Volume 5, Issue 5 Imperial Stouts while standing out from the pack thanks to a harmonious infu- sion of two different hop varieties – Nug- get and Centennial. Robust and choco- laty, with a spike of hop freshness. 10%. Palm Royale - This beer was originally brewed to celebrate brewmaster Alfred van Roy’s 90th birthday. Hence the name Palm Roy-Ale. It is a fine copper colored beer topped with a rich, white head complimented by a distinctive ba- nana aroma and mild caramel honey mellowness with contrasting bitter & fruity notes. 7.5%. Peak Hop Blanc - Hop Blanc is a heav- enly White IPA. Local wheat and Bel- 21st Amendment Fireside Chat - A subtle twist on the traditional seasonal brew. It is a rich, dark English-style Strong Ale with a warming malt back- bone. A subtle blend of spices and cocoa nibs are added to give this beer just the right festive flair. 7.9%. Captain Lawrence Harvest Ale - A wet hop IPA brewed with 250 pounds of freshly picked Cascade hops from Condzella Hop Farm in Long Is- land. Loaded with hop flavors, this ale is moderately biter with a ton with fresh hop aroma. 7.5%. Coronado Stupid Stout – This deep, dark, viscous brew stands up to other Oct./Nov. 2013 Dry Hopped Beers Newsletter Inside This Issue Dry Hop Beers 1 Beer Descriptions 1 Craft Distilling 2 Craft Cans 2 Wet Hop Beers 3 Events/Tastings 3 Coming Soon 4 Recent Arrivals 4 Event Addresses 4 While adding hops to the boiling wort is the most effective way of bittering a beer, this process also destroys many of the more vola- tile oils and resins that contrib- ute to hop aroma and flavor. Ironically, hop flavor and aroma may be exactly what many con- sumers are look for. Beer drink- ers are becoming more interested in the citrusy, piney and grassy aromas and flavors that are can be found in many hops, and less interested in how bitter a beer is. Dry hopping a beer is one way to increase these flavors. Dry hop- ping refers to the process of add- ing hops to a beer either while it is fermenting or more commonly while it is in the conditioning tanks. When adding hops at these stages of the brewing proc- ess brewers are not concerned about adding more bitterness or IBUs to the finished beer, rather they are looking to add aroma and flavor. It is important to remember that most of what we taste is actually a result of what we smell. As stated above, hops added during the boil add bitterness, but many of the aromas and flavors of the hops are boiled off during this process. Dry hopping a beer while it is in the conditioning tanks maximizes the aroma contribu- When the American craft beer move- ment first began Pale Ales lead the way. Usually they were the flagship beer of a given brewery and often they are still an entry point to the world of craft beer for many consum- ers. However, as the craft beer mar- ket has matured consumers have been demanding more and more hops in their beer or maybe more accurately more and more bitter- ness. Craft brewers have responded by packing more and more hops into their IPAs, and when that was no longer enough we started seeing craft brewers making Double, Impe- rial and even Triple IPAs. Some of these beers are so bitter that they challenge the palates of even the most dedicated hop heads. This has some people wondering if maybe hops have something more to offer than just bitterness. Hops are important to beer produc- tion because without hops beer would be too sweet. Traditionally most hops have been added during the boil because it is the most effec- tive way to extract the oils and res- ins that add bitterness to the beer. This bitterness is needed to balance the sweetness of the malted barley, but hop bitterness is not necessarily the same as hop flavor, and this is something that both consumers and brewers are starting to realize. tion of the hops. Adding hops while the beer is still fermenting can be effective means of doing this as well, but some of the aromas and flavors will inevitably be carried away by the rising CO2. Since brewers are less concerned with adding bitterness when dry hopping then they are with adding aroma, hop selection is important. It is better to choose hop varieties that are lower in alpha acids – the main bittering agent in hops – and higher in aroma potential. Certain hops have more aroma potential than others and different hops add differ- ent aromas. Amarillo hops tend to add aromas of grapefruit, Centen- nial hops add citrus and Nugget hops add more of an herbal or tea- like aroma. Fortunately for craft brewers Ameri- can hop varieties are well known for their concentrated aromatics and there are a wide variety of choices available that allow the brewer to highlight an almost endless variety of aromas and flavors. Unfortu- nately, hops are expensive, and dry hopping requires the use of a lot of additional hops. Not only are hops expensive, but dry hopping also re- quires additional conditioning time which can slow production. Despite these challenges many brewers use the process for some of their beers anyway believing that the end result is worth the effort and expense. gian yeast give this beer a soft mouth- feel, while Centennial, Simcoe and Citra hops provide a bright rush of tropical and citrus flavors up front. This beer is the cheery, angelic cousin of the more sinister Hop Noir. 6.4%. Shiner Holiday Cheer - An Old World Dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans. The malty flavors of this dark wheat ale are en- hanced through the use of malted barley and wheat. Kräusening ensures a smoothness that makes the subtle peach and pecan flavors all the more satisfy- ing. May your days be merry and bright and your Shiner be cold. 5.4%. New Releases/Coming Soon
Transcript
Volume 5, Issue 5
Imperial Stouts while standing out from the pack thanks to a harmonious infu-sion of two different hop varieties – Nug-get and Centennial. Robust and choco-laty, with a spike of hop freshness. 10%. Palm Royale - This beer was originally brewed to celebrate brewmaster Alfred van Roy’s 90th birthday. Hence the name Palm Roy-Ale. It is a fine copper colored beer topped with a rich, white head complimented by a distinctive ba-nana aroma and mild caramel honey mellowness with contrasting bitter & fruity notes. 7.5%. Peak Hop Blanc - Hop Blanc is a heav-enly White IPA. Local wheat and Bel-
21st Amendment Fireside Chat - A subtle twist on the traditional seasonal brew. It is a rich, dark English-style Strong Ale with a warming malt back-bone. A subtle blend of spices and cocoa nibs are added to give this beer just the right festive flair. 7.9%. Captain Lawrence Harvest Ale - A wet hop IPA brewed with 250 pounds of freshly picked Cascade hops from Condzella Hop Farm in Long Is-land. Loaded with hop flavors, this ale is moderately biter with a ton with fresh hop aroma. 7.5%. Coronado Stupid Stout – This deep, dark, viscous brew stands up to other
While adding hops to the boiling wort is the most effective way of bittering a beer, this process also destroys many of the more vola-tile oils and resins that contrib-ute to hop aroma and flavor. Ironically, hop flavor and aroma may be exactly what many con-sumers are look for. Beer drink-ers are becoming more interested in the citrusy, piney and grassy aromas and flavors that are can be found in many hops, and less interested in how bitter a beer is. Dry hopping a beer is one way to increase these flavors. Dry hop-ping refers to the process of add-ing hops to a beer either while it is fermenting or more commonly while it is in the conditioning tanks. When adding hops at these stages of the brewing proc-ess brewers are not concerned about adding more bitterness or IBUs to the finished beer, rather they are looking to add aroma and flavor. It is important to remember that most of what we taste is actually a result of what we smell. As stated above, hops added during the boil add bitterness, but many of the aromas and flavors of the hops are boiled off during this process. Dry hopping a beer while it is in the conditioning tanks maximizes the aroma contribu-
When the American craft beer move-ment first began Pale Ales lead the way. Usually they were the flagship beer of a given brewery and often they are still an entry point to the world of craft beer for many consum-ers. However, as the craft beer mar-ket has matured consumers have been demanding more and more hops in their beer or maybe more accurately more and more bitter-ness. Craft brewers have responded by packing more and more hops into their IPAs, and when that was no longer enough we started seeing craft brewers making Double, Impe-rial and even Triple IPAs. Some of these beers are so bitter that they challenge the palates of even the most dedicated hop heads. This has some people wondering if maybe hops have something more to offer than just bitterness. Hops are important to beer produc-tion because without hops beer would be too sweet. Traditionally most hops have been added during the boil because it is the most effec-tive way to extract the oils and res-ins that add bitterness to the beer. This bitterness is needed to balance the sweetness of the malted barley, but hop bitterness is not necessarily the same as hop flavor, and this is something that both consumers and brewers are starting to realize.
tion of the hops. Adding hops while the beer is still fermenting can be effective means of doing this as well, but some of the aromas and flavors will inevitably be carried away by the rising CO2. Since brewers are less concerned with adding bitterness when dry hopping then they are with adding aroma, hop selection is important. It is better to choose hop varieties that are lower in alpha acids – the main bittering agent in hops – and higher in aroma potential. Certain hops have more aroma potential than others and different hops add differ-ent aromas. Amarillo hops tend to add aromas of grapefruit, Centen-nial hops add citrus and Nugget hops add more of an herbal or tea-like aroma. Fortunately for craft brewers Ameri-can hop varieties are well known for their concentrated aromatics and there are a wide variety of choices available that allow the brewer to highlight an almost endless variety of aromas and flavors. Unfortu-nately, hops are expensive, and dry hopping requires the use of a lot of additional hops. Not only are hops expensive, but dry hopping also re-quires additional conditioning time which can slow production. Despite these challenges many brewers use the process for some of their beers anyway believing that the end result is worth the effort and expense.
gian yeast give this beer a soft mouth-feel, while Centennial, Simcoe and Citra hops provide a bright rush of tropical and citrus flavors up front. This beer is the cheery, angelic cousin of the more sinister Hop Noir. 6.4%. Shiner Holiday Cheer - An Old World Dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans. The malty flavors of this dark wheat ale are en-hanced through the use of malted barley and wheat. Kräusening ensures a smoothness that makes the subtle peach and pecan flavors all the more satisfy-ing. May your days be merry and bright and your Shiner be cold. 5.4%.
New Releases/Coming Soon
Manhattan Beer Newsletter Page 2
The growth of the craft distilling in re-cent years mirrors that of craft brewing. Just like Prohibition put thousands of local breweries out of business, it also put thousands of local distilleries out of business. Before Prohibition there were approximately 1000 small-scale distiller-ies in New York State, and almost all of the liquor drunk in the state could have been considered local or ‘craft’. Just 10 years ago there was only one small-scale distillery in New York. Now there are over 30 including the Brooklyn based Cacao Prieto Distillery, producers of Widow Jane Bourbon and a variety of other spirits, which is also in our portfo-lio. This growth of the craft distilling indus-try is happening not just in New York, but across the Nation. In 2005 there were approximately 50 craft distilleries operating in the United States, by the end of 2012 there were over 250 with many more in the planning stages. This explosive growth is due not only to con-sumer interest in small, local and ar-tisanal products of all kinds, but also to the easing of legislative and financial barriers to opening craft distilleries. For instance, a little over 12 years ago NY State cut the licensing fee for opening a small distillery from $65,000 to just $1,000. There is however one very important difference between craft breweries and craft distilleries, particularly when it comes to barrel aged spirits such as whiskey. A beer can be produced within one to six weeks depending upon the style, but Bourbon and Rye (two of the hottest segments in liquor right now) can take years to produce. Worse yet, it may take years before the distiller even
Manhattan Beer would like to welcome Yahara Bay to our portfolio of fine wines and spirits. Yahara Bay is a craft distill-ery located in Madison, Wisconsin. This family owned and operated distillery was opened in 2007 and produces a wide variety spirits – all hand-crafted and made in small batches. Manhattan Beer currently has 6 different products avail-able from Yahara Bay: 2 Whiskeys, a bourbon, a cocoa liqueur, a chai tea in-fused vodka and an extra-dry gin. Yahara Bay knows what it means to be local and whenever possible they use grains, fruits and herbs from local grow-ers to produce their award-winning pre-mium spirits. Close relationships with local farmers is the key to getting the best ingredients which in turn is the key to making the best craft spirits. The use of local or otherwise distinctive ingredi-ents in the distilling process is part of what makes the products coming out of craft distilleries unique. Craft distilling in general seems to be doing particularly well in areas where agriculture helps to support the local economy. The connection between craft distillers and farmers should really come as no surprise. Before prohibition small distillers often had close relationships with local farmers. Obviously farmers would provide the bulk of the raw mate-rials needed to produce the spirits, but it was really more than that. Farmers could rely upon local distillers to move produce that might otherwise go unsold. If there was a glut of corn for instance, farmers could rely upon the local distill-ers to buy that corn (at a good price of course) and turn it into whiskey for ex-ample. A win-win scenario for both the farmer and distiller.
knows if he/she has done it right and that the result is a high quality product that can be sold at a premium. However, as the saying goes, ‘with great risk comes great reward’. Craft distillers are sure to continue innovate and ex-periment both challenging and exciting the palate of consumers everywhere. There will be successes and failures to be sure, but if I know anything about the American consumer it is that they like options. When it comes to spirits it would seem those options are going to continue to grow. Yahara Bay had the foresight to build their distillery in a way that ensured that they would have extra capacity. Despite high demand for their products they have the space and ability to distill for other brands that lack a physical space of their own. The practice of dis-tilling spirits for other brands is similar to the contract brewing arrangements that have become common between many craft breweries. One such label that is distilled at Yahara Bay is Charred Oak which is also available through Manhattan Beer. Charred Oak offers a 100 proof bourbon as well as a rye whiskey made with 95% rye. Keep an eye out for another upcoming addition to our liquor portfolio – Smug-gler’s Notch. This Vermont based distill-ery gets its name from the nearby rug-ged mountain pass that was used by smugglers to transport goods between Canada and the United Sates, specifi-cally liquor during Prohibition. MBD will initially be bringing in four products from Smugglers Notch: bourbon, aged rum, gin and vodka.
Yahara Bay - Craft Distillers
Perhaps the biggest misconception about canned beer is that the aluminum will impart a metallic taste to the beer. While this may have been true once upon a time, the inside of cans and their lids are now coated with food grade res-ins or other materials that ensure the beer does not come into contact with the metal. The argument in general is some-what moot any way when you consider the fact that a keg is nothing more than a really big can, and nobody has sug-gested that kegs impart a metallic taste to beer. So what makes cans better than bottles? First of all cans offer better protection against oxygen and light, both of which can negatively affect the taste of a beer. Second, cans go where bottles can’t. Many parks and beaches won’t allow you to bring bottles, but cans are OK. Going on a hike? Cans are much lighter and
For many years beer geeks have rejected the idea of beer in a can. Canned beer was looked at as mass produced swill. Years of prejudice and the lack of any craft brewers packaging their beer in cans had made this somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophesy. No good brewery cans their beer, ergo cans are not good for beer. All of this has changed in recent years as more and more craft breweries have begun to can their beers. Large and well respected craft breweries such as New Belgium, Oskar Blues and the Brooklyn Brewery have been at the forefront of this revolution. Even the Belgian’s, well known for their fastidious treatment of beer, have started canning many of their beers. The reasons for this are varied, but both consumers and producers are starting to see the advantages of canned beer.
easier to transport than bottles. Still not enough for you? Consider this. Cans are better for the environment. According to the environmental website elephantjour-nal.com “when it comes to our environ-ment, a bottle can’t compete: lightweight aluminum can reduce fuel costs of ship-ping by 35%, greatly cutting down our carbon footprint. The aluminum can is also the most valuable beverage con-tainer that can be recycled and 40% of beer cans are made from recycled cans, while only about 20 to 30% of glass is recycled into glass bottles”. MBD has a number of craft beers avail-able in cans from breweries such as Sly Fox, Saranac, 21st Amendment, Uinta, Schlafly, Shiner, Avery, Sea Dog, Sam Adams, the Bavik Brewery of Belgium and soon Coney Island and KelSo of Brooklyn.
Yes We Can
I wanted to take a moment here to talk about the difference between dry hopping and wet hopping. While dry hopping involves adding dried hops to either the conditioning tank or to the fermenter, wet hop beers (aka fresh hop beers) are those that are brewed in the traditional manner, but using only freshly harvested hops at every stage of the brewing process. Using fresh hops will have a similar effect on the flavor and aroma profile of a beer as dry hopping, but there are some important differ-ences. Pound per pound wet hops add far less bitterness to a beer than dried hops which means that using wet hops is really all about adding flavor and aroma throughout the brewing process and that the bitterness cre-ated, even during the boil, is less intense. Fresh hop beers are a fairly new style and in many ways the category is still being defined. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call
it a process rather than a style as brewers make many different styles of beer using fresh hops, and not necessarily the ones you would think either. Since intense bitterness is not a character of wet hops they tend not to be used to make intensely bitter styles like Double IPAs. The flavors lent to the beer by fresh hops are different and not as strong as those imparted by dried hops. Fresh hop beers will have a huge hop aroma, but will tend to lack intense bitterness. Fresh hops have been featured in many different beer styles ranging from Pale Ales to Porters. Fresh/wet hop beers can only be brewed once a year during the hop harvest and the win-dow for doing so is quite small. In the north-ern hemisphere hops are normally harvested in late August and early September. Hops are highly perishable. If they are not kiln dried they can spoil within a matter of days. This means that if a brewer wants to make a fresh hop beer they must procure the hops
Style Training - Wet Hop/Fresh Hop Beers
Upcoming Events
Page 3 Volume 5, Issue 5
Tuesday October 8th @ Union Hall
Join us at Union Hall for the Beer vs. Cheese Charity Bocce Tourney to bene-fit City Harvest sponsored by Union Hall and Floyd Eats. This charity event will pit 4 local breweries against 4 local cheese shops for bocce ball supremacy. Customers will be asked for a $5 dona-tion at the door and will receive 2 drink tickets in return. Floyd Eats will match the total amount raised and all pro-ceeds will be donated to City Harvest. 7-9 PM.
Thursday October 17th @ The Gate
Sly Fox will be taking over the taps at Park Slope favorite The Gate. The event will feature 11 different beers from Sly Fox including some rarities such as Grisette, Instigator, Maibock and even some special aged kegs of Panacea Barleywine and Ichor Quad. Oh, and by the way since Sly Fox is a Pennsylvania based brewery it only makes sense that the Shorty’s Cheese Steak truck will be on hand as well to complete the experience. 7 PM.
Tuesday October 29th @ Bierkraft
Dan Kopman, brewer and owner at Schlalfy Brewing Company, will be on hand to lead you through a tutored tast-ing of a wide variety of their beers. Beers being poured will include both their X IPA and T IPA as well as several new to market beers. Pair them with some excel-lent artisanal cheeses or a sandwich fea-turing house cured meats. As always growlers will be available for purchase to go. 7 PM.
and get them into a beer within 24-48 hours of the time they were picked. Drying the hops makes them more stable and ensures that they are usable year-round, but the process also cooks off some of the delicate oils and volatile aromas. Across the course of the year even the best stored and preserved hops will continue to lose some of their aroma and will degrade with age. According to the website ithinkaboutbeer.com, fresh, or wet, hops offer “the truest expression of the hop in beer. Most of the time the brewer uses a very neutral malt and yeast character so they can project the hops front and center. The great thing about wet hops beers is that in most cases they’re not to aggressively bitter because it takes a lot of wet hops to get the same level of bitterness as kilned hops.” In fact, it could take 5 to 7 times more wet hops as dried hops to have the same bittering effect because the dried hops are more concentrated.
Wednesday November 20th @ Tap Room 307
Join us at Tap Room 307 for a special event featuring He’Brew – The Chosen Beer. This event has been dubbed ‘The 8 Beers of Hanukkah’ and will feature a wide variety of beers from New York’s own He’Brew Brewing including some rare and barrel-aged beers. Check out their website for a complete list of their events including upcoming tastings fea-turing Shiner and Southampton.
Saturday October 19th @ Staten Island Yankees
The 2013 Staten Island Yankees Brew-fest will take place on Saturday, October 19th, 2013 at the Staten Island Yankees Stadium. The event will be held from 12-1 PM for VIP guests only and 1-5 PM for general admission. The event will feature 30+ craft breweries and a diverse mix of Staten Island food venues. For tickets and more information go to www.siyanks.com.
Thursday November 14th @ The Gate
The Gate will be hosting KelSo of Brook-lyn as they break out some of their small batch specialties as well as year-round favorites. Beers being offered will include Industrial IPA, Industrial Pumpkin, Sat-isfaction and a Saison aged in brandy barrels. Don’t miss this opportunity to try some great limited-release beers from KelSo. The only beer brewed exclusively in Brooklyn.
Thursday October 31st @ Barcade
Join us at Barcade on Halloween for a tap takeover event featuring Schlafly Brewing Company. There will be ap-proximately 14 different beers available for your sampling pleasure including a number of new to market beers from the St. Louis based brewery. Brewer & owner Dan Kopman will also be on hand to an-swer any questions you may have about his beers and the brewery. 5 PM.
October 17th - October 20th @ South 4th Bar & Cafe
South 4th Bar & Café has always done things a little differently, and this Octo-ber is no different. Instead of celebrating fall with Pumpkin or Octoberfest beers like everyone else, they have once again decided to celebrate what they have dubbed ‘Belge-toberfest’. The event will feature specials on 4 different beers from Belgium including Palm Amber Ale, Es-taminet Pils, Steenbrugge Bruin & Steenbrugge Tripel.
Thursday October 3rd @ Pony Bar UES
The Pony Bar UES will be hosting an event featuring 20 different beers from the Shipyard and Sea Dog Breweries including Shipyard Pumpkin Ale and Monkey Fist IPA. The Shipyard and Sea Dog Breweries are both based out of Maine and are two of New England’s oldest craft breweries. Being from Maine it only makes sense that they would show a little Maine love – buy 2 beers and receive one free cooked lob-ster. 6-8 PM.
Recent Arrivals Avery Hog Heaven - Sixtels
Avery Salvation (Belgian Strong Ale) - Sixtels
Captain Lawrence Harvest IPA - Sixtels Only
Captain Lawrence Pumpkin - Draft & Bottles
Coney Island Freaktoberfest - Draft & Bottles
Coronado Idiot IPA - Draft & Bottles
Coronado Islander IPA - Draft & Bottles
Coronado Mermaid’s Red - Draft & Bottles
Coronado Orange Avenue Wit - Draft & Bottles
Ithaca Country Pumpkin - Draft & Bottles
Keegan’s DimWit - Sixtels Only
KelSo Industrial Pumpkin - Draft Only
KelSo Kellerfest - Draft Only
KelSo Saison - Draft Only
KelSo Satisfaction - Draft Only
Palm Royale - Sixtels Only
Peak Organic Fresh Cut Pils - Draft & Bottles
Saranac Pumpkin - Draft, Bottles & Cans
Schlafly Dry-hopped APA - Draft & Bottles
Schlafly Koslch - Draft & Bottles
Schlafly Oktoberfest - Draft & Bottles
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - Draft & Bottles
Schlafly Session IPA - Draft & Cans
Sly Fox Grisette - Draft & Cans
Southampton Pumpkin Ale - Draft & Bottles
Uinta Cahoots (Imperial IPA) - 750ml. Bottles Only
Uinta Punk’N - Draft & Bottles
Coming Soon 21st Amendment He Said She Said - Draft & Cans
Coronado Idiot Stout - Draft & 22oz. Bottles
Peak Organic Hop Blanc - Draft & Bottles
Schlafly T IPA - Draft & Bottles
Shiner Cheer - Draft, Bottles & Cans
We are on the web
@
manhattanbeer.com
955 East 149th Street
Bronx, NY 10455
Phone: 718-292-9300
Fax: 718-292-6348
Website: www.manhattanbeer.com
Addresses For Events/Tastings
Bierkraft Union Hall Pony Bar UES
191 5th Avenue 702 Union Street 1444 1st Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215 Brooklyn, NY 11215 New York, NY 10036
718-230-7600 718-638-4400 212-288-0090
South 4th Bar & Cafe Staten Island Yankees The Gate
90 South 4th Street. 75 Richmond Terrace 321 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211 Staten Island, NY 10301 Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-218-7478 718-720-9265 718-768-4329
Tap Room 307 Barcade Riverfront Park
307 3rd Avenue 388 Union Avenue 1 Flynn Drive
New York, NY 10010 Brooklyn, NY 11211 Beacon, NY 12508
