I'm watching the "Tonight Show" -- a talk-show starring Jay Leno here in
the U.S. -- and one of the guests was just describing a recent trip he
made to Mongolia. He said that "Fermented Horse Milk" is a big drink
over there -- that it's everywhere. So now I'm wondering about using
that as an adjunct in a beer ... ;-) So do the Mongolians have dairy
farms full of horses over there? Gives a whole new meaning to going
into a bar and ordering a milk ... no need to ask for it in a dirty
glass, I guess.

Cheers.

Bill Velek

"Bill Velek" <billvelek@alltel.net> wrote in message
news:4111B962.5090506@alltel.net...[color=blue]
> I'm watching the "Tonight Show" -- a talk-show starring Jay Leno here in
> the U.S. -- and one of the guests was just describing a recent trip he
> made to Mongolia. He said that "Fermented Horse Milk" is a big drink
> over there -- that it's everywhere. So now I'm wondering about using
> that as an adjunct in a beer ... ;-) So do the Mongolians have dairy
> farms full of horses over there? Gives a whole new meaning to going
> into a bar and ordering a milk ... no need to ask for it in a dirty
> glass, I guess.
>
> Cheers.
>
> Bill Velek
>[/color]

<shudders>

I'd rather spend eternity drinking Keystone....

-Ryan

On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 23:36:50 -0500, Bill Velek <billvelek@alltel.net>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>I'm watching the "Tonight Show" -- a talk-show starring Jay Leno here in
>the U.S. -- and one of the guests was just describing a recent trip he
>made to Mongolia. He said that "Fermented Horse Milk" is a big drink
>over there -- that it's everywhere. So now I'm wondering about using
>that as an adjunct in a beer ... ;-) So do the Mongolians have dairy
>farms full of horses over there? Gives a whole new meaning to going
>into a bar and ordering a milk ... no need to ask for it in a dirty
>glass, I guess.
>
>Cheers.
>
>Bill Velek[/color]

Hi Bill

I have also recently been to Mongolia (My wife and I travelled from
Moscow to Beijing by train and stopped for a few days in Mongolia to
stay in a ger (another name for yurt - a big felt tent) out on the
Steppes).

The drink is called airag (pronounced " Eric") and I was looking
forward to trying it but unfortunately it wasn't the right season for
airag. I gather that in the Spring, the mares are in foal and need
the milk and they only have enough surplus milk to make airag later in
the Summer. We were there in May and there wasn't a single bottle to
be found anywhere in Ulan Bataar (phew, that was lucky).

Apparently the milk is placed in a leather bag that hangs in the Ger
where it is churned traditionally for 1000 times. This starts the
fermentation process that creates the airag.

Whilst I didn't try airag, I did try a cup of Mongolian tea, which
consists of mare's milk, water and salt (note: no tea leaves are
involved!!!). Whilst drinkable (just) it tasted a little like warm
seawater. On the whole, the food and drink was fine in Mongolia - if
you like mutton.

Mongolians do not have dairy farms full of horses but are genuine
nomads and use horses as a means of transport for everyday use - there
are very few roads so very few cars except in Ulan Bataar the Capital.
I would assume that wealth is indicated by the number of horses you
own.

One of the high spots of the visit was sitting in a ger drinking
Mongolian Chinggis beer (a "normal" beer brewed in Ulan Bataar),
playing "ankle bones" - a very old Mongolian game, a bit like dominoes
but played with the ankle bones of dead sheep!!!

Regards


KGB

QD Steve wrote:
[color=blue]
> I dont think you could ferment any milk with yeast. The only sugar in it
> is lactose and yeast wont touch it. I would suggest it is fermented with
> bacteria of some sort. Lacto Baccilus or something like that.[/color]
<snip>
No, it's true, I don't know if it's yeast, but I had this college roomate
who told stories of fermented goats milk that was apparently quite strong.

KGB (KGB) wrote:[color=blue]
> On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 23:36:50 -0500, Bill Velek <billvelek@alltel.net>
> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>I'm watching the "Tonight Show" -- a talk-show starring Jay Leno here in
>>the U.S. -- ...[/color][/color]

snip
[color=blue]
> I have also recently been to Mongolia ...[/color]

snipped very interesting details of KGB's trip in Mongolia

Sounds really neat; I envy you in that regard.

NOW ..., because I had watched a bit of the "Tonight Show", I missed
something much more important. I switched channels and caught just the
end of a show about BEER, including some microbrewery stuff. It was on
the History Channel -- "Modern Marvels", and I caught just maybe the
last 5 minutes. It was followed by another "Modern Marvels" show about
bars/taverns, and included esoteric stuff like how a few places manage
their inventories. _BUT_, that was then followed by a third "Modern
Marvels" show about distilling liquor, which was _very_ interesting, and
I learned that the Anchor Brewery in California apparently does some
small scale commercial distilling; I wasn't aware of that. As I recall,
they were distilling rye whiskey -- or at least they showed them
stirring mash made from malted rye -- and showed the distillery. Seems
like that last show must have been an hour long, and they covered in
very interesting detail all of your major liquors: bourbon, scotch, gin,
vodka, tequila. If anyone happens to know if and when those shows are
going to be shown again, I'd sure appreciate a heads-up.

Thanks.

Bill Velek -- remove the "--NO-SPAM--" from my email address

Bill Velek <billvelek--NO-SPAM--@alltel.net> wrote:[color=blue]
>I switched channels and caught just the
>end of a show about BEER, including some microbrewery stuff. It was on
>the History Channel -- "Modern Marvels", and I caught just maybe the
>last 5 minutes.[/color]

The last 4-5 minutes were the only time they mentioned craft
or microbreweries (or as the "expert" called them, "microbeers.").
Still, it was a nice history of beer in the modern era, concentrating
on the technology that got beer to where it is today.
[color=blue]
>It was followed by another "Modern Marvels" show about
>bars/taverns, and included esoteric stuff like how a few places manage
>their inventories.[/color]

And included some of the same footage and facts as the show
about beer.
[color=blue]
>_BUT_, that was then followed by a third "Modern
>Marvels" show about distilling liquor, which was _very_ interesting...[/color]

I watched some of that, and it certainly was interesting.
[color=blue]
>I learned that the Anchor Brewery in California apparently does some
>small scale commercial distilling; I wasn't aware of that. As I recall,
>they were distilling rye whiskey -- or at least they showed them
>stirring mash made from malted rye -- and showed the distillery.[/color]

Old Potrero. It's been what, several years now since they
started?
[color=blue]
>like that last show must have been an hour long, and they covered in
>very interesting detail all of your major liquors: bourbon, scotch, gin,
>vodka, tequila. If anyone happens to know if and when those shows are
>going to be shown again, I'd sure appreciate a heads-up.[/color]

You might try poking around on their web site.
--
Joel Plutchak "I am myself, and if I have to hit my head against a
plutchak at [...] brick wall to remain true to myself, I will do it.�
- Marlon Brando

Joel wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
> >_BUT_, that was then followed by a third "Modern
> >Marvels" show about distilling liquor, which was _very_ interesting...[/color]
>
> I watched some of that, and it certainly was interesting.
>[color=green]
> >I learned that the Anchor Brewery in California apparently does some
> >small scale commercial distilling; I wasn't aware of that. As I recall,
> >they were distilling rye whiskey -- or at least they showed them
> >stirring mash made from malted rye -- and showed the distillery.[/color]
>
> Old Potrero. It's been what, several years now since they
> started?[/color]

Seems like a lot of micros are doing that...McMeniman's has been
distilling for a while, and Rogue is making rum at their place in PDX.

---------->Denny

--
Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is.

Reply to denny_at_projectoneaudio_dot_com

"Denny Conn" <me@privacy.net> a écrit dans le message de
news:4112A548.665C3313@privacy.net...[color=blue]
> Joel wrote:
>[color=green][color=darkred]
> > >_BUT_, that was then followed by a third "Modern
> > >Marvels" show about distilling liquor, which was _very_ interesting...[/color]
> >
> > I watched some of that, and it certainly was interesting.
> >[color=darkred]
> > >I learned that the Anchor Brewery in California apparently does some
> > >small scale commercial distilling; I wasn't aware of that. As I[/color][/color][/color]
recall,[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> > >they were distilling rye whiskey -- or at least they showed them
> > >stirring mash made from malted rye -- and showed the distillery.[/color]
> >
> > Old Potrero. It's been what, several years now since they
> > started?[/color]
>
> Seems like a lot of micros are doing that...McMeniman's has been
> distilling for a while, and Rogue is making rum at their place in PDX.
>
> ---------->Denny
>
> --
> Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is.
>
> Reply to denny_at_projectoneaudio_dot_com[/color]

Unibroue was also planning to do that, they had bougth all the equipement
and started experimental batch if i remember corectly but since they have
been bougth by Sleeman idon't know if they will keep on that course.
--
Altair (:-o)>=® (supprimer/remove nospam@ pour répondre/to reply)
"The History of every major Galactic Civilisation tends to pass through
three distinct and recognisable phases... characterised by the questions How
can we eat? Why do we eat? and Where shall we have lunch?"
Douglas Adams.

> I switched channels and caught just the[color=blue]
> end of a show about BEER, including some microbrewery stuff. It was on
> the History Channel -- "Modern Marvels", and I caught just maybe the
> last 5 minutes.[/color]

Yeah, the breweries one was more of a mass buttrub for the big guys,
the only real non-megaswill brewer they had was Yeungling.

[color=blue]
> If anyone happens to know if and when those shows are
> going to be shown again, I'd sure appreciate a heads-up.[/color]

The brewery and saloon were old shows wo they will not been shown
again for awile. The distillery show is new and will be on one more
time so set your VCR.

Distilleries
Airs on Saturday, August 7 @ 4pm ET/PT

From water and grain...to mash...still...vat...barrel and bottle--the
distilling of alcoholic spirits is a big business and near-sacred
religion. Its acolytes eye the color, swirl the glass, inhale the
bouquet, sip, then ponder their ambrosia. What's your pleasure?
Bourbon, Scotch, Rum, Gin, Vodka, or Tequila? We trace the history of
distilling from the one-man/one-still tradition to the Voldstead Act
of 1920 that devastated American distilleries to the mega-sales and
high-volume distillery of today. TV G

FYI,
McMenamin's also distills at their Troutdale Edgefield locale.
[url]www.mcmenamins.com[/url]
Steve

Denny Conn wrote:[color=blue]
> Joel wrote:
>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>_BUT_, that was then followed by a third "Modern
>>>Marvels" show about distilling liquor, which was _very_ interesting...[/color]
>>
>> I watched some of that, and it certainly was interesting.
>>
>>[color=darkred]
>>>I learned that the Anchor Brewery in California apparently does some
>>>small scale commercial distilling; I wasn't aware of that. As I recall,
>>>they were distilling rye whiskey -- or at least they showed them
>>>stirring mash made from malted rye -- and showed the distillery.[/color]
>>
>> Old Potrero. It's been what, several years now since they
>>started?[/color]
>
>
> Seems like a lot of micros are doing that...McMeniman's has been
> distilling for a while, and Rogue is making rum at their place in PDX.
>
> ---------->Denny
>[/color]


--
Steve Funk, Ph.D.
Project Manager
Environmental Microbiologist
H&H Eco Systems, Inc.
[email]steve@hheco.com[/email]
[url]www.hheco.com[/url]