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Why Use Coasters: Better Safe Than Sorry!

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Coasters have a historical and useful association with drinking. They are made from different kinds of materials, ranging from wood and glass to plastic and more, to prevent the furniture from getting damaged by water stains. The drinks, especially those with ice in them, can leave stains or water rings on the surface, which can damage precious furniture over time. That’s why it is wise to use coasters underneath a glass of any drink and prevent the condensation from glasses leave any rings behind. 

They have other utilities as well. Coasters are also used at bars or pubs to signal etiquette. For example, keeping a coaster on top of an unfinished drink indicates that you wish to finish the drink, and the staff members should not take away the glass while you are gone for a few minutes. Besides, a drink with a coaster on top of it can also be used to keep a table spot in a busy bar while you have left for a bathroom break. This is also a kind of coaster etiquette that is followed in many drinking circles. However, using this etiquette to keep a drink or table spot unattended past a certain time frame is considered rude. We at Castle Malting advise you not to leave a drink unattended for more than a few minutes. 

So, there you have it. The benefits of using coasters! Not only do they help protect your furniture from stains or water damage over time but also help you communicate through manners in public bars or pubs. 

Know about Belgian malt, Green malt, organic malt

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Malt is the short form of maltose, a type of simple carbohydrate produced by some grains such as barley and wheat.

High-quality malted barley is an essential base of any beer or whiskey.

In the past few decades, distillers have turned over the task of malting to specialists such as Dingemans, a renowned name in the manufacture of Belgian malt.

Belgian Malt is known for the rich and robust taste it imparts to famed craft beers such as Westmalle and Duvel.

The unique strain of barley grown in this region is responsible for the demand for Belgian Malt. The grain is soaked for a few hours and allowed to absorb water.

As the moisture content rises, the seeds sprout. This stage is known as Green malt, possibly due to the ripening of the seeds and rich green colour.

The expertise of the malt manufacturer plays a crucial role at this stage.

At the exact moment, the water has to be drained from the Green malt, and it has to be dried on the floor. If it germinates too much, then the enzyme levels drop.

After drying, the Green malt is used to make a syrupy dark liquid known as wort to which hops are added to produce beer.

Since beer is made from agricultural produce, there is concern about pesticide content. Thus the rise of organic malt.

Organic malt is manufactured purely. That means that no GMO seeds can be used, only natural fertilizer is added to the soil, and no contamination from any source is allowed to taint its purity.

Dried organic malt is sold as a powder to home brewers who want to distill their own beer. 

Is Gluten-Free Beer Good?

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With people’s increasing demand for gluten-free beer due to health conditions like celiac disease, Castle Malting has come up with better brewing alternatives that don’t contain gluten.

We have recognized the need of glue-free customers to enjoy their favourite beverage without gluten ingestion. Our dedicated gluten-free brewery also caters to people with gluten intolerance and health-conscious beer drinkers who follow a gluten-free diet.

What is Gluten in Beer?

Gluten is a set of proteins, known as glutelins and prolamins, which occur within the endosperm of many cereal grains. It is considered bad for some people because it triggers an immune response, which may damage the small intestine lining. It can further interfere with the absorption of major food nutrients and lead to issues like infertility, nerve damage, osteoporosis and seizures.

Gluten-Free Beer

Castle malting uses buckwheat to create gluten-free beer. For 5% ABV beer per hectoliter, we use 25kh Castle Buckwheat, 1.5 kg rice husks and an artificial amylase enzyme to prepare gluten-free beer. Since buckwheat is known for containing no gluten, it’s a perfect ingredient to brew beers for our gluten-averse customers.

Gluten-Free Craft Beers for Community

Since the mid-1800s, people are found to be suffering from ill-effects of celiac disease. However, the grains responsible for this health condition were discovered in the 1940s. After the 1960s, many brewers have started brewing gluten-free craft beers. Now with the increased demand for reduced-gluten and gluten-free craft beers, many reputed breweries like Castle Malting have been catering to everyone who’s part of the gluten-free beer community.

Grain D’Orge Brewery In Hombourg

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Ever wondered about the popular Grain D’Orge Brewery? It is famous because of its exclusive range of beers. And being a beer-lover, you would be glad to know that this is a microbrewery located in a quaint countryside area near the Dutch and German border. 

Grain D’Orge Brewery is a family-run business. Since January 2002 it has been in the brewing and the small initiation started to bloom with no turning back. What started with Brice, Joup and few custom beers such as the Aubel’s beers is now a big name in the beer world. 

So, let’s discuss a few more interesting facts about this Belgium brewery that would help you to learn more about this place. 

  • In case you are planning to go out on Belgium brewery tour to quench your thirst for beer making knowledge, you must not forget about Grain D’Orge which is like an institution for many years. It is known for Aubel Double, Aubel Tripel, Aubel Pure, Brice, Grelotte, Joup, Pom, Box and more interesting versions of the beer.
  • Visitors may enjoy small meals and snacks there. The visits are organized in groups and one person will get time for a maximum of 10 minutes. The visit organization depends on the availability of the brewery. And at least 10 people are required for a beer group tour. 
  • Visitors with a special request for custom beer need to contact the brewery before they fix the schedule. 

To know more about the group visits and the price for a beer tour along with the tasting, make sure you refer to the official website of Grain D’Orge. 

What is Craft Beer & How Craft Beer is Made

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To understand what is craft beer you need to understand the difference between a craft beer and the regular industrial beer. There is a big difference in the entire making of beer that is done in a large scale industry than that of a microbrewery. In the world of craft beer, one has to learn all the basic things that separate craft beer from the regular beer.

Know Craft Beer

The beer malting process is very different in the craft brewery than that of the conventional method. In all true sense craft beer is the type of beer that is produced on a much smaller scale in comparison to the large industries. And the beer produced in microbreweries is extensively known for their unique taste, flavour, aroma and alcohol content.

Craft beer brewing, in other words, is a form of beer making art that has been developing for many years.

Process Of Making

* Craft beer is done in five distinct steps that are- malting, mash and lauter, adding hops, fermentation and bottling.

* Malt is derived from barley. Apart from barley, you can also use rye or wheat. But barley is the widely preferred grain to use in beer making. The seeds of barley go through the malting process which is then left to germinate. This germination activates the starch to create fermentable sugars.

* In the mash and lauter process that malt is mashed to release the sugar. The water is drained later and then you get a syrup kind of liquid known as wort. In the lauter stage the grain parts are removed from the wort.
After the completion of lautering, hop and spices are added to the liquid at this stage that provides the bitterness and flavour of the beer.

* In the fermentation, stage beer is divided into two groups- the ales and lagers. Depending upon the type of yeast used you can determine if it is ale or lager. There are almost 1500 varieties of yeast found that can be used to ferment the liquid. This will give the distinct quality of the craft beer.

* The final stage is the bottling where the beer is stored in can, bottles or kegs.

Planning to start your own craft brewing industry? Well, then you need to get all the necessary information regarding craft beer and the art of brewing. There is no end of beer making and craft brewing is the most interesting field.