Past Newsletters
Vol. 3 No. 6
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Brewski's Brewing Company | Holiday Salute |
| Rockies Brewing Company | Boulder Igloo Ale |
Brewski's Brewing Company
The original Brewski's Bar Room was founded in lower Manhattan, N.Y. nearly 20 years ago and distinguished itself by offering the world's largest selection of both domestic and international brews. In 1992, Brewski's patrons made it clear that they wanted the company to brew its own pre-prohibition style lagers and ales. Over the following two years, the company developed its own proprietary yeast strain and formulated numerous house recipes that have since won them multiple awards at several prestigious beer festivals including two at The Great American Beer Festival. In addition to Brewski's Holiday Salute, the brewery also produces their Bar Room ale, a classic English Brown Ale, Bar Room Blonde, a German style Lager, Bar Room Honey Red, a top fermented Amber Ale, and Billy Goat Bock, a stronger, higher alcohol content seasonal lager.
The Brewski's Brewing Co. recently opened a brewpub at 73 Pier Ave., in Hermosa Beach, CA. The 15 barrel brewhouse currently brews all of the award winning Bar Room Ales and Lagers, along with several specialty brews.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (310) 322-1000.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 14.2° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.4%
Brewski'sHoliday Salute is a very complex, dark winter brew. Brewed primarily with two-row pale malts with the remainder a combination of crystal, Munich, and chocolate malts. Brewer's Gold hops are added for their bittering contributions while cascade hops are used for both bittering and enhancing Igloo's aromatic profile. Notes From the Panel: This Christmas beer has a sophisticated, malty, nutty and slightly roasted nose.
Look for excellent head retention in this medium-bodied, clear, deep amber ale. As the nose would indicate, Holiday Salute's flavor offers a complex malt profile hinting of brown sugar. Also note a trace of spices coming through in the middle and a dry, roasted finish. Overall, a very interesting and flavorful interpretation of a winter ale.
Rockies Brewing Company
Founded by two homebrewers on a farm near Longmont, CO in 1979 and currently the oldest operating microbrewery in the United States, the Rockies Brewing Co. is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado. Since new owners Gina Day and Diane Greenlee took over the brewery and reformulated the product line with the assistance of David Zuckerman in 1990, the brewery has grown at an impressive 600 %, placing it #221 on Inc. Magazine's List of the 500 Fastest Growing Private businesses.
The brewery's mainstay award-winning product line has received 2 Gold and 2 Silver medals at the Great American Beer Festival and includes an extra pale ale, porter, nut brown, premium ale, amber ale, stout, golden ale, and a red ale. In addition to Boulder Igloo Ale, the brewery also produces several other seasonal beers including Boulder Cliffhanger Ale, Boulder Fall Fest, and Boulder Flatirons Extra Special Bitter.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (303) 448-8448 or check out their web site at www.boulderbeer.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 27.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
Rockies uses a combination of two-row pale and Baird's crystal malts to produce this medium-bodied red ale. Nugget hops are added at the beginning of the 90 minute boil primarily their bittering contribution, while Willamette hops are added in the middle of the boil for both bitterness and aroma. David uses Cascade hops in the whirlpool to give Igloo its subtle, hoppy nose. He uses a proprietary yeast strain and won't divulge what secret spices are used during the boil to give this red ale its Christmas zing!
Notes From the Panel:
Immediately note a full caramel and slightly hoppy nose with a roasted background in this clear, dark amber, medium-bodied ale. We picked up a toffee flavor throughout as well as traces of cinnamon and nutmeg and a roasted bitterness at the finish. It seemed to be more of a brown ale or ESB than a red. Overall, a great combination of malts, hops and spices in this very seasonal Christmas Ale.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
I've actually got two separate questions for you, if you can fit it in your busy schedule of gnawing on rawhide and lapping up your no doubt complimentary shipments from Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club. I've recently moved to Texas and have noticed that Longneck bottles are far more prevalent here than anywhere else in the country. Can you shed any insight as to why this may be? Secondly, and not related in anyway whatsoever, what's the difference between "cold-filtered" and "draft" beers?
Betsy Schmeling
Fort Worth,
Texas
Dear Bets,
Does my acute canine sense of smell detect an air of attitude with your opening statement? I do a lot around here. Product research and Quality Assurance are two areas I take damn seriously. And by the by, let's get one thing straight. Not only do I get a complimentary subscription, I get pallets of beer ... to my bowl ... when I want it ... and served in my favorite stein cause I am the Main Mutt (main mutt in bold) at Corporate if you get my meaning. So, what was your question again? Sorry, you got me all frothy here. Texas. Longnecks. Right. On the longneck thing, I really have no idea, however I suspect that it's some kinda phallic, cowboy-related subliminal deal suggestive of one's manliness. On your other inquiry, all beers are cold when they are filtered. Cold-filtered implies "fresh", and naturally draft beer means "very fresh". Both are really no more than slick marketing terms used by the big boyz to woo the general public into consuming mass quantities of their otherwise lack-luster products.
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Grilled Igloo Eggplant with Tamarind Beer Sauce
This fabulous eggplant dish is exceptional served with fresh pasta. Don't be shy about experimenting if you are unfamiliar with tamarind. Its unique, piquant flavor is well worth trying.
- 2 medium eggplants
- 4 cups water with 1/4 cup salt
- 1/4 cup flavored oil (see notes)
Tamarind Beer Sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded, and coarsely chopped
- ½ small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped and mashed
- 1/3 cup Tamarind Beer Syrup (see below)
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1-inch piece of ginger, sliced thinly
- ½ teaspoon Thai red curry paste Tamarind Beer Syrup
- 1 cup Boulder Igloo Ale
- 1 cup water 1 cup sugar
- 5 peeled tamarinds or ½ cup tamarind pulp
Cut stem end off of eggplants. Slice into 1-inch rounds and place in salted water. Soak for 15 minutes to remove any bitterness. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Brush on both sides with flavored oil and let stand while heating the grill and preparing the sauce. In a large heavy skillet heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-low. When hot, add red bell pepper, onion, shallots, and garlic, cooking just until soft and transparent (do not brown). Add the Tamarind-Beer Syrup, ginger, and curry paste. Continue to cook until thick and chunky. Remove from heat and cover. Grill eggplant on medium-high until golden and soft when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately with the Tamarind-Beer Sauce.
Note: Flavored oil can be made by heating oil on low and adding one of the following: mashed garlic, shallot, dried chili pod, or annatto seed. Cover and set aside for a few hours.
Source: The Great American Beer Cookbook; Candy Schermerhorn; Brewers Publications, 1993.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Sam: What'll ya have, Norm?
Norm: Well, I'm in a gambling mood, Sammy. Just give me whatever
comes out of that tap.
Sam: Oh, looks like beer, Norm.
Norm: Call me Mister Lucky.
True Brew Facts
BUSINESS WEEK - Are you an "Average" American? Got some scary news for you if you think you are. Business Week reports that an average American will drink 20,300 bottles of beer during his or her lifetime. That's equivalent to two bottles of beer a day for 28 years. For those who are concerned that they may be "below average", we're introducing our new keg of the month club in the near future.
AMERICAN HOMEBREWERS ASSOC. - The AHA reports that homebrewers in the U.S. brew about 8 gallons of beer a month. Incidentally, they've also informed us that 95% of homebrewers in the U.S. are men. What's up ladies?
YORK UNIVERSITY - The world's strongest beer, Uncle Igor's Famous Falling Over Water, brewed by the Ross Brewery in Bristol, U.K., is 17.3% alcohol by volume. Holy Bat-Buzzes Batman! The most expensive beer ever sold on first offer from the brewery (as opposed to aged, rare, collector, and vintage specimens) is Samuel Adam's Triple Bock which at one time went for $100 for a case of 24, six ounce bottles.
Famous Beer Slogans
Beer is as old as history - Anheuser Busch
Brew with a head of its own - Narragansett Brewing Co.
Guinness & Oysters are Good for you - Guinness
America deserves better head - Murl
The Prince of Ales - Anheuser Busch
We'll rest our case on a case - Liebmann Breweries
Lunch time is Guinness Time - Guinness
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.
