Past Newsletters
Vol. 8 No. 4
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Snake River Brewing Company | Vienna Style Lager |
| Snake River Brewing Company | Zonker Stout |
| Sea Dog Brewing Company | Old East India Pale Ale |
| Sea Dog Brewing Company | Windjammer Blonde Ale |
Snake River Brewing Company
In March of 1994 the Snake River Brewing Co., a.k.a., the Jackson Hole Pub and Brewery, opened its doors and became the first licensed brewpub in the state of Wyoming. The brewery is the brainchild of Al Upsher, a former Wall Street broker, and his wife Joni who had once taught school and worked in public relations. The Snake River Brewing Company just walked away with back-to-back victories at the 2000 and 2001 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Their Brewmaster, Chris Erickson, was awarded Brewmaster of the Year for Small Breweries for the second straight year! And the Brewery itself was named Small Brewing Company of the Year for it’s second time in a row.
Over the last eight years, Snake River Brewing Company has won 13 Gold and Silver Medals at the GABF – the most of any microbrewery over that period of time! A converted warehouse, the airy pub combines the industrial design of a brewery with the richness of mahogany wood finishes while offering a casual atmosphere and fantastic views of the town ski area. The focal point of the kitchen is a massive wood-burning oven, which has never been turned off since the opening of the brewpub. Fueled by applewood imported by Washington, it is used not only for pizza, but also for smoking meats and vegetables for pasta dishes.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (307) 739-2337 or check out their web site at www.snakeriverbrewing.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.7° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 18.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
This amber style Vienna lager is the perfect refreshment to quench your thirst after a day of mountain bike riding or snowboarding in the hills of Wyoming. The Snake River Vienna Style lager has a rich, caramel flavor with a subtle hop aroma. It is brewed with an authentic German yeast strain that adds to the true flavor of this Vienna style lager. Hopped with Washington Perle hops for flavor, German Hallertau and Tettenang for aroma, and six different types of malts, you can bet that this medium-bodied lager will go down smooooooooooth. So sit back and enjoy this Gold Medal winner from the 2000 Great American Beer Festival with your friends or keep it all to yourself and enjoy it while it lasts!
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 36.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.4%
Brewmaster, Chris Erickson uses seven, count ‘em, seven different malts and three different hop varieties to produce the beer before you. Chris uses 77% pale 2-row malt, a 15% combination of 3 different caramelized malts, 5% roasted barley malt, 1.5% black malt, and 1.5% chocolate malts when brewing Zonker. Thirty percent WA Chinook hops are added 30 minutes into the 2 hour boil, 40% WA Willamette hops are added at three separate points, and lastly, 30% English Kent Golding hops are added twice, near the end, and at the end of the boil. A “zonker”, by the by, is a large underwater fishing fly.
We really like this stout. Look for a very deep, dark hue, creamy head, a nice roasted nose and a rich, full flavor. This full-bodied, well-balanced stout is slightly sweet with a powerful roasted and extremely clean finish. It’s not too hoppy and the use of roasted barley, black malt and/or chocolate malt is evident. Overall, a well-deserved medal winner at the GABF.
Sea Dog Brewing Company
The Sea Dog Brewing Co. operates from both its waterfall tavern and brewery in the quaint Coastal town of Camden, Maine, and its riverside tavern and brewery in Bangor, Maine. The brewery presently ships beer to only a handful of states in the Northeast and its beers have been highly decorated at the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Championships, as well as numerous other beer festivals. In fact, this month the Maine Times named Sea Dog the best microbrewery in Maine.
Pete Camplin, 55, the owner of Sea Dog, opened the brewery in Camden in 1992. He had been homebrewing since college and made his living working in construction, restoring old buildings. Given his passion of brewing and experience in renovations, no one was surprised when he decided to transform a dilapidated shoe factory into a microbrewery. Camplin is an inveterate sailor and seaman. He named his brewery after his dog, Barney, who was Camplin’s frequent sailing companion. Unfortunately, Barney has passed on, but his memory will live on as he is featured on each Sea Dog label, replete with a yellow fisherman’s cap.
The brewery’s India Pale Ale (IPA) comes to you with some serious accolades, specifically, it won the Gold Medal at both the 1997 & ‘98 World Beer Championships, the Silver in ’95, and a host other awards from state and regional competitions. The IPA style has an interesting history. It was originally brewed to serve the British troops in India. The soldiers were allotted a paltry 8 pint a week ration and to worsen matters, it often arrived spoiled from the long voyage from England. Eventually, British brewers realized that by increasing the amount of malt they could ultimately increase the alcohol content of the beer and it would be less likely to spoil. They also learned that by aggressively hopping the beer, the resulting higher acidity also acted as a preserving agent protecting the beer against infection by wild yeast. Thus, the India Pale Ale was created by the British so they could ship unspoiled ale to their compatriots in India.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 4.3° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 6.2%
This fantastic IPA is brewed traditionally, with heaps malted barley and heavy doses of hops. Look for good head retention in this filtered, deep amber ale. We found it to have a big floral hop nose with a sweet maltiness evident as well. The body is full and dominated with a hoppy bitterness, indicative of a true IPA. Note a dry, lingering hop finish. Overall, a superb representation of the style, very full in flavor and most deserving of its many awards. Consider pairing this brew with meat or hearty pub fare.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.3° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
The intense aromatics of Cascade hops are balanced by the richness of traditional two-row British malted barley; top-fermented, the fruity palate and crisp finish bespeak its British origins. This Blond Ale is mellow with a good hop character and is perfect for washing down that hot and spicy meal.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
I have been sanitizing my bottles by emersing them in a water/bleach bath for 30min or so, and then rinsing them out with a JetWasher. This seems to work fine, but it is labor intensive! My question is: Is there an easier, bulletproof method? How do you do it and have you had any bad luck with that method?
Lisa Koff
Denver, CO
Yo Lisa!
First of all, I just have to let you know that I really dig chicks that brew. It’s a big turn on for this pooch. Can’t say as I can ut my paw on it exactly, but it’s a good thang. Personally, because as I’m sure you are well aware, canines have exceptionally clean mouths with nearly non-existent bacteria levels, I lick my bottles clean. Of course I have to be careful to be sure that there aren’t any Milk Bone particles or rawhide chewy bits in my mouth when I do it. I’ve really only once had my beer affected by this cleaning method and if I remember right, I had just returned from a road trip to Tijuana which may have had something to do with it.
In any case, to answer your question: Yep. There are several easier ways. Toss them in the old oven with your brownies at 350 and bake them for 30 minutes, let ‘em cool, and bottle away. No kidding. It works. I know a pit bull that simply puts his bottles and bowls in the dishwasher before bottling and has never had a problem. As a general rule, it’s always a good idea to rinse the “H-E-double hockey sticks” out of each bottle as you consume your private stock nectar. Hope that helps, Lisa! Keep on Brewing!
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Zonker Stout Ice Cream
Don’t discount this one until you’ve tried it! The well-roasted malt barley used to make stout beers imparts a rich flavor that is a perfect marriage with many desserts. In addition to ice cream, stout beers have traditionally been used to accentuate spice cakes, honey breads, and it was born to complement chocolate mousse!
- 8 eggs, separated
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1 cup Zonker Stout
- 1 ½ cups light cream whipped w/ 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Whisk yolks, sugar and stout together until thick and mixture forms ribbons when whisk is lifted. Fold in whipped creams. Whisk egg whites until stiff and carefully fold into mixture. Pour into container and freeze, or use ice-cream maker. Serves 8 adults, four children, or my mom.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Sam: What’ll ya have, Norm?
Norm: Well, I’m in a gambling mood, Sammy. Just give
me whatever comes out of that tap.
Sam: Oh, looks like beer, Norm.
Norm: Call me Mister Lucky.
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