Past Newsletters

Vol. 2 No. 10

Brewery	Beers Featured
Sun Valley Brewing Company	Lost Planet Porter
Sun Valley Brewing Company	Honey Weizen
Golden Pacific Brewing Company	Golden Gate Original Ale

Sun Valley Brewing Company

Founded in 1985, The Sun Valley Brewing Co. is Idaho's largest brewery at a capacity of only 4000 barrels per year. Nestled in the Wood River Valley in Hailey Idaho, south of the nation's oldest ski area, the brewery also hosts a pub and restaurant. Their two vessel brewhouse produces 40 barrel batches while using a single stage infusion mash.

Co-founder and brewmaster Gordon Gammell has been brewing at Sun Valley 11 out of his 21 years as a brewer. Gordon holds a B.S. in geology and microbiology and studied at the Seibel Brewing Institute as well as in the University of California Davis's renowned brewing program. In addition to the two beers that you'll sample this month, Sun Valley also brews an amber ale, German style lager, pilsner, ESB, Marzen, Octoberfest and Holiday Ale. Sun Valley's outstanding product line has taken over 11 awards including 6 at the Great American Beer Festival. The brewery currently employs 3 full-time assistant brewers and 3 full-time pub employees.

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (208) 788-5777 or check out their web site at www.svliving.com/svbrewpub.

Lost Planet Porter

Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 12.8° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 50.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.3%

Lost Planet is a tank conditioned British-style porter that is brewed with a combination of no less than 11 different grains including: 4 different dark roasted barley varieties, 3 types of Caramel & Crystal malts, 2 varieties of Munich malts, two-row Pale malt and one modified custom pale malt. Gorden uses Perle, Cascade, Nugget, and Northern Brewer hops for their bittering characteristics and Cascade, Northern Brewer and Fuggle hops for their aromatic qualities. This complex beer is brewed using a 90 min. boil and a proprietary ale yeast strain. It's also slow fermented which allows higher levels of phenols and esters to come out more in the flavor. The funky label art is provided by Commander Cody of the Lost Planet Airmen Band.

Notes From the Panel:

Immediately note a big and pleasant roasted barley nose. Look for good head retention in this clear, dark brown, medium-bodied beer. Lost Planet starts out sweet and quickly moves to a very complex roasted flavor which carries to the finish. This porter also has an unusually bold hop character that works well with the presence of high esters and phenols. Overall, a very clean, well balanced and complex interpretation of a British Porter.

Honey Weizen

Serving Temperature: 40-50° F
Original Gravity: 11.8° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: N/A
Alcohol by Volume: 5.2%

Like its darker cousin, Sun Valley's Honey Weizen is a wonderfully complex and unique beer. Brewed with a combination of Pale, Wheat, and Munich malts during a 90 min. boil, this unfiltered wheat uses a proprietary Cerevisiae yeast strain. Gordon uses Tettnanger, Liberty and Perle hops for aroma and Perle again for bittering. The beer is tank conditioned with an all natural first press Sage honey produced in Idaho. Most Asian produced store- bought honey brands are heavily filtered, diluted with water, and contain pesticides banned in the U.S. The honey Gordon uses is produced from bees buzzin' around natural fields of Sage. So what? So you won't be dining with Diazanon or any other chemical when you sample this beauty! "First Press" means that the honey is extracted directly from the cone and not processed in any way what so ever. Bottom line? Taste it. You'll see.

Notes From the Panel:

Look for a peculiar, subtle, fruity nose and great head retention in this cloudy, medium-bodied, straw colored beer. Note a very unique and unusual flavor profile that starts out sweet with a distinct fruity honey character, has a low hop character and finishes dry. Overall, a very flavorful, complex and unique interpretation of a honey weizen.

Golden Pacific Brewing Company

California's second oldest brewery, the Golden Pacific Brewing Co. was established in 1981 by founder Charles Ricksform who began brewing beer under the name of the Thousand Oaks Brewing Co. in his basement with his two sons and daughter. By 1990, all of Charles' laborers grew up and moved out of the "brewery" and he decided to sell the company to current owner David Harnden who then took over operations and renamed the brewery. The brewery's beers are brewed by Brewmaster, Mark Witty and Head Brewer, Alec Moss. Mark has a B.S. in Brewing Science from the Herriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland and was the head brewer in two English breweries before moving to the states. The brewery currently produces 10,600 barrels annually and in addition to Golden Gate Original Ale, brews Golden Gate Lager, a full-bodied lager and Hibernator Winter Ale, a ruby-brown Christmas ale.

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (510) 655-3322

Golden Gate Original Ale

Serving Temperature: 50-55° F
Original Gravity: 14.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 35.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.7%

Winner of the triple crown of brewing in 1995, Golden Gate Ale took Gold medals in the State, American and World Beer Championships. Golden Gate is brewed with a combination of Pale, Munich, Caramel, Crystal, and Chocolate malts, using a 60 min. boil. Willamette, Centennial and Tettnang hops are used for aroma while Perle hops are added in two separate additions for their bittering contributions.

Notes From the Panel:

Immediately note a big hop floral nose with a pleasant malt background in this beer's nose. Look for great head retention in this clear, copper colored, medium-bodied beer. We found an excellent balance of rich, sweet malt flavor and hop bitterness in this very drinkable beer. Overall, a bold and robust, very flavorful, extremely well-balanced American Ale.

Ask Murl

Hey Murl,

I have just started Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club's service and have been happy so far. But, I have a bone to pick with you! Being a homebrewer for a few years now, I have done a lot of reading on beer. In the Vol. 2 No. 10 is of the Brew Harvest Review, you answered a question about Original Gravity and IBU. While your answers for O.G. and IBU are correct, your term for IBU is not. The abbreviation for IBU is for "International Bitterness Unit", not "Initial Bittering Units". From the book, The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing, by Charlie Papazian (considered the Bible of Home Brewing), "Brewing scientists have developed a method by which the measure, International Bitterness Unit (IBU) is equal to 1 milligram of isomerized alpha acid in 1 liter of wort or beer. More IBUs in a given beer mean more bitterness perceived." Thanks for providing a service to educate people on the making and styles of beer. The more people know, the more they can enjoy the great products sent to us.

Kevin Arnold
The Brews Brothers

Dear Kev,

I considered passing the buck to our type setter or the spell check on my word processing program, or even arguing the question of semantics with the reasoning that I was damn close. But the fact of the matter is, I done a boo boo and ya caught me. I'd probably say something like, "Hey man, I'm only human" ... if I was. Fact is, I've made quite a few mistakes in my short canine life and at least you won't have to shampoo the carpet after this one! Thanks for the good press on our service.

Woof!
Murl.

Food For Thought...

Lost Planet Scandinavian Beef Stew

When you think Porter, you think about the big burley guys that the style was named after. And what do you imagine those guys put down after a long day of lugging stuff here and there, to and fro? Ya think they sashayed into the nearest salad bar or maybe skipped into Beni Hanas for a sip of Saki and some sushi? Hell no. Those boys were woofing down some stew. Thick, chunky, better- make-it-a-big-bowl, stew. And beef. And beer. Most likely the style named after their profession. So, in the spirit of the Porter, roll up your sleeves, get a big pot, enough beer to convince yourself that you can cook, and give this manly-man dish a shot.

4 lb. chuck roast, cut into 2" cubes
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp corn starch
1 TBS water
¼ cup cream

Marinade:
1 cup Lost Planet Porter
½ cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp ground allspice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground thyme
2 medium onions, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced

Combine marinade ingredients in a large glass bowl. Add meat and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 3 days. When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade and pat dry on paper towels. Reserve marinade. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown meat on all sides. Add 1 cup of marinade. Turn heat to low, cover, and cook about 2 hours, until meat is very tender. Add reserved marinade, if necessary, to keep meat moist. Mix corn starch and water together to make a smooth paste. Remove meat to a serving dish with a slotted spoon. Stir corn starch mixture into pan gravy. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until gravy is thickened. Add cream and blend well. Pour over meat. The traditional garnish for this stew is sour gherkins. Serve with boiled potatoes and consider an Ale, Bock, Porter, or a Stout for your beverage of choice.

Source: Great Cooking with Beer; Jack Erickson; Red Brick Press, Reston, VA, 1989.

Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm

Coach: Can I draw you a beer, Normie?
Norm: No, I know what they look like. Just pour me one.

TRUE BREW FACTS

AMERICAN BREWER - Reuters reports that the Australian sex industry is cleaning up its act and seeks a ban on the export of bulls' penises to Asia, where they are prized as an aphrodisiac. One Australian meat company alone, Tenor PTA, has flown 8,000 frozen bull pee pees to China. Typically, the penises are boiled for soup or ground into a fine penis erectus powder. So now you're wondering, "just what the "H" "E" double hockey sticks all this has to do with beer. Well...to make full use of the Torro's manlihood, the industry has been converting the scrotum sac into insulators for slipping over the base of cold beer cans. "We've dried about 1000 scrotums for beer cans," said Tenarra's Fred MacDonald, "and they make great Christmas presents. They're quite nice to touch." Do you suppose Fred knew the tape recorder was on when he said that?

KLOS RADIO - Certain remote Malaysian villages wash their infants in beer to discourage against disease. So Body on Tap wasn't such a new concept after all.

BEER TRIVIA - In old England, when a brewster or ale wife had brewed a new batch of beer, she would post a broomstick over her doorway to advertise the fact to the public.

BREW LINGO

Bragot - An ancient Welsh drink consisting of beer, honey and cinnamon.

Dry Hop - The addition of dry hops to fermenting beer to increase its aroma.

Jungbukett - German word describing unpleasant smelling green beer.

Jungfrauenbecher - A German festive drinking cup manufactured in the 16th century and 17th century depicting a young lady in a long bell-shaped skirt holding a pivoting basket over her head. When the figure is inverted, the woman's skirt forms a first bowl and the pivoting basket forms a second, smaller one. Such cups were used at wedding feasts where the groom was expected to drink from the larger bowl, without spilling the contents of the smaller one which he passed to the bride.

Lautering - The process of separating the spent grains from the sweet wort with a straining apparatus. From the German lauter meaning clarifying.

Tuplak - In Czechoslovakia, a boot-shaped glass used on festive occasions and at beer drinking contests.

Waipiro - A Maori word meaning "stinking water" used by that people to describe a brew prepared by Captain James Cook at Dusky Sound, New Zealand, in 1773. This beer was made by boiling the small branches of the manuka and the rimu tree (which he describes as spruce and tea plants) for three hours and adding molasses and yeast.

Zymology - The science or study of fermentation. Syn: Zymurgy.

Look At Red Ales
By Alex Puchner

So what is a Red Ale, anyway? You could argue that the style originated in Belgium in the province of West Flanders. This region is known for its complex sweet and sour beer which is Burgundy red in color. The best of these red beers is Rodenbach, which is aged in oak caskets and can only be described as a masterpiece in the world of beer. But the Flemish red beers are so unique that they bear little resemblance to the "red ales" that are currently taking the American Microbrewing Industry by storm.

A much closer cousin to American red ales originated in North Ireland where a number of small breweries were known for their malty red-colored ales. Although red ales have largely disappeared in Ireland, one of its breweries licensed its name to the Coors Brewing Company which has been marketing George Killian's Red in this country for many years. So perhaps we can give Coors credit for starting the American red ale renaissance in spite of the fact that their product is one of the blander interpretations of the style. What's important here is that the style as we know it today has been reinvented and reshaped by American microbreweries and can now be considered a uniquely American style.

Then what are the characteristics of an "American Red Ale"? This is not an easy question. Keep in mind that the style is still evolving without any "classics" in the category for brewers to use as a model. So microbrewers' interpretations run the gamut from bland to flavorful and malty sweet to hop bitter and everything in between. Many so-called "red" ales aren't even close to being red in color. But if you examine some of the better red ales on the market you will find some common characteristics. Obviously, a red ale shouldn't be amber or orange or brown in color, but rather should have a strikingly beautiful ruby or Burgundy red hue. It follows that it is this red color that defines its malt profile -- a rich caramel maltiness that includes slightly roasted and sometimes toasted overtones. Because of this malt intensity, red ales are typically medium-bodied and many are aggressively hopped to balance the malty sweetness.

Another way to look at American Red Ale as a style is to view it as a logical extension of the American Pale Ale/Amber Ale category. Specifically, American Red Ales lean toward a more intense malt character, while retaining the assertive hopping rate that is so characteristic of American Pale Ales and Amber Ales. But it should be noted that there are a number of excellent American Red Ales that offer a more "Irish" interpretation of the style which is less aggressively hopped to highlight the malt character of the beer. Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club has selected three exceptional red ales which will allow you to see for yourself how different brewmasters interpret this increasingly popular style.

About the Author: Alex Puchner is a certified AHA beer judge and has been a brewmaster for both the Huntington Beach Beer Co. and the Laguna Beach Brewing Co. He received his masters in Beer Appreciation in 1986 at the University of Chicago, teaches ongoing classes on beer appreciation at the brewpubs, and recently won a silver medal in the American Pale Ale category at the country's largest annual beer recognition event, The Great American Beer Festival.

By the way, he is also one of our beer judges scanning all of the beer samples we get to help us pick the best ones for our beer-of-the-month-club subscribers!

CALIFORNIA HOMEBREW SUPPLY STORES LISTING

If you live in California and want to start brewing, heres where to get started!

Northern California Home Brewing Supply Stores

• Anderson, The Beverage Company, 916-347-5475
• Arcata, Arcata Coop, 811 I Street
• Belmont, Bucket Of Suds, 317 Old County Rd., 415-637-9844
• Berkeley, Oak Barrel Inc., 1443 San Pablo Ave., 510-849-0400
• Colfax, Beer Makers of America, 15 South Main, 800-655-5682
• Danville, Hop Tech, PO Box 2172, 800-379-4677
• Hopland, MCC Brewing Supply, 800-392-7129
• Los Altos, Ferm. Frenzy, 991 N. San Antonio Rd, 415-941-9289
• Martinez, Fantastic Fermentations, 800-774-2739
• Modesto, Modesto Homebrew Supply, 800-297-2739
• Napa, Napa Ferm. Supplies, 724 California Blvd., 800-242-8585
• North Highlands, Home Brew Outlet, 916-348-6322
• Sacramento, R&R Ferm. Supplies, 8385 Jackson Rd, 916-383-7702
• San Francisco, Home Brew Company, 2328 Taraval St.
• San Francisco, Yeasty Brew Unlimited, 338 5th Ave.
• San Jose, Beer Makers of America, 1040 North 4th, 408-288-6647
• San Jose, Fermentation Settlement, 1211 C Kentwood ·
• San Leandro, B.R.E.W., 1965 Verna Court
• San Leandro, Williams Brewing, 510-895-2739
• San Rafael, Great Ferm. of Marin, 87 Larkspur, 800-542-2520
• Santa Rosa, Beverage People, 840 Oiner Road, #14, 800-544-1867
• Ukiah, Brew at Home, 3001 S. State St., # 1
• Valley Springs, Double Springs Homebrew, 4697 D Spring Rd.

Central California Home Brewing Supply Stores

• Ceres, Barley Home Ferm. Supply, 800-500-2739
• Fresno, Bencomo's Homebrew Supply, 209-237-5823
• Modesto, Modesto Homebrew, 1424 Carver, # G
• Pismo Beach, Doc's Cellar, 470 Price Street, 805-773-3151
• San Luis Obispo, SLO Homebrew, 805-544-2064
• Santa Cruz, Portable Potables, 1011 41st Ave.
• Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Homebrew, 408-459-0178

Southern California Home Brew Supply Stores

• Apple Valley, Homebrew Connection, 619-247-5050
• Costa Mesa, High Time Home Brew, 2602 Newport Blvd.
• Culver City, Culver City Brewing, 4358 Sepulveda Blvd.
• El Cajon, Beer and Wine Crafts, 460 Fletcher Pkwy
• Irvine, Wine of the Barley, 800-887-2739
• La Crescenta, Shadetree Shop, 3712 Foothill Blvd.
• Laguna Niguel, O'Shea Brewing Co., 714-364-4440
• Orange, Fun Ferm., 640 East Katella Ave, 714-532-6831
• Redondo Beach, Brew Buddies, 1513 Aviation Blvd.
• San Bernadino, The Home Brewery, 800-451-6258
• San Diego, American Homebrew Supply, 619-450-9746
• San Diego, Home Brew Mart, 619-295-2337
• Solana Beach, Home Brew Mart, 619-794-2739
• Thousand Oaks, Brown Bag Deli, 805-497-1366
• Torrance, South Bay Homebrew, 800-608-2739
• Woodland Hills, Home Beer Making, 22836 Ventura Blvd.

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.