Here's a beer I missed at Christmas - There Is No Santa from those inventive folk at BrewDog from Fraserburgh in Scotland. It was a limited edition seasonal stout brewed with cocoa nibs and ginger stems. Apparently, it has a gingerbread flavour. Did anyone try it?
Occasionally I will mention the launch of a new ginger-infused or flavoured beer from an established brewery (as you can see from the previous story) but I don't believe that I've ever had the opportunity to introduce you to a new ginger-infused beer from a brand new brewery. The Okoboji Brewing Company is so new that it only held its launch party a few days ago. The Sioux City Journal reported that one of the four launch beers was Midwest Charm Farmhouse Ale With Ginger Added. This 6pc abv beer will, according to the brewery website, pair quite unusually with red and white meat, and with fish.
Many of you will have come across old advertisements and thought "they can't say that". Until fairly recently advertising standards were, to be honest, non-existent. But I was surprised to find an old advert for Stone's Original Green Ginger Wine which made the bold claims that it "Increases virility in men" and "Increases sex drive". I can't believe that these claims have ever been medically substantiated. I found this advert on GingerWine.com, a site dedicated to ginger wine. Although the site is full of interesting facts and paraphernalia about ginger wine, unfortunately it does not seem to have been updated for a number of years.
The Mail Online carried an interesting story on why curries are good for you. Most curries contain spices with strong anti-bacterial properties. Ginger, wearing its spice hat, can slow bacterial growth in meat by 25pc. Add that to the corresponding figures of up to 80pc for garlic, cinnamon and cumin and you end up with a range of tasty and healthy curries. Good news for the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and here in the UK where Wikipedia describes curry as an integral part of British cuisine.
The Atlantic reported during the week that The King's Ginger, one of my favourite ginger drinks, is now available in America. This 41pc abv (82 proof in the US) liqueur from Berry Bros & Rudd is made with macerated ginger root. If you haven't tried it yet, treat yourself.
Reed’s Inc., one of the leading ginger soft drink makers in the US, has announced record revenues of $25 million for 2011. According to the press release, the fourth quarter of 2011 marked the 9th consecutive quarter of 20pc-plus growth. I'm not aware of Reed selling its products outside of the US and Canada. With the rapid growth in ginger products around the world I'm sure that the company must have investigated the export potential of its drinks.
It's been a busy week for ginger drink launches and announcements. The Brisbane Times reported that next month will see the launch in Australia of a ginger-infused lager. XXXX Cloudy Ginger Beer has been developed by Lion Nathan, one of Australia's leading alcoholic beverage companies. Brewed to appeal to the more adventurous drinker, the drink uses the popular Summer Bright Lager. The brewer will produce a limited run of 23,000 cases to test the market.
The Digitel reported that Virgil Kaine has recently launched Bourbon & Ginger, a ginger flavoured bourbon whisky. The drink has been developed in Charleston, South Carolina, by infusing two-year-old Kentucky bourbon with natural ginger and a secret blend of exotic ingredients. It is 40pc abv (or 80 proof in the US).
You probably already know this but I've only just found out that the actor Andy Serkis put a lot of strain on his throat and vocal chords when taking the part of Gollum in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. He countered this by drinking copious quantities of a homemade drink containing honey, lemon and ginger. The drink became known as Gollum Juice.
The Himalayan Times announced that Nepal has selected ginger as one of three projects to represent the country in the WTO/Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Trading Stories scheme. The EIF is a multi-donor programme which encourages what are known as Least Developed Countries to be more active players in global trading markets. The nominated ginger project, "Enhancing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Capacity of Nepalese Ginger Exports Through Public Private Partnership", concentrates on developing ginger added value which is now acknowledged as the best way of maximising income and profit.
A few weeks ago we reported on the call for more ginger farmers in Fiji to help Buderim Ginger, through its Frespac subsidiary, meet its export contracts. Noosa News has now updated the story by reporting that Buderim Ginger is optimistic that it will honour its commitment to export more than 1000 tonnes. Fiji is now an integral part of the Buderim operation, even when Australian domestic production is good.
And finally, Bruce Cost, America's leading authority on ginger, has said of ginger that "It’s probably the premier herb on the planet".
Here's a beer I missed at Christmas - There Is No Santa from those inventive folk at BrewDog from Fraserburgh in Scotland. buying wine online
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