Past Newsletters
Vol. 6 No. 7
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Clipper City Brewing Company | Clipper City Porter |
| Clipper City Brewing Company | Clipper City Winter’s Ale |
| Ipswich Brewing Company | Ipswich Original Ale |
| Ipswich Brewing Company | Ipswich India Pale Ale |
Clipper City Brewing Company
Clipper City owner Hugh Sisson is a true brewing pioneer. In 1983, as owner and founder of Sisson’s, a restaurant and bar in Baltimore, he decided that he wanted to brew beer in his restaurant. Unfortunately, the laws in Maryland were not in his favor and his plan to open a brewpub was thwarted. What’s up with that state and their lame liquor laws? In the true entrepreneurial spirit, he challenged the state to change the laws and anyone who’s ever dealt with government agencies can tell you that this is no easy task. Go Hugh, Go! Perseverance prevailed in 1989 when Maryland changed their laws and Hugh opened the first brewpub in the state.
He stuck with it until 1994, when he had the itch to open a full-scale microbrewery. And guess who didn’t want him to own both a brewery and brewpub? The State, you say? You got it. I’m trying to think of just what legal grounds were conjured up to prevent Hugh from doing both and can’t come up with a thought on the matter. Regardless of why, Hugh got back on his horse, sharpened the sword and prepared to do battle with the State again. And wouldn’t you know…he won again! In early 1996 Clipper City Brewing officially opened their doors and brewing commenced. Since that time, Clipper City has gained a fantastic reputation throughout Maryland among beer lovers.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (410) 247-7822 or check out their web site at www.clippercitybeer.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 13.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 25.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.7%
Clipper City Porter is brewed by Brewmaster Jerry Rush with combination of 2-row pale, Caramel, Chocolate and Black Patent malts. Galena hops are added for their bittering contributions, while Tettnang hops are used for their aromatic characteristics. The brewery uses a Saccaromyces Cerevisea yeast stain to produce this filtered, full-bodied ale. Note a malty, roasted nose up front. Immediately note a nice subtle mix of hops and slight malt aroma in this beer’s nose. Look for great head retention in this clear, dark brown, full-bodied beer. The flavor profile starts out caramelly, has a smooth, almost bittersweet toffee-like, clean middle and ends with a nice roasted, slightly mild spicy hop finish. Overall, a great Porter! Very clean and full of flavor.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 47.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.9%
Clipper City uses a combination of two-row pale and Baird’s crystal malts to produce this medium-bodied Winter 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. The Brewery uses Cascade hops in the whirlpool to give this winter ale a bold floral hoppy nose. The Clipper City Winter Ale is a true joy for hopheads. It has a rich, floral character and is bottle conditioned, which produces subtle complexities and enables the beer to evolve. You may notice a small amount of yeast in the bottle, which is a product of the bottle conditioning. Overall, a very complex, full flavored interpretation of a fun style.
Ipswich Brewing Company
Founded by Paul Silva & Jim Beuvais in 1991, Ipswich Brewing is a classic microbrewery story. Paul was working as a psychologist and Jim was working in the software industry when, like so many other brewery owners, they found their calling.
Some have argued that listening to people’s troubles and dealing with computers all day could drive anyone to drink, but these two had greater ambitions.
Ipswich, Massachusetts is located in the area known as the "North Shore", which is the area north of Boston along the water. It is an area known for its great microbreweries and most of them have Ipswich Brewing to thank for that reputation. The charter of the brewery is to make "Homebrewed Beer" commercially available. The brewery originally bottled in growlers and allowed customers to come back for a refill. As the beers became more popular and it was time to expand, they added 12oz. bottles and increased distribution. Word quickly spread among beer lovers and the community as well when the Ipswich Original Ale was named one of the ten best beers in the world by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Recently Paul and Jim sold the brewery to their Brewmaster, Rob Martin. The two men were ready for a change and Rob was ready to run the show. He will continue to make traditional unfiltered English style ales just as he has done for the last eight years.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.5° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.2%
Ipswich Original ale is brewed with a combination of two row pale and caramel malts. Rob uses both Galena and Willamette hops in two separate additions, Galena for their bittering contributions and Willamette for their aromatic characteristics. Note a slightly floral hop nose up front with some pale maltiness evident in this pale-caramel colored ale. We found the taste complex, offering a somewhat fruity and spicy hop character balanced nicely with a pale maltiness. The finish in this medium-bodied English style Ale is one the dry spicy side. Overall, very flavorful and satisfying. You’ll want another.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 60.0
Alcohol by Volume: 6.3%
Ipswich’s India Pale Ale (IPA) is brewed with a combination of two row pale, caramel, carapils, and roasted malts as well as malted wheat used primarily for increased head retention. Rob uses Galena hops for bittering and East Kent Golding and Cascade for aroma. This brew is hopped in the boil several times, hopped in the whirlpool, and dry hopped as well! Are you sensing a theme? Check out the IBU. 60! It’s bitter. Look for a bitter start and a spicy hop dominated nose in this full-bodied IPA. Note a predominant bitter taste balanced nicely with a fruity yeastiness. There’s a lot going on here. Overall, well balanced for an IPA. We loved the big bitter malty finish!
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