Past Newsletters

Vol. 7 No. 4

Brewery	Beers Featured
Brooklyn Brewing Company	Pennant Pale Ale ’55
Post Road Brewing Company	The Post Road Pumpkin Ale
Weeping Radish Brewing Company	Weeping Radish Fest Bier
Weeping Radish Brewing Company	Weeping Radish Black Radish Ale

Brooklyn Brewing Company

From its founding in 1987 by a former foreign correspondent and a former banker in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Brewery has been a leader in the introduction and marketing of good beer to the New York metropolitan area. The company's new 25-barrel brewery, opened May 1996 by Mayor Rudy Giuliani, is Brooklyn's first commercial brewery in 20 years. The copper-banded, stainless steel brewhouse and fermentation/aging tanks are set in a 1860s-era former steel foundry in Brooklyn's Williamsburg section, a Mecca for thousands of New York artists, and site of many new art galleries and restaurants. Williamsburg was once home to dozens of pre-Prohibition breweries, including the famous Brewers' Row, a 10-block area containing 11 breweries. The Brooklyn Brewery's complex includes the Tasting Room, a 300-person party room that will be hosting many community events and will serve as a gallery for local art works; and the Brooklyn Brewery Company Store.

The brewery is open Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. EST for guided tours and beer tastings. The Tasting Room can be rented for private functions, catered by the highly rated Brooklyn chef Michael Ayoub of Cucina and Mike 'n Tony's.

Pennant Pale Ale ’55

Serving Temperature: 42-47° F
Original Gravity: 12.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.5° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 23.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%

Brooklyn Brewery Pennant Pale Ale ’55 is a tribute to Brooklyn’s world championship baseball team. First brewed during the pennant race of 1997, they chose an English “session” Pale Ale as the style for this beer. English pale ales are export versions of their beloved bitter ales. Typically, they have an extremely complex malt character and clean, moderate hop bitterness. Though amber in color, the term pale is relative to the darker ales of England that were dominant when this style originated. Brewed with a combination of Maris Otter Pale malts and a unique blend of Cascade, Fuggle, and Willamette hops, we found Pennant Pale Ale to be chestnut in color, medium-bodied and offering a hearty maltiness. The Maris Otter Pale Malts give this beer an incomparable biscuity flavor. Look for a slightly bitter hop finish.

Post Road Brewing Company

Post Road Brewing Company was founded in 1989 by A.J. Moran, a liquor store owner, and his cousin Larry Bastien, a fire dispatcher from Newbury, Massachusetts. Both were home brewers looking for flavorful ales and with the encouragement of friends and family, they decided to sell their beers commercially.

They named their company for the Boston Post Road, the first postal route in America, linking New York City and Boston since 1673. The Post Road was known for having the finest taverns filled with excellent English style ales.

The Boston Post Road was inaugurated by England’s King George in 1673. The first delivery left New York on January 22, 1673 and arrived in Boston on February 5th. George Washington was a frequent traveler on the Boston Post Road. The old soldier preferred staying in taverns and inns to official residences. He made notes on many of those establishments, becoming the first restaurant reviewer in America. As the Post Road developed, it became one of America’s most important industrial and commercial corridors, a key impetus to economic development in New England.

The first Concord stage coaches, a symbol of the Old West, rumbled over the Post Road in 1826. Samuel Colt developed his repeating firearm in Hartford, a main stop on the Post Road. David Bushnell of Saybrook invented a submarine called the American Turtle, which successfully planted a bomb on a British warship in New York harbor. (Unfortunately, the bomb did not explode, but the captain of the American Turtle made it to shore safely.) Daniel Halladay of South Coventry, Connecticut manufactured windmills. New England, at this time, was a beehive of creativity and entrepreneurship and so it seems appropriate that you should try a truly creative interpretation of a seasonal ale from the brewery. Enjoy!

The Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Serving Temperature: 43-48° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.7° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 23.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.1%

If Linus was sitting around in the pumpkin patch sippin’ some of this nectar, he might very well have seen the Great Pumpkin! Certainly he wouldn’t have caught so much heat from the rest of the Peanuts Gang. The Post Road Pumpkin Ale is certainly a testament to that creativity and entrepreneurship. While Pumpkin Ales are not new (early American colonialists used to brew it), this interpretation is certainly worthy of a creativity award. It’s brewed with American two row pale and Crystal malts and hopped nicely with both Fuggle and Willamette hopes. This special ale is brewed with hundreds of pounds of pumpkin and a few generous dashes of secret spices, perfect for the cool October nights or even with Thanksgiving dinner in November. It has a bouquet filled with spices and a hint of pumpkin. It’s medium-bodied, and while the spices and pumpkin are present in the body of the beer, it is by no means overwhelming. The beer ends cleanly with a nice dry hop character.

Weeping Radish Brewing Company

In 1986 one of the largest and most unique attractions in North Carolina's Outer Banks was born. The Weeping Radish Brewery and Bavarian Restaurant was the vision of owner Uli Bennewitz.

From the beer garden exterior to the traditional clock tower, it transports you to a quaint Bavarian village. A visit to this truly unique attraction would not be complete without taking the tour of the on-site brewery and the new organic farm that will make Weeping Radish the East Coast’s first eco-brewery.

There’s no doubt that Weeping Radish had been well received by the critics. Parade Magazine ran an article listing the Weeping Radish Golden Lager as one of the 10 Hot American Brews. Then the Beverage Testing Institute confirmed it - they brew some good beer. They awarded the Black Radish and Fest Amber Silver Medal Awards. In fact, the brewery had only submitted 4 beers to the Beverage Testing Institute and were more than just a little excited when they received awards for each one!

Brewing with all natural ingredients, the Weeping Radish Brewery continues in a true German beer making tradition. Following the Reinheitsgebot, or German Purity Law of 1516, only water, malted barley, hops, and yeast are used. There are no additives or preservatives in any of their beers.

Weeping Radish Fest Bier

Serving Temperature: 42-47° F
Original Gravity: 12.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 4.2° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 12.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.5%

Brewed with a combination of Vienna, Munich and Carapils malts, Weeping Radish’s Fest Bier is a traditional Oktoberfest style lager which was first brewed for the brewery’s Fall Celebration in 1987. The Radish hops it up with both German Northern Brewer malts for their floral characteristics and German Hallertau to add a bit of hop bitterness. Immediately note a pleasant floral hop nose that is slightly buttery in the background. We found this Oktoberfest clean, offering a slightly toasty malt character and crisp hop finish. Look for a medium-bodied brew with a big spicy hop flavor.

Weeping Radish Black Radish Ale

Serving Temperature: 42-47° F
Original Gravity: 13.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 15.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.0%

Black Radish is brewed with a combination of Pilsner, Munich and Chocolate malts. German Northern Brewer malts are used again primarily for their floral characteristics and German Tettnang hops are chartered with the mission of balancing the bold malt profile of this tasty treat with their bittering attributes. Black Radish is brewed in the Dunkel style, is black in color, but light to medium in body. While one might think that this beer is going to be “heavy” simply by the appearance, it is actually fairly light, yet creamy. We loved the wonderful toasted malt flavor in the body! Look for the chocolate malts to come through in a pleasant lingering finish.

Food For Thought...

Brooklyn Flapjacks

We know what you thinking. No doubt wondering if beer is still the breakfast of champions. You may not see this recipe on the back of a box of Wheaties, but rest assured, it’s a tasty way to put a new twist on a stack-o-pancakes. Besides, we’re only talking about 2/3 cup a beer per 18 of these breakfast beauties! The addition of a wee bit of Pennant Pale Ale add a mildly tangy flavor and give your cakes a light, fluffy texture. Sounding Good? You bet they are baby! So bust out your whisk, pop in a little James Brown and get funky wit ya skittle!

• 1 ½ cup sifted flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tbsp. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup Pennant Pale Ale
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 tbsp. melted butter

Measure dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add egg, beer, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until batter is light and frothy, batter will be the consistency of cream. Blend in butter. Cook pancakes on a hot griddle, lightly greased. Makes 18 regular pancakes, 6 manly-man cakes, or 1 really big bugger.

Source: Great Cooking with Beer, Jack Erickson, Red Brick Press, Reston, VA, 1989.

Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm

Norm: Women. Can’t live with ‘em, pass the beer nuts.

The Darwin Award Finalist Are In!

Ever heard of the "Darwin Award"? In a nutshell, it's an annual honor given to a person that was injured or killed in an extraordinarily stupid way. As always, competition this year has been keen again. Some candidates appear to have trained their whole lives for this event! Here are some of the better candidates we uncovered:

In September in Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing headfirst through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.

In October, a 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he ran," according to his wife, accidentally jogged off a 100-foot-high cliff on his daily run.

Buxton, NC: A man died on a beach when an 8-foot-deep hole he had dug into the sand caved in as he sat inside it. Beach goers said Daniel Jones, 21 dug the hole for fun, or protection from the wind, and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom Thursday afternoon when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach, on the outer banks, used their hands and shovels, trying to claw their way to Jones, a resident of Woodbridge, VA, but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him while about 200 people looked on Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.

In February, Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed in Lompoc, CA, as he fell face-first through the ceiling of bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth (to keep his hands free) rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.

According to police in Dahlonega, GA, ROTC cadet Nick Berrena, 20, was stabbed to death in January by fellow cadet Jeffrey Hoffman, 23, who was trying to prove that a knife could not penetrate the flak vest Berrena was wearing.

Sylvester Briddell, JR, 26, was killed in February in Selbyville, Del, as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.

In February, according to police in Windsor, Ontario, Daniel Kolta, 27, and Randy Taylor, 33 died in a head-on collision, thus earning a tie in the game of chicken they were playing with their snowmobiles.

In Guthrie, Okla, in October, Jason Heck tried to kill a millipede with a shot from his 22-calibre rifle, but the bullet ricocheted off a rock near the hole and hit pal Antonio Martinez in the head, fracturing his skull.

In Elyria, Ohio, in October, Martyn Eskins, attempting to clean out cobwebs in his basement, declined to use a broom in favor of a propane torch and caused a fire that burned the first and second floors of his house.

Paul Stiller, 47, was hospitalized in Andover Township, NJ, in September, and his wife Bonnie was also injured, by a quarter-stick of dynamite that blew up in their car. While driving around at 2 AM, the bored couple lit the dynamite and tried to toss it out the window to see what would happen, but they apparently failed to notice that the window was closed.

TACOMA, WA - Kerry Bingham, had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30am. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable lay nearby. One end of the cable was secured around Bingham's leg and the other end was tied to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy river water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. "All I can say," said Bingham, "is that God was watching out for me on that night. There's just no other explanation for it." Bingham's foot was never located.

AND THE WINNER IS....

PADERBORN, GERMANY - Overzealous zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt fed his constipated elephant Stefan 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally let fly-and suffocated the keeper under 200 pounds of poop! Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded on him like a dump truck full of mud. "The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground, where he struck his head on a rock and lay unconscious as the elephant continued to evacuate his bowels on top of him," said flabbergasted Paderborn police detective Erik Dern. "With no one there to help him, he lay under all that dung for at least an hour before watchman came along, and during that time he suffocated. "It seems to be just one of those freak accidents that happen.

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

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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.