Past Newsletters
Vol. 3 No. 1
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Rock'n M Brewing Company | Emigrant Red Märzen |
| Rock'n M Brewing Company | Ballard Nut Brown |
| Rainbow Ridge Brewing Company | White Ridge Wehat |
Rock'n M Brewing Company
Located in Belgrade, Montana, the Rock'n M Brewing Company began offering its beers to the public just under 2 years ago. Founder/Brewmaster, Jennifer Ballard, educated as a Microbiologist and Pharmaceutical Engineer, delved into the world of microbrewing five years ago when she developed the recipe for Black Dog Ale at the Spanish Peaks Brewing Company. Jenny has actually been involved with starting up the first 3 ever microbreweries in the state of Montana, the third being her own, the Rock'n M. The Rock'n M is actually a livestock brand that has been registered in Jefferson County Montana since 1943. Its originator, Meredith "Bud" Ballard, used the brand to signify the ranch's prize winning cattle and horses.
The brewery's current capacity is 5000 Barrels per year. Jenny uses a 7 barrel brewhouse and (4) 7 barrel open fermentation tanks to produce her unusual product line. Other products produced at Rock'n M not featured this month include Double Tree Wheat, a traditional Bavarian "Ur-Wizen" styled Beer, Branding Iron Bitter, a classic English style amber bitter, Butte Beer, a light-bodied Pilsener, and Highlander Premium, an American Lager. The recipies for a Dortmund Export and a Belgian Wheat are in the works.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (406) 388-2007.
Serving Temperature: 38-43° F
Original Gravity: 12.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: N/A
Alcohol by Volume: 5.1%
Emigrant Red is a Märzen style beer brewed with a combination of Montana grown two row pale, Munich, Carastan, and Crystal malts. Northern Brewer hops are added up front during the 120 minute boil while tettnang hops are added next primarily for their bittering contributions. Hallertau hops are added last to add to Emigrant's aromatic Profile. A Bohemian Lager yeast strain is used and the beer is fremented in open tanks.
Notes From the Panel:
Immediately note a malty nose true to style with some caramel, hop characteristic and esters also evident. Look for good head retention in this amber, clear, medium-bodied beer. We found a very rich maltiness and a complex caramel flavor which ended slightly bitter. Overall, a very clean, flavorful interpretation of a great spring beer.
Serving Temperature: 48-53° F
Original Gravity: 14.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: N/A
Alcohol by Volume: 6.1%
Ballard Nut Brown is indeed an unusual beer, described by the brewer as a light interpretation of a dopplebock, our panel found it to be much more of an excellent representation of a porter! Two very different styles. In any case, it is brewed with a combination of two row pale, Carastan, Crystal, Chocolate,a nd roasted barley malts. Jenny adds Chinook and Northern Brewer hops up front during the 120 minute boil for their bittering characteristics. Tettnang hops are added last for their aromatic contributions. A Bohemian Lager yeast strain is used.
Notes From the Panel:
We thought that Ballard Nut Brown was a much better representation of a Porter than a Dopplebock. The first thing you'll pick up is a very roasted, rich and clean nose indicative of a porter. Look for good head retention in this very dark, clear, medium-bodied beer. The flavor profile, as the nose would indicate is also very roasted, crisp and flavorful. Overall, an excellent, tasty, clean beer.
Rainbow Ridge Brewing Company
Founded on August 2, 1994 by owner Steven Bender, The Rainbow Ridge Brewing Co. is the byproduct of a man whose background in beer had been previously focused on the marketing and distribution of large-brewer, mainstream products. Steve was then converted towards the "micro" way of doing things after enjoying his first Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Brewmaster John Barrett graduated from U.C. Davis with a masters in the Science of Fermentation in 1969 and has won more Gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival than any other brewer in the country. All of Rainbow's bottled products are covered with an organic colored paint which allow virtually no UV light penetration, effecitvely maintaining their freshness. Rainbow also produces Red Ridge Ale, an amber ale and Blue Ridge Lager, a German amber lager. Steve plans to introduce Black Ridge Porter in the fall.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (714) 631-6036.
Serving Temperature: 35-40° F
Original Gravity: 11.8° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 13.0
Alcohol by Volume: 3.8%
White Ridge Wheat is an American Wheat style beer with a combination of two row pale malts and malted wheat. Yakima Clusters are used in two additions during the 60 minute boil to add to White Ridge's bitterness profile and Willamette hops are also added twice near the end of the boil for their aromatic contributions. A lager yeast strain is used in this lightly filtered, slightly cloudy beer. You might want to try this beer with a slice of lemon as many wheat style beers are served throughout Europe.
Notes From the Panel:
Note a slightly fruity, clean and well balanced nose up front. Look for great head retention in this light pale, slightly cloudy, medium-bodied beer. We found this American Wheat to have a tart, thirst quenching quality making it an extremely refreshing session beer. Overall, an excellent, well-balanced,clean-American Wheat.
Styles Featured This Month
American Wheat
American Wheats are typically brewed with 30 to 50 percent wheat, can use either ale or lager yeast strains, and have higher hop rates and lower carbonation than trational German-style Wheat Beers. A fruity-estery aroma and flavor is typical but at low levels; however, Phenolic, clove-like characteristics should not be perceived. Color is usually golden to light amber, and the body should be light to medium in character. Diacetyl should be at very low levels. Try an American Wheat with Onion Rings, risotto, cream of potato soup, shrimp or crawfish bisque, or chile relleno!
Porter
Porter's were originally brewed in Britain back in the early 1700's and were known as "entire" because they combined the characteristics of several different beers of the time. Because this beer became popular with porters nearby, they became known by the same name. Porter and the similar Stout style became known throughout the world especially wherever the British Empire was established. Many foreign beers are still patterned after this style. Porters are mild to dark brown in color and range in flavor from bitter to sweet. The roast malt flavor and aroma character should be evident and can vary from an assertively strong (but not stringent) character to suggestively mild. Hop flavor and aroma may vary from being negligible to medium in character. Try a Porter with venison or Thai beef salad.
Märzen
Märzens are characterized by a medium body and broad range of color, can range from golden to reddish-brown, and should have a sweet maltiness dominating slightly over a clean, hop bitterness. Their malt character should be toasted and pronounced, while their hop aroma and flavor should be low but noticeable. Fruity esters are minimal, if perceived at all. Foods that complement Märzens include potatoes, fennel-spiced sausages, Italian sausages, pizza, spit-roasted chicken, or pork stew.
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