Next, Cano used the yeast to make beer. Fossil Fuels Brewing makes both a pale ale and German wheat beer, sometimes available on tap at Kelly Bros. Brewing Co. and Stumptown Brewery, both in Northern California.

According to Egyptian mythology, the deity Osiris first taught humans to brew. Beer and brewing figure largely in Egyptian myth, and in daily life, since workers expected a daily beer ration as part of their pay. In 2004, Kirin Brewery in Japan, working with an Egyptologist, re-created an Egyptian style beer, based on the research of Sakuji Yoshimura, a professor and director of Egyptology Research at Tokyo’s Waseda University. Yoshimura studied wall paintings in tombs illustrating the beer-making process in the New Kingdom (1570-1070 B.C.). The traditional theory regarding Egyptian beer brewing is that the Egyptians made beer by baking bread from barley, then breaking it into pieces, adding water and fermenting the mixture with serendipitous additions of atmospheric yeast. Kirin research suggested that the bread was only par-baked and Egyptians added yeast, perhaps from date palms and other plants.

Another attempt at re-creating Egyptian beer, this time based on the research of Dr. Darwen Samuel, an archaeobotanist at Cambridge specializing in analysis of ancient food. Samuel theorized that grain malting might be very ancient. (Grain malting means partially sprouting grain, allowing the stored sugars to used by the brewing process.) She suggested that the Egyptians might very well have allowed sprouted malt to dry in the sun. In part her research was fueled by the discovery of an elaborate kitchen complex at Tell el Amarna, the birthplace of Tutankhamun. Brewing tools and vessels, including dregs and starchy remnants helped finalize the yeasts and grains involved in Egyptian brewing.

Scottish & Newcastle brewing company, offered to help fund the research, and actually brew an ale based on it; thus was born Tutankhamun Ale; authentically brewed Egyptian Ale, and the most expensive beer hitherto produced.

Not to be outdone by the Egyptologists, Near Eastern Language scholars produced the oldest extant beer recipe, written in Sumerian, on a cuneiform tablet, in the form of a hymn of praise to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer. Fred Maytag, of Anchor Brewery, determined to reproduce the beer, as authentically as possible, and present it at the American Association of Micro Brewers. Thus was born Anchor Ninkasi Beer.

Dogfish Head Brewery has re-created a 9,000 year old Chinese beer, available now as Chateau Jiahu. Earlier, working with the same archaeochemist, Patrick McGovern from the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, Dogfish Head managed to re-create a 2,700-year-old alcoholic beverage from remains found in an ancient tomb in Turkey—perhaps that of King Midas, resulting in Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch Golden Elixir.

Now, lest you think I would neglect the ancient beers of Western Europe, fear not. Athaneus, a Greek writing around the end of the 2nd century B. C. E, observes of the continental Celts:

They also use cumin in their drinks . . The lower classes drink wheaten beer prepared with honey, but most people drink it plain. It is called corma. They use a common cup, drinking a little at a time, not more than a mouthful, but they do it rather frequently.

Based on the archaeology, the Celts did indeed “do it rather frequently.” We’ve found brewing vessels of all sorts, even those made of stone and used thousands of years ago. Even now, the Spanish word for beer, cerveza is is descended from the common Celtic word for beer, curmi, cognate with Welsh cwrwf, Breton korev and Medieval Gaelic, cuirm. Fortunately, you don’t have to be an archaeologist, or even a Celticist to enjoy modern Celtic style beer; The Celt Experience Brewery is there for you, with modern takes on Celtic beers, including Cwrw Celt, a slightly hoppy lager style beer, available in bottles.

If all of this has made you a mite curious about ancient brews, and Tutankhamun Ale is a bit too pricey for your pocket, you can always brew your own.

So, with the coming New Year’s Eve upon us, the ideal time to drink an Irish Car Bomb is at midnight – when you can toast the coming New Year with a good friend and be well on your way to insobriety in a matter of a few drinks. The creamy and rich flavor of the Irish Cream liquor mixes quite fondly with the stout and brisk nature of the dark Guinness beer, making a great mix drink that goes down smoothly and offers a robust aftertaste. Nobody is really for sure on where and when this popular mix drink originated, but one thing is for sure: drink a few of these and the night may take an entirely different twist than you had expected.

And the awards go to . . .

Overall Winner:  Guinness
Guinness has had some of the most famous and iconic advertising campaigns of all food or drink products over the past 80 years.  From toucans to evolution the strong, classic monochrome color theme paired with humorous and stylized concepts has given them some of the most memorable commercials of any brand.  Although straying from the humorous style of most other beer commercials of 2008,  their ‘Live Inside’ ads are compelling and creative enough to keep them in 1st place.
View the commercial.

European Beer:  Stella Artois
Although European beer commercials are just as stylish and funny as their US counterparts,  their use of dry humor often uses a “them and us” theme, showing drinkers of one brand cooler, smarter and just plain luckier than others.  Stella Artois is one brand that consistently emphasizes the struggle between good and evil. . . which side their beer is on depends on your perspective.  Their 2008 commercial for Stella Artois 4 is the James Bond of beer commercials - smooth, stylish, sexy and cocky.
View the commercial

Light Beer: Bud Light
Budweiser has always been famous for it’s Superbowl commercials, and 2008 was no different.  Their commercials for Bud Light were just as entertaining and funny as we have come to expect.  And let’s face it, we owe them a debt for making it OK for guys to go ‘light’.
View the commercial

Foreign Beer: It’s a Tie!
Brahma - Brazil
Many a girlfriend and wife have been left home alone while their guy enjoys another ‘one for the road’ with his pals.  This commercial from the Brazilian lager gives a nod of acknowledgment to all of those scorned women, but (of course) lets the beer have the last laugh.  The last couple of seconds of this commercial moved it from a contender to a winner.
View the commercial

and

Hahn - Australia
The 2008 commercials from this refreshing Australian beer highlighted what many would consider the true spirit of beer - fun, irreverent, foolish, and well, just meant for men.
View the commercial

Got a commercial you want to nominate for the next round of awards?  Think we missed one?  Let us know.

Obviously I need to stress that any health benefits that can come from beer come from moderate drinking, and that heavy consumption of any type of alcohol will damage your health.  While heavily debated and fraught with political and social pitfalls,  it seems that studies by reputable scientists at institutes such as the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as well as beer organizations such as the National Beer Wholesalers Associated (ahem, ok, their findings may be slightly biased) have shown that the health benefits of beer not only match red wine, but may out do them.

Experts recommend drinking no more than two 12 ounce beers per day to see the benefits, and no, saving these all up to have in one go at the weekend will not have the same positive effect, and will actually increase your risk of heart disease, obesity and stroke.

Health Benefits of Beer:

1. Beer has been proven to reduce stress,  by relaxing the body.  While a reliance on alcohol to counteract a stressful lifestyle represents a larger problem, drinking moderately to speed up relaxation or induce sleep is preferable to turning to prescription medications.
2. Beer reduces cholesterol, and also lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.  Scientists believe that this effect may come from the ethanol in beer, which thins the blood in much the same way as aspirin.
3. Unfiltered beer contains B vitamins, including B6 which can reduce the risk of heart disease.  As the vitamin is delivered in liquid form, the body can absorb it into the blood stream faster than with vitamin tablets.
4. Beer contains the same amount of antioxidants as red wine and many more than white wine.  Antioxidants help to combat free radicals in the atmosphere which can damage our health and make us age prematurely.
5. Beer may be good for your brain.  Studies in Italy and the US have shown that people who drink beer show less decline in mental faculties as they get older compared to their  non-drinking peers.

While drinking beer for health reasons may now have scientific backing, it has been used as a traditional remedy for centuries.  As the drink was made from grain and yeast it offered nutriton in centuries where food might have been scarce,  and has always been a valued commodity that crossed all cultural and social borders.  As it was boiled and fermented it lacked the germs and bacteria that often infected unsanitary water supplies, making it a healthier choice than water.

Traditional Beer Remedies:

• It is a great conditioning rinse for your hair, smoothing the follicles to make your hair look healthier and fuller.  Cold beer is especially effective at giving your hair shine. At least it is one excuse to tell your wife why you moved groceries out of the fridge to make room for your beer!
• Beer was often served as a nourishing beverage to infants, elderly people, and warriers to supplement their nutrion intake.
• Ale was handed out to mothers who had just given birth in order to help replenish iron and vitamin B supplies.  This practice was still carried out in hospitals in the UK until as recently as the 1980’s!

White Ale: This famous and seasonal white ale is brewed using ten exotic spices and a secret brewing process in the style of the great beer brewers: the Belgians. It looks white, hence the name, because it is unfiltered wheat ale, which is whitish when brewed. Another factor in the great taste is the hand selection of Noble Tettnang Tettnanger hops—which combine to make a truly one of a kind white ale.

Double Bock: One of my favorite Samuel Adams holiday brews is this rich and frothy, oh so malted and perky Double Bock. They brew it using nearly half a pound of malt per bottle – that is a lot of malt people! And they only brew it in kettles, so you do not taste black malt, or burnt malt flavors. They top this flavor bursting goodness off by balancing it with German Noble hops, which add an almost piney and slightly citrus tone to the beer.

Winter Lager: Perhaps one of the beers that I look forward to each and every winter is this delicious and very drinkable Winter Lager. A bit of orange peel here, some dark malt for intense flavor there, and the noticeable hints of cinnamon and ginger make this a perfect beer for around the Thanksgiving or Christmas table—one that will drink eloquently with any main holiday dish that is being served. A dark brown, rich undertone makes it a winner every year for me.

Old Fezziwig Ale: They at Samuel Adam’s Brewery call this the Christmas Cookie of Beer. And by all means they should! Where to start on this one? A dark aroma is released when you open the bottle, reminding you of all deserts that fit right into the holiday season. The flavor is malt, chocolate, caramel and toffee—yet more that I can’t explain as well. Spices that you taste include: orange peel, ginger and of course, cinnamon. But somehow they have figured out how to culminate this into truly a master blend, brewed to perfection for you and me to enjoy!

Cranberry Lambic: Using a combination of hand selected malts and barleys, as well as a very rare wild yeast strain, not to mention robust cranberries bursting with flavor and fermented to perfection, is part of the special process that is undergone to create this amazingly intense, yet somehow at the same time subtle and fruity beverage. Of the many fruit beers you may taste, or may have already sampled, none can ever hope to compare to this Thanksgiving classic.

Holiday Porter: The official Samuel Adams beer of the holiday season is of course, their ever so popular Holiday Porter. The secret in the taste is the five hand selected different types of barleys that they use to brew this legendary beer—which was first added to the winter mixer pack in 2004. Namely they boast using the signature German malt called Carafa® - and yes they have even copyrighted the name it’s so special. Then they combine this with a taste bud merger of gourmet hops, and brew to perfection.

Let me Bring you up to Speed on the Rules
The rules of beer pong are relatively simple and are thus: each table has about twenty five cups (pint sized party cups) set up in a triangle. Each cup is filled halfway with beer. There are several ping pong balls that are used for playing the game. One of the sides shoots first. The object: to toss the ping pong ball using your hands, across the table and get it to land into a cup of beer. If you do, then the other team has to drink that cup of beer, and you get to keep playing your turn. If you miss, the turn changes to the other side. This keeps on going until one side loses; all of their cups are empty and their tummies are filled with malted brew.

The Self-Proclaimed King of Beer Pong
So that being said, I found it’s really quite hard to do. Before I knew it I had about five full cups on my side of the table, and they had a full tier of cups on theirs. And the more you lose, the more you drink. The more you drink, the drunker that you get. The drunker that you get, the less hand eye coordination that you have. So the loser will continue to suck as they are forced to keep on drinking beer, as per the rules. It goes without saying that I awoke with quite a headache the following morning. However, after browsing around online I found this video that is from a self-proclaimed ‘King of Beer Pong.’ And boy does this dude fully deserve the title.

Check out his Youtube video by Clicking Here

See What All the Hoopla is About
This guy can shoot a ping pong ball from nearly anywhere into a half full cup of beer. In the video he is throwing one over his head into a cup that is about fifteen feet away. He rides on a skateboard and kick-flips a pong ball into a cup as he is busting the trick over the cup. He can throw two, and three, even four balls at once and they will all land in the cups perfectly.

Yes indeed, the world has its first official beer pong king. For all that it really matters in the end.

But Christmas beer? That’s new to me. It’s apparently a European tradition, of long-standing, traditionally made from a late barley harvest as an “October” beer, and then allowed to mature until Christmas. Christmas beer was, even in the middle ages, a matter of some local pride.

Probably the most famous of all Christmas beers is Samichlaus, from the Hürlimann brewery in Zurich, Switzerland. Named after Santa Claus himself (but pronounced pronounced Sommy-Clouss), the beer is 14 % alcohol by volume, making it one of the strongest lagers in the world. Samichlaus was the creation of the Hürlimann Brewery in Zërich, and was first commercially brewed in 1979 for the 1980 season; previously it had been made in small artisan batches using traditional methods, and used as a special seasonal gift from the brewery. Unfortunately, the brewery closed its vats in 1997, but in 2000 Schloss Eggenberg collaborated with the Hürlimann brewers to re-create the beer using the original recipe. Samichlaus is brewed once a year, using traditional natural ingredients, on the 6th of December, Saint Nicholas’ day. A traditional Bavarian Doppelbock beer, Samichlaus is different in that it has a secondary, long, fermentation using traditional cold lagering for ten months. The fermenting yeast devour most of the sugar. If you can forebear drinking it, the beer keeps very well, and becomes increasingly smooth with age.

For those of us with less exotic tastes, there are Christmas beers from a variety of sources. Norway has its own Christmas beer tradition, and Belgium has SPRL Brasserie Léon Huyghe, makers of Delirium De Noël.

Closer to home, there are a variety of American micro brew Christmas beers. Anchor Steam, back in 1974, produced the first popular American Christmas beer. You can find their Christmas Ale fairly easily in bottles now, if you can’t find it on tap. Part of the fun of their Christmas Ale is that it’s a little different, every year. For those celebrating Hannukah, there’s Jewbelation, Full Sail Brewing company in Oregon produces Full Sail Wassail, a Winter ale for the season. Or, for the pagan beer lover, Anderson Valley Brewing’s Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is available, on tap and in the bottle.

For those of you who are dedicated winter holiday beer aficionado, you can always pick up a copy of Don Russell’s book, Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, and Most Unusual Holiday Brews. And for the true cerevisaphiles, here’s a recipe to brew your own Christmas beer.

In the Old Days Beers Were Always Stored in Barrels
Originally beers and ales were always stored in barrels, like oak and birch barrels for a few good reasons. One they were stored in barrels so they could age properly. Two they were stored in barrels so that the flavors of the wood would seep into the beer. And three, they were stored in barrels so that the beer’s sediment could form, and not be disturbed. Sediment in beer are small flavor particles that can float on the bottom of the barrel, which is why, like wine, beer barrels are stored on their sides as to not disturb the sediment. Finally, beer barrels would protect the beer from the sun, preserving its fine taste and texture until it could be drank by happy pub goers.

That’s why you pour fine beers slowly. Take for example Guinness, one of the most popular sediment dark ales on the planet Earth. Have you ever noticed how their bottles are dark black and are coated with a black coating, to offer added protection to the much sought after contents contained within those bottles. Of course, nobody minds those nifty CO2 cartridges that burst flavor and bubbles into the bottles when they are popped. But the main reason that this beer is stored in black bottles is to preserve the taste and the thick texture of the beer, and of course, to protect the flavor creating sediment from being disturbed.

Some of the more Pricey Beers are Only Served in Cans
Another good point on these issues is some of the finest beers available today. For example, take Dale’s Pale Ale—an amazingly pale and fine, bittersweet ale that is only bottled in cans. I was talking to the brew master during a Dale’s event at a local Whole Food’s flagship store, and he confirmed my suspicions. Dale’s will only ever be served in cans to preserve the taste and the texture of the beer. The brew master also informed me that the very best beers always come in cans, because beer actually tastes better in cans, as opposed to in bottles. So contrary to popular belief—that belief being that bottled beer is better—bottled beer is not better. The best beers come in cans. And no, Budweiser and Miller, or Coors do not count!

What’s in a Black and Tan: The American Version
There are quite a few versions of the black and tan beer, but I will save you the reading and only talk about the extremely popular American version. A black and tan always uses Guinness Stout beer as the topper. Most often a light lager, usually Bass Ale, or Samuel Adams light, is poured into a pint glass to the halfway marker. Then the glass is topped off with Guinness. The Guinness beer is heavier than the light lager and the sediment slowly but surely drags it down to the bottom of the glass, creating a unique swirling pattern as the beers mix. But that aside, it’s all about the taste: the perfect balance of beers that goes down smooth and has a great aftertaste.

Foods That go Great with a Black and Tan
There are ample amounts of foods that go great with a black and tan beer. Many people fancy drinking a black and tan over a steak or other red meat, it also goes great with sliders and hamburgers or cheese burgers. A black and tan easily compliments the taste of grilled chicken and also goes great with grilled fishes like trout, salmon and tuna. Of course all other sorts of fried and popular bar foods, like French fries, onion rings, chips, and fried fish also go great with a black and tan. Due to its unique light and dark taste, the beer mixture almost goes perfectly with just about any kind of food, save for sweets or cereals.

Who Coined the Name Black and Tan?
The name Black and Tan emanates from the days of World War One, when the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force was deployed into Ireland by the British Secretary of State for War, Winston Churchill, and they later coined this now infamous concoction as the Black and Tan. Read More on the History of the Black and Tan Beer – Post war the popularity of the drink waned in Ireland, but took great interest by American beer drinkers and would later become a classical favorite at bars for drinkers. The original concoction is believed, but not known for sure, to have come from late 1800s English Pubs, where drinkers would frequently sport mixtures of different beers and lagers, most often dark beers mixed with light lagers, because they fancied the taste.

We went with a traditional hand-tossed Pepperoni, which took no time at all to decide, but then, faced with several on-tap beers, we had to pause. We could go with a local Seattle microbrew, like Mac and Jack, or Pyramid’s Hefweissn, both of which we like and work well with pizza, but then my eye was caught by an unfamiliar name in the list of brews “Peroni (Italy).”

We ordered a pitcher of Peroni, and yes, it was perfect with the pizza. I’ve been told that Peroni is to Italy what Budweiser is to America; the quintessential Italian beer. A lager, it has an alcohol level of 4.7, which I’m told is not really unusually low for European beers. You can taste the hops, but they’re not bitter or over-powering. It’s the palest beer, in color, I’ve ever seen—a lovely pale gold, looking more like a white wine or pear cider than beer, though it’s dry rather than sweet. It’s a super beer to have with food— I suspect it would go particularly well with subtle flavors and lighter Asian cuisines.

Peroni Beer was established in Vigevano Italy in 1846 by Fransico Peroni, and it’s now the dominant beer in Italy, though the Peroni family no longer owns the business. Peroni, like British ale brewer Castle and U. S. brewer Miller is owned by the South African brewery conglomerate SAMiller. Nontheless, you can still visit one of the earliest of the family’s four breweries, the antica birreria Peroni, the Peroni brew pub in Rome, on the Via di S. Marcello. You can even buy modern, accurate, reproductions of the ceramic pitchers Italian parents sent with a child to be filled at the brewery.

About 35 years ago Peroni decided to create a premium lager, and came up with Peroni Nastro Azzurro. A lager, with an alcohol level of 5.1%, it’s been fairly popular as an export; you can easily find it in a bottle in the U. S. The name “Nastro Azzurro” means “blue ribbon”; a sobriquet chosen as an indication of the confidence, and pride, Peroni had in their new beer. The Peroni Web site has a series of interesting videos about Nastro Azzurro and Peroni. You likely note, as I did, that the brewmaster even describes Peroni as a “pizza beer.”

It’s clear from the Italian site for Peroni that they are the dominant, even “generic” beer in Italy, with strong cultural associations with Sicily. Peroni Italy made unfortunate headlines a year ago when a sexist advertisement offended a group of female attorneys who sued the beer maker.