Sites recommended by Jim the Brewer:
http://www.maltclub.org - Maryland Ale & Lager Technicians(MALT)
www.crabsbrew.org - Chesapeake Real Ale Brewers Society
www.burp.org - Brewer’s United for Real Potables
www.LibationAssociation.org - Homebrew club based out of Harford County
www.beeradvocate.com - Craft beer community
Maryland Homebrew - Your online source for brew your own supplies
www.ratebeer.com - Beer Rating website
www.pubcrawler.com - Pub Rating Website
www.mdbeer.com - Brewers Association of Maryland
www.mdhomebrewers.org - Free State Homebrew Guild Club
www.csibc.net - Cross Street Irregulars
www.wootown.org - Wootown Brewers
Q: How do you recommend cleaning growlers? We have several that are YEARS old and have a white film inside. Have tried scrubbing them and soaked them in vinegar, but it's still there... Got any ideas??
A: It sounds like what you have is a buildup of "beerstone" which is an industry term used to refer to Calcium Oxalate. You are on the right track with trying Vinegar because it is a mild acid, but in this case maybe a bit too mild. I would try a citric based cleaner and see if that helps. If not, there are certain acid based cleaners out there, but may be a bit harder to find.
Q: We've been there twice before the fire, and had growlers filled that didnt have your logo on them.. Are you still honoring this request? We have about 10 to bring up there this weekend. Thanks Robin
A: Hi Robin, Yes, we still offer that option to our customers. We have quite a few seasonals on right now so enjoy!
Q: This past weekend I picked up a growler of Twisted Kilt and absolutely loved it. I was wondering what your policy is about refilling the growlers. Is there a reduced price, or do you have to buy a new growler each time? ~Rick
A: Good News! Once you buy your initial growler, you can bring it back for refills for only $6! Some special release beers are more, but all of our mainstays and most seasonals are $6. Please note that Twisted Kilt is one of our many seasonal beers and won''t be available all the time so gewt it before it''s gone until next year!
Q: Do you guys sell your beer in 1/6 kegs? Thanks! Joe
A: No we do not. Our beers are only available in 1/2(15.5 gal) kegs. If you are interested in pricing/availability, email us at brewmaster@duclaw.com and we will provide you with that info. Keep in mind we do sell 2 liter growlers to go at all of our locations.
Q: Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for making FUNK one of the staple beers!! It is w/o a doubt one of your best creations!! My friends and I thoroughly enjoy it! Thanks again!!
A: Glad you like it! We are here to please!
Q: Do you offer samples of beer?
A: We do offer a sample platter at all of our restaurants. You get a 4 oz sample of all the beers that we have on tap at that time. It is a good wat to try all of our beers and find the one(or more!) that suits your taste.
Q: Do you offer brewery tours? If so, how do we go about arranging a visit? thanks! Joe & Crystal
A: Hi Guys! Yes we do offer tours. During business hours Mon-Fri we can usually accomidate a tour with only a few days notice. If you need a weekend tour, it take a bit more planning and we need a group of at least 6 people.
Q: What beers are bottled and sold in stores? What stores carry your beer? Also Celtic Fury needs to be bottled and mass distributed...Just FYI.
A: We currently only supply our resturants with kegged beer and the only bottles we offer are new and refilled growlers at all of our locations. Occasionally we do hand bottle 1 liter bottles of some of our seasonals. In order to be informed when we do that I suggest you sign up on our email list.
Q: First off, I love your brews. Any way of getting filled growlers in the Bel Air area while the restaurant is being rebuilt.
A: Unfortunately that can not happen until the Bel Air Location opens up. The good news is progress is happening at a brisk pace now and we should open back up in August! Thanks for the compliments!
Q: Do you distribute your beer out of state?
A: Not at this time.
Q: Do you ever make real mead? Most that is sold in stores in Maryland is just white wine with honey added.
A: In order to make a true mead commercially, you must possess a winery license, not a brewery license.
Q: will you ever try your hand at a hard cider?
A: Making cider falls under different licensing and therefore we can not make one under our brewery license.
Q: How long will your beers last in the keg hooked up to a home kegerator before they start to go bad? Do you recommend any specific type of kegerator?
A: Almost every kegerator on the market today is of good quality. As far as how long our beers (or anyone''s beers for that matter) will last, that depends on several factors. The main ones being style of beer and how well you maintain your beer dispenser. Assuming you clean your lines/tap between every keg or every 2 months(whichever comes first) and keep the tap clean between pours(a simple spray bottle with a mild sanitizer can accomplish this), you can expect a keg to taste brewery fresh for a minimum of 4 months......longer if it is a heavier/stronger brew.
Q: Are you going to have pre-filled bottles of Naked Fish?
A: Unfortunately we will not have any Naked Fish for sale in 1 liter bottles for 2007.
Q: I just got the beer release notice for serum and was a bit concerned. I wait all year for the Old Flame release which i thought happened in January. Please tell me you haven't abandoned Old Flame for the year! Will it be released soon?
A: Due to the large amount of seasonal beers that we due along with our desire to introduce our customers to new and exciting styles, we are sometimes forced to put a beer or two on hiatus for a while. Trust me, this is not an easy decision for us! The good news is Old Flame will be back down the road. Also, we have saved several vintage kegs of Flame for release at various festivals and events in 2007!
Q: Are there any more bottles of REPENT left for sale? I will be at the Bowie location on tuesday and I was hoping to buy one?
A: Unfortunately we are out of Repent at this time, but expect to see another limited release of Repent bottles sometime around June of 2007.
Q: could i get some directions to bowie?
A: Directions to all of our locations can be found at www.duclaw.com. Once there, click "contact us", then click directly on the Bowie location. Thanks for the email.
Q: Hi Jim. I recently purchased one of your wax-sealed bottles of Repent. I'm familiar with how to store and age wines, but I don't know much about aging beers. How should this beer be stored (upright or sideways? what temperature? etc) and for how long can such a beer be aged? Thanks!
A: Good Question! The good thing is you know that some beers can in fact be aged. Our beers should be stored standing up, either in a fridge or at minimum in a cool, dark area of the house. As far as how long, well there really isn''t a definitive answer. Repent should continue to change, develop new flavors and gain complexity for several months to a few years. This beer has already beeen aging for about a year, so if you choose, it can be enjoyed right now. Keep in mind, this is a strong, sweet and complex brew and should be enjoyed with family and friends in small amounts, but once you open the bottle, the brew should be consumed within one sitting. Thanks for your support!
Q: Where is Colossus available? I had a terrific experience tasting Colossus at the MD State Oktoberfest 2006! I have ranted and raved about it to my friends who weren't there, and they all have the same question, where, if at all, can they try it?
A: Colossus will be making an appearance at our restaurants soon! If you are on our email list, you will be informed of this release as soon as the dates are set. We may even have a special 1 liter bottling of it for the holidays!
Q: Ok, I love beer, no that said, I returned from Iraq and went imediately to your Arundle Mills Location. Loved the Misfit Red. As I went thru Germany I had several Half Litre's of Hefeweizen. As I am planning on going to Du claw this weekend, which of your brews is most similar to this German masterpiece.
A: Hey! First off, THANK YOU for your service! We in fact do make our version of a German Hefe, but it is a seasonal beer that is scheduled to come out August 2007. I know that is a ways off, but we do offer a new seasonal EVERY month. In fact, our current seasonal is another German style beer. It''s in the Octoberfest/Marzen style and is called Mad Bishop. We hope you find this beer enjoyable and be sure to sign up on our email list so you will be informed of when every new seasonal is to be released!
Q: Sorry to here about the fire.On that note maybe you could name a beer after it! Hope it re-opens soon I'am really thirsty.
A: Great beer minds think alike! We are hoping to have a special "one off" batch of beer made to help celebrate the reopening of the Bel Air location. Hang in there, we will be open as soon as possible and looking better than ever!
Q: Do you sell your beer locally by the bottle? If so, where can I purchase it? Thanks.
A: We currently only sell our beer at our 4 restaurant locations. We do offer growlers to go from all locations.......along with refills.
Q: I am from out of state and sadly, I miss a lot of the greatest brews known to man.... Is there a way DuClaw could start shipping growlers to those of us who aren't so blessed to be within driving distance?
A: Unfortunately it is illegal for us to ship beer. We do offer kegs for sale if you happen to have a kegerator!
Q: Are any of the brews available in a 1/4 keg for use in a home "kegerator"?
A: Our brews are available for personal purchase, but only in 1/2 keg sizes. If you are still interested, email us at brewmaster@duclaw.com for further details.
Q: When returning a growler to be refilled, are the growlers to be cleaned and rinsed out prior to refill or are the old growlers exchanged for fresh, clean growlers at the bar? (Last time I exchanged growlers, they were reused without any attempt to clean them out and the refilled growlers had a "funny" taste when consuming the newly poured beer.)
A: When purchasing a growler from us, you become the owner. Think of it as a reusable iced tea(beverage container) at your home. Once empty you should rinse it out with warm water at the very least. If for any reason the growler is not rinsed out immediately after use, then I suggest a soaking in dish detergent along with warm-hot waterfollowed by a good rinse. If a growler was extremely neglected, then a bottle brush may be needed to clean it out, but under normal circumstances a warm water rinse followed by an inverted air dry is all you need to do in between refills. Never store a growler closed that is still wet inside as bacteria may start to grow. The bar tender will not rinse the growler unless asked to do so by the customer. A "funny" tasting beer due to a neglected growler can''t hurt you, but it will definitely make your drinking experience very unenjoyable.
Q: NOTE CONCERNING GROWLERS
A: To clear up any confusion, we are happily filling Growlers at all locations!
Q: Quick question about the promotional videos used for your beer releases. They are clever and very funny, any chance the videos could be posted to your web site or is a copyright issue preventing that?
A: Thanks for asking about the videos. We create them all in house and are very grateful for the overwhelmingly positive feedback we get from customers such as yourself. The videos are a special treat for those that attend our monthly beer releases. Right now, the ONLY place to view them is at our beer releases.
Q: how long does it take to make beer?
A: Brewing beer from the day we begin the mash until it is in your pint glass can take as little as 18 days or as much as several months. This depends on many factors such as style, type(ale or lager)and if the beer is dry hopped(such as Venom) just to name a few. Certain beers also can benefit from extended aging in the keg(such as Devil's Milk and Blackjack)while others are meant to be consumed immediately. So as you can see, there are many factors that determine a beer's maturing time.
Q: What are the carb counts for a traditional pint of your staple beers and for the seasonal beers?
A: Good Question! Our staple beers are going to be about 13-21 carbs/12oz serving depending on which one you order. Our seasonals vary from about 11 carbs for our beer Funk, to 35 carbs for Devil's Milk. These are considerably higher than the "low carb" macro beers which are in the 3-6 range, but that is because our products are high quality all malt, with no corn or rice added. Just to keep things in perspective, 6 tortilla chips contain about 18 carbs and 5 pretzel sticks are 22 carbs. Personally I'd skip the bar snacks and tastless beer for a Venom any day of the week!
Q: I remember back in the day you had a vanilla bad moon porter on firkin is there any plans to do this again
A: As a matter of fact, YES! Keep an eye out for firkin Fridays to return for good. If you are on our email list, you will be informed when and which location the latest cask conditioned ale will appear.
Q: Any chance you will do an IPA?
A: I'm sure we will do one at some point, but for now we have our Venom which pushes the boundries of "Pale Ale" and is oftem mistaken for an IPA. We also have done a "one and gone" batch of Serum, which was a double IPA. That beer will return at some point too so be on the lookout!
Q: Does DuClaw sell Kegs to the public?
A: Yes we Do! If you are interested, just drop us an email at brewmaster@duclaw.com stating which beer yuo are interested in, which store you would like to pick it up at and when you would like to pick it up. We will get back to you with the price/availability....it is that easy!
Q: First I want to say - THANK YOU FOR BRINGING OUT THE SERUM!!!! Second, I noticed "Snake Oil" listed under the "what's going on" section previously and now it's not there. Has the Serum replaced it for now or can we still expect to see Snake Oil for our tasting pleasure in the near future?
A: First off....YOU'RE WELCOME! You are correct on your take.....Snake Oil will come out in the future, but because of our brewery expansion, we had to juggle things around.
Q: My wife and I were visiting friends in Maryland. They took us to your restaurant and my wife loved your beers. Do you sell it in N.J.? Or maybe even mail order?
A: You're wife has great taste!!! At this time, our beers are only available in the state of Maryland and mailorder beer is illegal in this state, so please keep us in mind when you come back to visit!
Q: Hi, A few years back, you had a vanilla porter that I don't remember the name of, and that I haven't seen since. Can you tell me what it was called and when if it will come back? I really enjoyed it. Thanks, Joyce
A: The vanilla porter was actually named Sawtooth(which is now the permanent name of our Wit beer). Although there are no immediate plans to bring it back, please keep an eye out for it(under a new name) as I'm sure we will release it again at some point.
Q: My husband & I were at Arundel Mills several weeks ago & he tried the Deception & loved it. The waiter said they only got in 1 keg. I can't seem to fine it listed in either your staple or seasonal lists. He said it was brewed in Fells Point & I'm assuming that is Bond St. which is great since we live in Dundalk. Is there a time when this beer would be available again?
A: Deception was originally brewed for one of our beer dinners and was never released to the general public until 'Christmas in July.' Each restaurant did received only one keg because it was brewed in such a small quantity. The beer was not brewed in Fells Point although we do have a restaurant there on Bond Street. Our beer is currently brewed at or brewery in Abingdon and delivered fresh to our four locations. We are now down to a precious few kegs of Deception. However, we will have one keg per day at the Maryland Brewer's Oktoberfest in Timonium on October 18-19, 2004 (http://www.mdoktoberfest.com). We're glad you enjoyed the beer!
Q: Hi-- I was curious how long beer lasts in a growler (unopened). Also, does it just go flat or does it actually become unsafe to drink? Thanks for the help!
A: Good question! Beer in a growler will last for several weeks as long as you keep it cold. The beer will not go flat or become unsafe to drink as long as it is cold. However, it will eventually develop off-flavors mainly because the beer is exposed to air for a short time during the filling of the growler. Finally, you should drink the entire growler in one sitting because a partially consumed growler will go flat quickly so be sure to invite some friends over!
Q: I was curious how the Deception this year got up to a 17% abv (unless that was a misprint)? I thought Deception was a mix of Venom and Devil's Milk, neither of which have that high an alcohol content.
A: Deception is its own monster....not a mixture of beers. In fact, we never "mix" beers to get a new beer. Every beer we make here is from the ground up.....some(like Deception) you need a space shuttle to get to!
Q: Where can I find the delicious Devil's Milk? Is it possible to take home growlers of your fine brew, or must we only consume it within the bar...
A: Devil's Milk is one of our seasonal brews. When on tap, you can either purchase a new, filled growler or refill one that you already own. Devil's Milk comes out in the winter....around November.
Q: First, thanks for some incredible local brew! Myself and a friend are homebrewers and we where curious if you ever allow people to come and watch large batches being brewed. Also, do you ever offer a sample of the yeast you use? Thanks again for many enjoyable trips to DuClaw. Eric Jones
A: Hi Eric, I'm glad to hear you enjoy the brews. Once our brand new brewing facility is up and running and we get settled in, we'd be happy to have you come in and brew with us one day. Obtaining a yeast slurry is not a problem either. Please check back with us after September 2004 and we should be able to set something up.
Q: Are those "platos" a measurement for the beer's physical density, i.e. in a way the amount of stuff other than water contained in it? And how do you measure those IBUs? Is it just a subjective scale?
A: "Plato", degrees is mainly used by commercial brewers for the measurment of the density of solutions, expressed as the equivalent weight of cane sugar in solution. Homebrewers and some commercial brewers use a similar measurment referred to as specific gravity, which is a measure of total amount of dissolved solids in the wort. As far as IBU's (International Bitterness Units) go, it is a measurment of the actual bitterness level of the beer. 1 BU=1 PPM of isomerized alpha acid. When we give you the IBU's of our beers, there is a calculation we use to approximate each beer's IBU level.
Q: Which one of your beers is the most difficult to brew and why? (That way we can appreciate it more.)
A: The most difficult beer we currently brew would be Sawtooth because it contains a large amount of flaked and malted wheat.....both of which do not have a husk like barley does. This makes the mashing process a little tricky because of the decreased amount of husk material. Collecting the wort can sometimes be difficult. This beer also has coriander and orange peel in the recipe. Finding the correct blend of these spices is a tad tricky too.
Q: I would like to know if in the Winter, lets say around Christmas, do you come up with some kind of Russian Imperial Stout? If so, what do you use and how would you describe the flavor?
A: We already have one! Blackjack Stout is an Imperial Stout in every way. Generous amounts of roasted malts and barley are used to give it an espresso-like flavor with hints of chocolate. Other flavors that are sometimes picked up are those of dark/ripe fruits and black currant. It's also heavily hopped, but because of the huge dark malt flavor, they are not as noticable in this big brew.
Q: What is the origin of the name "DuClaw" Thank you, Dean Tyree
A: Good question....I wish I knew the answer! There are some stories out there, but as to which is true......who knows!
Q: What is the difference between a regular pour and the nitro-pour. And why?
A: The difference is in the way the beer is dispensed. The nitro pour uses a different blend of gases to dispense the beer than our regular pour. Eventhough the beer is the same as far as the recipe goes, the different gas blend gives the nitro pour a creamier head, less carbonation "bite" and a mouthfeel that is more smooth than and regular pour. Which is better? It all depends on your own personal taste......that's why we offer both!
Q: What is your favorite beer that you brew? If someone just turned 21 and they came to DuClaw for the first time, what would you recommend as their first drink?
A: My personal favorite is Venom, but I would recommend a sample platter to a first time customer. That way they can determine which beer (or beers) they like the best. I brew many different styles for that reason. Find your favorite and enjoy!
Q: What was the first beer DuClaw made ?
A: The first beer we brewed was back in 1996 and it was a Marzen. We called it Mad Bull Marzen. It is long gone and luckily, so is the name! Cheers!
Q: What's the difference between an ale and a lager?
A: The main differnece between ales and lagers is the type of yeast used for fermentation and the temperature at which they are fermented. Lagers are usually fermented between 48-55 F whereas ales are usually fermented around 65-75 F.