Past Newsletters

Vol. 11 No. 6

Lakefront Brewery

The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin does not boast a particularly proud reputation as a home of great microbreweries. In fact, being the resident city of beer giants Schlitz, Pabst, and Miller qualifies Milwaukee as the home of the most macro of breweries. And with competition the likes of these, one would have to be pretty tough to start their own microbrewery in such environs. That’s where the brothers Klisch (Russ and Jim) come in. Russ Klisch, a chemical engineer of considerable stature (he’s 6 foot, 6 inches tall, 240 pounds), and brother Jim, a Milwaukee police officer, pooled their savings, along with a mutual friend, and rose to the challenge. Back in early 1985, Russ was a leisure homebrewer, making his own beer every Saturday “just for the fun of it”. But his beers were becoming quite popular with friends and family and with the contributions of his brother and a third brewing pal, the three of them whipped up some of their most popular brews and headed to the 1985 Great American Beer Festival. A return the following year helped them establish some industry contacts, and got them some valuable expert feedback on their homebrews. In 1987 a few of their beers won prizes in several categories at the Wisconsin State Fair and the decision was made to immediately go into business.

Rustling together $15,000 for a down payment on a former neighborhood bakery, they opened the Lakefront Brewery, so named because it sits along the Milwaukee River near downtown Milwaukee. They started with just two types of lagers: a pilsner and an amber lager, which they quickly got featured in local bars and taverns. In these early days, production was limited to 65 barrels, with distribution restricted to watering holes within barrel-rolling distance. First year gross sales were a paltry $7,800. Two years later, Russ hired a head brewmaster, and by 1992, the brewery took in gross sales of $122,000. Quite an astonishing jump, but eclipsed by the following year when they rose to gross sales of $206,000. Not bad for a couple of bros from Milwaukee.

In 1995, Russ quit his engineering job at Johnson Controls, devoting all his time to product development and production. Within a year, brother Jim followed suit, retiring from the police force to tackle marketing for the brewery. Today, the Lakefront Brewery is still a small, locally owned microbrewery specializing in handmade beers in the tradition of early, predominantly Bavarian Milwaukee brewers. Seventeen years after opening, Lakefront Brewery continues to be a Mecca for the most sought after award-winning suds: Riverwest Stein, Eastside Dark, Klisch Pilsner, Cream City Pale Ale, Organic Extra Special Bitter (the first certified organic beer in the U.S.), Fuel Coffee Stout, and seasonal beers such as Pumpkin Beer, Holiday Spice, Bock, Beer Line Barley Wine, and Cherry Beer. In addition is their delicious and surprising non-alcoholic “Golden Maple Root Beer”, a refreshing tribute to Wisconsin’s finest golden sugar maples.

Thirsty yet? We thought you might be. Go ahead and pop open either of the two awesome brews we picked up for you from the Lakefront Brewery. You won’t be disappointed!

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (414) 372-8800 or check out their web site at www.lakefrontbrewery.com.

Note: it’s certainly worth mentioning that Lakefront Brewery has garnered considerable praise for their brewery tour—voted the “Best Brewery Tour In Milwaukee” by Milwaukee Magazine. Additionally, Maxim Magazine had this to say about this Milwaukee brothers’ brewery: “The best tour in the city is at Lakefront Brewery… The beer is fantastic, and the brewery features specialty suds every other month, so you can take the tour over and over. And over.” And just so you know, they proudly give out the beer first thing, rather than waiting until the tour is over, like the majority of brewery tours. If you’re ever in the Milwaukee area, be sure to stop in (just check their website for tour schedules first).

Eastside Dark

The rich, coffee-like aroma and flavor of this fine Dark Bavarian style lager beer is derived from a precise blending of three different specialty barley malts: chocolate, black patent, and Munich malt. Munich malt is also added to bring about the creamy body of this malty brew. The most impressive aspect of this brew is the tight balance between the specialty malts and Mt. Hood hops. This is a medium-bodied beer that is loaded with smoky, peaty aromas and flavors. While there is clearly a hop bitterness to it, there is also plenty of malt to balance the beer. The finish is quite notable, progressing in three distinct stages: bitter up front, running to slightly sweet, smooth and mellow, with the bitterness returning very prominently at the end. The Beverage Testing Institute recently awarded this beer a Silver Medal and in April of this year, the United States Beer Tasting Championship recognized Eastside Dark as the Midwest Regional Champion in the Dunkel Lager category. This is a great beer to have over a spicy lobster dinner or smoked salmon.

Serving Temperature: 50° F
Int’l Bittering Units: 12.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Munich, Chocolate, Black
Hops: Mt. Hood (used for bitterness, flavor and aroma)

Klisch Pilsner

In the words of Lakefront Brewery founding father, Russ Klisch, “Klisch Pilsner is a meat and potatoes beer,” meaning that although there are no darker specialty grains used to influence the color or texture of this beer, it is nonetheless a full-bodied satisfying all-malt brew. The recipe is straightforward, but the manner in which it is put together is what gives this beer its complexity. The deep golden color and malty flavor come from an ample amount of domestic malted barley and imported hops. The addition of coveted Czech Saaz hops added at the end of a two-hour boil gives the beer a wonderful balance. Note that in the aroma, malts are obvious, bigger than other euro pilsners of today. The floral bouquet is fairly reserved, but mingles in subdued fashion with the grainy malts. The taste is very slightly and subtly vinous with a light herbal element also detectable. The flavor reveals that this is no mass produced Euro-style lager beer—it is creamy and smooth, with full-bodied caramel flavors and honeyish notes. Look for notes of bubblegum and butterscotch influences as well. The finish is a tad sour, though with an almost ale-like fruitiness, giving this lager a unique character. Try this distinctive pilsner with Cajun Shrimp gumbo or jambalaya. Enjoy!

Serving Temperature: 48° F
Int’l Bittering Units: 19.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.3%
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Carapils
Hops: Czech Saaz

Old Dominion Brewing Company

The name “The Old Dominion” is a nickname for the state of Virginia, given by England’s King Charles II in 1663 when he added the colonial state to his dominions of Ireland, Scotland, and France. This regally appointed sobriquet was adopted by the founders of our first featured brewery, the Old Dominion Brewing Company back in 1989, when they officially became the Washington area’s first microbrewery. The company was founded with a mission: produce fresh, full-bodied beers largely unavailable in the US market at the time of its inception. And they’ve done just that, meeting at the same time with mass appeal as far as microbreweries go. They went from producing a very limited amount of hand-crafted ale in 1990 to becoming the 47th largest domestic producer of beer. That may not sound impressive, but considering that there are approximately 1,400 microbreweries throughout the United States, 47th ain’t bad.

Despite their success, the brewery still maintains a vehement commitment to producing beer on the micro scale. One way they’ve managed to do this is by brewing a large variety of beer styles, rather than mass producing a couple of their products. They actively brew a rather robust range of more than 27 hand-crafted lagers and ales, including many traditional seasonal specialties like their acclaimed Octoberfest Lager, their rich, honey-flavored winter brew called Millenium, a full-bodied Barleywine style ale, and a refreshing wheat beer perfect for summer thirst quenching. These beers have been enthusiastically received by a loyal fan base, as well as professional beer judging tournaments. All told, they’ve brought home enough awards from the Great American Beer Festival to fill a few mantles: 5 Gold medals, 2 Silvers, and 5 Bronzes. They were ranked one of the 20 best breweries in the U.S. in 1998 by Gourmet Food and Wine magazine, and Smart Money in 2000 named them as one of the five best breweries in the country!

So, it would seem that they’ve got this business down to a science, that no more need be done to improve upon their beers, that they could just keep doing exactly what they’re doing and let the money roll in. While no one would ever have to ask them to do anything to improve their already delicious malty nectars, this brewing company is not content to rest on its laurels. Boasting with a well deserved air of self confidence, founder Jerry Bailey states, “I don’t know of a single thing we could do that we are not doing to make better beer.”

The brewery is located just 3 miles north of Washington’s Dulles Airport, an easy drive from D.C. And with their on-site brewpub, it is a great place for lunch or dinner if you are ever in the D.C. area. They sell kegs and bottled beer to go including two liter growlers of all their draft beers. They even have pumps and carbon dioxide systems available for take home kegs. And if you are interested in the art of craft brewing (and we know that you are), the Old Dominion Brewing Company offers an informative, free tour which culminates in a beer tasting that is itself worth a trip to our nation’s Capital!

For more information about the brewery, brewpub or scheduled tours, call (703) 724-9100, or visit their website at www.olddominion.com.

Oak Barrel Stout

The Old Dominion Brewing Company uses four basic ingredients in all their beers: malted barley, hops, yeast and water to craft their brews. They also use honey in their Millennium brew, and wheat and roasted barley in their regular stout, along with roasted oak chips and vanilla beans in their Oak Barrel Stout. The latter two ingredients are added to the fermenting tanks in a process that is similar to dry hopping, imparting their oaken and vanilla bean flavors to this tasty brew. Brewmaster Kenny Allen has created a masterpiece with this big-bodied brew. The aroma is loaded with scents—toffee, coffee, dark chocolate malts and a restrained smokiness. There’s a note of oak barrel-aged bourbon and vanilla as well. As far as flavor, expect smoky, oaken, bourbon-esque notes to cascade across the tongue, while chocolate and vanilla paradoxically partner all atop a lightly coffee-flavored background—all followed by a long-lasting bitter hop finish. You might consider pairing it with grilled mahi-mahi, seared Ahi tuna, or some dark flavorful bread and a creamy, aged Stilton. For other unique cheese and beer pairings, you might want to check out our Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club at www.monthlyclubs.com.

Serving Temperature: 50-55° F
Int’l Bittering Units: 25.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.2%
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Munich, Caramel, Carapils, Wheat, Smoked, Black
Hops: Perle, Willamette
Additional Notes: Dry “Hopped” with Vanilla Beans and Oak Chips

Dominion Pale Ale

In addition to their extensive beer line up, the Old Dominion Brewing Company also makes three soft drinks, including a creamy yet spicy root beer. All of their beverages are produced under the supervision of the Metropolitan Rabbinical Kashrus Association, meaning that their tasty concoctions are all strictly Kosher.

Their tasty Dominion Pale Ale is fermented at 66°F and then conditioned for 2 to 3 weeks, resulting in an ale that possesses a rich, floral flavor profile that goes down creamy and smooth. You’ll notice its strong hop character in the aroma, flavor and finish as the complex blend of hops contribute to all three of these very important beer tasting components. Expect an aroma that is pine-driven and floral, with a sweet caramel malt background. The flavor profile begins with peppery hop bite which quickly slips toward a buttery smoothness and light caramel flavors that are sweet, but never cloying. There is a lager-like crispness that comes through in the finish, which is abundantly bitter, dry and long-lasting. This is a great beer to pair with steak, leg of lamb, or a flame grilled mushroom Swiss burger. Additionally, this, as well as the Oak Barrel Stout discussed above, are great cigar accompaniments; the pale will partner well with medium-bodied peppery cigars while the stout will go excellently with a robust, leathery maduro. Like cigars? Want to learn more about the world of beer and stogie pairings? Then check out our Premium Cigar of the Month Club at www.monthlyclubs.com.

Serving Temperature: 48-53° F
Int’l Bittering Units: 33.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.6%
Malts: 2-Row Pale, Munich, Caramel
Hops: Willamette, Cascade, Tettnang, Columbus
Additional Notes: Also Dry Hopped with above hops.

Hradec Králové Brewery (Pivovar Hradec Králové)— Hradec Králové, Czech Republic (North Central Czech Republic, a.k.a. Eastern Bohemia)

Members of the International Beer of the Month Club who have been subscription holders for the past few months will likely have observed that a particular beer-loving country has been represented among our monthly features again and again: The Czech Republic. Well, there’s a good reason for that. Make that many good reasons! There are currently over 300 small breweries in the Czech Republic, which has a total area just smaller than the state of South Carolina. With a populous of about 8 million people, that’s quite a few breweries per capita. Perhaps not surprisingly then, the Czech Republic boasts the highest per capita beer consumption figures in the world. After the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic achieved a major beer victory: first place in beer consumption per capita (many Slovaks prefer to drink wine and thus had pulled down the per capita values prior to the split).The results from a 1998 study completed by the German Brewers Association showed that the Czechs were not only number one in this ranking, but they were number one by a large margin. The study revealed that, per capita, the Czech people drink approximately 334 U.S. pints per year. That’s about a beer a day per man, woman and child (and if you consider that the youngsters probably aren’t tossin’ back too many of those pints, that’s a heck of a lot of beer per adult drinker)! Not England, Ireland or even Germany can compete with these stats. Of course, if Bavaria were to secede from Germany, the crown could potentially pass from our Czech friends to their Bavarian neighbors.

The Czechs consider beer part of their daily life; they will often drink beer with breakfast, lunch, and dinner; after work, or before it, and often during it (on lunch break, of course!) This heritage of brew drinking has a long history behind it. The Czechs have nearly a millennium of beer-brewing experience under their belts. Local agricultural conditions are ideal for growing hops, and their cultivation in Bohemia has been chronicled as far back as 859 A.D., while the first evidence of their export dates back to 903 A.D.. These hops were exported to Germany via the Elbe River to the Hamburg hops market in 1101, and to this day the world still cherishes Bohemian (or Czech) Saaz hops.

Spawned from this bastion of brewing is Lev Lion Pale Double Bock, brewed by Pivovar Hradec Králové in Eastern Bohemia. Hradec Králové means “Queen’s Castle” and the town had been the summertime retreat for Czech Royalty for centuries. In 1844, the many breweries located throughout the town were brought together in one small brewery, located right next to the classic Gothic cathedral in the town square, officially forming the Pivovar Hradec Králové. The brewery’s primary beers have all been awarded high praise and respectable accolades. The Lev Black Lion, a classic Czech “tmave”, or “dark” beer, was awarded the Gold Medal in the “Beer of the Czech Republic 2000”. It is a rich, sweetly malted brew with distinct coffee notes, finishing with a light fruity hop finish. The Lev Lion Lager was also a Gold Medal winner in the “Beer of the Czech Republic 2000” (a good year for the brewery to say the least). It is a premium quality, hand crafted full-bodied pilsner style lager, with an unmistakably Czech, crisp and clean, hoppy, dry finish. The Lev Lion Pale Double Bock is the beer we chose to feature this month—and if you’d like to read more about it, look no further than the next paragraph.

For more information about the Czech Republic and Czech beer culture, look no further than the following website: http://www.radio.cz/en/article/46095.

Lev Lion Pale Double Bock

The first documented account of brewing in the Czech territories dates from 1088. In those days, both beer production and consumption were limited to the home, thus, most citizens had their own “microbrewery”. Inevitably, the citizenry banded together to form the first unofficial microbreweries, cleverly splitting the brewing steps such that the final stages were still completed in their homes. As the ruling monarchy eventually realized the monetary potential of a beer brewing industry, full fledged breweries were ultimately permitted and thus, the first Czech brewery was born in the town of Cerhenice in 1118. The U Fleku microbrewery in Prague has been in operation since 1499 and is still in operation to this day. Put that in historical perspective by considering that Columbus discovered the new world just seven years prior! Considering this historical context, the Lev Lion beers produced by Pivovar Hradec Králové are relatively new additions to the beer world, arriving some time after the brewery was founded in 1844. Yup, a trio of real youngsters alright. Like many youngsters, the Lev Lion Pale Double Bock is a bit mischievous—it carries a somewhat misleading title. This is not a traditional double bock like any ending in the beer lexicon suffix “-ator” such as Ayinger’s Celebrator or Paulaner’s Salvator. But the word “bock” has come to mean many things in the world of beery vocabulary, representing anything from the traditional, 7-8% ABV, ultra malty bocks of southern Bavaria to light and crisp pilsner-like 5% ABV lagers. Lev Lion is an example of this latter category. The “bock”, in our estimation, refers to the subtle complexity present in its flavor, as result of a unique brewing recipe. This is a bright, golden beer with a frothy, dense head. The nose is loaded with light hops scents, but dominated by notes of apple and pear. We found this beer to be smooth, light-to-medium-bodied, with crisp grain and gently fruity flavors. The finish is mildly bitter and quite crisp, with a long-lasting aftertaste that develops further spicy, herbal notes. The Lev Lion Pale Double Bock will go well with a variety of foods including grilled salmon, Caesar salads, or fried chicken.

Serving Temperature: 50° F
Alcohol by Volume: 5.15%

Unibroue—Chambly, Quebec (Southeastern Quebec, Canada)

So there’s this quasi-conspiracy theory that’s been floating around and it goes something like this… whenever the U.S. is looking to scapegoat someone for U.S. problems, the first choice is to turn to our neighbor to the north: Canada. Is there any validity to these claims of misplaced Canadian blame? Well, the creators of the popular TV show South Park certainly thought so when they embraced the notion as a major theme in that series’ first feature film by including an Academy Award-nominated tune called simply “Blame Canada”. However, satirical humor aside, the U.S. actually did assign a certain degree of blame for the great Blackout of August 2003 to Canadian power plant deficiencies. Not to mention four months later when the U.S. Department of Agriculture blamed Canada for introducing a cow to the states that tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalitis (a.k.a. mad cow disease). And who have the states recently pinned for an upsurge of marijuana-related U.S. hospital emergency room visits? Yup, you guessed it Canada (it seems that Canadian, hydroponically-grown marijuana contains 10-20 times the THC levels of soil-grown, potted (excuse the pun) U.S. marijuana).

Well, we’d like to do our part in sending a little well-earned praise up to our northern friends, for it is Canada that has brought us the beers of Unibroue. We’re basically in love with every single beer this incredible brewing establishment has ever created, and we believe that when you taste their mind-blowing “La Fin du Monde,” which we’ve sent you this month, you’ll want to extend a hand across the world’s longest unprotected border and say “thank you” to our Canadian friends.

About 25 miles east of downtown Montréal, in the suburb of Chambly, on the banks of the Richelieu River, lies the now world renowned Unibroue Brewery. In 1990, founders André Dion and Serge Racine saw great potential in the craft-beer market, and set out to start a brewery. They were faced with a challenge, however, in that it was very difficult to obtain a brewer’s permit in Quebec. In order to bypass this, Dion and Racine acquired the financially faltering La Brasserie Massawippi Inc., and began distributing their products, slyly burking the problem of obtaining a new brewer’s permit. Within two years, they transferred their interest in La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. to their newly founded company, Unibroue. By 1992, La Brasserie Massawippi Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unibroue, and in 1993 changed its corporate name to Brasserie Broubec Inc., merged with Unibroue later that year, and officially became the corporation as we know it today.
So there’s your Business 101 lesson for the month—courtesy of the savvy entrepreneurs of Unibroue. But business acumen means very little in the microbrew world if you’re not selling great beer, and in order to slake this need, Unibroue became associated with a master Belgian brewer in the spring of 1992 and launched its first bottle-conditioned beer: Blanche de Chambly. During the next four years, Unibroue developed and marketed six other incredible beers in the Belgian tradition. To some it comes as a surprise that these rich and robust brews come from Canada, a nation not particularly well known for their microbrew expertise (just think Molson Ice). However to us at the club, it’s not a big shocker—one could reasonably expect that the French heritage of the Quebecois could easily contribute to this assortment of champagne-like, Belgian-style brews.

But you need not be of French descent to appreciate these remarkable beers, a fact highlighted by the numerous prizes and distinctions that have been awarded to Unibroue’s beers. Among its most important achievements, Unibroue was classified among the ten best breweries in the world in 1995 and 1996 by The Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago, which is one of the highest accolades that can be bestowed in the brewing industry. Hey, what are you waiting for? Give your La Fin du Monde a try, and savor a truly great beer. Thank you Canada!
For more information about Unibroue and their many exquisite brews, check out their web site at http://www.unibroue.com.

La Fin du Monde

Unibroue brews artisan-crafted beers intended for savoring. They have a unique taste and are brewed using a traditional methods. With the exception of a handful of their brews, all are created using the process of in-bottle refermentation (that’s re-fermentation, not refer-mentation, just to clarify so there’s no assumed tie-in whatsoever to the marijuana controversy mentioned earlier). This occurs because their beers are only partially filtered to keep all their protein content and some of the yeast, allowing additional fermentation to occur within the bottle. The process is the same as that used in champagne, excepting that in champagne the yeast is completely removed, while with Unibroue beers the lees, or yeast sediment, are left in the bottle. This method gives a very particular taste to the beer and provides a natural source of vitamin B for you health nuts out there (to us, vitamin B stands for the only essential vitamin in our diets: vitamin Beer). If you chance upon any of the Unibroue beers in your favorite beer specialty store, you’ll likely take notice of their very interesting label designs and intriguing titles. The evocative names and images were all inspired either by various myths and legends, or pioneers of the Americas. Don De Dieu (or “gift of God”) for example, was named after the ship sent by the French king in 1608 to explore Canada. It is a wheat beer, a style normally containing about 4-5% ABV, at the strength of a Triple (a strong Belgian-style beer of 8-12% alcohol by volume). La Fin du Monde (meaning “the end of the world”), which you now have in your possession, was created to honor the great explorers who believed they had reached the end of the world when they discovered America.

Their all-natural brewing process yields beers that are higher in alcohol content and provide a rich flavor without the bitter aftertaste of conventional beers. Moreover, they have a longer shelf life and adapt very well to room temperatures, unlike conventional beers. So, if you’ve ever wanted to age a beer (that is, set it aside for it to continue to develop in flavor, much like wine or whiskey continues to age in barrels), La Fin du Monde is a good candidate. It is claimed that this and other Unibroue beers, if stored under the proper conditions, will evolve to achieve a port wine flavor after ten years. But if you’d like to taste it right now, here’s what you can expect: the aroma is comprised of musty, yeasty scents and wild spices, with notes of nectarines, coriander and oranges, as well as sweet malt. Also note an herbal, medicinal note. The flavor presents a very complex mix of peppery clove spiciness, malty sweetness, and fermented fruits, which linger into the dry, very bitter finish. Enjoy this truly remarkable brew—we know we did!

Serving Temperature: 52-55° F
Alcohol by Volume: 9.0%

ASK MURL

Hey Murl,

So, what’s up with your newsletter writers? They’re always dissin’ Budweiser and Miller and Coors—what’s up with that? I’m not a member of the club, but my beer-nut of a buddy is and I’ve read quite a few of these newsletters while I’m hanging out at his place. He sits and patiently sips each of the beers he gets every month, and I chill with him, but I usually bring along a forty of miller high life or some good ol’ reliable Bud Light. I just don’t get it—this beer geek thing—that gourmet beer just don’t taste right to me—so seriously, explain to me what’s wrong with my Bud? I like it just fine man. It takes like beer, and it gets me buzzed right quick, ya know what I’m sayin’ bro?

Mark Mammone
Geary, IN

Yo Marky-Mark!

I want to surprise the readers by extending a very kind “thank you” to you for making my job easy and supplying me with the justification for writing one of the shortest Ask Murl columns ever. It seems that you answered your own question—you “just don’t get it”. God only knows why your buddy hangs out with you during his beer tasting sessions. Maybe it’s similar to the way that some mildly intelligent folk hang out with dimwits to make themselves feel smarter. Anyway, short temper, short column… If I write any more, I’m liable to loose my cool. I know, I know, my devoted fans can’t fathom the concept of me losing my cool, but if anything can temporarily rob me of my laid back demeanor, it’s questions like this from folks like Mark…

Woof!
Murl

Norm’s Corner

Woody: Can I pour you a draft, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: A little early, isn’t it Woody?
Woody: For a beer?
Norm: No, for stupid questions.

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