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Friday, January 9, 2009

Quick store news...

Just in today at Forsyth...

After a long absence...
Peychaud Bitters...$4.49
(from New Orleans)
Pig's Nose Scotch...$31.99
"In Gloucestershire 'tis said that our Scotch is "as soft and smooth as a Pig's Nose". The local saying gave its name to our high quality blended whisky, which has been slowly matured and aged in the finest oak casks. The whisky is a blend of the finest Highland Malt and Grain Whiskies, carefully married, and then blended meticulously for incomparable smoothness." -- distillery
Sheep Dip Scotch...$35.99
"Our peculiar name comes from a time when farmers hid their home-made whisky from the excise officers in barrels marked "Sheep-Dip [excrement, so they would not look in the barrels]". Sheep Dip has been specially crafted by Richard Paterson, Scotland's only third generation Master Blender. Richard has selected sixteen single malts from the four traditional malt whisky regions, aged between eight and sixteen years and married them in fresh American oak barrels to produce this exceptional whisky." -- distillery
Taste: "Finesse and elegance gives way to a majestic assertion of pure malty flavours, drawn from the four distilling regions of Scotland. Each area makes its own inimitable contribution to this outstanding pure malt - the main accent being expressed from the Highlands and Speyside Valleys. Howerver, a subtle hint of Islay can just be detected on the aftertaste as it slowly ebbs into a clssic, pleasing finish" -- distillery


Also back in stock today is the IBERICO Ham in the deli...click for more info



Arriving--- 01/13/09
We will receive the new..
Southern Tier Gemini Double/Imperial IPA
"Blended hoppe & unearthly” High in the winter sky, two parallel stick figures are visible & known as “the twins,” or the constellation Gemini. The astronauts of the 1960s flew as teams of two in a program named after the celestial pairing. At Southern Tier, we have our own fraternal twins, Hoppe & Unearthly. Blended together & placed in this vessel, the mission of our Gemini is to travel high & take passengers on a journey far into the heavens. 10.5% abv • 5.8ÂșL " -- Brewery
Rated 95 percentile on ratebeer.com

Only released every two years --

In stock at Forsyth, Rock Hill and Provisions now
Get it while it is here...
Left Hand Smoke Jumper...$8.29 / 22oz
Smoked Imperial Porter.
When I went to the GABF this year, we also took a visit to Left Hand. We saw them smoking the malt for this beer. It smelled unbelievable. It was a great treat to actually see how the smoked the malt. I cannot wait to taste it tonight.

Beer Description: Roasty black in color, the long-lingering smokiness wraps around flavors of sweet molasses, toasted malt and an earthy hoppiness. A 21 degree plato Imperial Porter, the espresso and bittersweet chocolate flavors are present and blend well with, rather than overshadowed by, the hand smoked malt flavors. 9.51% ABV with 50 IBU’s.



A Bit of Smoke & Malt?
We love smoke in our beers. The smokier the better, or, as our Head Brewer, Ro Guenzel puts it, “If it says ‘smoke’ on the bottle, it better have smoke.” There was even a time before the Industrial Revolution that most of the beers crafted had a noticeable smoke characteristic to them. Why is that, you ask? Well, in those early days they didn’t have the ability to pick up the phone and call a maltster and ask for non-smoked malt. Those early brewers had their malt dried over open fires, which proved to be significantly quicker than drying it by the warmth of the sun and air. However, it imparted a smoky flavor, which (aghast!), many of those early brewers tried to filter out. However, some did not.
...So, being the crafty folk that we are, we decided to build our own smoker – developed by our Head Brewer Ro. Basically, we took a free-standing commercial warm & serve oven and outfitted it with 14 custom-built screen lined trays, vents and a very slick smokestack. That allowed us to smoke those 14 trays for 4 solid hours a time without those pesky workers comp related issues! Not to mention allowing us to ultimately control the levels of smokiness that we wanted to achieve with this year’s version – which was critical to us achieving that correct flavor profile without having it overwhelm the other flavors of our Imperial Porter. And, finally, the other question that we typically get: What type of wood(s) do you use to smoke your malt? Well, the use of different woods to smoke malt imparts different flavors in the beer. And that’s right where we’ll have to stop you – that old adage “we could tell you but we would have to kill you” applies. That’s the secret sauce, my friends." -- Chris Lennert, Left Hand Brewing

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

St Louis' own Schlafly releases some hot new ones...

As reported on www.stlhops.com

Just arrived at Forsyth, Rock Hill, and Provisions
Schlafly has released two new bottle conditioned beers to go along with their Biere de Garde.



Schlafly Grand Cru...$7.49 / 25oz
"Schlafly Grand Cru continues our series of bottle-conditioned, Belgian-style ales. Three different traditional Belgian yeast strains contribute fruity and spicy aromas which give complexity to this deep golden ale. Medium body and effervescence create a light, dry impression, despite its gravity and smooth, sweet finish. Store at cellar temperature until ready to serve." -- Schlafly
ABV 9% * IBU: 20
Hops: Central European
Malts: American, including Alhambra, IL





Schlafly Tripel....$7.49 / 25oz
Schlafly Tripel has patiently awaited joining the ranks of our bottle-conditioned Belgian-style ale series. It was teh first festival ale for our Hop in the City beer festival which makes it dear to us. Tripel is hearty with a golden hue and rich, fruity character. While this ale is light in color, it is full bodied than many darker ales. These characteristics make it a great after-dinner drink and a perfect complement to aged cheeses and fruity desserts. We age this ale for months before it touches a bottle but, if you have the will power, it will improve for years to come.
ABV: 10% * IBU 45
Hops: Central European
Malts: American




And don't forget their original bottle-conditioned beer
Schlafly Biere de Garde...$7.49 / 25oz
"Schlafly Biere de Garde is a bottle-conditioned, French farmhouse style ale. The name referes to the beer's ability to improve with age and if you choose to age this ale, the tart fruitiness from the yeast and the sweet maltiness from the grains will meld together nicely for several years at cellar temperatures.
Brewed as a modern re-recreation of a classic European beer style to celebrate Saint Louis's French heritage, Schlafly Biere de Garde pairs well with cheese, mussels, bouillabiasse, and roast chicken." -- Schlafly

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Store news....

Beer Department: 2009 starts off with a bang!

January 8 -- Schlalfy Tripel and Grand Cru -- in stock now!
January 9 -- Left Hand Smoke Jumper
January 20 -- Boulevard Smokestack Imperial Stout - more info
(Boulevard will be in town doing Cicero's Beer School on Jan 21 to kick off the Imperial Stout, they are also going to have a keg of the Single Wide IPA on tap that night, plus maybe another surprise)

January 21 -- Bell's Hopslam

End of January -- Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale -- more info
End of January -- Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale

First week of February -- New Holland should hit St. Louis

March -- I am told we will see some releases in bottle from Tin Mill from Hermann, MO.
March -- Boulevard Single Wide IPA

First beer release of the 2009



Left Hand Imperial Stout....$9.99 / 4pk
Left Hand Imperial Stout...$5.29 / 22oz
"Imperial Stout is a silky smooth, very flavorful black brew. It is a traditional style of strong stout originally brewed in Britain for export to St. Petersburg, Russia. The malty sweetness of the beer is tempered by a medley of roasted malt and the aggressive use of hops. A long conditioning time gives the brew time to mellow and mature. The beer is not filtered, allowing every subtlety and nuance to be enjoyed." -- Left Hand