Past Newsletters
Vol. 9 No. 12
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| St. Stan’s Brewing Company | Red Sky Ale |
| St. Stan’s Brewing Company | Amber Ale |
| Arcadia Brewing Company | India Pale Ale |
| Arcadia Brewing Company | Starboard Stout |
St. Stan’s Brewing Company
The founders of the St. Stan’s Brewing Company have been concocting marvelous libations since 1973, when Garith Helm and his wife Romy began to explore their newfound passion for homebrewing. They began brewing German-style beers after returning from a visit from Germany. After many experimental brews, numerous trips to Germany, and many a tasty beer consumed, they successfully produced an "Alt" beer, a style that is well known in Dusseldorf, Germany. So keep at it all of you out there that brew your own…there is hope for you yet…or perhaps you would like to keep that sweet homebrewed nectar all to yourself!
Encouraged by the reception given to their beer by friends, Romy and Garith decided to build a modest brewery adjacent to their home in Modesto, California. Ah! The beauty of a handcrafted microbrew can pop up wherever, whenever. Much like your coveted beer shipment and all of our other gourmet clubs!
Construction commenced in 1981 and, three years later, Modesto was home to a new 1,000-barrel brewery. The Helm’s produced their first commercial beer (delivered in kegs) in July of 1984! Not missing a beat they began bottling liter bottles in 1986 and sensed an overpowering urge to expand the brewery. This team was fixed on winning some sort of beer producing record as they began 12-oz. bottling in 1987 and you guessed it…time to build again.
The original brewery adjacent to their home was now running at full capacity. And true to form for being a team not known to waste time, Romy and Garith began the construction for St. Stan’s newest addition in the fall of 1989; do you see a pattern here folks? Completed in September of 1990, the new downtown Modesto brewery offers an annual capacity of 12,000-barrels and sports a state of the art microbiological lab that allows their masterbrewer to closely monitor each batch.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (209) 524-BEER or check out their web site at www.st-stans.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.2° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.2° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 28.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%
The Red Sky Ale that is before you has quite a stellar track record. The Malt Advocate awarded its highest honors to this ale in 1995 and in 1996, this elixir achieved 89 points out of 100 at the World Beer Championships. No wonder it is before you now so you can enjoy the subtle combination of crisp bitterness and delicate sweetness. Look for a medium body, infused with a dynamic combination of barley and wheat malt. Note the bitterness balanced by aromatic Cascade hops. A fantastic red hue makes one envision the sunsets of summer that are yet to come.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.2° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.2° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 16.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%
Tradition rings true once again with yet another award winner rated Silver with a solid 89 points out of 100 in the 1996 World Beer Championships. Our discerning panel’s tasting notes reflect the distinctive Altbier style this ale mimics. Cascade and Fuggle bittering hops enrich this amber decadence that beckons you. Note the radiant amber hue and enjoy the low carbonation serenaded by a full malty, caramel flavor. Overall, a clean, full flavored and well-balanced ale. We loved it!
Arcadia Brewing Company
Ever wonder what happened to those kids with the cool last names in elementary school? Well, we have an update on one of them for you. Timothy Suprise founded The Arcadia Brewing Company, located in Battle Creek, MI, in 1996. Arcadia is a microbrewery that specializes in handcrafted British ales. The utilization of a 25-barrel Peter Austin Brick Kettle Brewing system combined with traditional English brewing methods allows their product line to reflect a world class brewing heritage that is more than 250 years old.
As you may have surmised, it takes a lot more than authentic British equipment to make a stellar ale. Arcadia utilizes the finest ingredients from England including malted barley and Ringwood™ Yeast, which is combined with the freshest hops from the Pacific Northwest. The combination of these elements results in some of the freshest and tastiest handcrafted ales you will ever have the pleasure of savoring.
Arcadia has earned some serious bragging rights over the years as four of their eight beers have received international recognition by the way of varied awards. Arcadia’s ESB was honored at the 1997 Traditional Beer Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland and determined to be one of the finest cask ales served at the festival. The brewery shined again at the World Beer Championships in 1998 where they were awarded a Bronze medal for their Angler’s Ale, a Silver medal for their Whitsun, and the Gold for their IPA which received the highest score ever given to an American made India Pale Ale. Guess which one our panel decided to present to you? Arcadia also has the distinction of receiving the “Best of the Great Lakes Brewery Award” and is one of the finest purveyors of cask conditioned or “Real Ales”, in the entire Midwest.
Another discerning feature of Arcadia is its restaurant and tavern that is conveniently adjacent to the brewery. An interesting feature of the restaurant is its eclectic and distinctive menu specifically focused on wood-fired cuisine, prepared exclusively in a unique oven that cooks the food at temperatures reaching 750º. This facet alone adds character to the brewery being that it is their only cooking device and was imported from Naples, Italy. Tours of the brewery are given every Saturday afternoon or by the convenience of appointment.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (616) 963-9520 or check out their web site at www.arcadiabrewingcompany.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 41.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.9%
Wow! This baby is hopalicious! This refreshing selection was the highest ranked American made IPA at the 1998 World Beer Championship, achieving an outstanding score of 92, standing firmly behind Whitbread of England that had a score of 93. You will note a prominent floral hop aroma balanced perfectly by lingering caramel malty sweetness. Color is a deep amber with medium head retention. Note a complex and prominent hop profile derived from the use of Columbus, Centennial, and Cascade hops. Partner this one up a rich meat selection such as duck. Our selective panel found this to be a robust blend of satisfying tastes that will resound in your memory banks for a long time…at least until the next one! Keep in mind that we do in fact offer re-orders on any prized selection that you enjoyed or you feel your friends might bask in, visit www.beermonthclub.com for more information or just give us a call.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 14.5° Plato
Final Gravity: N/A
Int'l Bittering Units: 29.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.6%
If you like ‘em dark, we have a tasty treat for you. Starboard Stout is classified in the unique category of Irish Oat Malt Stout. Look for a deep, near black hue with garnet undertones. We found it to be quite robust, yet well balanced. Note a chocolaty roasted malt character and a creamy mouth feel. Look for a complex and subtle hop flavor and aroma, a result of the use of both Willamette and Fuggles hops. We enjoyed this beer’s prominent coffee-like roasted malt characteristic very much. This shining star would pair nicely with seared ahi or a simple platter of aged Stilton cheese.
Ask Murl
Yo Murlster!
I was kicking it in my favorite Irish bar the other day, the Harp Inn, and got to wondering, based on how hammered folks tend to get at this fine establishment, if dark beers are stronger than light beers. Most are suckin’ down pints of Guinness, thus the basis of my hypothesis. Big word I know. I figured you could help solve the dilemma.
Jason O’Donnell
Costa Mesa, CA
Well then there Jason-me-boy,
So you be wonderin’ why you and your mates generally inebriate yourselves more so than those that appear to be tossin’ back the lighter brews, then are ya? The Dark beer equates to stronger beer theory is one that most of you wee green lads like to hold dear as it would imply that you boys can in fact handle your liquor better than most after downing 14 or 15 pints-o-Guinness!
Albeit true that the Irish, as a general population, do seem to be able to drink more than most and remain at least vertical, the fact that Guinness weighs in at a mere 4.2% alcohol by volume compared to the swill cranked out at bud which tops it at 5.0% ABV, does shed some light on the issue. It is generally thought true that darker beers carry higher ABV’s and I’m here to tell ya lads, that it’s pure Blarney!
True, many darker brews are in fact significantly stronger than lighter mass produced beers but it’s not a rule you can live by. Malt type determines the color of the brew, but not the strength. In fact, there are several lighter Belgian beers and pale bocks, like Duvel for example, that are gonna hit yer brainpan 2-3 times harder than your average Guinness! Hope that help clear up the dilemma for ya my boy!
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Beer Barbecue Sauce
Delicious as a basting sauce for charcoal grilled hamburgers or hot dogs or steak this beer-heightened sauce doubles as a tenderizing marinade for economy cuts.
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups St. Stan’s Amber Ale
- 2 cups chill sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
Heat oil and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add lemon juice, amber ale, chili sauce Worcestershire and salt. Cook over medium heat until sauce bubbles, about 5 minutes. Use sauce to brush meat during grilling. As a marinade, cover thick chuck or round steaks completely with sauce and let stand in refrigerator for several hours.
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