Past Newsletters
Vol. 9 No. 7
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Harpoon Brewing Company | Catamount Porter |
| Harpoon Brewing Company | Catamount Pale Ale |
| Frederick Brewing Company | Blue Ridge Snowball's Chance |
| Frederick Brewing Company | Blue Ridge Amber Lager |
Harpoon Brewing Company
The Harpoon Brewing Company first opened its doors on the Boston waterfront back in 1986. It originally started with four employees; the three founders, which were classmates at Harvard, and one very important employee &their brewer! Today, Harpoon staffs 60 employees at two brewery locations. One of the more interesting stats about the brewery, besides that fact that their beer was the first to be brewed and bottled in Boston since 1964, is that they brew more beer than any other New England brewery.
The Harpoon Brewing Company has gone through several changes in the last few years. In the summer of 2000, they purchased the Catamount Brewery, which is located near the banks of the Connecticut River in Windsor, Vermont. This allowed them to increase the capacity of their Boston brewery and also allowed them the opportunity to brew several other brands and styles of beers.
The Harpoon Brewing Company brews ten styles of beers under the Harpoon name and three styles of beers under the Catamount brand. Our panel was lucky enough to try most of these beers and had a hard time this month trying to decide which ones to feature. But in the end, we settled in on the Catamount line and know that you'll enjoy them both!
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (888) HARPOON or check out their web site at www.harpoonbrewery.com.
Serving Temperature: 47-52° F
Original Gravity: 15.0° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.4° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.8%
The Catamount Porter is a dark, rich, brown porter with a thick & creamy tan head. It's brewed with no less than seven different types of malts along with Nugget and Yakima Goldings hops. We found it a hugely aromatic brew, slightly sweet, with a big roasted coffee nose which also hinted of chocolate and caramel. Look for a very creamy and smooth mouthfeel. The flavor profile is complex, bursting with notes of coffee, chocolate, sweet malts, caramel, and roasted malts. There is a slight hint of the citrus hops in the moderately dry finish. Overall, a complex, full-bodied porter that would pair nicely with nicely with the French Roquefort cheese featured this month in our Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 14.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.0° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 36.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.6%
The Catamount Pale Ale is brewed with a combination of 2-row pale, Caramel, Carapils, and Munich malts. Look for great head retention in this deep, brilliant, bronze-colored ale. We found the aroma to be slightly fruity, offering heaps of floral hops. Note a very well balanced sweet malt and spicy hop balance in the flavor. Catamount pale ale is hopped with Cascade hops, which contribute to its clean and dry finish. Note a distinctive hop bitterness in the finish as well as a trace of caramel. Overall, an excellent, clean, and flavorful pale ale. This beer would pair nicely with chicken, salmon, pork chops, or barbequed roast beef.
Frederick Brewing Company
Founded in 1993 by Kevin Brannon, a home-brewing former lawyer, and Marjorie McGinnis, a beer-loving psychology student, the Frederick Brewing Company, located in Frederick, Maryland, has been pumping out quality beers for years. After deciding to go ahead with their plan to open a brewery, Kevin and Marjorie brought in Brewmaster Steve Nordahl and Brewery Representative Frenchy Tluszcz to complete the team.
The Frederick Brewing Company currently owns and operates both the Wild Goose Brewery of Cambridge, MA and the Brimstone Brewing Co. located in Baltimore, MD. The three breweries combined have taken no less than 41 awards and accolades over the last decade, including 12 World Beer Championship honors and 4 medals at the Great American Beer Festival.
Founded 9 years ago with its flagship Blue Ridge collection of micros, the brewery is recognized as one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the country. By 1995 the demand for their products exceeded capacity which prompted expansion the following year when an entirely new 57,000 square foot brewery was constructed.
Our panel enjoyed the Blue Ridge line across the board and that's why you'll have the opportunity to sample two of its beers. The line also includes an ESB Red Ale, a Golden Ale, a Porter, a Stout, a Doppelbock, a Wheat beer, and their fall seasonal beer.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (888) 258-7434
Serving Temperature: 48-53° F
Original Gravity: 16.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 5.0° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 30.0
Alcohol by Volume: 6.2%
Snowball's Chance is a seasonal winter ale, only brewed during the holidays each month. It's brewed with Willamette hops and four different types of specialty malts. We found this dark ruby ale almost a enjoyable to look at as it was to drink... okay, not really! But is does sport a beautiful red hue. Rich and flavorful, Snowball's Chance offers a floral hop fruity nose, complemented by a slight maltiness in the background. The flavor starts with a slight malt sweetness, then moves to a slightly bitter hop flavor, and then to a toasted malt, slightly dry, finish. Overall, an excellent winter ale that would pair nicely with a thick beef stew or roasted chicken.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.5° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 24.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.4%
Just as the name implies, the Blue Ridge amber lager is amber in color and slightly hazy. The brewery's interpretation of a Vienna-style lager is brewed with a combination of Vanguard and Saaz hops along with 2-row pale, C-60, and Munich malts. Note excellent head retention in this reddish-amber lager. We found the nose to be slightly toasted with hints of caramel and chocolate malts and a slight presence of floral hops. True to style, look for a caramel malt dominated flavor and a mild spicy hop character in the background. Look for a dry, malty finish that prevents this beer from becoming too sweet. This is a great beer to drink with spicy chili.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
Hello from the Pacific Northwest, home of the re-birth of the microbrewery! First, I would like to thank you for your beer of the month service. Thanks to you, we've been able to enjoy a lot of great brews from around the country. My question is this: What is meant by the term lagering ? And if I can get two in for the price of one, what is the difference between beer and ale? You might be able to tell from my questions that I am fairly new at this hobby. I don't know much about em, but I sure do enjoy drinkin' them! Keep up the great work!
Happily Yours,
Harold Scott
Belfair, WA.
Yo Harry!
May I call you Harry? I mean, my friends call me hairy and sometimes I get ticked, not because I have ticks, mind you, but because I am hairy. Anyway, Harold, thanks for the kind words; it means a lot to a guy that is usually rewarded with rawhide chewies and Science Diet's interpretation of a Scooby Snack . Lagering is a term that originated from the German word Lagen which means to lie, rest, or repose. The term refers to the storing of bottom-fermented beer in cold cellars at near freezing temperatures for periods ranging from a few weeks to several months and occasionally up to a year, during which time the slow process chemical reactions take place which mellow the beer, reducing any harsh or off flavors. Lagering generally creates a smoother, crisper, and cleaner product.
On beer and ale, it's really just a question of semantics. The word beer is used rather broadly to describe nearly all beverages made with malted barley except a couple of strange brews like zee inzamous Zima and zome other peculiar products. All beers fall into two primary categories or classifications, one of which is Ales, the other being Lagers. Furthermore, there are many different styles such as stouts, bocks, or hefeweizens that fall under each category. We've included several articles on the various beer styles in past editions of The Brew Harvest Review which can be viewed on our web site at www.beermonthclub.com in the Beer Style Guide Section. Hope that clears it up a bit for ya, Hairy.
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Catamount Pale Ale Cheese Spread
This zesty spread blends four cheeses and several spices with your favorite ale. Try it on your favorite cracker or chip.
- 2 oz. Blue Cheese
- 1 oz. fresh American chevre or other fresh goat cheese
- 6 oz. aged New York State white cheddar or other sharp cheddar, diced
- 1 oz. Philadelphia-type cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon celery seeds
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ cup Catamount Pale Ale
Process all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. If spread is too thick, give up a little more of the Catamount. Pack into a crock or small bowl, and let sit several hours or overnight in the refrigerator before using. Serve at room temperature. Makes about 2 cups.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Coach: How's life treating you, Normie?
Norm: Like it caught me sleeping with its' wife, Coach. Slide
me a cold one.
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