05/11/2012

1745 Madison Ave. Council Bluffs, (712) 322-9260

A Spirited Slant
Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits Newsletter: Vol. 1

Iowas Smallest Distillery: Two Jays

While Templeton Rye might get all the press, tucked in the sleepy farmlands of Warren County is Iowas smallest distillery. Born out of necessity, thanks to a Mothers Day frost in 2009, John Broadbent needed a solution to salvage the grapes on his family vineyards. With eighty percent of his commercial grapes damaged and unable to sell to local wineries John hatched a solution: distill grappa. Grappa is made from the skins and seeds of grapes and, for John, a natural solution to his problem. However, John didnt know what grappa tasted like, how to distill and at the time Iowa laws forbad it. Good fortune was on his side. The Iowa Alcoholic Beverage Division was holding meetings to change laws freeing restrictions on Iowa distilleries and breweries. John was moving faster than the legislators and he obtained a license, for lack of a better word, to practice distilling with the aim to start a commercial distillery. In 2010, Iowas burdensome laws were modified and Two Jays Distillery was the fourth distillery to open in Iowa post-Prohibition with their first products appearing on retail shelves March, 2011. The Broadbent Distillery is tiny. Housed in a white shed (its too small to call a barn) is an array of homemade, salvaged, and repurposed items creatively and brilliantly pieced together to make two functional stills. Nothing seemed new or used for its original purpose in the distillery. For instance, the seeds/skins for their grappa and the corn for their whiskey are cooked in an old dairy chiller. Mason jars are used to collect the liquor from the still and the bottling/labeling process is all done by hand. The father and son team, both named John Broadbent (hence the name Two Jays), currently have three products available. Two Jay's Iowa Corn Whiskey Country Style is classic white dog whiskey (also known to some as white lightening or, less classy, moonshine). Made with 100% local corn, twice distilled (and their secret until very recently) purified with ozone. Try it neat or over ice. Available in 750ml bottles for $31.59. Two Jay's Iowa Corn Whiskey is essentially Country Style aged on toasted oak staves which gives the whiskey the familiar auburn hue. Two Jays hue is not nearly as rich in color as many commercial offerings as no caramel coloring is added and it is more gently filtered. Try it neat, over ice or with cola. Available in 750ml bottles for $34.99. Two Jay's Iowa Grape Grappa is distilled from the residual pulp, seeds and stems from several local wineries as well as their own grapes. Clear and complex, grappa is delicious neat or it can be mixed with wine to make port. Also add a shot to your cup of coffee for a nutty taste. Available in 375ml bottles for $16.89.

Greetings!
Welcome to the very first addition of A Spirited Slant. This weekly newsletter will be your source of all things liquor related locally, nationally and specifically to Mall of the Bluffs Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits. Slant will cover everything from new beers to fine wines as well as special events, tastings and product/restaurant reviews. The content of Slant is 100% originally generated and will be available nowhere besides this newsletter. The goal is to entertain, inform and help make all your liquor purchasing decisions, hopefully, a bit more enjoyable. Cheers!

Wine Math
Typically 2.4 pounds of grapes are used to make one 750ml bottle of wine. Within one bottle of wine is roughly four glasses. Four glasses equal four happy people! Better yet, two really happy people!

A Spirited Slant is brought to you by our own Brent Udron.

A Spirited Slant
More Booze News

Awe Crikey! Beer Consumption Falls In Oz

Yanks tend to think of Fosters when it comes to Australian beer (even though its brewed in Canada, eh?). For the first time since World War II, when rationing was mandatory, the average mate is drinking less than 100 liters a year. For comparison, the average Joey Sixpack in the Czech Republic consumes nearly 160 liters a year and the typical bloke in the United States drinks around 82 liters a year. Crappy beer isnt cited for the decline, in fact, the growth of Australias wine culture is the likely culprit. Generally as income rises people gravitate towards wine and luckily Australian wine is generally excellent. Both excellent wine and beer from Australian are available stateside. A handful of delicious beers from Coopers Brewery populate the beer cooler and a plethora of well-crafted wines are fully stocked but maybe no amazing than the underrated Mr. Black's Concoction.

The Pursuit of Hoppiness

In the world of craft beer the most popular category among those affectionately known as beer geeks is, unquestionably, India Pale Ale (IPA). Nearly every American craft brewer brews at least one IPA, if not stronger versions called Double IPAs. Yet the name, seemingly odd to some, as these beers are not brewed in India nor were they really ever. The India Pale Ale was born in England during its colonial days, British troops and citizens living in India wanted to drink their native ales but the weather in India was unfavorable to brew quality beer. In the late 1700s shipping beer via a long, hot sea voyage also resulted in spoiled beer. George Hodgson at the Bow Brewery in East London brewed up the solution. Hops and alcohol are both natural preservatives found in beer. Hodgson began brewing beer of greater strength (higher alcohol) and added more hops. The end result was a bitter, alcoholic pale ale that could survive the harsh travel conditions to India. Hodgsons success became legendary and subsequently duplicated. Hodgson's India Ale was the worlds first India Pale Ale. Some historians believed the IPA that arrived in India was then watered down for the troops, while officers and the elite would drink the beer at full strength. Also some historians believed IPA could have faded away when the British occupation of India ended. However, a fateful shipwreck firmly established IPA. In 1827, a ship leaving London wrecked and damaged some of the casks of IPA on board. The casks were sold in England and the unusually hoppy ale was extremely popular much to the shock of the brewers. Currently, British brewed IPAs tend to be less hoppy (bitter) than American brewed IPAs. American brewers are pushing the limits of hoppiness but those with a taste for the citrusy, resiny bitterness there is no end in sight. A few excellent examples of the modern, Americanized IPA are New Belgiums Ranger IPA, Bells Two Hearted IPA, Founders Reds Rye PA and Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra Pale Ale.

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