Past Newsletters
Vol. 5 No. 7
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Flying Fish Brewing Company | Extra Special Bitter |
| Great Divide Brewing Company | St. Brigid's Robust Porter |
| Pinehurst Village Brewing Company | Double Eagle Brown Ale |
Flying Fish Brewing Company
Founder of the Flying Fish Brewing Co., Gene Muller, took a serious deviation from the standard course of small business development when he built the Flying Fish brewing company. A year prior to the brewery opening, Muller posted details about it on the Web, letting people go behind the taps and see the myriad details that would eventually coalesce into a microbrewery. He also gave beer lovers an on-line chance to roll up their cyber-sleeves and help build the brewery, sequestering their input on such matters as what kinds of beer they liked and disliked as well as which brewing techniques they preferred. He let them design T-shirts and labels. Hell, he even let them name the beers. How fun would that be? You could walk in and order a beer you named.
Additionally, Gene promised his electronic labor force that once the brewery opened, they'd be the first to sample the line up. When that time came in late 1996, he sent out some 4,000 e-mail invitations to the brewery's opening in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, just a swagger, skip and stagger away from Philadelphia. "A hurricane hit two days before the opening," Muller recalled. Bad Luck. "But still, about 200 people showed up. They came from Virginia, Long Island, and Pennsylvania. They wanted to see the brewery; they felt a part of it. One taster even applied for a job as a brewer. It was the birth of the brewery, right on the Web, a virtual microbrewery."
Muller, who formerly worked as a copywriter for ad firms, studied brewing at Chicago's Siebel Institute of Technology, America's oldest brewing school. One of his classmates was Brad Coors, whose family's brewery, Muller notes wryly, is "just a little bit bigger than ours." Flash forward three years. Flying Fish is now the largest craft brewery in New Jersey. It makes four year-round brews in addition to four rotating seasonals.
The Extra Special Bitter (ESB) is Flying Fish's flagship beer, about which esteemed beer writer Michael Jackson wrote, "assertive, very drinkable... nice balance... I could sink quite a few pints of that." About the beer's name, Muller is quick to explain that bitter is not meant to be taken literally. Rather, it is a British colloquialism to describe the national drink of England. "What the Americans call pale ale", Muller says, "the British call bitters."
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (856) 489-0061 or check out their web site at www.flyingfish.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 14.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 40.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.4%
Flying Fish's ESB is brewed with a combination of Two-Row Pale, Munich, Caramel and Aromatic malts. Gene uses Chinook, Fuggles, and Kent Goldings hops in three additions throughout the boil, utilizing Chinook and Fuggles primarily for bittering and the Goldings for their aromatic contributions. Look for a spicy, earthy hop nose with traces of caramel evident in this filtered, copper colored ale. We found the taste to start with a malty sweetness and migrate over to a pleasant hop bitterness. Note a dry hop finish. Overall, an extremely well-balanced interpretation of a classic English style.
Great Divide Brewing Company
Located in downtown Denver, Colorado, The Great Divide Brewing company was founded by Brian and Tara Dunn in early 1993, introducing their first product, Arapahoe Amber Ale in June of '94. Brian had just completed his MA in Environmental Policy and when frustrated with the lack of opportunity available at the time, decided to take his homebrewing passion and turn it into a career. The brewery is located in an old 1930's dairy building which has allowed for two expansions since the brewery's inception.
Head Brewer Chris Dunne studied pre-med, has a BA in English and was a passionate homebrewer prior to hiring on at Great Divide. It seems he's learned his trade well as the brewery has received no less than nine accolades for their beers, most from the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Championships. In addition to the Porter featured this month, the brewery also brews an American Wheat, a Honey Ale, an Amber Ale, a Wild Raspberry Ale and several seasonal beers.
St. Brigid's Porter is a deep ruby colored, full-bodied porter with a smooth chocolate character and a slightly roasted finish. The name comes from Irish lore about Saint Brigid who reportedly transformed her bath water into beer for thirsty clerics. As the brewery is sensitive about giving out specific information with regard to the types of malts and hops used to brew this beer, it will have to suffice to let you know that it's a true Champion of Porters, taking the Gold in the robust porter category at both the 1996 World Beer Cup and the 1996 Great American Beer Festival.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (303) 296-9460 or check out their web site at www.greatdivide.com.
Serving Temperature: 47-52° F
Original Gravity: 14.3° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 6.0%
We love this porter! Note a predominantly chocolate roasted nose with some sweet malt characteristics evident. Look for good head retention in this dark ruby-brown, filtered, medium-to-full-bodied ale. St. Brigid's has a wonderfully clean, dark roasted malt characteristic throughout its body and finish, indicative of a true robust porter. Overall, a clean, flavorful, and true-to-style robust porter, well deserving of its recent Gold at GABF. You're gonna love it.
Pinehurst Village Brewing Company
"Our Double Eagle Ales may not improve your game, but you will feel better about your score."
In 1693, just 60 miles from St. Andrews, the oldest golf course in the world, the art of craft brewing was being perfected in Aberdeen, Scotland. Today in Aberdeen, North Carolina, nestled between the two lovely golf towns of Pinehurst and Southern Pines, the Pinehurst Village Brewery seeks to recapture the tradition and character of those handcrafted ales. The brewery's Scottish brewmaster has crafted some exceptional ales. The 100-year-old yeast strain and clean well water of the Sandhills surrounding Pinehurst Village give Double Eagle Ales their unique character and bold flavors.
Double Eagle Brown Ale is designed with balance and durability in mind. The level of carbonation is moderate, allowing the beer's depth to come forward. When served at the right temperature, hints of apple, black currant and pineapple emerge. It should be served with a head, in a traditional pint sleeve. This ale complements hard and blue cheeses, sausages and smoked foods, beef, pork and shellfish. It's not pasteurized, all natural, free of preservatives, and damn tasty. We know you're gonna dig it.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 26.5
Alcohol by Volume: 5.5%
Double Eagle Brown Ale is brewed with a combination of Two Row Pale, Carastan, Carapils and Black malts, as well as a touch of malted wheat. The blend yields a wort (the sweet liquid containing the converted sugars from the malted barley and other grains) that is soft and malty, medium-bodied and deep amber in color. Double Eagle is hopped with Cluster, Willamette and Tettnanger hops. Look for a well-balanced malty hop nose and a pronounced malty sweet flavor that ends slightly dry and roasted. Overall, a wonderful brown ale. Very full and flavorful. Carbonated just enough to let you truly enjoy its great taste.
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