Welcome to
Alford Distributing Company
We are pleased you have chosen our portfolio of products for your establishment. Alford Distributing is the largest beer wholesaler in the county of Imperial.
Our selection of beverages varies from some of the biggest breweries in the world to some of the smaller, more unique craft and imported breweries. We truly believe our products to be the finest beers in the world.
You can find a list of these products and their descriptions on
You can view our account set-up policies under the customer policies page of this website. This information will help you prepare to set up your account.
Once you have reviewed our policies and are ready to begin the process, you can call our customer service department.
Our dedicated customer service representatives will direct and assist you through this process. We look forward to your business and hope you will find that we will be your beer distributor of choice.
Customer Policies
Terms & Guidelines
In order for Alford Distributing company to sustain a healthy business and serve our customers properly, we follow a defined set of policies and procedures. The below list of policies is in line with our corporate financial controls and California Beverage Law. They are implemented to protect all parties involved in an alcoholic beverage purchase.
Payment Term Policy
Interested in seeing how our payment terms work? Our helpful sales staff can guide you in choosing the payment option that best fits your needs.
Find all the benefits of setting up electronic payments through Fintech.
Breakage Policy
For more information about our Breakage Policy, please click here.
Retailer Toolbox
Proper Temperature for Beer Storage
Keep draught beer cold so it pours easily, profitably and at peak freshness. The number one factor affecting how draught beer pours is temperature. At retail, even a few degrees increase above the ideal maximum of 38 degrees F can create pouring problems, especially excessive foaming.…to continue reading Click Here
Draught Beer Basics: Four Keys to Excellent Beer Service
Cold beer, dispensed through clean lines, into beer-clean glassware, properly poured by knowledgeable staff is essential to success. The beer tastes best when handled, stored and dispensed correctly, according to these four steps: First, store kegs upright and cold, between 34-38 degrees F at least 24-hours before tapping. Second, dispense draught beer through a perfect balance.…to continue reading Click Here
The Facts About Draught System Cleaning
Keep draught beer lines clean to maintain brewery-fresh flavor. The number one factor affecting draught beer quality is poor line hygiene. Retailers must take an active role in making sure their draught beer lines are cleaned properly and regularly. In addition to alcohol and carbon dioxide, finished beer contains proteins, carbohydrates and hundreds of other organic compounds. Yeast and bacteria routinely enter draught systems.…to continue reading Click Here
California Alcohol Laws
Please visit this link for information on California Alcohol Laws. Visit Website
Having Draught problems?
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Beer 101
Beer Brewing
The Brewing Process
- After being harvested, barley is turned into malt by being given just the right amount of moisture and warmth for its kernels to germinate. The malted barley is then dried – and for some brews roasted.
- Malt is mixed with other grains (such as corn or rice) and hot water in a “mash tun” until the natural enzymes change the starch into maltose sugar producing what is known as “mash.”
- Mash flows into the “lauter tun” which looks like a huge cylinder and contains strainers that remove the empty barley hulls. When the grains are removed, what is left is called “wort.”
- The wort is then run into a giant copper kettle to be brewed with hops that are added at various times during the process to impact different levels of bitter flavor and aroma.
- Once the hops are strained off the wort, it is pumped to cooling tanks and poured over refrigerated coils.
- The cooled wort is then sent to a “fermenter” where yeast is added.
- After the yeast has done it’s the proper amount of work, it is removed from the brew and the beer is pumped into aging tanks.
- Once aged, the brew is given a final filtering and a bit of carbonation.
- Finally, the beer is packaged and sent on its merry way to be drunk.
Ingredients
Malt
Made from grain, malt is to beer what grapes are to wine. It is often referred to as the “soul of the beer.” Barley is the most commonly used grain for malting – steeped in water until it partially germinates and is then dried in a kiln. The more intensely kilned the malt, the darker the beer.. Depending on the style of the beer being brewed the brewer may use just one type of malt or as many as seven.
Hops
The hop is a climbing plant like a vine. Often referred to as the “spice of the beer” the hop cones are the only bit of the hop plant used in brewing. In fact, only the female hop flower is used, as it produces tannins that help clarify and preserve the beer. In addition, it has the resins and essential oils that are the principal sources of a brew’s aroma and dryness. A variety of hops can be used in beer with each hop having a distinct flavor, bitterness, and aroma. Hops help to preserve beer, act as filtering medium in the brewing process and improve the foam-holding capacity of the beer.
Yeast
Yeast is the microorganism that feeds on the sugars in the malt to produce the alcohol and carbon dioxide of the beer. It is often referred to as the “lifeline of the brewery” with each brewery’s unique yeast strain being secretively guarded against competitors. There are two main yeast types used in brewing – Ale yeast and Lager yeast.
Water
Beer is comprised of 90 percent water with its hardness and mineral content determining the character and style of the beer brewed. Softer water is typically used in Pilsners while harder water is most commonly used in brewing Ales.
Beer Styles
All beer styles fall under one of the two main beer types that of an Ale or a Lager.
This list only touches the surface of the extensive varieties, starting with broader styles and descriptions and then dipping into details for some very specific brews.
Ale
Ale is the older and broader of the two main categories of beer. Stouts, Porters and Wheat beers are all types of Ales. Ales are fermented with top-fermenting yeast, usually near room temperature and tend to have a fruitier complex flavor. Darker in color than Lagers, ales mature (age) from a few days to a few weeks.
Stout is a full-bodied and flavorful beer with a hint of carbonation. It generally has a thick dark, rich color with a dense, white, creamy head and a flavor similar to coffee.
Porter is similar to Stout being full-bodied with a hint of carbonation, yet it is lighter than Stouts with its chocolate color and carries a variety of tastes including sweet, bitter, milk and even oatmeal flavors.
India Pale Ale (IPA) is a hoppy, pale, golden Ale typically having citrusy and floral aromas. Hop flavor is inevitably quite high and bitterness quite assertive. In addition, many IPAs are high in alcohol sometimes as much as five times higher than average beers.
Wheat beer is highly carbonated with a fluffy, creamy fullness and a bubbly white head. It ranges in color from pale straw to dark reddish-gold having a cloudy appearance and yeasty sediment with contributes to its opaqueness. It often carries the aroma of wheat and roasted malt with hints of vanilla and banana.
Sweet Stouts are also referred to as cream stouts. They have a mild, roasted, bitter, flavor and a full-bodied mouthfeel. Malt sweetness, chocolate, and caramel flavor should dominate the flavor profile of this brew and contribute to its aroma. Hops should balance the sweetness without contributing apparent flavor or aroma.
English-style Brown Ales range from deep copper to brown in color. They have a medium body and a dry to sweet maltiness with very little hop flavor or aroma.
American-style Amber/Red Ales range from light copper to light brown in color. They are characterized by American-variety hops used to produce high hop bitterness, flavor, and medium to
American-style India Pale Ales have intense hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma with medium-high alcohol content. The style is further characterized by fruity, floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character. India Pale Ale possesses medium maltiness and body.
American-style Pale Ales range from deep golden to copper in color with a medium body and low to medium maltiness.
Brown Porters are mid to dark brown (some may have a red tint) in color. The beer should have a low to medium sweetness along with medium hop bitterness. This is a light to medium bodied beer.
Belgium-style Tripels are often characterized by a complex, sometimes-mild spicy character, but no clove-like flavor. Yeast-generated fruity banana esters are also common but not necessary. These pale/light colored ales may finish sweet, though any sweet finish should be light. The beer is characteristically medium bodied with an equalizing hop/malt balance. Alcohol strength and flavor should be perceived as evident. Head retention is dense and mousse-like.
Belgium-style Fruit Lambics are also known by the names Framboise and Kriek and are characterized by fruit flavors and aromas. The color reflects the choice of fruit. Sourness is an important part of the flavor profile, though sweetness may compromise the intensity.
Lagers
Lagers are the most popular beer in the world. Golden colored, made from bottom fermenting yeast, cold slow fermentation, and cold maturation, lagers turn out to be drier, cleaner and mellower in taste than ales. Lagers are well carbonated and can be light to medium in the body being aged from one to three months. Pilsners, Dortmunders, Bocks, and Double-Bocks are all made from bottom-fermenting yeast and therefore are Lagers.
Pilsners, clear, pale to golden-hued with a mild hop aroma and a crisp taste, were the first Lagers ever brewed. A classic Pilsner is medium in body and carbonation with a head almost like soft ice cream above the rim of the glass.
Lagers, it’s a bit redundant but it’s both a style and type of beer. While people are familiar with the fact that Pilsners are Lagers, there are many Lagers that are not Pilsners, or Dortmunders or Double-Bocks. All Pilsners are Lagers and all Bocks are Lagers, but not all Lagers are Bocks or Pilsners.
Dortmunders full-bodied moderately hopped brews which are less dry than a Pilsner.
Bock is a German term for a strong beer. In Germany, it may be golden, tawny or dark brown but outside Germany, a Bock is usually dark. Bock beers are best served in autumn, late winter or spring, depending upon the country.
South German-style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier has the aroma and flavor that is decidedly fruity and phenolic. The phenolic characteristics are often described as clove or nutmeg like and can be smoky or even vanilla like. Banana-like esters are often present. These beers are made with at least 50 percent malted wheat and low hop rates. Hop flavor and aroma are absent. Weissbier is well attenuated and very highly carbonated yet its relatively high starting gravity and alcohol content make it a medium to full-bodied beer. The color is very pale to pale amber. Because yeast is present, the beer will have yeast flavor and a characteristically fuller mouthfeel and may be appropriately very cloudy.
German-style Kolsch is warm fermented and aged at cold temperatures. Kolsch is characterized by a golden to straw color and slightly dry, subtly sweet softness on the palate, yet crisp. Good, dense head retention is desirable. A light fruitiness may be apparent but is not necessary for this style. Caramel character should not be evident. The body is light to medium-light. This beer
Traditional German-style Bocks are made with all malt and are strong, malty, medium to full-bodied, bottom-fermented beers with moderate hop. Hop flavor should be low and hop aroma should be very low. Bocks can range in color from deep copper to dark brown.
German-style Pilsners are very light straw or golden in color and well hopped. Hop bitterness is high. Noble-style hop aroma and flavor are moderate and quite obvious. It is a well-attenuated, medium-bodied beer but a malty residual sweetness can be perceived in aroma and flavor. Its head should be dense and rich.