Past Newsletters
Vol. 9 No. 11
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Flying Fish Brewing Company | Extra Special Bitter |
| Flying Fish Brewing Company | Extra Pale Ale |
| Bluegrass Brewing Company | Bluegrass Pale Ale |
| Bluegrass Brewing Company | Dark Star Porter |
Flying Fish Brewing Company
It seems as though Gene Muller, founder of the Flying Fish Brewing Company took a cue from New Jersey’s state motto of “liberty and prosperity”. Gene veered from the traditional plan of small business development and ran with new age dynamics by posting details about his brewery in the making on the Web with over a year to go before the brew house even opened its doors.
At first glance one would think of this as foolhardy, giving away your secret plans on the Web! Au contraire! The creation of this virtual meeting ground allowed cyber fans from around the globe a glimpse at life behind the taps in addition to the plethora of minutia that would eventually transform itself into a microbrewery. Ingenuity is often cited as the devil’s volleyball and this creative plan allowed Gene a bird’s eye view into the mind of many a dedicated beer lover. This also berthed a unique online opportunity in assisting Gene with the development of the brewery by soliciting input on brewing techniques as well as what styles of beers individuals liked and disliked.
This revolutionary Pied Piper of beerdom also gave his soon to be customers the dubious honor of designing the breweries t-shirts and labels! Heck, he even gave them an opportunity to name the up and coming beers- can you imagine walking into a brewery and ordering up a tasty sensation that you had the honor of naming? Now that is a wicked new spin on commission for a job well done!
As a just reward for their diligent efforts, Gene assured his Internet labor regime that once the doors opened, they would be the first to delight in the pioneering efforts of the brewery. Rest assured this plan was well thought out as Gene had a few thousand thirsty patrons waiting for the much-anticipated day of reckoning. This day finally arrived in late 1996, at which time he cast off over 4,000 e-mail invitations for the grand opening in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which is merely a hoppy stagger away from Philadelphia.
The only bad luck that week was brewing outdoors with a hurricane hitting two days before the opening. There must have been a few postal workers on the list as approximately 200 diehards arrived at the celebratory event anyway. They came from Long Island, Virginia, 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. There is no telling what one would do for the love of beer and we are sure that many of you have quite the “fish” tale to tell in regard to your own experiences.
Muller, who began his formal working career as a copywriter for ad firms, refined his expert craftsmanship at Chicago's Siebel Institute of Technology, America's oldest brewing school. If you only knew this school existed when you were choosing schools…Imagine the frat parties! A fellow schoolmate of Genes at Siebel was none other than Brad Coors, whose family's brewery, Muller wryly notes, is "just a little bit bigger than ours." Flying Fish now holds the title of being the largest craft brewery in New Jersey and basks in its ability to create four rotating seasonals as well as four year-round brews.
Flying Fish beers remained on track with being on the forefront, as they were the first in the region to be featured at the Oregon Brewers Festival, the Great British Beer Festival, and Mondial de la Biere in Montreal, Canada. They have also won several awards at the Real Ale Festival in Chicago, the World Beer Championships and are the only New Jersey brewery featured in the book entitled Best American Beers.
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: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.0° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Hailed as Flying Fish's flagship beer, this ESB is delicately brewed with an aesthetic harmony of Two-Row Pale, Caramel 20, medium crystal, chocolate, and Munich malts. Gene balances his ale nicely with a combination of Magnum, Fuggles, and Yakima Goldings hops in three additions throughout the boil, utilizing Magnum and Fuggles primarily for bittering and the Goldings for their aromatic contributions. Our panel found a hint of malty sweetness up front, while it finished with a pleasant hop bitterness. Look for a spicy, earthy hop nose with traces of caramel evident in this filtered, copper colored ale. Overall, an extremely well-balanced interpretation of a classic English Extra Special Bitter.
Serving Temperature: 50-55° F
Original Gravity: 11.8° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
Our panel has selected yet another intriguing Flying Fish selection for your enjoyment. Fish’s Extra Pale Ale is classified as an original American pale ale. You’ll note that it focuses on the sophisticated, subtle flavors and aromas of two-row pale, Carapils, Munich, and Belgian aromatic malts. Look for a strong hop aroma, underscored slightly by citrus notes. Look for an extremely well-balanced beer with a radiant straw hue. The unique combination of Washington-grown Magnum and Mt. Hood hops creates balances this ale’s malt profile nicely. We’d suggest enjoying this light, refreshing ale with barbecue fare and friends.
Bluegrass Brewing Company
Kentucky is not all about chicken and horses as one might suspect. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in Louisville, Kentucky, Bluegrass Brewing is the envy of many microbreweries and brewpubs. Putting aside the ten national competition medals (that’s 10 ladies and gentlemen!), most of which were awarded at the Great American Beer Festival and Real Ale Fest, they have also been selected by the authors of "Beer for Dummies" as one of America's top ten breweries. Kentucky seems to be the breeding ground for greatness being the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, Muhammad Ali, Hunter S. Thompson, and the BBC (Bluegrass Brewing Company).
One of their most impressive accomplishments was beating out Anchor's Old Foghorn and Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot in the Barley wine category at the 1997 Great American Beer Festival. This feat is nothing to sneeze at as beer lovers worldwide covet these two beers, as they are truly exceptional beers.
As if brewing great beers wasn’t enough of a feat, Bluegrass also runs a brewpub. The restaurant is located in a large building that originally housed a seafood version of the Chi-Chi's chain and was opened only one year after the opening of the brewery. The interior was restored and the transformation created a working brewery in its place. A unique aspect of the restaurant is that the main area of the restaurant is divided into two large rooms with a kitchen that is viewable in the middle. And like any good brewpub, there is a full service bar adorned with large screen TVs and taps galore. Diners at the brewpub can watch through the big glass windows as Brewmaster Dave Pierce and assistant Matt Gould work their brewing mojo! If you find yourself in their neck of the woods be sure to stop by because every Wednesday, BBC hosts an open Bluegrass Jam sponsored by Bluegrass Anonymous and we can’t think of a better accompaniment to some of their tasty products!
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (502) 899-7070 or check out their web site at www.bbcbrew.com.
Serving Temperature: 43-48° F
Original Gravity: 14.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.5° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 50.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.5%
A sophisticated pale ale that is brewed with a combination of Cargill Special Pale, Special B, and Caramunich malts as well as Flaked Barley. The panel found this dark amber/copper colored ale to be a full-bodied offering, demonstrating an aggressive floral hop character. An extra helping of Centennial hops increases the bitterness of this ale and a delicate blend of aromatic zing is fueled by the use of Willamette hops. All in all, it’s remarkably well balanced for such a hoppy beer. Bluegrass Pale Ale is a Real Ale Festival "Best of Fest Winner" and a favorite of locals in Louisville. Note a hint of fruitiness on the palate and in the nose. Overall, a big pale ale brimming with refinement, worthy of its numerous accolades. Cheers!
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 4.0° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 35.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.7%
Breaking out of the gate as the 1997 Real Ale Fest Winner, this robust porter was named after the 1953 Kentucky Derby winner. It’s color is very dark and head retention moderate. This traditional English style ale has a robust, yet smooth flavor. Note the subtle hint of chocolate malt tones in the nose combined with a coffee-like roasted flavor. Look for sharp characteristics derived from the dark roasted grains that are balanced nicely with a pleasant spicy hop finish. A fantastic selection to pair up with some hearty foods and strong cheeses such as blue or sharp cheddar.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
Although I’ve never tried one, I’d like to know your opinion of “Ice Beers”. What makes them different?
Rosie Cooncatte
Lake Thompson, ME
Dear Rosie,
In a word, Yuk … Yukko … Ptuiiii! It’s marketing 101 baby and I’m pretty sure that this peculiar attempt to build market share by the big boys did a major belly flop-a-roonie on the Success-o-meter. Ice beers are simply taken to a temperature just above freezing while lagered which has little to no effect (unfortunately) on the taste in this mutts opinion.
I once had a true “ice beer” produced by the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company in Portland, OR. Though not commercially available as the alcohol content was out of this world, the boys at the brewery with my favorite name took a batch of their triple Belgian, exceptional in its own right, took it to a temp where water ice crystals did in fact form, and then removed them. The end resultant? Nectar, my friends, pure nectar. Not much like any beer I could compare. Mucho flavor. Very thick, almost syrupy and overall, a truly delightful experience. Think I’ll send them a copy of this newsletter and try to mooch another sample! Again, you can’t buy the stuff. It was made for the brewer’s personal consumption only. Hope that helps Rosebud.
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Flying Fish Pizza Crust (16 inch)
- 2 bottles Flying Fish ESB Ale
- 1 1/3 teaspoons salt
- 3 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 4 1/3 cups flour
- 3 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 1/8 oz. active yeast (dry)
A Chicago-style thick-crusted pizza dough. Open one bottle of Flying Fish and pour into glass for your consumption. Add all ingredients as listed, at room temperature, including the second bottle of Flying Fish. Let rise three or four times, beating down between. Roll out for 16" pizza pan. Add tomato sauce, cheese and other ingredients to your liking. Bake in preheated oven set at 425º F for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
For an interesting twist substitute 1/3 cup fresh ground sunflower seed for 1/3 cup flour. Whatever you are cooking up, chances are it will taste better with a pinch of love and a generous pour of Flying Fish beer.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Woody: Would you like a beer, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: No Wood, I’d like a dead cat in a glass.
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