# 85 - Wicked Elf Pilsener

Beer 85 - Wicked Elf Pilsener.

Seems like a while since I had a really good Pilsener. And I've got to say, this is a great one! Brilliant pale golden colour, with a full malt flavour. The hop aroma is predominantly floral. A lingering bitter finish that I would liken to Pilsener Urquell.

My rating....5

Thought for the Day.....It's a thrill to have views from so many countries for this blog!

Plight of the Dairy Farmer 14-2-2011

Ahhh....Australia! A country that true blue Aussies love....to love! A country of opportunity. A country of a fair go. Where we wish the best for strangers. Where strangers are only too happy to help those less privileged, and desperately in need of help.

No more clearly has this been evident than in the recent devastation experienced during Queensland's floods, and now Cyclone Yasi. Proud to be a Queenslander - but it's much more than that. I'm an Aussie.

Somewhere amongst all this craziness, quite literally between the worst flood in decades and the most powerful Cyclone in living memory, some of our most powerful market forces have the audacity to be just about as un-Australian as imaginable by crippling yet another industry. Perhaps the lowest act of their strategy was to sugar coat the crashing of the milk price with deceipt and propaganda that this discounting "will not affect the Dairy Farmer".

Fact 1 - Supermarkets force Milk Processors to tender for the 'home brand' supply contract, by making shelf space for branded products available ....only if they comply.
Fact 2 - when Supermarkets lower 'home brand' prices, it is true that they can literally take losses on that line - by increasing margins on other products. This negates normal maket forces driven by supply and demand.
Fact 3 - processors (eg Parmalat, National Foods) have 2 options to maintain market share with their branded products (eg Pauls, Pura, Dairy Farmers)...
a) lower prices to compete
b) pay their suppliers (the dairy farmer) a lower % to reflect sales.
Either way, processor profits are made from the sale of branded products.
This loss of margin and or sales must be passed onto the dairy farmer for the processor to remain viable.
Fact 4 - Many dairy farms in NSW and QLD have recently or will soon face income reductions of 25% for their milk (while cost of production continues to rise sharply).

Coles and Woolworths are big businesses. They are highly motivated by profits and shareholders. This knowledge will come as no surprise to them. They are well aware that farm gate price will be cut (in many cases to below the cost of production)...just not by them directly.

The thing that astonishes me is that there is no longer the desire for the truth to be made available to the public. There is no expectation for the multi-nationals to be honest about the direct impact of their pricing actions on the future health of this great country's rural sector. The wider ramifications to the consuming public long term is an absolute loss of control over the quality of fresh produce available.

Currently Australia has amongst the most stringent quality standards globally. The farmers within our country go to great pains and expense to meet these standards, as they are not optional - and nor should they be. But once you relinquish control....well...you take what you get. We've already seen this in some areas like fruit and seafood, where imports may come from countries with much more relaxed production standards.
In the process of being forced to aquire an arguably inferior product in the future, 'our' multi-nationals have crippled another Australian industry - the Dairy Industry. Of course they will have you believe this was not their intention. The end result is truly all that matters.

So what is the end result?
1. Closure of local family operated businesses (expect to see a huge fallout of dairy farms over the next couple of years).
2. Lost employment opportunities at farm and manufacturing levels.
3. A small cost saving to the consumer (reflective of International Government subsidies, lower wages and cost of production available in other countries).

Most frustrating of all is that in our free democratic country, there is no longer any need to held accountable for our actions. The ACCC has become a toothless tiger. Millions are spent on Senate inquiries - yet Governments are seemingly only too happy to turn a blind eye to the demise of our rural sector in the name of corporate profits.

Ahhh....Australia!!

Real MILK....straight from FARM to YOU

It is important when reading this blog, to realise that the aim is not to discount the health benefits of milk, as we've come to know it - in its processed form. The reality is without legislative change, it will remain your only legal option as a consumer. It is much more about the freedom of choice - in a proudly democratic country! Enjoy...

The older I become, the more elite company I keep. Having been born on a dairy farm and spent my entire life here to this day - I am fortunate to be one of a very small percentage of this country's population to consume fresh - raw - cow's milk....legally, on a daily basis. All my life, until recently, I have taken for granted the growing number of health benefits that accompany this privilege.

As an over-regulated 'democracy' in Australia, we have the ambiguous situation today, that despite the near elimination of any remaining life threatening illness, transmitted through the consumption of raw milk, FSANZ (Food Standards of Australia & New Zealand) are happy to take the choice away from consumers. They concluded after a recent assessment (P1007), raw dairy products present too large a health threat, to be legalised.

I find this astonishing in a country where you can legally buy and consume as much alcohol as you choose beyond the age of 18, and smoke as much tobacco you desire. A country that you can , as an individual, eat as much junk food as you can stomach - or for that matter, supply to young children, as their parent or guardian. Of course these are choices you are free to make, with a wealth of available research to assist in the decision making process.

The choice is yours at least...but not when it comes to fresh, natural milk!!! No that is surely dangerous stuff. The irony is that while FSANZ feel obligated to maintain the status quo in Australia (a country whose food production standards - at dairy farm level - are perhaps the most stringent in the world) - in excess of 95% of the world's population, have the freedom to buy and consume raw cow's milk - legally. My fellow Australian dairy farmers are currently meeting quality standards (prior to processing) superior to the existing regulations governing the sale of raw milk in most parts of the world.

We are indeed entering interesting times. With life threatening illnesses such as heart disease, many forms of cancer, and especially growing incidence of type 2 diabetes inflicting people in their 20's and 30's. For the first time in known documented history, the life expectancy for young people today, is lower than that of their parents. Much of the scientific research undertaken over the past 40 years, is strongly linking the rapid rise of these concerns to the over-processing of the food we eat. In real terms - the destruction and reconstruction of many of our staples.

Few foods are more severely adulterated than milk. The process of pasteurization was invented to remove the threat of dangerous pathogens that existed more than 100 years ago. Unfortunately the result is to also kill many of milk's nutrients, and most importantly enzymes and probiotic properties. Prior to this process, milk contains its own enzyme (lactase) to assist in the absorption of milk sugars, or lactose....hence the sharp spike in dairy intolerance in recent decades. Homogenization was developed for customers' convenience, not having to shake the bottle to mix in the cream. This process literally smashes milk's molecular structure into tiny fragments, so they are unable to reform - which then has a detrimental affect on the way our body absorbs the fat content.

The gap between raw and processed milk will continue to widen in the coming years. The ongoing decline of locally produced fresh milk is inevitable, due to reduced farm-gate margins, and subsequent dairy closures. For this reason, we will see a rise in the need for UHT milk. Why - because milk will require a longer shelf life, as it takes more time to get from farm to shop. The process of Ultra Heat Treatment is even more destructive than pasteurization - rendering milk as little more than 'white water'. The carbon footprint will also be negatively impacted - as more fuel will be burnt in moving milk over great distances to the people.

There is some very interesting reading available on the web, including this quote - "Raw milk is a unique living food and differs from all other foods. Raw milk innately contains many different enzyme, and bacteriologic systems (organic acids and others) that actively kill pathogens when and if they are introduced."

Check the article - http://editor.nourishedmagazine.com.au/articles/fsanz-update-raw-dairy-in-us-support-nourished-community

Change is only possible through overwhelming pressure from consumers. There is already a groundswell of domestic demand for raw milk. As in any market place, demand will determine that supply be maintained - illegal or otherwise. That has recently been in the form of bath milk, pet milk, or 'share cow ownership'. Despite FSANZ apparently calling for public submissions to their recent assessment (of which I'm guessing most of you were unaware?), they received about 100 requests from individuals whose desire to purchase raw milk was expressed. Is that a representative portrayal of public sentiment? Who could blame FSANZ for disregarding such a minute representation of our population.

Only with great pressure comes change. Perhaps through the voices of in excess of 100,000 concerned Australians, FSANZ' resolution towards this growing problem will be reviewed. We need for the pros of this arguement to be weighted as heavily as the cons.

In an age where we seem hell bent on sanitising and sterilising anything we consume, perhaps we've lost sight of the even greater hazard - eliminating its nutrient content. Even with our best endeavours, absolute elimination of such pathogens is simply not a realistic goal. We co-exist with them every day, through the surfaces we touch - the air we breathe - and they're found in many of the foods we consume legally. It's an unavoidable part of the lives we live. Cause and effect. Perhaps it is finally time to properly reassess 'food safety'?

# 84 - Boags WIZARD SMITH'S

Beer 84 - Boags Wizard Smith's.....first time

I was fortunate to be in Tasmania recently when I came across this brew. The first one was in fact from a tap - in a white ceramic mug, over dinner on the second night of our study tour. It poured a very fluffy white head, unfortunately guarding the physical elements. Just the same, I was extremely impressed with its hoppy almost floral aroma, and a flavour that I was confident had a solid dose of caramalt. It aslo had a likable bitter hop finish - which was not excessive.


Same trip - our major sponsor was kind enough to put on 3 cartons on the last day of the tour. When asked for a couple of helpers to go to the bottle'o, I quickly jumped off the bus - suggesting to Brendan that one of the cartons be Wizard Smith's. Thankfully he obliged -so the second one I had was from a stubby (brown bottle).....and 3rd and 4th! At this stage, still no visual - although I continued to be super impressed with its drinkability, as were many on the bus!


Finally, last day included a tour of Boags Brewery - with a beer tasting at its conclusion. To my surprise it didn't pour the deep amber I had expected, though considerably darker than you standard lager. Fair to say it's become one of my new favourites!

Rating....5

Thought for the Day.....currently working on a blog about the legal consumption of RAW MILK in Australia. Anyone interested in hearing more?

# 83 - XXXX Gold

Beer 83 - XXXX Gold

Obviously not the first one I've had....growing up in Queensland! Really, it's just a beer (and I mean JUST!). But one of the great things about enjoying a beer is the company - and the experience. The always bubbly and even cheekier Chelsea Basham was kind enough to help me out with this one!

About the beer....a staple here in Queensland. Mid strength lager style beer. Very easy drinking in our hot humid climate. It's just not a beer I'd go for, given a choice.

Rating.....2 (beer).........5 (for the company)

Thought for the Day....."Hey Chelsea, if you get to Caboolture this year - we'll have to get a little more adventurous....with the beer sampling of course!!"

# 82 - Tooheys Extra Dry Mid

Beer 82 - Tooheys Extra Dry Mid

Ok - so the beer doesn't always match the experience. This one...from a can, tasted quite bland, but served its purpose. Saved Bob Corbett from feeling the need to drink XXXX - just because he was in Queenland!!

Like a watered down TED, which I consider leans more towards some of the Euro lagers than a typical Aussie lager/bitter.
You've got to youtube Bob's take on 'The Prettiest Face'....and check him out in Caboolture in a couple of months time - I will be!

Rating...5 (for the half hour chat to Bob)
Back to the beer
Rating...2

Thought for the Day....still trying new beers - of course it's always a better 'shared experience'.

# 81 - Schofferhofer Hefeweizen

Beer 81 - Schofferhofer Hefeweizen.

Pours pale and cloudy with a colour verging on orange. It has a rediculously fluffy white head (in a good way) that last as long as the beer itself. This is unquestionably the fruitiest wheat beer I've stumbled across so far. The aroma is of fresh apples and pears. While it is a standard full strength 5%, it is surprisingly light and fresh on the palate. It does still produce a mild bitter hop finish - subtle though evident.

Perhaps most interesting, the ex-pat German I spoke of yesterday described his favourite beer as what I felt I was experiencing in drinking this one......tried this brew Jurgen??

My rating.......5

Thought for the day........Sometimes we take out our frustrations on the wrong people! Note to self - "Think....think....think....re-assess....speak.....maybe think again first?"

Ahhhh - the joys of being human!!!