PRESS RELEASE
ZYTHOS NOT CONVINCED BY MINISTER DEMOTTE'S STATEMENTS ABOUT THE LAMBIC BREWERIES
Zythos, the non-profit organisation of beerconsumers that is fighting for the safeguarding and propagation of the Belgian beerculture in all its aspects, is not convinced by the reassuring statements by minister of public health Demotte, concerning the future of the lambic breweries.
Last weekend the minister declared that the new European regulation on the hygiene of foodstuffs was no threat for traditional Belgian beers such as lambic, gueuze and old brown. According to him the regulation did not put new demands for the producers of these beers, hence nothing had to be changed in the production process.
Zythos agrees only partly with the minister's opinion. Zythos appreciates the minister's view, as stated in the House of Representatives on 17 November in answer to a parliamentary question. The minister then said: "To be able to respect the traditional production methods, I will take the necessary measures with my services to apply the prescribed regulations properly, in function of the analysis of the dangers". From this it can be concluded indeed that no immediate or short term danger is threatening the survival of the lambic breweries.
However, at long term this danger certainly is not averted. All depends from the way in which the European regulation on the hygiene of foodstuffs is interpreted and applied. There is no guarantee that future authorities, employees and inspectors will do this in the same way as now promised by minister Demotte. Contrary to the minister's assumption, the European regulation certainly comprises provisions which, if strictly applied, can cause serious problems to our lambic brewers. The regulation states, for instance, that for all surfaces coming in contact with food - and beer certainly is a foodstuff - "the use of corrosion resistant, smooth, washable and non-toxic materials" is required. For the rooms where foodstuffs are prepared - in other words the brewery - the regulation states at different places that "the use of impervious, non-absorbent, washable and non-toxic materials are required, unless food business operators (i.e. the brewers) can satisfy the competent authori!
ty that
other materials used are appropriate". Especially this last specification ("unless...") shows clearly that much depends from the interpretation by the authorities. So the European regulation, as formulated now, gives no long tern guarantee to the lambic brewers. Precisely these brewers - if they want to maintain the authenticity of the production process - are strongly dependent from the microflora that has settled in the brewery and cannot apply the regulation in a strict sense.
For these reasons Zythos keeps urging the brewers' professional organisation and the competent politicians to make use of the exemption measures that are provided for explicitly in the European regulation. Art. 4 of the regulation indeed states: "A member state may, in co-operation with the Commission (...) adapt the requirements (...), provided that the objectives of food hygiene are not compromised , with a view to (...) take account of traditional methods of production or the use of raw materials which are, according to scientific findings, established practice or tradition, characteristic of the production process".
These exemption measures, which are understood to have been used already by French wine producers and cheese makers, can be applied also on our lambic brewers, gueuze blenders and old brown producers. Zythos does not agree with the answer, given by minister Demotte in the House of Representatives, concerning possible negative effects of the European regulation. He said: "I can only answer when it happens. Maybe we can request then the same exemption as France". Zythos thinks that it is better to prevent it to happen, because for some small family businesses with limited financial ability that can be fatal already. So getting the exemption measures on the European regulation is of vital importance.
As a result of the closing down of the lambic brewery Oud Beersel earlier this year, Zythos launched a campaign. The slogan of it, "Save Oud Beersel", was symbolic for the problems of all lambic brewers and gueuze blenders. This campaign, resulting in more than 4000 petitions from home and abroad, will be concluded at the end of this year. Zythos asked for a meeting with the minister of consumer affairs Freya Van den Bossche. The petitions will be handed over to her, together with a list of measures that have to be taken by the responsible politicians, in order to guarantee the survival of one of Belgium's most unique beers.
You still have time to brew entries for this one.
Forwarded message:
> From HoppyBrew(a)kcbiermeisters.org Sat Dec 20 09:48:40 2003
> Message-Id: <200312201546.HAA11962(a)iodine.colossus.net>
> From: "John R. Weerts" <HoppyBrew(a)kcbiermeisters.org>
> To: "John R. Weerts" <HoppyBrew(a)kcbiermeisters.org>
> Subject: Kansas City Bier Meisters 21st Regional Homebrew Competition
> Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 09:46:36 -0600
>
>
> You are invited to join us for our special birthday party this year.
>
> We are turning 21 and doing what all 21 year olds do for their
> birthday, we're having a Beer.
>
> This year's event also celebrates Boulevard Brewing Company 15th year
> and Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery's 10th.
>
> KCBM's very own Chef Danial Turner will be delighting us with a dinner
> using a selection of Boulevard Beers.
>
> We have arranged a special tour of Boulevard Brewing Company and
> Steven Pauwels their Head Brewer will be speaking during Saturday's
> breakfast.
>
> For more details go to:
>
> http://www.kcbiermeisters.org/competition.htm
>
> The site includes image files of the mailer. The mailer in Adobe's
> .pdf format and Electronic Sign-Up for Entries, Judging/Stewarding and
> all Events.
>
> Please Remember Seating at All Events is Limited.
>
> Hope to see you at our 21st Regional Homebrew Competition.
>
> John R. Weerts
> KCBM Competiton Committee Member
>
>
>
> If you received this already I apologize I am having troubles getting this
> out through Bcc method to protect your email address.
>
--
Steve Piatz piatz(a)cray.com
Cray Inc. 651-605-9049
1340 Mendota Heights Road
Mendota Heights, MN 55120
>From the AHA Tech talk list. Can any of you chemists out there shed more
light on what seems to be a very simple remedy.
Mike Moranz
>From: Jeff Renner [mailto:jeffrenner@comcast.net]
>Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 2:09 PM
>Subject: Re: Brewing water
>Mike Galagan [mailto:cgalagan@wavecom.net] wrote:
>>I can't use tap water where I live because of the Chloramine that
>>is in the water.
>While it is true that chloramines won't boil out of water the way
>free chlorine will, you can easily remove it with sodium
>metabisulfite. One Campden tablet will virtually instantly remove
>it from 20 gallons of water that has a normal amount of chloramine.
>It converts it to chloride. I grind the tablet in a mortar and pestle.
>Any extra free sulfite is no problem (assuming you don't have a
>sulfite sensitivity) as it serves as an anti-oxidant in the mash. As
>a matter of fact, I have recently been using a ground Campden
>tablet in the mash to reduce the likelihood of hot side oxidation
>in the mash.
>Jeff
>Jeff Renner in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
>mailto:JeffRenner@comcast.net
>"One never knows, do one?"
>Fats Waller, American Musician, 1904-1943
Greetings brewers and friends. I recently noticed a sharp increase in yahoo trash arriving at my work address. To cope with this, a dump and delete rule was started. Messages being sent from any address containing "yahoo" go directly to jail. They do not pass go nor do they collect $200. Sorry but the trash just became too deep.
Here's the shrimp recipe, for those who are interested....
Old Kitchen Rug Brewery
Brewmaster: Al Boyce
Coconut Pale Ale Shrimp
with Barleywine Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce
SPICE MIXTURE:
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 3/4 teaspoons onion powder
1 3/4 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 3/4 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
BATTER MIXTURE:
(Al's note: - I have found this batter recipe will last for about double the
number of shrimp. Also, for me it takes more beer than recommended to get
the right consistency of batter... you have to play that by ear.)
1 12- ounce bottle American Pale Ale (I used Celebration Ale)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
50 medium- size shrimp (about 2 pounds),
peeled and deveined (leave on tails)
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (about 6 ounces)
oil for deep frying
lettuce leaves, for garnish
Hot red pepper sauce, for garnish
BARLEYWINE DIPPING SAUCE:
1 8oz. bottle Grey Poupon Brown Spicy Mustard
1-1/4 cup of honey
1 teaspoon of cornstarch (optional)
1/4 cup Barleywine (I used Sierra Nevada Bigfoot)
Mix mustard and honey together well. Sift in cornstarch into barleywine and
stir well.
Mix barleywine mixture into sauce.
DIRECTIONS:
Thoroughly combine the paprika, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion
powder, oregano, thyme, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the beer, flour, and baking soda and mix well with
a wire whisk. The batter should have the consistency of pancake batter. Stir
in the spice mixture, using a wire whisk.
Spread the coconut out on a plate. Dip each shrimp into the batter, shake
off any excess, then roll in the coconut to cover. Press the shrimp in the
palm of your hand to make the coconut flakes stick.
In a deep fryer or large saucepan, heat the oil to 350 F. Drop the shrimp, 6
at a time, into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Drain on paper towels and serve on a bed of fresh lettuce. Top with hot red
pepper sauce if you like.
YIeld: 10 servings
Sorry about the delay in forwarding. I'm cleaning out my mailbox and
thought some of you might want to take a look at this. I've looked at the
website but not having used any of the softwares out there, I don't know if
it's good or not. Anyone have experience with software they would like to
share?
Mike Moranz
-----Original Message-----
From: Brad Smith [mailto:beersmith@beersmith.com]
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2003 12:09 AM
To: info(a)mnbrewers.com
Subject: BeerSmith Link
Could you please add our new brewing software
BeerSmith to your links page for MN Brewers? I
believe it would fit well under the tools section.
BeerSmith is a great recipe/brewing system for the
beginner and advanced brewer. Please check out our
web site below to try a copy yourself.
Thanks,
Brad
Thanks in advance!
Brad Smith
www.beersmith.com
GREAT party on Saturday! Big Thanks to Rick Oftel, Mike Valentiner, and
everyone else who helped to organize the party. Also thanks to everyone
who brought the fabulous foods and beers. Finally, thanks to all the
homebrew shops and vendors who donated stuff (Midwest, Northern Brewer,
WindRiver - did I miss any?) Be sure to THANK THEM when you see them or
when you go in to use their gift certificates!
- Al
