Ginger Beer, Ginger-Spiced Beer, Ginger Lager & Ginger Cider

If you think that his post seems like a drinks special, believe me, it is unintentional. There has just been a lot of drink-related activity recently.

The Brew Star brewery from Morpeth in Northumberland recently conducted a trial brew of Ginger & Fig Porter. No news yet on whether it will make a reappearance.

Gosling Brothers has launched its Stormy Ginger Beer on the UK on-trade market to create the definitive Dark ‘n Stormy, Bermuda’s official national drink. So next time you go to the pub you can ask for the real thing. And if the landlord doesn't have it, threaten to take your custom elsewhere! (Source: imbibe.com)

If you live in New Zealand you'll be pleased to hear the latest news about Monteith's Brewery Company. Stuff reports that the Greymouth brewery has re-opened following a one year, $4 million refurbishment. Once the new bottling plant is up and running, production of a new beer, an alcoholic ginger beer, will commence.

The Times of Oman reports that Caribou Coffee, a leading US coffee chain, has launched three new iced teas in Oman with the most popular among Omanis being Lemon Ginger Pomegranate. That doesn't come as a surprise as ginger is widely used in the country.

A new beer has been launched by Jack's Abby Brewing from Massachusetts - Ginger & Juice. This lager beer is brewed with pureed ginger, grapefruit juice and peel, buckwheat and hops. This isn't the only ginger and grapefruit lager that I've found. Shiner Ruby Redbird, from the Spoetzl Brewery in Texas, uses red grapefruit.

Okanagan Premium Cider from British Columbia in Canada has added an innovative new flavour to its popular range, according to the Kelowna Capital News. The new flavour is Ginger Apple and it contains locally grown apples. I imagine that the ginger is imported.

I've found that ginger beers can have quirky names just like real ales. The latest I have encountered is Pigs Arse Chilli Ginger Beer from Irish Murphy in Brisbane. I know absolutely nothing about this beer; can someone help?

And finally, what do you make of this article in IOL? Hakanoa, the ginger beer maker from Auckland in New Zealand, ran an advertising campaign which referred to red-haired children as "ginger spawn". The press release accompanying the campaign said: "They say children are a blessing, but it's fair to say no parent sets out wanting a ginger child". It continued: "So ginger-beer maker Hakanoa has given those parents unfortunate enough to be cursed with ginger children the opportunity to swap them for something they will want". The campaign caused outrage. But Hakanoa responded a couple of days ago on Facebook by stating that the company did not create the ad. It was created by ginger-haired parents of ginger-haired children. These parents, who work in advertising, were concerned at the bullying their children suffered. Hakanoa and The Little Grocer (where you could collect the ginger beer) agreed to front the ad as a way of raising the issue. What do you think of it? Has it worked?

Carbon Sink, Cowpea Pest, Minimally Processed Foods & Cheap Ginger

Halewood International, maker of the famous Crabbie’s ginger beer range, is the top food & drink firm in The Sunday Times top 100 list of British private companies with the fastest growing profits. The company came in at number 41 after reporting a 70.8% increase in annual profit growth, according to Food Manufacture. The article also mentioned that the Halewood range, including Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer, is sold in 40 countries.

The Sri Lanka Ministry of Agriculture will launch a project to increase the production of a number of crops including ginger. Although the article in the Daily News mentioned that the government will provide seeds and fertilisers, it did not reveal why the project is being undertaken. It must be the next step in the initiative announced last year to make the country self-sufficient. Today's Sunday Observer reports a call from a government scientist that both Sri Lanka and Pakistan should co-operate in agricultural research to improve farmers' incomes.

The week before last, Bermuda's Royal Gazette reported that John Barritt, a well-known Bermudan drinks company, had run out of ginger beer (see last week's post). The same source has now followed that story by reporting that Gosling, an equally well-known local drinks company, would like Bermudans to know that it did not run out of ginger beer over the same period. I wonder how much rivalry there is between these two businesses?

Interestingly, The Royal Gazette has now reported that Bermuda is also suffering from a shortage of the popular Carlsberg Elephant beer following shipping delays from Denmark.

The producer of Bundaberg Ginger Beer has announced a unique carbon offset project with CO2 Group, perth now reports. Bundaberg Brewed Drinks is collaborating with Australia's largest provider of carbon sink plantings by establishing an area of eucalypt species. 'Carbon sinks' are forests which are designed to capture and store carbon.

Bad news last week for ginger farmers in Nepal, The Kathmandu Post has reported. With ginger prices in India falling, traders have just not bothered to visit Nepalese villages. Farmers are now having to dispose of large quantities of ginger at low prices. When you consider that most Nepalese ginger is exported to India, the immediate future doesn't look to good. A vicious circle, really.

I may need a bit of help with this one. The Ghanian media, including the Ghana News Agency, are reporting that the government's Food and Drugs Board has destroyed large quantities of unsafe products in the Ashanti region including Butubutu Barimansuro Ginger Gin fruit juice. What is this ginger drink and why was it destroyed?

A new recipe book was published recently which may be worth a peruse. Lemongrass and Ginger - Vibrant Asian Recipes contains dishes from many ginger-growing countries in the region so I'm guessing that there is at least a smattering of ginger recipes. As you can tell, I've haven't actually seen the book but I will keep my eye open for it in my local high street bookseller.

A report in dti news indicates that Vietnam is unable to produce enough ginger to meet domestic demand. But it appears that increasing production will not solve the problem. The current shortfall is being filled by produce from China and these imports are a third cheaper than domestic ginger.

African Journals Online (AJOL) introduced me to a fascinating potential use for ginger. Cowpeas are an important food legume crop in Africa, Asia, southern Europe and Central and South America. Unfortunately, harvested cowpeas can be difficult to store as they are susceptible to infestation by a particular type of beetle. Callosobruchus maculatus, also known as the bruchid beetle or the cowpea weevil, is such a pest that the Gates Foundation has estimated that up to 50 percent of harvested cowpeas are lost each year in Africa to infestation. The research in AJOL investigated the potential benefits of using certain botanical materials on the beetle. The materials considered were powdered ginger, garlic and bitter leaf. It seems that the efficacy of these materials depends on the variety of cowpea being tested.

The Malaysian government's Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority is about to launch its Save On Kitchen Expenses programme. This initiative, according to the New Straits Times, will see 15 grocery items, including ginger, sold at up to 30 percent off when purchased at farmers' markets.

Three weeks ago I relayed a request for help in locating a branded ginger beer bottle, an important family history object. The Lancashire Evening Post has now reported that the search is over. A beer bottle and a flagon have been located.

The Pakistan Agriculture blog last week posted an article on the use of ginger oil as an anti-microbial agent and its use in Minimally Processed Foods (MPF). The public are increasingly demanding more natural foods and MDFs are a way of satisfying this demand but the lack of an acceptable shelf life is a major concern. The ginger oil has been shown to be effective in controlling micro-organisms in certain food products with the potential for wider use.