New Glarus is Back....

....with a new seasonal brew that is. Back 40 Bock is the second seasonal bock the brewery has put out this year with Cabin Fever being the first. From the bottle - "The 'Back Forty' is property commonly found on the outskirts of the Wisconsin family farm. Here uncultivated acres wait prime for adventure - forts, tree houses, rope swings and first kisses! A place to run away, to camp, to climb, to build, to play. Not actually home but not too far away. That's the Back Forty. The beer you hold is similar both dark and adventurous still smooth and familiar. Here's a beer you can enjoy without pretense or explanation. Every mind requires some acres of possibility, space for dreams, the great escape, everyone needs a back forty."

Gave this one a try today and thought it was good. A little darker and more full-bodied than the Cabin Fever which was appreciated. Not quite up to Uff-da bock in my opinion, but close. A nice easy drinking bock with good flavor. I miss Uff-da.

Enjoy!

+1

We had one more beer slip in the store after Ian wrote the last blog entry.



Dogfish Head Pangaea - This very unique (it's Dogfish Head so that pretty much goes without saying) beer is brewed with ingredients from every continent. Here is the list -


Crystallized ginger from Australia
Water from Antarctica
Basmati rice from Asia
Muscavado sugar from Africa
South American quinoa
European yeast
and North American maize.


Enjoy!

Holy new beers!

As happens from time to time, we just got another shipment of awesome new beers in. Check 'em out:

Founder's Harvest Ale

Those of us East of the St. Croix have been making regular trips to

the other side to pick up Surly Wet, the wet hopped ale using uber fresh hops. No more, I say! Now we've got our own wet hopped right here in the store, and I dare say it is as good, though in a slightly different way. My guess is Founder's used Centennial to wet hop this one; it has a slightly bolder, more citrusy hop profile and less sweetness than the afore mentioned ale. Definitely worth picking up a four pack to share while its in season!

Lagunitas Brown Shugga'

Literally... this seasonal is a super sweet syrupy ale brewed with lots of brown sugar. This accident has become an annual release of delicious goodness!

Dark Horse Perkulator

Nothing welcomes winter like a rich coffee dopplebock!

New Imports

(Sorry, I don't have the time to find images for all of these right now)

Nogne O Imperial Stout

Nogne O #100 Barleywine

Mikkeller Green Gold IPA

HaandBryggeriet Dobbel Dram

HaandBryggeriet Norwegian Wood

Petrus Oud Bruin

We also recently received a shiptment of Captial Autumal Fire, a truly awesome Oktoberfest style doppelbock, as well as the new Eisphyre - apparently an ice brewed version of the Autumnal.

So many beers, so little time....

Thirsty Thursday!

I love Thursdays. Mainly because of beer. I'm not really sure what that even means, but here are some new brews we've received in the past few days-

Lift Bridge Chestnut Hill - From their website - "A wonderfully big nut brown ale crafted with roasty toasty malts balanced with Yakima hops and just enough alcohol to keep you warm on a fall afternoon." It is also brewed with cinnamon and allspice to go perfect with the cooler weather.

Pannepot Reserva 2008 - From the De Struise Brewery in Belgium comes this big (10% ABV) Quadruple aged on oak. They take their regular Pannepot Old Fisherman's Ale which is great in itself and age it in oak barrels, coming up with this brew. Looking forward to this one.

De La Senne Taras Boulba - From the importer's website - "This is the perfect session beer -- loaded with complex yeast flavors, hopped to perfection, and as drinkable as any beer you've ever tried. At 4.5% alcohol, it's built for drinkability."

Smuttynose S'muttonator - A Double Bock beer that the brewers take 30 hours to brew a single batch of. Now that's attention to detail.

Smuttynose Maibock - From the website - "We brew our Maibock to be hugely malty & subtly finished with a variety of continental hops, with an eye-pleasing russet brown color."

De Graal Tripel - From the brewery's website - "A heavy blond beer (alcohol content of 9% ABV). It is lightly sweet with a nice fruity ester and hoppy taste (finest German Poperingse hops). Some spiciness kicks in with an insinuation of coriander and pepper."

Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere - This golden, naturally cloudy Farmhouse Ale is bottle conditioned and dry hopped. Tasty and refreshing is a very nice combination.

Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam - From the website - "Ruddy golden, with yeast driven esters of banana, spicy clove, and nutmeg all wrapped up with a generous dose of rapscillion delight." I guess you could call this brew "swheat and sour". Hey, I tried.

Enjoy!

The Great Fall Fridge Clean Out

Fall has arrived and it came in with the Oktoberfest beers. The leaves are turning, grills are getting cleaned and ready to be stored and my fridge needs its bi-annual cleaning. Not just for the gunk and grime but to sift through the shelves of beer and figure out what I need to drink before it gets to cold.

I consider my self a seasonal beer drinker with an occasional yearning for something different. I have been collecting IPAs and crisp hoppy beers all summer and I now need to start making room for the darker maltier beers of the winter. After working ABR this weekend my pallet kind of switched and I found myself staying away from the Tea Bagged Furious and Lagunitas IPA and became sucked into the Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout, Bourbon Cty Vanilla Stout, and Surly Moe's and Jesus Juice.

I know I am going to hear it from everyone that you can drink great IPA's all year long but I usually don't unless it is something I haven’t had, I’m pairing it with food or I just need a mouth full of hops to switch it up from the 10% Bourbon Barrel Barley wine I have resting in my snifter.

You don't have to get rid of all of your PA's and IPA's but I would start to look at the balance of your selection and start to dwindle the amount of hoppier beers in your fridge. Here are a few things to replace DFH 90min, Bear Republic Racer 5, and the Dales Pale Ale.

3 Floyds Robert the Bruce Scotch Ale

Dark Horse Boffo Brown Ale

Founders Porter

North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout

Fresh beer is usually always the best beer but I always have a good variety of beers hanging around just in case you get that itch. Now go look in your fridge drink what has been there for awhile because there is always something new on the liquor store shelves and fill it up with something you haven't had before. Be adventurous it’s the only way to learn.

Raise a snifter to great winter beers

Salute

New Beer Friday!

I can hardly believe it myself, but we just received a shipment of Dogfish Head's Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. From the brewery: In honor of the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, Miles Davis' 1970 paradigm-shifting landmark fusion breakthrough, we've created our own Bitches Brew - a bold, dark beer that's a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root, a gustatory analog to Miles' masterpiece. This beer is "the ultimate partner for chili or spicy curry chicken" and best enjoyed "sipped cool, not cold, from a snifter or red wine glass while listening to the Bitches Brew album."

If that isn't awesome enough, we also received a shipment of Bell's 25th anniversary ale. From the brewery:

Brewed with Michigan barley, generously dry-hopped, and fermented with Bell's signature house yeast, 25th Anniversary Ale combines malty caramel & toffee notes with a fragrant hop character.

Its Friday, so stop in and grab these while they last. While you're at it, grab some of your old favorites too!