Weihenstephaner for everybody!

Guten Tag!

Your intrepid beer...uh...guy is off for the next two days until the madness that is the day of New Year's Eve.  I'll be visiting my in-laws in central New York, just outside of Saratoga, in a very small town called Gloversville.  Richard Russo based EMPIRE FALLS on the town, fyi.  Aside from qt with the fam, I'm looking forward to two things 1) hot dogs, meat sauce, and hand-cut fries at Tegeo's and 2) Abraham's aka Naif's, a hidden gem of a craft beer store in a very rural setting.  So I'll be stocking up on hot dogs and my private stash of beer;)

Drunk monks on the prowl...

Which also means this is probably the last blog post before the new year, so...HAPPY (pre) NEW YEAR!!!  And I figured I'd get a jump on one of my new year's resolutions which was to organize my tastings a little better.  Therefore, I bring you, "A Taste of Weihenstephaner!"

To preface - I mostly find myself talking about American craft beer or esoteric Belgian/European beer in the store.  It's easy to see why - these breweries are making some of the most exciting beer in the world.  But what you may not know is that I love German beer.  Love it.  The German brewers we carry make some of the most consistent and delicious beer in the world.  Like Weihenstephan.  They've been making beer since 1040 AD when the brewery was established by Benedictine monks as an abbey and brewery and subsequently taken over as the Bavarian State Brewery in 1803, thus reputedly making them the oldest continuously operating brewery in the world.  (That's almost a millennium, people.)  So they know what they're doing.  Today, Weihenstephan exists as both brewery and where graduates are considered amongst the elite in the brewing world.  And, thankfully for the masses, they produce +200k barrels of some of the finest German beer available in the US and specifically Vermont.  (PS - thanks to Garrett Oliver's OXFORD COMPANION TO BEER for much of the info here.  Please purchase this fine work if you have any interest in learning more about beer.)

Which brings me to my point - Weihenstephaner (the beer that Weihenstephan produces) is FANTASTIC!  My wife, aka Lady Lager Lover, and I refreshed our palates with a sampling of all this fine brewery has to offer, and here are the results:

Original, the first of two non-wheat beers.  A Munich Helles lager.  (In short - Munich Helles lagers were a response to the Pilsner rage of the 1800's.  They are slightly more malty, with an almost corn-like sweetness, and spicy hops similar to Czech pilsners but with more balance.)  This was my wife's fave, very clean and drinkable.  And, if you like this, try Victory's Lager or Stoudt's Gold Lager for an American craft version.

Kristall aka kristallweiss aka Crystal Clear - this is the first of their hefeweizens we tried.  (Btw, hefeweizen, weissbier, hefeweiss - all pretty much the same thing.)  Kristallweiss is a filtered version of a hefeweiss, so a lighter version, very strongly carbonated, refreshing and bright on the palate with mild bitterness.

(Side note - German hefeweizen has fairly universal tastes of banana, clove, and hints of bubblegum.)

Hefe-weissbier - the gold standard and one of my all-time favorites.  Buy a proper glass - a .5L or 1L that flares at the top to allow the gorgeous head of foam to develop when pouring - and go nuts.  Very few beers come close to Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss in terms of drinkability except SchneiderWeiss.

Hefeweiss Dark aka Hefe-dunkle aka Dunkleweiss, i.e. dark wheat beer - as you can probably guess, this is the darker version of the hefeweiss via the use of darker malts.  For the winter season, you can't beat this dunkleweiss.  The flavors and body of the hefeweiss deepen with a bit more bread flavor.  If you like Franziskaner, you will LOVE this.

Vitus - now we get into the first of Weihenstephaner's two stronger offerings.  Vitus has a very devoted following in our store as a number of customers have standing orders for cases.  I hadn't drank a Vitus in some time; doing so last night, it was easy to see why.  Vitus is a weizenbock, a bock being a term for a full-bodied stronger beer with a higher gravity, weizenbock being a stronger version of a dunkleweiss!  Vitus is 7.7% abv and, like the dunkleweiss is the deeper version of a hefeweiss, Vitus is the stronger, more pronounced version of dunkleweiss, though nothing here is overwhelming.  Schneider's Aventinus is another excellent version of a weizenbock.  In short, this beer is dangerously drinkable!

Lastly, Korbinian, the second non-wheat beer.  A dopplebock!  If you're not confused already, keep following - again, bocks are strong beers.  So a dopplebock is...STRONGER!  These are generally darker and more full-bodied than bocks with more alcohol.  One of the more famous is Ayinger Celebrator which is fairly universally considered the standard-bearer for dopplebocks.  Korbinian is right up there as well, full of caramel, raisin, and malty flavor and that hint of alcohol on the finish.  This is a great alternative to Spaten Optimator which has been unavailable from their distributor for some time now.

So there you have it, a blow-by-blow of one of the great breweries in the world.  All of the above beers are available in 500ml bottles.  Original and Hefeweiss are available in 6-packs as well!

That's it for me!  Enjoy these last few days of 2011 and I'm sure I'll see many of you on Saturday for your holiday shopping!  Some additional notes -

Sierra Celebration - what we have is it, and that's mostly 12-packs!  Get it before it's gone!

Heady Topper - we are getting our shipment on Friday and expect it to sell out the same day.  Stay tuned to Facebook/Twitter for updates on our next week.

North Coast Old Rasputin Barrel Aged is arriving NEXT WEEK!

Founders Imperial Stout - NEXT WEEK!

BBC Good Night Irene - NEXT WEEK!

Clown Shoes Vampire Slayer - NEXT WEEK!

Have a happy New Year's eve!!!!

Evan G.

it's (almost) the end, my friend

'mello folks,

Thought I'd drop a few updates on some forthcomings in the upcoming year of our lord, 2012.

I've had the pleasure of sipping through the Sixpoint that we offer in our humble store and they are as tasty in VT as they were in my former home of Brooklyn, a.k.a. home of Sixpoint!  That's right - Sixpoint was born in Red Hook, a fantastic neighborhood of Brooklyn that was formerly the busiest freight port in the world up to the 1960s.  (And "crack capital" of the USA in 1990 according to Time!)  Nowadays, Red Hook - nothing to do with Red Hook beer - is home to a small but fiercely loyal community of great small restaurants, bars, one of the best small live music venues...and Sixpoint!  What's available to us in the Green Mountain State is Sweet Action, their flagship, Bengali Tiger, and Righteous Ale.  While these beers are ubiquitous in Brooklyn and fairly popular in Manhattan, they mean squat to most Vermonters, so here's a little decoder -

Sweet Action - think of this as a Magic Hat #9 but on steroids.  Billed as a cream ale but truly straddles many labels.  Smooth, hoppy, with a great subtle aftertaste of like tangerine.

Where Brooklyn at?

Righteous Ale - I've been drinking this bad boy since it was originally called Righteous Rye.  Pours a ruddy brown with some strong caramel flavors and a bitterness through and through, with piney hoppy goodness.



Bengali Tiger - their IPA, my favorite.  Bitter.  Piney.  Slightly sweet.  Resin-y.  Drinks like a million bucks.

These are available in cans in both four-packs and singles and I highly recommend giving them a shot.  Between Sixpoint, Wachusett, and Green Flash, we've had a huge influx of super drinkable IPA's which has been lovely.  (Imperial IPA's are great, but sometimes you want something you can have more than one of, kna'wha'ah'mean?)

And speaking of cans, some updates...

I've loaded up our rare and aged beer safe, so if anyone is looking for some amazing stuff like...Stone IRS '08, Old Guardian '08, '09; gouden carolus cuvee van de keizer 2008; Rogue Double Dead Guy '08 and '09; and MANY more, please come find me.

Our Grassroots shelves (the distributor, NOT the brewery) has been replenished with some of the best beers in the world.  We're getting more Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Brut tomorrow along with Grassroots (the brewery!), not to mention our current stock of some amazing brewers from around the world like Hitachino, Baird, Amager, Jenlain, Stillwater, KO, Panil, and To Ol to name a few.

Drink their beer and be a To Ol.

Look at those cool a$$ dudes.

Stone/Alchemist - early January, people.  It's coming and we'll get some.

I will drink you.

Alchemist - some of you may have noticed that we've sold out of the Alchemist way faster than usual.  What can we say?  They're brewing as much as possible.  We're getting as much as possible.  The demand is beyond rabid at this point, especially with it being the holiday season.  So we're getting more tomorrow and we expect it to sell out tomorrow.  John, Jen, and everyone at the Alchemist deserves all the success they're having and they're working their tails off to brew an amazing beer.  And from someone who is a recent transplant to this area, I just feel lucky that it's available so close to home:)

Founders - we've been psyched to finally get most of their core products.  Their absolutely excellent Porter will come in 2012.  We've pre-ordered their Imperial Stout which, while not Breakfast Stout, is most excellent.  And the first of the Backstage Series will drop, Curmudgeon's Better Half, the barrel-aged version of Old Curmudgeon, their old ale (which hopefully will come as well).

 





Dogfish - some of you may already know that Burton Baton is slated to be a year-round offering.  F'ing awesome.  Ta Henket, an ancient ale a la Midas Touch, should be dropping soon.

Brooklyn Black Ops - well, we got our very limited allocation this year and the pre-orders well exceeded the demand.  Folks, if we could get more, you know we would.  For those who couldn't get one, please feel free to email me at thebevy802@gmail.com and hopefully we can get you something else rare and exciting.  I will start a pre-order list for next year.  Yes, that may sound excessive, but seriously, we had one for Cantillon that dated way back, and there were some very happy people that got bottles.

Clown Shoes - Supa Hero is DELICIOUS!  Talk about a BITTER IPA.  Those crazy folks from MA use seven different types of hops to create a very bitter but drinkable IPA.  I've been really impressed with these gents so far and look forward to Vampire Slayer in 2012.  In the meantime, get your Unidragon and Hoppy Feet 1.5 while you can!

Sierra - I'm almost out but I found a case of Northern Hemisphere Harvest.  Now if I can only stumble on a case of Estate...

That's all for tonight.  I'm sure I'll see many of you in the madness that is this week leading up the Christmas.  For now,

HAPPY CHANUKAH!!!!!

Chag Sameach,
Evan G.

More. New. Beers. And...George and I Don't Agree, Vol. 2

Eyyyy folks,

I'm laying down a quick post before I head off to bed because tomorrow is going to be a craaaaazzy day.  We're getting in SO MUCH BEER.  Lots and lots of goodies, so...

1) as most of you know, Craft Beer Guild of VT made their first delivery this week.  We have

Green Flash - Hop Head Red IPA; West Coast IPA; Imperial IPA; and Le Freak.
Sixpoint - Sweet Action; Righteous Ale (formerly Righteous Rye); and Bengali Tiger
Butternuts - Moo Thunder; Pork Slap; Hefeweizen
Wachusett - more than I can remember.
BitBurger; Kostritzer; and more soon.

2) we got another big shipment of Hill Farmstead and Shelton Bros.  We have HF Anna, enough to hopefully carry through the holiday season!  And from Shelton, we have (abbreviated list):

Struise
Fantome
Mikkeller Hoppy Xmas, Nelson Sauvin Brut, and Jackie Brown
Cantillon (CALL TO RESERVE A BOTTLE ASAP.  MANY ARE ALREADY ALLOCATED.)
Nogne O
Jolly Pumpkin
Haandbryggereit
Anchorage
Drie (3) Fonteinen

Except for the surprise Mikkeller, it's all the same as what we got previously for the most part.

3) Brooklyn Black Ops coming soon.  Again, call and get on our reserve list.  We are not going to have much.

4) Dogfish Ta Henket coming soon..

5) Founders Double Trouble coming soon...

6) Stone/Alchemist "More Brown than Black" coming in January, hopefully.

OK, that's about all I've got in me right now.  I'm super pumped about all of our new beers and re-sampled all the Green Flash which is as delicious as I remember it being.

But lastly, George and I don't agree...well, he and I haven't really argued this, but I can tell already that we're not going to agree on our favorite Green Flash.  George, Imperial IPA - big, malty, aggressive hop bomb.  Me, Le Freak - gets all the best parts of the Imperial IPA, mellows out the malt and adds a complexity from the blend of the Tripel.

That's all she wrote.

See you soon!!!
Evan G.

musings and forthcomings

Ahoy folks,

I'm still reeling from the many, many, MANY new and limited beers that came in last week.  Demand was high!!!!  Thank you all for being patient while we priced and stocked.  A lot of the beers went very fast...but fear not!  I was told that we'll be getting more!  I will have more info tomorrow, but it does look like we'll get most of the Shelton Bros beers on my previous blog post.  Probably not Cantillon though.  Sorry!  Please do email me if you want to get on our long standing Cantillon wait-list.

Also, I'm quite pleased that we'll have some new breweries distributed in VT!!!  There is a new distributor in town and they are selling, amongst others, BitBurger, Butternuts (excellent NY can-only brewery; try Pork Slap); SixPoint (WHAT'S UP BROOKLYN?!  BREWERY FROM MY HOMETOWN COMING TO VT!!!  WHAT THE WHAT!  All cans.); Wachusset; and one other that I'm playing close to the vest b/c it's not guaranteed they're coming to VT before 2012.  Could be next week though.  And they rock.  So stay tuned.  Speaking of new breweries, if you haven't tried Founders yet...I mean...come on.  Seriously.

For tonight, lots of sips.  Was in the Farmhouse hanging with El Jefe, knocking back some shorties of Founders Cashew Mountain Brown, Lawson's Double Sunshine, and some sips of Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet on cask and Hill Farmstead Harlan.  Nursed a Dogfish Immort Ale and, one of my all-time faves, a Meantime Coffee Porter from my private stash.

DELICIOUS!!

Anyway, signing off because it's late and I want to go play some Dark Souls.  Hope to see ya soon.

Fondest,

Evan G.

sooooo many new beers, sooooo little time!

Hola folks,

Today was crazy busy in the best way possible.  We got a LOT of great beer that arrived today and is coming tomorrow that's both rare and delicious so I'll just pretty much list 'em all here.  This is going to be brief cause I'm full of American Flatbread and pretty sleepy:

Duvel Tripel Hop - we're running a special on Duvel's special edition ale that's hopped with three different hops including tasty Amarillo.  This beer usually goes for $18.99 - we're getting it to you for $14.99.  (That's saving $4 a bottle for all you non-math-y folks.)  I'm drinking one right now and loving it.  Big hop bitterness mixed with that grassy Belgian flavor of Duvel and kicked up on the boozy flavors b/c of the 9.5% abv.  A- on Beer Advocate.  Pretty sweet beer and a sweet deal.  Get 'em while you can.

(Supposed to be) getting tomorrow:

Dogfish Hellhound

Dogfish ImmortAle

Dogfish Faithfull

Founders Backwoods Bastard

On the shelf today:

Achel Trappist Blond (Belgium)

Achel Trappist Extra

Anchorage Love Buzz Saison (Alaska)

Baird (Japan) - just put out more of their beer

Dieu Du Ciel! Peche Mortel (Montreal)

Dieu Du Ciel! Rosee d'Hibiscus

Cantillon Classic Geuze (one bottle per customer) (Belgium)

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze (Belgium)

3 Fonteinen Scharbeekse Kriek

Epic Armageddon IPA (New Zealand)  

Epic Lager

Epic Pale Ale

Fantome Chocolat Saison (Belgium)

Fantome de Noel Saison

Fantome Magic Ghost

Fantome Pissenlit/Dandelion Saison

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere (MI)

Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca

Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela

Jolly Pumpkin La Roja

Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga

Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza

Mahr's Brewery (Germany)

-I think I have eight different varieties from Mahr's.  Honestly, it's called the best beer in Germany; it's unfiltered, unpasteurized and almost 400 years old...if you like German beer, you will love this.

Nogne O Porter (Norway)

Nogne O Brown Ale

Nogne O Imperial Brown Ale

Nogne o Batch #100/Barleywine

Struise Pannepot Reserva (Belgium)

Struise Pannepeut

WHEW!  

Oxford, Courage, and Founders

Ahoy folks,

Today was an early Christmas for your tireless beer guy.  Got TASTING BEER by Randy Moser and the recent OXFORD COMPANION TO BEER edited by Garrett Oliver.  Looking forward to diving into those as soon as I'm done with AMERICAN BEER by Maureen Ogle.

And in the store, got two long awaited packages.

1) Courage (aka Wells & Young) Imperial Russian Stout 2011.  Super, super limited.  The granddaddy of IRS.  Brewed originally in the 18th century and meant to survive the journey to Russia so that the Tsars could get all wastey-pants.  This has mammoth flavor despite being only (ha, only) 10% abv.  Sharp, roasty, fig-gy.  You know we're aging some, and hopefully they will be super dusty before they're cracked open.  We're talking a decade.

Some classy sh*t up in here.

2) FOUNDERS!  Yes friends, Founders is now available in the Green Mountain State!!  Our first shipment included four of the five core products - Dry-Hopped Pale Ale, Centennial IPA, Red's Rye PA, and Dirty Bastard.  Porter coming soon.  Specialty items coming soon.

And speaking of specialty, be on the lookout for a joint Farmhouse/Beverage Warehouse release on Sunday!

L'chaim!

Evan G.

quick session

Hiya folks,

Having a little session with some of our choice regular options and thought I'd share...my thoughts.  (Allow myself to introduce...myself.)

Long Trail Triple Bag - not a brewery that has a huge impact in NYC so I've been diving into their offerings with gusto and Triple Bag is definitely one of my faves.  Big nose of caramel, toffee, sugar with an almost nutty-flavor, like Double Bag but...baggier...especially at a slightly deceiving 9.2% abv.

Victory Storm King - cracked open a bottle to prep myself for my near future taste of Dark Intrigue aka Storm King aged in bourbon barrels from Jim Beam and Heaven Hill Distilleries.  Memory serves me correctly.  This is a big stout, 9.1% abv, and full of roast and bitterness.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this year's Dark Intrigue turned out.  (FYI, this is the LAST year for Dark Intrigue so you better get 'em while you can!)

Alchemist Heady Topper - yeah, you probably don't need me to tell you this, but this beer is an amazing bomb of hoppy piney delicious flavor.  I had it with chili dogs.  Needless to say, I was a happy puppy.  ~8% abv.

And...the Belgian rock star...Trappist Rochefort 10, a monstrous wallop of rum-soaked raisin mixed with amazing bottle conditioned carbonation and an extremely smooth mouthfeel.  This is an adult beer.  And dangerous.  I'd have no problem knocking back four of these...until the next day...because this 11.3% of head-splitting abv.

All of these are regularly available at the Bevy along with many more.

Enjoy your weekend and drink good beer.

Slainte,
Evan G.

check out Jeff's new position at The Farmhouse!!!!

Hey folks,





We got some awesome news about Jeff (aka El Jefe) and his new position at the Farmhouse Tap & Grill in their press release below!!  In the short amount of time I've been in VT, Jeff has been an exceptionally awesome person and (as you know) has an astounding knowledge of beer and wine.  So please stop by the Farmhouse to say congrats and to buy one of the many amazing beers he will be selecting on draft and bottle, and keep your eyes out for some Farmhouse/Bevy promotions coming in 2012 if not earlier!

And don't forget to stop by the Bevy this weekend for some great new selections!

Victory Dark Intrigue - limited run of barrel-aged Storm King
Hill Farmstead Anna - another great saison from Shaun, this will local wildflower honey
Lawson's Sugarhouse IPA
Woodstock Inn Wassail Ale - winter warmer
Sierra Nevada 12-packs on sale!
Magic Hat Hex 12-packs on sale!  $7.99.  Kind of ridiculous.
Magic Hat Winter Variety 12-packs, including Ravell
Alchemist Heady Topper (as always)

See below!!!!!!!!

Hugs,
Evan G.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Farmhouse Tap & Grill Taps a New Bar Manager

(December 2, 2011)
We are pleased to announced that Jeff Baker will be taking the beer program & taproom reigns at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill.  Jeff brings 7 years of beverage industry and restaurant experience to the position.  Farmhouse’s former Bar Manager, Chad Rich, has left to pursue his own venture.  Chad tapped Jeff Baker to take over the helm at Farmhouse and has been grooming Mr. Baker for several weeks now.

Most recently Jeff was the Beer Buyer and “Curator of the Collection” for Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, VT, the state’s largest beer and wine retail outlet.  Before his return to Vermont, Jeff was the Wine Educator for The Wine Gallery of Brookline and Boston, MA, helping them earn the “Best of Boston: Wine Shop” two years in a row.  While in Boston Jeff also earned certificates from the International Sommelier Guild and the Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center at Boston University.

Jeff’s extensive knowledge of the beer and wine industry coupled with his background in Philosophy will support The Farmhouse Tap & Grill’s mission to establish a sustainable food system and deliver superior local products from the farm to the table….not to mention keep Farmhouse’s great brews a-flowing.

About The Farmhouse Tap & Grill:
The Farmhouse Tap & Grill opened in 2010 as a joint venture between Paul Sayler, Rob Downey, Jed Davis and a group of investors all dedicated to the concept of sustainable food systems.  The farm-to-table restaurant was paired with a craft beer tap room to showcase the bounty of Vermont brews.  Brews from our backyard and beyond are tapped side by side to demonstrate that some of the best beers in the world are produced right here in the Green Mountain state.

For additional information, please contact:
Jed Davis
The Farmhouse Tap & Grill
T: 802.859.0888
F: 802.859.0889
jed@farmhousetg.com
http://www.farmhousetg.com

George and I don't agree, Vol. 1

This is the first of what will be a series of posts entitled, "George and I don't agree."

Because...

George and I don't agree...on beer.

George and Jen, as you know, are the dynamic duo that own the Beverage Warehouse.

George is an expert on many things, including beer.

George has strong opinions on beer.

So do I.

George's go-to beers err towards aggressive.

Mine toward balance.

George and I frequently argue about beer.

Hence the series, "George and I don't agree."

it's good to be the beer guy...

This week is about our favorite Lawson's Finest Liquids IPA that has been recently available to us via Sean Lawson, who might I add in the little I've known him seems like an extremely awesome guy - Sugarhouse IPA or Double Sunshine IPA.

George, he goes Sugarhouse IPA.  Sugarhouse packs an aggressive hop punch and a smooth mouthfeel with a slightly malty finish and nose, especially as it warms up.

Me, I love Double Sunshine IPA.  Bright, vibrant, hazy gold, with lots of citrusy and piney scents and flavors and a slightly creamier mouthfeel.

Both beers are exceptionally good with food, as I can attest to firsthand, sitting here with a microwave burrito and Stacy's Pita Chips.  (Full disclosure - my wife is out watching Twilight and I don't feel like cooking for one.  Let me assure you - I'm an excellent cook.  Don't judge me.)

Both beers are exceptional, of course.  And George and I heartily enjoy both beers and feel extremely lucky that Sean makes these beers available to us when he can.

The point of "George and I don't agree" is the conversation of beer.  

On any given day...well, pretty much any day, if you come into the store, there is a strong chance that George and I will be standing in the back arguing about beer.  Not what's bad and what's good - we know we're lucky to carry some of the best beer in the world.  But we do err towards different tastes, and the beauty of beer is to defend your taste.  You may not make a hop-head (*cough* George *cough*) agree with your style of choice, but you can damn well argue until your veins pop.  Which is half the fun...

Speaking of Lawson's Finest, we should have some Fayston's Maple Imperial Stout on Friday!  Some more new stuff coming down the pipeline - 

Barrell-aged Old Stock 2011 - coming asap!

Victory Dark Intrigue, the barrel-aged Storm King in 750ml which has been getting a lot of hype.  This should be arriving next week!

Cisco's Woods series.  Should be getting at least Monamoy Kriek and Lady of the Woods.  Possibly Dark Woods.

North Coast's Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin XIV.  This got pushed back but hopefully end of year.

Ommegang Seduction - formerly Chocolate Indulgence, coming soon.  A roasted ale. Belgian Chocolatier Callebut provides the chocolate, while Liefmans Cuvee Brut brings the cherries.  

Clown Shoes - two offerings.  Supa Hero, an IPA, and Vampire Slayer, an Imperial Russian Stout that online says it's 11% ABV but the distributor says will be bigger than Unidragon.

Anchorage - getting more Love Buzz and Bitter Monk soon!

Smuttynose S'muttonator - another one in the excellent Big Beer Series, this time a dopplebock.  

And more Mikkeller, plus Nogne O, Drie Fonteinen, Fantome, and much more...

...including Westvleteren.  Yes, Westvleteren.  

Hugs,

-e

musings about Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Could be wrong, but I don't believe Stillwater Artisanal Ales has been available in VT for that long.  Regardless, I'm devoting my second blog post to Stillwater because...they're amazing.

Or, better said, he's amazing.

Brian Strumke is, to quote NPR, one of about three people in the world who can legitimately call himself a gypsy brewer.  (Not 100% sure if that's accurate.  Mikkeller, Pretty Things, and Idle Hands are all gypsy brewers and that's just three off the top of my head.  But it's clearly a complement so we'll not nitpick.)  Strumke "travels from brewery to brewery, from Belgium to Baltimore" and uses his own recipes to create limited edition beers, hence the term gypsy brewer.  Meaning he's talented enough that brewers allow him into their house to brew.

His beers generally err towards that farmhouse style; rustic, depth of flavor, strong carbonation, lots of floral and vegetal notes, and so on.  (Makes sense since as his house-yeast is saison.)

We carry three as of now:

Autumnal - a ruddy, amber ale that feels like a blend of dunkle and saison; wheat-y, earthy, and dry.

Cellar Door - delicate, peppery white ale with a hint of sage.

Our Side - their collaboration with Mikkeller.  Probably one of the best saisons I've had this year.  Beautiful hazy orange body with a pillowy head of foam.  Light, drinkable, and easily paired with any food, especially poultry.  (Cough THANKSGIVING cough.)

We don't have a ton in stock and it's priced well, especially if you consider that you'd pay the same amount for a cheap bottle of wine which would likely not have the depth of flavor.  (Although we have some pretty awesome $10 and under wines ;)

You can find Stillwater's NPR interview, a great video on Brian, and more on his website, http://stillwaterales.blogspot.com/

hi everybody!

GREETINGS!

I'm absolutely delighted to (finally) have the chance to plop myself down and write my inaugural blog post for the Bevy B(eer)-Log!

First...yeah, sorry...it's taken a bit longer than I thought to do my first bit of blogging. My wife and I are still settling in after our big move from Brooklyn, NY. We're ridiculously excited to be here, getting to know everyone at the Farmhouse, American Flatbread, VT Pub, etc, etc...life in Chittenden County is good...

...and the beer is awesome! Speaking of which, some updates...

Our Twitter feed is live. Check us out @thebevy802 for up-to-date postings on what's new, what's available, what's out, deals and steals. Our Facebook page will also be updated regularly, and the B(eer)-log is here for musings, tastings, thoughts, brainfarts, and hopefully some guest bloggers, like our buddy and consultant, El Jefe.

Speaking of...um...beer...a ton of new, rare, or limited stuff has made its way into our doors, on our shelves, and hopefully into your beer caves. Some of the greatest hits:

Dogfish Faithfull - Dogfish Head's tribute to the 20th anny of Pearl Jam's "Ten." (Whew, that's a mouthful.) A belgian golden ale brewed with currant. Sold out, unfortunately, but we do also have the oft-unavailable Bitches Brew and Chicory Stout in stock right now as well as our favorite old standbys 60 and 90 Minutes, India Brown Ale, and this year's Olde School. Don't forget, we've been aging some Olde School in our beer cave - got some from '10 and I think '09. I had some '09 at the Farmhouse and lemme tell you...delicious. The alcohol is still very present but mellowed out in a way that's more cordial than super-hot barleywine.

Lawson's Finest Liquids - we've been super, super happy to be getting regular deliveries from Sean Lawson, including Sugarhouse IPA and Double Sunshine IPA. I've yet to crack into my stash but I had the former at Three Penny Taproom and the latter at Farmhouse and man...I'll just say, I'm so happy to live in VT.

Hill Farmstead - we were excited twice over for Shaun's delivery, for Arthur - his amazing saison - and for Grassroots Viola Sofia, their barrel aged imperial stout. Grassroots is Shaun's contract brewery in Denmark. While we sold out of Viola in just about an hour, we should be receiving Wachu, their saison.

And lastly, Stone - got both Vertical Epic 11/11/11 AND La Citrueille on the same day! This year's Vertical Epic is brewed with mild green Hatch chiles and cinnamon which I'm pretty psyched to try. La Citrueille is Stone's latest collaboration, and I was pretty darn excited about it given how much of a success they had with their recent collabs, Green Tea IPA and Cherry Chocolate Stout. Stone, along with The Bruery and Elysian, brewed a pumpkin beer. That's right, a pumpkin beer, pumpkins grown on Stone's farm, as well as yams, fenugreek, and birch bark. The result - an immensely drinkable autumnal beer that's recognizable to anyone who has had the pleasure of The Bruery's "Autumn Maple." I'm thoroughly enjoying this beer as I type - this pours a deep brown with a sweet, roasted smell, and some great depth of flavor. The roasted pumpkin and the yam come out nicely; the fenugreek adds that layer of flavor that you look for in a seasonal, and the birch adds just a tiny bit of smoke to balance it out.

So that's it for me tonight! Comment, go on our Facebook page, or email thebevy802@gmail.com with questions, comments, or thoughts. All feedback is welcome.

Warmest,

-e

Meet Evan!

We are very pleased to announce that we have a new Beer Aficionado on our staff, a man of no short pedigree, a man with liberal libation learnings: Evan!

Some of you may have met our dapper new Beer Buyer, but if you have not yet, please feel free to drop in and ask for him. Hailing from NYC, Evan is bringing an extensive knowledge set and new ideas to our collection. For instance, he's set us up with a Twitter account (@TheBevy802) to post rapid, mobile updates from the Beer Room and even while he's checking in new arrivals. Follow us for more updates!

We're looking forward to working with Evan and we hope you will stop by soon!
Cheers,
El Jefe

Lawsons Sugarhouse IPA

Received a small amount of Lawson's Finest Sugarhouse IPA....going fast!

Huge amounts of new arrivals!

This just in, a whole huge shipment of goodies from the US, Europe and Asia! So many new bottles in fact that we had to add a new shelf just to house them all. These offerings are going to come and go without notice, so if you see something that looks interesting...grab it!...'cause it might not be here again for a while (or ever in some cases!).

Here's a short list just to pique your interest:
-Tilquin Gueuze (Belgium)
-Panil Barrique (Italy)
- Amager Bryghus (Hr. and Fru Frederiksen and others) (Denmark)
- Bryggeriet Djaevlebryg Old Mephisto barleywine (Denmark)
- Anchorage Brewing (Alaska)
- De Molen (Netherlands)
- Baird (Japan)
- Haand Bryggeriet (Norway)
- KO Blonde (de Proef, Belgium)
- Bink (Belgium)

And many, many, MANY more!
Cheers,
El Jefe

Heady Topper now for sale!

It's here! The Alchemist Heady Topper 4 pack 16oz cans are now in stock!

Come and get 'em!

Cheers,
El Jefe

Hill Farmstead Everett and The Alchemist Cannery

Just received cases of Hill Farmstead's Robust Porter, Everett! 500mL bottles, limited quantity, ask at the counter.

Also would like to note that today marks the official opening of The Alchemist cannery! They're selling 16oz 4 pack CANS of Heady Topper there right now. Here's more about that. We're going to be selling them too towards the end of September. But for now, drive on down to Waterbury and get ya some!

Cheers!
El Jefe

Limited Hill Farmstead bottles

Hey there all y'all you'ins! Got a small shipment of Hill Farmstead saisons in recently, all 750mL bottles:
+ Clara (a wheat Grisette)
+ Vera Mae (Spring saison brewed with dandelion and honey)
+ Arthur (a rustic saison)

Also just in:
+ Guinness Black Lager 6 packs

Cheers!
El Jefe

Clown Shoes, Stone, BFM and more!

This just in!!! CLOWN SHOES is now available at the Beverage Warehouse! We're co-releasing it tonight with the Farmhouse Tap & Grill to welcome them to Vermont!

Here's the line-up:
- Hoppy Feet Black IPA 22oz
- Clementine Wit 22oz and 4pk
- Lubrication (Black ale with Orange peel) 22oz and 4pk
- Tramp Stamp Belgian IPA 22oz
- Eagle Claw Fist Imperial Amber 22oz
- Brown Angel 22oz

The Farmhouse put up three of these beers, but you'll have to stop down there to see which three!

Also in today, the much anticipated Stone 15th Anniversary "Escondidian Imperial Black IPA" and their collaboration brew "Cherry Chocolate Stout."

Other adds include:
+ Strongbow Cider 6pks
+ Ayinger Oktoberfest 500mL
+ BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2010 (blended) 750mL
+ De Koninck 4pk
+ White Birch Farmhouse Red Ale
+ White Birch "2" Anniversary ale (Belgian dark ale aged on wood)

Lots going on!
Cheers,
El Jefe

New Anchor beer

Anchor has released their "Humming Ale" and now we've got it! Here's a description from the brewers website:

"HUMMING is an ancient term, used centuries ago to describe both ales and beers. Although its origins are shrouded in mystery, it suits this bold hoppy ale, which we have created to celebrate the anniversary of our first brew at 1705 Mariposa Street. From that very day we were humming!"

Available in 6 packs.
Cheers,
El Jefe

Life & Limb and new ciders

Just arrived:
+ Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head "Life & Limb 2" 750mL's
+ Arcobrau Zwickle Lager 6pks
+ Arcobrau Non-Alcoholic Pale Weiss 6pks
+ Theakston's Old Peculiar 6pks and 500mL's

Plus ciders from West County Cider in Massachusetts!
Cheers,
El Jefe

New Canadians and Stone

New adds this weekend:

From Canada:
+ Le Bilboquet - MacKroken Flower, L'Archange, La Corriveau & L'Affriolante (all 500mL's)

From California/Japan:
+ Stone/Ishi/Baird Collaboration "Japanese Green Tea IPA" 12oz singles

Cheers,
El Jefe

New Sours

Hey there lemon-heads! We recently got in a couple noteworthy sours that are in short supply. Here's what they are:

+ Hanssens Scarenbecca Kriek 375mL - "Lambic brewed with wild Belgian Schaerbeek sour cherries." 97 on RateBeer.com and "A-" on BeerAdvocate.com

+ BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (aged in Rhum barrels) 375mL - 95 on RateBeer.com and a "B" on BeerAdvocate.com

Cheers,
El Jefe

Lawson's Finest collaboration "Acer Quercus" and more

It's here! Lawson's Finest Liquids "Acer Quercus"! A collaboration with The Bruery of Palcentia, CA, this brew combines VT maple syrup, CA date sugar, maple-wood smoked malt, malted and chocolate rye, flaked oats, two yeasts, and toasted oak cubes to yield a rich and complex dark ale. “Nanotacular!” 9.5%

Limited supply and is being kept cool per the brewer's request. Come and get it!

(It's also on tap at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill but won't last long...)

And there's more:
- Ruckus Hoptimus Prime IIPA
- Reading Lager
- the final cases of the BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru 2011 (aged in Rhum barrels
- the last cases of BFM La Douze
- some cellared cases of Long Trail Coffee Stout
- some dusty bottles of Stone/Victory/Dogfish Head Saison du BUFF

And many many other Brewer's Fest weekend releases!

Cheers,
El Jefe

New Sierra Nevada Ovila Saison!

This just in from California: Sierra Nevada's "Ovila" Saison 750mL's!

We still have a few bottles of the Poperings Hommel 750mL's on sale hanging out near the Beer Room entrance to the Steals & Deals Room. $4.99!

Have a safe and fun Fourth!
Cheers,
El Jefe

New Adds

Newly posted to our shelves:
- Dogfish Head Festina Peche
+ BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes) Le Douze Pale Ale brewed with Sea Salt 750mL
+ BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Double Barrelled 2011 (Rhum barrel) 375mL
+ Victory Summer Love 6pk

Cheers,
El Jefe

2 Belgian and 1 US adds

New in from Belgium:
+ Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel 11.2oz 4pk
+ Lambrucha (a blend of Lambic and Kombucha made for Vanberg & DeWulf by De Troch) 750mL

And thanks to Nick for reminding me:
- Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2011 Classic release 22oz

Cheers!
El Jefe

HUGE bottles of beer!

We received 2 MASSIVE bottles of tasty Belgian beer recently! We now have 9 Liter bottles of St. Feuillien Triple for sale! This beer has an A- from BeerAdvocate.com and a "98/98" on RateBeer.com. Perfect for a long-term cellar selection or rockstar bottle to take to a summer party, these bottles are epic! And just to keep things classy, we're going to give you two (2) St. Feuillien chalices with each one.

Be the hero of the party - come on, do it!
Cheers,
El Jefe

Woodchuck "Barrel Select"

This just in...dee dee deet dee duh dah dee dut...(that's a news wire machine noise) - Woodchuck Private Reserve "Barrel Select," a bourbon barrel-aged cider from our friends at Green Mountain Beverage! The barrels were sourced from a handful of Kentucky bourbon producers including Heaven Hill and Clermont Spring Distilleries and, like all of their ciders, is gluten-free!

This is a super limited release, so don't wait too long!
Cheers,
El Jefe

New adds today

Just a couple goodies:
- Samichlaus Classic 750mL (Limited edition silk-screened bottles, 2009)
+ Gouden Carolus Variety 4 packs (includes Ambria, Classic, Hopsinjoor and the previously un-available Triple!)

And there's still a tiny amount of Hill Farmstead Anna (Honey Saison) 750mL's left. Don't miss out on those!

Cheers,
Jeff

Hill Farmstead bottles and other adds!

We got in a lot of new brews this weekend and I didn't have a chance to update the blog...sorry! The biggest news is:
+ Hill Farmstead Anna (Honey Saison) 750mL's!

Also on the list:
+ Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale 4 pk
+ Northshire (VT) Chocolate Stout 22oz
+ Maine Beer Co. Lunch IPA 16.9oz
+ Cisco Brewing Summer of Lager 6 pk bottles

And a bit more glassware including more Hill Farmstead "Willy Becker" pint glasses and Duvel limited edition painted tulips!

See you soon!
Cheers,
El Jefe

Specialty glassware, Closeouts and Adds

Got a few new goodies, a ton of new glassware and some killer closeouts in this weekend:

Adds:
+ Rogue XS Imperial Stout 7oz
+ Geary's Summer Ale
+ MGD "64" Lemonade

Closeouts:
- Magic Hat Demo Black IPA 1/2 barrels $69
- Rogue XS Imperial Red, Imperial Porter and Imperial IPA 750mL swingtop bottles 1/2 price!!!
- Poperings Hommel Bier 750mL in a gift tin $4.99!
- Izze Sparkling Blueberry (non-alcoholic) 4 pks $2.99!

And I totally stocked the glassware cabinet with new goodies from the likes of Victory, St Feuillien, La Trappe, Trapp Family, Cuvee des Trolls, Achouffe (all three), Schneider, Erdinger, Liefmans and many many more! Stop on by to see what's new. The cabinet is right between the main registers.

Cheers and happy graduation to all the Seniors out there! Be safe!
El Jefe

Unleashing the Hellhound!

New in this week:
-restocked on Dogfish Head Squall and Burton Baton

- the brand new Dogfish Head Hellhound on My Ale 750mL's (Super limited!)

For more info about the Hellhound release click here.

Cheers,
El Jefe

New Adds (Zoe is here!)

Got some new goodies this weekend!
+ Maine Beer Co. Zoe ("Happy, Hoppy Amber")
+ McKenzie's Original, Green Apple and Black Cherry Cider 6pks
+ Cisco Sankaty Light Lager 12 pk cans
- Cisco Whale's Tale Pale Ale 12pk cans
- Harpoon IPA & Summer 12pk cans
+ Sam Adams Latitude 48 ^Deconstructed Variety 12pk (5 new Single Hop IPA's)

And the Steals & Deals Room is still packed to the rafters for Graduation parties! Newly added:
+ Dundee's Irish Red Lager 6pks - $3.69 + dep.!

Cheers!
Jeff

Last Chance: Mikkeller, Dieu du Ciel, 3F, and many others

I've recently been informed that we will no longer have access to the fine beers imported by the Shelton Brothers. This is truly sad news for beer connoisseurs living in the Great State of Vermont! The final round of beers from them is running thin, so I wanted to give people a heads up that this may be your last chance to buy these beers in Vermont for a long while. Here's the list of breweries that we're losing access to:

- Mikkeller
- Dieu du Ciel!
- Les Trois Mousquetaires
- Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum
- Saint Somwhere
- Achel (Trappist)
- Spezial
- Monchshof
- Mahr's
- Inveralmond
- Coniston (Bluebird Bitter)
- Drie Fonteinen ("3F")
- EKU
- Cantillon (SOLD OUT)
- Nogne O (SOLD OUT)
- Jolly Pumkin (SOLD OUT)
- Beer Here (SOLD OUT)
- Theriez (SOLD OUT)

Cheers!
Jeff

Lawson's Maple Tripple - SOLD OUT

WE ARE SOLD OUT OF THIS RELEASE - Sorry! So few bottles, so many requests...

After a year of waiting, it's finally here! Lawson's Finest Liquid recently released their Maple Tripple 2010. The beer was brewed in April 2010 using no water in the recipe, only pure Vermont Maple sap, then was slowly fermented and aged in a single Saxtons River Distillery "Sapling" oak barrel. Here's the full description from the label:

"Bottled in April 2011, this 'once a year beer' is a slowly fermented single-batch brew made during 2010 spring sugaring season. It quietly rested for a year in a single oak barrel from Saxtons River Distillery that previously held Sapling maple liquor. Our recipe has no water added, and uses only barley, hops, yeast, and concentrated maple sap from our friend Paul Marble of Fayston, VT. Bottle-conditioned. Will age elegantly for many years."

Our stash is limited to only 24 bottles and over half are already spoken-for as I'm typing this. 1 per person, please, so we can spread the love.

Cheers!
Jeff

WE ARE SOLD OUT OF THIS RELEASE - Sorry! So few bottles, so many requests...

Badass Keg Deals!

We got a hell of a deal in our Keg Room! We received four 1/2 barrels of Long Trail Brewmaster Series Coffee Stout - Ratebeer.com 98 and BeerAdvocate.com B+ - for $100 plus deposit! That's $65 dollars off the regular price for some delicious, dank, rich local stout!

And there's still a few left-over closeout kegs available:
- Magic Hat Odd Notion Green Apple Wit 5 gal. (only 1 left!)
- Magic Hat Howl Black Lager 1/2 barrels $49
- Narragansett Lager 1/2 barrels $49
- Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter $49 (only 1 left!)

Cheers!
Jeff

Running out of room for New Adds and kegs!

So it's happened again: I ran out of room on our shelves and had to reorganize things somewhat. In the center isle on the left the first set of shelves was dedicated to all Belgian ales and American Belgian-style ales. But with today's new adds, I had to start moving some of the American-Belgo beers around the corner to the main American bomber shelves. Things that were moved include Brooklyn Local 1 & 2 and the Saint Somewhere beers.

So here's the newest adds:
+ Alvinne "The Oak Melchior" - ale brewed with mustard seeds aged for 6 months in Calvados barrels! (Yeh, only 6...well, 5 bottles available for sale! Located in the Rare & Vintage Cabinet)
+ De Dolle Export Stout 11.2 oz
+ de Glazen Toren Ondineke Oilsjtersen Tripel 750mL
- de Glazen Toren Cuvee Angelique 750mL
+ Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse 500mL
+ Thornbridge Saint Petersburg Imperial Stout 16.9oz
+ Wye Valley Dorothy Goodbody's Our Glass ale 16.9oz
+ Alexander Keith's Lager, Pale Ale and Brown Ale 6 packs

For those of you looking for a steal of a keg deal:
+ Narragansett Lager 1/2 barrel kegs - $49 + deposit!!!

Also in our keg room:
- Allagash White 5 gal. keg
- Smuttynose IPA 5 gal. keg

New in the Mead (honey wine) section:
+ Maine Mead Works HoneyMaker Blueberry 750mL

And lastly, in the liquor store:
+ Rogue Spirits Spruce Gin 750mL

Cheers!
Jeff

Exciting new (limited) adds!

First I want to start by thanking Tom for coming up from Smuttynose tonight for our Free Pint Glass Friday - it was a huge success!

A large amount of awesome, limited release beers were added to the beer room shelves today. Check these out:
+ White Birch Tripel
+ White Birch Tavern Ale (Smoked Imp. Brown Ale)
+ White Birch Hop Session Ale
+ White Birch Indulgence (Black Ale w/ chocolate malt)
+ White Birch Hooksett Ale (hoppy Belgian-style ale)
+ La Trappe Oak-Aged Quadrupel 375mL (in the Rare & Vintage Cabinet - only 12 bottles available!)
+ St. Feuillien/Green Flash collaboration "Biere De L'Amitie" 750mL
+ Bockor "Omer." Traditional Blond 750mL and 4pks (a personal favorite! Check out my review.)

And for those looking for a light-weight, beach & park friendly local beer:
+ Magic Hat #9 12 pack CANS!

And finally to coincide with our Smuttynose tasting we released these from our cellar (very small amounts available):
- Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog 2010
- Smuttynose Imperial Stout 2009 & 2010

Cheers!
Jeff

New Bitters!

Ok, ok. I know that Bitters aren't beers. However - one of the new bitters that we just picked up contains hops! (So I'm justified in bringing it up on this blog.) If you're into cocktails, you should swing by soon and check out our newly expanded selection of bitters. Here's the new adds:
* Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters 4oz
* Bittermens Burlesque Bitters 4oz
* Regans' Orange Bitters 5oz
* Peychaud's Bitters 10oz

And there's more to come within the next month or so!
Cheers,
Jeff

News Adds

Hello folks!

A few new goodies including the highly anticipated Ovila from Sierra Nevada:
+ Ovila Dubbel 750mL
+ Sam Adams Wee Heavy 4pk
+ Mariachi (Guatamala) 6pk & 12pk
+ Flying Dog Variety 12pks

Cheers!
Jeff

New Adds

Got a few new things for the weekend:
- more Mikkeller Koppi Coffee IPA (very limited)
- Crunk Juice alcoholic energy drinks
- Margaritaville 6pks

And don't forget about our 5 gallon keg specials:
- Magic Hat Circus Boy $45
- Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter $49
- Wolaver's Brown Ale $49
- Magic Hat Odd Notion $45
- Southern Tier Creme Brulée Imperial Stout $39

Cheers,
Jeff

New Adds

A few new highly anticipated goodies this week:

+ Hill Farmstead Apollo Single Hop IPA 5 gal. keg - SOLD OUT
+ Ommegang/Achouffe Collaboration "Gnomegang" 750mL
+ Allagash Odyssey 2011 750mL
+ Dogfish Head Namaste 750mL
- Stoudt's Karnival Kolsch
+ Labatt Blue Light Lime

Cheers,
Jeff

Hitachino helping out in Japan

Many many people are stepping up to provide aid to tsunami and earthquake victims in Japan right now, and all of the efforts should be applauded! I recently learned that Kiuchi Brewery, makers of Hitachino Nest beers, has repaired their brewery but is bottling water, instead of beer or sake, to provide to families affected by the disasters! They have also opened up their kitchen and are preparing meals for families who have lost their homes in the area.

Here's a copy of their update from Tuesday:

"Thank you so much!!
Everyone in Japan is so discouraged by this big earthquake.
Tokyo is far from most damaged area, but nobody never visit restaurant, only staying house.
Also some oil plant which is located near sea was broken by big Tsunami wave and a lot of cars are waiting at the gasoline station.

At our brewery, roof of some building, some brewing equipment was damaged, and almost 500 bottles (only) was broken but everyone is safe.
Near brewery there are so many hole and cracks are on the load.
Also when I visited sea area (20min. by car), I was so so surprised, I could not understand.
There are so many ships on the hill which were drained by Tsunami.
19 people were missed in this area.

Now we almost finished repair brewing equipment and ready for start brewing.
But electrical power was limited, also we are bottling waiter to supply everyone, and staff of our restaurant are cooking free food for people who lost house.
One brewery which is located Miyagi area owned by my relative was drained all buildings and some staffs were missed.

I think there are 10 sake brewery and 5 beer brewery which was damaged so seriously.
Our Kiuchi Brewery will open small beer bar in this April and we will do charity party and donate them. So your offer will so happy for us.
Thank you so much.

Toshiyuki Kiuchi

Kiuchi Brewery"

B. United International, their US importer, is working to set up a "Kiuchi Earthquake/Tsunami Fund" to aid the Kiuchi brewery and Kiuchi Family in their mission to help those affected by these recent disasters. I'll post an update when I learn more about the Fund, or you can contact B. United directly through their website.

(We may see some interruptions in availability of Hitachino Nest beers over the coming months, but we'll be working hard to keep them on the shelves as they become available.)

Our thoughts go out to those in Japan!

Cheers!
Jeff

Rock Art Barn Rasing Brown Ale!

Rock Art released a special beer this week, Barn Raising Brown Ale, to help raise money and awareness for Pete's Greens which was devastated by a fire in January. Farming is central to Vermont's heritage and economy and everyone is pulling together to help get them back on their feet!

We received 10 cases of this limited edition bomber (22oz), and they won't last long. Check out the display right inside the Beer Room next to the New Arrivals chalkboard.

Cheers to Matt & Renee for doing this! And cheers to the Vermont community for supporting another great Vermont business.
-Jeff

Here's a brief article.

Lots of new hard-to-find goodies!

In with the loads and loads of snow came a whole truck full of foreign goodies to soothe your aching muscles and tired souls! None of these will be around for very long...

+ Mikkeller Koppi IPA (IPA with coffee!) - SOLD OUT!
+ Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast (Imperial Oatmeal stout with coffee)
+ Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch ("Weasel" - same with Civet coffee) - SOLD OUT!
+ Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast ("Bacon" - smoked version of the breakfast)
+ Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast (special edition of the Breakfast with Simcoe and Columbus hops)
+ Mikkeller Single Hop IPA Nelson Sauvin
+ Mikkeller Green Gold IPA

+ Achel Bruin (the last unrepresented Trappist brewery to find its way to Vermont - with the exception of the non-exported Westvleteren, of course.)
+ Fantome Hiver (very small amount available) - SOLD OUT!
+ Kulmbacher EKU Pils 6pks
+ de Ranke Noir de Dottignies
+ Stone Belgo Old Guardian 2011
+ Stone/Green Flash/Pizza Port Carlsbad "Highway 78" Scotch Ale collaboration
+ Bosteels Tripel Karmeliet 750mL's

Cheers!
Jeff

New adds and Kegs

Freshly added to the Library of Libations:
+ Victory Headwaters Pale Ale 6pk
+ Ommegang Limited Edition Variety 8pks (includes the new Belgian Pale Ale!)
- Victory Yakima Glory 6pks ON SALE until the end of March!
+ Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager 6pks
- Sea Dog Hazelnut Porter 6 pks ON SALE while supplies last!

And to the Keg Room:
+ Long Trail Centennial Red 1/2 barrels! (Last chance!)
+ Wolaver's logs (assorted)
+ Otter Creek logs (assorted)

And check out the Rare & Vintage Cabinet for a deal on some discounted J. W. Lees Harvest Ale Sherry Cask vintages and the final bottles of Atlantic IPA from BrewDog.

Still have got a couple Abita, Magic Hat and Southern Tier kegs on special! Call or stop in for details!

Cheers,
Jeff

New adds

A few new ones:
+ Old Thumper "Double Old Thumper" 22oz
+ Peak Organic Simcoe Spring 6pks
+ Shock Top Raspberry 6pks
+ Shock Top 22oz

Cheers,
Jeff

New adds and Kegs deals!

Added to our beer library this weekend:
+ Widmer Brothers Pitch Black IPA 4pks
+ Widmer Brothers Reserve "Barrel Aged Brrrbon" 22oz
+ Steenbrugge Wit 750mL

New adds to the keg cooler:
+ Stone IPA 5 gal
+ Stone Ruination 5 gal
+ Stone Arrogant Bastard 5 gal
+ Smuttynose Big A IPA 5 gal

And killer keg deals:
+ Abita Purple Haze 1/2 barrels $89
+ Abita Christmas Ale 1/2 barrels $89
+ Abita TurboDog 1/4 barrels $59

Still plenty of Abita 6 packs for $3.99!

And we're working on scheduling a Stone tasting and a Smuttynose tasting in the coming months! Keep an eye on our Facebook Events page and on our website for details.

Come get some,
Cheers,
Jeff

Maine Beer Co. comes to Vermont & more Drie Fonteinen

We're proud to announce the addition of Maine Beer Co. to our collection! Right now we have "Peeper Ale," and will hopefully be seeing their "Zoe" in the near future. This is a tiny brewery in Portland, ME and is 100% wind powered! They are also a member of "1% for the Planet," donating 1% of total sales to environmental non-profits. Happy to have such wonderful beer from wonderful people on our shelves!

Availability may be limited at times, but this will be a year-round addition!

And we just got in a limited sour:
+ Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze (bottled April 2010) 750mL

Cheers,
Jeff

Maine Beer Co.'s website: http://www.mainebeercompany.com/

HUGE steals!

We just FILLED the Steals & Deals room with all kinds of goodies from:
- Abita
- Flying Dog
- Michelob
- Saranac
- Miller
and more!

Call for keg specials!

Come check it out, they're going fast!
Cheers,
Jeff

New Mead and incoming goodies

I'd like to start by saying that we have added two new brands of mead to our shelves in the past couple weeks: Artesano (VT) and HoneyMaker (ME)! Lots of fun flavors including a spiced one from Artesano and a Dry Hopped one from HoneyMaker (Cascade hops). Come on in and check them out for yourself. They're located on the shelves right across from the bomber cooler in our newly expanded Mead Section.

As for incoming beer goodies, I can safely tell you about the inbound Stone Old Guardian 2011 vintage, "Classic Release." We're getting a lions share of the tiny amount that was produced this year. Stone is introducing a new version of it, a Belgo-version, and drastically reduced the production of this outrageously hoppy barleywine monster. '11 won't be around for very long, but we snapped up the remaining inventory of 2010 too and will have that for a spell.

Also coming back in stock tomorrow (Fri.):
- Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel, Corne du Diable, Route des Epices and for the first time, Solstice d'Hiver! (No Aphrodite this time, sorry!)
- De Ranke Guldenberg
- Inveralmond Lia Fail and Black Friar

And one update concerning Cantillon - a lot of fairful Sour Heads have been asking after Fou'foune, but unfortunately none of the cases that recently arrived in the US are coming to Vermont...I know, I'm just as crushed! I miss that beer. Hopefully we'll see some other Cantillon beers soon, though... But if you go to Hill Farmstead's event this Saturday, I'm told he might have some Fou'foune on draft. You'd have to confirm with Shaun though.

Cheers,
Jeff

Closeout kegs and "Big Game" beers!

We got in a limited number of closeout 1/2 barrel kegs today from Magic Hat and Otter Creek! We still have a few 5 gallon and 1/2 barrel kegs from Southern Tier as well! Call for details - 655-2620.

And for all you Steelers fans out there - unfortunately we cannot get Yuengling in Vermont - BUT we do have Iron City Lager in 30 packs on sale for $14.99 plus deposit!

For you Green Bay fans we have the Milwaukee usuals (Old, Best, etc) plus Leinekugel's Sunset Wheat and Nut Brown Ale and Buffalo Water Blonde Lager!

Cheers,
Jeff

2011 Bigfoot is here!

For all you Sierra Nevada Bigfoot fans, the brand new 2011 has arrived! Come and get it!
Cheers,
Jeff

New Limited Adds!

Fresh off the dock from Belgium:
+ de Dolle Stille Nacht 2010

Fresh from Switzerland:
+ BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Sangiovese cask) 2009 **Only 12 bottles came to Vermont and they all reside within our walls!**

Fresh from England:
+ Wychwood King Goblin - brewed only on a Full Moon - and we're the only store to get it!

Fresh from Oregon:
+ Rogue Old Crustacean Barleywine 2010 (7 oz)

Come and get it!
Cheers,
Jeff

Limited release from St-Ambroise, Italian rarities & Closeouts

It's not always how many new beers you get, but often how totally awesome they are! Here's the run-down:

+ St-Ambroise Vintage Ale 2009 (Canada - Only 12 bottles available!)
+ Grado Plato Chocarrubica - Oatmeal stout brewed with Carob and cocoa beans (Italy)
+ Barely Toccadibo - a Strong Golden Ale with coriander and candi sugar (Italy)
+ du Bocq Blanche de Namur 11.2oz (Belgium)

And closeouts:
- Izze Sparkling Juice cases - $9.99
- Poland Springs 1 liter cases - $5.99
and some tasty, cheap wines! Stop in and check it out soon...

Cheers,
Jeff

We're on Facebook!

We've finally taken the leap and now have a fan page on Facebook. Do us a solid and give us the ol' internet thumbs up (i.e. click "Like") to stay updated on all the happenings at the Beverage Warehouse. If you do, you'll have one more page to read while you're at work...

Facebook!!!

Cheers,
Jeff

New Sierra, Belhaven's, glassware & others

Hidy-ho neighbors!

Fresh off the truck:
+ Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Whole-Cone Imperial IPA 24oz (SOLD OUT!)
+ Brooklyn Black Ops (Bourbon-barrel aged Imperial Stout) (SOLD OUT!)
+ Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA, Scottish Stout & Wee Heavy 500mL's


New glassware:
+ Chimay chalices (2 sizes)

And some closeouts:
- Southern Tier Pumking 1/2 barrel kegs $89 + dep (reg. $245!!!)
- Stella Artois 750mL's 1/2 price!

New Year, new beer

Welcome to 2011 folks! To celebrate we've got some new badass goodies for you! Here's what's on deck:
+ North Coast Old Stock Ale Cellar Reserve 2009 (bourbon barrel-aged) 500mL
+ Paper City Brewing Ireland Parish Brand Golden Ale, Hop Monster Blonde, Dam Ale, India'n Pale Ale, Fogbuster Coffee House Stout & Christmas Balls
+ St. Feuillien Saison & Triple
+ Sunner Kolsch 500mL & 4 pks
+ Lonestar Beer 6pks
- Brooklyn Monster 2010 4pks

And back in stock:
- North Coast Acme IPA 6pks

And recently released from our cellar:
- (Bosteels) DeuS Brut des Flandres 2006 vintage

And of course new glassware for a new year:
+ Tripel Karmeliet stems (a personal favorite!)
+ DeuS flutes
+ Rodenbach Grand Cru tulips
+ Palm tulips

Happy New Beer!
Cheers,
Jeff