Crooked River Brewing Company - Irish Red Ale

Crooked River brews this beer to highlight Cleveland's rich Irish heritage. The first thing you'll notice about this deep reddish brown ale is its wonderful, piquant, roasted malt aroma. Stephan uses 2-row pale, caramunich, biscuit, and wheat malts along with Cascade and Vanguard hops to produce this bold Irish Red. Look for loads of malt character in the flavor department too. You will notice, after you take your first sip, a sweet flavor at first, followed by a clean tangy hop character. Note a dry, lingering hop finish. Overall, a complex and flavorful brew that would go best with roasted chicken or your favorite veal dish.

The Crooked River Brewing Company, located in Cleveland, OH, gets its name from the Cuyahoga River. The word "Cuyahoga", which comes from the Native American tongue of the Mohawk Indians, literally means "crooked river." Crooked River is the first production and bottling brewery to operate in Cleveland since the Christian Schmidt brewery closed its doors for good in 1984.

If anyone was up for the challenge it was Brewmaster Stephan Danckers. His brewing credentials include a Masters Degree in Brewing Science and Technology from UC Davis. He also received a Fulbright Scholarship to Brewing Faculty at the University of Munich in Weihenstephan, Germany. The brewery at Weihenstephan is believed to be the worlds oldest, dating back to the year 1040. Danckers was the only Fulbright-Hayes grant ever awarded for the post graduate study of German brewing methods. He returned to the US to become the Brewhouse Supervisor at the Stroh Brewery Company in St. Paul, MN and Van Nuys, CA.

The notion to open the brewery was first spawned back in 1992, by Brewmaster Stephan Danckers and his partner, Stuart Sheridan. . The burning desire to produce a full line of specialty craft beers was all the inspiration Danckers needed to establish his own brewery. They wasted no time, in less than a year, they had found investors, designed the bottle labels, and made arrangements to convert the old Scottish Tool and Die building into the new 6000 barrel brewery. In 1994, they started to brew their first batches of beer. Twelve different versions of what would become their flagship beer, Crooked River ESB, were brewed before coming up with a formula that satisfied Stephan.

Today, Crooked River offers 6 year-round styles and five seasonal brands under the Crooked River brand. The company also brews special house beers for Cleveland's Jacobs Field (Ballpark Draft) and Browns Stadium (Stadium Lager). Both of the Crooked River beers featured this month have won numerous awards including Silver Medals at both the 1999 Great American Beer Festival and 2000 Nittany Valley Brewer's Cup for the ESB and a rating of "Highly Recommended" for the Irish Red by the Beverage Testing Institute in both 1999 and 2000. We know you're going to enjoy them!

For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, call (216) 771-BEER