bauhauswerk

Dear Coilers, in this Brew! post I will present you a brewery from my dearest City of Zagreb, Croatia, the best brewery in EU. In Coil’s taproom I will review their IPA

The Garden Brewery Voted Best Brewery in the EU by Beer52

After more than 400,000 ratings and votes from over 50,000 beer fans Zagreb-based The Garden Brewery has been voted the best brewery in the EU by Beer52 in their first ever awards. Beer 52 was founded in 2013 and is the world’s most popular beer club with over 50,000 UK people subscribing to get a box of craft beers delivered to their door every month.

10 different categories were awarded, with The Garden Brewery taking the top overall prize out of more than 9500 European breweries thanks to it’s consistency, quality, ongoing innovation in creating more than 77 different beer styles and great export success (UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Slovakia….). All done in just 3 years since opening in 2016 with beers including the award-winning Vanilla & Chocolate Porter, a Sour program, Experimental beers including Milkshake IPAs and innovative low alcohol IPAs. Other award winners include Gipsy Hill, Northern Monk, Siren, Crate, Five Points and Big Smoke.

The Garden Brewery was founded in 2016 to bring incredible craft beer to the music festivals blossoming on Croatia’s shimmering Adriatic Coast, their beers are brewed for the experiences that bring us together.

From summer thirst-quenchers and fruit sours, to their experimental range, their beers are brewed with creativity, innovation and a passion for experimentation.

Whether it’s discovering a new beer style, exploring Croatia’s landscapes and feeling the sea breeze on the coast, or visiting their festival site in Tisno over the summertime, The Garden Brewery celebrates beer as a refreshingly simple way of connecting, in a sometimes disconnected world.

INDIA PALE ALE or IPA, three letters which became a synonym for craft beer. Some people love it, some find it too “strong and bitter” but there is no beer geek who hasn’t tasted at least a coupe of dozen from this style. Hops are the heart of a beer and India Pale Ale is all about hops. Hops in it are strong, even very aggressive and with bitterness they give all kind of flavour notes. Deep earthy, woody and piney or fruity, citrusy, floral or grassy, you name it, hops have it. It is bitter and its full of flavour, what else can you want in a brew?

With the growth of the craft beer movement many variations of IPA were made and it the field, together with Pale Ale, on which you can see the most experimentation in brewing.

India Pale Ale by The Garden Brewery

Hoppy, strong and bursting with flavour

Hops: Simcoe, Cascade, Azacca, Mandarina Bavaria, Zythos

Malts: Maris Otter, Caramalt, Munich, Torrefied Wheat

Yeast: Neipa

STYLE: American IPA

ALC VOL: 6%

BITTERNESS: 55 IBU

Pours golden yellow In colour with medium white airy head which stays longer than expected.

Nose: hops, very hoppy, fruity, strong grapefruit, pine, very fresh. Freshly baked white bread in the back

First sip: surprisingly light, very hoppy but not too bitter. Bitterness is way suppressed than what I would expect. Crisp, fresh, grapefruit settled with zests, orange, apricot. Pleasant malts round it all well.

Dear Coilers, this abnormal times, or a “New Normal” as some call them, are getting us closer and closer to good ol’ communism while dear grandpa Stalin is watching it all from his red cloud in heaven, proud of the world which has finally accepted and implemented his wonderful ideas.

I’m my country, new rules say that private gatherings can host up to 10 people. If 11 or more, the host is fined big time and the guests can be too.

The problem for “The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs” or, some know it by the name “Geheime Staatspolizei”, is that the authorities don’t know nor can control every apartment, house, street...

...but then there is a solution. Not a new one but the old one, known for almost a century.

“Everyone is a potential enemy of the state and order, which is why you all have to watch your neighbors, relatives and friends. And report them immediately if you notice anomalies in the thought, word, or act.” - Josef Stalin

(No, not Thomas Jefferson, wierd, isn’t it?!)

Yes, snitching! The worst kind of act a human can do to another human if the snitches can be called humans at all!

What every “good citizen” (obedient poltroon, a spiritless coward) should do is to call the authorities on the first sign of their neighbours living a life worthy of a human being.

For example, my neighbours, a grandma and grandpa, have 8 grandchildren. When the closest family gathers, the number of the irresponsible outlaws is 15.

What the government expects from me is to call them so my old neighbours could get a fine which would exceed their 4 months pension income!

This way I would help stop COVID, they say...

...ooooor...

Believe it or not, there are people who are snitches! I don’t know how can they rationalize it to themselves but they are doing it. Daily reports are briefing us about the “brave” people who have dishonoured their family name. Those are the same like those “brave and honest” people who have reported their outlaw neighbours to that same (or similar Geheime Staatspolizei) for hiding Jews some 80 years ago.

I was, luckily, raised to be a free thinking person who questions stupidity and calls things by their real name. I was also educated and taught to think as a humanist and a scientist and above all, to love human kind and hate and oppose the authorities whenever they are trying to dehumanize those who I have love for.

What I will do is I will snitch the snitches. Whenever I get the information about some snitch I will do my best for every neighbour of them to know what kind of “people” they share the community with.

What I wish to those snitches is to grow old, weak and alone, and that their first neighbours are the ones they had reported to the authorities...

Karma is a boomerang, I’ve seen it Down Under during my visit. A boomerang I’ve seen. – Thomas Jefferson

Thanks for reading,

Srdan

(251)

Dear Coilers, Dram! is back with the best selling whisky in Scotland, the home of whiskies.

THE FAMOUS GROUSE – blended Scotch whisky

While many sources claim the Famous Grouse story began in 1800, the story of Matthew Gloag Sons didn't start with the Gloags at all. Rather, it began with the Browns.

John Brown established his Perth grocery business in 1800 before moving the premises to Atholl Street seven years later. It was his daughter, Margaret, who married Matthew Gloag. She took over the family business from her father in 1824 and ran it until Matthew took control a little over a decade later.

It was in fact Margaret who acquired a license to sell wine and spirits (and snuff) in 1831; Matthew didn't join the business until 1835 when the name was changed to Matthew Gloag. Margaret died just five years later.

Business in Atholl Street was good; Gloag had a wide knowledge of wines and spirits after managing the cellar of the Sheriff Clerk of Perthshire for more than 30 years. By the time Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Scotland for the first time in 1842 as guests of the Earl of Mansfield, he was given the honour of supplying food and wine to the Earl's home at Scone Palace near Perth. After the Queen and Prince's visit, enthusiasm south of the border soon spread for all things Scottish; a market trend that he was keen to exploit.

By the time Matthew Gloag died in 1860, the family business portfolio focused mostly on wines and his son, William Gloag, largely continued this trend.

It wasn't until Matthew Gloag III inherited the business from William in 1896 that the company registered its first blended Scotch, the Brig o'Perth. A year later, The Famous Grouse was released at the same time as the Grouse Brand.

Following the Great French Wine Blight the company began to look at creating its own blended whiskies around 1875. In 1896, William's nephew, Matthew Gloag (1850-1912), took over the family business. He created a new blended brand called The Grouse in 1896. At this time the company was still operating from the grandfather's premises but had expanded to occupy adjacent shops, jointly covering 20 to 26 Arthiole street. In 1905 the limited company of Matthew Gloag & son was formed and the Grouse was renamed The Famous Grouse in the same year. Matthew Gloag's daughter Philippa first designed the label's grouse icon. Only at this point did the company move to new purpose-built premises on Kinnoull Street.

The same obsession with quality remains from the founders days but the Famous story of the Grouse continues on with so many more stories to tell and whiskies to blend.

BOTTLE: 70cl at 40% ALC

NOSE: Light but not too flat, floral, fruity, some spices, sweet

PALATE: sweet, malts are present, young but relatively smooth, hints of vanilla

FINISH: sweet turning to dry due to tanines from the barrel.

My mark: 61/100 (60+ is good on my scale, it would be in upper 70s to lower 80s in usual 100 scales)

Dear Coilers, the first snow has fallen in my Zagreb, Croatia.

It made all people are happy. Grownups due to traffic collapse, children because they’ve got a chance to get their first pneumonia and dogs because they can finally eat snow again.

I love snow. I love it as much as I hate rain. And thunder.

It will melt in a day or two but still... we had snow. ⛄️

…there’s just something beautiful about walking on snow that nobody else has walked on. It makes you believe you’re special like Srdan and myself, even though you know you’re not. – Thomas Jefferson

Snow is special. How do they make it up there?

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=465904643491234902

Dear Coilers, it’s been 84 years...

... as a fact it’s not a full year yet but feels like it’s the whole century since Covid and “New Normal” is forced to enter our lives and everyday behaviour.

Two things suffered from all those lockdowns and none benefited.

Economy and mental health of the ordinary people are at their lowest without any bigger chance to recover soon.

The “authorities” are already programming people to expect even worse situation and even stronger measures. Not to hope for relaxation nor to expect their small businesses to flourish again.

How long can a small business owner survive without doing the business? Half a year? A year maybe? Apart from big corporations which are doing it almost without scratches thru this “hard” period. The only scratched are their (ex) employees, the lowest of low in the corporate pyramid.

Walking downtown seeing all those “For Sale” signs on once respectable shops, cafes and restaurants makes ones eyes tear and mind think.

Tears for not being able to have a lunch or a coffee, not to mention a beer and thinking for seeing the opportunities which are opening from others’ doom.

The economy is ruthless! It is a competition between entrepreneurs, all of whom want the whole cake if anyhow possible. Noone is sorry for anyone, it is a fighting arena...

Are those owners guilty for their business crush? NO, they are not, but neither were those whose shops were raided and burned by Antifa and BLM rioters during the “mostly peaceful protests” (or however MSM names them).

Wrong place wrong time...

Off you go now, leave the place and make the space for others! – Thomas Jefferson

When all this calms down, or even if it doesn’t, there will still be the Economy and there will still be the people who want to try themselves in entrepreneurship of any kind.

They will rent or buy those empty places and start new business, maybe even employ those who were working there before the “reset”.

All of you reading this can take advantage of those possibilities which will be opened sooner or later. It is never too late to work on the ideas you have, or the ideas you had but were never able to realise them.

Money is cheap these days, will be even cheaper in future but not many would be able to meet the conditions to be loaned.

Those who invested intelligently in past period will have mutch better starting position in future.

If you have been investing in crypto, there is a great possibility that you will be among those in Pole Position.

If you have diversified your investing smartly the Pole Position is already yours.

Dear Coilers, quite some time after my initial thoughts to post some of my cooking skills, I’ve decided to finally do it, thanks to Patricia and Cintia who are already established Chefs in the community.

As the Covid situation made us all not being able to travel freely, many have exchanged their suitcases for pots and pans.

I am not new to this, but last few months I try to research old local recipes and play with them a bit. You would be surprised how many traditional recipes, even two thousand years old, are still prepared in local cuisines!

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=463161326068303088

In Eat! series I will try to present you dishes from my country, Croatia, cuisine of which vary from the Mediterranean one, thru continental to that of the Turkish influence.

I myself prefer Dalmatian cuisine but many of the old recipes from other parts of the country are amazing too.

I always try to use local, seasonal and fresh ingredients if possible which makes the whole cooking process longer but it pays out thru the taste in the end.

For the first episode I’ve decided to prepare a dish which was cooked in the time of Old Rome but the recipe was adjusted in 16th century when potato entered the cuisine of Old Europe.

Made it following the recipe of my grand granny who ran a restaurant in her days and was well known Chef in the city of Makarska.

GREGADA OD LIGANJA (CALAMARI) – Squids Stew

For 4-5 persons:

1kilo calamari 🦑

1kilo potatoes 🥔

4 onions 🧅

8-10 cloves of garlic 🧄

10cl of extra virgin olive oil

20cl of white or rose wine

A fistful of fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste

The process shown in the Cinnamon video for the subscribers

Thanks for reading,

Srdan

Dear Coilers, Maradona has passed away!...

...The late Zvonimir Magdić Amigo was the first Croatian journalist to watch Maradona live.

As a journalist for “Sportske novosti”, he also wrote the first article about him, and Anton Samovojska published an article about Amigo and Maradona on March 12, 2009 – on the occasion of the publication of Amigo’s book “Maradona, the little green one”. He wrote:

https://youtu.be/4fV--2oE238

One May morning, in the late seventies, in the “Zvjerinjak”, a cafe bar near Ban Jelačić Square, Bernard Vukas Bajdo and Zvonimir Magdić Amigo were part of a larger crew. As the English Cup final match was being played that day, we all started getting ready to go home. Except for Magdić.

Surprised, Bajdo asked Magdić: “Amigo, aren't you going to watch the finals?”

“No, I'm not going to” Magdić replied.

“But why? The English teams are playing” – replied Bajdo. “Don't you like English football?” Bajdo Vukas insisted.

“Oh, Bajdo, look at this... I come home, sit in the armchair and turn the TV on. The English right-back takes the ball and kicks it. I get up, go to the the kitchen, make tea, go back in front of the TV, and the ball is still in the air. What is there to see here? ” The crew almost died laughing. Amigo is truly a special author, and such is, no doubt, the book, whose editor is none other than Ante Kostelić (father and coach of Janica and Ivica who won 10 Olimpic medals combined)!

https://youtu.be/rXEaASOmkuk

Magdić met Maradona in 1978 in Buenos Aires. Maradona was 18 years old and was crowned an attribute of the a world’s best young footballer. But that was not enough for Cesar Luis Menotti to put him in the national team of Argentina, which will win the title of World Champions on their own soil...

Thanks to Rudolf Kralj, a man from Zagreb, Croatia, who was Menotti's right-hand, Magdić managed to do his first interview with Maradona in Buenos Aires...

...Then he followed the footsteps of Maradona, lurking for even the tiniest chance for the new encounters. The book describes all of Maradona's incidents and accidents, and Magdić's incidents and accidents with Maradona...

...Like the one, which introduces us to the detail in which Maradona became a “little green one”: “On May 21, 1980, the editorial office sent me to Vienna for a friendly match Austria Vs Argentina. They told me,: “You have 22 lines.” The match was terrible, Argentina destroyed Austria 5:1, and Maradona scored three. A book could be written, and I had 22 lines only. I‘ve sent exactly 22, because if I had sent 24, they would have immediately shortened 2 lines. I gave the report the title: “Diego, are you a little green one?”

When the text reached the editorial office, the first thing there was laughter, then general outrage and, finally, the message: “Zvonimir, we are sending you on a trip, you are spending state money, and what are you doing? You're sending us some nonsense about “a little green one.” What a “little green”?! That won't work for you. “ It didn't work out “- says Magdić. – It wasn’t published...

https://youtu.be/SJevByplaWk

Of course, this story got an interesting sequel. “In the fall of 1982, in the second round of the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League), Red Star and Barcelona played in Belgrade. The weather was rough, the pitch bad, but Maradona had one of those days of his. Receiving the ball, at one point he intended to lob the Red Star goalkeeper. When he kicked the ball, I said, “If this is a Goal, I'm going home.”...

...It was The Goal... but I didn't go home. After the match, I have written an article entitled, “Diego, you're a little green one after all.” That title was published because then everyone has realized that Maradona really was – The little green one ... “

Armando Diego Maradona – 1960-2020

Dear Coilers, how much do you need to be happy? How much of that need is materialistic? Do you think that sudden wealth will make you happy?

It is strange how little it takes to make us happy, and even stranger: how often we miss that little! – Thomas Jefferson

Every single person in this world has problems. It doesn’t matter how wealthy or poor. Those who are poor think that money, which they don’t have, would solve their problems and make them happy, those who are wealthy would give their wealth away just to be healthy, their children to call them or their friends to come for a visit and have a dinner with them.

An anecdote from India comes to my mind... Let’s say that a Croatian person, we’ll name him Srdan, walked the streets of Mumbai with his Indian friend, we’ll name him Apu...

Dirty streets were packed with people rumbling the city during the late evening, with many of the poorest sleeping tucked in, covered with filthy blankets (if they were lucky) or without them, on sidewalks.

Srdan asked Apu is there a way to help those people, to make their lives easier and to make them happy.

Then Apu asked Srdan: Haven’t you told me that you couldn’t sleep for days?

Srdan replied: It’s true. I have to organize the flight back to Europe, then I have to find a contractor as I plan to rebuild bathroom and then I have to go to seaside to put a fence around the land I’ve inherited from my grandpa and then...

Then Apu said: What is this old man doing right now?

Srdan: He sleeps in the street half naked!

Apu: True, he sleeps in the busy street and you can’t sleep in a five stars hotel!!! Do you really think you are happier than he is?!...