When is a name just a name? A Mexican brewery has recently introduced a new beer named after the “patron saint” of drug traffickers in that country. The brewery claims that it’s simply piggy-backing on a trend but critics have blasted the move as glamorizing and promoting gang lifestyles.
The beer, Malverde Beer, is named after Jesus Malverde. Malverde is a bit of legend, as details of his life have not been confirmed. What is generally agreed upon is that he was a bandito who stole from the rich and gave the money to the poor …read more

At 08:08 on 08/08/08, the Summer Olympic games kicked off in Beijing, China. There is, it seems, an “official” everything to commemorate the games – including an official beer.
Yanjing is the official beer of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and no wonder, since it is the largest brewery in Asia. It currently holds a whopping 85% market share in China. That’s significant in a country that is increasingly becoming a force in the brewing world.
How much beer does the brewery expect to sell? Here’s some beer for thought… During the 2000 Sydney …read more

Image details: Sixth Chongqing Beer Festival served by picapp.com
The US may well be losing its hold on the beer manufacturing market, but other countries are stepping up.
A study commissioned by German hop trader Joh Barth and Sohn has found that China, which had already found itself atop the list of the world’s top beer-producing countries, has increased its market dominance. An astounding 22% of the world’s beer is produced in China. This represents an 11.8% increase in production.
The US, Russia and Germany round out the top four – for now. Russia, Ukraine and Vietnam increased output. …read more

A new study by Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency for Canadian business, economy and society, indicates that more Canadians are putting down a beer bottle in favor of wine.
In 1997, 52% of alcoholic beverage sales in Canada were comprised of beer. Wine accounted for a mere 21% of alcoholic beverages sold.
Ten years later, the sales of beer shrank to 47% while wine increased to 28%. The remaining sales were liquor.
When it comes to dollars, the wine increase is significant. On a per capita basis, wine sales amounted to $187, an increase of almost $14 from the …read more

The Sapporo brewery in Japan announced that it plans to launch a “space beer” by the end of the year. And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like – a beer for astronauts to enjoy in space.
Only 100 bottles are planned and there are no plans to make it available for commercial sale any time soon.
What makes it different from real beer? Well, space grain for one. The beer is brewed with third generation barley grains grown at the International Space Station. Barley was considered a good choice to experiment on in space …read more

Yesterday we talked about Rose Monday in Cologne, which is that city’s way to mark the beginning of the Lenten season. Other cities, notably Munich (with the end of Fasching) and, of course, New Orleans (with Mardi Gras) mark that with a huge celebration on Shrove (or Fat) Tuesday. In Brazil, though, they celebrate for four whole days, and have the entire period of Lent to recover. They probably need it since, according to Wikipedia, “more beer is consumed than the total for the rest of the year” during the four days of Carnival.
What many don’t know, however, is that …read more

Apparently ordering a beer in Australia is a rather complicated task, and depends heavily on where you are and whether you’re ordering a beer from draft or in a bottle. A stubbie, for example, is a bottle of beer, and a pony is a tiny glass. A pot, on the other hand, is a glass holding anywhere from 10 to 20 ounces. If you’re going to Australia any time soon you might want to check out this article on the entire subject of the many terms used for ordering beer in Australia.
I wonder what happens if you just order a …read more

Fortunately for me, I’ve managed to stay home this Thanksgiving holiday. In fact, we didn’t go more than four blocks from our house yesterday, and even that outing was a walk to the neighbors to borrow a pie pan.
Our friend Suzanne, in contrast, is in Australia, and sends this report on Australian beers:
I’ve embarked on an effort to sample as many beers as possible that are Aussie made. So far I’ve had only 2 kinds…Carlton Draught which actually comes in a bottle…and Crown Lager (aka a ‘Crownie’). I have had a few of each and would say they …read more