One pass to drink them all!

Five is a bitter-sweet number, folks. Beerfest Asia was FIVE days long. And now its been FIVE days since it ended. Its official. We finally admit it. The beer feast is over. The music has stopped. The beer-stained ‘Beer Heals All Wounds’ slogan T-shirt needs to go into the wash. And we are paying the price of having had such a good time.

For the tens of thousands of folks who attended Beerfest Asia 2010 it would have been an awesome event that just ended and its 364 days to the next one. Sadly, this is not the case for everyone. Not the 175proofers, at least. For us, the withdrawal symptoms have just begun. The reality has begun to sink in that its back to real life. And going back to work is a tough cure for this pain. Its been a looonnng FIVE days. Well, to make this better, we’re gonna pen some sweet memories of the best beer feast these guys have been to ever. And this is great training for when the 175proofers head out to Oktoberfest later this year in Munich. Well, the best we can do is to share some of the digitally captured memories with you guys in the hope that it will help ease the pain (ouch!) for us. This will be cathartic, I’m sure. Here goes.

The hallowed tunnel to beer heaven...

Beer hall days... 5 days to be exact

and there were (beer) angels...

and hippies...

... bring out the hula hula - tasty Hawaiiian beers which conjour up the sunny island taste

...delicious Magners pear cider brought in by 6 Drunk Men

and the ocassional yuckky beer - Jaz from Malaysia...

religious beer... Almighty from Grand Ridge

getting some air guitar time with this Stella Artois inflatable beer accompaniment...

'Doc, I have a liver ache...'

Somersby Apple Cider from Carlsberg - a cider the ladies will like too

... bring out the hula hula. Great tasting Hawaiian beers which conjour up the big island magic

Wychcraft. Good looking, good balanced English beer. Hoppy but flavourful. My fave of the nite. Find it at East of Avalon in Singapore.

The smoothest cider you'll be drinking - Green Goblin Oak Aged Cider from the UK. We like. Find this at East of Avalon too.

We feel the desperate urge to rush to East of Avalon for a Goliath. For our bigger-than-man-sized thirst.

In America this would be a sports team, in the UK, more sensibly, its a malty full-bodied dark amber beer. Foutyniner from Ringwood Brewery UK. Avail at EoA. But why isn't it spelt 'fourtyniner'?

Stone Beer - feel that way after a dozen

We know how that must feel if you brew a fine brew like this. A good American craft beer.

Matso's Mango beer - not as girly as it sounds. Refreshing, not overpowering.

Last one for the night and fest. Draft Bitter from Grand Ridge. Good tase and value microbrew from Australia.

If you’ve come this far in the post, I suspect that you like beer as much as us. And you’ll feel our pain when we tell you that we bulk bought a mixed batch of beautiful craft beer from Grand Ridge during the beer auction for a great price but lost it in the back of the cab after we got off. That almost ruined Beerfest Asia 2010 for us. But thanks to this post and the photos we didn’t lose, we were able to relive those FIVE glorious days again and share them with you now. Well done SPHere Events for organising this. My special heartfelt thanks to Mandy and her super trooper team who made everything so enjoyable via their hospitality. Can’t wait 360 days to the next one. Cheers to that!

BTW, we’re heading down to #beerfestasia from tonight till Sunday, so we’ll be blogging/tweeting and getting our post-work drinks there. Give us a shout if you’re there too!

First, a bit of background on the brewery. Geronimus Hatt, who obtained his Master Brewer’s certificate in 1664, started up the Canon Brewery in the Place du Corbeau in Strasbourg. His son Claude (born November 1665), succeeded his father in the trade in 1683. However, the frequent flooding of the River Ill compelled in 1850 a move to the higher terrain of Cronenbourg, an area of Strasbourg. Now owned by Carlsberg, Geronimus Hatt, who obtained his Master Brewer’s certificate in 1664, started up the Canon Brewery in the Place du Corbeau in Strasbourg. His son Claude (born November 1665), succeeded his father in the trade in 1683. However, the frequent flooding of the River Ill compelled in 1850 a move to the higher terrain of Cronenbourg, an area of Strasbourg. Now owned by Carlsberg, Kronenbourg is the largest selling beer in France today.Now about the K1664. With Dynamo Système it delivers a lively canned lager with smaller bubbles creating a smoother taste. Smaller bubbles. Smoother taste. That’s the positioning of one of the newer commercial mass brews to hit Singapore, brought in by our friends at Carlsberg Singapore; already on tap in a couple of our favourite watering holes like KPO in the heart of Orchard Road, Singapore. Kronenbourg 1664, the company’s main brand, is a 5.5% pale lager first brewed in 1952. It is the leading brand of beer in France, where it has a 40% market share. It uses the Strisselspalt hop – a French aroma hop from Alsace, used mostly in pale lagers  (source: wikipedia). You can expect to find it at Beerfest Asia 2010.

This slightly dark golden coloured, strong Pilsner-style  beer has a good frothy head when poured and the bubbles hold steady for a while when left to stand for a minute. Nice – keeps the freshness in. Taste-wise, it has a finish that I would describe as reminisce of grass – and not in a wheat or  bad way though. It is full bodied and smooth -the latter  testament to the small bubbles and hence persistent frothy head. The slightly hoppy taste was not apparent in its aroma which was strong and inviting. The only thing that got me wondering was why they had to go add colouring (E150c) into an otherwise all natural product. Now I’m usually a fan of natural foods and beverages but if you’re not too fussed, I’m sure you’ll like the 1664. At 5% abv for this sample that was passed to us, its a good strength brew that’ll keep most drinkers happy.

Aside, Kronenbourg also has a variety called  Cold Premier 5.0% – a super chilled variant on 1664, draught only, UK. I was blessed enough to have tried that at a London local for close to £5 some time ago, but that was probably the best beer I had used to wash down a scrumptious pub meal of lamb chops ever. Try it if you have the chance. I bet still have remnants of coagulated lamb fat in my gut courtesy of the deliberately freezing brew. No regrets though, heh.

THE U2 SHOW - Achtung Baby (AUSTRALIA)

About Beerfest Asia 2010

Organisers: Beerfest Pte Ltd and Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd

About Beerfest Pte Ltd

Beerfest Pte Ltd is subsidiary of lifestyle company Ublues Group and the brand owner of beer festival, Beerfest Asia. Beerfest Pte Ltd is set up to initiate and spearhead the beginnings of the only and largest beer festival in Southeast Asia. The idea behind Beerfest is the experimentation process of finding and enjoying beers that consumers may never, otherwise encounter locally. It is also a trade event for industry colleagues to exchange dialogue and promote their products. With plans to grow the festival in the region, Beerfest Pte Ltd is committed to develop the festival to become the premier beer marketplace in Asia.

About Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd

Incorporated in April 2008 and wholly owned by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Sphere Exhibits, which stands for “SPH Events, Roadshows and Exhibitions”, aims to be the leading lifestyle event company behind exciting and innovative fairs, shows, events and exhibitions for mid to high-end consumers.

Backed by a committed and experienced team of professionals and SPH’s comprehensive range of advertising platforms, these events with unique concepts will not only draw local audiences but also regional participants. Sphere Exhibits is committed to building memorable and quality events which will be founded on research, planning, an established network of resources, and a wild but solid imagination.

Synopsis:

Beerfest Asia returns for the second time in 2010 during the World Cup season! Appealing to both exhibitors and the many beer lovers in Singapore and around the region, visitors get to enjoy over 250 different beers from all over the world at affordable prices from as low as SGD 3 under three marquees.

25,000 people are expected at Beerfest Asia 2010.

Further complementing the experience are the live stage performances, giant screen broadcast of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, the outdoor bazaar with a delectable range of food and games. Jam-packed with classic festival activities, there is something for everyone at Beerfest Asia.

Date:           Wednesday 16 June to Sunday 20 June 2010

Time:           16 June 2010: 4pm – 6pm (Trade only) / 6pm – 1am (Public)

17 – 19 June 2010: 6pm – 5am

20 June 2010: 6pm – 12am

Venue:         Marina Promenade (F1 tracks behind the Singapore Flyer)

Online:        www.beerfestasia.com (Official Website) / @beerfestasia (Twitter) / Beerfest Asia Group (Facebook)

Ticketing Categories:

Each ticket includes 2 complimentary beers to be redeemed on festival grounds.

1-Day OCBC Exclusive Pass: SGD 10* – while stocks last and exclusively for OCBC credit/debit cardholders.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday SOLD OUT.

1-Day Advance Pass:          SGD 20* (16, 17 & 20 June) / SGD 25* (18 & 19 June)

- while stocks last up to 2359hrs the day before event date

1-Day At-the-Door Pass:      SGD 30* (16, 17 & 20 June) / SGD 35* (18 & 19 June)

(only sold at festival gates)

5-Day OCBC Exclusive Pass: SGD 50* – while stocks last and exclusively for OCBC credit/debit cardholders.

VIP Pass:                          SGD 70* (16, 17 & 20 June) / SGD 90* (18 & 19 June)

- minimum booking of 6 pax; includes 5 beers per person; reserved table until 7.30pm; BFA 2010 souvenirs.

VVIP Pass & package:         Contact Matt Bennett matt@beerfestasia.com or Shehzad Haque shehzad@beerfastasia.com

* SGD 2 ticket handling fee applies

Ticketing Agents:

OCBC and Advance Passes are available from BYTES from 30 April 2010.

Hotline:         (65) 6332 6919 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (65) 6332 6919      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Website:       www.bytes.sg

Box Office:    The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429

Friday and Saturday Advance Passes are also available from Timbre @ The Substation, Timbre @ The Arts House,  Timbre @ Old School and Official Bar Malted Milk.

At-the-Door Passes are only available for sale at festival gates on actual event days.

Contact Matt Bennett matt@beerfestasia.com or Shehzad Haque shehzad@beerfastasia.com for VIP  and VVIP Passes and Packages.

Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor:            OCBC Titanium

Official Magazines:              SPH Magazines

Official Newspaper:            The Straits Times

Official Online Media:          Asiaone

Official Food website:                   Soshiok

Official Mint:                      Impact

Official Beverage:               Yeo’s

Official Energy Drink:           Naughty G

Official Party Shot & Music Partner:

Jagermeister

Official Wine:                     Tre Fratelli

Official Bar                        Malted Milk

Official Hotels:                   Studio M and Grand Copthorne Waterfront

Official Refrigeration:           Lowe Refrigeration

Official Ice Supplier:            Tuck Lee Ice

Official Freight Forwarder:    Hartrodt

Official Sound Reinforcement: DAS

Supported by                    Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau

Event Set-up

Three (3) large marquees are set up to house over 30 exhibitors.

The Live Music Tent houses the main stage where live performances will be held and exhibitors of more commercial beers.

For visitors wanting a more intimate beer tasting experience, they are encouraged to go into the second Promenade Tent away from the crowds. World Cup screenings (if available) will be broadcast in this tent too.

Country booths showcasing beer products and brands from far-flung countries and the VVIP hosting room are located in the double-storey, air-conditioned World Beers Tent.

All VIP passes holders enjoy tables reserved specifically for them under the sheltered marquees. For the general public, limited seating areas are found on festival grounds too.

Apart from the exhibiting booths, a delectable range of food vendors, a games area, street soccer court (The Cage) and spirits bar are available on site for visitors’ enjoyment.

Three-Day Event Programme

The Killer Queen (AUSTRALIA)

Hell’s Belles (USA)

Highlight Beers

http://www.beerfestasia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=0&Itemid=46

Asia Beer Awards

Synopsis:

The inaugural Asia Beer Awards will be held in conjunction with Beerfest Asia 2010, 16^th-20^th June at the Singapore Formula 1 pit lane. The purpose of the awards is to highlight the variety of beers now available in the region as well as those looking to penetrate the lucrative Asian market.

Traditionally lager and pilsner beers have dominated the Asian beer market, however over the past decade Asian consumers have displayed a greater desire for diversity in their favourite brews. As a reaction to this maturing market importers have improved the availability of artisan and craft beers from around the world significantly. The annual Asia Beer Awards aims to showcase the best beers available in the region and in partnership with Beerfest Asia will provide guests at the festival with the opportunity to explore for themselves the rich diversity of flavours found in the world of beer.

Also, for the first time, we shall be holding the SE Asia Microbrewery Awards (please see below) to highlight the range and availability of beers now being brewed within the South East Asia region by smaller, independent organizations.

Dates: 14 & 15 June 2010 – Judging

16 June 2010 – Announcement of winners durig trade event at BFA 2010.

Venue: Judging is done at an undisclosed venue. Selected media will be invited to attend a judging session at 1-3pm Tuesday 15 June.

Categories:

Entries into the Asia Beer Awards 2010 will be split into eighteen (18) Categories (listed below). Each category will be judged according to the corresponding technical specifications for its style as outlined by the Brewers Association*.

*The Brewers Association is the largest organization of brewers in the United States of America (with over 1000 US brewery members) and they are the organizers of the World Beer Cup ®  – for more information please see their website www.brewersassociation.org. Please note their official title is not The Brewers Association of America.

How will the beers be judged?

Each beer will be blind judged (in an unlabelled glass so the judges have no idea of the origin/brand of the beer they will be tasting) and will be awarded marks based on a strict five (5) point  marking system covering appearance, aroma, flavour & body, style and technical quality with a maximum of 20 points available (outlined below). The points awarded for each criteria will be added together to provide a score for each beer. The beer with the highest points in each category will be awarded the Gold Medal for its class, with the two runners up being awarded the Silver Medal and Bronze Medal respectively. In the event of a tie, the chairman of the judging panel will decide which beer is the winner (again, after a blind tasting). There must be at least 6 entries per category for all three medals (Gold, Silver & Bronze) to be awarded

In the case where there are several different beer styles in the same category, for example Wheat Beer where there will be  Hefeweizen (German Style) and Wit/White (Belgian Style), the beer will be judged and receive a score according to its specific style. The scores will then be compared with the winners medals going to the beers with the highest points.

The 5 Point Judging System Points Allocation

Who can enter?

Anybody who brews or distributes beer commercially may enter their product. We are expecting an international field in excess of 300 beers for the Asia Beer Awards 2010.

How to enter?

Entry is via online registration on our website www.beerfestasia.com from 22 April 2010.

Closing date for entries

All entries must be registered online via www.beerfestasia.com by 15^th May 2010.

What does it cost to enter?

Entry is free for all exhibitors at Beerfest Asia 2010 with the submission of twelve (12) bottles for judging per beer entered. Entry for non exhibitors is S$50 per beer entered plus twelve (12) bottles per entry for judging. Beers must arrive in Singapore no later than 31 May 2010 (payment for non exhibitors must also be made by this date). Shipping details can be provided if required.

Who are the judges?

The panel will consist of 8 judges, of which at least three will be accredited international beer judges and brewmasters, and a chairman. So far judges confirmed are:

Note: Any judge who has products competing in the awards will not be allowed to judge the categories in which their beers are competing.

Who to contact?

For more information on Asia Beer Awards, please contact Charles Guerrier, Chairman at charlie@beerfestasia.com

(G) SE Asia Microbrewery Awards.

These inaugural awards will be judged at the same time as the Asia Beer Awards. The aim of the awards is to highlight the growing diversity of beers being produced and appreciated in the SE Asian Region. In Singapore alone there are now 7 microbreweries, mostly with more than one outlet each, there are also many successful microbreweries in Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam.

The beers from these microbreweries will be judged in eight (8) categories:

As with the Asia Beer Awards, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the top three beers respectively in each category. It is hoped that success in the competition will help the microbreweries promote their beer to a greater audience.

Who can enter?

Any SE Asian Microbrewery that commercially brews less than 18,000 Hectolitres of beer a year may enter their products.

How to enter?

Entry is via online registration on our website www.beerfestasia.com (note: we will need to supply the direct link to the Asia Beer Awards section of the website once it is up and running).

Closing date for entries

All entries must be registered online via www.beerfestasia.com by 15^th May 2010.

What does it cost to enter?

Entry is free for all exhibitors at Beerfest Asia 2010 with the submission of twelve (12) bottles for judging per beer entered. Entry for non exhibitors is S$50 per beer entered, twelve (12) bottles per entry for judging plus S$1 per bottle shipped to Singapore to cover import duty. Once the beer arrives in Singapore all costs will be borne by the organizers. Beers must arrive in Singapore no later than 31^st May 2010 (payment for non exhibitors must also be made by this date). Details of our handling agent can be provided if required.

Who to contact?

For more information on SE Asia Microbrewery Awards, please contact Charles Guerrier, Chairman at charlie@beerfestasia.com

Performance Schedule Date Time Act Wed 16/06 7.00pm – 7.40pm REVERIE 8.00pm – 8.40pm REVERIE 9.10pm – 10.00pm GOODFELLAS 10.30pm – 11.20pm GOODFELLAS Thurs 17/06 7.00pm – 7.40pm 53A 8.00pm – 8.40pm 53A 9.15pm – 10.00pm KILLER QUEEN 10.45pm – 11.30pm KILLER QUEEN Fri 18/06 7.00pm – 7.40pm ROCKAFELLAS 8.00pm – 8.45pm ROCKAFELLAS 9.15pm – 10.45pm HELL’S BELLES 12.00am – 1.30am KILLER QUEEN Sat 19/06 7.00pm – 7.40pm TMA ALL STARS 8.10pm – 8.50pm TMA ALL STARS 9.15pm – 10.45pm ACHTUNG BABY 12.00am – 1.30am HELL’S BELLES Sun 20/06 6.10pm – 8.00pm Berfest Asia Blues Jam 8.30pm – 9.00pm JASON NORRIS 9.30pm – 11.00pm ACHTUNG BABY

T for Tequila?

This week, the 175proofers were lucky enough to continue to sample more of the yet-to-hit-the-shelves specialty beers from Carlsberg, courtesy of it’s Singapore marketing head, Anto Setiadi. This time its the Tuborg T-Beer Mexicana. This light bodied, almost headless brew has the taste of beer but with an added twist of lemon (yes, its there) AND tequila (supposedly). You can expect to sample this at the upcoming Beerfest Asia 2010.

Classified as a flavoured beer, the taste and body is very much reminisce of your familiar Mexican varieties such as Sol and Corona or less common Estrella, sans fresh lime wedge. And it definitely not of the Bohemia (read full bodied) variety. Instead, the Tuborg T Beer Mexicana has its citrus taste pre-mixed. And if there is supposed to be a tequila flavour as well, I sure found it very mild, almost non-existent. The only indication that it might contain some of that wicked agave cactus plant goodness is the slight cats-tongue finish.

With a 4.9% ABV, it’s not exactly your mid strength variety so it’ll still pack a punch if you go thru a 6-pack. Although the packaging has a image of a cactus on our sample bottle, other countries may carry variations of the bottle design – let’s see. I guess I was expecting more of a tequila kick or taste in the beer when I saw the cactus motifs on the label – that got me really excited. But then again, its hard to make an easy drinking refreshing summer beer if it packs too much of a donkey’s kick in it, eh? Plus with the sun beating down on you perched on your deck chair beside the pool or beach, anything more than a light beer will quickly wrestle your sobriety down to the hot sand after a few. No fun. Now I know why many Mexican beers taste the way they do – light & refreshing but full strength – built for the desert.
The taste reviews from Ratebeer.com gives it pretty low scores, but then again, like wine, many alcoholic beverages are subjective. I’m sure the ladies wouldn’t mind nursing a light, fresh tasting beer in a trendy, colourless & slim clear bottle while out and about in Singapore’s perpetual summer climate. While in other countries Carlsberg markets the T Beer as a ‘summer brew’, our take is that this kind of beer is gonna be always welcome all year round here in good ‘ol Singapore.

According to Carlsberg’s website, T-Beer is Tuborg’s easy to drink, low flavoured pilsner beer. With it’s transparent bottle and easy-to-drink flavour it attracts the attention of consumers having fun in the summer time. And there is also a press release that states that ’5 million bottles of T-Beer produced and sold in Turkey since April 14, 2006′.

Various packaging in different geographies - this is the Turkish version

Thinking I would just pick up a cold VB grenade from the glass door chiller to quench the Friday night pre-dinner thirst, boy did I get distracted. So what’s this exotic Asia Minor sounding beer that’s parked seductively next to my fave Aussie brew? The S$2 price tagged Zorok made the choice easy compared to the $3.70 VB. Good excuse to save some cash and do research at the same time. Hey you guys deserve to know about these hidden teasures, right? 

Anyways, I paid for that one can, cracked it open, let the golden nectar slide down my parched throat and before I knew it, I was reaching for another in the chiller again. The pilsner-like (is it really a lager?) body and uncomplicated finish won me over. Try it and see – if you like 333 Beer, you’ll like this in Singapore. And it’s much cheaper because you can’t buy 333 in a mom n pop shop here. Yet. Vietnamese restaurants here will set you back at least $6. Let us know how you like this Uncle Ho gem.

The beer can you can talk to - image courtesy of claudia.sg

Another view of the case that make you think of a beer all day – what a clever nifty idea by Asia Pacific Breweries!

Are you happy to see me or is that a Tiger in your pants? Image courtesy of claudia.sg

For those of you rushing out to get the case (iPhone case or case of beer, whatever), do post up some images of your new iPhone protection here!

You know how anyone who’s into yoga tells you how much health benefits they’ve experienced blah blah blah and that you should really try it too? Well, now you can give it back to these stationary-stretching-exercise touts and boast to them YOU  too enjoy all the benefits of yoga PLUS the feeling of inebriation and taking a nap while at it. Why, you may even do it on the bus or train home from the pub. or AT the pub. Now how many yoga enthusiasts can boast THAT?

Good post by Ian On the Dot trackback

Beer Drinking Gives The Same Benefits As Yoga

Credit: http://ian.onthereddot.com/

Credit: www.monasterygreetings.com

It seems Belgium beers are gaining interest here in Singapore. A couple of weeks ago there was a all things Belgium event which I posted. The event featured stalls offering beer from the country also known for their diamond industry and waffles. I suspect this is part of a cultural series that the National Heritage Board is championing.

Andre and I may be trooping down with some media and blogger friends. Not sure if the $35 fee  for the 2 hour event includes free flow beer but it ought to.

DATE
26 Sep 2009
Sat, 3pm DURATION
Approx 2 hrs VENUES
The Salon, National Museum of Singapore
Level 1 TICKET PRICE (Exclude Booking Fee)
Standard – S$35

Please add to above price $3 Booking Fee per ticket for tickets above $20 and $1 Booking Fee per ticket for tickets $20 and below. Charges include GST where applicable.

Presenter: Lincoln Goh, Managing Director of boutique beer specialists The Drinking Partners

Belgium has the most diverse collection of quality beer in the world. From cask conditioned ales to triples and blondes, high fermentation ales to bottom fermented lagers, these beers are refreshingly different from what we are used to in Asia. Join us for a tasting of these delicious specialty beers!

Please note that only persons aged 18 years and above will be admitted to this course due to the minimum legal drinking age.

Copyright (c) of the Belgian Tourist Office NYC/USA

VB ad for the every-man

Budweiser ‘Wassup’ Ad

Boddington’s beer advert 1992

FLASH BEER Australia Flashdance , mmm Beer

Guinness – Surfer ( extended )