Past Newsletters
Vol. 3 No. 5
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| El Toro Brewing Company | Poppy Jasper Amber Ale |
| El Toro Brewing Company | El Toro Oro Golden Ale |
| El Toro Brewing Company | El Toro IPA |
| Copperhead Brewing Company | Copperhead Red Ale |
Leading Experts Discover:
Microbrewed Beer An Aphrodisiac!
Beer for Valentine’s Day? Technically...Hops are flowers, and they taste a helluva lot better than them too! You’ve tried spontaneity. You’ve tried sincerity. So why not try beer? What better way to put a spark in that budding romance than to fuel it with a monthly infusion of high-alcohol-content microbrews! If not for you, think of friends that it might appeal to and make sure that they mention your name for your referral credit. Every two you refer will earn you a complimentary month’s shipment.
El Toro Brewing Company
Morgan Hill, CA, whose unusual combination of primary agricultural products have long since included simply garlic, mushrooms, and Christmas trees, welcomed a new and equally unique product in April of 1994 when the El Toro Brewing Co. began brewing. It was the first brewery to open in south Santa Clara County since 1919, when the Gilroy brewery closed after 50 years of operation. The El Toro Brewing Co., named after a nearby mountain of the same name, is a very small, family-run operation founded by Geno and Cindy Acevedo. Geno, a former aeronautical engineer at McDonnell Douglas Corp., saw more promise in the brewing industry than what the future held in aerospace.
The brewery uses a 17 barrel brewhouse, 2 primary fermenters (one open), and three secondary fermenters. In addition to the three beers that we’ve sent you this month, the brewery also produces the following seasonals: William Jones Wheat, Lake Anderson Lager, Kick Ace Barleywine, El Toro Peach Ale, El Toro Black Raspberry Ale, El Toro Cherry Stout and Brewmaster’s Brown Ale.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (408) 778-BREW.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Named after a type of quartz found only in Morgan Hill, Poppy Jasper is a full bodied American Extra Special Bitter (E.S.B.) style beer brewed with a combination of 2-row pale, Carastan, Dark Crystal and Wheat malts. Geno uses Galena hops to bitter the beer, Liberty hops for their aromatic contributions, and Cascade hops for both bittering and aroma during the 90 minute boil. A high flocculating English yeast strain is used which means the yeast clumps or flocs together and drops to the bottom of the fermentation tanks quickly. Poppy Jasper won the Gold in the E.S.B.\Amber Ale category at the 1995 CA Beer Festival.
Notes From the Panel:
This E.S.B. has a complex malty, caramelly, floral, and slightly roasted nose. We also detected an estery tone to the nose. Look for nice head retention in this medium-to-full-bodied, clear, copper-colored amber ale. Note an assertive, but not overbearing hop character and nice caramel malt sweetness in the body of this very flavorful beer. Overall, an excellent E.S.B. with a complex and inviting profile.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
El Toro Oro, the Brewery’s flagship beer took the Gold in the Classic English Pale Ale Category at the 1994 Great American Beer Festival when the brewery was only 7 months old! It is brewed with 2-row pale and Carastan malts and fermented again with a high flocculating English yeast strain. Here Geno uses Galena and Cascade hops to bitter the beer and Liberty hops both during the boil and afterwards to give Oro its aromatic hop profile.
Notes From the Panel:
Look for a pleasant hop floral aroma with some esters evident in the nose of this pale, clear, medium-to-light-bodied golden ale. The flavor is similar to Poppy Jasper in that it offers both malty sweetness and floral hop characteristics, however Oro finishes with a mild bitterness. Overall, a fantastic, clean interpretation of an English Pale Ale. Well deserving of the Gold at the GABF.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Toro’s IPA (India Pale Ale) is brewed with 2-row pale and Carastan malts with a strong English yeast strain. Geno uses a healthy dose of Columbus hops in one addition during the 90 minute boil and then dry hops with both Columbus and Liberty hops to give his IPA its aggressive hop profile. Notes From the Panel: This beer is a nose party! As a great IPA should, we found this one to have an intense, floral hoppy nose. We also picked up a bit of citrus and some esters underneath.
Notes From the Panel:
Note excellent head retention in this clear, pale-to-amber, medium-bodied IPA. Look for a malty sweetness up front, an almost overwhelming hop flavor in the body, and a medium hop bitterness in the finish. Overall, a true IPA. Very flavorful hop profile. Loved it.
Copperhead Brewing Company
Founded Jim Jenkins in 1994, the Copperhead Brewing Co. began to bottle its products just six months ago. Jim led with his Pale Ale and last month introduced his Red Ale to the family line-up. He started out down a similar career path to Samuel Adam’s Jim Koch by working for a large L.A. management consulting firm after graduating from U.C. Berkeley. It only took Jenkins one year of corporate life to conclude that he should turn his homebrewing passion into a full-time career. Jim teamed up with noted brewing consultant Marty Velas to formulate the recipes for his two existing products and plans to introduce both a Pilsener and Wheat in 1996.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (800) 605-4ALE.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Copperhead uses a combination of two-row pale, Munich, Honey, Caramel, and Carastan malts to brew their red ale. Jim uses 48% Cluster hops towards the beginning of the 60 minute boil for their bittering contributions and 52% Willamette hops at the end of the boil to give Copperhead Red it’s aromatic profile. Copperhead uses a proprietary yeast strain. Notes From the Panel: Look for a complex, malty nose with faint traces of hops, true to style.
Notes From the Panel:
Note good head retention in this clear, amber-red, medium-to-light-bodied beer. We found a pronounced maltiness up front with some roasted tones underneath in this well-balanced red. Overall, a very clean and smooth interpretation of a Red Ale.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Coach: How’s a beer sound, Normie?
Norm: I dunno. I usually finish them before they get a word
in.
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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!)
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