The "new" New World

Traditional hop varieties and their perfectly brewed beers will always be respected but, as times change, the new world brewers need to ensure we all keep up. Changes are already being noted in the beer industry with the 2008 WBC guidelines including an International pale ale class for the first time to accommodate beers from countries including Australia and New Zealand.

Australian craft and specialty beer drinkers have certainly come a long way over the last 10 years. They have been taken on a journey they probably did not know they were on. They have more choice these days from just over 100 breweries producing some amazing beers; some with true dedication to the style, others with their own flare and personality of style. Australian craft consumers have an increased knowledge about their beers and with that knowledge comes a thirst for even more information about the beers they want to drink and enjoy. For the Australian brewers that thirst for information is also at an all time high. You just have to look at the ever increasing number of brewers travelling the world to explore and gain insights to bring home as offerings to their own beer drinkers.

Drinking and driving might be for bloody idiots, but cars and beers certainly do mix and not just V8 Supercars and VB, writes Graham Reeks.

YOU love your car. You love your beer. Don't worry, it's perfectly natural and you're not alone. But why is it that beer and cars match up so well?

For a start cars have doors that open, and beer opens the doors to perception. Cars are kept behind garage doors and beer is kept behind fridge doors. Both can make you smile, and both account for a large proportion f your disposables.

We've heard all the psychobabble about how our car reflects our identity and there may be something to it as I've never seen a Playboy model driving a Hyundai Accent with a bunny sticker. But does the beer you're seen holding match your car keys and your personality?

Does it matter what you're seen crossing the BWS forecourt with? Should it match the car in some way? Would you feel odd if you climbed into a Lamborghini with a carton of XXXX Gold? Could you even fit a carton in a Lambo? (I'm willing to give it a try if anyone has one to lend me).

Some petrolheads are happy to send their expensive motor to a trusted mechanic, and are content to just drive and clean their steed. These are the type of people who buy their beer off the peg, but no average beer. Money is not an issue, Cascade First Harvest might come in packs of four and cost a pretty penny, but that's the price you pay for quality.

There are others with a different motivation. They take pride in maintaining their car; they do their own servicing, thank you very much and certainly don't pay a spotty youth to change their oil. They wouldn't take on an engine rebuild though - they know their limits. When it comes to lubricating their laughing gear they take the same approach - they're a kit and kilo brewer and have a brew kit of their favourite tipple.

Then there are obsessives. They build their cars from the ground up, designing bespoke parts along the way, customising the engine, borrowing from other marques. This is the sort of person that spends countless hours restoring, building, modding, cleaning, polishing, trying to win competitions. They make sure that all the nuts on their rocker covers line up uniformly. Chances are they treat their beer in the same way (if they have the spare time). They are perfectionist mash brewers only happy with the best natural ingredients. They have two sheds - one for each passion.

A Top Gear-style cool wall approach might suit so that drinkers could match their beer to their car. 

If such a thing existed, we might be living in a world of tenuous associations where V-Dub Beetle drivers would only be seen with Sol or Corona because the old shape Beetle was built in Mexico City. Drivers of the newer model would have lime in the neck of their bottles.

Those with Peugeots and Citrôens could be drinking Kronenbourg 1664 or Kanterbrau Gold, maybe Bass from Burton on Trent, because that was Napoleon's favourite? A Dodge Viper might be worthy of an Anchor Steam Ale whereas the owners of Chryslers and Jeeps might rightfully be forced to drink Budweiser and Miller.

Perhaps personality is more important than looks after all. Mini drivers could sip at pint-sized Little Creatures, and Hummer drivers guzzle down Coopers Sparkling from tallies. Frugal four cylinder car owners would stick to a mid-strength beer, whilst the souped up flashy WRX and Skyline brigade clutch on to their Crown lager. Diesel drivers would exchange their sooty exhaust fumes for a rich dark brew like Guinness. Dairy farmers would match their 4X4s with Moo Brew. And the luxury Lexus drivers would of course be Asahi drinkers. But if it all came down to the name, vintage collectors with old Singers would have no option but Singha.

Outside this fantasy world though there are some real links between beers and cars. Pilsner Urquell (actually the German name meaning original pilsner) comes from Pilzen, in the Czech Republic. On the other side of the road from this brewery Mecca is a Skoda factory where these cars (and munitions and tanks) have been made since the early twentieth century. I actually know that there are a fair few English blokes who are mad about their Triumph Spitfires, and only drink Shepherd Neame's Spitfire beer - even though it's named after the fighter rather than the car. Some have their cars plastered in stickers advertising their choice brew. I've never quite understood this idea, though. Surely the drivers spend half their life blowing into bags for the local police. It's a bit like driving around with a rego that says "I sell drugs" on it.

e've seen the TV ad that ever so subtly points to the link between our favourite drink and Ford Utes - there's beer flowing from the fountains. Maybe brewers are missing a trick here. Perhaps one of our fine breweries should be tuning their beer to appeal to a niche motoring market? In the UK this has already happened. Moorland took the UK by storm when it started producing Old Speckled Hen - named after a famous MG car with a 5.2 litre engine that has defined the strength of the ale. Greene King, makers of the robust Abbot Ale, also make a Triumph beer that uses the motorcycle logo on its pump clip.

As for me, well my old Triumph sedan was put together in this country with a few little tweaks to make sure it's better suited this part of the world, so what better beer to go with it than Boags Wizard Smith English Ale - an Aussie twist on an English classic.

So what about you? Is there a link between your motor and your amber nectar?  

In B&B's first issue we reported on our craft brewers' efforts to reduce the excise payable by small brewers to provide similar assistance to that received by the nation's small wineries. Jamie Cook looks at what it will mean for Australia's burgeoning micro-brewing industry if the new Federal Labor Government agrees to change the current beer excise regime...

Australian beer lovers are increasingly well serviced with the country now boasting more than 120 breweries and a number of new operations set to open in 2008.

This growth continues to be offset by the ongoing consolidation of the brewing industry across the globe. You only have to look at the current set of corporate manoeuvres taking place in Europe in recent months to see that the global beer market continues to condense.

SAB Miller's recent acquisition of the family owned and controlled Grolsch emphasises the brewers' thirst for growth and global domination. Whilst closer to home in the last couple of months we have seen the Boag's brewing business change hands to become part of the Lion Nathan stable of premium beer brands, followed by beverage giant Coca-Cola Amatil swallowing one of the country's newest regional brewers, Bluetongue.

Craft brewery growth will continue but what types of operations are evolving and, if the excise changes are introduced, how will each operation benefit from them?

Micro Brewers (Pub and Restaurant Breweries)

These brewers predominantly brew beer on  small scale for their own venue and serve their range of brews in draught form. The traditional pub brewery concept - where a small brewery is installed within an existing hotel - has evolved a little over the last few years as we see more purpose-built venues appearing and a number of wineries adding a beer offering to their cellar doors and restaurants. Pub and restaurant breweries are driving the growth in the number of operations and these businesses would greatly benefit from the excise changes. Predominantly a hospitality offering, these venues contribute to the diversity and interest in the country's hotel, bar and restaurant scene and to an increasing extent (due to the growth in breweries in tourist locations) they add value to the tourism industry.

Because these operations have very small breweries installed, they can experiment and continue to develop their beers over time. This provides a real opportunity for consumers to discover and appreciate the ever-expanding world of beer and brings a new sense of sophistication to the drinking experience. Excise savings for these operators can be used to further develop the experience they provide for their customers by investing in staff, training and equipment.

Richard Watkins, Brewer at Canberra's Wig & Pen believes the proposed changes will allow for strong growth in the industry.
"It would allow successful operations like this to use our solid platform to expand our distribution into other outlets, whilst continuing to improve the quality of our offer at the Wig & Pen through investment in equipment and fit out," he said.

"But at the end of the day it's up to all of the brewers to make a quality product."

Regional Craft Brewers

These regional champions of the brew are popping up all over the country, and are usually focused on building a presence in their own regional market. The size of the operations varies greatly, based on whether they are metropolitan or country, and how long they have been in operation. These brewers may have a bar or restaurant where they sell and showcase their beers, however these new wave local brewers also produce a range of bottled beers on a small scale.

The regional brewers are providing investment and employment within the local area, and in some cases their operations complement other industries in the region such as local produce and tourism.

Producing packaged beer in these quantities is largely a hand bottling or semi-automatic operation and therefore highly inefficient in comparison to the larger breweries. Any savings in excise will help offset the higher costs of production and therefore assist them in marketing their products to a wider audience which will lead to greater investment and employment in the local community.

Ben Kraus from Bridge Road Brewers in Beechworth says the proposed excise changes will improve the feasibility of small regional breweries. He believes they will provide "improved margins which can assist in funding improvements to plant and equipment and create employment opportunities."

"Regional Australia needs new industries and exciting new businesses like a brewery can be a real boost to the local economy and the community by providing jobs for the younger generation," Ben said.

National Craft Brewers

Australia is blessed with a small number of craft brewers who have reached a scale where we can say they are truly national operators. They produce a range of beers that consumers are embracing with open arms.
The larger of these brewers tend to sit under the shadow of our two major breweries and are to some degree owned or controlled by the major brewers. There are also a number of smaller national craft brewers who are continuing to grow their business by staying true to their craft roots while maintaining their independence and continuing to support the local community that is their home market.

These breweries are certainly leading the charge in creating a beer market that is more sophisticated and diverse. By having a broad distribution base they are able to make their brews more accessible to the consumers who are searching for something more from their beer.

Howard Cearns of Little Creatures Brewing believes that there would be a small, one-off impact for businesses of their size, however the broader impact across the craft beer industry as an important positive move.

"The proposed changes would be a significant benefit to the viability of the smaller craft brewers, and whilst this would increase the level of competition, it would also improve the overall health of the industry. You only have to look at the US to see that a different excie structure can help support a stronger industry," he says.

Market Development

Of the 120 existing breweries, around 75 per cent are micro brewers, whilst 18 per cent are regional brewers and just seven per cent are national. The volume split across the three reflects the true nature of the situation with the national brewers producing in excess of 85 per cent of the craft beer volume.
Concentration of this nature is very similar to the Australian wine industry where there are some 2,500 wineries being supported by the WET (Wine Equalisation Tax), which is designed to assist the small operators in providing diversity and character to the marketplace.

All three types of brewing operations are growing in numbers and production volume, with the geographic spread favouring New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. However both Victoria and Western Australia are punching well above their weight in terms of the number and strength of the operators.
The number of strong operators contributes to the development of the overall market as they are all educating and developing the beer drinkers' understanding of the market leading to greater consumer demand, which then becomes a market for more brewers. Increasing the number of small breweries in operation increases employment and investment in their local communities.

This growth can be further fuelled by the excise relief proposed. For this to occur, the beer drinkers of Australia need to actively support their local brewers.

In the wake of Kevin07, we all need to pull together as one to show the new government that there is strong support for these changes, and they need to act to help a small part of one of Australia's greatest industries as it continues to compete with increasing globalisation and consolidation.

So what do we need to do?

Brewers need your help to petition the government and ensure that the excise changes are made as soon as possible. Go to www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/912224010 to sign up!

Write to your local Member of Parliament or even better take him to the nearest bar that serves a good beer and explain the benefits of looking after our industry. The proof is in the drinking!

This is not about drinking more beer. A more robust craft brewing industry does not necessarily equal higher levels of beer consumption. What it is about though, is drinking better beer in a way that builds stronger communities through the sharing of the good things in life.
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AIBA 2008

The Brewer

David Hollyoak, Redoak Boutique Beer Café
Brewer Grand Champion Beer AIBA 2006

Excitement and anticipation are brewing for the upcoming 2008 AIBA awards and hopefully some good beers are too.

International breweries have been successful over the years, but with more and more small breweries opening each month, an increasing variety of styles and improving quality across all of the states, Australia is rising to the challenge. More recently Australian breweries have fought back winning several champions trophies and the Grand Champion Trophy in 2006.

As most small breweries know, the local beer market is very competitive and beer drinkers are becoming more and more discerning as their beer palates develop. So, now more than ever, brewers and drinkers alike anticipate the results of the beer awards.

There has been - and will continue to be - much discussion about this year's changes to the awards. The first being that the ‘Grand Champion Beer' awarded to the highest scoring beer of the competition is no more. It is being replaced by ‘Grand Champion Brewery'. Competition organiser Kerry James says the beer champion was removed to place more emphasis on the category. Some brewers will undoubtedly be upset, but the Grand Champion Brewery Trophy will be a fine replacement.

The second major change has been the classification of small and large brewery. The classification has changed from a brew length of less than 30 hectolitres (hl) to an annual production less than 5,000hl for a small brewery and greater than 5,000hl for a large brewery.

This change was made as some of the small brewers had small brew lengths but large capacities and hence were classified as a large brewery under the previous definition. This change is also more in line with the World Beer Cup, but at 17,600 hectolitres they have a much larger cut-off point. Australian micro-breweries dream of the day that we will nudge these figures!

The entries have been submitted, we have parted with our hard earned cash in entry fees, brewers will send their beers to Melbourne and Ballarat in February and March to be judged. Then the wait begins for the brewing industry's Oscars on 27th March. Every Australian brewer, large or small, plays a pivotal role in the quest to brew the world's best beers. Keep up the hard work! I wish all of the small and micro brewers the best of luck in this year's competition.

The Judge

Brennan Fielding,
Head Brewer, Burleigh Brewing Company

The first time I was asked to judge at a beer competition, I felt a sense of accomplishment...kind of. I had recently experienced a highlight in my brewing career - winning two gold medals at the 2002 World Beer Cup.

I guess at that stage, someone thought I knew my stuff sufficiently to begin passing judgment on other beers.

But at the same time I realised that a whole new world of beer education awaited me. Sitting down as a member of a panel

of judges, whose combined judging experience spanned something like 100 years, I was under no illusions. Despite my own years of hard work, study and training as a brewer - among this crowd I was a complete novice!

I also felt a great sense of responsibility. As a young brewer I looked forward to (and still do) receiving critical comment from qualified judges on my beers. Reading judging notes can be extremely enlightening - a few brief words scrawled across the bottom of the judging sheet can lead to a ‘light bulb' moment. "Oh, isn't THAT meant to be detectable in this beer?"

At the same time, it can be mildly awkward. The cringe factor is pretty high when you read a comment that identifies a flaw you feared might be in your beer - in fact you pretty much knew it - but hoped no-one would notice. At least now you can ask someone how to fix it.

It's probably fair to say that no two brewing competitions are ever exactly the same. However I'll have a go at painting a picture of a ‘typical' day in the life of a beer judge at an international brewing competition. And I know you'll probably scoff, but believe me, beer judging is hard work!

Having to get through upwards of 70 beer samples in one day means that judging starts early. Dare I say it - before I even feel like a beer! A ‘typical' judging panel might consist of five or six judges, though some panels are larger. A head judge, generally the most senior judge, is appointed to mediate and manage. The judges are seated at judging tables, some distance from each other, throughout a room. Sometimes we even get to wear white coats.

The day starts with a ‘control beer'. Each judge receives a sample of the control beer. Judges' comments and scores are discussed to ensure judges are approaching the task in a similar manner and scoring consistently. Before the genuine judging gets underway, judging five rounds of control beers is not uncommon - more if the Head Judge requires it.

The panel members are advised of the style or styles of beer they'll be judging during the course of the day. Entries are brought out by judging stewards, one after the other, in style groups. The samples are presented in about 70ml servings in unlabelled glasses and are identified only by a unique, assigned number.

If things are going smoothly, each beer gets about five or six minutes of a judge's time. In five minutes, the judge must assess the beer's appearance, aroma, flavour and body, consistency with style guidelines and technical quality. When there are something like 800 detectable compounds in beer, and the judge has to identify those that should and shouldn't be there - whether they be banana, nutmeg, clove, burned rubber etc - it's a lot for the brain to process in five minutes. Sometimes, the presence of a compound on its own could be a flaw - but in the right balance with other compounds or characteristics, it can push that beer right up there among the champions.

Throughout this process, judges are busy writing on their score sheets, adding and deducting points for attributes and faults. The beer that a brewer poured so much passion and hard work into is now being unemotionally ripped apart - broken down to its bare compounds and components to see how it stacks up against all the other specimens that are to follow.

And then those valued conclusions are drawn and summarised by the judge as a comment - for the brewer to improve on next time.

It's a fact of course, that judging beer is a subjective process. While the judging procedures are not always the same, most competitions have systems in place to ensure the integrity and independence of the judging process. Sometimes beers are sent out twice, under different numbers, to keep us on our toes. Sometimes the highest and lowest scores for each entry are discarded. Regardless of the actual method adopted, the systems are designed to minimise the subjectivity and ensure a ‘fair trial' for your beer.

The process of analysing and breaking down a beer for the purposes of ‘judging' its merit is in many respects an entirely different skill set from that of brewing. We judge beer against very specific and detailed style criteria which set a benchmark - or the mark of perfection - for a beer style. Unfortunately it doesn't mean we can always reach those benchmarks ourselves!

To be invited to participate in a panel of people who are charged with assessing beers that brewers have painstakingly crafted is an absolute professional, and personal, privilege. I also value the camaraderie of participating in a beer judging panel. Competitions bring together people from all corners of the industry. I enjoy the opportunity to hear about what's happening out there beyond my own brewing world. And I truly value the opportunity to sit in a room for several days, judging beers alongside leaders in the industry, watching them in action and endeavouring to absorb what I can of their knowledge.

I think as a brewer and beer judge it's important to be able to retain that pure love of beer. I'm pleased to say that so far I haven't had a problem with that. And while it's sometimes hard to remove my judging hat, in the end when I'm sitting back with a beer, it still comes down to either, "That's a damn fine beer", or "Nope, that one doesn't do it for me".

The Steward

Allison Macdonald
Chief Steward, Sydney Royal Beer Show

I had to be where the action was for the inaugural Sydney Royal Beer Show and since I knew it wouldn't be in the coveted role of judge I was only too happy to be Chief Steward.

With my best mate KC as Assistant Chief Steward, I figured it would be like running a bar for a couple of days and a laugh at that - but there was much more to consider then just pouring beers.

The day prior to judging, entries that had yet to arrive needed to be tracked down putting fear into breweries whose deliveries either had been lost, realised they'd run out of stock or were unaware they had even entered due to staff changes.

Finding an appropriate area to use as a bar to store and pour the beers proved problematic with our first two options being dismissed due to lack of space and distance from the judging area, but luckily the perfect area became available. Finally there was the job of finding clean glasses. No mean feat when hot water and hand drying are involved - no detergent allowed!

Judging days ran smoothly,

a simple case of getting a feel for the rate at which the judges are tasting and then ensuring the beers are being poured quickly enough and are going out at a consistent temperature.

The variety of beers sparked great discussion amongst the stewards (away from the judges of course) as to which beers would get the top scores of the day. One day I would love to see a Stewards Award to rival the Archibald's Packing Room Prize...

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Geoff Griggs has a SOBAing message about supporting good beer.