Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Days of the Beer, January 28

The beer for today is The Twisted Hop Challenger.

On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart after liftoff killing all seven astronauts on board.

The disaster occurred at 11:39 a.m EST. Disintegration began 73 seconds into the flight after an O-ring seal in the right solid rocket booster failed at liftoff. That failure allowed a flare to reach the external fuel tank.

The crew compartment and other vehicle fragments were recovered from the ocean floor after a long search and recovery operation.

The event was viewed live due to Christa McAuliffe, the first member of the Teacher in Space Project. (I know I was watching it in Biology class my freshmen year in high school. )

As to the beer:

The Twisted Hop is a brewery that produces traditional English style cask conditioned ales in Christchurch, New Zealand.

A well hopped and full bodied special bitter.
The beer comes in at 5% ABV.

Challenger is the name of a style of hops. It has an Alpha Acid content of 6.5 - 8.5%. It is commonly used in ESB's, Barley Wine's, Brown's, and Porter's. It was bred in England to be resistant to downy and powdery mildew. It is a dual-purpose hops and can be used for both bittering and aroma.

So, for the seven members of the Challenger disaster, have a Challenger beer.

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