Past Newsletters
September 2008
Brewery |
Beers Featured |
| Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery | Red Rack Ale |
| Tommyknocker Brewery | Butt Head Bock |
| Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery | Pig's Ear Brown Ale |
| Tommyknocker Brewery | Pick Axe Pale Ale |
| Wychwood Brewery (England) | Hobgoblin |
| Pivovar Zlatý Bažant (Slovak Republic) | Golden Pheasant |
Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery
The Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery is nestled in the heart of the majestic White Mountains of New Hampshire and is one of the state's most visited country inns. Not only do they provide great accommodations, they also brew their own beer.
For nearly 100 years, the Woodstock Inn was the private home of the Clement family (after whom the Inn's main dining room is named). In the early 1980's the Rice family purchased and renovated the unique, New England-style dwelling. The Inn now sprawls across multiple buildings, each with its own very distinct character and charm, with a total of 33 guest rooms.
In 1995, their Brewery and Brew Pub opened its doors. They offer twelve handcrafted brews, each made with pristine NH deep-well water, choice hops, and the highest quality imported grains available, all brewed using their traditional, seven-barrel brewing system.
For more information about the Woodstock Inn & Brewery, check out their website at www.WoodstockInnNH.com, and be sure to explore the details regarding their popular Brewski and Brewer's weekend packages. New Hampshire is a GREAT place to visit, in any season! You can also ring them for 'Inn-formation' and reservations at: 800-321-3985.
The nose portends a hop-driven flavor and bitterness, with some floral and citrus aromatics, notes of apple skins, and a slight syrupy note. Look for moderate notes of pine resin and grapefruit peel with the malt background also asserting itself in the bouquet. Expect this brew to go down mostly fruity (think grapes and apples) and sweet, with a very long middle. Eventually, rindy, bitter, citrus peel hop character tames the sweetness and lets this beer close out with a long, lingering bitter finish. Check out how the red apple fruit and skin notes intensify as it warms. Try pairing this one with a sharp cheddar cheese or a double Gloucester (check out www.monthlyclubs.com to learn about our Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club.)
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Int'l Bittering Units: 23.3
Alcohol by Volume: 5.5%
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass
Malts: Pale, Crystal, Carapils, Chocolate, Torrefied Wheat,
Hops: Fuggles, Willamette, Mt. Hood, Cascade
Ah-hem: now introducing the 2004 & 2006 United States Beer Tasting Championships brown ale Grand National Champion. Look for notes of brown sugar, sweet bread, a hint of roastiness, fresh grains, and a faint flourish of citrusy hops. As it warms, whiffs of alcohol emerge. On the palate, expect a very long-lasting, layered cascade of flavors. First, notice the luscious fullness in the mouth, followed by a sweet maple syrup malt bomb that then dissolves as it is picked away by citrus accented hop bitterness. Then, more hop bitterness, followed by, yes, more hop bitterness as it builds to a bitter crescendo. Notes of dark chocolate and hints of light roast coffee and aspirin dust carry forward into the finish as orange citrus hoppiness takes center stage. Give yourself a good minute or two after having your first sip to allow your palate to fully experience the very lengthy finish. Overall, this is an easy-drinking, yet rather complex brown ale that would pair well with honey glazed ham, baked beans sweetened with molasses, or Granny Smith apples dipped in caramel.
Serving Temperature: 42-50° F
Int'l Bittering Units: 25
Alcohol by Volume: 4.3%
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass
Malts: Pale, Chocolate, Crystal, Roasted, Torrefied Wheat
Hops: Cascade, Mt. Hood
Tommyknocker Brewery
The Tommyknocker Brewery has been making award-winning brews for over 12 years. The brewery started out of their brewpub location in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, in the historic mining town of Idaho Springs, CO. It's a great place to visit—solid menu and one of the area's best beer samplers. They've been collecting awards since 1995 from both the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup, and they offer a broad range of beers, from a light-bodied wheat ale to the big and full Dopplebock featured this month.
The brewery also offers several different types handcrafted sodas, including Root Beer, Almond Creme, Strawberry Creme, Orange Creme, and Key Lime Creme! All of which can be ordered from their Web site. We'll let you discover those on your own and stick to what we do best: Beer!
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (303) 567-4419 or check out their web site at www.tommyknocker.com.
What a nose on this winner of the Dopplebock Silver Medal at the 1997 Great American Beer Festival! Look for notes of white grapes and raw honey, plum flesh, some toffee, hints of tea, a dash of carob, and some yeasty spiciness. Take cover as the flavor lobs a malt grenade that bursts with big, rich, malty flavors. Everything from the nose comes along in the flavor, with a complex alcohol presence, and a bold sweetness that is balanced by a healthy dosing of bittering hops. Finishes surprisingly dry for all its sweetness and complexity. We say this one's a 'nightcapper' to be savored on its own; though for food application, it could be used to make an awesome demi-glace.
Serving Temperature: 48-55° F
Int'l Bittering Units: 33
Alcohol by Volume: 8.2%
Suggested Glassware: Flute, Pilsner Glass or Mug
Malts: Munich, Light and Dark Crystal, Carapils, Chocolate
Hops: Mt. Hood, Chinook, Perle
Expect a very Pacific Northwest hop presence to jump out, as if you squeezed a grapefruit and pine sap came out. We love the flavor of this beer; it asserts a massive hop character, but does it in a balanced, tasteful way. For you hopheads out there, this is a nice beer that packs a lot of hop punch but doesn't overwhelm you with killer ABV or a singeing of the palate. Hop flavors are much like what's described in the nose, though there is more fruit juiciness. Look for bitterness to be present, but note that it doesn't try to battle the sweeter elements of this beer. It just holds them in check enough for the hop aromatics and volatiles to really show their stuff. Finishes very citrusy and moderately bitter with a crisp, evergreen character. This beer would work well with a mild-bodied, woody (cedar) cigar or moderately spicy Indian curry. We can't supply the curry, but we can help on the cigars—check out www.cigarmonthclub.com.
Serving Temperature: 42-48° F
Int'l Bittering Units: 75
Alcohol by Volume: 6.2%
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass or Oversized Wine Glass
Malts: Munich, Carastan, Light Crystal
Hops: Chinook, Newport, US Golding, Willamette
Wychwood Brewery—Witney, Oxfordshire, England (Central South England)
The Wychwood Brewery (pronounced 'Witch Wood') is one of few independent breweries left in England. Perhaps their fanciful gallery of forest-lore friendlies has been what's kept them from the 'evils' of mega-brewery consolidation. Protective spirits with a Pagan-era edge, like the 'Black Wych,' 'Circlemaster' (aka scarecrow), and the 'Hobgoblin,' all seem to stand guard over this brewery, luring in fans while keeping the nasties of brewing conglomerates at bay.
We think their offbeat, somewhat irreverent tone is part of what's helped keep them independent. Take, for example, their Hobgoblin advertising campaign, launched in Spring of 2003, which we just love:
"What's The Matter Lagerboy, Afraid You Might Taste Something?"
Hell, yes! We dig this Hobgoblin fellow—he clearly knows where it's at. He might not be the guy we want to throw a few back with (best to keep your full wits about you in his company), but we admire his spirit and his cause.
So how did the brewery get affiliated with this cast of characters? In 1983, a German-trained English brewer named Paddy Glenny took an interest in the historic market town of Witney, in the heart of Oxfordshire's Cotswolds. He purchased Clinch's Brewery, which had been founded in 1841, and two years later, Paddy was joined by Chris Moss. The pair renamed it the Wychwood Brewery after the Ancient medieval Wychwood Forest which borders the town. In 1988 the brewery was asked to brew a special wedding beer for a local landlord, to be served at his daughter's wedding. The ale that Chris Moss created was the famed Hobgoblin Ale, which, of course, did not bear this name at the time (can you imagine the reaction of the bride or her father if their celebratory wedding ale had been called "Hobgoblin"?) After the celebrations, some ale remained and was brought to market, where it was a hit. More was brewed, and as 'legend' has it, while a firkin of the beer was briefly out of the brewer's sight, a Hobgoblin sketch had been left on it. Was it a Hobgoblin who did it? Could be. Or this could be a fun bit of brewery marketing. Regardless, the name stuck and took the brewery down the path of witches, scarecrows, goblins, and the like.
Wychwood also brews organic beers for Prince Charles (yeah, that Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales) under the Duchy Originals brand. In this capacity, they are the UK's number one producer of Organic Beers. Hey, if it's good enough for the Prince, right?
For more information about the brewery, check out their website at http://www.wychwood.co.uk/.
Rated exceptional (91 points) by the Beverage Tasting Institute, earning a Gold Medal in the 2006 World Beer Championships, Hobgoblin pours a deep amber (you could call it light brown) with a great pub-ale look to it with its beautiful, lacing head. Look for rich caramel, toffee, and maple syrup notes on the nose, with a nice dose of true-to-style British butterscotch character, dried dark fruits, and nuttiness. A notable feature is its woody character, almost as if it wre conditioned in wood or drawn from the cask. Expect this beer to deliver a sweet yet restrained richness, held in perfect balance by lightly bitter hops, rounded out by some woody, tobacco-like notes. The primary flavors to look for are butterscotch, caramel, and raisins. Finishes with more woody, almost musty, yeasty character. This is a real treat and a great representation of a Dark English Ale. Enjoy with a red grapes and cheddar cubes, and another pint.
Serving Temperature: 50-55° F
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass or Mug (clear or opaque)
Pivovar Zlatý Bažant (Golden Pheasant Brewery)—Hurbanovo, Slovak Republic (Southern Slovak Republic)
Located near the southernmost tip of Slovakia, near the northern border of Hungary, in the small town of Hurbanovo, stands Pivovar Zlatý Bažant. You might already be aware that a town known as Pilzen, in Bohemia, is the place where in 1842 the most consumed style of beer the world over was invented (Pilsner).
The brewing heritage of the nearby Slovak Republic is not as famous as that of the Czechs, but it is quite esteemed. The geography and history of the land mean that brewers in this region have unrestricted access to all things brew: the best hops, grains, yeast strains, and the softest water in the world, making them especially well suited to brewing pilsner.
With these resources at their disposal, Pivovar Zlatý Bažant was started in 1968 as a state-owned enterprise to supply beer to Western Slovakia. As a part of the massive European beer market consolidation, the brewery was purchased in 1995 by Heineken in what was the first investment by a major brewing corporation in this region since the fall of Communism. However, beer lover,s rest assured: this beer has not been spoiled by the massive enterprise that is Heineken. It is made in the same brewery that brought it to life in 1968 according to the original recipe. One sip and you'll understand that this beer is not a ghostly silhouette of a true Pilsner that passes for mass-market U.S. beers; it is an authentic, rich, aromatic, and crisp Pilsner to be savored with the best of them. Enjoy!
You've probably figured this out by now: translated to English, Zlatý Bažant means Golden Pheasant. Unlike the big U.S. beer makers, who stretch out their barley with the addition of cheaper corn and rice, Slovak producers use 100 percent barley, most of it grown and processed in Slovakia. This makes nearly any Slovak-made beer richer, with more body and depth of flavor, than any of the watery U.S. brand-name beers. Expect spicy herbaceous hop aromas with toasty pale malt notes. The clean malt profile gives way to grassy, zesty, and citrusy hop notes, with a lingering hop bitterness and a distinct finishing note reminiscent of dried autumn leaves. Winner of a Silver Medal in 2005 at the World Beer Championships, this is a very food-friendly beer; you can throw it at just about anything. We served it up with some grilled burgers packed with jalapežo and chunks of cheddar cheese served on lightly toasted sourdough buns.
Serving Temperature: 40-44° F
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Suggested Glassware: Flute Glass, Pilsner Glass, Stange or Stein
