I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time everything just fell into place when I tried to do something! This, however, is the story of pilsner, which appeared circa 1842 in the Bohemian city of Plzeň in what is now the Czech Republic.The date is key to the story, placing it at the end of the industrial revolution. Steam power, refrigeration and rail routes were becoming commonplace, leading to developments in brew tech and facilitating the sharing of ideas.All that was needed was a trigger, and this came in the form of a people’s uprising in...

I once asked my Mum how she got the tomato sauce in her pasta dishes to be so rich and sweet, and her reply was…“I use sugar.”I was a touch shocked at the time, and told her that this was basically cheating, to which she replied…“That’s what cooking is - cheating.”These words really stuck with me, and many years on, I can see now that the world of drinks is also rife with cheating too.I mean cheating is literally everywhere when you think about it!Just look at wine. We age wine in oak to add nuances of vanilla and coconut....

A whole universe of wondrous entities is created in the process of fermentation and the catalyst for this, the force at the epicentre of the brewing big bang if you like - is sugar.The preferred source of sugar for brewers is malted barley. This is a grain that has been allowed to germinate and whose starches have been converted into fermentable sugars, but there are plenty of other options, and one is honey.Fermented honey brews are known as mead and seeing as six million years of human evolution has been accompanied by that of bees (who appeared on the planet some...

I’m a sucker for a decent concept! Boneface’s planet Hoptron in a galaxy not so far away and the Chouffe gnomes from the valley of the fairies spring to mind, and it’s fair to say that concepts pop up in the beer world on a fairly regular basis.Often they incorporate an element of sci-fi, fantasy or escapism, with a nod to the inner child that still remains in us all. This in itself is an extension of the drink after work on a Friday night theme - when you want to forget about the world and, well - loosen up...

Trying to suss the authenticity of beer brands can be a tricky endeavour in this day and age. Often, what seems to be an independent line is actually owned by a large parent company, and arguably, this isn’t ideal, especially if you’re the sort of person who vehemently opposes the notions of globalisation and loss of authenticity.On this note - today’s beer is an interesting one!Its roots stem back to African banana beer which is made from the fermentation of mashed bananas and various grains in central equatorial Africa. Mongozo means cheers in the language of the Chokw people based...