Past Newsletters
Vol. 2 No. 11
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Devil Mountain Brewing Company | Five Malt Ale |
| Devil Mountain Brewing Company | Black Honey Ale |
| Devil Mountain Brewing Company | Railroad Golden Ale |
| Bayhawk Brewing Company | Honey Blonde Ale |
| Bayhawk Brewing Company | Amber Ale |
Devil Mountain Brewing Company
The Devil Mountain Brewing Co. first opened in 1987, operating out of an abandoned railroad station at the foot of Mount Diablo with a 7 barrel brewhouse in Walnut Creek, CA. The brewery was immediately recognized for it’s ability to create stellar products, using exotic combinations of ingredients to develop award winning recipes. In their first year of operation, the Brewery won three medals at the Great American Beer Festival, a feat only a handful of breweries have been able to repeat to this day. Their tremendous early success propelled them to upgrading the brewery to a 23 barrel brewhouse, but rising costs and increased competition forced Devil Mountain to look for ways to grow in less saturated markets which meant the need for a new, more centrally located brewery.
The brewery has recently relocated one last time to Cincinnati, OH and under the direction of its original brewmaster, Jim DeBoer, is producing three very unusual and exceptional beers, all of which we’ve included in this month’s shipment. In addition to several seasonal recipes in development, the brewery plans to introduce Iron Horse Pale Ale and Devil’s Brew Porter.
Serving Temperature: 42-47° F
Original Gravity: 13.2° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 21.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.2%
Devil Mountain’s 5 Malt Ale harnesses the sweetness of five different malts by combining 2-row pale, Caramel, Crystal, Chocolate and Black Patent malts to produce a rich, nutty texture and ruby brown color. The sweet roasted malts are balanced by the citrus-like spiciness of Cascade and Liberty hops, making this a complex, full-flavored ale. A Saccaronmyces Cerevisea yeast strain is used to produce this filtered medium-to-full bodied beer.
Notes From the Panel:
Immediately note an intense malty sweet nose with some caramel and roasted character evident. Look for good head retention in this clear, deep amber, medium-to-full bodied beer. We found a predominately malt flavor profile with some hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness which carries into the finish. Overall, a clean, extraordinarily complex combination of malts, producing a unique, very flavorful ale.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 15.4° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 28.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.3%
Jim uses a combination of 2-row pale, Caramel, unmalted Chocolate and Black Patent malts to brew his Black Honey Ale. Liberty hops are added for their bittering contributions, while Northern Brewer hops are used for their aromatic characteristics. Unique special ingredients include African Black Honey & New England Buckwheat Honey. The brewery uses a Saccaromyces Cerevisea yeast stain to produce this filtered, full-bodied ale.
Notes From the Panel:
Note a malty, fruity sweet and roasted nose up front. Immediately note a nice subtle mix of hops and slight malt aroma in this beer’s nose. Look for great head retention in this clear, dark brown, full-bodied beer. The flavor profile starts out caramelly, has a smooth, almost bittersweet toffee-like, clean middle and ends with a nice roasted finish. Overall, another very unusual, clean, flavorful ale closest to a porter in style. An excellent beer.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.1° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 25.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.1%
Here, Jim combines 2-row pale and Caramel malts. He uses primarily Chinook hops to give this ale its bitterness and then dry hops with Liberty hops which contribute to Railroad’s fruity and spicy nose. Again, Jim uses a Saccaromyces Cerevisea yeast strain. Notes From the Panel:Immediately note a very hoppy spicy and fruity nose in this clear, pale, medium-bodied beer. Great head retention. Its flavor profile begins with a malty sweetness, is slightly bitter in the middle and more so in the finish. Overall, a great balance of fruity ale character and hop spiciness in a very flavorful beer.
Bayhawk Brewing Company
Founded in 1994, the Bayhawk Brewing Co. is located in the heart of Orange County, California. The state of the art brewery consists of a 17 barrel brewhouse and eight, 50 barrel uni-tanks which are all enclosed by glass walls allowing all of the customers at the brewpub to view the brewing process. David Voohies, former homebrewer gone entrepreneur, runs the brewery while masterbrewer Jon Newman oversees the brewing process. Jon holds a degree in Microbiology from the University of California.
In addition to the two beers that we’ve featured this month, the brewery also produces 3 draft only beers, a Chocolate Porter, a Bavarian styled Hefeweizen, and their California Cerveza, described as a Mexican Ale. Bayhawk Ales celebrate the rich history of the Bayhawk Osprey in the Back Bay of Newport Beach. The brewery supports the Orange County Bird of Prey center which rehabilitates and releases over 100 raptors back into the wild every year.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (714) 442-7565 or check out their web site at www.bayhawkales.com.
Serving Temperature: 38-43° F
Original Gravity: 13.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 10.0
Alcohol by Volume: 6.0%
Bayhawk’s Honey Blonde Ale is brewed with a combination of 2-row pale, Wheat, Carapils and Munich malts. Perle hops are used up front for their bittering contributions, while Liberty and Centennial hops are added in later additions throughout the 90 min. boil for both their bittering and aromatic characteristics. The brewery uses a special local orange blossom honey to produce the beer’s unique flavor and sweetness. Jon uses a 1056 American Ale yeast strain.
Notes From the Panel:
:Immediately note a very clean, fruity nose in this clear, light golden, medium-bodied beer. Look for a sweet malt and honey flavor which carries over into a dry finish. A slight taste of wheat evident in the body. Overall, a very clean, crisp and refreshing interpretation of a Honey Blonde Ale.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 27.0
Alcohol by Volume: 6.0%
Here Jon uses a combination of 2-row pale, Caramel, Carapils, Munich, Wheat and Black Patent malts to brew Bayhawk’s Amber. Perle hops are added up front while Liberty and a healthy dose of Cascade hops are added later in the 90 min. boil giving the beer it’s hoppy aroma. Again, a 1056 American Ale yeast strain is used to brew this beer.
Notes From the Panel:
Look for a very pleasant, complex nose with malty, estery and hop spicy characteristics evident. Note good head retention in this clear, light amber, medium-bodied beer. This nicely balanced amber starts out caramelly and finishes dry and bitter with a flavorful spicy hop twang! Overall, a very flavorful and well balanced example of an American Amber Ale.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Coach: Whatcha up to Normie?
Norm: My ideal weight if I were eleven feet tall.
Panel Poo Poo
Over the course of the last 2 1/2 years our diligent panel of masterbrewers and American Homebrewing Association Judges has evaluated over 400 different U.S. microbrewed products. Many have asked, "Just how do I get on this panel?", and stated, "Sounds like a great gig." Well the fact of the matter is that just because you happen to be a microbrewer, it doesn’t necessarily mean your making a great beer. In fact, we might go so far as to say that some of them are producing some pretty nasty stuff. Over the years we’ve collected some pretty colorful comments from our panel members and would like to share some of them with you this month and perhaps again down the road from time to time. There’ll be no mention of the brewery or beer being ridiculed or slammed, just the comments themselves.
"This is BAD beer. Medicinal fusel alcohols everywhere, grainy, astringent, diacetyl evident. Need I say more?" - Bob
"This beer SUCKS! Hurl-Factor? At least a 9.5" - Tom
"About the only good thing I could say about this beer is that it’s got a nice label" - Alex
"You could use this beer for several practical purposes, say to poison rodents, make a stink bomb, or perhaps even as a rust remover, but I would highly discourage drinking it if a pleasant experience is the desired result." - Kris
"This beer makes me pucker. It’s very unpleasant."- Julius
"Grassy, Cooked Vegetables, Stale, astringent, sulfery and overall, undrinkable."- Alex
"Smells like my socks after the week I hiked the Grand Canyon" - Bob
Beer Drinkers of America
Beer Drinkers of America is a national non-profit consumer organization of 180,000 beer enthusiasts dedicated to the celebration & enjoyment of beer, whether by helping defeat beer tax increases, holding members beer appreciation parties across the country, or educating beer enthusiasts on upcoming trends and events. Beer Drinkers of America has also been successful in promoting responsibility and moderation when drinking through its consumer education program, "Party Smart". In addition to the legislative and alcohol awareness programs, they are able to keep in touch with their members through their award-winning magazine, Heads Up, (italics & underlined) which includes information on home brewing techniques among other things. Focused on the microbrewing, home and craft brewing industries, many of their summer promotional and informational programs are centered on these industries. If you would like more information on BDA, please contact their Executive Director, John Fajardo at 800-441-2337 or write to: Beer Drinkers of America, 915 L St., Ste. C-414, Sacramento, CA 95814.
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.
