Attention: Check out the new BKB Home Brewing Blog
Pages: 1
European Union Energy Concerns to Lead to Infusion Mashing Only
More breweries switching to infusion mashing????
If the EU decides that decoction mashing is not energy efficient, the brewers would have to switch to a version of the British system known as the infusion mash, where high quality malt is mashed and filtered in one combined vessel known as a mash tun. As well as being forced to invest in new equipment, the brewers would also have to import expensive maritime malt.
http://www.beer-pages.com/protz/features/czechs.htm
Damn tree huggers are out to ruin good beer. Don't they have bigger fish to fry?
The panic over global warming has been WAY overblown by Gore and co. The real science behind it is still a raging debate, and the impact on the environment even more so. Nor are global oil supplies "dwindling". EVERY time an estimate of global oil supplies has been made, the number has gone up. There's plenty of oil out there, and better technology keeps finding more, as well as easier ways to get at it. Check out The Skeptical Environmentalist if you want the real story; this is an extremely well documented book, written by a statistician, using data from reliable sources (often the same sources the tree huggers use). There are better ways to tackle the problem than what the EU is doing.
Leave my Pilsner Urquell alone!!!!!
Pilsner Urquell is already just a shadow of what it once was, it's hard to imagine it could go further downhill...crap in, crap out.
And all tree huggers should be mowed down by gasoline weighted Hummers...the audacity of them wanting the Earth to be a better place to live!
DT
This is just a form of prohibition and cultural suppression. Infusion mashing works well on some styles of beer, but the unique flavor profile afforded by Decoction mashing, can't be duplicated by infusion mashing. And from what was stated by Dartgod, Step infusion could get the axe too. Even with all this Global warming and energy conservation, "Solar power, Wind power, etc..." could be used to generate steam, to fire the Coppers/Kettles, so nothing is lost, except for "Time", which to my understanding is not affected by Global warming. It makes for better wages and keeps the local barley farmers at work. I mean if Decoction mashing is so energy wasteing, how do the "Adjunct brewers" justify their energy useage by preboiling their adjuncts to gelatinize the rice or corn prior to adding to the mash? I'm sure the big boys can afford to buy their adjuncts in the "Flaked form" and in large quantities. It's just a form of prohibition to push small bussiness/small breweries out of central and eastern europe. I think in these times of energy conservation, we can put our heads together and come up with an efficiant and economical way to continue to fire the kettles/coppers of the Decoction/Step mash brewers in an energy saving/ green manner without destroying a local cultural tradition & heritage. Not to mention the demise of some wonderful tasteful beers!
DT,
You made my spew my Oktoberfest all over the keyboard. Thanks a lot. Now I've got to get a new one. All that new plastic... my carbon footprint is getting bigger and bigger.
While I truly feel the urge to "conserve enegry", I think you should brew beer "properly". That said, mashing, boiling, cooling, and fermenting should be done however the beer requires. Lager at cold temps, boil an hour, mash to get the most out of your grains. As far as conserving, Lets not drive s much. B doing this, you can have more beer. and you conserve fossle fuels, and lessen greenhouse emisions. I don't think the golbal effect of the "euro brews" playes a serious part of the problem our planet is having. But make no mistake about it, our planet is warming. Here in Alaska, the glaciers are all receding. The good news is, we still have lots of oil. Oh, maybe thats the problem.
Pages: 1