Past Newsletters
Vol. 2 No. 8
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Firestone Walker Brewing Company | Double Barrel Ale |
| Coophouse Brewing Company | Honey Rose Amber Ale |
| Star Brewing Company | Imperial Stout |
Firestone Walker Brewing Company
This month, you’re in for a triple treat of three very unusual products, the first of which is produced by a family of vintners that have ventured into the brewing industry using a brewing process that has all but been abandoned to produce an exceptional beer. The Firestone family first pioneered wine-making in Santa Barbara County in the early 1970’s. In the mid-1990’s the unlikely combination of a vintner, a British ex-patriot and an adventuresome brewer proved just right for resurrecting an ancient brewing system which would reestablish the old connection between brewing and winemakeing.
Instead of using stainless steel tanks, Firestone Walker uses individual 60-gallon oak wine barrels for fermentation and conditioning. Why go through all the bother? The improved palate, hop maturity, unique flavors and aromas imparted by the oak barrels all add up to a beer of intriguing complexity. The technical advantages of the Double Barrel Union process are the bright beer, stable, consistent fermentations, good attenuation, and excellent, healthy pitching yeast. Firestone Walker uses a 40 barrel Brewhouse and a custom designed linked oak barrel fermentation system to brew Double Barrel Ale. Brewmaster Jeffers Hazen Richardson studied at UC Davis and assumed the role of Brewmaster at four different California breweries prior to joining Firestone Walker.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (805) 688-3940 or check out their web site at www.firestonewalker.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 13.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Double Barrel Ale is a double vessel fermented, British Style Ale brewed with a combination of two-row Pale, Munich, Caramel, Crystal, and British pale malts. The brewery uses East Kent Golding (England), Styrian Golding (Slovenia) and Magnum (Yakima Valley) hops as one way to balance this beers malty profile. An English Ale Yeast strain is used with Carranza Mesa Groundwater.
Notes From the Panel:
Immediately note a dark maltiness and fruitiness in the nose. Look for great head retention in this filtered, very amber, medium-bodied beer. Double Barrel Ale starts with dark caramel flavors which carry through to a more roasted and bitter finish. Also note the slight oaky flavor in the background of the finish. Overall, an exceptionally clean, well-balanced and unique interpretation of a British Ale.
Coophouse Brewing Company
The Coophouse brewery was conceived in late 1993 by its two founders, Brian Cooper and Dr. John Allshouse whom met in a research lab at the University of Colorado’s Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Disenchanted with the employment they had procured after graduation, they started planning the brewery while drinking some of John’s homebrew, the recipe that later became their Bent Lager. Located in Broomfield, CO, the brewery produces 5 beers with their 10 barrel brewhouse. Dr. Allshouse has since left the brewery which is now operated by Mr. Cooper and only one other employee.
Coophouse is a microbrewery in the truest sense of the word. The two spent over a week bottling each and every beer that we have sent you this month. In addition to their Honey Rose Amber, the brewery produces Bent Lager, Blue Suede Brown Ale, Paramount Pale Ale, and Arcanum Lager, a Bohemian-style Pilsener.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (303) 466-3777.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 32.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.5%
Like the other two beers featured this month, Honey Rose Amber Ale is as unusual a beer as they come. It is brewed with a combination of two-row Pale, Caramel, and Munich malts. Brian uses both Chinook and Saaz hops up front their bittering characteristics. Rosehips, for those that may not know, are the crab-apple-like fruit produced by a rose plant when a flower has not been cut back after expiring. Brian uses rosehips as a brewer would use hops to dryhop the beer, by adding them after the beer has already completed fermentation.
Notes From the Panel:
: Look for a dark malty and floral hop aroma coupled with the unusual rose hip essence which lingers in the background of this beer’s nose. Note great head retention in this filtered, dark amber, medium-to-full-bodied beer. Honey Rose Amber starts out very sweet and malty, again with the fruity hop tones coming through as well. The rose hips appear in the body of the beer and continue on through the tart, dry finish. Overall, one of the more unusual interpretations of an Amber Ale we’ve ever tried. We liked it!
Star Brewing Company
The original Star Brewing company was founded in 1894 when Louis Gerlinger bought the existing Young’s Brewery in Vancouver, WA and promptly renamed it to reflect the change in product line. The brewery was sold and renamed again in 1952 and then finally closed entirely in 1985. In the summer of 1992, the brewery, like many other newly resurrected micros, was brought back to life by a small group of beer enthusiasts in Portland, OR.
The brewery began with Grant’s Ales’ 10 barrel brewhouse and upgraded to a 35 barrel brewhouse only one year after opening. In addition to the exquisite Imperial Stout that we’ve brought you this month, Star also produces a Black Cherry Stout, a spiced Christmas Ale, an IPA, a Golden Ale, and a Nut Brown Ale.
The brewery is currently undergoing still yet another transformation and is in the process of relocating to Phoenix, AZ. The Imperial Stout we’ve sent you was the last produced at the Portland site and may never be brewed as you will experience it, so enjoy! It is truly one of a kind.
Serving Temperature: 50-55° F
Original Gravity: 20.5° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 27.0
Alcohol by Volume: 9.1%
Caution: Now entering high alcohol zone! In our humble opinion, the Star Brewing Company’s most superior product by a long shot is their Imperial Stout. It’s brewed with a combination of roasted barley and two-row Pale, Munich, Crystal, Black Patent and Chocolate malts. Northern Brewery and Tettnanger hops are used up front and 60 min. into the 120 min. boil for their bittering contributions while Liberty hops are used for aroma. A Northwest Ale yeast strain is used. Beware: Serious gravity and alcohol content in this bad boy. You might want to set it aside for a couple of months as it should only improve with age.
Notes From the Panel:
Grab on to your taste buds and get set for a bombardment of intense flavor! This Imperial Stout starts our with a very rich, dark malty nose that screams sweetness and also has some roasted undertones. Note a serious head in this filtered, dark-as-it-gets, thick and big-time-full-bodied beer. The complex flavor starts out sweet and quickly heads towards a wonderful smoky and robust, intense roasted flavor. Overall, perfectly balanced, thick, wonderfully complex, yet still very drinkable. A superb Imperial Stout.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
Can you tell me what the difference is between a Microbrewery and a Brewpub?
Eric Bischoff
Yo Bisch,
The primary difference between the two as I see it, is that the odds of your pickin’ up a fee-fee to share your tasty nectar with are dramatically improved when you frequent a Brewpub. True, both places produce and serve beer, a characteristic conducive to art of conversation, seduction and/or raw passion as the case may be, but an important distinction between the two establishments is that Brewpubs are really restaurants that produce their own beer for on site consumption and therefore are more of a public and social gathering place. Microbreweries may host tours and have small tasting rooms, but do not generally served food or host large crowds of thirsty consumers on a regular basis. Their primary function is to brew, bottle and keg beer for distribution to retail stores and/or draft account, whereas a brewpub is again, first and foremost a restaurant. Some larger brewpubs, however, do in fact distribute their products as well. Am I being perfectly unclear? Hope that helps clarify the issue for ya!
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Firestone Lamb & Black Bean Chili
This month’s recipe, a serious stew-like chili, was contributed by owner Adam Firestone’s wife, Kate Firestone. You should consider serving it over a bed of white rice with the avocado salsa described, sour cream, cilantro, a crunchy green salad, French bread or soft rolled tortillas and a lemon tart for dessert! Do this and accompany it with a pint of Firestone Double Barrel Ale my friend, and you will be a happier person... and most likely quite full too.
4 cups chicken broth
5oz. dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded
3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
¼ cup plus 2 TBS olive oil
1 - 5lb. leg of lamb, boned & trimmed
2 lg. onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
12 ounces of Firestone Double Barrel Ale
1 - 28oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained
¼ cup ground pasilla chili powder
3 TBS ground cumin
5 - 15oz. cans black beans, rinsed, drained
¼ cup fresh lime juice
Avocado Salsa:
3 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, diced7 TBS fresh lime juice
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
6 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
3 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring stock to a boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add ancho chiles. Cover and let stand until soft, about 30 min. Transfer ancho chiles and 2 cups stock to processor or blender, add chipotle chiles and puree the lot of ‘em! Stir into remaining stock and set aside. Heat 1/4 cup oil in large Dutch Oven or covered pot over high heat and add lamb meat and reserved bones in batches. Cook until meat is brown about 3 min. per batch. Transfer to bowl using slotted spoon. Add remaining 2 TBS oil to Dutch oven and sauté onions and garlic for 3 min. Return meat, bones and juices accumulated in bowl to Dutch oven. Add your brew and simmer for 10 min. Have a brew. Add stock mixture, tomatoes, chili powder and cumin and simmer until lamb is tender, about 1 hr., 10 min. Mix beans and lime juice into chili. Season with salt and pepper. Mix all of your avocado ingredients in a bowl just prior to serving. Serves 8.
Note: Lamb bones add flavor to the stock. Ask the butcher to bone a Leg of Lamb and cut the bones into 2 inch pieces and the meat into 3/4 inch cubes, leaving off as much fat as possible (unless you’re into that fat thing ... which is okay).
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Sam: What’s new, Normie?
Norm: Terrorists, Sam. They’ve taken over my stomach.
They’re demanding beer.
A Salute to Oktoberfest!
The annual Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria’s beautiful capital city, is like no other fete or fair on earth, past or present -- a happy, colorful extravaganza of drinking, eating, music and celebrating with millions of people from around the world joining in on the fun and good cheer. Each year the festival takes place in the Theresienwiese meadow, two-thirds-of-a-mile long and half-a-mile wide in bustling Munich. Preparations begin some four months before opening day when the erection of huge beer tents -- that seat some 6,000 drinkers at a time -- begins. All in all, filling the grounds on opening day are hundreds of tents, refreshment stands, exciting and noisy side shows, such as fun houses and Oriental dancers, and such action-packed rides and attractions as shooting galleries, flea circuses, mile-long roller coasters, miniature auto racing tracks and gigantic merry-go-rounds. (next sentence in italics) And hopefully a small stand selling Pepto Bismol!
The first Oktoberfest, featuring horse racing, games and other amusements, was held in 1810 to celebrate the royal marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The people were so pleased with the festivities that it was decided to continue the observance annually. By 1818, booths and beer tents, which quickly became the main attraction, had been introduced and the foundation of the Oktoberfest as it is known today was firmly established.
The Lord Mayor of Munich traditionally opens the Oktoberfest. Promptly at noon on opening day, following 12 thundering salvos from the "Wies’n" cannon, he taps the first keg of beer and hoists his full stein in a toast as bands launch into stirring drinking songs and waitresses carrying half a dozen or more huge steins of beer at a time rush to serve the thirsty thousands. On opening day morning, preceding the Lord Mayor’s opening ceremony, is a parade featuring the people servicing the Oktoberfest that winds through the city streets. At the head of the procession -- and the highlight of the event-- are seven teams of six huge steeds that pull the colorfully decorated beer wagons of Munich’s breweries. The horses are called upon to pull the wagons only once a year, spending the rest of the time out in the country. Not a bad job. For the parade, they are bedecked with solid silver and handmade leather and brass harnesses that cost up to 50,000 German Marks each.
In the festive beer tents and throughout the colorful fair grounds, there is an inherent spirit of camaraderie among the merry-makers from around the world. In the tents, the elbow-to-elbow drinkers who are seated together toast each other, laugh, joke, and within minutes are acting like old friends. And when the band swings into spirited drinking songs, the drinkers lock arms and rock back and forth in unison singing happily to the rousing music. The Oktoberfest, which has been described as the "greatest people’s festival in Europe," has a 185 year history of enjoyment, merriment and unforgettable experiences for all. For more information about the Oktoberfest, contact the German National Tourist Office at: 122 East 42nd St., New York, NY 10168-0072.
Munich Oktoberfest Facts and Figures
Number of visitors: 6.5 million
Beer Consumption: 1.37 million gallons
Soft Drink Consumption: 145,000 gallons
Food Consumption:
Roasted Chickens: 750,000
Sausages: 700,000
Leg of Port: 60,000
Oxen: 80
Total tent seats: 520,000
Beer mugs stolen: 280,000
Beer mugs recovered: 108,466
Toilets: 1,194
Lost and Found: 4,950 items collected
The Great American Beer Festival Facts and Figures
Just to put things into perspective for those that attended this year’s 16th annual Great American Beer Festival and thought that it was pretty damn big, we thought we provide you with some similar facts and figures to those listed above for Munich’s Oktoberfest. In all fairness to GABF, with over 365 breweries, 37 different judged beer styles, and 1,450 different kinds of beers to sample, we’re quite confident that Denver offers variety second to none anywhere in the world.
Number of visitors: 25,000
Beer Consumption: 25,000 gallons
Soft Drink Consumption: None that we’re aware of!
Food Consumption: Lots-o-pizza and pretzels
Total attendance: 25,000
Beer mugs broken: 250
Toilets: 146
Bottle Openers: 500
Pounds of Ice Used: 175,000
Brew Lingo
Caudle - A sort of fortifying soup consisting of wine or ale, eggs, bread, sugar and spices and formerly given to the sick as well as Mr. T when training to fight Rocky whom relied simply on raw eggs.
Fruhjahrsbierfest - An annual springtime beer festival held in Munich starting on March 19, St. Joseph’s Day.
Dregs - The sediments at the bottom of a vessel.
Galopin - In France, a beer glass of a capacity of 15 centiliters. Because it is so small it is very rare and almost obsolete. Leave it to the French to design a shot glass to drink beer out of!
Withering - Blowing dry air into barley after germination is complete so as to decrease the ratio of humidity in the green malt.
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