Craft beers: Why you might just be drinking a lot more than you think...

[Bubbles]

None of us should be surprised by an attention-grabbing, ill-informed article from a shite-rag like the Irish Independent, but this is stupid for so many reasons..

http://www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/craft-beers-why-you-might-just-be-drinking-a-lot-more-than-you-think-31157444.html

"O'Hara's Double IPA beer from the Carlow Brewing Company meanwhile contains 3.75 units of beer in a 500ml bottle which compares with 2.2 units in a similar-sized Heineken."

[LordEoin]

sounds about right apart from using the word beer instead of alcohol and that seems like a typo as they're referred to as units of alcohol in the rest of the article.

I think it's a fair point. if people are drinking it from a tap they might just know that it's a bit stronger without knowing the actual units they consume.

[Bubbles]

Hmm.. but who is ordering pints of Double IPA thinking they're drinking something akin to Heineken or Carlsberg?

They're not comparing like with like, imo.

[Oh Crap]

What they don't elude to is.... People Drinking mainstream beer tend to have more then 1or 2 pints. Whereas if your having a "Craft" beer of 8%+ it generally is 1 or maybe 2. What the article should mention is session drinking and the overall unit intake.
Edit: I see Alan o'reilly mentioned the volume drank

[LordEoin]

Ever see someone's face drop when they're handed a girly 330ml glass of something strong instead of a nice manly pint?
They ordered the strong thing because they're big strong men and by god that little glass is an insult to their chest hair!

They're not comparing like to like from our point of view, but many average Joe Heineweisers see beer as beer and don't take much notice of the unit differences between styles and brands.

many people only care about units when they're trying to figure out how much will put them 'over the limit'

[auralabuse]

Ever see someone's face drop when they're handed a girly 330ml glass of something strong instead of a nice manly pint?
They ordered the strong thing because they're big strong men and by god that little glass is an insult to their chest hair!

They're not comparing like to like from our point of view, but many average Joe Heineweisers see beer as beer and don't take much notice of the unit differences between styles and brands.

many people only care about units when they're trying to figure out how much will put them 'over the limit'

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the heino brigade arrive into a craft beer pub, then guffaw guffaw as they realise they can't have their fizzy piss. Only to fall out the door stepping on their own feet 2 hours later. Oh my gawd, that stuff is rocket fuel isn't it Logan

[LordEoin]

I think these are the people that the article is aimed at.

[Will_D]

Oh to be Batfastard!

Why I hear you say?

Its simple science:

Batfastard has say 10 litres of blood in his body and consumes 50 grams of Ethanol in say 1 hour

Skinyfekkr has only about 6 litres of blood and consumes 50 grams of Ethanol in 1 hour

So who is pissed and who would pass a breath test/

NOTE: Figures are not accurate but you get the drift of the logic

[Oh Crap]

Oh to be Batfastard!

Why I hear you say?

Its simple science:

Batfastard has say 10 litres of blood in his body and consumes 50 grams of Ethanol in say 1 hour

Skinyfekkr has only about 6 litres of blood and consumes 50 grams of Ethanol in 1 hour

So who is pissed and who would pass a breath test/

NOTE: Figures are not accurate but you get the drift of the logic

You made me laugh hehehe

[johnrm]

Dear Editor,

I live in Cork. I work in IT. I am happily married with 3 children. We have have a dog and 2 hamsters.
My switch-off is Tidy Towns volunteer work, cooking food and home brewing beer.

I am dismayed at the big-splash column-inch fillers you seem to do every time someone figures out something new about something they seem to know very little about.
Example: http://www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/craft-beers-why-you-might-just-be-drinking-a-lot-more-than-you-think-31157444.html

The point is missed on a recurring basis when it comes to beer, responsible drinking and in particular craft beer.
The Irish public has been fed mass-produced and homogenised lagers, ales and stouts for decades. The flavour of the month is dictated by marketing campaigns, in-store promotions and 'BeerX <Insert sporting event here>'.

For too many years, beer aficionados had to visit specialist off-licences or travel to England, Germany and particularly Belgium to sample anything other than run-of-the-mill macro lagers, ales and stouts.
Craft beer is more than just a fad. It is putting Ireland firmly on the map as a destination for beer lovers the world over.
Increasingly, local craft beer is found in restaurants, it is an alternative to imported wines or beers.
Consider the economic impact of all of this, the revenue stream to the local economy, employment and the sense of pride in any town that has 'its own beer'.

Responsible drinking is when a craft beer drinker knows the ABV of a particular beer, pays for an appropriate measure and drinks this at a pace suited to the beer. Your article seems to suggest that the Irish public is unable to exercise self-control and needs to be warned of the dangers of craft beer. Belgium brews some of the highest ABV beers available, yet Belgians do not have the media warning them of this. Beer is part of Belgian culture, as are bicycles and chocolate. Beer is part of Irish culture, as are walks in the rain and good food.

The science bit...
Beer is made of 4 ingredients - Water, Malt, Hops and Yeast. Using these natural ingredients a good home brewer can make world class beer. A typical batch size can be 5 to 25litres and is typically 3% to 10% ABV(Alcohol By Volume) depending on the style.
Some home brewers choose to make wines which are up to the standard of the wines in your local supermarket with comparable ABV.
Ireland is also home to some of the finest craft ciders available today.

If the objective is to get drunk, isn't Vodka a better bet?

There is an error in the article referred to above, this should read 3.75 units, not 3.75 units of beer.
"O'Hara's Double IPA beer from the Carlow Brewing Company meanwhile contains 3.75 units of beer in a 500ml bottle which compares with 2.2 units in a similar-sized Heineken."

John Mangan

[DEMPSEY]

I alway's find the add's where you see,
"buy your slabs of beer here,24X500mm cans,cheap as chips and sure why not bring along another slab as 2 are easier to carry,oh and by the way visit drink aware". (but wait till ye finished the second slab)

[johnrm]

I emailed that to the editor and the lady that penned the articlearticle. I should have plugged the NHC, oops.

[Bubbles]

Here you go, John.. a bit more ill-informed, misleading waffle.. Where do they get these so-called "journalists" from?

For added floral fragrance, flowers from the hop plant are added to counter the richness of the malted barley. However, in Britain, fertilised hop flowers containing bitter seeds are used, giving those beers the name "Bitter".

Largely true, but it's just lazy research.

http://www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/table-talk/liam-campbell-making-the-weiss-choice-30666749.html

[johnrm]

Why not give them a blast yourself Mr. B.
I've seen your colourful spin too!