Here are the latest articles from the Beer and Brewing site at BellaOnline.com.

Ask the Beer Fox - Becoming a Certified Beer Judge
Beer Fox Question: How do I become a certified beer judge? Is there anything out west in the USA or Canada? Do you need a prolific beernoid to help you with your beer resourcefulness?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50288.asp

Ask the Beer Fox - Deep Frying in Beer Batter
A reader asks: Beer Fox, is it possible to add beer to peanut oil to deep fry in?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50279.asp

Beer Cookery - Okrakoke Swordfish Dijon
The Beer Fox says, “A fresh Dijon glaze creates its own unique flavor when combined with the rich juiciness of swordfish.”

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50154.asp

Beer Fox Tip of the Week:

American Craft Brewers have created the most exciting and diverse beer environment in the world. Once spurned by the traditional European brewing community, American brewers have earned a place of prestige through their persistent dedication to the art of high-quality brewing. The next logical step would be to display that beer with pride and panache.

Our Belgian mentors in Europe paved the path with their prominent fusion of beer-to-glass. So strong is this fusion, that Belgian brasseries refuse to serve a beer unless the proper glass is available.

In a move that echoes this passion for beer, Jim Koch of Samuel Adams/Boston Beer has created a distinctive beer glass specifically for Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Consulting with Tiax, expert sensory global technologists, Koch came up with a unique design to show-off the distinctive characteristics of his favorite beer. The new glass delivers sweetness to the tip of the tongue, concentrates and directs hop-rich aromas to the olfactory senses, sustains the creamy head, and promotes continuous movement of carbonation within the glass.

Although craft brewers like Brewery Ommegang and Sierra Nevada both have distinctive glassware designed for specific styles of beer - e.g., the Three Philosophers Chalice or Witte beer Nonic [Ommegang], and the German Luettich Balloon or Weizen Beer Glass [Sierra Nevada] - most other brewers serve their beers in a standard pint glass with logo, regardless of style.

Some saavy American brewpubs use Belgian beer glasses, flutes, or oversized wine glasses to stress the quality of well-crafted beer, but the availability of distinctive glassware in most American brewpubs and restaurants remains sparse. Cheers to Jim Koch for his focus on beer-to-glass fusion!

Beer Fox Laugh of the Week:

Children's Perceptions:

NUDITY

A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?"

POLICE

It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. "Is that a dog you got back there?" he asked. "It sure is," I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, "What'd he do?"

ELDERLY

While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"

DRESS-UP

A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit." "And why not, darling?" "You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning."

DEATH

While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin.

Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: "Glory be unto the Faaaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he gooooes."

Beer News

Today, April 6th, is Victory over Prohibition Day, celebrating that momentous day, April 5, 1933 when Prohibition of Beer ended at 12:00 midnight. It would be eight more months until the repeal of the Volstead Act would be fully implemented, but for Beer lovers, this is Celebration Day. In southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, festivities are happening at the Kildare’s locations in the Philadelphia area, all P.J. Whelihan’s restaurants in New Jersey, the Victory Brewing Restaurant, the Drafting Room in Spring House, Union Jack's in Boyertown, Spinnerstown Hotel in Spinnerstown, Blue Dog in Chalfont, Blue Dog in Lansdale, Brother Paul's, Capone's and Ortino's in Schwenksville, Union Jack's at the Congo Hotel, Grey Lodge Pub in Philadelphia, Mad Mex, and the Ugly Moose.

Raise a glass to FDR for his priceless support in implementing the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition, the only example of the negation of an amendment to the constitution.

Craft Beer of the Week Award

Wittekerke - Brouwerij Bavik, Harelbeke-Bavikhove, Belgium

Style: Belgian Witbier

An iridescent, golden body seems to transmit floral citrus aromas through its magical, dense, creamy white head. The addition of oats to the wheat base adds to the creamy mouthfeel. Sweet fruitiness is enhanced by a secondary tartness, while spices extend like an extravagant gift to the awaiting tongue. The finish is subtle, complex and dry.

Cheers!

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Carolyn Smagalski, Beer and Brewing Editor
http://Beer.bellaonline.com

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