Rogue Ales - Rogue American Amber

Winner of multiple awards, Rogue's American Amber is brewed for 90 minutes with a combination of two-row Pale and Dark Crystal malts. Here, John uses Cascade hops to bitter and Kent Golding hops in the whirlpool for their aromatic contributions. Again, a proprietary ale yeast strain is used.

Immediately note an intense, sweet malty nose with pleasant hop floral notes nose in the background. Look for great head retention in this clear, amber colored, medium-to-full bodied beer. We found an excellent balance of rich, sweet malt flavor and hop bitterness in this exceptionally flavorful beer. Overall, a bold, flavorful, and very well- balanced American Amber Ale.

Rogue Ale Brewed Chili

We've had a revelation here at Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club. What can we say... it happens from time to time. Here's the deal. From this point forward, we'll be soliciting the Breweries featured themselves for food recipes that complement their beers. After all, who would know better than the brewery as to what should be paired with their products? The boys at Rogue gave us what looked to be a mean recipe for Chili that is served at their brewpub. We suggest that you make it with their American Amber Ale and eat it with the Mocha Porter.

2 lbs kidney beans
2 ½ lbs hamburger
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 TBS salt
1/3 cup sugar
> 6 cloves garlic
3 TBS chili powder
1 ½ TBS dry mustard
24 oz. American Amber
12 oz. tomato paste

Soak beans in water 12 hours and then simmer over medium heat until tender. Lightly brown beef and caramelize onion in same pan. Discard fat (or donate it to your local McDonald French fry cooker). Combine sugar, garlic, chili powder and mustard with 12 ounces of brew and simmer for 15 min. Add tomato paste to beans and combine with all of that other stuff we just had you do. Simmer for 2 hours adding remaining 12 ounces of beer during the last 10 minutes. Roll up your sleeves, fill a big bowl with the stuff and maybe schlapp a sizable dollop-o-sour cream smack dab in the middle of it all.

Brew Lingo

Bung Juice - British slang for beer.

Dog's Nose - A mixed drink of hot beer laced with gin and flavored with sugar.

Dregs - The sediments at the bottom of a vessel.

Sorghum - A cereal grain from various grasses (Sorghum vulgare). A tropical African variety of this grain is used to produce sorghum beer in South Africa.

Topuy - A rice beer brewed in the Philippines.

Withering - Blowing dry air into barley after germination is complete so as to decrease the ratio of humidity in the green malt.

365 BEERTIME STORIES - Eighty percent of Canadians drink alcohol according to a 1988 Gallop poll. Use of beer, liquor or wine is highest among Canadians aged 18 to 29 at 86%.

THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF BEER TRIVIA - The world's oldest surviving brewpub, named U Fleku, is located on Kremenkova Street in Prague, Czech Republic, and was founded in 1499.

365 BEERTIME STORIES - In the 1860's in Augusta Township, near Brockville, Ontario, there were so many breweries in the area that farmers often received free pails of beer on hot summer days. All they were asked to do was to spread the good word about a particular brewer's product.

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?

David Sims Nambla

Brea, CA

Yo Mountain Boy!

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 really 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 hem 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 she can't even pronounce anyway to make way for your coveted brew.

Woof!

Murl.