Monolex Group Limited

Liquor, wine and beer

	Beer

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Model Number	Be
Brand Name	Gilroy

TALKING ABOUT BEER

Beer has been a popular drink for thousands of years, but how much does the average beer-drinker know about this magnificent and most ancient drink? How many beer-drinkers know what they are drinking, how it? made or how good or bad it is? Not many! So ?let? talk about beer.

Beer is the collective term for any fermented beverage made from grain. The most used grain is barley, followed by wheat and then rice, corn, oats and others. Herein we are talking about barley, the traditional grain.

In the same way that wine is split into red and white, the two beer families are ales and lagers. The basic difference between ale and lager is in the treatment (malting) of the grain. The seed is first encouraged to germinate. Just before sprouting it is dried and kilned (baked) to varying degrees. Each stage can be identified by the colour of the grain. Straw, pale, golden, amber, chocolate and black are the basic stages. Lager malts are usually the lighter kilned grains, whereas the richer, more flavoursome ale malts are found in the further kilning.

The many different hop varieties also play a major role in the flavour profiles of the beers. First introduced during the early 1400? as a preservative, the hop aroma and bitterness perfectly countered the sweet malts and soon became an integral part of the required taste. Lagers suit the Czech Saaz and Bavarian Hallertauer hop styles, whereas ales benefit from the noble English Fuggles and Goldings types.

The other important difference lies in the yeast; (bottom fermenting) work slowly at relatively low temperatures 4-10˚c. and ale yeasts (top fermenting) prefer a moderate 15-24˚ c.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Over 5000 years ago the Sumerians, who lived between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, left clay tablets recording more than 20 different beers. The Egyptians produced a strong beer called heget that was flavoured with juniper, ginger and saffron. The Vikings believed that Valhalla (Heaven) was a wonderful place where Norsemen slain in battle spent the afterlife drinking enormous volumes of beer (ale).

Real ale has historically been considered a part of a balanced, healthy diet. In England the King? guards were required to drink their ration of 9 pints (5 litres) of ale per day ! Ale was often used by doctors as medicinal treatment and, for one apothecary, the slogan was, ?ures coughs, colds, sore holes, spots on the belly and boils on the bum1? Then, during the last century came the dark ages for ales and whole foods. Wholesome bread became white and lost its goodness. Vegetables were processed and many important fibres, proteins and vitamins were lost in the name of progress. Sadly, real ale suffered the same fate. To create a bright, light beer that would last longer on the shelf, beers were filtered, stripping them of flavour and goodness ant then pasteurised to kill the live yeast. The same Brewers Yeast bought in health shops for good health was killed and taken out of the beer!

Commercial beer became little more than beer-flavoured alcoholic water forced to a semblance of life by pumping it full of artificial carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The ?ood?was gone. It? no secret that all over the world, the larger the brewery, the blander the beer. The higher the technology, the more artificial the bear appear.

THE GOOF NEWS !!!!

It had to happen ?a revolution. The grumbling masses of beer drinkers would not stay quit forever. In the 1970? the ?Campaign for Real Ale?(CAMRA) started in England. In Europe EBCU (The European Beer Consumers Union). The Swiss Associatin des Buveurs d?rges. In Finland FINNLIBS. OBP in Belgium, Les Amis de la Biere in France. PINT in Holland. In fact, all over the world, old style craft brewers are now back in force by popular demand. In America and Australia the demand for micro-brewed real ales is staggering. Even the most uneducated beer drinkers are flocking for the taste of real ale.

Brewing is, and always has been a craft. Mass produced is not always better. THE TASTE IS BACK! ?in South Africa is a self contained, craft brewery in Johannesburg. All ingredients are the finest available, malted grain from Stowmarket and, also from England, the finest noble Kentish hops go to make truly natural, handcrafted ales. Nothing ?ad?put in ?nothing ?ood?taken out. Just working with mother nature to give you, the beer drinker, good, honest ales made in the traditional way. Dant rely on a barrage of advertising; your tongue will tell you the truth!! TRY ONE:

Gilroy Favourite A superb, medium ale 4% abv
Gilroy Traditional A Classic Ruby ale 5% abv
Gilroy Serious A Strong, old ale 7,7% abv
Gilroy Super Serious A Very Strong, old ale 9,5% abv

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