The World's Top Ten Selling Beers

Mainstreet.com posted an article last June (but I only discovered it this week) listing the top ten best-selling beer brands in the world.  I thought it was an interesting list, so I'll echo it here.  If you want to learn more about the beers listed, click the link above to visit the original article.

1. Snow:  This is a very pale beer made by SABMiller in China.  It's described as a "basic light lager with a bit less potency."
2. Tsingtao:  This is a Chinese beer that has 15% of the market there.
3. Bud Light:  I'm sure you're familiar with this one, whether you like it or don't.
4. Budweiser:  Another one I'm sure you've seen before.
5. Skol:  Brewed by Carlsberg and a number of other countries, it's owned Anheuser-Busch.
6. Yanjing:  Popular in Beijing but not well known in China outside that city.
7. Heineken:  Brewed by a number of breweries around the world.  It's usually my best example to someone of what a "skunked" beer smells like.
8. Harbin:  Brewed in China by Anheuser-Busch.
9. Brahma:  This is one of Brazil's biggest beers.  I used to see it often when I lived there.
10. Coors Light:  Brewed by MolsonCoors, it's considered "the only recession-proof beer on the planet" because it hasn't dropped in market share in the past five years.

Cleveland Cavaliers Get Their Own Beer

According to an article on wkyc.com, Strongsville, Ohio's The Brew Kettle has teamed up with the Cleveland Cavaliers to brew a beer unique to the team.  The beer, called "All for One" is an India Pale Ale (IPA).  The Brew Kettle says that this IPA is "crafted to appeal to a wider range of beer drinkers" and is the first time a professional sports team has had its own beer.

The beer will be available in bottles and on draft at The Brew Kettle's pub.  Later, it will become available at the Quicken Loans Arena.

It's a limited release beer, but the brewery expects it to be available at championship time.

Self-Serve Beer at a Reds Game?

An article on the SBNation.com web site reports that the Cincinnati Reds lead the league in the number of self-serve beer taps they have in the ballpark.

The way this reportedly works is that you pre-pay for the beer and have your ID checked.  You're given an RFID-based card.  When you are ready for a beer, you go to one of the dispensers and tap your card on the spot indicated on the machine.  Then you can dispense your beer from one of the machines' taps.

There will reportedly be 80 self-serve taps at the park this year.

Black Diamond Bourbon Barrel Aged Grand Cru (9/10)

Black Diamond Brewing Company of Concord, California, produces this Bourbon Barrel Aged Grand Cru ale.  It's based on the Belgian Dubbel style.  It's a limited release beer that reportedly employs a number of aging and blending techniques.

It pours a deep, dark, brown.  The head is fairly thick, as you can see in the picture, and lasts a while.

The aroma is a bouquet of dark fruit, plums, and malt with just a hint of bourbon.

The flavor is a complex mash-up of bourbon, malt, dark fruit, a mild sourness, and a raspberry-like malt finish.  There are so many interest flavors in here that this is a beer you're going to sip rather than drink.  It's really an excellent brew and my hats are off to the good folks at Black Diamond.

The Rate Beer folks and I agree on this one.  Their 93/100 rating is right in line with my 9 out of 10.  Beer Advocate is a bit tougher on it, rating the beer only 82 or "good".

Because this is another of those limited-edition beers, you'll have to call around or shop to find a bottle.  When you do, you'll be glad you did.  It's a great beer.

Carillon Brewing in Dayton, Ohio

Carillon Brewing Co. offers beers based on historic recipes from the 1800s.  In addition to these historic recipes, the brewery also uses grain malted the same way it was done in the 19th centrury, Ohio-grown hops (when available), open copper brewing kettles, oak barrels for fermentation, and no filtration.  They even use a gravity fed brewing system like 19th century brewers did.  The result are some ales which differ from any you'll find at other Ohio breweries.

As with any craft brewery, their exact draft list varies, but may include:

• Coriander Ale:  Based on a recipe from 1831, it is a mild pale ale with notes of citrus and peppercorn, finished with hot peppers for a warming element.
• Porter:  Based on an 1862 recipe, it combines strong ale flavors with the drinkability of a small ale.  A mix of dark and light malts are used.
• Irish Red Ale: Has an "all-around balance of malty flavor and hops with a touch of sweetness from roasted barley".
• Spiced Dunkelweizen (seasonal): A dark wheat ale spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and star anise.
• Spruce Ale (seasonal): A historical ale that dates back to when spruce was used to bitter beers.  Molasses and barley round out the flavor profile.

Other beers are produced there and periodically are served on premise.

Carillon Brewing is located in Dayton's historic Carillon Park.

I have not yet visited Carillon Brewing, but hope to do so later this year.  If you find yourself in Dayton, you may want to drop by to check them out.

Carillon Brewing Co.

1000 Carillon Boulevard

Dayton, OH 45409

Phone: 937-910-0722

Band of Gypsies The Belgian Tramp Tripel (8/10)

Band of Gypsies isn't an actual brewery, but a collaboration project between eight craft beer brands from the San Francisco Bay Area.  The Belgian Tramp was produced to honor San Francisco Beer Week in 2013.  It's an organic Belgian Tripel brewed with house-made candy sugar, California-grown Mission Figs, raisins, and dates.

It pours a cloudy pale yellow with a thin white head that doesn't last long.

The aroma is a mix of bubble gum, fruit, and spice.

The flavor is sweet, fruity, malty, and mildly spicy.  If you're familiar with any of the Belgian-made Tripels, this one fits right in with them.  Although it's a high-alcohol beer (11% ABV) there's no burn to it, making it dangerously easy to drink.

Rate Beer gave the 2012 Belgian Tramp Quadrupel an 86 out of 100 overall.  I couldn't find any ratings for this particular beer, but I'm giving it a solid 8 out of 10 myself.

While I did have this particular sample at The Daily Growler in Upper Arlington, it's long enough ago now that you won't find it there.  In fact, I don't know if we'll ever see this beer again - which is unfortunate.

Beer Boosts Brain Power?

Xanthohumol is a flavor component of beer, one of many added to beer by hops.  According to a 2014 study in the journal Behavioral Brain Research, Mice given an incredibly high dose of the compound (equivalent to drinking over 500 gallons) showed cognitive improvement.  The researchers hope that one day they'll be able to use xanthohumol to reduce the cognitive impairment that comes with aging.

I'll need that pill when they come out with one, because I would never been able to drink enough hoppy beer to gain anything from it... 

Analyzing an 1840's Beer

A shipwreck from approximately 1840 was discovered and visited by scuba divers in 2010.  Among the relics recovered from the wreck were five sealed bottles of beer from that era.  Researchers in Finland opened these bottles recently under sterile conditions, tasted the beer, smelled it, and chemically analyzed the contents.

They found two different varieties of beer in the bottles they examined.  They were between 2.8 and 3.2% alcohol by volume, 9.9 and 16 International Bitterness Units (IBUs), and had a color in the range of 2.24 degrees Plato and 3.98 degrees Plato.

The researchers detected the presence of hops compounds in the two beers, with one having a higher hops level than the other.  The analysis indicates that the hops were added to the wort before the beer was boiled in the kettle, and that the two beers used different varieties of older high-beta-acid hops.

Both beers contained bacteria and yeast, which implies that they probably had a sour flavor to them when they were fresh.

Most likely due to their time spent in ocean water at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, the beers were described as being unpleasant.  Researchers said that they were acidic, salty, burnt, and sulfury, and that these qualities masked any fruitiness, maltiness, or hoppiness they contained.  Flavor descriptions included words like vinegary, goaty, and soured milk.  Despite this, the researchers say that the chemical analyses revealed that before the beers spoiled they probably had flavor profiles comparable to modern beers - perhaps with a slight apple flavor to them.  A rose-like flavor may also have been present in the beers when they were fresh.  It's also possible from the chemical compounds present that the beers were boiled over an open fire and may have had a slightly burnt flavor to them.

It seems likely that a brewery somewhere in the world will try to produce a beer similar to these to capitalize on the media attention these 170-year-old beers have gotten.

CraftBeer.com's Excellent Interactive Beer Style Guide

The CraftBeer.com web site has an interactive guide to help you find the right beer style for your taste.  It begins by asking you the color bitterness, and alcohol content you're looking for.  You're also asked to specify characteristics you like, such as whether the beer is hoppy, earthy, spicy, fruity, caramel, or sour.

After you specify your personal taste criteria, they show you a number of beer styles which meet that description.

Hovering your mouse over one, they'll tell you a little about it.  Click on the style, and they'll take you to a page showing information about that style, food pairings, the proper glassware and serving temperature for it, examples you'll find in the stores, and other beer styles you might enjoy if you like that one.

If you're new to craft beer, or simply wonder what else is out there you might like, check it out.

Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Porter (8/10)

Ballast Point is located in San Diego, California. They produce Victory at Sea as a limited release beer.  It won awards at the LA County Fair, California State Fair, San Diego County Fair, and Brussels Beer Challenge.  

Victory at Sea is an Imperial Porter brewed with whole vanilla beans and coffee beans from Caffe Calabria in San Diego.  It's sold in 12-ounce and 22-ounce bottles.

The coffee and vanilla shine through in the aroma, edging out the dark malt. 

It pours a nearly pitch black with thick brown head that doesn't last long but leaves behind thick sheets of brown lacing.

The flavor starts as kind of a dark chocolate mocha, which gives way to the dark roasted malt and coffee bitterness.  The finish is mildly bitter, as you'd expect for an Imperial Porter.  There is a definite warming alcohol presence.

Despite clocking in at 60 IBUs, which is usually outside my comfort zone, I like this one and give it an 8/10.  Beer Advocate gives it a 100 or "world-class" rating, as does Rate Beer.  

Since this is a limited edition beer, and this review has been written based on notes going back over a year, I can't tell you where you might find this beer in Columbus today.  If it sounds up your alley, you'll want to check with your favorite retailer to see if they have it or can bring it in for you.

RavenBeer Tell Tale Heart IPA (6/10)

The set of beers I received this Christmas from my sister included RavenBeer's Tell Tale Heart IPA.  This American IPA was brewed for RavenBeer by Baltimore Washington Beer Works.  It's not yet available in Ohio, so consider this a preview of the beer should it someday grace our shelves.

It's worth mentioning that I generally won't be reviewing IPAs on this site.  That's because I dislike the IPA and Pale Ale style in general.  An IPA that a certified beer judge might rank in the top ten of the world would probably get a very low rating from me. That's not fair to the brewery.

Tell Tale Heart IPA pours a bright, clear gold/amber color with thin white head that lasts a minute or so.  Lacing in the glass is minimal and spotty.

The aroma of Tell Tale Heart is that of grapefruit, probably from the Chinook hops in it.  The beer also features Bravo, Simcoe, and Citra hops.  The aroma is definitely strong with hops, as you'd expect for an IPA, but it's not terribly intense or overpowering.

The flavor of the beer starts malty, even mildly sweet.  Then the grapefruit flavor swells up, followed by a significant bitterness from the other three hops varieties.  The finish is decidedly hoppy and bitter.  There is no question that this is an IPA when you drink it.  On the other hand, compared to a number of IPAs I've tried over the years, this is less-intense and more palatable.  Don't get me wrong... There are at least two dozen other beers I'd rather have than this one, but given the choice between this IPA and many others I've had, this one would have to be in the top 3.  It's got all the flavors I would expect from an IPA (i.e., plenty of hops bitterness) without being overwhelming.

Beer Advocate gives it an 86 or "very good" rating.  Rate Beer gives it a 91 overall.  My own rating puts this solidly at a 6 out of 10.  That sounds like a poor rating at first blush, but realize that I rate beers based on the "spectrum" of beers available.  For me, and for an IPA, this is a high rating.

Unfortunately, this beer is unavailable in Ohio.  You'll need to travel to Maryland or one of the states where it's distributed to purchase it.

It's a 7.3% alcohol by volume beer, and clocks in at 50 IBUs.