Cows and Dogs and Fish. Oh, My.

A couple new tasty brews made their way into the store today.

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow - "This complex double India Pale Ale has an intense citrus and floral hop aroma balanced by a velvety malt body which has been augmented with lactose milk sugar." One of my personal Three Floyds favorites.

Dogfish Head Red and White - "A big belgian-style Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and fermented with Pinot Noir juice. After fermentation a fraction of the batch is aged in one of our giant oak tanks. It successfully marries the refreshing citrusy qualities of a Belgian-style white beer with the robust complexity of a bold red wine." Yes, please.


Stop in and get 'em while you can.

Shall We Dance?

Triple IPA? What does that mean? I feel like this is getting out of hand. What comes next, My Dad Can Beat Up Your Beer IPA? This reminds me of shaving, where first two blades, then three, now FIVE is the only way to go. That being said, it appears that Triple IPA's are breaking away from the barleywine genre by forming a basic recipe of 100% more malt and 200% more hops than your plain vanilla IPA. The result is a sweet, sticky, ultra-hoppy beer with an ABV of 11% or more.

Let's start with the label: Devil Dancer reminds me of psychology class in high school. You know, where they tell you about the subliminal advertising in liquor ads. "Liquid ecstasy inside. Drink me!" Power in advertising, no?

A rich amber liquid, Devil Dancer seems to pour like a thick syrup. One whiff cements that notion with rich malty tones and an over the top citrusy floral hop aroma garnered from a ten hop blend. Sip it, and the immediate maltiness fills your senses. The viscidity lingers on the tongue long after the 112 IBU's kick in, where they both remain for an impossible amount of time. 12% ABV makes you warm and fuzzy inside, just like the label promised. A few sips later, that feeling begins to invade your head as well - this is absolutely a sipping beer! This beer may have subtleties buried within it somewhere, but the malt, hops, and alcohol is far too omnipresent to tease them out.

Founder's Devil Dancer is for serious beer geeks, connoisseurs, and hopheads. The citrusy alphas make it a good choice for a warm summer evening, although it can age until the Devil comes calling. I'd recommend keeping a four pack tucked away for a cold, snowy winter night, at which point it will be long gone from the store shelves. Despite my initial misgivings, when it comes to beer, more is clearly better!

Dancing Man is Arriving

Our distributor is right on schedule and we will be receiving some dancing man tomorrow almost exactly 3 weeks after its release date. This traditional bottle fermented Hefe was a fan favorite last year with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose and a creamy sweetness that sits on your tongue They decided to bring it back for another round and supplies are not like the Unplugged series so filling your fridge with a case and having dancing man be your session beer for the summer is a definite possibility. We will be sampling it this week so make sure to stop by and try some.

Today Was A Good (Beer) Day

Im not certain that Ice Cube is a craft beer fan, but if he is he would definitely make that remix after he saw what we got in at the store today.

Central Waters Illumination Double IPA - For a description of this fantastic beer from here in Wisconsin, please see Tyrrell's post below. ( 4 pack - $11.99)


Dogfish Head Sah'tea - Another imaginative brew from the fine folks out of Delaware. "Brewed with rye, we caramelize the wort with white hot river rocks, then ferment it with a German Weizen yeast. In addition to juniper berries foraged directly from the Finnish country-side we added a sort of tea made made with black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper." Yep, that sounds pretty damn good. (750 mL - $12.99)


Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - The hop masters over in California brewed up a big IPA using all British ingredients. Need I say more? (22 oz - $7.99)

Come on in and pick these up while you can. You won't even have to use your AK. Just a bottle opener.

Ooooooo, Ahhhhhhhh, Ohhhhhhhh,

Dogfish Head Back in Stock

After weeks of bare shelves they are now full again.  60min, 90min, Palo Santo, Raison, Brown are back in. Have a great and safe holiday and enjoy drinking great beer on a hot weekend.  For those of you that live in the great state of MN and wake up on Sunday morning looking to enjoy a cold one on your porch and the fridge is dry you are in luck we are open on Sunday and we would love to fill your coolers with some great craft brews.  You got to love Wisconsin 9-9 365.

Cheers

New Brews In

The shelves are full again and to many to write about so here are the links and reviews on several to come.


Meantime Coffee Porter (12oz $3.99)
Meantime IPA (750ml $9.99)
Southern Tier Mokah (22oz $8.99)
Tyranena Scurvy (6nr $8.99)
Smuttynose Baltic Porter (22oz $5.99)
Smuttynose Gravitation (22oz $6.99)
Weyerbacher Double Simcoe (750ml $7.99)
Rogue Double Dead Guy (750ml $12.99)
Olivers Dry Cider (750ml $14.99)
Two Brothers Monarch White (6nr $11.49)
Weston Drop Kick Ale (6nr $7.99)
Magic Hat #9 (6nr $8.99)
Horny Goat Blonde (6nr $8.99)
Horny Goat Red Vixen (6nr $8.99)

Just as winter was ending, we were graciously presented with five different amazing works of art from the Central Waters Brewery: Bourbon Barrel Stout, Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine, Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout, Peruvian Morning, and even a little Coffee Stout.  We had been waiting the whole year for these 2 months when all these beers released and now that they are all gone we have to sit and wait until next spring.

Central Waters decided to go way out of their realm and push their 4pk series to a full spectrum.  Who would have guessed that a brewery known for their huge robust bourbon barrel aged coffee beers would come out with a 108 IBU 9% Double IPA.  We were all skeptics and have been waiting to get our hands on this experiment.

They did it and they did it right. Illumination is its name and Central Waters has now become part of the elite

Dbl IPA producers and they have concocted a beer that doesn't wear your taste buds out but gives you that punch and fruity creaminess a Dbl IPA should and allows you to savor the whole beer and maybe even another.

I poured it into my fancy new New Belgium glass that I stole from the store and it poured a crisp white head that dissolved quickly and left a frothing creme. After burying my nose in my new snifter, I was punched with citrus and a backbone of orange fruit.  This beer smelled so good I had to convince myself to drink it and I was pleasantly surprised.  First came the apricot and mango that started to release some of the bitterness that would then take you on the 108 IBU rollercoaster ride. The flavors grew through the middle and ended with a grassy kind of pine finish.  Balance is what this beer is all about. The 9% ABV doesn't show itsself until the beer is on its last gulp.  This beer is full of carbonation and towards the end it really started to round out which made the 108 IBU's subside and the fruit showed its legs.

This beer has definitely been hyped up and hopped up and there will definitely be a 4pk in my fridge all summer.  We got a stack of it, so support your local brewery and I give a hell ya to illumination. ($11.99 4pk)

Nice Tan!

The guys at Lift Bridge Brewery have added another beer to their bottled arsenal. Minnesota Tan is their summer seasonal, and is a "Belgian Triple Ale infused with Lingonberries". The name comes from the infusion of the lingonberries which gives the beer a pink tint similar to that first tan of the summer.

Minnesota Tan joins Farm Girl Saison and Crosscut Pale Ale as the bottled brews Lift Bridge puts out and we carry all three at the store. All three are also found in kegs along with a few other seasonals/limiteds. Look for Minnesota Tan on tap soon at The Nova!

Lift Bridge is based out of Stillwater, MN and currently has their beers contract brewed. However, back in April, they put out a press release stating that they had purchased a building in Stillwater that they will turn into their brewery. Always great to have another craft brewery close by.

Come on in and get a tan!

http://www.liftbridgebrewery.com

Best Liquor Store for a Sunday Beer Run

Thanks Metro Mag we always welcome mudducks on sundays and for everyone looking for new things you can't get in your great state of Minnesota here is a quick list:

New Glaurs the holy grail of wisconsin beers
Dogfish Head - I just got more Squall and Red and White we also have a little festina peche left
Stone - IRS is gone but there are a few bottles of Old Guardian
Oskar blues - I finally singled out GUBNA so grab a $5 can and check it out
Three Floyds - Black Heart came in last week and I have a stack of Dreadknot and Rabbid Rabbit
Weyerbacher and Central Waters have recently been removed from my list but I still have a bunch of options and you can always support the state you bought it from first.
Bear Republic - Same 6 and they all come in 22oz bottles Racer 5 is going to taste great tonight mowing my lawn like everyone else in town.

Hope this list helps everyone that didn't know the little gems we had in Wisconsin that you couldn't get in MN.

Cheers and hope to see everyone on sunday at Midway.

http://www.metromag.com/0p176a4179/4th-annual-hole-in-the-wall-guide/?currentPage=2

Dogfish Head Squall

My friends over at Merriam Webster tell me that, technically speaking, a squall is: 1) a sudden violent wind, often with rain or snow, or 2) a short lived commotion. While the schooner on the 750mL champagne bottle's label hints at the first definition, I believe the second will be as applicable - especially after tasting it. Indeed, of the four cases we received, only about one and a half are left (so get off your ass and get in here!)

Squall is an Imperial IPA dry hopped with six different hops, unfiltered and left to bottle condition. It pours a rich golden amber color with very little head. The nose is uber complex (that's right, I said uber!) with notes of honey, vanilla, melon, lots of yeast - even a hint of chocolate. The hop bite is immediate, but not resinous or sticky. It fades directly into a sweet, spicy maltiness punctuated by an aura of honey and yeast. The 9% ABV carries through with a good amount of burn, but only a slight insinuation of boozy flavor. The yeast found at the bottom is normal for a bottle conditioned ale. I am always inclined to swirl it into the beer before pouring to bring out the full intended flavor of the beer, but some people are sketched out by floaty stuff in their beer. My advice to them is to grow up... or let it settle to the bottom and then pour the golden deliciousness off the top. This is a big beer, VERY reminiscent of a hand-pulled cask ale in my humble opintion. I drank it slightly chilled, but would definitely let it warm to around 52 degrees on the next round and pretend I was drinking it in a dark brewpub on the eastern seaboard. I wouldn't be inclined to cellar this one too long, mostly because it's just too damn good to leave sitting around!

The best surprise was the price: $7.99 for a 750mL of Dogfish limited release? Yep. We checked the cost about four times, but it never changed. Which means that for less than a Chipotle burrito w/ guacamole, you can get super philisophical about politics, religion, and other worldly events and look classy doing it - just like I am right now. Cheers!

A Couple More Goodies....

....are now in the store! Got to work last night and saw that two more tasty brews are on our shelves. Get them while you can....

Three Floyds Blackheart- An English-style IPA done the Three Floyds way and aged on toasted oak. http://www.3floyds.com/

Dogfish Head Immort Ale- An 11% bomb brewed with maple syrup, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, and vanilla. It is then aged in oak tanks. http://dogfish.com

Enjoy!

We hit the mother load

Finally after hundreds of phone calls and full mailboxes of inquires new beers have arrived

New this week

Cantillon Classic Gueuze - an original Belgian brewery that has been producing since the  1900 and well known for their kriek and Gueze (1, 2, and 3 year lambics blended together).  This one has become my favorite with a quaffable sour flavor that is not too intense but still a great beer to enjoy on one of the upcoming 100 degree days. (750ml $16.99)

Dogfish Head Festina Peche - It's back again and we only got a few cases so if Peach is your thing make sure to snag some before it's all gone. (4nr $8.99)

Dogfish Head Squall IPA - I have been waiting to try this one for a long time and we will have a review coming soon but I just wanted to let everyone know that we have it. An unfiltered, 100% bottle-conditioned, super-pungent imperial I.P.A. clocking in at 9% ABV and dry-hopped with Palisade, Amarillo, Simcoe, Cascade, CTZ, and Willamette hops. It sounds so good reading about it I will definitely be drinking one tonight. (750ml $7.99)

Stone Old Guardian - This 11% monster was released in Feb. and I just recieved my shipment today just goes to show how awesome our distribution system is.  Also very limited so make sure to get your hands on one. Rate Beer says its #3 for Barley wine that we have available in the store right behind 3F and Victory. (22oz $7.99)

Stone Imperial Russian Stout - This beer you might be wait for a rainy day to consume or just throw a couple of bottles in your cellar to crack open when you are freezing your ass off in the middle of the winter.  Yes everyone is doing a RIS but to have such a great one at $7.99 there is no reason not to pick up a couple. (22oz $7.99)

Road Trip

On a recent adventure to visit my brother to watch him graduate from college we turned the trip into a beer recon mission. As we all know Milwaukee is one of the beer capitals of the world and not because of lakefront, sprecher or even the Milwaukee ale house but because of that girl on the moon and the red white and blue 16oz can that has a slogan that ends in asap. Besides breweries they also have a great bar scene and one of the best bottle stores in the state if not the Midwest.

I get down there about once every 3 months and everytime I go I have to take the 20min trip southwest of downtown to do a little investigating into what is available in the state that our distributors are not getting us. I have probably been to Milwaukee 20 times and have always found something I haven’t had before or that I was told I couldn’t get. So here is what I got in my goodie bag.

Three Floyds Broo Doo – Wet Hop Harvest Ale

Ale Asylum Super Nova – Belgian Triple

Ale Asylum Bedlam - Belgian IPA

Port Brewing – Wipeout IPA

Upland – Infinite Wisdom - Belgian Triple

Stone Cali Belgique – Belgian IPA

Discount Liquor is a great beer shop in a not so great neighborhood but the owner brings in everything she can get her hands on and maybe a couple of things she shouldn’t be able to get. This store has helped us get in a plethora of different beers that we were told were not available and she allows me to tell my distributors “it's available in Wisconsin so I want it”. So if you are ever in Milwaukee and want some good beer just make a little trip out of downtown and hit up Discount Liquor. There is also a great bar that we found this last time called the Sugar Maple but I only had 1 Cali Belgique so I would like to spend a good afternoon there to give every one my true critique. But they did have 60 uinique taps, all worth trying.

Weyerbacher Tiny-Belgian Style Imperial Stout

Much like the dog owner who names their Great Dane Princess or Peanut, Weyerbacher has followed suit with their new Belgian Style Imperial Stout. Uncharacteristically namedTiny, this beer was anything but small, and a real treat to drink.

Tiny pours a pitch black with a nice frothy brown head to top it off. The belgian yeast aroma is very evident on the nose along with strong chocolate, roasty and dark fruit notes. One would think that at 11.8% and with a color mimicking motor oil that this beer would need to be chewed. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that this was not the case.

With a strong carbonation true to the belgian style, this effervescent ale was surprisingly easy to drink. The alcohol was a little hot, but I think with a little age in the bottle, this beer has the potential to be Great! Don't get me wrong, Tiny is definately a sipper, but its versatility and fusion of styles makes it a great brew for both a hot summer day or a cold winter night.

I highly suggest picking up a couple bottles of Tiny while you can. Drink one now and let the other age until winter.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Cheers to beers!

Holy Mole(y)...

During an impromptu tasting session a few nights ago we had the opportunity to taste New Holland's el Mole Ocho. Utilizing my C+ Spanish skills from college this translates to The Mole 8! See what I did there?

Actually this brew pays homage to the ancient Mole Pablano sauce, a chocolate and spicy cayenne pepper tinged sauce. There are varying thoughts of when this sauce originated, the most likely is during the pre-hispanic occupation of Mexico. Aztec king Montezuma thought that Cortez and his ships were gods coming to Mexico. In a hurried effort to please these "Gods" he had his subjects create a Mole (which loosely translates to concoction)....I bet you never thought you would learn anything from a beer blog huh? Now on to the beer.

el Mole Ocho pours a copper/reddish brown color with a thin, quickly dissipating head. The head color is indicitive of the vanilla and chocolate flavors that come out as the beer warms in the glass.

From first smell we knew that this was going to be a complex beer. Notes of cayenne pepper, chocolate, roasted malt, coffee and vanilla are all detectible. Weighing in at 8% we didn't expect the alcohol to be as evident as it was, but it just added to the array of smells that the beer was emitting.

This beer had a unique blend of spicy and sweet flavors upon first taste. Upfront roasted chocolate tones gave way to a spicy pepper finish. As the beer warmed the peppers became less evident and the sweetness of the malts really came through.

It's always fun to see breweries like New Holland push the envelope and experiment with different styles. This is defintately one to try with a friend. I look forward to hearing others thoughts on the beer!

Cheers to beers!!!

New (Old) Beer From An Old (New) Brewery

Last December when my wife and I had our first child I reluctantly joined Facebook. I said I would never do it, but lo and behold I gave in. It works great to show pictures of our son to family and friends that don't get to see him very often. It also works great to catch up with what my favorite sports teams are up to. But, the main thing that I have ended up using it for is to keep up with what is going on in the wide world of good beer.

So, last week when I saw a post from Potosi Brewing Company and restaurant out of Potosi, WI on Facebook that said they were going to be bottling some of their beer I told Tyrrell about it. Before I could finish telling him the story he was online checking out their website and making a call to find out if we could get it at the store. He doesn't mess around when there is new good beer to bring in. As it turns out, we were able to get it in and it is now on our shelves. We have the following three available in six pack bottles- Good Old Potosi Beer, Potosi Pure Malt Cave Ale, and Snake Hollow India Pale Ale.

The Potosi Brewery is a brewery rich in history and tradition. It was founded in 1852 by Gabriel Hail and John Albrecht and ended up ceasing operations and closing down in 1972. At one time it was the fifth largest brewery in Wisconsin. In 1995, Gary David bought the Potosi Brewery Bottling buildings and began the restoration of the Potosi Brewery. In 2004, the American Breweriana Association selected the Potosi Brewery Foundation to be the home to its national museum.

So, come on in and grab yourself some good old beer that's new to us.

http://potosibrewery.com/

American Craft Beer Week 2010

I like craft beer. A lot. If you ask my wife, she would probably even say a little too much. Chances are that since you are reading this blog you most likely do too. There's just something about it. The taste, the smell, the unique packaging, being around others that share your passion for it, searching for the latest and greatest, going back to "old reliable" once in a while, brewing it yourself, and knowing that some of the great beers you try come from people just like you that started out brewing it themselves in their kitchen are all just a few of the things that make it a wonderful hobby. For some, its much more than a hobby.

Where was I going with that? Oh, yea, American Craft Beer Week starts Monday, May 17 and runs through Sunday, May 23. It's a week to focus on all that is great with craft beer and remember what goes into it so we can enjoy it.

So, come on down to the store and restaurant and support craft beer. Pick up one of the new brews we just got in, try something you've never had, or even go back to "old reliable". Remember, without craft beer drinkers there would be no craft brewers, and without craft brewers, we wouldn't be able to drink some of the greatest beers in the world. Ah, the circle of beer.

Look Mom….I’m on TV!!!

Brewing TV - Episode 1.2 from Brewing TV on Vimeo.

Brewing TV that is.

In episode 1.2 of Brewing TV, the crew explores our very own lagering caves on the premises at Historic Casanova’s. A brief history of the caves and how they would have been used back in the ‘Good ol’ days” is revealed via an interview with Professor Doug Hoverson, beer historian and author of Land of Amber Waters. Check out Tyrrell’s on- screen debut at the 1:36 mark! Way to go Tyrrell, your mom will be proud.

Episode 1.2 of Brewing TV continues on with their Time to Brew segment where Jake and Michael (the shows hosts) brew up a dark bock that was eventually lagered in the caves to be poured at our 2nd annual Casanova Beer Cave Fest. Being a home brewer myself, this is one of my favorite segments and will be especially helpful as I make the jump to all grain brewing.

With all the work out of the way its time to drink. The third segment of the episode focuses primarily on the beer fest itself. If you attended the event pay special attention to the background and you just might catch a glimpse of yourself in your prime!

Special thanks to Chip Walton, Jake Keeler, Michael Dawson and everyone else involved with Brewing TV for their hard work in documenting this year’s event. Check out their website www.brewingtv.com weekly for new episodes.

-Kevin

Mystery of the Shaft from Brewing TV on Vimeo.




Singing in the Cave from Brewing TV on Vimeo.



Why did lager become the "American" beer? from Brewing TV on Vimeo.

ENIGMA is stacked to the ceiling

It is that time of the year again New Glarus has just released their next unplugged and after a little confusion they finally decided to go with Enigma and for a spring like this they made a great choice. Just in today and we got a bunch but don't expect it to last long. I got my case 2 weeks ago when we got a special shipment from the brewery for the cave festival and it is almost gone. This is for sure my new spring porch sippin beer. Enjoy and let us know what you think.


New Glarus Unplugged - Enigma - my beer of choice to pour into an oversized snifter and enjoy with a little dessert, chocolate is my craving. This complex beer pours a fiery copper/red color with limited head. A full nose of cherry and tartness sets your palate up for the flavor explosion that is about to ensue. Enigma features notes of vinegar, tart cherries, and a refreshing sourness that compliment the oak backbone. Somehow Dan Carey of New Glarus has been able to keep this beer under control and balanced, making it easily to drink 2 or 3. This sour brown is a definite score and we thank everyone that voted to bring it back.

Beers in the Very Near Future

Just got the new release list from out distributor and these were a few of the gems they said were coming out in the next couple of weeks.  If we are lucky we might even have them this week.  I will make sure to post all of the new stuff coming in and once we give them a taste we will definatly let you know if they are a must try.  Sorry for the tease but there hasn't been a ton of new beer since the festival and if all the stars align we might even have a stack of Enigma sitting on the floor tomorrow.  It is tasting great again and everyone from the Cave festival that got to try some can attest to that.

Founders Cerise
Cherry Ale

Founders Old Curmudgeon
Oak Aged Old Ale

New Holland Mole Ocho
Ale brewed with Mole ingredients

Ommegang Tripel Perfection
Belgian style Tripel

Ommegang BPA
Belgian style Pale Ale

Southern Tier Mokah
Stout brewed with coffee and chocolate

Weyerbacher Tiny
Belgian Imperial Stout

The Bruery Mischief
Belgian-style Strong Pale Ale

The Bruery Trade Winds
Belgian Triple