Past Newsletters
Vol. 10 No. 5
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Millstream Brewing Company | Schokolade Bock |
| Millstream Brewing Company | Schild Brau Amber |
| Buzzard's Bay Brewing Company | Olde Buzzard Pale Ale |
| Buzzard's Bay Brewing Company | Buzzards Bay Golden Ale |
Congratulations to the Paquins for placing our
100,000th Order!
And because of that, we have given them a complimentary 12-month
membership to our wine of the month club!
My
wife Kathleen and I live in Clifton, Virginia which is a suburb of
Washington, DC. I am an executive of a financial services company
and my wife is studying horticulture. We both enjoy working outdoors,
sports cars and of course, fine wines.
We purchased a membership to the International Wine of the Month Club for my father on the occasion of his birthday. He is the stereotypical person who has everything and is very difficult to buy for. My wife came up with the idea of a wine club (worse case was that we could enjoy the benefits of our gift whenever we visited!). We particularly liked the fact that a gift would arrive year round which would undoubtedly initiate a monthly call to discuss this month’s selection and catch up with each other. We initially looked at a well known club offered by a competing web site but were disappointed by our initial impressions of the wine quality and variety. We then found the International Wine of the Month Club using a search engine (Google). The quality and niche nature of the selection was very interesting and we found the price to be competitive with other offerings.
My father is now looking forward to enjoying the bouquet of the first installment!
Charles & Kathleen Paquin,
Clifton, Virginia.
Millstream Brewing Company
In 1985, three Amana, Iowa men decided to revive an art that hadn't been practiced in Amana since 1884 – that of brewing beer. You could say…they were long overdue. The brewery came as a result of the strong desire of brothers James and Dennis Roemig, along with Carroll F. Zuber, to produce hand crafted brews reminiscent of the finest beers in Europe.
To help make their dream come true, they hired one of the country’s more widely recognized masterbrewers, Joseph Pickett to develop their recipes. Joe formulated the Millstream Lager, Schild Brau Amber, and Millstream Wheat brands and the three comprised the brewery’s primary line up until the year 2000, when it was sold to Chris Priebe, Aaron Taubman, and Teresa Sly Albert. And as you might suspect, with the new owners, came new beers. The threesome added a German Style Pilsner, Oatmeal Stout, and several other fantastic seasonals – Maifest (a bock), a Bavarian-style Hefeweissen, an Oktoberfest, and their newest release – the Schokolade Bock. They’ve even added root beer and cream soda to their bag of tricks, but you’ll have to buy that one on your own as you’ll never see anything less than hand crafted, microbrewed nectar of the beer sort in this club!
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (319) 622-3672 or check out their web site at www.millstreambrewing.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 25.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%
The newest addition to the Millstream lineup, the Schokolade Bock is a seasonal brew, only available during the winter months. As one might expect from the name, the nose and flavor of this bock is loaded with chocolate. Note a dense, tan, foamy head sitting atop this dark caramel-colored brew. Look for a strong, but not overpowering, caramel and chocolate malt flavor, balanced with a subtle hop bitterness. Consider pairing it with pork chops or shellfish.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.0° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 16.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.4%
Millstream’s flagship brand, Schild Brau Amber Lager, which translates to “shield beer,” is brewed in the traditional Munich style using 2-row pale, ashburne mild, caramel, and malted wheat. It’s delicately balanced with Northern Brewer and Hallertau hops. Look for a slight roasted maltiness and hints of caramel in the nose of this light amber lager. The roasted malts and caramel are prominent in the flavor as well, accented by a slight hop bitterness. Overall, a crisp, clean lager that would pair best with grilled chicken or fish.
Buzzard's Bay Brewing Company
The Buzzards Bay Brewing Company is based in the heart of a southeastern Massachusetts farming community. The brewery uses a portion of its 140 acres to grow hops, barley, and pumpkins for their ales and lagers, producing truly handcrafted ales. It’s no small coincidence that this region of the country is known for producing some of the finest hops in the world.
The family owned and operated brewery was founded in the summer of 1998 and by that winter was producing 3,000 gallons of ale a day. The Russells brew, bottle, and package all of their microbrews at the brewery. Another interesting tid bit about this entrepreneurial operation is that they also own and run a very successful MA winery, Westport Rivers.
Head Brewer Gary "Goose" Gosselin began brewing beer professionally in 1990. Goose brings a bounty of knowledge, passion, and experience to Buzzard's Bay Brewing. He began his career in a Boston brewpub and has held the title of brewmaster at several top-notch brewpubs in Providence, Rhode Island and Albany, New York. Goose prides himself on using the finest malts and hops in the world as well as in practicing the vanishing art of all natural carbonation through secondary fermentation. You’re gonna love the Goose and the beers he’s made for you this month by the time you get through your shipment!
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (508) 636-2288 or check out their web site at www.buzzardsbrew.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 14.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.5° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 54.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.6%
Although classified as a Pale Ale by the brewery, our panel found it to be more of a full-bodied and well-balanced extra special bitter (ESB). After its introduction, the brew quickly became the brewery’s flagship beer. It’s brewed with massive amounts of English malt which are balanced nicely with East Kent Goldings hops. Look for a fresh sweet caramel malty nose with a fair amount of spicy hoppiness evident in this deep amber ale. We found its body medium and flavor packed with a complex toasty sweet malt profile and enough hop bitterness to please most hopheads. Note a dry hop lingering finish. We’d have to agree with The Yankee Brew News when it suggests that this ale would pair perfectly with clams and other seafood appetizers.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 10.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.7° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 20.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.3%
Buzzards Bay Golden Ale could be defined as a session beer, as many golden ales are. A session beer, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to a beer that can be consumed in great quantity without having you feel like John Madden most likely does after consuming his 8 legged Turkey on Thanksgiving! Buzzard Bay’s Golden Ale is, as one might expect, a pale golden color. Look for a mild Cascade hop nose, with underscores of pale malts. Immediately note a strong, citrus hop flavor with a slightly fading bitter hop finish. If you like hops, in a relatively mild beer, then this is your beer. Overall, a very enjoyable, drinkable and flavorful Golden Ale. Perfect with hamburgers, hot dogs, and anything else you can fit on your barbeque.
Ask Murl
Hey Murl,
Have you ever heard of such a thing as a “Stone beer”? My buddie’s a German and he tells me that there is such a thing and I’d like to try one. Do you know where I can get one? Is it made with real stones or what? Do they clean them first?
Frankie Livermoore
Portland, ME
Yo Livermoore!
If I had a 4 yr. old, I’d start by saying… “Yo Frank-Dawg… You ask more questions than my 4 year old! Whoa boy…slow down there. You forget your meds today, sport?” But since I don’t have a 4 year old, never mind all that. You know, by contract, I only have to answer 2 of your questions and by law, I don’t have to answer any of them, so take what you get and don’t gimme no lip Frank-o! You got it?
To my knowledge, which is in general, quite extensive, only three breweries in the world brew a stone beer, or "steinbier," (stein is German for stone) with any regularity. Rauchenfels in Neustadt, Germany, and the two Boscos breweries, one in Germantown and other in Nashville.
There is not, nor has there ever been, one correct type of stone to use. Furthermore, there are no standard brewing methods as stones have been introduced at virtually all points in the brewing process. Some brewers have added them to the mash, others to the boil, and even some to the fermentation process. When the stones are added to the wort during the boil and then reintroduced to the beer during a secondary fermentation, the rich caramels that are produced on the surface of the stones while they are in the wort are then fermented away. The result is a softer, sweeter, caramel finish.
So it looks like you’re off to Tennesse then! Shoot me a bottle when you get a chance. Sounds worthy of my bowl!
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Buzzard Bay Flapjacks
We know what you thinking. No doubt wondering if beer is still the breakfast of champions. You may not see this recipe on the back of a box of Wheaties, but rest assured, it’s a tasty way to put a new twist on a stack-o-pancakes. Besides, we’re only talking about 2/3 cup a beer per 18 of these breakfast beauties! The addition of a wee bit of Buzzard Bay Golden Ale will add a mildly tangy flavor and give your cakes a light, fluffy texture.
- 1 ½ cup sifted flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tbsp. sugar
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup Buzzard Bay Golden Ale
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
Measure dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add egg, beer, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until batter is light and frothy, batter will be the consistency of cream. Blend in butter. Cock pancakes on a hot griddle, lightly greased. Makes 18 regular pancakes, 6 manly-man cakes, or 1 really big bugger.
Source: Great Cooking with Beer, Jack Erickson, Red Brick Press, Reston, VA, 1989.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Coach: Normie, Normie, could this be Vera?
Norm: With a lot of expensive surgery, maybe.
For Members Only
Give Your Friends FREE Beer, Wine, Cheese, Chocolate,
Cigars & Flowers!
Through our Customer Appreciation Program
Your name has real value to your friends, co-workers, and family members! Every time a friend, family member, or anyone else you know joins any one of our clubs, [or gives a gift] for 3 months or longer, we'll give them 50% off of their first month, but only when they mention your name. And we'll also give you 50% off your next month too which can either be applied towards your current membership or you can try one of our other Clubs out! (We can add one more month to your order at 50% off for prepaid memberships!)
The Fine Print: Members giving gift memberships do not qualify for referral credits and you can't give yourself a gift to qualify! This Program is mutually exclusive of any other promotions.
Membership Q & A
Q: What can I do if I'm having difficulty receiving my shipment
at home?
A: You should consider having our discrete box delivered to
your work location or to a neighbor 21 yrs. of age that can receive
it for you. As your shipment requires and adult signature to receive,
it's always best to ship it to a location where someone will be there
to receive it for you. The box is brown corrugated cardboard and doesn't
say "Beer" on it anywhere.
Q: What should I do if I'm moving or want to extend my membership?
A: Please call us prior to the 5th of the month to make all
account related information changes such as address changes, membership
extensions & terminations, or gift accounts desiring to continue
their memberships. Address changes made after that time may require
a repackaging and re-shipping charge of $12.00. Additionally, if your
box is re-routed by UPS from an address different than what was originally
specified, you may incur a $5.00 re-routing charge.
Q: What happens if my shipment is damaged?
A: If your shipment arrives damaged, please call us immediately
toll free at 1-800-625-8238 and report the incident for a prompt resolution.
Q: What happens if my credit card is declined?
A: We will send you a courtesy notice asking you for an alternative
payment method and your order will be temporarily suspended until
we hear from you.
Q: What happens if I join under a special incentive program
and don't stay a member for the entire term committed?
A: Not a problem. Although we want to do everything we can
to keep you as a member, we will allow you to cancel your subscription
early; however, you will be responsible to pay for the item that was
given to you as part of the promotion. If you received a discount
based on a specific term, the amount discounted will be charged to
your card.
