New Adds and VT events

Ok, a few came in under the radar this week, so here's the update:
+ Trout River Boneyard Barleywine 6 pks
+ Rock Art Black Moon Black IPA 22oz

And returning from MIA status:
- Well's Banana Bread Beer 500mL and 4 pks
- Well's Bombardier 500mL
-Southern Tier Choklat 22oz

And of course, the A-B steins are in stock now. Lots of Holiday action going on in the beer sector, don't miss out on your favorite winter warmers!

And if you're free Saturday, make your way down to The Alchemist for the first-ever bottled release of Heady Topper DIPA at 11am and/or to The Warren Store for a Lawson's Finest Liquids tasting from 2-4p.

Happy drinking!
Cheers,
Jeff

New adds and Closeouts!

Happy Halloween Weekend everyone! Got a few new goodies and some bad-ass additions to the Steals & Deals Room!

New:
+ Scaldis Noel 250mL bottles (12%, no spices!)
+ Scaldis Prestige 2009 750mL
+ Trout River Knight Slayer Imperial Stout 6 packs

And for super-awesome Deals:
- Rogue Double Dead Guy 2008 & 2009 750mL's...1/2 price!
- Rogue Imperial Younger's Special Bitter 750mL black swing-top's...1/2 price!
- Stoudt's Heifer-in-Wheat 6 packs $4.99 + dep.!!!

And although it's not beer, it's got bubbles:
- Yellow Tail Sparkling Rose $4.99! (Reg. $10.99!)

Have a happy, scary, relaxing, ridiculous, spooky, lazy, confusing, pretentious and satisfying Halloween weekend!

Cheers,
Jeff

PS> Monday marks the Vermont arrival of Stillwater Artisanal Ales - go to The Farmhouse Tap & Grill for the official kick-off party on Monday night!!

Happy American Craft Beer Week!

Oh, yes good patrons of Craftily Constructed Creations of Carbonated Concoctions, 'tis American Craft Beer Week once again and time to show your support for those who Artfully render your delicious libations.

Now this is no mere ploy to get you to come in and shop, oh no! dear friends and brew-patriots! This is a call for all of you to reach out to your favorite craft brewers and give them a slap on the back, a high-five, a hoot, a "Like," a "Tweet," and to say thank you to them for what they do! They are truly artists, struggling against the giants to get their hand-made beers into your glass.

So this week, make it a special point to order a Hill Farmstead, a Rock Art, a Trapp Lager, an Otter Creek or a Wolaver's, a Magic Hat, a McNeill's, perhaps a Trout River or Harpoon, an elusive Lawson's, a Switchback or a pint of Long Trail. Make a trip to the Alchemist, the Bobcat Cafe, Three Needs, American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, Madison or Norwich Inn, the Shed or Vermont Pub. Or if you live in the Burlington area, stop in the brand new Farmhouse Tap & Grill and sample a number of these fine Vermont-brewed craft beers all (responsibly) in one sitting!

I tip my hat to all you Publicans, all you Brewers, all you who make Vermont one of the best beer states in this nation! Happy Craft Beer Week!

Cheers,
Jeff

http://www.americancraftbeerweek.org/

Craft Beers at The Tavern in Essex Jct.

I recently sat down with Chris Benjamin, Food & Beverage Director for The Tavern and Butler’s Restaurant at The Essex Resort, to discuss what role craft beer is playing in the N.E.C.I. restaurants. Since the beer laws changed last summer, The Tavern has added a slew of new world-class brews to their menu and has made some interesting and bold changes.

Of their eight taps, only one of them is a macro, four are dedicated to Vermont-made beers, one is a nitro-tap, and one is open for the “Beer of the Month.” This month’s beer is North Coast’s “Pranqster,” a Belgian-style golden ale. The draft tower is stacked with lots of great options right now: Stone IPA, Switchback, Trout River Rainbow Red, Harpoon UFO, Long Trail Ale, and one of my personal favorites, North Coast “Old Rasputin” Russian Imperial Stout…on the nitro-tap!

Chris said they made a decision about 3 months ago to replace Guinness with Old Rasputin on their nitrogen-pushed line, and have run with it since then. The change has not been welcomed by all, though. “We’ve gotten a lot of angry comment cards,” he said. Jess, one of their bartenders chimed in, “We’ve had people threaten to not come back until we put Guinness back on.”

It’s a hard call for a bar to make: Do we keep a beer on one of our limited taps because it’s high quality and a fantastic beer even though we could easily sell more of another, mass-marketed beer? No decision has been made at this point, but I would really recommend going out there and having some Rasputin soon - It’s almost a religious experience on nitro-draft.

Despite the controversy over that nitro-line, Chris says they’ve been doing really well with their new “Specialty Beer” bottled offerings. The American Craft beers in large format bottles have been outstripping the imports about 5 to 1. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 24oz, Allagash White Ale 750mL and Stone Brewing Smoked Porter 22oz are big sellers.

To help educate and guide their customers with choosing which beer will pair best with their Asian Shrimp Tacos or Beef Bourguignon, The Tavern has developed a Specialty Beer Menu. The menu offers pictures of the beers, reviews, ratings from BeerAdvocate.com and RateBeer.com, as well as suggested pairings. Chris and his team are seriously dedicated to matching beverages and food. The Tavern and Butler’s Restaurant both offer a huge wine list, over 800 bottles, and the servers are trained to offer pairing suggestions, a skill that easily translated to their new craft beer portfolio.

Our conversation inevitably shifted to how the beers are handled, and Chris assured me that all their beer glasses are hand-washed by the bartenders to avoid soap residue. Currently, if you order a beer, “Drifter Pale Ale please!” you’ll be served a full pint. You can request a 12oz pour if you’re of the mind, but those are your options. On one hand, it’s great because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a full pint of Old Rasputin before, especially not for under $6! On the other hand, the pint is not a great vessel for fully enjoying the bouquet of Pranqster. We talked about adding specialty glassware to the bar, and Chris said he’s considering going in that direction.

And despite the huge success with beers like Switchback and Stone IPA, which has been on tap since the beer launched in Vermont over a year ago, Chris says there are lots of obstacles in this area. “The Burlington crowd is mostly a martini and mixed drink crowd. And with 800 wines,” it’s tough sometimes to get people to pay attention to the beer. He thinks some of this has to do with the competitive pricing in the Burlington area. In Montpelier, it would be no problem to charge upwards $6 for a pint of microbrew, but up here, people just won’t have it. Good for customers, hard on the business. And this is really what makes questions like “do we keep Old Rasputin even though Guinness would outsell it?” even harder.

So what can you do? Head out to The Tavern at The Essex Resort (formerly The Inn at Essex), and check out some of these great new brews! I highly recommend the Asian Shrimp Tacos paired with a pint of Stone IPA, or the Long Trail Ale Battered Fish & Chips with what else but a pint of Long Trail, and have a 12oz pour of Old Rasputin for dessert. Tell ‘em Jeff from The Bevy sent ya.

Cheers,
Jeff

The Tavern is operated by The New England Culinary Institute and is located inside The Essex Resort & Spa, 70 Essex Way, Essex Jct., VT 05452. Call (802)764-1489 for more information.