THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410210060
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RUTH FANTASIA, VIRGINIAN-PILOT/LEDGER-STAR STAFF
LENGTH: Long : 241 lines
SAMUEL ADAMS, SAMUEL Smith, Old Heurich.
No, they're not names on a political convention roster.
They're beers.
Microbeers.
The products of small breweries, these ``craft brews'' represent the hottest trend in beer-drinking since the pull-tab can.
``Phenomenal,'' says Ken Bradley, beer sales manager for Broudy-Kantor Co. Inc., a Norfolk beverage distributor.
``Domestic brews in the last decade have been flat in sales,'' he says. ``Budweiser lost 6 percent last year. On the other hand, sales of craft breweries in the last decade have increased 30 to 40 percent every year.
A microbrewery can be defined as a North American brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer annually, says David Edgar, director of the Institute for Brewing Studies in Boulder, Colo. Anheuser-Busch produces about 236,000 barrels daily, Edgar says.
Microbrews are bottled under names like Catamount, Turbo Dog and Eye of the Hawk .
Sometimes, their labels amuse. ``No Whiners,'' reads a bottle of Black Dog Pale Ale, above the picture of a Labrador. And, there's Alimony Ale: ``The bitterest brew in America.''
There are ingredients - honey, oatmeal and pumpkin - you'd never see in a mainstream beer.
Microbrews are different. And that's what makes them so appealing.
``It's a yuppie kind of thing to be able to experiment,'' says Chuck Sass, executive chef and food and beverage director at Mahi-Mah's in Virginia Beach. The restaurant features weekly microbrew tastings.
``Here in America we've been culturally deprived as far as beer goes,'' Sass says. ``We've had a very limited selection.''
Broudy-Kantor's Bradley agrees. ``It's the people between the ages of 21 and 35 who are really into it. They are rejecting corporate identities and logo and mainstream beers.''
Phil Haushalter, owner of Phil's Grill in Virginia Beach, says the young, snowboarding, mountain biking set accounts for some of his biggest microbrew customers. But he also sees a lot of military.
``They've been overseas and they're into trying something new,'' he says. BREWS COMPLEMENT FOOD
The seemingly endless variety of flavors in microbrews from ales to stouts makes them suitable for pairing with foods, just as you would wine, says Al Bohnhoff, owner of the Grape & Grain. His Virginia Beach store specializes in beer and wine.
``They go unbelievably well with great flavorful food,'' Sass says. ``It's a special relationship because the beers are so . . . intense.''
At Mahi-Mah's tastings, Sass serves highly spiced dishes such as Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Wings, Red Bean Chilies and Quesadillas With Barbecued Duck.
But variety isn't the only difference between micro and mass-market brewing.
``A lot of it is in the brewing process,'' Bohnhoff says.
Microbrewers use high-quality fermentable sugars, malts and barley, and brew small batches. The major brewers partially substitute inexpensive dextrose sugar and corn, and brew large batches, says Bohnhoff.
The mainstream brewers are after consistency and a product that will not offend, says Bohnhoff.''
But microbrews, he says, are so full-flavored and satisfying that one beer can last a whole football game.
Which is probably a good thing.
Many microbrews have a higher alcohol content - some average 9 percent by volume - than regular beer. That's higher than some wines and mixed drinks. Mainstream beers contain about 4.5 percent alcohol by volume, according to Jean A.T. Pennington's ``Food Values'' (Harper & Row, 1989).
``People don't realize that, and they start slamming them down like Budweiser,'' says Sass. ``We have to warn them and cut them off. It's a lot different than what they are used to.''
Because the batches are small and the ingredients expensive, microbrews cost more than big-name beers, experts say.
``Where you'd pay $3.50 for a six-pack of a regular beer, you'll have to pay $5 to $7 for a six-pack of a microbrew,'' says Bradley of Broudy-Kantor.
Specialty stores, such as The Grape & Grain and P.J. Baggan in Virginia Beach, offer microbrews by the bottle. THE BEGINNING
Microbreweries usually begin as brew pubs, bar-brewery combinations that sell the beer on site. With enough growth to bottle and distribute, a brew pub becomes a microbrewery.
Restaurant-breweries are adult versions of the brew pub. Full-service restaurants selling more food than beer, but to its own brewery.
The 8-year-old Weeping Radish in Manteo, N.C., is the oldest restaurant-brewery in the United States, says owner Uli Bennewitz.
In June, the Radish moved from restaurant-brewery to microbrewery when it began bottling and distributing to Virginia and western North Carolina.
``The reason we started is becasue we are the end of the world down here,'' says Bennewitz. ``Our average customer gets here twice a year when they're on vacation. We did it by request to satisfy our customers when they are at home.''
In the past four months, the Weeping Radish has sold about 25,000 bottles off-site.
``We'll sell as much as we can afford,'' Bennewitz says. ``We sell whatever we don't sell at the restaurant, because the restaurant is our first priority.
``So now we are a restaurant with a forklift. That's what you need when you get into the wholesale business.'' SHELF SPACE
Microbrews are showing up on finer restaurant menus and in specialty stores. Even some large grocery stores devote shelf space to the little breweries, Bradley says.
Some microbreweries, such as Boston Beer Co. and The Anchor Brewery of San Francisco, have become so popular they've outgrown their micro status.
``They're what we call `regional specialty brewers,' '' says the Institute's Edgar. ``They still adhere to the practices of microbrewing - making beer in small batches and using high-quality ingredients - but in some cases they are actually producing four, five or even seven times that of a true microbrewery.''
Boston Beer Company, which produces the Samuel Adams Boston Lager is the largest and is expected to produce 700,000 barrels of beer in 1994, says Edgar.
And although microbrews still represent less than 1 percent of the total beer sales in the United States, the big brewers have taken notice.
Coors, Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Co. each hired contract breweries to produce specialty beers, Bradley says.
Bradley says, Coors is financing Killian's Red, Miller is launching Red Dog and Anheuser-Busch is advertising the release of Red Wolf.
Bohnhoff welcomes the big beers to microbrewing.
``Anything that brings more people into the market and educates about the wonders of beer,'' he says, ``is a good thing.'' ILLUSTRATION: DREW WILSON/Staff color photos
Brewmeister Andy Duck checks the temperature of a beer fermenting at
the Weeping Radish microbrewery in Manteo.
ABOVE: Duck and assistant brewer Warren Oliver clean brewing tanks
at their newly expanded brewery.
RIGHT: Oliver displays a freshly bottled brew from Weeping Radish's
semiautomatic bottling machine.
Photo
DREW WILSON/Staff
The 8-year-old Weeping Radish in Manteo, N.C., is the oldest
restaurant brewery in the United States.
Graphics
PICK YOUR MICROBREW
Here are some of the beer styles available from American regional
specialty brewers and microbrewers, say Al Bohnhoff, owner of the
Grape & Grain in Virginia Beach and Ken Bradley, beer sales manager
for Broudy-Kantor, a Norfolk beverage distributor.
Pale ales - Named by the English, who were accustomed to drinking
the darker porters. Copper- or deep golden-colored with varying hop
characteristics. Pale ales range in alcoholic strength.
India pale ales - are pale ales with more bitterness. They were
so named because they were created to be shipped to British troops
in India without spoiling, says Bohnhoff.
Brown ales - Medium colored and slightly sweet. Less bitter than
the paler ales.
Porters - Highly roasted grains give this beer its dark color.
Porters feature a creamy head, and a slight bitterness that comes
from roasted barley malt rather than from hops.
Stouts - Similar to porters but with a heavier body and either
more bitterness or more sweetness. Oatmeal stout includes oatmeal to
provide added sweetness.
American lagers - This is the stuff Budweiser, Miller and Coors
are made of. Some beer aficionados disregard this category.
Pilsner - A lager that's light in color and body with a
pronounced hop flavor. Samuel Adams Lager is considered the best
example of the style by Bohnhoff.
Weizen or wheat beer - Beer that contains malted wheat in
addition to the barley malt. It is light in color, low in hop
bitterness and refreshing. It may have a bit of yeast in the bottom
of the bottle, which causes a slightly cloudy appearance.
Spiced ales - Prevalent during the Christmas season, these beers
are infused with spices such as coriander and cinnamon, or honey or
fruit. Many seasonal beers will be in markets in the next couple of
months.
Strong ales - These beers contain 9 percent to 14 percent alcohol
by volume and have a definite alcoholic taste. American brewed
versions include Anchor's Old Foghorn and Sierra Nevada's Big Foot.
MORE ABOUT BREWS
Al Bohnhoff, owner of the Grape & Grain in Virginia Beach, offers
these shopping tips for those new to microbrews:
Buy by the bottle, until you know which styles you enjoy.
Beer should be consumed as soon as possible after brewing.
Microbrews are generally unpasteurized and start to lose flavor 90
days after bottling, so buy from a reputable dealer. Sometimes you
can pick up a nice microbrew at a great price because it's about to
go out of date. Look for sales.
When buying microbrews in a restaurant, watch the tap. If the
taps are busy, buy tap beer. If the taps are slow, buy it in the
bottle.
In a brew pub, ask for a flight of samples. You'll receive a
small sample of each of the styles offered.
Always drink beer from a clean glass and slowly pour the beer. If
a residue appears at the neck of the bottle, stop pouring. This is
corn sugar that is added to some beers at bottling to help with
carbonation.
Wheat beers, which have yeast added to the bottle, are an
exception. Drink the yeast with the beer: It adds a clove-like
flavor. These beers are sometimes called ``liquid bread.''
Always use a glass, but avoid washing glasses in the dishwasher.
Detergents leave a residue that affects flavor.
WHERE TO BUY MICROBREWS
So many microbreweries are opening, ``it's hard to keep up with
them all,'' says Ken Bradley, beer sales manager at Broudy-Kantor
Co. Inc., a Norfolk beverage distributor.
Here are a few local stores and restaurants that offer
microbrews:
The Grape & Grain, 2973 Shore Drive in Virginia Beach, carries 30
to 40 microbrews, chilled and on the hot shelf. 481-5958.
Mahi-Mah's at the Ramada Inn, 615 Atlantic Ave. in Virginia
Beach, offers flight tastings from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays. There are
also specials on selected beers from the hometowns of the football
teams on Monday night football. 437-8030.
P.J. Baggan, 960 Laskin Road in Virginia Beach, sells 80
microbrews. 491-8900.
Phil's Grill, 205 11th St. in Virginia Beach, offers between 30
and 40 microbrews. (Phil's is opening a second location on Granby
Street in Norfolk in late November.)
The Williamsburg Pottery Factory on U.S. Route 60 in Lightfoot
carries more than 200 microbrews. 1-564-3326.
Taste Unlimited stores in Norfolk and Virginia Beach sell at
least 10 microbrews in each store.
The Golden Horseshoe Clubhouse at 401 S. England St.,
Williamsburg, will offer a special dinner featuring beers of the
Samuel Smith Brewery, at 6:15 p.m. Nov. 10. Tickets are $28.50,
including beer, food, tax and gratuity. For reservations, call
1-229-1000 Ext. 2162. Leave your name, method of payment and phone
number for confirmation. Make reservations by Nov. 5.
KEYWORDS: BEER BREWERIES MICROBREWERIES by CNB