Past Newsletters
Vol. 4 No. 8
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Rockford Brewing Company | Rockford Golden Lager |
| Rockford Brewing Company | Rockford India Pale Ale |
| Rockford Brewing Company | Rockford Irish Red Ale |
| Dock Street Brewing Company | Bohemian Pilsner |
| Dock Street Brewing Company | Illuminator Double Bock |
Rockford Brewing Company
Located in Wilmington, Delaware, The Rockford Brewing Company is Delaware’s first microbrewery to produce bottled and draft beer since 1952. Founder/Brewmaster, Marty Haugh, not only spearheaded the movement to pass legislation allowing for a microbrewery within the state, but was the first to take advantage of the amended laws when he opened the brewery in June of 1995. A native to Wilmington, Haugh spent most of his professional life working for a large mechanical and electrical contracting company.
A graduate of Siebel’s Brewing Studies Program and veteran homebrewer, Marty also fine-tuned his brewing skills as an apprentice brewer at both the Chicago Brewing Co. and the Niagara Brewing Co. before formulating his own recipes. A somewhat fanatical homebrewer for over a decade prior to founding the brewery, Haugh often roasted his own grains and put his engineering skills to use by building a ½ barrel personal brewhouse and 1-barrel fermenter. Now playing with some manly-man-sized toys, his 25 barrel brewhouse utilizes a steam jacketed mash tun and steam heated kettle, five, 50-barrel fermenters, and two 100-barrel bright beer tanks. The brewery currently produces 3 bottled products and you’re going to try them all this month. In addition to what we’ve sent you, Rockford also kegs a stronger version of the bottled IPA, Equinox, a Belgian Wit, and Barley Mill Stout, a sweet stout.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (302) 575-1640.
Serving Temperature: 42-47° F
Original Gravity: 11.9° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 29.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Rockford’s Golden Lager is a Czechoslovakian-style Pilsner which is brewed with a combination of four specialty malts imported from Europe including two-row Pale, Carapils, Vienne, and Wheat malts. Marty adds Hallertauer hops at the start of the 90-min. boil and again 10 minutes into it for bittering and a heap of Saaz hops 30 minutes into the boil to give the beer its Czech personality. A Belgian Lager yeast strain is used and the beer is lagered for two months prior to bottling.
Notes From the Panel:
We found the nose on this pils to offer a subtle floral hop aroma, followed by a delicate pale malt character. The beer is light golden as it should be, filtered, and offers a good head. The Saaz hop bitterness emerges in the body as dominant over a sweet malt background. This is a nicely balanced pilsner. Its finish is clean, crisp and very dry. Overall, a very drinkable, well-balanced, and flavorful interpretation of a style rarely attempted by U.S. micros.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 17.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 49.0
Alcohol by Volume: 7.0%
Taking the Bronze in the IPA category of the 1997 World Beer Championships, where over 1300 beers were judged, Rockford’s IPA is off to a good start. The beer, also selected by Michael Jackson to be served as the open selection at one of his most recent Brickseller Beer Tasting sessions, is brewed with a combination of two-row Pale, Munich, Vienne, and Carapils malts. It undergoes five separate hop additions in the boil, involving Galena hops for bittering and Willamette and Kent Goldings for flavor and aroma. A proprietary ale yeast strain is used. Bottom Line? It’s a pretty big beer for such a small state.
Notes From the Panel:
This copper-colored, full-bodied IPA starts with a floral and malty sweet nose that hints towards hop spiciness as well. Look for good head retention in this filtered beer. A complex body is maltier than most IPA’s, but a pleasant mix of hop character soon reminds you of the style you’re drinking. We enjoyed a spicy, dry, tangy lingering hop finish. Overall, a complex, very flavorful and unique interpretation of an India Pale Ale.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 11.6° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 34.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
The brewery’s second product took the Silver at the 1997 World Beer Championships in the Red Ale Category. An malty Irish Red Ale, Rockford Red is brewed with a combination of no less than 6 imported specialty malts including: two-row Pale, Wheat, Vienne, Munich, Chocolate and Victory malts. Here, Marty uses Galena and a big dose of Chinook hops early in the 90 min. boil to bitter the beer and later adds Willamette and a big dose of Cascade hops for aroma and flavor. A proprietary ale yeast strain is used.
Notes From the Panel:
This medium-bodied, filtered, amber-to-ruby colored Red Ale smells of sweet maltiness and fresh floral hops. The body picks up more of the roasted characters in the caramel malts, yet is still predominantly sweet. Look for a clean, mildly bitter finish. Overall, a nicely balanced, tasty interpretation of an Irish Red. We liked it.
Dock Street Brewing Company
The Dock Street Brewing Company has been producing award-winning ales and lagers since 1986 when founder Jeffrey Ware transformed his passion into a career. With a professional background restaurant management and as an artist and sculptor, you could say his background was more suited to creating handcrafted beers than that of most founders we’ve interviewed. Even in High School, when his pals were pounding Milwaukee’s Best and Stag, Jeff sought out Bass, Guiness, and Watneys, already aware that there was more to beer than what the big brewers were pushing. In the early 1980’s, he discovered a consumer movement in England called "The Campaign for Real Ale" (CAMRA). CAMRA is a highly organized group of radical beer drinkers that was formed to protest the consolidation underway in the British brewing industry. Small, old, local brewers were being bought out by the nationals and their traditional, flavorful, "cask conditioned" ales ere being discontinued. To counter this alarming trend, pubs began brewing their own "real ales" downstairs and selling them upstairs. These early "brewpubs" were Jeff’s inspiration for the Dock Street Brewing Company.
Brewmaster, Bill Moeller has a rich family brewing heritage. Not only was his Great Grandfather a Brewmaster in Germany, but also his Grandfather in Brooklyn, as well as his father and his two Great Uncles. Must have been a helluva family reunion. Bill is a graduate of the U.S. Brewers Academy in Mt. Vernon and had the following to say with regards to his passion: "Designing a new beer is almost like acting. You talk to it, you relate to it, you sit, you taste, and you project images of how you want the final product to look and taste."
In addition to the two award-winning beers we’ve featured this month, the brewery also produces and Amber Ale. The company also owns and operates the Dock Street Brewery and Restaurant in downtown Philadelphia.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (610) 668-1480.
Serving Temperature: 37-42° F
Original Gravity: 12.7° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 26.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.3%
You’re in for a treat. Billed as, "One of the finest Pilsners in the United States … as aromatic and soft as the best from Bohemia" by world beer guru, Michael Jackson, Dock Street’s Pilsner is brewed in the style of the original Pilsner beers of Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic. Bill uses enormous amounts of costly Czech Zatec and German Hallertau hops. Zatec hops are considered by masterbrewers to be the finest and are the most expensive in the world – three times more than standard hops; and because they are less biting, the brewery needs to use 2-3 times more than usual quantities to get the beer to an appropriate bittering profile for the style. The proof is in the Pilsner... You’ll taste it immediately.
Notes From the Panel:
Note a pleasant floral hop nose and gentle bitterness in this light-to-medium bodied, filtered pilsner. The body begins with a bitter tanginess and offers a clean, soft, complex malty flavor. True to style, Dock Street’s Pils ends with a long, dry finish. Overall, a great interpretation of a difficult style to brew.
Serving Temperature: 37-42° F
Original Gravity: 18.3° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 3`.0
Alcohol by Volume: 7.5%
President of the American Association of Brewers and widely respected author and homebrewer, Charlie Papazian, found Dock Street’s Illuminator to be, "Abnormally smooth and seductive … A double bock worthy of your attention…" So there you have it. Prepare to be seduced. The beer was also rated a 90 in the Malt Advocate. Bock Beers trace their roots to the 13th century German town of Einbeck. The first great beers of Einbeck were made by the citizens of that town. They supplied their own malt and hops and were visited by the town brewmaster who, with his equipment, helped them to brew a strong, dark beer. It’s believed that they beers of Einbeck were abbreviated to "beck beer" and later, evolved to "bock beer". "Bock" in German, also means billy goat, and thus the goat has come to be the symbol of bock beer.
Notes From the Panel:
As should be, we found a big malty nose with evidence of high alcohol to come in this orange-hued amber, rich and full-bodied brew. Note a complex fruitiness with a richness of malts, toffee, caramel and some suggestion of toasted malts in the body. Floral hops evident, but in the background and complementing the overall character. Look for a sweet and slightly dry finish. Overall, a very complex, extremely drinkable, big beer.
Food For Thought...
Dock Street Beer & Seafood Fest
This is a serious recipe for serious appetites. What more could you want? You got your potatoes, your shellfish, your fatty fish, your meaty fish, some nice spice and a vegi to boot. And of course, one of the best handcrafted Pilsners in the country. So what are ya waitin’ for Julia? Get busy!
- 12 oz. Seabass fillet (skin on)
- 12 oz. Salmon fillet (skin on)
- 8 oysters in shell, brushed and cleaned
- ½ lb. Cleaned mussels
- 4 russet potatoes peeled and cut in an oval
- 1 lb. Asparagus tips
- ¼ tsp. Caraway seeds
- 3 oz. Good butter
- 12 oz. Dock Street Bohemian Pilsner
- 2 Tbsp. Chopped parsley
- salt, pepper to taste
Cook potatoes thoroughly in salty water. Cook asparagus al dente in salty water, then refresh in iced water. Cut each fish fillet in 4 slices and season with salt and pepper. Butter bottom of a lg. Sauce pan, add fish pieces plus the 8 oysters and pour the beer and caraway seeds into pan. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat. After 2 min., add potatoes and mussels. Cover and let simmer until mussels open. Remove the fish, shellfish and potatoes to a deep plate. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil. With a whisk, gently introduce the cold butter to the liquid a little at a time. Turn the flame on and off to keep the butter from breaking. Add the asparagus to the liquid and pour over the seafood. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and proceed to inhale food in mass quantities. Recline to couch and pop in "Raising Arizona" video for good laugh. Do not attempt to clean kitchen.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Coach: "How’s life treating you, Normie?"
Norm: "Like it caught me sleeping with its’ wife,
Coach. Slide me a cold one."
True Brew Facts
ON TAP (BREWER’S ASSOC. OF CANADA) - Almost 100 alcoholics were required to watch reruns of Dallas for a study conducted by the Addiction Research Foundation. Some patients watched the show with drinking scenes, others watched it with the drinking scenes cut out, and all patients viewed the program with either beer, non-alcoholic beverage or food commercials. Results indicated that the patients who watched both Dallas’s drinking scenes and beer commercials were "more confident in their ability to resist the urge to drink heavily" than those who watched the drinking scenes with food commercials. The reports were published by the Journal Studies on Alcohol and contradict the assumption that beer commercials influence alcoholics to drink. Researchers are reported as feeling perplexed and should perhaps study the effects of food commercials.
S.F. EXAMINER - Pyramids built by beer drinkers. Egyptian excavations revealed that the workmen who built the Great Pyramids were beer drinking, bread-and-garlic-eaters. Not unlike modern Americans , many died from cancer or industrial accidents. The mustachioed workers, whose tombs were discovered when a horse’s leg went through the roof of one of the tombs, had learned to brew five types of beer and bake 12 varieties of bread, as evidenced by a menu on one tomb wall.
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