Past Newsletters

Vol. 10 No. 10

 

This Month's Featured Beers

Brewery	Beers Featured
Midnight Sun Brewing Company	Nut Brown Ale
Midnight Sun Brewing Company	Sockeye Red IPA
Rockies Brewing Company	Hazed & Infused Dry Hopped Ale
Rockies Brewing Company	Planet Porter

 

Midnight Sun Brewing Company

The Midnight Sun Brewing Company, based in Anchorage, Alaska, is comprised of a small yet energetic group of craft beer enthusiasts who are devoutly dedicated to producing traditional ales and lagers. “Do The Wild Thing” is a message that appears on every bottle of beer they produce. Again folks, minds out of the gutter please, this is nothing more than an innocent reference to their use of the picturesque Alaskan wilderness and incredible indigenous wildlife as inspiration for their beer titles and bottle label graphics. Local graphic artist Dan Miller creates these exceptional beer labels, conveying the spirit of the wildlife chosen to represent each beer. Though as his fellow locals have been known to claim, this source of inspiration has also made it’s way beyond the label and into the beers themselves, as many consider the brewing company’s libations to be all at once rugged and untamed, yet simultaneously regal and majestic.

To showcase the diversity of this brewery from the Great Land, we’ve included two beers from their catalogue that are at opposite ends of the beer brewers’ spectrum. The first, a smooth and malty Nut Brown Ale, nicely represents the traditional English Brown Ale style. It’s named after the large brown bear species of the southern coast of Alaska and adjacent islands, in particular, Kodiak Island. In contrast to their brown ale, Humpy’s Sockeye Red IPA is nearly lacking in malt flavor entirely since the predominant flavor is contributed by an almost obscene amount of hops—we’re talking over 70 Initial Bittering Units (IBU’s), which is a level not normally seen even in strong IPA’s (levels this high are typically reserved for imperial stouts)!

Alaska: a land known for the harshest weather conditions in the country, but also home to some of the most beautifully spectacular landscapes and majestic wildlife in the world. But certainly not the first place one thinks of when considering Microbrewing hot spots. The artic temperatures keep many people largely restricted to their homes for months on end, leaving them to engage in primarily indoor activities, especially during those cold wintry nights. And what’s a great indoor activity during those frigid and frosty nighttime hours? Get your minds out of the gutter people! We are…of course talking about craft brewing some high quality beer! Sure, it may seem a bit unconventional upon first thought that our coldest, most northern, practically Siberian territory is also a producer of marvelous microbrews, but then again, consider the following facts:

1) plenty of time inside translates to abundant
opportunity for crafting the perfect beer

2) plenty of time inside translates to abundant
opportunity for drinking the perfect beer

3) ample natural light (as much as 22 hours
perday during the summer) means there’s a ton
of extra time available for points 1 and 2 above

4) more time available for point 1 above means
there’s bound to be more of point 2 going on

5) with so much of point 2 going on, there’s
going to have to be a lot of point 1 happening
to keep the whole thing going, thus reinforcing both points 1 and 2

6) you get the point…

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (907) 344-1179

Kodiak Nut Brown Ale

Kodiak Brown Ale combines a distinctive roast malt character with the sweetness of pale and caramel malts. It pours a moderately deep brown color and presents an attractive head that beckons you to quaff with its roasty tan color. Mingled with the malts, look for aromas of fruit with notes of grape and subtle over-tones of apple, but no hops at all on the nose. In addition to the roasted malt character which is clearly evident, look for more subtle notes of caramel and minor hints of earthiness that pique through the swallow. The texture of this ale is smooth and you can expect a nice complexity in the finish—note how it starts off bitter with mild bite due to the Perle and Willamette hops, then gives way to a flourish of slightly caramel-like sweetness. Well balanced indeed. This one will go well with nutty stuffings, cashew chicken, almond-topped crisp salads, cheesy salads, apple pie, pork with brown sauce or beef vegetable soup.

Serving Temperature: 45-50 F
Original Gravity: 14.5 Plato
Final Gravity: 3.3 Plato
Int’l Bittering Units: 30
Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%

Malts: 2 Row Pale; Munich10; Caramel 80
Hops: Gale; Cascade; Willamette; Mt. Hood

 

Sockeye Red IPA

If you’re a fan of dry IPA’s, this one is going to leave you pretty excited. We found it light copper brown in color, with a nose that is very boldly hoppy and striking. Look for multiple hop components on the nose: dry pine needle with a floral citrus hop blast. You’ll notice that the taste is bitter and dry, and the hops are strong enough on the palate that you may pucker up just a bit. As far as IPA’s are concerned, this one’s as dry as sun scorched bones. Notice that this brew is very crisp, and the malt body is detectable only in small amounts as it plays off the aromatic bitter hops enough to help the hop character bounce back and forth across your tongue. This is a brazen and admirable beer that takes risks and delivers a unique flavor. Our panel really enjoyed this tasty Alaskan treat and know you will too!

Serving Temperature: 40-45 F
Original Gravity: 12.5 Plato
Final Gravity: 3.0 Plato
Int’l Bittering Units: 50
Alcohol by Volume: 4.9%

Malts: 2 Row Pale; German Pilsner Malt
Hops: Mt. Hood; Saaz; Apalt Mittefrau

Rockies Brewing Company

Like our first featured brewery, these folks are also Hop Heroes in our eyes. But like other great brewers of the world, they know how to create a variety of different styles with accuracy and creativity. The Rockies Brewing Company was established in 1979 under the original name of the Boulder Brewing Company. It was Colorado's first microbrewery and one of the oldest microbreweries in the country, receiving the 43rd brewing license ever issued by the federal govern-ment. They are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary, an extremely atypical occasion in the world of microbreweries. Originally started by two college professors, David Hummer and Stick Ware, their primary goal was to produce beers in the traditional style of the robust European ales. They did so by originally introducing Boulder Bitter, a classic ESB, Boulder Porter, and Boulder Stout.

In 1990, the publicly traded Boulder Brewing Company changed ownership to the privately held Boulder Beer Company, owned by Gina Day and Diane Greenlee. These two local women, along with their Brewmaster David Zuckerman, decided to upgrade the entire brewery including reorganizing their well known yeast management program as well as their on-site pub, which includes a full menu and bar. In 1992 the brewery received its first gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for Boulder Porter, and in 1993, the brewery's name was changed to the Rockies Brewing Company to reflect the regional popularity of its beers.

The Rockies Brewing Company now brews a number of fantastic ales, including Buffalo Gold Premium Ale, Sully’s Light Lager, Singletrack Copper Ale, Pass Time Pale Ale, Sundance Amber Ale, Planet Porter, MoJo India Pale Ale and a few others. One of their most impressive beers is called Hazed and Infused Dry Hopped Ale. Dry-hopping refers to the addition of additional hops beyond those used at the beginning or end of the boil, which are the traditional times that sources of bitterness and floral hop aromas are contri-buted to the brew mix. This gem of a beer is made from a blend of three malt grains and five total hop varieties, including Crystal and Centennial for the dry hop supplement. Dry hopping is performed in order to heighten
the aroma and the flavor, both of which are pleasingly evident in Hazed and Infused!

For more information about the brewery
and scheduled tours, call 303.444.8448
or check out their web site at http://www.boulderbeer.com/.

 

Hazed and Infused Dry Hopped Ale

This unfiltered dry-hopped ale is "hazed" as a result of not filtering out its residual yeast particles. In this natural state it is crafted further and "infused" with a Crystal and Centennial hop blend, creating a flavorful aromatic brew. It pours with a nice thick white head that holds for a spell and will leave behind a fair amount of lace in your glass. Take a big whiff of this beer and take in the fantastic aroma; multiple hop varieties are combined in a stunning example of aromatic finesse. Expect lots of pine on the nose with robust notes of grapefruit, apricot, and some prominent citrus scents. Expect a pleasing moderate to full bodied texture, thicker than many IPA’s, that goes down very smooth. Despite the heavy hopping, you’ll notice that there’s a delicious creaminess to this brew. The bitterness at the finish is perfectly placed, with most of the hops in the nose rather than the aftertaste. Note the perfect balance between malt sweetness and hop snap and a very clean finish that smoothly slides away rather than sharply dropping off. Despite the title, the brewers were neither hazed nor confused when they crafted this very sophisticated ale. Well done, and a new favorite for many on our panel.

Serving Temperature: 40-45 F
Original Gravity: 12.5 Plato
Final Gravity: 2.7 Plato
Int’l Bittering Units: 47
Alcohol by Volume: 4.9%

Malts: U.S. Medium Caramel Malt, U.S. Roasted Barley, U.S. 2-Row Barley
Hops: Chinook, Willamette, Cascade; PLUS: Crystal and Centennial as dry-hop additions

Planet Porter

Almost an extinct style of ale in this country, The Rockies Brewing Company helped revive the category and this is now one of the oldest American porters. Though bottled under a different name at the time, in 1992 it took home the Gold Medal, Great American Beer Festival as well as the Silver Medal at World Beer Championships in 1997. This is a big beer that everyone can enjoy. As they say on their website, “Don't be afraid of the dark; this beer is very drinkable and remarkably smooth.” It is a deep dark brown, nearly black, with reddish highlights when held to light, imparted by their selective use of tasty malts. Like their Hazed and Infused Ale, this malty nectar has an amazing nose. Look for roasted malts, tons of chocolate, and hints of espresso. Also note the hop aromas that gently mingle with the roasted malt aromas and subtle plum-like notes that expand with warmth. We can’t say enough about the nose on this one; in addition to the appealing characteristics we already mentioned, it is slightly venous, similar to a very dark full bodied red wine. Expect a flavor full of dark chocolate, toasted barley malt and biscuit, especially in the aftertaste. It is mildly bitter in finish, but this is very smoothly enacted. Note that the malts are not sweet, but the body is firm enough to support the chocolate and balance the mild hop bitterness. In fact, the hop bitterness interplays nicely with the coffee and chocolate notes giving the tang of an espresso. Enjoy!

Serving Temperature: 40-45 F
Original Gravity: 14.2 Plato
Final Gravity: 3.3 Plato
Int’l Bittering Units: 22
Alcohol by Volume: 5.5%

Malts: U.S. Medium Caramel Malt, U.S. Dark Caramel Malt, U.S. Black Malt, U.S.
2-Row Malted Barley
Hops: Cascade, Chinook, Hallertau

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