Winter Ales...

In stock now

Petrus Winter #9 Ale...$8.99 / 750ml
COLOR: Dark Brown
TASTE: Brown ale base with more bready character-- hints of Christmas spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and coriander.
STYLE: Red/ Brown Ale



Wittekerke Winter White Ale....$8.99 / 750ml

Biere du Boucanier Superior Class Mixed 6 pack

In stock at Forsyth and online

Biere du Boucanier Superior Class...$26.99 / 6pk

Includes 2 bottles each

Biere du Boucanier Dark 
ABV: 9.00%
COLOR: Dark with a striking, creamy strong head
TASTE: It is the sweetest of the three Bieres du Boucanier, caramelized and malty.
STYLE: Triple Ale
Biere du Boucanier Golden
ABV: 11.00%
COLOR: Golden
TASTE: Sublime combination of bitterness (hops) and sweetness (the rich malt), all complimented by a specific spiciness infused by a combination of three exclusive yeasts.
STYLE: Triple Ale

Biere du Boucanier Red
ABV: 7.00%
COLOR: RedTASTE: The red bursts open with a full fruit candy like flavor, offset by a dry hoppy-ness, perfectly balanced.
STYLE: Red/ Brown Ale

Silly Scotch Ale Barrel Aged

In stock at Forsyth and online

Brasserie de Silly Scotch Ale Barrel Aged....$13.99 / 750ml

Bordeaux Barrel Aged

Info about the brewery.

Brasserie de Silly, a sixth generation independent family brewer, is located South West of Brussels in the Hainaut Province of Wallonia. Silly is a little dormant farming village just outside the old city of Enghien, which was once world famous for its tapestries. Larger farms used to have their own brewery up to well into the 20th century.

The written history of the Brasserie de Silly starts in 1852, when Nicolas Meynsbrughen bought the farm and started to keep records on his brewing activities. All farming activities were ended around 1950, when the focus turned to brewing quality beers.

One of the greatest Scotch Ales of the world. Since WWI destroyed the hops growing in Belgium, and the British army had access to hops from Kent in England, this beer has been brewed since it creation exclusively with Kent hops.

The velvety mouth feel, the darker red-ruby color, and the licorice undertones are typical for a real Scotch Ale. Candy sugar is added with the yeast in the bottle, and in the keg, for the refermentation.

This extra touch of sweetness is clearly present.

Only after aging for over 10 years, does it diminish and does a dryer taste emerge.

One of the best lace-producing beers of Belgium. Lace, meaning the sticky and beautiful foam traces left on the inside of your glass while you savor the beer in small sips.

Troubador Magma 2012 Sorachi Ace

In stock now and online

Troubador Magma 2012 Sorachi Ace...$13.99 / 750ml

Each your Troubadour takes their Magma IPA and produces a limited edition single hop version -- this year is Sorachi Ace

"Even before drinking it, you’re surprised by the explosion of fruity aromas from the dry-hopping with American hops. But the adventure only starts here. The combination of a Belgian Triple style body with a nice balanced IPA (Indian Pale Ale) bitterness takes you on a long trip of sensations." -- Magma Description

Perennial Peace Offering

Peace Offering is in stock at all locations and now online


Perennial Peace Offering....$11.99 / 750ml

"Perennial Artisan Ales is a small-batch brewery dedicated to producing unique, premium beers. Our beers are brewed with the experimental, seasoned craft beer drinker in mind.

Peace Offering is an American Brown Ale, brewed with a few hundred pounds of maple roasted Missouri squash. The brewers also added cinnamon and cloves to make this beer a perfect companion to hearty dinners or seasonal desserts. The harmonious marriage between spices and squash allow this beer to remind you of the best qualities that arrive with autumn.

ABV: 6.3% IBU: 42" -- Perennial

Couple of exciting seasonals...

In stock now

Odell Mountain Standard Black IPA 

Bells Christmas Ale

Just arrived...TIPA!!!!

Now online also

Fresh Batch -- bottled October 23

Schlafly Tasmanian IPA -- TIPA....$8.99 / 6pk

ABV: 7.2% |   IBU: 60
APPEARANCE:  Golden, Bright
PROCESS:  Dry hopped; single hop/single malt beer
HOPS:Galaxy (AU)
MALTS:2-row malted barley
YEAST:American Ale

Schlafly Tasmanian IPA is brewed with 100% Australian hops. The Tasmanian hop, Galaxy, is a strong, aromatic variety that is different from traditional strains of the Pacific Northwest. Our brewers developed a recipe that showcases the hop’s unique flavors of citrus and pineapple.

India Pale Ales (IPAs) were first brewed in England during the late 1700s for export overseas to British soldiers in India. To keep their beer from spoiling during the long voyage, English brewers fortified their traditional pale ale recipes with natural preservatives: more malted barley, for a higher alcohol content, and more hops. In recent decades, with growing appreciation for highly hopped beers, American craft brewers have revived the style, embraced it, and incorporated new hop varieties. Our Special Release IPAs further those traditions and showcase the distinctions of hops from different hemispheres.

Quick beer news....

Will post more info as time allows....

Silly Scotch Ale Barrel Aged....$13.99 / 750ml

Bordeaux Barrel Aged

Kapittel Watou Living Ales Gift Set...$19.99 / 4pk

Includes 1 bottle each

Pater Brown 6%

Prior Red  9%

Abt Amber 10%

Blond Golden 6.2%

Biere du Boucanier Superior Class...$26.99 / 6pk

Includes 2 bottles each

Dark  9%

Golden 11%

Red 7%

Troubador Magma 2012 Sorachi Ace...$13.99 / 750ml

Belgian Ale

Speaking of single hop beers- we got in fresh batch of Hermitage Citra Hop and Hermitage Hoptopia.   They were bottles late September and early October.

2010 Louis Jadot great Burgs!!!

IN STOCK NOW!!!!

New 2010 -- very limited!!
Call 314.727.8788 to reserve
email paul@wineandcheeseplace.com



2010 Jadot Corton Pougets Grand Cru…$82.99 

(6btls)
The 2010 Corton Pougets is a beautifully focused wine laced with sweet red cherries, raspberries, flowers, mint and crushed rocks. The Pougets is all about nuance, detail and clarity. It comes across as quite elegant, but there is an understated weight that fleshes out on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030 

(92-94) Wine Advocate (90-93) Burghound 


2010 Jadot Corton Charlamagne Grand Cru…$139.99 

(24btls)
Brilliant pale yellow. Precise, penetrating aromas of green melon, ginger, quinine and dusty stone. Silky on entry, then sappy and deep in the middle, with a powerful crushed stone character and strong limey acidity combining to give the wine uncanny energy. This is almost painful today. This extremely dense, long wine may ultimately surpass Jadot's Chevalier-Montrachet. 

97/100 Tanzer, 95/100 Wine Advocate, (92-95) Burghound 


2010 Jadot Batard Montrachet Grand Cru….$277.99 

(6btls) 
Jadot’s 2010 Batard-Montrachet, from the Puligny side, boasts stunning minerality. Intense notes of crushed rocks and slate caress the palate. The Batard is all nuance and class. There is a level of pure delineation and crystalline definition here that is simply striking. Today the aromas and flavors are quite bright, but the wine should fill out nicely and take on richer tones as it ages. Over the time I followed it, the Batard opened up beautifully. Anticipated maturity: 2020+. 

96+/100 Wine Advocate, (92-95) Burghound, 94/100 Tanzer 


2010 Jadot Gevery Chambertin Clos St Jacques…. $134.99 

(6btls) 
The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-Saint-Jacques is all about finesse and seamless beauty. A refined, aristocratic Burgundy, the Clos Saint-Jacques is endowed with the silkiest of tannins and flat-out beauty from start to finish. The wine fleshes out on the palate with layers of red berries, flowers and licorice that gain volume and breadth with time in the glass. There is plenty of brightness and minerality to lend a gorgeous element of vibrancy on the close. I loved it. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. 

(93-95) Wine Advocate, 93 Tanzer, (92-95) Burghound 


2010 Jadot Puligny Montrachet les Folatieres….$81.99
The 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres is pure class and elegance. Floral aromatics lead to beautifully sculpted, delineated fruit in this impeccable, nuanced Folatieres. The 2010 impresses for its centered, poised personality and terrific overall balance. Today, the 2010 is quite closed, but it should emerge more fully over time, although it is likely to remain feminine. I look forward to checking in the 2010 in another year or two. Note: This is the Heritiers de Louis Jadot bottling that is sold in the US. There is also a Maison Jadot bottling that I did not taste. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. 

93+/100 Wine Advocate, (91-94 Burghound), 93/100 Tanzer

2010 Jadot Beaune Clos de Ursules....$59.99
(6btls)
The 2010 Beaune Clos des Ursules is dark, rich and gorgeous. Black cherries, plums and spices take shape beautifully in the glass, while the wine’s structure appears later. The balance of fruit, structure and acidity is so seamless that nothing really stands out here. The Ursules needs a few years in bottle to come together, but it is shaping up to be a gem. The Clos des Ursules shut down fairly quickly in the glass, suggesting it may be a number of years before the wine becomes truly expressive. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. 
Rated 91-93/100 The Wine Advocate (91-93) Burghound

2010 Jadot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru...$134.99

(6btls)
The 2010 Clos Vougeot bursts onto the palate with a rush of dark red fruit. This is another wine that had a very slow malolactic fermentation (at the time of this tasting there was a portion of the wine still finishing its malo). The 2010 needs time to find its balance but the raw materials are superb. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. 
Rated 91-93/100 The Wine Advocate (91-94) Burghound

2010 Jadot Puligny Montrachet Referts...$68.99

(6btls)

2010 Jadot Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot...$69.99

(6btls)
In contrast, Jadot’s 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Clos de La Chapelle, from deeper soils on the back of the Abbaye de Morgeot, possesses gorgeous depth, but it is also tightly wound and inward. Cool, saline notes dominate today, but there is more than enough fruit to allow the 2010 to develop beautifully in bottle over the coming years. The huge, textured finish leaves a lasting impression. It would be fascinating to taste both of the Jadot wines from the Abbaye de Morgeot in ten years’ time. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. 
Rated 92/100 The Wine Advocate

2010 Jadot Meursault Perrieres...$95.99

(6btls)
A cool, inward and beautifully precise wine, the 2010 Meursault Perrieres is also the least expressive of these Meursault premier crus. Intense layers of minerality frame the fruit in this impeccable, pedigreed Perrieres. There is no question the 2010 needs time, but how much? Today, it is super-impressive. Stylistically, it melds together the intense fruit of the Charmes with the minerality of Genevrieres. The endless finish is simply breathtaking in its beauty. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. 
Rated 95/100 The Wine Advocate (90-93) Burghound

2010 Jadot Beaune Bressandes...$41.99

(6btls)

Tasting note: Here too there is very gentle wood sitting atop the slightly curious nose that is mildly sauvage in character with an earthy and somewhat herbal nose that also evidences hints of pear and citrus. There is good volume and richness to the relatively full but refined flavors that display a subtle minerality on the solidly persistent finish.
Rated 89-91 Burghound

2010 Jadot Chassagne Montrachet La Romanee...$96.99

(6btls)

"There is nothing obvious about the 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanee; rather this is a wine that stands out for its superb textural finesse and pure elegance. The 2010 is a decidedly weightless, pure Burgundy endowed with stunning inner perfume and fabulous overall balance. Stylistically, it is the polar opposite of the Cailleret. Today, my sense is that the 2010 will age beautifully, but time will tell. In 2010, the La Romanee is all about finesse. Anticipated maturity: 2015+."
95/100 The Wine Advocate 90-92 Burghound

Chunkin Pumpkin

Just arrived at Forsyth

Crabtree Chunkin Pumpkin....$8.99 / 4pk

Alcohol By Volume: 5.7% 

"Our Serenity meets sweet and savory with this scrumptious seasonal beer. Real CSA locally grown pumpkins are baked, chunked and thrown directly into the mash tun with a cornucopia of spices. Perfect on a fall day when the leaves begin to change. Loving this beer is as easy as pie!"

 

Crabtree Serentity Amber Ale...$9.99 / 6pk

Alcohol By Volume: 6.1% 

IBU's: 45.6 

Sweet & malty, slightly hoppy, our Colorado Amber Ale is no flavor for the unenlightened. Serenity is an American Ale with personality. Make time to enjoy this ale of unsurpassed tranquility. It will give you a piece of its mind and grant you peace of mind.

4 Hands Brewing Foundation!!!!

In stock at Ballwin,  New Ballas, Rock Hill and Forsyth --

Now online

4 Hands Brewing Foundation Ale....$6.99 / 22oz

Foundation is a collaboration of 4 Hands and St. Louis' James Beard Finalists....

Gerard Craft (Niche Restaurants)

Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Cafe)

Kevin Willmann (Farmhaus)

Josh Galliano (Pop Up Restaurants and formerly of Monarch)

and Salt Restaurant

The beer is a blond ale with fresh ginger, basil, lemon balm and peach juice.

I got a chance to try it is very good!

Six Row and KSHE-95 Beer!!!!

Scheduled to arrive at The Wine and Cheese Place in about 7-10 days!!

Stay tuned to our blog, facebook, or twitter, or sign up for our emails for the big release announcement!!!

Six Row Brewing will be releasing a 45th Birthday Beer for KSHE-95!

KSHE 95's 45th Anniversary

Watch for the beer to arrive in the next 7-10 days  to all four locations...

The Wine and Cheese Place

7435 Forsyth Blvd, Clayton MO                         314.727.8788

9755 Manchester Road, Rock Hill MO             314.962.8150

457 N. New Ballas Road, Creve Coeur MO    314.989.0020

14748 Clayton Road, Ballwin MO                     636.227.9001

it will also be available online when it arrives

Fonders Harvest hits at Rock Hill...

Just arrived at ROCK HILL location only

Not doing online reservations, just first come first served.  

Founders Harvest Ale...$9.39 / 4pk

This liquid dream pours a hazy golden orange straw color with a white, two-finger head. Your first sip of this beer rewards you with a super juicy hop presence bursting with citrus, then finishes to introduce toasted malt undertones.

6.5% ABV70 IBUs 

Snow Day -- Black IPA

A snow day seasonal....in stock now.

New Belgium Snow Day Winter Seasonal 6pk

In 2003, we had a massive 37-inch snowstorm over two days in Fort Collins. Everything shut down for a couple days – no work, no school, no cars. The only way you could get around was by ski or toboggan. When we began brewing Snow Day, we looked to this one storm for inspiration. The dark characters of the malt bill reflect the dark stormy sky at the beginning of the snowfall. But on the third day, the sun broke through and everything was glorious! The name Snow Day evoked joyful freedom. Everyone remembers waiting for the school report as little kids. When you heard your school was closed, you suddenly had all day to play in the transformed, white landscape. Well, that’s the kind of emotion we put into this beer.

Pleasantly hoppy, Snow Day carries the subtle chocolate and caramel flavors of a new brewing malt known as Midnight Wheat. The Styrian Golding, Centennial and Cascade hops bring the backbone of hoppy bitterness to complement the roasty undertones. This beer is the deep garnet of a roasted walnut and presents a creamy tan head, floating artfully atop. Snow Day is bold and hoppy, drinkable and strong.

It reminds you to enjoy the unexpected.

Just the facts Ma'am...

ABV - 6.2% 

IBU - 55 

Hops - Styrian Golding, Centennial, Cascade 

Goose Island Mild Winter

Goose Island Mild Winter in stock now

Anchor Christmas Ale 2012

We missed the 2011 in St. Louis...

But the 2012 just arrived at Forsyth!!

Plus Anchor Steam has been out for a few weeks -- so we have nice and fresh Anchor Steam!

Woodcut No 6 from Odell

In stock at Forsyth and online

Limited

Odell Woodcut No. 6 Oak Aged American Ale..$22.99 / 750ml
The 6th offering in the renowned Woodcut Series features a bold pioneering hop variety, Mosaic. The distinct character of the Mosaic hop presents wafting aromas of tropical fruits like mango, papaya, and guava. The familiar oak flavors of vanilla, almond, and dried fruit mingle with the zesty hop essence crafting a decadent drinking experience. Each Woodcut offering is a truly limited edition beer with a unique flavor that comes from select hops, fine malted barley, and our brewers' careful aging process. Enjoy.

Lambickx Lambic!!!!

In stock now and online

Lambickx Private Domain...$19.99 / 750ml

Brew Years: 2010-2011

Bottle year: 2012

Number of bottles: 5333

Region: Zenne Valley

Source: Private Domaine

Barrel Type: Oak and Chestnut

ABV: 5.75%

Lambics are truly the “wines” of the beer world. With wine one speaks of “gout de Terroir” because the land so influences a wine’s flavor. With Lambics, one must speak of “gout de Tonneau SM“ because each cask (tonneau) produces a lambic that matures and tastes different. Blending these Tonneau is such an art that there exist independent Geuzestekkerij (blenders) who buy young Lambic then age and bottle it under their own name.

Lambickx™ is Vanberg &; Famille’s brand of hand-selected and blended lambics. Every Lambic with the Lambickx™ name is made from casks personally tasted and chosen by Don Feinberg, one of the first importers of Belgian beer to America and founder of the first Belgian-only brewery in the U.S. Don chooses his Lambics for their complexity, brilliance and drinking excellence both by themselves and as exquisite accompaniments to food.

Blend of Lambics and Kombucha

In stock at Forsyth -- and online

De Troch Lambrucha....$8.99 / 750ml
WINNER: EXPERIMENTAL BEER OF THE YEAR —U.S. OPEN OF BEER
NAMED ONE OF THE 10 HEALTHIEST BEERS IN THE WORLD —ESQUIRE
ONE OF THE 100 BEST TASTES OF THE YEAR —TIME OUT NEW YORK

"Vanberg & DeWulf’s Lambrucha is the first time that two different types of live yeast drinks have been blended together to create a completely new live yeast beverage. Lambrucha is the brainchild of Don Feinberg, with technical yeast management assistance from Dr. Roger Mussche (the Belgian brewing scientist who is the world’s leading authority on Brettanomyces yeast). Lambrucha is blended at Brouwerij De Troch in Wambeek — the heart of Payottenland. Lambrucha combines hand-selected house Lambics that are a minimum of one year old, and specially brewed organic Belgian kombucha.
Kombucha has been enjoyed in Central Asia for millennia. A deliciously tart effervescent beverage is created by pitching a mushroom into tea and letting it ferment. Kombucha is renowned for its probiotic, health-giving benefits. Lambic is the legendary spontaneously fermenting beer from the Senne River Valley in Belgium. Lambic contains some 500 different yeasts. Lambic is the signature contribution to brewing science practiced for centuries in Belgium.
At 3.5% alcohol by volume, Lambrucha certainly is closer to beer than tea—but we think it makes more sense to describe it as “two great yeast cultures, one great drink.”

Don’s notes: Beautiful pale gold color with hints of rose. Aromas of sage, rosemary, cucumber and sea spray come bracingly forward. A lemony sourness greets the palate but is quickly replaced by even more refreshing flavors of pine, mint, rosemary and cedar. A tight, small bubble carbonation cleans the palate completely leaving a sense of tonic refreshment.

GREAT WITH FOOD!
Great with all manner of seafood
• raw, grilled and served in salads—from sushi and oysters
• grilled tuna to shrimp salad, to pickled and creamed herring
With composed salads—think pea shoots, baby carrots, salsify and artichoke…
With tourte ardenaise—crispy pork brawn with gingered endive apple stew chestnut crisp and spicy mustard sprouts

Vicaris Tripel-Gueuze

In stock now at Forsyth and online

Vicaris Tripel-Gueuze 14.99 / 750ml
"The origin of the celebrated Vicaris Tripel & Girardin Gueuze is delightfully serendipitous. At the Zythos Craft Beer Festival in Sint Niklaas, the Dilewyn’s booth happened to be right next to that of the Girardin Brewery, which makes some of the finest Lambics in Belgium. While tasting each other’s wares, they accidentally ended up with a mélange of Vicaris Tripel and Girardin Gueuze in a glass. This combination proved to be so delicious that Vincent Dilewyns decided he had to make it an official beer. You have not tasted anything like this before! One plus one equals 1000!

One of the most delicious and innovative uses of Lambic in Belgium today. A richly sweet, almost honeyed Tripel made dry and crisp with a complex tannic character by perfectly balanced blending with Gueuze. It’s been a huge hit at the Zythos Festival in Belgium." - importer

In the words of Joris Pattyn, one of Belgium’s top reviewers:“[Vicaris Tripel-Gueze has a] Huge, just yellowish head, fed by fine carbonation in bright yellow beer with orange haze, quite persistent at that. Lemony lambic nose with some spicy notes; grain, wheat and lemon balm. Probably some white candi sugar. Dry, with bit of Brett, lactic acid flavor, citrus (mainly lemon but also possible lime zest) and wheat. There’s another fruity streak there, that is indeed reminiscent of (not quite ripe) peaches. Bitter back throat. Very spritzy, slick, medium-bodied. Nice try, very satisfying beer.”
importer

Cuvée des Trolls

In stock at Forsyth and online

Dubuisson Cuvee de Trolls...$10.99 / 750ml
Cuvée des Trolls was introduced in Belgium in 2000 and to the U.S. in 2010. Trolls is Dubuisson’s fastest growing beer. Troll weighs in at only 7% alcohol by volume. Made with
all blond malts and a hint of orange peel, Trolls is hazy blond. It has a lovely, fresh doughy aroma with a light but distinctly malty body, and bright orange notes. It finishes clean with a nice hop bite typical of this brewery’s distinctive beers. A quaffable delight! It has been very popular and, dare we say, helpful with customers seeking a true Belgian beer experience but prefer a less alcoholic and aggressively aromatic profile.
GREAT WITH FOOD!

Cuvée des Trolls, flavored with orange peel, will provide a note of freshness, notably for fish and white meats. We also love it with a watercress, blood orange, beet and goat cheese salad and citrusy dressing. Suits spicy cuisine nicely, too.

Dupont Posca Rustica Traditional Ale

In stock at Forsyth and online now

Dupont Posca Rustica....$9.99 / 750ml
8% ABV
Since 1983, Dupont has produced a beer especially for a Gallo-Roman site near the brewery where Stone Age life is interpreted, the Archeosite d’Aubechies.   Known as Cervesia in Belgium this beer is a throwback inspired by research into the drinks of the Gallo-Roman era. It is surely one of the brewery’s most exotic beers. It is a “Cervoise” beer spiced with a gruit (an old-fashioned herb mixture used to bitter and flavor beer, that was popular before hops came to predominate).   Posca Rustica beer is highly, if delicately, spiced. Sweet woodruff (known as Galium odoratum or wild baby’s breath) and bog myrtle are but two of about a dozen spices used. Posca Rustica has a unique, odiferous and spicy character. Bottle conditioned. Beguiling and unusual. Discover what beer tasted like when Belgium was ruled by the Roman Empire." -- importer
94/100 RateBeer
97/100 RateBeer style

Dupont Monk's Stout

In stock at Forsyth and online

Dupont Monk's Stout....$8.49 / 750ml
Dupont has done it again. They’ve brewed the first true Belgian interpretation of Stout, not a simple recreation of the style. Dark, dry and quenching, as only Dupont’s active and attenuating yeast can make it. Monk’s Stout has an intense black coffee aroma with a fine bitterness. It is light, almost astringent, on the tongue—like strong iced espresso. It finishes with deep roasted (almost charred) malt that is bracing and refreshing without the slightest trace of heaviness. Stout lovers expecting a gentler roasted malt quality or a sweet lactose roundness that lingers on the palate will find Monk’s Stout surprising, if not challenging. But for those who have always found Stouts flavorful but not sufficiently quenching, who like roasted malt, but not the lingering, oftentimes coating, mouth feel, now have a Stout to call our own. Monk’s Stout — without a doubt a truly Belgian kind of Stout.
GREAT WITH FOOD!
Better than champagne with oysters. So nice with maatjes (herring).
Pair with bourbon soy marinated flank steak, sushi (really!), spicy Szechuan dishes, cumin rubbed pork loin and sautéed apples, shepherd’s pie, well- aged cheddar and gouda. Delicious with chocolate pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.

Dupont a Biere de Belœil

Order Dupont online

Dupont a Biere de Belœil....$9.99 / 750ml
Rated 95/100 RateBeer

Rated 97/100 RateBeer Biere de Garde Style
8.5% ABV
One of Belgium’s most historically significant castles, the Château de Belœil (with gardens once more handsome than all in Europe save Versailles) is a few miles from the Dupont brewery. It merits a visit next time you are in Hainaut. lt once housed a brewery on site and made a beer called Saison Roland. Today Dupont brews a special beer for the château. It is the smallest production beer in the Dupont portfolio, but it is as refined and as regal as the Ligne family château that inspired it.

Belœil has a rich white meringue head and a beautiful hazy amber red color. The funky Dupont yeast announces itself but is laced with herbs, biscuit, nectarine, blood orange and a mineral edge. The warming finish has notes of wood and spice, toasted sesame, and green apple. It combines the best of a dry brown ale and a strong Saison.

*Winner of the “Battle of the Belgians” in New York City at Jimmy’s 43, Belœil outscored all Belgian- and U.S.-made Belgian-style beers in the contest of more than seventy (!) contenders.

SOURTIME AND THE LIVIN’ IS EASY

From the importer's blog...

SOURTIME AND THE LIVIN’ IS EASY
The 2012 bottlings of our special blends, LAMBICKX and LAMBRUCHA, are in. Since Don is the only person who has ever been allowed into Belgian lambic breweries to do his own special blends, we are talking rare. This is the only shipment for 2012.

Each year, we spend the 1st quarter in Belgium to work with our breweries and to select and blend the lambics we use for LAMBICKXand LAMBRUCHA. We only bottle once a year – prior to April – to ensure that we are working while the weather is cool. Once the weather warms up, the wild yeasts get active and the risk of developing too much acidity becomes too great.

Because these are true seasonal beers with base ingredients procured way ahead of time, quantities are extremely limited. They fly out the door and are offered on a 1st come, 1st served basis. In other words, if you want to order them, hurry up!

Lambics are, indisputably, the “wines” of the beer world. With wine one speaks of “gout de Terroir” because the land so influences a wine’s flavor; with Lambics, one must speak of “gout de Tonneau“ because each cask (“tonneau”) produces a lambic that matures and tastes different. Blending these Tonneau is such an art that there exist independent Geuzestekkerij (blenders) who buy young Lambic then age and bottle it under their own name.

Lambickx™ is Vanberg & Famille’s brand of hand-selected and blended lambics. Every Lambic with the Lambickx™ name is made from casks personally tasted and chosen by Don Feinberg, one of the first importers of Belgian beer to America and founder of the first Belgian-only brewery in the U.S. Don chooses his Lambics for their complexity, brilliance and drinking excellence both by themselves and as exquisite accompaniments to food.

Here are Don’s tasting notes for this year’s crop of beers (click image to enlarge):

LAMBICKX
Source: Private Domain
Aroma of white grapes, sweet apples, fruit, tobacco, honeysuckle and hay. Restrained tartness.Bright, but not acidic, round and soft body, some chardonnay butteriness. Fine astringent finish with hints of quinine. Slightest hint of carbonation. Not quite cask still, but almost! 

LAMBICKX



Source: Brouwerij DeTrochAroma of sweet grass, smoke, peaches, sour apples all spiked with a background barnyard funk. Big, round acidity in the mouth with notes of lemon, tangerine and grapefruit melting to a rich, sour-sweet finish, balanced by the full presence of tannic and wood notes. Slightest hint of carbonation. Again, not quite cask still, but almost!

LAMBRUCHAThis Vanberg et Famille creation blends organic Belgian Kombucha and Lambic from DeTroch. We invented this beer style combining two different live yeast cultures. Lambrucha was named “Experimental Beer of the Year” in the US Open and cited in Esquire as “one of the healthiest beers on the planet”. For the first time, this beer is available on the West Coast. This is the ONLY shipment of Lambrucha this year. Please do not delay.

Don’s notes: Beautiful pale gold color with hints of rose. Aromas of sage, rosemary, cucumber andsea spray come bracingly forward. A lemony sourness greets the palate but is quickly replaced by even more refreshing flavors of pine, mint, rosemary and cedar. A tight, small bubble carbonation cleans the palate completely leaving a sense of tonic refreshment.

Exciting beer day

It has been a long time coming...took a lot of emails and patience.  But after about 8-9 months these beers finally got registered in Missouri and should arrive at The Wine and Cheese Place tomorrow.

Tuesday October 23 -- watch for these....scheduled to arrive...

Lambickx Private Domain Gueuze
Lava Smoked Imperial Stout
Scaldis Cuvee de Trolls Belgian Blonde
Diversey & Lille
Château de Belœil La Biere de Beloeil
Lambrucha blend of Lambics we select and Kombucha
Dupont Monk's Stout
Dupont Posca Rustica 
Dupont Speciale Belge
Vicaris Triple-Gueuze


I will post more info when they arrive...