Calicraft Chez Panisse Farmhouse Ale
Infused with organic anise hyssop, lemon verbena blossom, and Meyer lemon leaf.
Shady Oak Funkatronic
Last chance for this grapefruity brett IPA until another batch is made: likely a 6 month wait!
Cismontane 5th Anniversary Five Grain Saison
A high ABV saison for sipping now or saving ’til later.
Cascade Kriek
2014 Project Northwest future/classic cherry sour.
Wexford Creme Ale
When only a nitro widget will do.
Hey All,
Had the privilege of trying Jim Beam’s relatively new Distiller’s Masterpiece a few days ago and I have to say I was remarkably impressed. There’s no age statement but my palate tells me its one of the oldest bourbons they’ve ever released considering how tannic and oak driven the flavor profile is. While Scotch producers have been using sherry barrels to age whiskey for centuries, it’s a relatively new concept for American whiskey. Here are my tasting notes:
Aromas/Nose: Strong notes of sherry on the nose in the form of fruitcake, figs and marizapan. I also get aromas of candied ginger, firewood, granite stone, chocolate souffle and Italian sausage. The impressive heavy handedness of the oak seems to proliferate even the aromas, adding a density you wouldn’t think possible. I get the sensation of being in a swamp where fallen trees and branches are slowly decomposing and a damp wood smell fills the air.
Taste: Wow this stuff’s good. It’s bold, it’s viscous and resinous, it’s everything I never knew Jim Beam could be. The initially flavors I get are earth, volcanic ash and gravel. Tannic and oak driven are an understatement, and I could see how this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m unabashedly smitten. All a board the oak train, we’re riding this one till the wheels fall off. As it opens up I get notes of sticky toffee pudding, pumpernickel, cinnabons, espresso, cement and bran muffins. At 50% alcohol the flavors are perfectly concentrated without being overwhelming.
Finish: The finish is rustic and earthy, with a pronounced lingering minerality. There’s some creaminess mid-palate but the finish is all beautiful leathery tannins that make your mouth water. Absolutely epic!
This for me is about as good as it gets bourbon wise. The richness of the sherry combines beautifully with the intensity of the oak. The price tag’s a little steep at $200, but it’s a one time release that’s definitely worth seeking out. All things considered, you could pay $10,000 or more for a Scotch of equivalent quality. I’m sure I’ll be taking home a few bottles of this for my cellar.
Available @ Both Shops!
Cheers
Nate
SALE!
LA RIDUZIONE!
After the popularity of our Ducato and Panil sales recently, we’ve decided to pull ONE LAST HEIST: “The Italian Job”. Unlike the needless remake with Markie Mark, Mos Def, and Cha-cha-cha-charlize Theron, our updated caper sends you home with a bottle of thought-out and skillful Italian ale at a discount without an explosives expert or safe cracker!
Brush up on your Michael Caine impersonation, race over in your Mini Cooper, and get your bottle of Italy’s finest today.
15% off ALL Italian craft ales until next Friday, May 22nd
Mother Earth Brew Co. of Vista, CA finally answers the age-old question we’re constantly answering: “WHERE are ALL your PEANUT BUTTER BEERS?” Well, look no further. Sin Tax Imperial Stout gives you the dark roasted malts and peanut buttery finish you crave. Those with allergies rejoice, ’cause no peanuts were used in the making of this beer.
The Bruery Cuivre is an oak-aged solera-blended Belgian-inspired Old Ale, and if that many hyphens doesn’t get your tastebuds a-tinglin’ then mayhaps a new batch of Sour in the Rye, the first bottling to hit our shelves from the brand-spankin’-new Bruery Terreux operation in Anaheim, will give you the tickles.
Stone collaborates with (the Asheville of the West) Portland, Oregon’s Ecliptic Brewing and (the Portland of the East) Asheville, North Carolina’s Wicked Weed to bring us a blend to behold: Points Unknown IPA. 25% Belgian-style Tripel aged in Pinot Noir barrels used to age Tequila, 75% fresh West Coast Double IPA. You could search coast-to-coast and not find another beer like this.
Big Al Brewing is not to be confused with Big Al’s, but getting wild is what both are all about. In the case of the Time Capsule October ’14, open fermentation captured wild microflora that help to give this beer it’s own time and place. A mention on the back of the bottle to the SF Giants’ third World Series title in five years might be of some interest to the completist superfan out there.
The Friday to Friday sale is back at Healthy Spirits featuring ALL 750ml (25.4oz) bottles of San Diego’s mighty AleSmith Brewing Company
Starting TODAY 5/8/2015 until Friday 5/15/2015 you get 15% off (club members 20% off*) our sensational lineup of what many consider to be the finest brewery in the United States!
Our apologies, but this sale EXCLUDES all 22oz AleSmith IPA, X Pale Ale, Nut Brown, and Anvil ESB
*Want to know how to get that magic 20% discount? Ask us about our Beer of the Month Club
Hey All,
Got some great new stuff in recently and over the last month or two that I wanted to update everyone on. Here’s the full new arrivals list:
Bourbon:
-Black Maple Hill Oregon Bourbon $89.99 (Castro Only)
-Black Saddle 12 Year Bourbon $51.99
-Jim Beam Distiller’s Masterpiece (Finished in PX Sherry Casks) $199.99
-High West American Prairie Bourbon $49.99
-Forged Oak 15 Year Bourbon $89.99
-Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Bourbon (750ml) $69.99
Rye:
-Black Maple Hill Oregon Rye $89.99 (Castro Only)
-Corbin Cash Rye $59.99
-Woodford Reserve Rye $47.99
-Smooth Ambler 8 Year Healthy Spirits Exclusive Cask Strength Single Barrel Rye $79.99
-Redemption 10 Year Cask Strength Rye $199.99 (Castro Only)
American:
-Seven Stills Fluxuate Coffee Porter Whiskey $45.99
-Mosswood Healthy Spirits Exclusive Espresso Barrel Cask Strength American Whiskey $75.99
Scotch:
-Alexander Murray 49 Year Highland Single Malt Scotch 1964′ $1199.99 (Castro Only)
-Samaroli Glen Scotia Campbeltown 21 Year Sherry Cask Single Malt Scotch (only 360 bottles made) $299.99
-Blackadder Ledaig 13 Year “Raw Cask” 2001′ Single Malt Scotch $169.99
-Blackadder Clynelish 22 Year “Raw Cask” 1992′ Single Malt Scotch $269.99
-Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask Single Malt Scotch (back in stock) $89.99