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Saturday, December 21, 2013

New Craft Beer from Brazil



 
Cervarjaria Colorado
Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
Founded in 1995, Cerverjaria Colorado is named after it’s first brewing equipment, purchased on the used market. Marcelo Carneiro da Rocha, struggling for a name for his fledgling brewery, thought to himself “The equipment is from Colorado! A good name for a brewery!” Indeed, the brewery is Pan-American, with gear from Canada, The United States and Brazil.



Colorado Guanabara Imperial Stout...$7.99 / 600mlNamed after the famous bay of the same name—the home of Rio de Janeiro—pictured on the label.   Made with black rapadura sugar, a rough-and-ready form of cane sugar. It adds a treacly, molasses note to this stupendous Imperial Stout. Brewed with Colorado’s deft touch, Guanabara is splendidly integrated in overall flavor: hops, malt, sugar all come into balance with roasted notes, gentle bitterness and a nose redolent of figs, pomegranate syrup and a high note of resiny hops.  A beautiful match for game, well-matured cheeses, charcuterie and creme bruleé. Serve cool but not chilled for best, most explosive, flavor.



Colorado Berthô Ale brewed with Brazil Nuts...$7.99 / 600ml
What could be more indicative of it’s origin than Brazil Nuts? In this unique brew, Brazil Nuts are roasted to develop flavor and bring the foam-killing oil to the surface of the nuts. They are cooled slightly and then wiped down by hand to remove the oil. This is repeated until no more oil rises to the surface. Needless to say, it’s an intense brewing process!
The beer is fully nutty, with a rich, full mouthfeel and the very delectable aroma and flavor of freshly roasted nuts. The only brown ale we’ve had that TRULY tastes like a “nut brown”. Delicious, but let it warm up for best aroma and flavor.
8.0% ABV





Karmeliet Gift set with Glass



Karmeliet Tripel with 4 beers and Karmeliet special glass....$28.99
First brewed 1996; claimed to be based on a recipe from 1679 which used wheat, oat and barley.
Tripel Karmeliet is a very refined and complex golden-to-bronze brew with a fantastic creamy head. These characteristics derive not only from the grains used but also from restrained hopping with Styrians and the fruity nature (banana and vanilla) of the house yeast. Aroma has hints of vanilla mixed with citrus aromas. Tripel Karmeliet has not only the lightness and freshness of wheat, but also the creaminess of oats together with a spicy lemony almost quinine dryness.

Rated 99/100 RateBeer Overall
Rated 100/100 RateBeer in its style

Friday, December 20, 2013

Beer Tasting!

No Beer Tasting tonight at New Ballas
Friday 12/20/13


Forsyth
We will just put a few out to taste tonight from 4-6pm



Stone Porter with Smoked Vanilla
Perennial Vermilion 




JOIN THE SCOTCH CLUB IN 2014.




JOIN THE SCOTCH CLUB IN 2014.
Tasting groups are now forming for St. Louis' premier scotch club—Drummond MacDougall's Single Malt Society.
You'll sample fine scotches in a fun and casual setting, along with some cheese and crackers, plus an informative multimedia presentation.

Club memberships also make a great gift idea! To learn more about the club, please visit...

www.scotchstl.com

Whiskey of the Year is in stock at The Wine and Cheese Place


The Whiskey Advocate names Talisker Storm
Highlands/Islands Whiskey of the Year!

Pick it up for gifts!
Talisker Single Malt Scotch Storm....$73.99


Whisky Advocate Award: Highlands/Islands Single Malt of the Year

Talisker Storm, 45.8%

Talisker in any guise is a very special and idiosyncratic single malt, defining an Island style that is all its own. The last year has seen Diageo expand the existing portfolio with three new Talisker expressions, namely Storm, Dark Storm (matured in heavily charred casks), and Port Ruighe (port finish), all released without age statements. Of this trio, Talisker Storm seems the pick, with one commentator describing it as “…everything that you love about other Taliskers with the settings turned right up.”
Talisker Storm_Hi ResOne of the ways in which the bolder aroma and flavor profile of Storm has been achieved is by using a mix of refill casks and rejuvenated casks. The latter—older casks which have been de-charred and re-charred to give them a new lease on life—offer a distinctive wood influence when again filled with spirit.
Essentially Talisker Storm exhibits a more smoky, maritime character than the familiar 10 year old expression, yet could not be mistaken for anything other than a Talisker. Although it does not carry an age statement, this is one of those instances where you never feel when drinking the dram in question that the lack a specified age is about conserving precious stocks of older whiskies (although that may well be the case). All seems harmonious and well integrated, and any more youthful notes that emerge on the nose or palate seem entirely in keeping with the nature of the expression.
Storm arrived in the U.S. in October, and Talisker aficionados will no doubt argue long and hard over whether it just outpoints the 10 year old. One of the reasons behind the development of Storm was to be able to offer a new Talisker variant that remains true to the brand’s essential character while offering something slightly different, with easy availability and an affordable price. —Gavin Smith

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Great price on Duckhorn Merlot!






2011 Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot....$36.99

Net, no additional discount
Production Notes
Varietal Content 83% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Petit Verdot, 2.5% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc Cooperage 100% French Oak Château-style Barrels (60 Gallons) Barrel Aging: 15 Months Age of Barrels: 25% new, 75% second vintage
Winemaker Notes
The cooler 2011 vintage yielded an aromatic Merlot with vibrant red fruit layers of Rainier cherry and spiced plum, as well as notes of licorice, tobacco leaf, cardamom and thyme. Hints of cedar, leather and savory spice from aging in French oak barrels contribute depth and nuance, while a streak of uplifting acidity adds dimension to this wine’s smooth velvety texture. Dusty tannins frame a sophisticated finish.

De Dolle Oerbier Reserve


De Dolle Oerbier Reserve

SOLD OUT


De Dolle Oerbier Reserve 2012.....$8.99 / 11.2oz

De Dolle Oerbier Reserva is a specially matured version of De Dolle Oerbier. This version of De Dolle Oerbier is matured for 18 months in Bordeaux wine casks.

Oerbier means original, from the spring. This beer has been brewed in small scale (5 gallons) at home in a copper wash kettle, by two brothers who were students at the time. They took over an old brewery which was out of business and said: "If we don't remake the brewery alive, nobody will!". It was also a unique opportunity to create some interesting brews, so why not try it ? Therefore we want and will do the main work ourselves and keep the scale of the brewery like it was. Since then, the brewery and its beers have been an inspiration source for a lot of brewers. Oerbier is brewed from no less than 6 malts. Poperinge Golding hops in flowers and a special yeast which makes it a little tart, especially with aging. At the brewery we have excellent cellars which have a constant temperature of 8°C and allow Oerbier to age at its best. After a couple of years Oerbier tastes like it should have been blended with wine … Oerbier has been refermented in the bottle and contains a layer of yeast, having vitamins B. NAT en STRAF on the glasses means WET and STRONG, a warning for the 7.5 vol. alcohol content. The little person on the glasses is the Oerbier man, a simple creature who holds a brewers fork in his right hand, symbolizing the work and science, but looking to the other side, the result of all this, the glass of (Oer)beer. The artwork on the poster is a wallpainting found in Spain, (Altamira) and is considered by art lovers as being the best prehistoric art work (30.000 years BC). On the other hand we have Oerbier started in 1980, going on with the tradition.
-- importer

Special Edition Patron Anejo David Yurman Edition



Special Edition Patron Anejo David Yurman Edition..$52.99

Very limited, only 3 bottles available at Forsyth
SOLD OUT

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Whiskey lover's gift set!

In stock now at Forsyth!

 » Products


Amazing gift set from Still 630




Still 630 Barrel Master Set...$149.99
Includes:
  • 2 liter mini barrel
  • 2 laser etched Glencairn tasting glasses
  • 2 - 750ml bottles of 101 proof Barrel master un-aged whiskey
  • Funnel and instructions

Stone very special releases

Arriving tomorrow to Forsyth!
(New Ballas, Rock Hill and Ballwin should get some on Friday except the Southern Charred - Forsyth only)

Each day gets crazier as we get closer to the holidays.  
If today was any indication, tomorrow should be insane.

These are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.  We will not take any reservations, it will be in store pick up only first come first served.  

We usually get our delivery between 10-noon.  Don't know for sure.  Will tweet and post on facebook when they arrive.


  • Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans  (limited)
  • Stone Crime   (very limited)
  • Stone Punishment   (very limited)
  • Stone Southern Charred  (super, super limited)




Ransom The Emerald 1865 Straight American Whiskey

Very limited - only 24 bottles came to St. Louis


We have 6 available....call 314.727.8788 to reserve
The-Emerald1865.jpg
Ransom The Emerald 1865 Straight American Whiskey...$86.99
Straight American Whiskey
Thanks to colorful folklore passed down through the generations, we know that the Irish whiskey of today little resembles its 19th century predecessors. Trouble was, there was none left of the traditional whiskey to taste in our quest to recreate the long lost gems of the Emerald Isle. Fortune gave us two good turns; a British excise agent who recorded an Irish mash bill in 1865, and our friend David Wondrich, who found said recipe poring over the microfiche annals of history and passed it along to us. With this mash bill as our guide, we set out to create our own interpretation of a traditional Irish whiskey. To call our version modern might be a stretch— We grow a percentage of the barley organically on our farm, our grains are milled, mashed and fermented in small batches at our distillery and farm in the emerald hills of Sheridan, Oregon, and we distill according to our senses in our handmade, direct-­‐fired alembic pot still. The Emerald matures in a mix of French and American oak for three years, and is hand bottled, capsuled, and labeled. The result is a highly aromatic spirit with the weight, richness, and complexity of its forbearers.

Anchor Old Potrero 18th Century Whiskey

We only received 24 bottles

in stock at Forsyth and online

Great Gift for whiskey lovers....
This has not been in the St. Louis market for years!

Anchor Old Potrero 18th Century Whiskey....$59.99 / 750ml
Aged in tradtional handmade uncharred oak barrels.

This release was distilled in a small copper pot still at the Anchor distillery on San Francisco's Potrero Hill, from a mash of 100% rye malt. Rye was the grain of choice for America's first distillers, and using a mash of 100% rye malt produces a uniquely American whiskey.

2010 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet

In stock now

Beringer private reserve

2010 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet....$119.99
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is built from completely different sources. Sixty-six percent came from the St. Helena Home Ranch, 18% from the Chabot Vineyard, and the rest from Beringer’s estates in St. Helena, Rutherford and Coombsville. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14.6% natural alcohol with a pH of 3.8. Perhaps the greatest Beringer Private Reserve since the 2007, 2005, 2002 and 2001, the 2010 offers up notes of lead pencil shavings, creme de cassis, subtle smoke, wet rocks and background oak. Full-bodied, rich and impressive, it can be drunk now or cellared for two decades.
Rated 96/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
Rated 94/100 The Wine Spectator

Food and Wine Magazine - Coravin

Here is a story on how to preserve wine including the Coravin

We have the Coravin in stock now!

Coravin

Coravin Wine System...$299.99

If you would like to reserve one or have questions, call Aaron 314.727.8788 or email aaron@wineandcheeseplace.com

click here to see videos on the Coravin



Ray Isle demystifies the art of wine preservation

How to Make a Bottle of Wine Last Forever


How long does an open bottle of wine stay fresh? And is there any way to make it stay fresh longer? F&W's Ray Isle tests every method—including the trendy Coravin—and finds the winners.
Anyone who drinks wine has been confronted with the problem of an unfinished bottle. The dinner party's over, you've washed all the dishes and there's that half-empty bottle—or maybe a few half-empty bottles—sitting on the counter. Really nice Pinot Noir from Sonoma. What do you do with it? Drink it next week? Possibly... but how long does a bottle of wine stay good, once it's open? And is there any way to make it stay good longer?
Fortunately for humans, but unfortunately for wine, the atmosphere of the Earth is roughly 21 percent oxygen. Once a bottle is opened, it starts to oxidize, the oxygen in the air reacting with the wine's polyphenols (which give color and tannins) and other compounds (those providing flavor, for instance).
For a fast-forwarded version of this process, cut into an apple. Its flesh turns brown rapidly: That's oxidation. When wines oxidize, they starts to lose their freshness—in a sense, the "aliveness" of their aromas and flavors. White wines develop a kind of uniform, dull, apple cider-like character (and will eventually darken and turn brown, just like an apple). Reds start to taste flat and dried out, and often become bitter. A little air may actually improve very young reds, which is one point of decanting; these wines are so tightly wound that an hour or two of exposure to oxygen makes them more open and pleasant to drink. In the end, though, even for young wines, oxygen plus time equals good-bye.
So, to extend the life of an open bottle of wine, you need to a) expose it to less oxygen, b) slow down time or c) both. Strangely, slowing down time is the simplest method. All you do is put the cork back in the bottle and put the bottle in the fridge. Chemical reactions happen more slowly at lower temperatures, and oxidation is no exception. This is true for reds as well as whites.
Exposing an open bottle to less oxygen is more complicated, but there's a whole world of gadgets out there that purport to do this task. There are two main approaches: pumps, like the Vacu Vin, which ostensibly suck air out of the bottle, leaving a partial vacuum; and cans of tasteless, odorless, nonreactive gas, like Private Preserve, that you spray into the bottle, displacing the oxygen that's there. Of course, wine lovers being a creative (or desperate) bunch, all sorts of low-tech methods have been tried: drinking half the bottle, then decanting the rest into an empty half-bottle and chucking it into the fridge; freezing leftover wine to thaw later; even continuously filling the partly empty bottle with glass marbles, so that the remaining wine is always at the level of the cork.
Recently, I performed a series of blind taste tests to sort out which method—refrigeration, pumping out the air in the bottle or replacing the air with something else—works best. (My daughter greeted the idea of submerging her marble collection in wine with justifiable outrage, so I skipped that one.) My control was a bottle left sitting out on our tasting-room table. Over the course of several days, I compared all of these against each other; and, at the end of a week, against a freshly opened bottle. I also compared all of them to wine removed from a bottle every couple of days with a new gadget called a Coravin—more on that in a moment.
The results were clear. Of the three most familiar methods, putting the half-finished bottle of wine in the fridge is best. Gassing it is second best. The pump is the worst, and in some cases actively detrimental, as the vacuuming process seemed to suck out the aroma of the wine, too (I tried several models of pumps, with the same negative results each time). But the most effective method was a combination of gassing the wine and putting it in the fridge. Even a delicate white, like J. Hofstätter's aromatic 2012 Pinot Grigio, lasted at least a week this way. While not quite as bright and fresh as a newly opened bottle, after seven days it was still a pleasure: peachy and crisp and all-around delightful.
The Coravin is a completely different story. In fact, if you want to drink part of a bottle of wine and keep the rest in absolutely perfect condition, the Coravin is really the only way I've ever come across to do it. The downside is the price: $299. But the upside—assuming you're a serious wine lover, or someone buying a gift for a serious wine lover—is substantial.
The key thing about the Coravin is that it isn't a wine-preservation device at all. It's a wine extractor, or "accessing tool," as Greg Lambrecht, the medical-device inventor and wine collector who created it, says. A sleek black-and-silver gadget, it clamps around the neck of a wine bottle, then inserts a long, thin, hollow Teflon needle through the cork. Argon, an odorless, neutral gas that has no effect on wine, is pumped through the needle into the bottle. The increased pressure then pushes wine back through the needle and into a glass. The groundbreaking part is that, since the cork is never removed, no oxygen ever comes into contact with the wine.
I tested the Coravin on everything from $10 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc to $150 bottles of Napa Cabernet, and it worked exactly as claimed. For instance, I Coravinned—wine geeks have already turned this into a verb—a 1991 Parducci Petite Sirah. Normally, if you pull the cork on a 22-year-old wine, it's as dead as a doornail by the next morning (older wines oxidize very rapidly). With the Coravin, I extracted my first glass in mid-July. It tasted great: old, to be sure, but with a complex aroma and dry, spiced-plum fruit. Two weeks later, I poured another glass. It tasted the same. Two weeks after that, ditto. I also tested Coravinned wines against brand-new bottles. Even after three months, it was impossible to tell them apart.
But so what? Why spend $300 on a gadget that sucks wine out of an unopened bottle? Three hundred dollars could buy you a new TV, after all (which will then suck your brain out of your unopened head, but that's a discussion for another time). Given that the cost of the argon cartridges works out to about 65 cents a glass, the device doesn't really make sense for everyday, affordable wines. But the Coravin is an amazing tool for someone who buys expensive wine and doesn't finish every bottle the day it's opened; or who wants to treat their wine fridge like an in-home wine bar, trying a bit of this and a bit of that whenever the mood strikes; or who wants to see whether that bottle of 2003 Château Haut-Brion they've been saving is ready to drink; or is learning about wine and wants to try five Pinot Noirs side by side without burning through five whole bottles. The device has caught on at high-end restaurants, too, because it allows sommeliers to pour glasses from expensive or rare bottles without having to worry about selling the rest of the bottle that night. Hristo Zisovski, beverage director for New York City's Altamarea Group, has been using a demo model of the Coravin for a year now. "I just poured a glass from a bottle of Friuli white—not even a tannic red—that I first started extracting wine from eight months ago. It was fresh as a daisy."
There are a few drawbacks to the Coravin besides the price. The argon cartridges ($30 for three) are supposedly good for 15 glasses of wine; I found that to be ambitious. The device can't be used with screw caps or plastic corks. Also, corks on extremely old bottles of wine are often dry and brittle, and I'd be wary before I punched even a Teflon-coated needle through the cork on a bottle of 1947 Pétrus. (Of course, most of the 1947 Pétrus out there is probably fake anyway, so who cares?) Regardless, that Parducci Petite Sirah, which I first poured for myself in July—without ever opening the bottle—was still drinking gorgeously four months later, and tasted just the way it did the first time I tried it.

From Food and Wine Magazine

Monday, December 16, 2013

We need empty 6 pack holders...


I am running short on empty beer 6 pack holders for our mix/six rack. If you would like to recycle yours, drop them off next time you are shopping at our Forsyth store. Thanks very much and happy holidayhs!

Elijah Craig / TWCP Single Barrel Bourbon Volume IV





Elijah Craig / TWCP Single Barrel Bourbon Volume IV....$23.99
Our Barrel - #4215223 V-Warehouse 6th Floor

"The aromas have a light touch, offering honey and caramel and cocoa in a straightforward, confident balance. The flavours follow on the palate, with a full, spicy finish that explodes with simple pleasures. Smooth, warm and comfortable, this a sweet sipping Whiskey that's best in a snifter-without ice or water".
Since 1789
The father of Bourbon.
Aged 12 years in new charred oak barrels.
Silver Medal at the International Spirits Challenge 2001
Two double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
"Best of Best" distinction among premium Bourbons in Whiskey Magazine's "Best of Best" tastings.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

The Arran Single Malt Scotch

In stock and online



The Arran 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch...$36.99
The classic expression of Arran - our fresh and unique island style is captured beautifully in our 10 Year Old Single Malt. First released in 2006, this is the flagship Single Malt of our distillery and one that we were very proud to launch to great acclaim. It is without doubt a 'must have' in the collection of all Single Malt Whisky enthusiasts.


The Arran 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch...$61.99
The Arran 14 year-old is quickly proving to be an immensely popular part of our core range of Single Malt. It is a perfectly balanced marriage of both first fill Sherry and Bourbon casks and is a righly rewarding Single Malt with depth of character and zest. It captures perfectly all the fresh character of the Arran 10 year-old with an added layer of intensity and fruitiness.

The Arran 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch...$94.99
Limited Edition release of The Arran Malt at 16 years old with only 9000 bottles available worldwide. This bottling has been produced from un-peated malted barley and matured in a combination of the finest ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. Its release marks the countdown to the launch of the Arran Malt 18 year-old in Spring 2015. It is a labour of love and currently the oldest commercial Arran bottling available.

The Arran Single Malt Scotch Sauternes Finish...$61.99
After initially maturing in traditional oak casks for approximately 8 years, The Arran Single Malt in this bottling was finished in a selection of Sauternes wine casks sourced from an artisan producer of this iconic Bordeaux sweet white wine. Our Master Distiller, James MacTaggart, has carefully monitored this period of secondary maturation to ensure the perfect balance is struck between the Sauternes casks and the intrinsic sweet-fruity character of The Arran Malt. The end result is a Single Malt full of charm, complexity and quality.

The Arran Single Malt Scotch Amarone Wine Cask Finish...$61.99
The first edition of Arran Malt Finished in an Amarone Wine Cask received top marks from Jim Murray in his 2010 Whisky Bible - 96 out of 100 with the comments 'perhaps the best Arran nose of all time'. After initially maturing in traditional oak casks for approximately 8 years, The Arran Single Malt in this bottling was finished in a selection of Amarone wine casks sourced from an artisan producer of this iconic Italian red wine. Our Master Distiller, James MacTaggart, has carefully monitored this period of secondary maturation to ensure the perfect balance is struck between the Amarone casks and the intrinsic sweet-fruity character of The Arran Malt. The end result is a Single Malt full of charm, complexity and quality.

The Arran Machrie Moor Single Malt Scotch...$66.99
The Peated Arran. Lightly peated at 20ppm, this mythical malt has proved a popular addition to the Arran range. On the west coast of the Isle of Arran lies a windswept and mystical peat bog called Machrie Moor. Bronze Age stone circles and standing stones are strewn across its barren, undulating terrain. One of the stone circles is known as Fingal’s Cauldron Seat, where sits a stone with a carved hole. The legendary warrior giant Fingal is said to have tethered his favourite dog Bran to this stone. This peated expression of the Arran Single Malt perfectly captures the rugged beauty and lore of the landscape. Unleash the legend that is Machrie Moor.

The Arran Single Malt Scotch 15th Anniversary....$69.99

Distilled in 1999
Bottled in 2010
Finished in Amontillado Sherry Casks
Bottles produced 5,640

The Arran Single Malt Scotch Single Cask Bourbon Finished...$71.99
Limited edition
Cask # 685
Bottles produced: 213