Beer drinkers tend to enjoy a bet. Ed Gilbert is the general manager of Feather Falls Casino and Lodge in California. His brewery is just over 20 miles from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company; one of the country’s largest craft breweries. He believes the locals are quite knowledgeable about craft beer.

Ellis Island Casino also brews its own beer. They have realised from a cost standpoint, having a brewery is a significant asset. 

To keep gamblers at the table, casinos normally offer free beverages. To brew beer in-house means such freebies are not so costly for casinos. 

The casino doesn’t have to pay a premium to an outside brewer and third-party distributor. This is because 97 percent of Ellis Island’s beer is sold on-premise. The other 3% is served at a satellite restaurant. This means more earnings flows back into the casino’s own business. Business is increasing for the brewery as well.

They sell a million glasses of beer a year. All of which is drank in the casino, putting the brewery in America’s top 20 brewpubs.

The decision to sell their own beer was more of a necessity for Dostal Alley Casino & Brew Pub in Central City, Colorado. They  were trying to compete with the rest of the casinos in town. They found that all of them  delivered essentially the same experience though. It’s just slot machines so they needed to provide something that no one else could and that was craft beer.

It wasn’t an overnight success however. Winning over the beer drinkers took a long time but they stuck with it. Business changed for them after they started to appreciate their beer. For those who prefer to stay at home, you can pick a cold one in your fridge and load casinosjungle and start playing online casino!

Because each state has its own gambling laws, you won’t find all casinos can brew their own beer just anywhere

The ten casino-breweries in existence are spread across five states. Six of them are congregated in Nevada to take advantage of the state’s pro-gambling policies. Nevada has become so accustomed to gambling that it is now more difficult to create a tasting room without it.

Because of its Native American ownership, Feather Falls Casino ran into a legal challenge while applying for a brewery licence in California. There had never been an example of a Federally recognised tribe filing for a brewery licence so Feather Falls Casino was the country’s first of its type.

The types of beer served at these casino-breweries can range from experimental small batch beer to more classic, lighter beer styles. As customers have gotten more knowledgeable, the beers change to reflect that.

Feather Falls’ beers have received 40 awards including a bronze at the 2012 World Beer Cup for its Blackjack Stout. A silver medal from the 2014 Great American Beer Festival for its Shaft House Stout is among Dostal Alley’s achievements.

The ability of two seemingly disparate industries like gambling and craft beer to coexist together is a credit to the passion of those involved.

The relationship between competing casinos is very competitive.  It’s a benefit for them if they can shut you down and take your clients.  In the world of artisan beer, the reverse is true as everyone  wants to make fantastic beer. In the gaming industry, that would never happen.

For that reason craft beer might be able to teach the game business a thing or two about teamwork.

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From the outside, though, it appears to be a bit perplexing. Bitter requires some explanation.

Let’s start by defining what we’re talking about.

Bitter is a name that appears to have emerged late in the 19th century.

It’s connected with a lighter, drier pale-ale style, built on the foundations of IPA and its precursor, October beer. The effects of wartime hardship, economy, and government restrictions on alcohol consumption eventually pushed the style into the low-gravity range that we know today. Uniquely, the United Kingdom has kept its historic technique of serving cask-conditioned “real ale.” This is despite the fact that it has become a specialty product, supported by consumer demand.

It’s easy to get lost in the jargon. Bitter and pale ale are phrases that are sometimes used interchangeably, though pale ales are usually associated with the stronger end of the spectrum. In North American competitions, bitters are divided into three distinct gravity/strength categories.  Most brewers in England make more than one strength, but few offer three, and the terminology—ordinary, best/special, ESB—is inconsistent. The last is actually the brand name for Fuller’s distinctively rich and malty variation. This was extensively distributed just as the budding American microbrewing culture was looking for inspiration.

Bitter can only be understood in the context of the United Kingdom’s profoundly ingrained beer drinking culture.

The glasses are imperial pints, with a capacity of 568 ml. Unlike the flat beer tax in the United States, the alcohol-based tax system in the United Kingdom produces very precise pricing rather than the even dollar amounts seen in the United States. Drinkers would rather save money by drinking the lighter varieties and possibly having one more than they would otherwise.

Because one of the most popular stereotypes about the bitter style of beer is that it’s warm and flat, it’s a good idea to focus on what it isn’t. The ideal temperature for bitters is in the mid 50s°F, rather than the customary 38°F for lagers. 

Bitter’s moderate carbonation is a relic from the brewery’s previous usage of wooden kegs. These can’t withstand the same amount of pressure as modern stainless steel kegs. This reduced carbonation decreases the gas’s masking effect, increasing flavour even more.

The cask ale tradition is what drives these traits. This is beer that has been carbonated in the receptacle in which it will be served, rather than using CO2. Although bottle conditioning is acceptable, draught is the style’s soul. Cloudiness is commonly regarded as a sign of inadequate cellar management.

Brewers take a risk with real ale since they are essentially handing off the last stage of manufacturing to the bar.

Beers arrive still fermenting and must be coaxed into their ultimate form in the basement. This presents a number of potential pitfalls. which might have been easier to manage when breweries owned the majority of their pubs.

Breweries have had to rely on the enthusiasm and care of pub owners as those ties have deteriorated, with mixed results. Inconsistent quality at the point of service could be one of the reasons behind cask ale’s decades-long decline.

It’s a cliche to argue that beer tastes better when consumed in its native country, but it’s especially true here. Unfortunately, quality cask ale is hard to come by outside of the United Kingdom. It is frequently a passion project of a brewery or a pub elsewhere. It also doesn’t travel well.

Ray Daniels’ Real Ale Fest in the late 1990s featured more than 200 firkins of real ale, largely from American brewers. A sponsor paid to fly in British barrels, but the ales were frequently flawed, and withdrawn from service. Only a few hours of truck and plane transportation was enough for them to deteriorate. Even under ideal conditions, inflowing air introduces oxidation and infectious bacteria after only a few days in the cask.

A Bitter is a light-bodied beer that is designed to be consumed quickly.

While all-malt variants are popular, there are also varieties with corn and even sugar. Body and head retention can be improved by using unmalted grains. Pale ale malt is the most common base.  At 2 to 4° Lovibond this malt is slightly more kilned than lager malt, resulting in a golden amber beer with a crisp, biscuity flavour.

The exquisite depth of a characterful base malt can really shine in such a delicate brew as bitter. Maris Otter is a low-yielding barley strain created specifically for brewers by breeders. It was first released in 1966 and became popular in the 1970s before nearly going extinct until grain dealers resurrected it a few decades ago. It’s difficult to put into words: fuller, richer, and just more beery in general, resulting in a more profound drinking experience. Golden Promise is another British heritage-whiskey barley. Small and mid-size maltsters in the United States and elsewhere are also experimenting with varieties that offer much more flavour than the widely available barleys.

Darker malts provide character, but they should be used sparingly. At 20 to 30°L, biscuit or amber malt is a lot darker. It has a strong, toasted flavour that pairs well with dark ales.  While not typical, Vienna and Munich malts provide clear caramel and cookie aromas that can add a lot of depth. Although crystal malts are common, they must be utilised much more delicately than in traditional American pale ales. The flavours range from kettle-corn to sweet caramel to toffee and toasted sugar. The lighter ones are more versatile than the deeper ones.

The term bitter isn’t a misleading term – although each brewery has its distinct house taste it’s a beer largely oriented toward hops.

Remember that these have an ABV of around 4%.  20 to 40 IBUs is a good range depending on the beer. Dry hopping adds a lovely touch to most beers.

Bitter relies primarily on English-style hop types, which have a subtly brilliant herbal flavour.  For at least a number of centuries, East Kent Goldings have been the preferred variety. There are, however, other English hops to discover: There are, however, additional English hops to discover: First Gold has a traditional scent with a little more bitterness; Challenger and Progress have a little more earthiness; and Northdown has a dark, woody flavour. Many Slovenian hops have English ancestors and German Opal is both bright and understated.

It’s all about the yeast with bitters. Young & Company and Fuller’s are two historic London companies, each expressing a very different perspective on the style. Fuller’s range is rounder and more malty, while Young’s is more crisp. Of course, the recipes differ, but the difference in yeasts is to thank for a lot of the success. Fuller’s yeast lowers hop bitterness and flavour whereas Young’s yeast amplifies them. Boddington’s strain (also known as Conan) is claimed to improve mouthfeeland is also popular among hazy IPA brewers. 

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As a result, coming across one of Czechia’s pale lagers—a svtlé pivo—can be jarring. If you go to a Bohemian pub, you won’t see the name “pilsner” unless it’s associated with one brand—Urquell. Czechs classify lagers according to their strength, with pale lagers being labelled as 10˚ or 12˚.

Those are degrees Balling, which are extremely similar to Plato’s original gravity measurement. These beers may also come in a variety of forms; some may be unfiltered, while others are “tank” beer. 

The issue is that we’re all thinking about them incorrectly. Pale lagers are more of a tradition—a part of everyday life—than a style for the Czechs. In how they view and brew their beer, political history, agronomy, and drinking culture all play vital roles.

Plzeň 1842

The story of pilsner has been repeated so many times that it has taken on a mythic quality, but it is mostly true. Leaders in the little town of Plze (or Pilsen, in German) were fed up with the low quality of their local ales in the 1830s. Imported Bavarian lager began to make its way into western Bohemia, impressing drinkers with its high quality and long shelf life.

The citizens of the town decided to address the issue by establishing a brewery to produce the same type of beer right in their own backyard. Then dispatched a local architect to Munich to learn how to establish a professional brewery, and they hired a Bavarian brewer to create the beer when he returned.

This happened to be the same time that knowledge of English-style kilns was spreading throughout Central Europe, so they decided to build one as well.

The first Brewer of Pilsner

Josef Groll, the young brewer they hired, was not a pleasant individual (his own father dubbed him the “rudest man in Bavaria”). He did, however, brew the most influential beer ever created during his three-year stint at what would later become Pilsner Urquell. The beer was called after the town, as was customary in Germany at the time. On November 11, 1842, Groll debuted his “pilsner” at St. Martin’s Fair.

The pilsner made by Groll wasn’t the first pale lager. One had been brewed a year before in a town near Vienna by Anton Dreher. In fact, at least at first, Dreher’s Vienna lager generated more imitations. Ale breweries were prominent in Bohemia for decades. The Czech pale lager, on the other hand, began to gain popularity over time, and the rest is history.

After stout, no other beer style has ever gained the same level of international acclaim as pilsner. It had spread throughout the world by the end of the nineteenth century. Pale lagers would eventually supplant most regional types almost everywhere. Pilsners, on the other hand, evolved as they became more popular. They left the originals of Bohemia behind, as the Czech lands entered a stormy century.

A Slower Evolution

The twentieth century brought significant change to the brewing industry in several ways. It brought invaders to Bohemia and Moravia. The Nazis arrived first, followed by a Communist Party backed by the Soviet Union. These intrusions stymied the kinds of inventions that the West embraced. D issident and future post-Soviet President Václav Havel worked in the Krakono Brewery. There he witnessed stagnation fueled by a system that provided jobs but not change. He wrote that one of the brewers had been admonished for pursuing efficiency.

That pause had one unintended benefit: it preserved certain historic brewing traditions. Decoction mashing was one of them, and it is currently required in Czech legislation for any beer labelled eské pivo (Czech beer). The procedure is crucial in achieving the modest but noticeable richness that distinguishes Czech beer. Boiling during the decoction prepares the chemicals that give the golden colour. 

Brewers also employ other time-honored methods. In smaller breweries, open fermentation is still widespread. Many breweries, notably Urquell, still rely on grants. Brewers at the now-defunct Kout na Sumav boiled their wort for two hours. They began as usual, with a hop infusion to the initial wort, and the long boil produced a noticeable bitterness. There’s also  the lengthy lagering period: Budvar’s regular svtl leák is aged for an astonishing three months. Budvar’s softness and smoothness are due to this lengthy process. Czechia, like Belgium, is a haven for oddball antique machinery and processes.

It’s Svtlé Pivo, not Pilsner.

Brewers in Czechia give Pilsner Urquell a lot of respect. However Budvar, the second most famous Czech brewery don’t call what they do a pilsner.

An important feature about Czech brewing is there is a lot of room for experimentation with beers made with roughly the same two ingredients—pale base malt and Saaz hops.

Color and strength are the two variables that Czechs use to categorise their beers. A beer can be pale (svtlé), dark (tmavé), or amber (polotmavé), and it can come in a variety of strengths, from weak to doppelbock-like booms. The majority of Czech pale lager is výčepní (draught beer) with an ABV of around or just above 4% and 9˚ or 10. Mid-strength versions known as ležák (lager) are classified at 11˚ or 12˚ and normally come in around 5% ABV. These are the ones most commonly exported.

Czech beers are also available in a variety of preparations. Some of them are unfiltered (nefiltrované). Other options include tanková (tank beers). Czech brewers provide brewery-fresh beers directly to pubs, where they are delivered from polyethylene bags inside submarine-shaped serving tanks. This assists to prevent oxidation and CO2 interaction. The beer is never pasteurised, and the flavours are milder yet more vibrant, similar to British cask ale.

The Czechs have a name (říz) for really well-made beer. The combined characteristics of the beer, that delicate balance, are captured by říz. It is viewed as an objective benchmark to the point where it may be used to dispute about pivo in a bar. It signifies a beer’s spirit and its soul.

Pivo’s Terroir (Pivo’s Terroir)

Of course, the famous Saaz hop, produced around Žatec, 50 miles north of Plzeň is a key component of its brightness and tang. Hops have been grown in the region for over a thousand years, and Saaz is at least 500 years old. The tanginess of it is essential to the flavour of svtlé pivo.

Hopping the kettle as the wort comes from the lauter tun is a distinctive feature. Brewers believe that hopping the first wort produces a perfect bitterness. Beer is always a byproduct of terroir, but the representation of terroir in Czech pale lager is more pronounced than in other styles.

For a long time, American brewers interpreted Bohemian-style pilsner to mean a German pilsner brewed with Saaz hops.  At the outset of the microbrewing era, Czechoslovakia was still separated from the rest of the world by the Iron Curtain. Brewers from other countries had to learn all of the seeming idiosyncrasies of Czech brewing much later on.

Many brewers are drawn to the rich flavour developed by those procedures now that more brewers are aware of the Czech history. Techniques that were once thought to be outmoded now have the charm of craft and legacy. As the popularity of lagers grows, the Czech heritage continues to win new fans. 

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