Past Newsletters
Vol. 9 No. 9
| Brewery | Beers Featured |
| Pennsylvania Brewing Company | Penn Pilsner |
| Pennsylvania Brewing Company | Penn Dark Lager |
| Old Dominion Brewing Company | Old Dominion Stout |
| Old Dominion Brewing Company | Dominion Lager |
Pennsylvania Brewing Company
What better way to savor the traditions of St. Patrick's Day than with not one, but two unique award winning East Coast Breweries? Tom Pastorius founded the Pennsylvania Brewing Company in 1986. The goal was to brew authentic German beers, which it did in addition to becoming the first microbrewery in Pennsylvania and a pioneer in the microbrewery renaissance.
The brewery and brewpub are located in Pittsburgh; housed in the same building where the historic Eberhardt Brewery once existed. No detail was overlooked from its solid copper brewhouse imported from the motherland, to its authentic German fermentation and aging tanks, filtration equipment, kegging and bottling equipment. Another unique facet to Pennsylvania Brewing's success is that the brewery imports all of its ingredients, uses German recipes, brewing methods and even has a German brewmaster! Caution: Reader may suddenly have the urge to grill up some bratwurst!
All beers are made in strict accordance to the German beer purity law know as "Rheinheitsgebot" which means that only the four classic ingredients are used in their beer: malted barley and/or wheat, hops, yeast and of course water. It is strictly prohibited to use such common adjuncts as corn and rice. You won't find the words "preservatives" or "stabilizers" in the vocabulary of Penn's brewmaster. And you thought the Trappist Monks had it bad! What you have before you is just authentic, honest, all natural beer made the way it's made in Germany.
Our beer panel had an excruciating time this month selecting only two styles from the numerous selections offered up by Pennsylvania Brewing Company. In addition to the Penn Pilsner and Penn Dark that you'll have the chance to try this month, the brewery produces a number of unusual lagers and ales including a classic German Pilsner, Oktoberfest, Bavarian Hefeweizen, and a Munich Helles style beer.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (412) 237-9402 or check out their web site at www.pennbrew.com.
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.2° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.2° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 29.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0%
Winner of the Beverage Testing Institute's Gold Medal, Penn Pilsner was introduced in 1986 as Pennsylvania's first entrant in the Microbrewery revolution and since then has become a favorite of thousands of their local supporters'Not to mention the demanding tastes of our more than righteous beer panel! First impressions are everything and this one is awesome! Notice the clean golden straw hue coupled with a jagged cottony head that adheres to the glass. The flagship brand of Pennsylvania Brewery is made with 2-row and caramel- roasted barley malts, imported Hallertau hops and no preservatives. Look for a subtle trace of sweet honey in the nose with an assertive hop finish. Note a smooth Vienna-style lager that combines full body with a noble hop aroma. An extremely smooth and enjoyable brew that would be a solid accompaniment to any Spring barbecue with friends, heck you can even enjoy this one with strangers!
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.8° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.8° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 24.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.2%
A gold medal winner at the 1999 Great American Beer Festival, the 2000 World Beer Cup, and the 2001 World Beer Championships, you could say that more than our panel was impressed with this beer. This full flavored lager blends a rich malty coffee and nut-like flavor into a bread style finish that you will swear tastes like a meal. Note an amber to dark brown hue and good head retention in this complex lager. Look for underlying overtones of hop bitterness and a bold flavor stemming from the Munich and black malts used to brew it. Overall, a delicately crafted lager that implores you to try another!
Old Dominion Brewing Company
'Don't drink more ' Drink Better'. So goes the slogan of the Old Dominion Brewing Company. Old Dominion, established in 1989, has the proud honor of being the first microbrewery to serve our nation's Capital. Jerry Bailey's home brewing career ended when he started Old Dominion Brewing Company in 1989. Thank the powers that be for this sweet moment in time. His brewing philosophy is simple and pure: to make the best beer possible. A man has to have goals and we support this one!
Old Dominion has invested in state of the art brewing equipment, purchased the finest ingredients, and used the most appropriate brewing techniques to make world-class beers. The Old Dominion Brewpub is located in the brewery and serves up mouth-watering burgers, salads, soups, and other pub fare. Boasting with a well deserved air of self confidence, Jerry states,' I don't know of a single thing we could do that we are not doing to make better beer'.
Like Penn, Old Dominion uses only malted barley, hops, east and, the inevitable, water to craft their brews. No preservatives or adjuncts are used and the beers are never pasteurized. The brewery sold its first beer back in May of 1990 and by 1992, they were selling just under 6,000 barrels of beer annually. Dedicated to producing fresh, flavorful, full-bodied beers, Old Dominion offers not only a high quality product but a plethora of styles as well. A privately owned brewery located in Loudoun County about three miles north of Dulles Airport, the brewery creates over twenty beers, many of which are seasonal beers only brewed several months out of the year. The beers are sold exclusively only in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and in parts of Maryland. Of course if you're really nice and visit our site at www.beermonthclub.com, we'll gladly ship you out some more of these tasty treats for a modest monetary pittance.
For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (703) 724-9100 or check out their web site at www.olddominion.com.
Serving Temperature: 45-50° F
Original Gravity: 13.5° Plato
Final Gravity: 3.2° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 40.0
Alcohol by Volume: 4.7%
Old Dominion Stout is brewed with a combination of 2-row pale, Carapils, Chocolate, & Caramel malts. Immediately, you should detect a deep rich roasted nose indicative of the full-flavored, creamy dark brew that is to follow. Jerry hops this full-bodied stout with Perle hops up front to add a slight bitterness and then later with Willamette hops for their aromatic contributions. Old Dominion's Stout is brewed as an Irish cream stout. Did someone say St. Patrick's Day? Yes, we planned it that way. Pretty slick, huh? The complex flavor is well balanced yet mellow, with coffee and chocolate notes throughout. You might consider pairing it with grilled mahi-mahi, seared ahi tuna, or some dark flavorful bread and a creamy, aged Stilton. For other unique cheese and beer pairings, you might want to check out our Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club!
Serving Temperature: 40-45° F
Original Gravity: 12.7° Plato
Final Gravity: 2.9° Plato
Int'l Bittering Units: 23.0
Alcohol by Volume: 5.4%
Another award winning lager, Old Dominion Lager took the gold in the Dortmunder/European-Style Export category in 1997 at the Great American Beer Festival, was awarded the Best Micro Brew by the Washingtonian Magazine and recognized as one of the 18 Best Beers in America by Men's Health Magazine!
Dominion Lager is the brewery's best selling bottled beer and is brewed with a combination of four types of malted barley: Two-Row Pale Brewer's malt, Carapils, Munich, and Caramel malts. The bittering hops used are Perle and Hallertau from the Yakima Valley in Washington State. Jerry uses domestic Tettnang, German Hallertau Hersbrucker, and Czech Saaz to add to the beers aromatic profile. Look for a hint of grainy and sweet malt, rich with citrus flavor and solid bitterness. This combination of malt and hops, along with a classic lager yeast from Germany, and the long, low-temperature lagering process results in a mild, smooth, flavorful, complex beer that we found very enjoyable.
Ask Murl
Dear Murl,
I recently started a new job where I'll be away from home quite a bit. I've changed the mailing address for my monthly shipments to a (non-beer drinking) friends house. I'm worried about it staying unrefrigerated for up to two weeks. Should I buy my friend a refrigerator for my BOM shipments or will the beer not be affected by the chill delay?
Suz (Susan Brower)
Yo Suz!
First of all, let me commend you on your wise decision to re-route the service to a non-beer lover. I've seen that kind of thing tear a friendship apart. First, they blame it on the UPS driver breaking a few bottles, then shipments seem to get 'lost' altogether. A quick call to our customer service department and the revelation that the 'friend' signed for the beer is about the time when things get real ugly. We're doing everything we can to provide you with the freshest beers possible each month. Each beer featured is custom brewed for us and delivered straight from the bottling line. The beer only stays in our warehouse for 3-5 days before being packaged and sent to you. We also try and feature bottle conditioned, higher alcohol content or hop assertive beers in the warmer months as they tend to travel better. Bottom line? Put 'em in a fridge if you can, but if you can't keep them in the box and out of sunlight in a cool area (perhaps a closet or basement) until you can. If you wanted to store them for a longer period, say more than 6 weeks before drinking them, I'd push your friend to clear out 7-8 half-spent salad dressings, mustards, jams, and condiments you can't pronounce to make way for your coveted brew.
Woof!
Murl.
Food For Thought...
Penn Pilsner Eggplant Pasta
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled & diced
- Salt and pepper
- 6 ounces smoked ham, cubed
- 1 cup Penn Pilsner
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 lb. large tubular pasta such as penne
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Put in the eggplant, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 10 min., until it becomes soft. Stir in the ham, and fry 2 min. Add the pilsner and rosemary, and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid by half. Put in the peas, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce, and cook for 30 seconds to heat through. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese, and serve.
Serves: 4-6.
Source: Real Beer and Good Eats; Bruce Aidells & Denis Kelly; Alfred A. Knoph, Inc., 1992.
Norm's Corner...
As spoken by Cheers' Norm
Coach: What's up, Normie?
Norm: My nipples, it's freezing out there.
For Members Only
Give Your Friends FREE Beer, Wine, Cheese, Chocolate,
Cigars & Flowers!
Through our Customer Appreciation Program
Your name has real value to your friends, co-workers, and family members! Every time a friend, family member, or anyone else you know joins any one of our clubs, [or gives a gift] for 3 months or longer, we'll give them 50% off of their first month, but only when they mention your name. And we'll also give you 50% off your next month too which can either be applied towards your current membership or you can try one of our other Clubs out! (We can add one more month to your order at 50% off for prepaid memberships!)
The Fine Print: Members giving gift memberships do not qualify for referral credits and you can't give yourself a gift to qualify! This Program is mutually exclusive of any other promotions.
Membership Q & A
Q: What can I do if I'm having difficulty receiving my shipment
at home?
A: You should consider having our discrete box delivered to
your work location or to a neighbor 21 yrs. of age that can receive
it for you. As your shipment requires and adult signature to receive,
it's always best to ship it to a location where someone will be there
to receive it for you. The box is brown corrugated cardboard and doesn't
say "Beer" on it anywhere.
Q: What should I do if I'm moving or want to extend my membership?
A: Please call us prior to the 5th of the month to make all
account related information changes such as address changes, membership
extensions & terminations, or gift accounts desiring to continue
their memberships. Address changes made after that time may require
a repackaging and re-shipping charge of $12.00. Additionally, if your
box is re-routed by UPS from an address different than what was originally
specified, you may incur a $5.00 re-routing charge.
Q: What happens if my shipment is damaged?
A: If your shipment arrives damaged, please call us immediately
toll free at 1-800-625-8238 and report the incident for a prompt resolution.
Q: What happens if my credit card is declined?
A: We will send you a courtesy notice asking you for an alternative
payment method and your order will be temporarily suspended until
we hear from you.
Q: What happens if I join under a special incentive program
and don't stay a member for the entire term committed?
A: Not a problem. Although we want to do everything we can
to keep you as a member, we will allow you to cancel your subscription
early; however, you will be responsible to pay for the item that was
given to you as part of the promotion. If you received a discount
based on a specific term, the amount discounted will be charged to
your card.
