Past Newsletters
Vol. 9 No. 10
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Sweetwater Brewing Company | India Pale Ale |
| Sweetwater Brewing Company | Sweet Georgia Brown Ale |
| Greenshields Brewing Company | Pilsner |
| Greenshields Brewing Company | Stout |
Sweetwater Brewing Company
The Sweetwater Brewing Company has quite a fascinating tale linked to its origination. Friendship, coupled with determination and commitment, were the driving forces in Sweetwater creating a name for itself in the heavily competitive microbrewed beer world. One envisions a slightly modified Norman Rockwell setting when they hear of three Colorado buddies equally passionate about quality beer founding a brewery together. Just imagine'with the development of an ingenious business plan, some much needed cashola, and the always-present elbow grease, you too could create the vehicle to break from the mainstream by creating a microbrewery that produces some of the country's finest handcrafted beers. Well maybe there were a few more steps than that, but we can dream can't we? The first step in the master plan was to move from rocky mountain high country to Atlanta!
In a society where celebrity weddings end faster than a one-minute mile, you might ask why three buddies would make such a sacrifice. The simple answer to that riddle my friend is that Colorado consistently ranks at the top of the U.S. market for microbrewed beers. A little factor of intimidation to say the least and for someone looking to open a new brewery, the focus should be to alleviate challenges and produce exceptional beer. That's when the 'light bulb' ignited and Georgia became the homeland for Sweetwater's creations.
The smart bet was there was plenty of room for a new guy in a state that recently placed 48th in the nation in beer production! The honest truth was a softer market seemed more inviting and well, we don't think you will get complaints from Georgia on this matter! So they motored on over to Atlanta where they accepted the challenge of educating the general populace on the finer points of freshly brewed craft beer'a challenge that was accepted with vigor.
The Sweetwater Brewery opened its doors on February 17th, 1997 and immediately began winning over the taste buds of beer lovers across the state of Georgia. As anyone in the brewing industry will attest to, this came as no surprise. These three experienced beer masters are a testament to the craft they brew.
Fredrick Bensch, Sweetwater's master brewer, had repeatedly proven himself at the Oasis Brewery, Mile High Brewing Company, Rockies Brewery, and at the Marin Brewing Company. If you have not had the pleasure of sampling the enchanting elixirs from these breweries, you are missing out on decadence from some of the more respected breweries in the country. The Marin Brewing Co. alone holds an array of Gold Medals from the Great American Beer Festival.
Kevin McNerney, Sweetwater's head brewer, had already started a buzz (not that kind) brewing for Avery Brewing Company, Rockies Brewery, and Mammoth Brewing Company. And Matt Patterson, the final spoke in the wheel, was the Western Regional Sales Manager that helped put Breckenridge Brewery on the map.
These boys were destined for greatness with their combined knowledge of the brewing industry. For those of you lucky enough to reside in or if you are planning to visit the sweet peach state, doors open at the Sweetwater Brewery on Monday afternoons at 4:20PM to the public. Swing by and meet the guys, take a tour and throw one back. A tidbit of trivia to impress your friend with is that the brewery was named after a local creek and makes four other award winning beers including: 420 Extra Pale Ale, ESB, Exodus Porter, and Sweetwater Blue Ale.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (404) 691-2537 or check out their web site at www.sweetwaterbrew.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 14.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.2° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 45.0
Alcohol by Volume: 6.0%
An extremely rewarding taste sensation! Sweetwater's IPA is defined by abundant quantities of decadent hops. An extensive dry-hopping process creates this very intense hop characteristic. Note the unfiltered qualities of this ale, which add to the explosive natural flavors. Color is hazy yellow-orange with subtle head retention. Look for a nose of blended citrus combined with a slight hint of pear and apricot. Our sophisticated beer panel found this selection extremely well balanced with an overall creamy taste that blends maltiness and fruit flavors.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 12.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 1.8° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 24.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.5%
Sweetwater's newest beer! The Georgia Brown Ale is a celebration for your palate that intertwines tones of nuttiness with a candy like nose. This sweet aroma is a result of the existence of honey malt. Look for a medium body and a color that blends deep amber orange with a prominent copper head. Note the caramel and citrus overtones with a refreshing dry finish blending flavors of toasted barley, coffee and decadent hop flavors throughout. Truly a champion in its class taking the gold medal at the 2001 Great American Beer Festival!
Greenshields Brewing Company
Our second feature this month you might say combines a man's friendship with well, what else, beer. Greenshields Brewery & Pub holds the honor in being the oldest brewpub operation East of the Mississippi. The brewery was named after Gary Greenshields, who coupled his devotion with crafting beer with over 25 years in the beer and beverage industry. Gary ventured forth in late 1987 researching brewpubs throughout the U.S and Canada and finally decided to start up the business following a month-long pubcrawl through England and Scotland. Holding fast to the notion that it is better to visit snow than to live in it, Gary limited his search for a location to the temperate states of Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Gary and his wife moved from Winston-Salem in early 1989 to build their dream.
Not one to sit still for long, Gary and company initiated operations in the summer of 1989 within a 200 seat restaurant located in Raleigh's historic Old City Market building, where the beer was brewed in a new 10 barrel "old English" style brew house designed and commissioned by Michael Lewis. Raleigh's taste for handcrafted beer was so feverish that by 1993 it was time for an expansion of the restaurant and brewery. Within a four-year period, another 200 seats were added while keeping with the cozy English manor house decor style.
Making craft brews is often closely tied to tradition, and with that in mind, the expanded brewery was built around a 25-hectoliter brewhouse constructed by the notable Kaspar-Schulz, a German-based company that has been in the business since 1677. German brewmaster, Thomas Kunzmann, is in charge of brewing operations. Talk about being qualified for the job, Thomas has over 20 years of training and experience. With three years of training to become a malter and a brewer, and an additional two years to receive his Brewmaster and Maltmaster Degrees, it's not hard to see that Thomas is truly devoted to creating beers that are of the highest possible quality. A passion that the discerning tastes of our beer panel noted with great enthusiasm.
Greenshields has a host of awards to show for the excellent work done by Thomas and his staff --- taking the silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival, winning Spectator Magazine's "Best Draft Beer in the Triangle" award six years in a row, and receiving the award for Best Micro Brewed category for the last four years.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (919) 829-0214 or check out their web site at www.greenshields.com.
Serving Temperature: 48-53° F
Original Gravity: 12.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.3° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 36.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
Greenshields Pilsner is an especially flavorful lager brewed in the Bohemian-Pilsner style. Look for a light gold to deep copper hue. Note a pronounced soft rounded bitterness that is prominent but never lingers. Its nose consists of a complex combination of malt and floral aromas. Carbonation is low to medium and the aftertaste has elements of hop spiciness. The panel's final conclusion was a pilsner with a full, round malty flavor that is nicely balanced. One that would make a great refreshment after working hard (or not so hard) in the yard!
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.4° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.4° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 38.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.6%
Greenshield's specialized decoction brewing technique helps to create an amazingly full bodied beer. Note the rich, full flavor from the specialty malts and four-malt process. Look for great head retention in this black to deep garnet nectar. Note a fair amount of hop character that is balanced by a pleasant malt sweetness. Overall, our panel found it to be a hearty, full flavored stout. Enjoy!
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
Back in 1987, I purchased a 6-pack of M*A*S*H 4077th beer in Georgia thinking it might be something of a collector's item. I believe that it was brewed by the James Hanley Co of Fort Wayne, IN and Omaha, NE. I am very interested in its value and have been searching far and wide for someone with any info. No luck, so I figured I'd go canine and see if the great and almighty Murl can help!
Ralph Jameson
Cary, NC
Heeeeeey Ralph! Ralphy boy!
Okay, so who was your favorite M*A*S*H character? I've gotta go with Frank Burns. He was such a ferret-faced weasel, which I guess is why, as a member of the canine family, I found myself naturally attracted to him. He had some classic one-liners though, like: 'It's nice to be nice to the nice'! How about the episode where Radar was supposed to kill a lamb for Christmas dinner and couldn't do it so he stashed the mutton and served 'Spam Lamb'. Good stuff man. Good stuff.
But that's not why you rang is it, Ralphy-boy? You're motives are slightly more self serving, aren't they? You wanna know if you can't avoid making a fool of yourself on Who Wants to be a Millionaire while you attempt to make your fortune the good ole fashioned way (winning it!) by selling off a sixer of novelty brew. Ralphy, on a side note, have you by chance been socking a few bones away in the back yard? Cause if you haven't, now might be a good time to start.
Your first clue that your investment may not be sound was the fact that the beer you selected was brewed in several states, by several different regional breweries. Additionally, Inspector Clouseau, ya bought it in Georgia, which although it may have one or two notable breweries now, certainly was in the dark ages of brewing in the mid-80's. My guess, the brew from the 4077th resembled the swill that Hawkeye concocted from his backyard still. None the less, it was a long shot and you took it and I respect you for that, Ralph. I do.
M*A*S*H 4077th was in fact brewed by the James Hanley brewery of Ft. Wayne, Indiana and Omaha, Nebraska. The James Hanley name was actually a DBA used by the former Falstaff Brewing Corporation. Right up there with Stag, Old Frothenslosh, Black Label and Narragansett. The brand was issued in the mid 1980s and was available for a couple years. Thousands of these cans were issued along with the likes of Billy Beer & JR Beer (You know, the guy who converted from woosie-boy astronaut in I dream of Jeanie to ruthless, power-crazed bad boy on Dallas). Here's the bad news. On the value-meter, not one of these conversation cans has ever allowed anyone to kick it in Fiji, except, perhaps for their creators, producers and maybe the celebs themselves. Are you sitting Ralph? At most breweriana shows these cans sell for about a quarter, full or empty. Maybe you should look into selling your Cabbage Patch Doll collection.
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
IPA Battered Fried Vegetables
Your family will really like these fried vegetables for a change of pace, especially as Spring buzzes into place. You can use any type of dipping sauce that you enjoy with these mouth-watering treats.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pint of Sweetwater IPA beer
- 2 eggs
- 1-cup milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 1 carrot, cut into thick strips
- 1 onion, sliced into rings
- 6 fresh mushrooms, stems removed
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced in rings
In a medium bowl, mix together 1 ½ cup flour and Sweetwater IPA with a wooden spoon; let stand for at least 3 hours at room temperature. Mix eggs and milk in a small bowl. In a separate bowl mix together ½-cup flour and salt and pepper. Heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Dip each vegetable in the egg and milk mixture. Next dip the vegetable into the flour and seasoning mixture, finally dip the vegetable in the beer and flour mixture. Place the vegetables into the oil and fry until golden brown.
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