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Popularity of German Beers

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Did you know that Beer is an integral part of German culture? With more than 1,000 breweries, Germany stands apart as the leader compared to other manufacturers in the world. There are strict quality laws that ensure the purity of the beer manufactured. This helps the manufacturers to differentiate from what can be used and what can’t be. In short, Barley malt, hops and water are the only ingredients allowed for German beer manufacturers. Because of the quality check and stringent laws, one can find German beers to be better in terms of quality.

Unlike other beers which offer aftertaste, German beers are known for their special quality. Weizen, Koelsch and Altiber are some of the well known German ale’s. I bet you can’t find better than these. Although there are several names and brands to be associated with, German beers offer high quality color, aroma and taste. Helles, Dunkel, Bock, Pilsener are some of the reputed German Lagers.

You can find Altiber which stands as a top fermented dark ale in the lower areas of Germany. It offers a taste that you can’t forget with yellow color. To follow, Rauchbier is ale that’s known to have a smoky flavor with a color that’s pretty the same. Both of these happen to be crowd favorites throughout Germany for their great taste.

Lagers are popular as well in Germany and happen to be well known in other parts of the world. One of the most famous and well known beers that offer less of malt and more of hops in Germany is Pilsener. It can be found anywhere for sale and is popular especially throughout North America. No wonder several bars serve it as one of the most liked and known dark lagers.
Germany is famous for its beer production and has over 4,000 unique brands of beers. Krombach, Beck, St. Pauli and Warsteiner are some of the most popular North German companies that manufacture beer of various tastes and ingredients. On the contrary, South Germany accommodates one of the oldest breweries in the world which is known by the name Benedictine Abbey. Its evolution goes way back to 1040, impressive isn’t it?

Munich organises Oktoberfest every year to celebrate German beers. This festive event kicks off in late September and goes on for 2 weeks, concluding in early October. Its popularity is well known and beer lovers all over from the world travel to Germany to have a blast. You’ll be amazed to know that as many as 5 million beer lovers flock in to attend the event, making it one of the biggest and most celebrated events in the world.

Local breweries are the ones allowed to serve beer during the event! No wonder the regional factor plays in! They are allowed to have bigger tents with a total of six breweries producing different beers. If you are planning to go to Munich, its value for money! You can taste different samples, enjoy the flavors, the mood of the event, get to know different cultures, people and also taste beers that are so well known.

The impact is overwhelming. Due to the success and attention Oktoberfest draws every year, many others around the world try to replicate the event, but with lesser success. If you are someone looking for top beers in Germany, Oktoberfest is an appealing testimonial. It surely showcases the better of the best German beers. Have a sip and know for yourself what quality beer is all about.

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Importance of Beer Adjuncts

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Would you like to know about Beer adjuncts? Keep reading! Some of the unmalted grains such as barley, oat, rye, corn, wheat and rice are known as adjuncts. How are they resourceful? Well, they are used to brew beer and produce the same for greater taste and quality. Several top manufactures use Beer Adjuncts as means of improving the quality and standards.

Let’s take few examples:-

• Input of Corn results in a full flavored beer
• Rice is known to offer a neutral aroma and taste to beer
• If you are looking to achieve dryness to beer, Wheat is the best ingredient to opt for

These adjuncts help in procurement of higher alcohol content without disturbing the flavor. If you haven’t used them before, give it a try in the near future. Better late than never! Apart from the above mentioned points, Adjuncts also serve to optimize the color of beer. To obtain a lighter colored beer, you must consider using sugars, rice and pure starches. They help in reducing the intensity of malt colors. To add value, some adjuncts help in diluting potential haze-forming proteins and aiding foam stability.

Ever heard of Belgian Candi? It offers sweet aroma, high gravity, smooth taste and good heart retention without being noticed. Holiday beers, Scottish ales, and old ales contain brown sugar which offers a rich, sweet flavor to the content. Whether it’s for flaked maze used in a mash or priming beer, Corn sugar plays an important role apart from being valuable for recipes. For English ales, use of Demerara Sugar adds a sweet flavor. Dextrose, more popularly known as Glucose offers smoothness and a mild sweet taste which is used in English beers. Liquid Invert Sugar is extensively used in Belgian and English ales, whereas Invert Sugar raises the alcohol content in them and is used as an Adjunct for priming.

To add body and sweetness in milk stouts, Lactose is used. Licorice Stick offers a smooth flavor to porters, holiday ales, stouts and flavored beers. To increase alcohol content without spoiling the flavor, Lyle’s Golden Syrup is utilized. With its influence to add a woodsy and dry flavor, Maple Syrup is used in the boil. It adds taste and sweetness when the beer is bottled. You can find porters and stouts having a strong sweet flavor due to the use of Molasses. Coming to Asian and American lagers, Rice Solids lighten color without affecting the taste. One can find white table sugar, otherwise known as Sucrose being used in English bitters and Australian lagers.

Even though I highly recommend using Adjuncts, let me make it clear that you must know the calamities of using them extensively. There’s a chance of growth for insufficient nitrogen and yeast growth if the quantity of adjuncts is excessive. To avoid such problems, you must be experienced and careful enough to understand their positives and negatives. If time is on your side, go ahead and gather substantial information that would assist you in using Beer adjuncts in a hassle-free manner. Remember that prevention is better than cure.

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Silicon Content in Beer and Wine Helps Bone Growth

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There’s good news for those who like the taste of a good brew! According to a research conducted comprising of over 2,900 men and women, it was found that content of silicon in beer might improve bone health. It is a mineral that stimulates collagen production and helps in bone formation by building a block. Coming to Wine, its richness in phytochemicals helps bones wellness. This however differs when it comes to men and women depending on their sex and the report is inconclusive. Katherine Tucker, a PhD holder in a recent interview said “I feel that two cans of beer can help women in their bone wellness, whereas two glasses of wine could benefit men for the same”.

To add, a study conducted over 2,847 people known as Framingham Osteoporosis found that pre-menopausal women and men who consumed the most silicon, approximately 40 mg per day have the highest density for bone mineral which is a reflection of bone health. We find it pretty hard to judge the amount of Silicon consumption as it’s rarely printed on the food labels. However, approximately 7 mg of Silicon is found in a single 12-ounce beer.

Excessive drinking is harmful no matter who you are. If you can’t get a grip on the consumption of beverages such as beer, vodka, wine and scotch, they will harm you to an extent that can be life threatening. If you are consuming two 6 ounce glasses of wine or two cans of beer, it’s good for bone growth. Regular consumption of distilled beverages such as Scotch and Vodka results in osteoporosis which is harmful for our health. It’s a disease you might want to be away from. Want to know why? Well, it makes your bones venerable to breaks and results in brittleness. Postmenopausal women tend to suffer Osteoporosis more compared to men and it increases with our age.

For betterment of heart, you can have few sips of red wine occasionally. A controlled consumption of red wine results in the well-being of heart, which impacts on the bones. We all know that good nutrition is needed for both bones and heart. Some other studies conducted recently point out that good nutrition apart from serving bones and heart also plays a key role in the well being of brain.

Two drinks a day for men and one for women is the most optimized and recommended diet for bones. Next time you go to party, keep these points in mind. Enjoy your drink, but don’t invite trouble by excessive consumption. It’s a sensible idea to enjoy drink as long as it doesn’t harm your physical and or mental well-being.

It’s not essential that beer and wine are the only two available sources for bone growth. We all know that consumption of beer and wine can become an addiction which is harmful for health. I therefore recommend alternatives that contain Silicon such as melons, mangoes, dates, apples, spinach and bottled mineral waters. You can have them regularly and keep yourself out of danger.

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Special Science of Home Brewing Your Beer

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What is so special about brewing? Well, those who do it say they enjoy making beer as much as drinking. And guess what? Some say they enjoy it more than routine working! Home brewing is a process used to alcoholic beverages such as beer for self consumption, free distribution amongst near and dear, social gatherings, participation in competitions and other non-commercial interests. You need to have patience to take up this process as its time consuming depending on the style of beer you plan to brew. To be precise, it can take anywhere from two weeks to several months or years as well.

You can often find home brewers typically opting for five gallons, but some enthusiasts take time to brew larger quantities. Once you start with the process, you will soon realize that several batches in different phases of completion are required to have a ready to supply stock.

Several home brewers opt for this process as its cost efficient and cheaper compared to market prices. But if someone wants to customize their recipes to achieve the desired taste, it can be quite an expensive ordeal. If you are a beer lover, you can consume home made beer more than what would be normally considered as excessive. Good news for dark beer lovers. You can brew beers such as Porter or Russian Imperial Stout that are in contrast to the paler style known for commercial dominance, particularly in the US.

Home brewers have an edge over the market products because of their ability to create beers that are extremely rare in nature or unavailable. As a beer lover, you wouldn’t want to taste the same old beer again and again. Therefore consider trying out beers that are home brewed. Home brewers have total control over the amount of alcohol produced which is based on the quantity of fermentables placed into the Wort. This allows control over the production of beers that either content low content of alcohol or the opposite.

There are different categories within home brewers. Some strive for perfection, high quality and focus on specific styles of beer which can be very time consuming and expensive at times. Others simply brew beer on a short term basis to enjoy a drink or two and share the same with friends and colleagues.
If you are planning to take to home brewing, consider following some of these points:
• It’s always good to have a mentor, someone who can guide you on how to efficiently brew beer. Do some research amongst your network of friends and relatives to find one!
• Don’t try for heroics. If you are a beginner, try and set a short term goal with the simplest beer making processes. Ask your friends to have a sip and take their feedback. Progress must always be constructive, not destructive.
• It’s always to have a checklist and maintain quality standards when brewing beer. Excessive usage of ingredients can be harmful and you wouldn’t want to end up in the bed, or spoil your reputation amongst friends.
• Do some research on the web and find forums that are a common place for home brewers. You can gain tremendous amount of information which helps in growth of your knowledge base.
I hope you find this information to be resourceful! Happy brewing!

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Beer Ingredients and Their Unique Features

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

For someone to brew and taste their own beer, it’s important to know what the ingredients are. If the right ingredients aren’t used, not only will the beer taste badly, but will let you down. Key ingredients to make beer are malted barley, hops, yeast and water. You can also use other ingredients such as flavoring sugar to add to the taste. Starch is used to convert the mashing process easily to fermentable sugars that help in the increase of alcohol content, also adding flavor and body.

Let’s now understand the importance of each ingredient one by one:

Water

This is the most abundant ingredient one can use to make beer. It has a major impact on the character of the beer manufactured. Though the effect of minerals present in brewing water is complex, soft water can be accommodated to light styles, while hard water is used to make dark styles of beer.

Malt

Malt is another key ingredient used in brewing of beer. Among them, barley is most extensively used due to its high content along with a digestive enzyme that helps in the breakdown of starch to sugars. Several other malts and unmalted grains can be used depending on what can be used. Rice, Rye, Oats and Wheat are some of them. Malt is extracted by soaking grain in water and allowing the same to germinate. Once this process is completed, one has to dry the germinated grain using a kiln. These enzymes will gradually convert the starches in the grain into fermentable sugars once the process of malting the grain is completed.

Hops

How are Hops useful in the making of beer? The evidence is mind boggling. Since seventeenth century, hops have been used to add bitterness to beer and different alcohols. They help to provide bitterness that will balance the sweetness of the malts used. Not only this, they also offer different aromas ranging from citrus to herbal in beers. They also offer an antibiotic effect that influences the brewer’s yeast over the less preferred microorganisms. International bitterness units’ scale determines the amount of bitterness to be added in brewing beer.

Yeast

Fermentation is achieved by using yeast. Depending on the type of beer we wish to produce, specific strains of yeast are to be chosen. Of all, the two most common strains used are ale yeast and lager yeast, with other variations available based on requirement. It helps in metabolizing sugars that are taken off from the grains and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol as a result. In olden days before the importance of yeast was understood, brewers used wild yeasts or airborne yeasts to process fermentation.

Clarifying agents

There are some ingredients that aren’t published, yet they are used to add value to the brewing of beer. These are termed as clarifying agents in the beer fraternity. One of them being Isinglas finings obtained from swim bladders of Irish moss and fish, similar to red alga. If you are someone who is against consuming animal products, contact your brewer to know if these ingredients have been used.

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Different Aspects of Beer Culture

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This article gives an insight into different aspects of Beer culture. From darts to playing cards and other games, beer culture is evident in many social traditions. Some people drink beer in isolation to fade away their problems, while others who drink in excess with company indulge in what we call as Binge drinking. You can find people consuming beers at home, during the weekend, parties, conferences, hotels, resorts, events etc

We all know that beer is consumed all over the world. Middle East nations such as Syria and Iraq have several breweries. You can find them in African countries such as Mongolia. Countries which don’t have many breweries import beer from countries such as Germany and US.

For some beer lovers, finding the right beer glass is a compulsion more than obligation. While some drink with the bottle, others prefer to pour it into a glass and consume. For those who drink from the bottle, it offers the aroma of beer which adds to the moment.

Like Wine, there are special styles of glasses manufactured for beer. This is purely a choice by the breweries to have their own styles of glasses and isn’t mandatory. Serving beer and wine including other alcohols using different glasses, sizes improve the business of bars and attracts large amount of crowds.

Temperature makes an impact on the consumption of beer. The conditions to serve beer need to be optimum and this has a big influence on the drinker’s experience. Most prefer to have beer in cold temperatures as it inhibits the chemical senses of throat and tongue which narrows down the flavor content of beer thereby allowing certain lagers to release crispness. While some consume beer during the change in the weather, others are addicted and therefore consume regularly.

Presentation of beer is often judged by the way it is served. Tilting of the glass, flow rate and the position of the pour affects the outcome such as the longevity and size of the turbulence and head of the bar as it begins to release the carbonation. Popular bars and restaurants give professional training on how to serve beer as it reflects their image and popularity.

Beers which are heavily carbonated need more time to settle down before being served. German Pilseners is a classic example. To avoid this, many of them are served with the inclusion of remaining yeast at bottom to add additional flavor and color.

Beer rating is a combination of enjoyment of consumption and hobby of collecting the same. This is very famous amongst the beer lovers. Some internet websites host the scores and comments of beer lovers. Exchanging beers is a part of the curriculum. People worldwide swap bottles of beer with each other and the scores are tallied together to create list of the most popular beer served in each country.

Whether its beer or any other alcohol, it’s better to consume in a controlled manner so you can enjoy. Excessive drinking can spoil health and make you more aggressive.

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Importance of Wheat Beer

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Wheat Beers

Beers that are brewed using malted barley and malted wheat are known as wheat beers. It also contains wheat as 1 of the significant ingredients. They taste different when compared to other flavors. We notice that barley is the one used in brewing other beers, whereas malted wheat is used to brew wheat beer along with malted barley. Inclusion of wheat will offer a lighter flavor and a touch of paler color than most of the barley ales and beers. This is normally top fermented, which is derived from fermentation using ale yeast.

One can easily distinguish wheat beer from others because of the creamy texture and sweet flavor including some styles that offer taste of banana and clove. With so many varieties and flavors to offer, wheat beer is certainly a crowd favorite.

Popularity of wheat beer

All kinds of wheat beer have become very famous in the past several years, especially during warm weather. In the early days, using wheat was considered illegal as it served as a primary means of both bread and cereal and was not to be used for brewing beer. With time, it has become more acceptable and people use wheat to brew beer more often than not.

Varieties of wheat beer

German and Belgian are the two most important varieties of wheat beers. Belgian wheat beers are arguably the most popular variety of known wheat beers. With rich proteins from the suspended wheat, they often tend to have whitish color. Addition of orange peels and coriander helps in procurement of fruity flavor. This is a popular taste amongst the beer crowd in many parts of the country.

Sour varieties
Berlin white is one of the rare wheat beers that contains low alcohol and tastes quite sour. It’s also known as Berliner Weisse. Most beer lovers prefer to add sweeteners like raspberry to add sweetness to taste.

Another flavor Leipziger is same as Berliner Weisse, but stronger in terms of alcohol content. While Berliner Weisse has 2% of alcohol content, Leipziger has 4% in it.

German wheat beer

German wheat beer is famous through the southern part of the country. Its yeast is a rare phenomenon that isn’t filtered out. If we do filtration, it takes the yeast off and adds wheat’s proteins that will make the beer appear cloudy.

Microbrewers in Canada and United States manufacture their own variations of wheat beer, particularly evident in Portland Oregon, known as the beer capital. If you ever visit Portland, have a glass of wheat beer and you’ll cherish the moment.

Conclusion

North American wheat beer is a unique style made with ordinary ale yeast that offers a less fruity taste than the Bavarian styles. Wheat beers made in the German, American and Belgian styles are sold by US breweries as a summer seasonal product. Special types of glasses are used in Europe to serve wheat beer. While they are solid glasses in Belgium, other nations use glasses that are tall and slim which taper the beer towards the base. In United States, wheat beer is served along with a slice of lemon.

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Recent Discoveries Connect Beer Drinking to Health

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We all know that excessive consumption of Beer or any form of alcohol is injurious to health and can lead to an early exit from this wonderful Earth. But did many of you know that controlled consumption of beer is a healthy practice? One of my friends recently brewed a home made Barons beer and was quoting to me “mate, this is my fourth batch of home made beer and am enjoying it without inviting any trouble”

Let me share some of the reasons to justify the fact that beer drinking is beneficial:-

Hops, which is used to make beer has a component that prevents cancer. Xanthohumol makes beer a new anti cancer drug with hops being high in content. It has been experimented as a preventive cure against prostate and colon cancer which also may be a form of therapy for women.

Those who consume alcohol have higher levels of HDL, known as high-density lipoprotein which is a form of cholesterol often termed as the ‘good’ one that is a protective form of blood fat. They also have lower level of protein called fibrinogen that promotes blood clots.

A recent study on beer consumption revealed the fact that an increase in the consumption of beer helps to reduce the risk of kidney stones. Approximately 40% of consumers have a lower risk of threat from kidney stones. However, it was inconclusive as to what influenced this result. It could have been water, hops or the alcohol on the whole.

Chromosomal damage from radiation exposure can be reduced by beer consumption. This is due to beta-pseudouridine’s content. NIRS, the National Institute of Radiological sciences conducted a research with help of a Japanese team on as many as ten blood samples. These samples were conducted before and after consumption of beer, approximately 630 ml.

Astonishingly, when the samples were revealed to X-days and other modules of radiation after the beer consumption, at least 30% aberrations were found in the blood cells. According to a Swedish research team, Beer helps in growth of new nerve cells in the brain. This was proved using mice that was fed with moderate amount of alcohol.

Every action has a reason. Those who consume beer know it all. It gives them relaxation and enjoyment, lets them sideline the office politics, dents in relationship etc.

It might sound weird, but consuming beer helps you to grow in confidence and speak openly to those whom you wish to. It’s a very good lubricant for mind and mouth to those who are shy and introvert. Next time you want to ask a girl on date, have some beer and try her out.

It would be a contradicting statement to write off beer and yet speak about the benefits it offers to our health. One needs to balance the desire to consume beer and addiction for the same. The day you have control over your emotions, beer is just another drink that is harmless. I hope and wish sound health for all those beer lovers.

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Hops and Scarcity – Should we be Concerned?

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There was a report in October of this year about shortage of hop and a possibility of hike in prices to meet the demand. The speculation is unprecedented and never heard before. Some say that price may skyrocket to all-time high. If you are a brewer, this certainly isn’t good news. Will this dampen your business? Keep reading!

According to the report, supply shortages are in range of 700 to 1,300 metric tons, which is equivalent to 8.6% – 15.5% of the annual demand all over world. What resulted in this shortage? There was a poor crop in and around Europe last year which led to the scarcity of Hop. This was caused due to heavy downpour of rains which ruined the crop. Australia too was affected due to a severe drought, while Canada’s hop production was average. England is on the verge of saturation as far as hop business is concerned.

110 metric tons of hops were lost due to fire caught in a warehouse in the US. This led to a dip in the production which subsequently impacted on the overall Hop market. To sum up, it’s been a pretty disappointing year for hop production and this certainly makes most of us to believe that hop is heading for a scarcity.

Approximately 1-2% of long term growth has been predicted for beer. But to everyone’s surprise, the annual growth has increased to approximately 3% in the past 10 years. During the same tenure, the world acreage for hops has diminished by 35%.

It’s a pity that craft breweries are shelling tens of thousands of dollars for something that won’t be of any use till the next year. A rise in the price for raw ingredients impacts the consumer by $1 per six-pack. We could either see an increase in the price of beer, or its quality will diminish.

Hops scarcity shall have a huge impact on the proceedings. While some varieties will face extinction, others will become so expensive that only few can afford. Homebrewers must prepare themselves and look for alternatives to hops that would replace varieties that currently are your favorites. We will encounter certain unpleasant changes till the situation is totally bought under control.

Some of the online homebrew retailers have raised price due to the scarcity and plenty of out of stock statements can be seen across places where ingredients for beer are sold. We have some or other solution for every problem. If the scarcity continues, one has the comfort to switch over to other forms of alcohol such as whisky, brandy, vodka etc. however, its easier said than done. For those who are addicted to beer, it might be a hard decision to switch over to something not used to. We must therefore find ways to increase production in the hops sector and offer beer at low prices and high quality.

There can’t be an overnight solution. But with planning and collective effort, beer manufacturers can rise above the occasion and find out solutions that improve the growth of hops and avoid scarcity.

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Kinds of Beer

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Beer is amongst the most well liked beverages across the globe and there are various kinds available to cater to the preferences of all types of beer drinkers. As beer has been in existence for quite some time there have been numerous opportunities to work on it and produce changes in certain areas.

Beer falls into two categories known as ale and lager. These two categories boast of several beer variants that differ in flavor, body, and color. The chief difference between lager and ale is the kind of yeast employed in the course of the brewing process. Besides, the temperatures, too, will differ in brewing.

The yeast employed in producing ale ferments well at high temperatures while the lager employs yeast that tends to ferment well at moderate temperatures. This temperature difference lends the beer a totally unique flavor.

Lager Beers

Both beer categories have different kinds of beers for you to pick from. The lager category comprises of four kinds of beer. Each has its own unique flavor and can be singled out somewhat by their individual color.

The following are the four kinds of lager beer:
1. American Style Pale Lager
2. Pilsner Lager
3. Light Lager
4. Dark Lager
In comparison to the others in this category, the American style pale lager contains more carbonation. This kind of beer has a light color and body. Pilsner lager beer tends to be of a pale color and usually is stronger tasting and less bitter as compared with the American style pale lager beer.

The light lager beer contains less barley and hops than the others. That’s why they have fewer calories even though they normally have a lesser concentration of alcohol as well. Roasted barley as well as hops is used in manufacturing dark lager beers. This makes them dark in color with a rich, full-bodied taste that most beer drinkers favor.

Ale Beers

The ale category has three kinds of beer. Each has its own distinct taste and color, thus rendering it possible to differentiate between them.

The following are the three kinds of ale beer:
1. Brown Ale
2. Porter Ale
3. Stout Ale
The copper red color of brown ale makes it stand out from the others. Many people imagine it to be brown in color due to its name. Amongst the beer variants that come under this category, brown ale is the least strongly flavored.

If you are seeking a richer darker ale, then you should try the porters. They offer a mild hop taste that is like chocolate. The Stout ale is the darkest ale in existence. These are extremely dark, almost black beers, strong and intense with rich barley and hop flavor.

With these two chief kinds of beer, companies have produced innumerable combinations to offer beer drinkers everywhere an extensive range of choices. Fruit, spices, and vegetables, cherry and pumpkin spice are some examples of the ingredients that go into beer when it’s being brewed to produce different flavors.

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