Scottish brewers BrewDog have wrestled back the title for world’s strongest beer with the latest release, a 41% ABV quadruple IPA called Sink the Bismarck.

BrewDog held the title last year with their 32% strength beer, Tactical Nuclear Penguin, before recently losing it to the German brewer Schorschbrau, who released a 40% strength Schorschbock. Sink the Bismarck is to be sold online retailing at £40 for a 330ml bottle.

While pushing the boundaries for their high strength beer, BrewDog are also drawing major attention for the way they market their beers. Check out the video below released to promote their Sink the Bismarck brew. While the video lacks information on the actual beer, it is highly entertaining!

Sink the Bismarck! from BrewDog on Vimeo.

Every year while millions park themselves in front of the TV to watch the Super Bowl, there is an ad war going on, as brands all over seek to maximise their voice to the Super Bowl viewing population.

Brands spend big dollars to purchase these advertising spots, and even more developing the ads that are featured. Beer being loved and drunk, by the majority of watchers, features in a large number of these ads. Below are some of those featured in this years Super Bowl.

And for those who didn’t yet get the result, the New Orleans Saints took out the game, beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.

Bud Light House of Beer

Budweiser “Human Bridge”

Bud Light “Lost”

Budweiser Select – Don’t bring me down

Michelob Ultra Lance Armstrong

While previous research has found that beer in moderation is good for the heart, the latest results has shown that it is good for your bones too. Researchers at  the University of California’s Department of Food Science & Technology have discovered beer is a rich source of silicon. As dietary silicon is a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density it may also help prevent osteoporosis.

Research conducted previously had shown beer contained silicon but little was known about how silicon levels varied based on the different types of beer and malting processes.

The researchers wanted to understand the type of beer which offered the most silicon. They analyzed 100 samples of commercial beers bought at a local liquor store and discovered the silicon content on was average 29.4 parts per million (ppm). Indian Pale Ales, or IPAs, were the highest at 41.2 ppm. Ales tended to average 32.8 ppm, lagers 23.8 ppm, and light lagers 17.2 ppm. "Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," the authors reported.

So next time you feel the old bones rattling, grab yourself an IPA and possibly say goodbye to osteoporosis!

Every year women all over the world have the challenge of getting an excellent Valentine’s Day gift for their man. Here at Beer Cartel we have decided to make it a little easier by providing a short slideshow on exactly what not to get. Enjoy!

This Australia Day, when you’re searching for something to do, why not make your way to the Coogee Bowling Club for a day of barefoot bowls and beer appreciation. The day is hosted by Dan and Graham from Beer Snobs, http://www.beersnobs.com.au. It includes barefoot bowls, tasting of ten different boutique beers, topped off by a double banger BBQ Sanger with home made chutney and beer infused caramelised onions.

Limited tickets are available prior to Tuesday for just $39 from the Beer Cartel website http://www.beercartel.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=65 , or at the door for $50. So drop your thongs this Australia Day and pick up a beer or two for fun and games at the Coogee Bowling Club!

Event date: Australia Day, Tuesday 26th January 2010 from 2 – 4pm
Event address: Coogee Bowling Club, Dolphin Street, Coogee, NSW, Australia.
For more information please contact Geoff Huens, Beer Cartel +61 402 485 987 or geoff@beercartel.com.au.

The past few weekends have been fairly busy with a few trips around the country and overseas. The first was a trip to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales to visit my girlfriend’s parents and give our very first Deluxe Beer Gift Pack as a Fathers Day gift. The gift pack went down very well, the only problem being he did not want to break up the gift by drinking the beers!

Returning to Sydney we stopped by Potters Brewery. Being Fathers Day the brewery and pub were working at full steam, ensuring the various Fathers being treated left with some special memories. Here we met one of the brewers, Craig Wealands. The brewery, named the Hunter Beer Co is run 7 days a week with brewery tours 3 times daily, costing just $10. Luckily for us Craig had 5 minutes of his time for a chat while we enjoyed some of the breweries finest. The Kolsch as well as the Bock were both great.

Two weekends later a trip to Wellington, New Zealand was on the agenda for a family reunion courtesy of a 90^th birthday. A victory for the All Blacks against Australia was witnessed as a few different beers were sampled. We got to taste the Monteiths range from a few different pubs including The Corner Store, and The Tasting Room. At the completion of the rugby, a trip was made to the Mac’s Brewery on the waterfront. Mac’s was once a small micro-brewery based in Nelson. After being bought by Lion Nathan it has evolved significantly. It now has a prime position in massive brew-pub premises. After the All Blacks win the pub was pumping, with a live band in action. As a group we tried the Great White, a Belgian witbier, which was immensely refreshing.

Continuing with the sport watching over the weekend we were lucky enough to see Wellington Phoenix take on the Queensland Fury in A league soccer. In beautiful sunny Wellington weather the Phoenix took a 1-0 lead. The score line remained until the Fury equalised in extra time, crushing the souls of the local supporters.

To reflect upon the game that was, we headed to the Wellington Malthouse. The Malthouse has a vast range of beers from New  Zealand and overseas. The beer menu of 16 pages, ensured some great beer was tasted. Within our group the Mata Horopito and the always exceptional Epic Pale Ale were considered standouts.

It was a great weekend, and good to enjoy some of the quality beers that New Zealand has to offer. Having been a while since I was last in Wellington, it was amazing to see how much the beer culture in the Nations capital has changed.

Everything is moving forward with Beer Cartel. Thanks to everyone for their support, advice and help. We are now halfway through our new website design and liquor license, and are getting excited!

We have decided as part of our product offer we should include our very own Beer Cartel craft beer!

So last weekend, we headed off on another road trip… this time more local. We meet with Stuart Boag at The Beer Factory in Sevenhills, Sydney (www.thebeerfactory.com.au). With a name like Boag you just need to be involved with beer, and Stuart has done exactly that. Stuart has a great understanding of the beer industry, with seven years experience working at Lion Nathan before starting The Beer Factory three years ago.

The Beer Factory is a great place to go for anyone looking to brew their own beer. Using The Beer Factory facilities and under the guidance of the staff there, you are involved throughout the brewing process, creating a product specifically brewed for you. While we were there fifteen or so others were busy creating their own beers. You could definitely see the excitement on their faces! Not only is it a great place for making beer but also for learning about the whole brewing process.

Now getting back to the update – we are looking to create our own Beer Cartel craft beer. While we are in the early concept stages of the beer, we are certain we can produce a winner – stay tuned for more details soon!

Cheers,

Richard and Geoff

The end of last week was like any typical week except for the knowledge that I (Geoff) would soon be on the hunt for boutique beers up the mid coast of NSW!

After a few phone calls I had organised to see 3 different breweries:

– Steel River Brewery, Mayfield (Newcastle)
– Murrays Craft Brewing Co, Bobs Farm (Port Stephens)
– The Little Brewing Company, Port Macquarie

There was only one thing to do before setting off on the F3 heading north… a visit to the cop shop to apply for a criminal history check as part of the Beer Cartel’s liquor license application. So off I headed to Burwood police station in Sydney. After standing in line and witnessing a range of suspicious characters reporting for their daily parole check, I handed over the paper work with $52 in cash. The papers were sent off to be processed… then I hit the road up north!

Steel River Brewery

At 2pm on Thursday I met with Ian Partland of Steel River Brewery. He gave me a tour of the brewery and told me about his beers. A couple of standouts were the Virgin Blonde Organic Larger, which is Steel River’s first organic beer after gaining certification as an organic brewer. Also the Chopper Heavy, named after the infamous Chopper Read. After meeting with Ian it was time to part ways while he tended to the labeling machine for his latest brew…

Murrays Brewing Co

Next I headed to Murrays Craft Brewing Co at Bobs Farm to meet with the brewers that make “ales with attitude”. I was instantly treated to a private beer tasting by Tristan, starting off with the Whale Ale and finishing off with the Grand Cru. If you are in the Port Stephens area, do yourself a favour by heading to Murray’s and enticing your taste buds with their tasting platter of beers known as “Murray’s Circle of Ales”. This includes Murray’s Whale Ale, Sassy Belgian Blond, Nirvana Pale Ale, Dark Knight, Grand Cru and Icon 2IPA.

After the great beer tasting session and a quick brewery tour, I had a good chat with Head Brewer Shawn Sherlock. Shawn gave me a thorough run down on the Murray’s brewing process. Then once more it was time to get in the Nissan Pulsar and trek the last 3 hours north to Port Macquarie…

The Little Brewing Company

Following a stay over with relatives in Port Macquarie, a visit to The Little Brewing Company was on the agenda. A quick phone call to Kylie Little and it was organised! With a short drive to Uralla Road I was at the cellar doorstep where the brewing of a new beer was in full swing…. unfortunately I can’t reveal what they were crafting!

Hoping to get just a bit of Kylie’s time, I enjoyed a couple hours conversing with her and her customers, learning about their range of boutique beers which the Little’s are truly passionate about. With a university degree in wine science and previous wine laboratory experience, Warwick has honed his brewing skills with nothing but perfection in his sights.

While there I tried 4 classy beers: the Wicked Elf Pilsner, Pale Ale, Elf Witbier and Mad Abbot. My pick of the bunch was the Witbier which I think is a good conversion beer for those that are adamantly ‘lager only’ drinkers.
Unfortunately like all good things, my trip had to come to an end. Stay tuned for more news of our travels and Beer Cartel developments!

Cheers,
Geoff and Richard