Save Energy With their average daily temperatures well below zero during the winter, it's a wonder why Canadians even need electrical coolers for beer. Regardless, these aging iceboxes used for beer, are a staple for one in three Canadian households. Because of their inefficiency they often consume up to five times as much energy as a modern-day refrigerator. Experts say that replacing the fridge with a more energy-efficient unit would be allow for enough savings to chill at least 10 more cases of beer. Then again they could just put the beer outside. Wine or Stocks? Fine wine has beaten the FTSE 100 this year in investment terms as the value of bottles from Bordeaux clocked up gains of more than 90 per cent in the past 12 months. The index of the top 100 wines on the London international vintners exchange, an electronic market for fine wine, has gained 39 per cent between January and December, outperforming the FTSE 100, which has risen by 3.4 per cent, and gold, which has seen its value swell by 23 per cent since the start of the year. Barrels of oil, which were almost 47 per cent more expensive this month than in January, rolled up just ahead of the vintages, while the S&;P 500, which has gained only 4.4 per cent, and the Nikkei index, which has lost 9 per cent, fell by the wayside in the list of the year's best investments. Beernexus readers be aware that there were no statistics on beer as an investment. |
Hops for Health German researchers are working on a new beer brew that appears to fight cancer. The secret is a compound found in hops -- xanthohumol. "It is a very active substance against cancer," said beer researcher Markus Herrmann. Xanthohumol is found in the small, sticky beads within the hops. It is considered more powerful an antioxidant than any other natural compound presently known. Xanthohumol shuts down enzymes called cytochromes P-4; they can activate the cancer process. It also helps the body detoxify carcinogens, stopping tumor growth at an early stage. Preliminary studies at Oregon State University show that xanthohumol can kill breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancers. But its health benefits don't stop there -- studies are now showing it also reduces the oxidation of bad cholesterol. But just drinking more beer won't do the trick. It would take 60 regular beers to equal the amount of xanthohumol researchers will be effective. That's why scientists are now working on ways to give all beers higher levels of Xanthohumol, and find ways to add it to other foods. |
Guinness Really Makes You Feel Good Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have found that a pint of stout at meal times may work just as well in preventing heart attacks as taking low-dose aspirin every day. Additionally, the study found that Guinness, or other stouts, are far superior in reducing blood clots than lagers. The research seems to back up claims made by the famous ad campaign in the 1920s, which led to the tongue-in-cheek discovery of a so-called "Vitamin G" found uniquely in Guinness. The ad recommended daily allowance of three pints a day and touted the famous slogan that "Guinness is good for you". Today, some doctors in Ireland and the UK recommend a pint of the world famous drink to post-operative patients Green Beer Most beer drinkers probably don't care a jot about the environmental impact of their favourite tipple. But they will soon be able to reduce their carbon footprint nonetheless, thanks to a technique that slashes both the energy required to brew beer and the amount of waste produced in the process. The idea, called PDX, comes from Pursuit Dynamics of Huntingdon, UK. It adds a seemingly drastic step to conventional brewing: it blasts steam at supersonic speeds into the vat of brewing liquor to heat, agitate and atomise it. "The steam rips the liquid apart completely to form tiny, atomised droplets," says Jens Thorup, PD's technical director. "The droplets create a massive surface area that speeds up brewing reactions." World's Strongest Beer Sam Adams Utopias is the strongest beer ever brewed. With an alcohol content of 25.6%, Utopias is a beer without carbonation and is meant to be sipped more like a fine Port. It is a handcrafted beer featuring a blend of brews which have been aged up to 13 years in Scotch, Cognac, and Port barrels. Its warm, sweet flavor is richly highlighted with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel. It is packaged in a collectible copper-finished brew kettle decanter reminiscent of the brew kettles used for hundreds of years. There are only 12,000 bottles of Sam Adams Utopias available this year. Suggested price per bottle: $120-$140 |