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Saturday, December 31, 2016

Happy New Year!

We are open today from 9am-7pm -- all 4 locations

Closed Sunday January 1 - Inventory
Closed Monday January 2 - Inventory
Tuesday open 9am-7pm and back to normal

Happy New Year
and 
Thank you so much!



Thank you for 34 great years so far....
Next year is our 35th Anniversary and we are planning a big year with a lot of stuff in the hopper to release next year.  
You will want to stay tuned as the year goes on.  We will celebrate all year long.
We are honored to have been serving St. Louis for so long.  To survive this long, you constantly have to adapt to the changes in the marketplace.  I have been lucky enough to have been here for 30 of those years to see the evolution of the stores.  We can not emphasize how much we do appreciate all of our loyal customers and support over the years.   We will continue to evolve, improve and listen to your suggestions.    Looking forward to getting back to normal in January and being able to properly answer all your emails and questions in a more timely fashion and keep the blog more up to date.
Thank you very much, Paul  


And yes, William Larue Weller and Thomas Handy did arrive.  We will work in releasing that in January.

Friday, December 30, 2016

Domaine Faiveley Musigny



Domaine Faiveley Musigny, the Unicorn has landed!
Most days of the week I have sales reps bringing wines in for me to taste and from their perspective hopefully buy for our shelves or floor stacks (tough job but someone has to do it). Often the sales pitch focuses on the production of a wine, that it comes from a single vineyard, that it is very limited a production usually less than 1000 cases and that we would be one of the few places nation wide to carry said wine. Well here is my sales pitch for the only bottle of Domaine Faiveley Musigny I have ever seen: This wine comes from one of the most prized vineyards in Burgundy, Musigny, which is just over 10 Hectares large with an annual production, in a good year, of some 3 thousand cases for all 10 Domaines that own land in Musigny. Now 70% of that land is owned by Comte de Vogue, which leaves very little for the other 9 producers and only .03 hectares for Domaine Faiveley. In case you are wondering .03 hectares is just bigger than a tennis court and makes about 150 bottles, not cases but bottles, of wine a year. To Say we are excited to be getting 1 of these 150 bottles is a bit of an understatement. That puts The Wine and Cheese Place on par with New Zealand and Hong Kong for our annual allocation of Faiveley Musigny. This wine is rarely for sale in the US and as with all of our wines comes directly from the nationally appointed importer Frederick Wildman, no Grey Market wines for us as that is too risky. Faiveley Musigny doesn't come cheap but it doesn't come around too often either, but we are happy to offer a chance to buy one of the worlds rarest and most collectible wines $500 cheaper than anyone else in the United States (only one other retailer shows this wine for sale)



2013 Domaine Faiveley Musigny Grand Cru....$3,499.99 / bottle
Only 1 bottle made it to Missouri
Comes in its own sealed wood box
Producer note: Erwan Faiveley and Bernard Hervet describe 2013 as a "difficult vintage that contrary to what one might have easily expected produced some really lovely and classic wines. The growing season was very challenging, especially in the Côte de Beaune but even in the Côte de Nuits it was no cakewalk. We began picking in the Côte de Beaune on the 26th of September and in the Côte de Nuits on the 30th. Sorting was highly variable with some parcels requiring quite a bit and some almost none at all though as a very general statement there was more in the Côte de Beaune. We did use some whole clusters in our vinifications though none for our wines in Gevrey as we were afraid of off odors that have been common there over the past 10 years or so. Quantities were not generous but at least we had slightly better yields than we realized in 2012. As to wine quality the whites are good to very good but the reds are excellent." While it's no surprise given the hail problems I found the quality of the Faiveley wines from the Côte de Nuits to be markedly more interesting than their Côte de Beaune efforts.
Tasting note: A very pungent nose displays plenty of wood and menthol influences on the quite firmly reduced aromas. There is superb richness and intensity to the seductively textured mineral-inflected flavors that are at once powerful yet refined before culminating a very backward, concentrated and stunningly long finish that just goes on and on. This is exceptionally promising and should also live for decades. In a word, brilliant.

Rated 95-98/100 Allen Meadows, Burghound

Green Flash Barrel Aged Cellar 3 Series





Green Flash Ideal Belgique....$10.99 /750ml

Our Belgian-style Dark Ale is inspired by traditional Abbey ales to deliver the richest roasted malt flavors. Dual-yeast fermentation, spicy hops, and the addition of Muscovado brown sugar provide increased complexity and depth of flavor which effortlessly combine to present a delicious, balanced brew with a velvety smooth texture that pleases the palate.



Green Glash Baroque Belgique...$10.99 / 750ml
If Green Flash were founded in historical Belgium, Baroque Belgique would have been our flagship brew. A bold and complex layering of herbal hops finds delicate balance from traditional malts. Bottle-conditioning with fresh ale yeast and Brettanomyces adds a funky finishing touch, creating a delightfully bright effervescence, dryness, and continuously evolving character.

Tallgrass One-Eyed Jacques



Tallgrass One-Eyed Jacques...$12.99 / 4pk 16oz Can
With big, roasted malt character and notes of bitter dark chocolate and coffee, One-Eyed Jacques goes rogue from the fleet of stouts with bold fruity esters, and raisin and fig-like qualities from Belgian yeast and Belgian candi sugar used in the brew. It’s everything you’d want in a stout — dark, rich and full-bodied — all with distinct Belgian character with an underlying sweetness and slight spice.
Style: Belgian-Style Stout
ABV: 9.0%

Uinta Brewing Croggy Brett Saison



Uinta Brewing Croggy Brett Saison...$10.99 / 750ml
Croggy Brett Saison is brewed with a hefty dose of mosaic hops, un-malted wheat, and rolled oats. This Saison possesses a tropical fruit character and snappy aroma that partners perfectly with the crisp, dry tartness of the Brettanomyces yeast. Pop the cork and hang on for the ride.

Left Hand Fade to Black Foreign Export Stout


Left Hand Fade to Black Foreign Export Stout...$9.49 / 6pk Cans
4X Medal Winner at the Great American Beer Festival in the Foreign Stout category.

That time of year when the day seems to fade away. Drifting further into the darkness with each passing day. Volume 1 – Foreign Stout – Pours black with licorice, espresso bean, molasses, and black cardamom notes that give way to a feeling of self loathing, burnt opportunities and smoked relationships.

Boon Oude Geuze L'Ancienne



Boon Oude Geuze L'Ancienne....$13.99 / 750ml
Oude Geuze Boon is a monument of taste with an alcohol content of 7%. It’s a magnificent blend of 90% mild 18 month-old lambic, 5% strong 3 year-old beer and 5% very young lambic, which provides fermentable sugars and wild yeasts. All our beers are aged in oak casks, mixed in a vessel of 25,000 litres and chilled. Before bottling, we bring the mix to fermentation temperature. The bottles are then placed in an air-conditioned room, which leads to a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This is when the lambic becomes gueuze. After several months of aging in the bottle, the gueuze develops its delicate flavour. Want to know the bottling date? Simply subtract 20 years from the “best before” date!

New Beers from Horny Goat --





Horny Goat Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Porter....$11.99 / 6pk cans
8.5% ABV
In a word: indulgence. That best describes this porter's huge malt backbone with notes of toffee, caramel, baker's chocolate, coffee, and molasses. Aromas of peanut butter, graham crackers and chocolate are complimented with roasted barley delivering a big, bold beer like nothing you've ever tasted before.




Horny Goat Salted Caramel Brown Ale...$8.99 / 6pk cans
Inspired by French style salted caramels, this roasted Brown Ale is anything but typical. The malted backbone begins with subtle flavors of coffee, fruit and roast. Wonderful flavors of slightly sweet caramel are brought to life by the addition of Himalayan sea salt to the boil, in the perfect marriage of salty and sweet. This beer will challenge your palate and leave you coming back for more.

Great Tuscan stars.....





We got a chance to taste this wine and it is spectacular.
Make sure you grab some as we bought the last 5 cases available in St. Louis.
2013 Isole e Olena Ceparello...$69.99
The 2013 Cepparello is superb. Polished, silky nuanced and exceptionally beautiful, the 2013 exudes freshness and energy from start to finish. Succulent red cherry, plum, lavender and rose petal are some of the signatures. Aging in French oak shapes the wine nicely without marking it excessively. The purity of the flavors is striking. This is an especially cool, savory Cepparello built on finesse and persistence rather than power. Rain during harvest robbed the wine of some of its breadth. Otherwise, this is a striking Cepparello. I can't wait to see how it ages.
Rated 96/100 Antonio Galloni Vinous




2013 Sette Ponti Oreno Toscana...$69.98
A wine with terrific texture and balance. Very polished tannins that are etheral and harmonious. Full-bodied, yet fresh, this is about combining elegance with power. It's so Latour in style. Excellent depth. Better in 2017, but so fine now. Blend of cabernet sauvigon, merlot and petit verdot.
Rated 97/100 James Suckling

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Growler update...






4 Hands Plush New Years Ale
Nelson Sauvin Dry-Hopped Saison brewed with Grape Must
Looks great in a Champagne Flute...



Alpine Pure Hoppiness Double IPA

A West Coast Double IPA So mega-hopped it will take you to hop heaven. We’ve used hops in the boil, more hops in the giant hopback, and added to that, an incredible amount of dry-hopping for that cutting-edge “hop bite.” Once you’ve tasted this unique beer, all others pale in comparison.
8%ABV
Rated 100/100 RateBeer



The Bruery Mash and Vanilla

This is our classic bourbon barrel-aged barleywine – kicked up a notch. We took Mash, already oaky, sticky and sweet, and amplified its barrel character with the addition of fresh vanilla beans. This vanilla prominence is complemented by the woody bourbon flavors and coconut notes that are imparted to the beer as part of its extensive maturation in oak bourbon barrels. Mash & Vanilla is best enjoyed fresh to experience the vanilla flavors at peak strength.

4 Hands Bonafide Stout

"Bona Fide Imperial Stout is a collaborative effort with Goshen Coffee Company, a local fair trade coffee roaster. Bona Fide pours black as night with a smooth velvety mouthfeel. Aromas of espresso, dark chocolate, roasted malt, with nuances of vanilla. Drink now or cellar for up to 5 years."

Founders Barrel Aged Lizard of Koz Stout

Imperial Stout with Blueberries, Chocolate and Vanilla aged in Bourbon Barrels
This one is near and dear to our hearts. Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki wanted to make the birthday of his little sister, Liz, a special one. So he did what he does best and brewed a stout using a few of her favorite ingredients: fresh Michigan blueberries, rich chocolate and vanilla aged in bourbon barrels to round out those beautiful flavors. Liz was floored and we think you will be too.


Crane Festiweiss
Berliner Style with Cranberry and Ginger






Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Elysian Split Shot Espresso Milk Stout




Elysian Split Shot Espresso Milk Stout...$8.99 / 6pk
BODY: Dark
TASTING NOTES
Split Shot combines the local talents of Elysian Brewing and Stumptown Coffee in a deliciously smooth, very Northwest beer.
HOPS: Magnum
MALTS: Kiln Coffee, Black, Roasted Barley, Pale Crystal, Crystal 45, Flaked Oats
ABV: 6%

St. Louis Blues fans! - Keith Tkachuk beer!




St. Louis Blues fans!
Get some to enjoy while you watch the Winter Classic
O'Fallon Brewing Big Walt....$4.49 / 22oz
Big Walt, named after Keith Tkachuk, coming to you at the end of the month! Look for this BIG Blonde beer

Against the Grain






Against the Grain Pile of Face IPA....$13.99 / 4pk 16oz Cans
What's the first thing you need to do when you start a brewery? Develop your logo, of course. With any potentially decent brewery, your logo must be a skull, it has to be a skull, you'll be laughed out of the room if you don't have a skull. So we went hunting in the area where all the great skulls have come from and were shit out of luck. By those fateful dumpsters all we found was this deformed neanderthal type deal, or maybe it's from an ape, and a big ol' pile of face. To celebrate our lack of success in finding a really cool skull, we are embracing another required cliché by brewing this American IPA. A modicum of simple malts provide the mediocre backbone to the mountain of various hops that are utilized and rotated throughout the brewing process. Look for dank overtones supported by various citrus and heirloom fruits. It's the straight forward fuckin' IPA that you always wanted from us. You lucky bastard.


Rye ale aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels.
Against the Grain Kentucky Ryed Chiquen...$16.99/ 750ml
Cluck Cluck! The Chiquen has come home to roost!
An amber ale brewed with rye malt and aged in rye whiskey barrels. Our first barrel aged beer here at Against the Grain is the Kentucky Ryed Chiquen. Named so because it was made in Kentucky, has a lot of Rye in it and was aged in rye barrels and it's not Chicken. As we all know (or should know) Chiquen refers to anything that is not chicken.
Now that we have all that straight, we will talk about what is in this beer. Brewed with Maris Otter from the UK and rye malt and caramel rye from Germany, imparting a spicy, fruity and dry flavor. Then hopped with enough English Nugget and Kent Goldings just to balance and fermented with our house ale yeast. After fermentation we moved the entire batch into the AtG private dining room and into used Redemption Rye barrels from our good friends at Strong's Spirits. There it aged for 5 weeks until we felt it had picked up the right amount of residual bourbon character and oak flavors. We then transferred it to our serving tank, carbonated it and the end result is on tap now, a balanced drinkable and complex barrel aged beer.


Against the Grain / Magic Rock Brewing Shades of Grey Black and White IPA....$14.99 / 4pk 16oz
Shades of Grey Black and White India Pale Ale This collaboration beer is the result of a deep appreciation and respect for our friends at Magic Rock Brewing located in Huddersfield, UK. Like-minded, we are inspired by the boundaries of modern brewing and this beer is a testament to that philosophy. Drink up wankers! We don’t see color and neither do they. So in a world of black and white, we give you grey, or actually red...ok.


Against the Grain Pome and Grabbit....$14.99 / 4pk 16oz
There are tales of a land far away where all dance to Abba while eating rotten fish from a can and women are free to breastfeed in public. Meanwhile, in certain countries such as ours, any boobage not used for advertisement or entertainment is cause for Jerry Springer levels of outrage. We do, however, firmly believe in freedom. Be it to nourish our children, shove pomegranate and ginger in a deliciously sustainable beer or even play the mythical brown note. It’s time to take the power back!


Against the Grain A Beer APA...$12.99 / 4pk 16oz
Walk up to the bar and what do you ask for? A Beer, naturally. It doesn't always matter what it is, or what you want in this case. You want something light? We've got A Beer for you. You want something hop forward? We've got A Beer for you. You just want to camp out on that bar stool and crush something? We've got ABeer for you. We're only marginally apologetic that it's not kettle soured with Mosaic & Amarillo hops. This is better. This is a straight forward, refreshing extra pale ale utilizing the newest varieties of German aroma hops (Hallertau Blanc & Mandarina Bavaria). Call it a session IPA if you need, call it a pale ale if you prefer, hell, it doesn't matter what you call it, what matters is that you stop talking about it and throw ABeer down yer gullet.
ABV: 4.2%


Against the Grain / 3 Floyds Too Dumb to be Evil...$14.99 / 4pk 16oz
Betcha didn’t see this coming. This is our riff on a fest bier. It’s hopped up, but malty. Enjoy. For the rest of the story...stay tuned.


Against the Grain / Hoof Hearted Brewing Clearly Everybody Wants Some....$14.99 / 4pk 16oz
A vicious display of collaboration! We are paralleled in an abstinate attempt to probe the superiority of hop flavor and aroma, unequal in our lifetime! This crystal clear IPL is a hop lover’s dream, featuring our lovely friend Ella, brought to you by our pals at Hoof Hearted Brewing and yours truly!


Against The Grain There Gose The Neighborhood...$14.99 / 500ml
One of our latest collaboration projects with Chicago IL’s finest. World renowned cocktail kitchen, The Aviary and Chicago hot spot Fountainhead, sent their finest artisans down to join us in crafting this unique take on a classic style Gose. Resulting was a roasted red pepper, cilantro, and calamansi lime infused Gose bier.
ABV 4.5%



ATG All Funked Up Brett The Hipman Hop....$19.99 / 22oz
This beer is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. A solid dose of light pilsner malt along with a variety of similarly undermodified German-style malts gave us a crisp, clean base to work with. Then we got it All Funked Up. Generous additions of Apollo and
Vanguard hops created a substantial flavor of citrus peel and floral spice as well as plenty of IBUs for such a mild malt bill. Ale yeast was then used for primary fermentation before adding a blend of three strains of
Brettanomyces. These superattenuating little bugs were allowed to thoroughly ferment out many complex sugars and leave behind their characteristic (and very apparent) wild and funky flavors. After about four and a half months, we added a fresh addition of whole leaf Amarillo hops that spent about a week imparting a citrusy, almost candylike flavor. Finally, we moved the beer to a bottle for a final fermentation that cleaned
and carbonated this beer to be ready for the glass.
ABV: 8.0% IBU: 64.5


Against the Grain All Funked Up T Rex Arcana....$23.99 / 750ml
ABV: 10.8%
Hops: Magnum, Sorachi Ace
Malts: Pale, Pilsen, Roast Barley, Flaked Oats, Dark Munich, Munich,
White Wheat, Melanoidin, Chocolate, Caramel 120, Caramel 80
Other: Cherries, Brettanomyces
T. Rex-Arcana is a beast of mindless, wild Belgian indifference. A Bretted version of our Flex-Arcana, sitting like its fossilious namesake in the dark, becoming more terrifyingly beautiful, hard-edged and intricate: this beer has bite. Bittersweet chocolate, tobacco and ash are met with tart cherry and an acidity akin to red wine. Monsterous.




Against the Grain / Amager Bryghys Minor Axident Double IPA....$14.99 / 4pk 16oz
A Collaboration For this collaboration with our good friends at Amager Bryghus, we are included to call it Minor Axident. Its by Papsoe’s request. Frankly, we have no idea what they mean. Honestly, wr aren’t sure they know what it means either. Its likely something that Papsoe dreamed up to be so metal. Look at him....he is not metal. Or probably its another amazing beer in a series of amazing collaborations from our friends that have some association with an axe. Either way, this DIPA has a skull splitting load of hops! Its loaded with a blend of Amarillo and Mosaic hops all balanced out with a solid malt backbone of pale malts, wheat malts, aromatic malts and golden oats. Drink with a glass, drink from a horn or drink it from your shoe....whatever you.....just drink it.

Omnipollo Selassie Imperial Stout




Back and no limit!
We like to request that holds be picked up by the end of the year before our inventory.  Thanks.


Omnipollo Selassie Imperial Stout...$14.99 / 22oz
Rated 97/100 RateBeer
Brewed with Ethiopian Coffee beans and Vanilla Beans

Urban Family Brewing Company



We are a small craft brewery located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle. We brew small batch beers that are yeast driven and inspired by French & Belgian farmhouses. Everything we do is done by hand the old fashioned way, utilizing local Pacific Northwest ingredients. Our beer can be found at our tasting room as well as finer beer bars and bottle shops across Washington State








Urban Family Darker My Love...$9.49 / pint
Foudre Aged Dark Sour Ale




Urban Family Heart of Stone...$9.49 / pint
Sour Ale Brewed with Apricots and Plums




Urban Family Agronomy....$9.49 / 500ml
Wild Wheat Ale brewed with Coriander and Orange peel.


Urban Family Aristocratic Fantasy...$9.49 / pint
Tart Four Grain Farmhouse Ale


Urban Family Clouds of Pale Gold Brett Farmhouse...$9.49 / pint
Brett farmhouse asked with Meyer lemons & dandelion greens.



Urban Family Efflorescent Heartbeat Wild Rose Hip.....$9.49 / pint
Wild Rose Hip Farmhouse ale


Urban Family Gentleman Caller...$9.49 / pint
Dry hopped sour with Belma, Simcoe, and Hull Melon


Urban Family Imagined History...$9.49 / pint
Wild farmhouse with squash, hay & spices





Urban Family Muerte Al Cereal....$9.49
Stout with cinnamon, vanilla, cacao nibs, and chiles


Urban Family Pineapple Milk Shake...$9.49 / pint
Calypso hops, pineapple and milk sugar IPA

Urban Family St. Anthony's Fire....$9.49 / pint
Rye Saison - dry and slightly spicy







Urban Family Hoppy Magnolia...$6.49 / pint
Citra Dry Hopped Farmhouse Ale
Dry, with a juicy yeast profile and a grassy citrus hoppiness.





Urban Family Citron Noir...$8.99 / pint
Toasted bread and chocolate married with tart black lemons, finishing with an expressive yeast.
Black Lemons are not actually lemons, they are dried limes. They are commonly used in cooking in the Middle-East.