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The Family Grows

Welcome to Ginger Tipple 4

ginger beer

We have just started to sell Ginger Tipple 4, the lighter version of our regular Ginger Tipple. Its alcoholic content by volume is below 5% which makes it a beverage which is easier to drink in larger quantities.

It is interesting that although the ingredients are identical, just with less organic sugar, and the process is the same, the resulting flavour is quite different.  The scientists explained to me that the higher alcohol in the regular Ginger Tipple brings out the flavours from the hops and ginger more effectively than at a lower strength.

Meeting Demand

You have to listen to what your customers are saying about your product, especially with a new concept like Ginger Tipple. While they did not notice the strength of the alcohol when imbibing, many customers found the regular Ginger Tipple at 8.5% ABV too strong.  Even I do not always want to drink a Duvel or other strong beer, and prefer a regular strength beer, especially during a barbecue or picnic.

ginger beer
A Happy Tippler

What’s in a name?

For the time being, we are calling the new brew Ginger Tipple 4, primarily because we could not come up with a better name. We considered Tipple Junior, but older drinkers would be put-off. Then there was Tipple Lite, but people might compare it to Millers’ or Budweiser’s light beer; we are in a better class.

As there is a growing trend for drinkers to opt for lower strength beers, we wanted to emphasise the 4% range, even though at 4.85% it should technically be called Ginger Tipple 5!

Again, many thanks to the great guys at Studio Rauw for designing the label.

Where can you buy it?

Ginger Tipple 4 is only available from the brewery, but from 15th March you will be able to purchase it from Van Ecclepoel in Herentals, and then from the shops which they supply.

Leiden Leeds the Kriek

Glutenvrijemarkt

One of Ginger Tipple’s regular clients, Glutenvrijemarkt.com in Leiden, Holland, recently ordered the last few boxes of the Ginger Kriek 2017 vintage. This online store is the major player in the gluten free market in the Netherlands and sells gluten free beers including Ginger Tipple.

The Ginger Kriek

Ginger Kriek
Courtesy Wikipedia

We make this particular beverage with regular Ginger Tipple, without hops, into which we add fresh morello cherries known as noordkrieken. These sour cherries are only available for about two weeks  each July and we have to be quick.

We wash each cherry and check it for mold and holes, which could mean worms or other undesirable extras.

The whole cherries with their pits then sit in the Ginger Tipple vat for six to seven weeks while the yeast ferments their sugars and their flavours, aromas and colours impart into the brew.

The 2nd Fermentation

Before we bottle the Ginger Kriek we add some organic honey and then leave the Ginger Kriek to second ferment for two months. During this period the flavours meld and the remaining sugars ferment out to give it a natural carbonation.

The Pour

Ginger Beer
Click on the picture to see the GIF of the Pour

When you pour the cold Ginger Kriek into a tulip shaped glassed, you will be impressed by the synthesis of the ginger and cherries wafting past your nostrils. These aromas can only emanate from fresh natural gingers and fruits.

Most kriek beers are either sour lambics or sweet ones. Ginger Kriek is in between, very mildly sweet and a tiny bit sour.

I know I am biased when I talk about it, but it is really very good.

 

Buy Now

If you want to grab one of the few bottles, click on this link at Glutenvrijemarket.

Remember to drink it by the end of June 2018.

And thanks to my friends at Studio Rauw for designing the label.

One last note, it is also Kosher for Passover.

Drank 30 Beers in an Afternoon

Billie’s Craft Beer Fest

Ginger Tipple

Before you jump to conclusions, I did not drink 30 full glasses of beer. It was 30 tasters and  quite a lot of them I sipped and then about half of them I poured away.

It is not often one has the opportunity to drink quality craft beers – unlimited – and Antwerp’ first craft beer festival two weeks ago was a wonderful occasion to imbibe. In fact, it was absolutely amazing, not just because of the wonderful beers, but I now truly believe that Ginger Tipple is a tremendous brew.

Selection of Breweries

There were 50 breweries from all around Europe and North America, most of which had eight beers on tap, two at a time. As I was there for two hours on Sunday afternoon, this meant that there were about 100 beers available. Which is tremendous.

IPAs

As to be expected, there were a lot of IPAs. To be honest, some of them were average ales with a lot of hops, very few had that magic word, body. For the first time I experienced a range of different IPAs, West Coast IPAs which are very hoppy, often with very fresh hops from Yakima, Washington. Then there were the black IPAs which are made with toasted malt, the skill here is not to either the hops or the toasted malt to overpower the other. The German IPA used German hops etc.

Quads & Stouts

Ginger Tipple
Milk Stout

There was a varied selection of quads and stouts, matured with all sorts of flavours, although the bourbon barrels were the most common. Coffee, vanilla and cocoa were the popular tastes. Particularly enjoyed the Fantastic Voyage, a milk stout from Penrenial Artisan Ales which was infused with coconut flakes while whirpooling.

I missed the Kentucky Breakfast Stout, from Founders Brewing, which is one of the best on the market, and which commands a premium price of $20 per bottle. I had tasted a bottle six months ago, and it is very good.

Voodoo Brewery had a special brew for the show, which was a refreshing old style ale matured in bourbon barrels.

Estonia’a Pohjala brewery delivered an Imperial Coffee Stout called Cocobänger which uses high quality Costa Rican coffee, coconut and Magnum hops. At 12.5% ABV it was seductive.

Different Beers

Tempel from Sweden had a great sour beer with mango called Manu. With an ABV of only 3.5% it must be great to drink on a hot day, although I am not sure how often that happens in Sweden.

My favourite was Norway’s Nogne O‘s Tripel X Farmhouse Ale which is not boiled before fermentation which occurs at a temperature of 39 celsius.

The meads were not my cup of tea.

Sour Beers

You can travel the world and find sour beers with or without fruit. At this event there were quite a few, but the best were from Belgium. For me, the stars in this category were the Rodenbach Grand Cru Flemish and Caractere Rouge red-brown ales.  Nor can you omit Alvinne‘s Gentleman Sour Ale.

Summation

Stéfan Cauwenbergs and his colleagues deserve full praise for arranging the craft beer festival and by setting the entry price quite high it meant that you did not have to by tokens all the time to taste different beers.

Looking forward to next year’s festival.