Past Newsletters
Vol. 3 No. 7
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Whistler Brewing Company | Mother's Pale Ale |
| Reno Brewing Company | Ponderosa Pale Ale |
| Airship Brewing Company | Airship Pale Ale |
Pale Ale Style Comparison
This month we've brought you an exceptional style comparison of 3 very different pale ales. Generally speaking, pale ales are golden to copper in color, have high hop bitterness in both the flavor and aroma, and are low to medium in maltiness. Pale ales tend to have a rather broad interpretation range which is why we've elected to choose that style for a style comparison shipment. Enjoy!
Whistler Brewing Company
In addition to mastering the bumps and powder, The Whistler Brewing Co. also takes advantage of being located in North America's No.1 Ski Resort by obtaining only the highest quality spring water from the Whistler mountains. The brewery is one of just a few in Canada to use traditional, German copper brew kettles to produce their award-winning line of beers. We are extremely pleased to be able to include their exceptional pale ale as our first Canadian-featured product.
Whistler also produces Black Tusk Ale, a very dark, almost porter-like, bitter ale, Whistler Premium Lager, a Bavarian-styled, full-bodied, pleasantly hoppy lager, and Avalanche Pilsner, a lighter-bodied, slightly bitter, delicate pils with a dry finish. The brewery has plans to introduce a winter beer brewed with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove and ginger. Brewery tours are available Tuesday through Saturday, from 2 p.m. onward.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (604) 438-BEER.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 11.8° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Note: I also have a picture of the original Painting of "Whister's Mother" that I'd like to put side by side of the label for a "Pre-Ale" and "Post-Ale" comparison. It might come as a surprise to anyone appreciating the colorful image featured on the label of Mother's Pale Ale that the beer's name and label design were both inspired by the 1872 James McNeill Whistler's portrait of his mother, "Whistler's Mother". It would seem that Mama, as the brewer's affectionately refer to her, has busted out of her rocking chair and reinvented her self image after being introduced to this great American Pale Ale.
Mother's Pale Ale is brewed with primarily Canadian pale malts and the remainder, English Carastan malts. Cascade and Willamette hops are added throughout the 90 minute boil for both aromatic and bittering contributions. Mother is a bottom-fermented pale ale, brewed with a proprietary yeast strain.
Notes From the Panel:
This pale ale has a great nose in which cascade hops with a estery maltiness evident. Note a light copper color, clear appearance and an average head on this clean and fresh, medium-bodied beer. The flavor has a fantastic character to it with caramel malt and floral hop tones up front and a medium-bitter finish. The best balanced of the three. Overall, a superb American Pale Ale.
Reno Brewing Company
Although Reno's East Fourth Street is known today for the recent controversy over topless entertainment establishments and its many meandering harlots, older Renoites recall the area as their city's premier industrial section and site of the original Reno Brewing Company which opened in 1903. The brewery produced beers such as Sierra Malt Lager, Malt Rose, and Royal Lager and grew over the course of nearly 45 years to a production capacity of over 40,000 barrels per year.
The Reno Brewing Co. was able to survive Nevada prohibition acts by producing near beer, seltzers, soda waters, tonics and fruit-flavored soft drinks. It could not, however, recover from the lack of brewing grains, bottles, bottle tops and other needed supplies that were an inevitable resultant of WW II and the brewery closed in 1948. The name has been fully revived as partners Kirk Ellern and Dave Pierson introduced Ponderosa Pale Ale under the Reno Brewing Co. name in 1993. Wolfpack Wheat, a lighter, American-style wheat was added to the product line soon thereafter and Kirk, whom formulated the existing beer recipes, is now developing several seasonal beers as well.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (702) 322-BREW
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 13.3° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 38.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.6%
Reno uses 94% 6-row pale malt and 6% caramelized malt to brew Ponderosa, which is categorized as a British Pale Ale. Chinook hops are added 10 minutes into the 90 minute boil primarily for adding a slight bitterness to the beer, while Cascade hops are added at 3 separate intervals for both their aromatic and bittering contributions.
Notes From the Panel:
Immediately note a sweet floral hoppy and estery nose, almost perfumy. Look for a pale color and good head retention in this filtered, medium-bodied beer. Note a caramel/malt sweetness at the start, a nice hop flavor in the middle, and a hop bitter finish in this nicely balanced, sweet, and clean beer. Overall, an excellent, clean and bitter pale ale, not as bold or complex as Whistler or Airship, yet perhaps the bitterest of the three.
Airship Brewing Company
The Airship Brewing Co. seeks to capture an era in American history when women and men were pioneers and adventure was a way of life. Their love of freedom was exemplified by their actions, as well as their inventions. Aviation took on a whole new meaning: not only did it literally shrink a vast nation, it immortalized such trailblazers as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart.
World war II created heroes the world had never witnessed before, and the skies were filled with airmen attempting the impossible with such aircraft appropriately named Mustangs, A-26 Invaders, Avengers, and Hellcats. The Airship Brewing Co. salutes these heroes and pioneers and dedicates Airship Ale to those who cherished freedom, integrity, and adventure. (Editorial Commentary: As a side note, it's also a damn good beer! Best enjoyed after reciting the pledge of allegiance while holding your pint glass over your heart.)
The Airship Brewing Company's President and Founder, Rick Craig, has been a part of the brewing industry for over 17 years now and been involved with the launching of such products as Corona, Moosehead, Henry Weinhard, Guinness Draught, and Pilsner Urquell, to name a few. Having a complete understanding on how to "do it big", he now welcomes the challenge of creating a line of superior microbrewed products which has been kicked off with the beer that we bring you this month.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (714) 443-1365.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 39.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Brewmaster Mark Mericle uses primarily 2-row pale malts as well as a proprietary combination of caramel and crystal malts to brew Airship, which is categorized as a California Pale Ale. Cascade and Nugget hops are added 15 min. and 1 hr. into the 90 minute boil to give the beer its bitter characteristics. Airship is dry-hopped with 3, count 'em, 3 different hops which explains its complex aromatic profile. Mark dry-hops with Cascade, Willamette and Chinook hops and uses an unusual American Ale yeast strain that provides low residual sugars and a well balanced ale fruitiness. This beer oozes hops!
Notes From the Panel:
Again, notice a prominent nose, to the extent that it must be dry hopped, which seems to be predominately Cascade hops. Note a deep golden color, a clear appearance, and an excellent head on this medium-bodied beer. Airship has a slightly sweet start, though nothing like Ponderosa, a powerful hop flavor, and a lingering bitter hop finish. Note a smooth rounded malt flavor in the background. Perhaps the bitterest of the three. We liked it! Overall, an excellent example of a California Pale Ale.
Food For Thought...
Mother's Airship Ponderosa Ale & Egg Bread
As the holidays draw near, what better way to celebrate them than by enjoying great food and great beer, preferably at the same time! As most of you undoubtedly have pre-selected holiday meal main courses that rarely break genetic tradition, we opted to select a recipe this month that complements any homemade meal. This is a fantastic all-round bread, moist, finely textured, and replete with the essence of beer. The dough is easily formed into braids or dinner rolls. With three different pale ales to choose from, you're either going to have to choose between them or do some serious bakin'!
- 7-8 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons dry yeast
- 1 cup warmed Pale Ale
- 1 cup warmed water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup dry powdered milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 egg white beaten with 1 tbspn. warmed honey
In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour and dry yeast. Pour the warm beer and water over, and whisk thoroughly. Allow to rest in a warm, draft-free spot for 15-20 minutes. Whisk in sugar, powdered milk, oil, eggs, and salt. Stir in remaining flour one cup at a time, using your hands when dough becomes heavy and stop when it pulls easily away from the sides of the bowl. Knead vigorously, adding only enough flour to prevent dough from sticking to your hands or the bowl. When dough is smooth and elastic, coat the inside of a lg. bowl with 1 tbspn. vegetable oil. Press the ball of dough into the bowl and turn it over, coating the entire surface with oil. Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled and then punch down, divide in half, and allow to rest 5 min., covered. To shape into loaves, coat an area of the counter with a few drops of oil. Pat dough into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle. Starting at the narrow end, roll firmly but gently into a cylinder. Do not stretch the dough. Pinch ends and turn them under toward the seam side. Forcefully slam the dough onto the counter, seam-side down, 2 or 3 times to seal and remove lg. air bubbles. Place loaves seam-side down in generously greased loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise until doubled. Gently and generously brush tops with glaze. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min. or until tops are golden and bottoms are browned.
Source: The Great American Beer Cookbook; Candy Schermerhorn; Brewers Publications, 1993.
True Brew Facts
CHICAGO TRIBUNE - Another touchdown for Sweetness! Hall of fame running back Walter Payton hopes to renovate the 138-yr.-old Aurora Roundhouse in Aurora, IL and turn it into the Walter Payton Roundhouse Complex, a multi-use entertainment facility including a microbrewery. Among the planned products: Payton Pilsner.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Woody: Can I pour you a draft, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: A little early, isn't it Woody?
Woody: For a beer?
Norm: No, for stupid questions.
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