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.
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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