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

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

New Guinness and others

It's finally in Vermont! The US release of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout 4 packs have hit our shelves! It's a damn-tasty, drier, slightly more bitter and stronger (ABV-wise) version of the classic Guinness. This is the version that was typically only available in Jamaica and Africa and is brewed in Ireland, unlike a lot of the Guinness that we normally see which comes out of Canada.

We also received a shipment of Young's Double Chocolate Stout in a 4 pack of bottles.

And a draft update from my stop at Bluebird Tavern tonight - Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine Ale, Hill Farmstead Twilight of the Idols (coffee, cinnamon, vanilla and bourbon-ed porter), Smuttynose Vunderbahr Pilsner, Dogfish Head Pangaea, Trapp Helles & Dunkel, Ommegang Abbey, Allagash White, Switchback, & Scaldis Peche Mel (a personal favorite!). Stop in and have a pint and tell 'em Jeff sentcha!

Cheers,
Jeff

Adds a-plenty

Got a lot of goodies this weekend, including a refill for the "Steals & Deals" Room.

Two from last week that I missed and both are Charitable Brews:
+ Harpoon Grateful Harvest Cranberry Ale 6 packs ($4 per case go to the VT Food Bank)
+ Abita S.O.S. ("Save Our Shores") Pilsner 22oz

And from this week:
+ Gavroche 750mL & 4 packs (my review on BeerAdvocate)
+ 3 Monts Grande Reserve 750mL (my review on BA)
+ Silly Saison 4 packs
+ Scaldis Peche Mel 11.2oz singles (now on draft at Bluebird Tavern! A must have!)
+ Wittekerke Framboise 6 packs
+ Troubador Magma Tripel IPA 4 packs
+ Harviestoun's Ola Dubh Special Reserve "16"
+ Marston's Pedigree English Pale Ale 16.9oz
+ Hop Ruiter 750mL (private label beer for Vanberg & Dewulf brewed at Schelde Brouwerij)
- Allagash Hugh Malone 2010 release 750mL

And for you sour beer fans: two breweries that have been gone from our shelves for over 2 years will be coming back very soon. Don't want to spill the beans yet, but you'll be excited!

Cheers!
Jeff

PS> Go drink that Peche Mel at Bluebird Tavern...seriously good stuff!

Big weekend, lots of ADDS!

When it rains, it pours - but unfortunately, it still hasn't rained for real yet! This heat be damned, we're making our coolers work double time to keep the beer cold!

Lots of new goodies for this holiday weekend:
+ Dogfish Head Bitches Brew (Imperial stout) 750mL
+ Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA
+ Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Tripel .5L
+ Weihenstephaner Festbier 6 packs
- Southern Tier Harvest 6 packs
- Allagash Fluxus 2010, Victor 2010 and Victoria 2010 releases
+ Original Sin Cider 6 packs

And I'm proud to introduce to Vermont one of Florida's finest microbreweries: SAINT SOMEWHERE from Tarpon Springs, FL. We're secured three of their fine, Belgian-style brews:
+ Saint Somewhere Pays du Soleil (Saison with Palmetto berries and whole Hibiscus flowers)
+ Saint Somewhere Saison Athene (Saison with chamomile, black pepper and rosemary)
+ Saint Somewhere Lectio Divina (a cross between an Abbey Dubbel and a Saison)

And all of them are bottled with a dose of wild yeast for a little funky deliciousness!

Loving life!
Cheers,
Jeff

Adds and Previews for Brew Fest

Yo.

We got in some killer "Adds" yesterday and here's what they are:
+ Stone 14th Anniversary "Emperial IPA" (sic) - a badass IPA brewed with English ingredients and Stone's stones, so to speak...
+ Cisco Whale's Tale Pale Ale 12 pack CANS!!!
+ Reissdorf Kolsch .5L bottles

And some previews of the CrAzY vintage releases to coincide with the Vermont Brewers Festival:
- Vintage Duvel 3 liters
- Some Allagash goodies
- Something that rhymes with "Mami-chlaus"
- Lots of aged Stone brews from our Beer Cave
- Ghost Beers (aka from defunct breweries)
- Maybe a Rogue beer
- And something from Quebec

You'll have to stop by the store starting Friday afternoon to check out all the releases, though. It's all being timed with the Fest - and will be replenished until we're sold out. No reservations, no holds, sorry. First come, first get.

Want to drink some bonzer beers on draft while you're in town for Brew Fest? Stop at The Farmhouse Tap & Grill - killer line-up this weekend including vintage brews and hard-to-find rarities like Scaldis Peche Mel and North Coast Old Stock 2010.

Cheers and have a safe Brewers Fest!
Jeff

Southern Tier rules the world!

Well, I bet that subject got your attention. And rightly so. Southern Tier has proved to be one of the best breweries to come out of NY state, release one exceptional brew after another. This week we have been blessed with two Never-before-seen-in-Vermont heavy hitters:
+ Southern Tier jahva (Coffee Stout)
+ Southern Tier Oak-Aged UnEarthly (oak-aged Imperial IPA)

Both of these are limited releases and won't be around for ever. Don't make the same mistake that a lot of people did with the Ken & Fritz Ale and put it off 'til the weekend. (The Sierra 30th is all gone, by the way...sorry!)

Also just added to ye olde Beere Roome:
+ Lucifer 750mL (Brewed by Het Anker, the same folk who craft Gouden Carolus!)
+ Harpoon Leviathan Imperial Red Ale 4pks
- Allagash Odyssey (Jan. 2010 release)

And coming soon, a limited crack at Samichlaus Classic 2009!

Cheers,
Jeff

Seasonals and a Limited Collaboration

Hi hi hi, little droogies! Your ol' Narrator has scrounged up some new goodies for your gallouping pleasure!

New Arrivals:
+ Sierra Nevada & Dogfish Head Collaboration "Life & Limb" - Brewed with estate grown Chico barley (CA), family-farm Maple syrup (MA), and bottle conditioned with birch syrup (AK) (due to the limited nature of this release, 8 cases for the whole state, we're keeping them out back and you'll need to ask for it...reading pays off again!)
+ High & Mighty "St. Hubbins Dubbel"

Seasonals:
- Gouden Carolus Noel
- Achouffe N'ice Chouffe
- High & Mighty "Home for the Holidays" (oak-aged Belgian-style brown ale)
- Delerium Noel

Back in stock after being MIA:
- High & Mighty "Two-Headed Beast" Stout
- Duvel 2008 3 Liter!

Just Released into the Rare & Vintage Cabinet:
- North Coast Old Stock Ale 2008

Coming Soon:
- Victory Brewing (PA) (after many months of waiting, it's actually on it's wait to VT!)
- large-format Allagash Triple bottles
- Kriek de Ranke (limited)

Happy drinking, little droogies!
Cheers,
Jeff

Bottled Brews from Around the Globe

Another tsunami of beer has flooded the shelves of the Beer Room! Some of these are among the most sought after, some the most expensive and some just down-right tasty! Lot's of limited items on this list:

Scotland:
+ BrewDog Atlantic IPA - 7 wooden barrels of Punk IPA were sent out into the Atlantic on a trawler, some strapped to the deck for the full "at sea" experience. The barrels were then blended and bottle conditioned . This is an experimental brew made to simulate the original English IPAs that traveled on the sea from England to India, aging and growing in character in those arduous and unusual conditions.
+ BrewDog/Mikkeller "Devine Rebel" - Barleywine ale, 1/4 of which is aged in Scotch barrels
+Inveralmond Lia Fail and BlackFriar

Belgium:
+ Scaldis Prestige de Nuits
+ Scaldis Noel
+ Cantillon Grand Cru, Organic Kriek and Classic Gueuze back in stock!

Norway:
+ Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast Stout

Canada:
+ Dieu du Ciel! Aphrodite (a.k.a. Aphrodisiaque)

Australia:
+ Coopers Vintage Strong Ale 2009

USA:
+ Ommegang Adoration Ale 2009
+ Allagash Fluxus 2009 (brewed with sweet potatoes and black pepper)

And probably some I forgot!
Cheers,
Jeff

Vintage Update

I know some of you really dig on vintage beers, so I thought I'd let you know of a couple verticals we have going on our shelves:

+ Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2008 12oz and 2009 22oz
+ Allagash Victor 2008 & 2009
+ Allagash Victoria 2008 & 2009

Enjoy the awesomeness that is a vertical tasting!
Cheers,
Jeff

New Additions to the Collection

Another edition of "What we added to our Beer Room." It doesn't ever get old! I love having this much space to add beers, but I gotta say, we're running out of room! I keep saying we're going to have to start hanging the beer from the ceiling.

+ Pennichuck Chief's Imperial IPA 22oz
+ Stone 2009 Imperial Russian Stout 22oz
+ Allagash Confluence 2009 (Super Limited)
+ Allagash Victor 2009 (Brewed w/ Cabernet grapes instead of Pinot Noir)
+ Allagash Victoria 2009 (w/ Chardonnay grapes)
+ Gritty McDuff's "21" IPA 6 packs
+ Rogue Capt. Sig's Deadliest Ale 22oz (India Red Ale)

For the Allagash offerings, we've amassed some verticals, so I've put stickers on the vintages that aren't dated clearly on the labels. We've done this to provide you with an awesome opportunity to try multiple years of the same brew at different ages. We've got lots of other precious vintage goodies tucked away in our "Beer Cave" that we'll be releasing periodically starting later this year. I'll definately post on here when I re-release things.

Got more goodies coming next week! I'll let you know what shows up when it's in-house, but I'll give you a hint: it's from Belgium!

Cheers,
Jeff

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.

Allagash Tasting Tomorrow and new stuff

Tomorrow's the big day. Time to pour some BIG beers from our brothers and sisters in Maine. We'll also be offering Allagash glassware half-off! (Think $3 instead of $6!) Here's the anticipated line-up (may change, but we're pretty sure at this point):
-Black (Stout)
-Grand Cru
-Victor
-White
-Victoria

Hope to see you there! Shawn Dunn will be there, and he'll be disappointed if you don't come! And so will I. And so will Jen. And George will probably just shrug his shoulders, but we'll all know he's disappointed too.

As for new beers expected to arrive tomorrow:
+ Stone (CA) Old Guardian 2009 22oz
+ Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2008 12oz singles
+ Anchor (CA) Bock (22oz, I think)
+ Otter Creek (VT) World Tour "Mud Bock" 22oz
+ New Allagash (ME) glasses
+ Rogue (OR) American Amber Growlers (64oz)

Already in and new:
+ Grimbergen (Belgium) Blonde and Double 6 packs
+ Rogue (OR) Younger's Special Bitters 22oz

Dig. See yous tomarahs!
Jeff

Allagash tastings in January

The state of Vermont will be alive with Allagash tastings in January. To help celebrate the awesomeness of their delectable brews, we've added our own (pending DLC approval, of course). Join us Friday, January 30th from 5pm-8pm to sample some of the best that Maine has to offer! Shawn Dunn will be on hand and hopefully we can work out some sort of "free pint glass" thing again, but we're not sure at this moment what we can do.

You should support our buddies down at American Flatbread in Burlington and check out their Allagash night on January 13th. And there's going to be an Allagash dinner in town on the 19th, but I can't remember where. Anyone hear anything about this?

Cheers to Rob Tod and the whole crew at Allagash for making such awesome beers!

Hopefully in February we'll be having a North Coast tasting. Also coming up at some point are Free Pint Glass Friday with Long Trail, and I'd love to see Rock Art and Otter Creek sign up.

Cheers and Happy New Year!
Jeff