Past Newsletters
Vol. 10 No. 9
This Month's Featured Beers
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Mac Tarnahan's Brewing Company | |
| Mac Tarnahan's Brewing Company | Highlander Pale Ale |
| Tuppers Brewing Company | Hop Pocket Ale |
| Tuppers Brewing Company | Hop Pocket Pilsner |
Mac Tarnahan's Brewing Company
Founded in 1986 in Portland, Oregon, MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company has grown from a low volume microbrewery to a sprawling high-capacity 3-acre facility. Their early days, some 18 years ago, saw an annual brewing capacity of only 1000 barrels. Subsequent to several upgrades, however, the brewery can now produce in excess of 100,000 barrels per year; but rest assured, their commitment to producing high quality, flavor packed ales has remained in tact over the years.
Part of their commitment to quality is owed to local industry competition, circularly driven by discerning locals who live at the foot-hills of the very source of some of the most widely used hops in the microbrew world (Mt. Hood & Willamette). Oregon, particularly Portland, is commonly recognized as the center of the craft-brewing universe, much as the Bordeaux and Napa Valley regions are to the wine industry. In fact, more than 10 percent of all beer consumed in Oregon is brewed locally– a figure that is three times the national average. What’s more, there are more microbreweries and brew-pubs in Portland than in any other city in the country. And while craft beer sales nationally account for approximately 1% of the total market, they account for over 5% here.
Clearly, these are a people who know and love beer. MacTarnahan’s skillfully caters to this love, providing a variety of artfully brewed beverages to the market. They currently offer more than 10 brews, in-cluding Mac’s Amber Ale, Black Watch Cream Porter, Highlander Pale Ale, Portland Ale, Portland Lager, Uncle Otto’s Weiss Beer, Uncle Otto’s Oktoberfest, MacTarnahan’s IPA, Oregon Honey Beer, Mac Frost Winter Ale, and Thunderhead Stout. And as a unique addition to their line up, they also offer a 15-year-old single-malt Scotch Whis-key! Quite a robust assortment indeed!
Now, considering that it’s March, folks the world over, not
just Portlanders, are ready for beer drinking season to kick in on
St. Patrick’s Day, even if it is only for one day (it’s
always beer drinking season as far as we’re concerned). So,
be prepared to see a lot of green beer, shamrocks, and stumbling drunk
college kids clad in green attire this time of month. These are less
authentic Irish traditions; after all, the holiday is Catholic in
origin and commemorates the anniversary
of the death of Ireland’s Patron Saint, St. Patrick. His passing
occurred some 1500 years ago in the 5th century, and over hun-dreds
of years the customs have changed. Since the holiday coincides with
Lent, many celebratory events came to include a relin-quishment of
Lenten prohibitions, permitting consumption of meat as well as copious
amounts of alcohol. One of the old world customs that continues today
among those who are somehow familiar is 'drowning the Shamrock.' The
shamrock is intimately associated with St. Patrick as he used the
three-leaved plant to illustrate the Trinity, and it was often worn
in his remembrance on the holiday. At the end of the night, a shamrock
that had been worn for the day in the cap or coat was placed into
the bottom of a glass, and then beer, or, more usually, Irish whiskey
was poured atop, submerging it. When everyone's health had been toasted
to, the shamrock was taken from the bottom of the empty glass and
thrown over the left shoulder. Since you now have a fine Irish stout
available to you this St. Patrick’s Day, all you need is a shamrock
to practice this ages old tradition yourself! No need to thank us,
we’re here for your cultural enlightenment.
For more information about MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company and
scheduled tours, call (503) 226-7623 or check out their web site at
http://www.macsbeer.com/. P.S.
don’t slip on any of those discarded shamrocks!!
You know, contrary to popular belief, the true color of a good Irish beer is not green like the colored novelties you’ll find in the bars on March 17th– it is black. So we’ve set you up with an inky-black stout that rivals the finest from the old-world. Note the abundantly dark-roasted barley which will all be present in the taste as well. This Irish-style Extra Stout goes beyond the classic definitions of the style. Note the roasted barley malt character with a noticeable but pleasing, healthily hopped bitterness. Expect a rich, smoky flavor with a dry, smooth finish. This Stout will go nicely with your corned beef and cabbage and a ‘Kiss me, I’m Irish’ pin, if you’ve got one.
Serving Temperature: 40-45 F
Original Gravity: 14.1 Plato
Final Gravity: 2.7 Plato
Int’l Bittering Units: 47
Alcohol by Volume: 6.0%
Malts: Pale malt; Wheat; Caramel;
Roast Barley
Hops: Nugget; Northern Brewer
McTarnahan’s Highlander Pale Ale is the third of this month’s Gold Medal-winning features. This beer brought home the top honor as the Best American Amber Ale at the 1992 Great American Beer Festival. It is a merger of the Scottish and American Pale Ale styles with an infusion of Highland heather for an additional Scottish influence. Heather has been used over the centuries to add a touch of herbal sweet-ness, distinct from typically caramel-like malt sweetness. In this brew, note the way it contri-butes to the floral hop aroma in the nose. Perhaps more prominent is the flavorful interplay between the heather and the grainy malt sweetness. You can expect a medium body with limited carbonation, giving this beer a soft, smooth mouth feel. Look for a clean hop bitterness in the finish with some residual lingering malt. Enjoy this one with roast beef, lamb with rosemary and garlic, steak or pork chops.
Serving Temperature: 40-45 F
Original Gravity: 12.0 Plato
Final Gravity: 3.3 Plato
Int’l Bittering Units: 22
Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%
Malts: Pale malt
Hops: Brewer's Gold
Tuppers Brewing Company
As a microbrewer, you don’t put out a product that you don’t seriously believe in since the chances are, your name is going out on every 12 ounces you sell. You want a label that calls out to people, but you do not want to mislead your clientele, for they’ll be disappointed when the taste doesn’t match what was advertised. For example, you don’t throw “hop” in your brew’s title if you’re not serious about it—there had better be some hops ready and waiting to break out of that bottle or draft tap. We’ve chosen this example because one of the most common complaints beer aficionados have is that much what’s out there is stingy on the hops, and thus, lacks bite (pop open a can of Coors Lite for an example of an uneventful, “hopless” experience. Oh my word, did we just recommend that someone drink Coors? Please forgive us, as it was done only as a service to you, strictly for the sake of comparison. Geez, even the thought disturbs us…).
The creators of our first two featured beers this month proudly publicize the hop character of their hand-crafted brews, and you’d better believe that they have the flavor to justify the label. Bob and Ellie Tupper, the folks responsible for bringing you the Tupper Hop Pocket line of beers, could be considered an unlikely team as Bob is a veteran schoolteacher and Ellie works as a magazine production editor! Some interviewers have described their initial impression of the pair as “evocative of a young Mr. and Mrs. Claus.” Not the typical description of a microbrew team. However, the Tuppers have tasted and rated more than 11,000 beers during more than 33 years of marriage, retaining volumes of notebooks on their experiences. They have traveled throughout the states as well as Europe, seeking out expert brewmasters and area locals in order to expand their know-ledge of styles and flavors, all the while comparing hop balance and making a list (and checking it twice) of their favorites. They’ve shared their expertise with others, leading monthly beer tastings at a local tavern for the past 20 years.
Eventually the couple had an epiphany. As Bob puts it “We had really learned some stuff that makes beer great, but nobody was doing it in the same beer. We ought to get some brewery to do it in one beer and see if it all works out– it ought to work out!” The idea was lofty, but not out of reach. In order “to get some brewery” to take on the task, they consulted with Jerry Bailey, the head of the Old Dominion Brewing Company, located just outside Washington, DC, whom they knew through their years of public beer tastings. The consultation brought together years of the Tuppers’ experience as well as Bailey’s and his staff’s considerable brewing expertise, all right in the Tuppers’ dining room! Bob and Ellie had spread about 30 different beers on the dining room table and the Old Dominion team took notes as the couple pointed out what they considered to be the best elements such as color, aroma, hop character and maltiness from the lot. Less than two months later the first batch of Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Ale was born and quickly won the praise of Washington area locals for putting the bite back in the brew. They followed up this success with the creation of their full-bodied pilsner, also quite the rage. We tip our hats and our hop-heavy glasses to the Tuppers, and encourage you to do the same!
As its name implies, this is a very hoppy beer (no shocker at 60 IBU’s), yet, true to the IPA style, it’s also balanced by a bold, malty taste. Look for the complex citrus accents of grapefruit and tangerine in the nose along with notes of toasted, grassy malt in the finish. From the first sip to the last, these hops are going to keep you company! Our panel also detected faint notes of pine which lingered pleasantly atop the malt. You’ll get a very clean, crisp finish out of this one, as the hops continue to bite in the aftertaste. In recognition of the smooth yet subtle complexity this beer provides, Tuppers’ Hop Pocket Ale won the 1997 gold medal in the American Style Pale Ale category at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival. This ale would go exceptionally well with some spicy Cajun or Thai chicken. Another pairing worth mentioning is a smooth yet moderately spicy cigar such as a Don Victor Remedios, which would nicely complement this beer’s prominent hop spiciness. For more suggestions on beer and cigar pairings, consider joining our Cigar of the Month Club online at www.cigarmonthclub.com. We offer a tremendous assortment of fine popular and rare cigars, all expertly chosen by our own professional cigar connoisseurs. This club is particularly popular with our Beer of the Month subscribers– what can we say, a beer in one hand, a premium cigar in the other, the two go, traditionally and literally, hand in hand.
Serving Temperature: 45-50 F
Original Gravity: 14.5 Plato
Final Gravity: 3.3 Plato
Int’l Bittering Units: 60 (wow!!)
Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%
Malts: 2 Row Pale; Munich10; Caramel 80
Hops: Gale; Cascade; Willamette; Mt. Hood
This beer is a true to style German Pilsner, no messing around. Look for a strong hop character that is both aromatic and flavorful, giving off a spicy, citrus hop nose. Note the quick smack of hop bitterness that hits the palate at first and the biscuit-like essence of the malt. The mouth feel is moderate to full, which might be unexpected if you try to size it up on appearance alone. This pilsner finishes dry like the accompanying ale, but with the cracker-like malt flavors quickly fading to a residual herbal hop spice and a hint of sweetness that will be enhanced with warming. As we mentioned above, the Tuppers’ Ale won the gold at the Great American Beer Festival. A few years later, the Tuppers repeated the process used to concoct their Ale and created this Hop Pocket Pilsner. That crisp, complex beer was another winner, bringing home an additional gold medal– this time in the Pilsner category at the 2001 Great American Beer Festival. As Ellie Tupper rightly points out, "How many other breweries can say 100 percent of their products have won gold medals?" Not many, that’s for sure Ellie. Nice work.
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: Malts: 2 Row Pale; German Pilsner Malt
Hops: Mt. Hood; Saaz; Apalt Mittefrau
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at home?
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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
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A: Please call us prior to the 5th of the month to make all
account related information changes such as address changes, membership
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box is re-routed by UPS from an address different than what was originally
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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
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