Catering Melbourne Blog

When discussing whisky the first thing that needs to be know is that there are two legitimate spellings. The Scotts and Canadians spell whisky without the “e”, while the Irish and Americans spell it with an “e” as in whiskey. This should be the first indication that the world of whisky is a very complicated one and has many regional differences in taste and production. This is part of what makes whisky such an interesting and enjoyable spirit.

Historically it is believed that the Irish were the first to make whiskey, however the Scotts have also laid claim to being the first whisky producers. The Irish used the term “uisce beatha” (”Water of Life” in Gaelic) to describe whiskey, so it must have been important.

Both the Scottish and Irish make whiskey the same way, except for the malting and distillation process. In Scotland the malted barley is roasted over open peat fires to dry, this results in the grain picking up the peat flavour. In Ireland, the malted barely is dried in closed ovens, and is never exposed to the smoke. The process of mashing and fermentation is much the same for both countries. In the distillation step, the Irish, most of the time, distill their product three times, which results in a very pure distillate which makes Irish whiskey exceptionally smooth. The Scottish distill their product twice and this results in more flavour in the spirit.

In North America there is Canadian whisky and American whiskey, which has a number of regional classifications including Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey. Each product in North America is unique and is regulated by the government. Canadian whisky is the number one imported spirit into the United States and is second in consumption only to vodka.

American whiskey has a number of regulation depending on the definition of the product. Bourbon must be made from fermented mash of not less than 51% corn, rye, wheat, malted barely or malted rye grain. It cannot be distilled at a proof higher than 160 and must be stored in new oak barrels at a proof of 125 or less. Blended American whiskey must be made from at least 20% whiskey aged two or more years with the remainder made from unaged neutral grain spirit. American corn whiskey must be made from a minimum mash of 80% corn. Tennessee whiskey follows the same regulations as Bourbon, but is charcoal filtered (Lincoln County Process), so it does not qualify as a bourbon.

Canadian whisky must be ages for at least three years, but for the most part the Canadian government allows the expertise of the distiller to define the characteristics of the final product so there are no limits on distillation proof or barrel requirements. Any Canadian whisky that is aged for less than four years must have the age listed on the bottle. Most Canadian whisky is aged for six or more years. Canadian whisky is generally a blended spirit. The term “blended” means that the final product is made from a number different types of distilled product. For example, a Canadian whisky may be composed of corn, barely, wheat and rye distillates that have been aged in selected used or new oak barrels. Some Canadian producers put all of the grains in one vat and ferment them as a whole and pre-blend and age the distillate. Other producers ferment each grain individually and age each distillate separately and then blend a final product from a mixture of spirits. Most Canadian whisky is distilled twice.

This article has only scratched the surface of the whisk(e)y world. There are many regional characteristics of whisky and many other counties are producing this fine spirit. It would take a lifetime to explore the complete world of whisky, but it would be a worthy attempt.

Darcy O’Neil is a bartender with a formal education in chemistry. His motive for becoming a bartender was part by chance and partially to fulfill his culinary desires. You can read more about Darcy on his bartending, spirits and mixology site http://www.theartofdrink.com/blog/

No one really knows exactly how the first beer came into being …

Suffice it to say that, around 10,000 years ago, somebody let a primordial barley and hop concoction stand long enough for it to ferment. The result not only made anonymous history, it was the genesis of beer’s own special influence throughout the ages.

Here are a few examples of note:

It was the accepted practice in Babylonia, as early as 4000 years ago, that for a month after a wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar-based, this period was called the “honey month” or what we know today as the “honeymoon.” I have also heard that the custom included one of the most resourceful bits of propaganda ever created for husbands. As the story went, if the groom drank mead for an entire moon, it would enhance the chances of his wife bearing a male heir. The bride, however, had to abstain from drinking alcohol at all. I’ll leave the punch lines to you.

After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called ‘aul,’ or ‘ale,’ a certain self-appointed breed of Vikings would head fearlessly into battle without armor, or even without shirts. In fact, the term “berserk” means “bare shirt” in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild behavior in battle. They believed that Odin’s favor was all they needed for protection, and if they were to die in combat, it was only because The Allfather decided it was their time to enter the hallowed halls of Valhalla. This was Odin’s great ‘Castle of the Chosen Slain,’ where ‘inductees’ would spend eternity in Viking nirvana, ie- fighting all day, having their wounds miraculously heal at sundown, and then partying all night, with generous quantities of ale at their beck and call.

Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast wouldn’t grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This practice is where we get the phrase, “rule of thumb.”

The first known consumer protection act arose with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516, known as Rheinheitsgebot. This decreed that, in order to be called ‘beer,’ a beverage could only consist of four ingredients: malt, hops, yeast and water. This is such a revered regulation that when the European Union facilitated the introduction of other beers into the German market, it took a court order for many stores to sell them. Most of those beers contained preservatives, and to a respectable German, that meant — and still does — that such beverages were not beer.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So, in olde England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It’s where we get the phrase, “mind your P’s and Q’s.”

Also in England’s olden days, pub frequenters often had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. “Wet your whistle” is the phrase inspired by this practice.

In 1740, Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water down the navy’s rum. Needless to say, the sailors weren’t too pleased and called Admiral Vernon “Old Grog,” after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore. The term “grog” soon began to mean the watered down drink itself. When you were drunk on this grog, you were “groggy,” a word that has been expanded to include the effects of too much beer and is still in use today.

There are numerous quotations which pay homage to beer. Allow me to list three of the wittiest:

“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then, I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, ‘It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.’”

– Saturday Night Live’s faux-philosopher, Jack Handy

“Put it back in the horse!”

– W C Fields, disapproving of a sub-standard brew

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

– Benjamin Franklin

Given a good pint, composed of God’s natural ingredients and nurtured by man’s learned craft, beer has made us very happy, indeed.

Just keep the joy below 0.08% of your blood content.

About the Author:

J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at Longer Life’s website, which provides information designed to improve the quality of living. He’s at http://longerlifegroup.com/cyberiter.html

Beer brewing has become increasingly popular because it produces a large amount of beer for a very little amount of money. There are three things to consider when brewing your own beer from home - equipment, ingredients and procedure.

Equipment Needed:

● A 20 quart brew pot
● Large stirring spoon
● A basic tablespoon
● Measuring cup
● Glass jar
● Fermenter (plastic bucket)
● Air lock
● Sanitizer
● Thermometer
● Rolling pin

Ingredients:

● Water
● Malted Barley
● Hops
● Yeast

Procedure:

1. Preparing the Ingredients – Crush the malted barley into suitable sizes using your rolling pin. This will break the grain into pieces and will extract the goodness of the grain when it’s inserted into hot water.

2. Boil the Wort – The ingredients for the wort are mixed with the amount stated on the beer recipe. This is called the “mash”. The mash is mixed together in the boiler and hot water is added. The mash is brought to a boil for approximately half an hour. Once it’s finished boiling, you must filter out the grains and add the hops. Boiling the hops will eliminate its bitter flavor. Boil the hops for approximately 10 minutes.

3. Fermentation – This is the most important step to beer brewing. Insert the yeast into the wort and leave it for approximately one week. If you use the correct amount of yeast, you will notice foam throughout the liquid within the first 24 hours. This foam indicates that the beer is fermenting accordingly.

4. Storage – Store your beer in tanks or package it in bottles or kegs until it is ready for consumption.

Bill Kaplan spends most of his free time researching and practicing the art of beer brewing and wine making and serves as a contributing editor for the http://www.winemakingandbeerbrewing.com/ website. The site offers information on different types of beer making supplies http://www.winemakingandbeerbrewing.com/beer-making-supplies.aspx

The wine tradition in Paarl is older than the roots of the aging Oak Trees that line its Cape Dutch streets. The first European settlers arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652, planting the seeds that solidified the Cape’s reputation as a wine growing heaven.

Now that the work has already been done, what else can you and I do but savour the delicate fruits pressed with decades of winemaking experience and travel the newly formed routes leading us to the finest wines in the world.

Forget the majesty of the Drakensberg Mountains, try to ignore the historic monuments perched loftily upon pearly hills, the kind of wine tasting to be done in Paarl will require every ounce of your concentration.

Now that we know what we are going to be doing in Paarl, apart from enjoying the scenery, let’s make a journey into the winelands, delving into present day winemaking communities, uncovering their interesting attributes and tracing those lively wines to hideaways so often missed by the multitude.

Along the way, if we’re lucky, we may make the acquaintance of a genuine Garagiste, a class of heretic garage winemakers shunned in France by the old school traditionalists because of the stir their independently crafted wines create. There might be a hint along the way as to where we might discover one of those who make these “Vins de Garage”. The mixture of Paarl’s perfect climate and their special skills is sure to be very rewarding.

We start our journey at the entrance of the Hugenot Tunnel, the breach to the longest wine route in the world, also known as Route 62. But we go no further; what we are mostly concerned with is the infamous Red Route…

The Red Route

The Red Route, as you can imagine, is named because of the large amount and quality of red wines along its relaxing meander. It was formed by a collaboration of wine producers known as the Paarl Vintners (Wine Merchants). The Vintners diligently plotted a wine route for an estimated 24 participants, all found within the Paarl Valley. One or two of these include the De Zoete Inval Estate owned by the Frater family, who have been making wine here for more than 115 years. The Rhebokskloof Estate has also been producing wine since 1692. Unfortunately, the wine from that early period has already been consumed.

The Red Route is without question a collection of the most renowned wine producers in the world. Any effort made in finding them would not in any way be an inconvenience to your taste buds. The Red Route’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are undoubtedly the best in the world.

Fairview

Not strictly a wine route, the Red Route is also, by happy coincidence, a cheese route. Which brings us to our next stop along our journey - Fairview.

Fairview is South Africa’s largest producer of speciality cheeses. For over 25 years, dairy goats have supplied milk for a variety of cheeses ranging from Jersey Milk, Brie and Camembert to a wide variety of Italian and French-style cheeses.
If however that is not enough of an incentive to visit Fairview, a little historical rundown should serve to amplify your interest…
Fairview not only produces speciality cheeses, but also award-winning wines. In 1693, Simon van der Stel, the second governor of the Cape of Good Hope, allocated the original land at Fairview to Steven Vervey, a French Huguenot. The first wine was made on Fairview in 1699 and a long tradition has long since developed. Fairview started its own bottling in 1974 and auctioned its first bottled wines at the very first wine auction ever held in the country, pre-dating the now famous Nederburg Auction.

The Nederburg Auction

The Auction is Paarl’s largest wine festival and is like the World Cup for winetasters. Held at the end of every summer, the auction epitomises what fine wine is all about. The very essence of the event lies in the tasting of 147 award winning wines, perhaps even those of the Garagistes, but you will have to wait and see!

The auction is a benchmark of quality for South African Wines and serves as a showcase for African wines to the international trade. Because of this, any label proclaiming “sold at the Nederburg Auction” is regarded as having an official stamp of approval, worldwide.

Too much talk about wine is liable to make a person a little obsessed. It is after all only fermented grape juice. But Paarl makes it well and the Red Route is the best place to find it.

Good wine naturally goes well with good food and Paarl offers some of the best restaurants in the Cape, serving a variety of foods that mingle well with a bottle of your favourite tipple.

Paarl is also a place rich in history with its architectural wonders. They seem to represent the concrete and stone versions of its fine wines. Each wine estate has a unique attraction - a gable, a special goat tower like the one at Fairview or even a gargoyle waiting for the flash of your camera.

Olive Tasting

Because tunnel vision limits the mind, many things can be missed along the Red Route. Take olive tasting for instance. This is becoming a major attraction on some of the estates, many of whom now grow Olive Trees for the export of olive oil.

The rest is up to you. Whether you get down to the specifics and finer details of wine tasting or broaden your horizons gazing over the Paarl Valley from Paarl Rock depends on which side of the tunnel you’re on. Enjoy Paarl!

About the Author:

Oak Tree Lodge is centrally located in the historical Cape Winelands town of Paarl, South Africa. Visit their website (http://www.oaktreelodge.co.za/area.q) for more information on Paarl, South Africa. 

Bordered by forests and the grand estuary of the Gironde in Southwest France is one of the world’s most revered wine growing regions - The Medoc. Literally a stone’s throw away from the magnificent city of Bordeaux the Medoc wine growing region stretches up along the Medoc Peninsula for approximately 45 miles. Immaculately groomed vineyards await, steeped in a history of grape cultivation that has led to the production of many vintage red Medoc-Bordeaux wines during the last few centuries.

Our journey begins to the north of Bordeaux in the town of Blanquefort - gateway to the Medoc wine growing region. From here the D2 autoroute travels northwards cutting a path between the forest and marshes that lead down to the Gironde Estuary. The ground undulates through gentle crests and troughs, but overall is rather flat, allowing views of vine-covered land for as far as the eye can see. The landscape too is very photogenic, the lush green vines contrasting against lines of sandy coloured soils and light gravels, set against a deep azure sky.

By far the largest wine growing area in the Medoc is the regional appellation known as Haute-Medoc. It covers the area from Blanquefort to an area midway between Vertheuil and St Germain d’Esteuil in an almost unbroken run and is the region which produces the most diverse range of wines. Grape varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir and Petit Verdot - all full-bodied, lively reds that develop a distinct bouquet over time.

Taking in the area of Labarde, Arsac, Ligondras and Margaux is the first of six world class wine growing communes in the Medoc. It is named after the chateau at Margaux and is known around the globe for its wines of distinction. Further up the D2 route the communes of Moulis and Listrac-Medoc are skirted on their east side before the exceptional vineyards of the St Juilien and Pauillac communes are encountered close to the water’s edge.

From Pauillac the road draws you inland towards Lesparre-Medoc in the heart of the regional appellation that is simply known as Medoc. These are the most northerly vineyards in the Medoc wine growing region and contains many cool dark cellars in which to sample some fine vintage wines.

How to get to the Medoc wine growing region
By far the best way to arrive in the Medoc refreshed and ready for adventure is by air. The international airport at Bordeaux caters for flights from all over the world, including Europe, North America and Asia. Many European flights are direct, while transatlantic flights may require a change at Paris international airport. Car hire can be booked in advance at Bordeaux airport (or Paris) - http://www.your-carhire.com . From Bordeaux airport drivers will need to head out north on the Bordeaux ring road to junction 7, where the N215 northbound can be picked up and very soon afterwards the D2 towards Blanquefort.

About the Author:

Seb Jay is a professional copywriter specialising in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com