Newsletter ONE
1st Quarter 2005

Beer Notes
Those of you at the last 2 meetings will remember that we had the chance to sample some commerical American, Canadian and Irish beers, courtesy of llama_boy (who paid us a visit all the way from Texas, USA) and The Beer Club.com.sg. Here's a sneak peek for those who missed it !
 

Carlow Brewing Company is a small Irish Brewery established in 1998.  Carlow, a small town located in the Barrow Valley Region, the traditional malt and hop producing region in Ireland, once boasted a number of breweries, but the practice had been discontinued for over 100 years until revived in 1998 by Carlow Brewing Company. 

"...lightly hopped using Challenger, Mount Hood and Cascade varieties resulting in a refreshing light fruity beer with hints of peach, banana and plum. The perfect compliment to spicy food..."

"...The traditional hop flavour balances the sweet malty caramel taste. Brewed with pale malt , torrified wheat crystal malt and generous portion of roasted barley, Molings is an excellent accompaniment to roast dishes..."

"...Full bodied and luxuriously smooth it is the combination of traditional stout hops, an extra pinch of roast barley and crystal clear Irish water that make O’Hara’s Celtic Stout a delicious stout..."

1. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, is a delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character.
2. Pale, smooth, and light-bodied, Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer is brewed from premium malted wheat and light barley malts, utilizing our traditional ale yeast. This unfiltered ale is finished with the characteristically spicy Strissel Spalt hops from the Alsace region of France.
3. San Francisco's famous Anchor Steam®, the classic of American brewing tradition since 1896, is virtually handmade, with an exceptional respect for the ancient art of brewing. The deep amber color, thick creamy head, and rich flavor all testify to  traditional brewing methods.
4. La Fin du Monde is a deluxe beer made by triple fermentation and a unique way of straining the yeast. This method produces an unexpectedly subtle flavour. With its champagne-like effervescence, it has a vigourous presence in the mouth, which accentuates its strong personality.

I didn't bother to visit the Czechoslovakian Brewery / Pub / Restaurant, Hoa Vien, because I had been there several times before. They have two kinds of beer, black and yellow. That's what they call them here. Soon you will recognize a pattern.

While asking about Munich Beer at Gartenstadt, I was told about Lion Brewery / Restaurant. 

It was very close, so I went there next. It was a large hall, typical of many places in Germany. 

They had two kinds of beer, black and yellow. Both were unfiltered and the black beer was sort of translucent,  unlike stouts. The yellow beer was a pilsner. I didn't eat here. (Surprise!) 1/2 liter black costs ~S$2.70 and yellow costs ~S$2.50. (I could be happy here in Vietnam.).

Next I walked over to the other place that the waiter in Gartenstadt pointed out to me. I thought it might be Munich Beer, but it wasn't. It was "Big Man Beer" - German style again

This place has only outdoor seating. I ordered a black beer - one of the two choices on the menu. (Starting to get the picture?) I started perspiring immediately. The  felt sorry for me and let me sit in the restaurant next door which wasn't open for business yet, but had the aircon on so they could set up. (I believe both establishments have the same owner.) Thank goodness. 1/2 liter black costs ~S$2.40 and yellow ~S$2.00. (Getting better.) But the best part was that the black beer was a fine oatmeal stout with a coffee flavor and was thick and chewy and had a good head. I couldn't switch to the yellow, sorry.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On the way back to the hotel, I got hungry, so I stopped at a place nearby that I have mentioned before. I learned that the "brewery" (Bia Hoi) that serves the S$0.65, 2 liter jugs of beer does NOT brew on site. They have a factory that brings in fresh beer every day. They have two dispensing tanks, which get filled and emptied every day.

Enough beer for day one. Time to go home and visit with my girlfriend, who is now waiting for me. (She had been shopping with her sister for New Year's goodies.)
 

Day 2:
Well, I couldn't let Big Man Beer go by without trying their yellow beer, so I went there first. I had a small one. It was nice. I couldn't get any more info from the staff other than it was yellow beer that I was drinking. Their English was limited and my translator doesn't cover many beer terms. Then, of course, I had to have more stout. It has been the best beer of the trip.
I think it won't be beaten, as there are no breweries where I am going next. I learned that it's not merely Bia Den (black beer), it's Bia Duc. Sorry, my translator doesn't cover that either. Maybe it means stout??? Maybe it means oatmeal??? Luckily, they had their misters on to cool the place today, so I didn't have to hide inside.

Well, no one I asked knew about Munich Beer. I asked in hotel lobbies and souvenir shops and in the brewpubs I had visited. I knew it was sort of northeast of where I was, so I started wandering again. I finally found it, but it looked different than I had remembered. I think that last time I saw it was at night with the signboard all lit up. I think I was heading in the opposite direction that time. It's called Asia Munich Beer. I went in to ask if they made their own beer on site. They didn't understand the question.

But as I was talking, a glint of copper hit my eye and a whiff of brewery told me I was in the right place. They had two kinds of beer, black and yellow. The black was probably a porter. (I'm judging this by comparison with the two black beers served in my favorite Tucson, Arizona brewpub, Thunder Canyon Brewery.) It was not as thick and the head didn't last as long as the Big Man Beer. 
Here, the beers are the same price. 1/2 liter of either costs ~S$1.80. It was covered outdoor seating, but there were fans to keep me cool. I finally decided to eat something. I picked a chicken dish from the menu. They were out of chicken. (bird flu maybe???) I picked a salmon dish. They were out of salmon. The waitress recommended deep fried squid. I accepted.

I was planning on stopping at the Czech place for one black beer. But my girlfriend messaged me that she was back from her day two of New Year's shopping, so I went back to the hotel. We ordered Italian and a bottle of Shiraz. No going back to beer tonight.
 

Summary :
Best beer: Big Man Beer black. 
Best service: Big Man Beer. 
Best aircon: Lion Brewery. 
Best aroma: Asia Munich Beer.
Most friendly: Bia Hoi.
Best value for money: Bia Hoi. 
Cutest waitress: Nhu Ngoc at Asia Munich.
Worst service: Hoa Vien (from a previous visit.) 
Best girlfriend: Mine, for allowing me to make the pub crawl rather than helping her shop for the New Year's treats.

The Brewmaster's Table : Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food
by Garrett Oliver

"If you've tasted only mass-market beer, I'm, afraid you haven't actually tasted beer at all," says author Garrett Oliver, the Brewmaster of the award-winning Brooklyn Brewery. "Real beer is to mass-market beer like a loaf of fresh baked bread is to store-bought 'Wonder' bread, he claims. "My feeling is that both wine and beer reach their best expression with food, but that beer is by far the most versatile partner. That's because real beers have an incredible range of flavors – all of which, when appropriately matched, make for a perfect complement to specific dishes."

Available from The National Library and other good online book stores.
 
 
 
 
 

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