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New Beers for July Part 2 of 2 and August part 1/2

Posted on September 6, 2018

 
Ok so I missed my post for the end of July, I'm sorry. I'll make up for it with this slightly larger version of my post that encompasses the past month or so, so here we go!
If you happened to have missed the fact that Founders KBS and CBS are in the province, there is likely still time to grab some. I have just a little of each left, so make sure to shoot me an e-mail at beerguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com if you want any. I’ve made a point to stick to the roots of what made Kensington Wine Market great and seek out amazing beers from outside the country (but of course I give my local guys some love as well), so there are several European and US brews on this list, and I’ll keep seeking more out. Two more to add to that list is Tilquin and Jester King! The latest vintage of Tilquin's beautiful lambics, including Quetsche, Mure and the Rullquin stout-lambic blend are in this week, and last but not least, we'll see the long-awaited return of Texas brewers Jester King and their farm-housey craziness later in the month. What a crazy month... But enough of that, though.  Check out all the beers that have already arrived!

Wild Beer co Sleeping Lemons ($5.69 for a 330mL bottle)

Wild Beer co Modus Operandi ($7.39 for a 330mL bottle)

Breakside Tall Guy IPA ($11.49 for a 650mL bottle)

Oude Gueuze Tilquin ($29.99 for a 750mL bottle)

Cascade Sange Rouge ($39.09 for a 750mL bottle)

Hoyne Entre Nous Belgian Cherry Wit ($8.69 for a 650mL bottle)

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA ($4.69 for a 473mL tall can)

Reverend Nat’s Viva la Pineapple ($5.59 for a 330mL can)

Mikkeller Beer Geek Flat White ($9.39 for a 330mL bottle)



Anex Forward Progress Pale ($16.49 for a 4-pack of tall cans)

Hell’s Basement Fuzzy Face Cryo-pale ($17.99 for a 6-pack of cans)

Bench Creek Apex Predator Bohemian Pilsner ($16.29 for a 4-pack of tall cans)

Analog Ready Paler One ($18.29 for a 4-pack of tall cans)

Zero Issue Cloak and Dagger Mix pack ($16.49 for a 4-pack of tall cans)

Tasty as always, you can’t even deny that! Before I go, if you’re looking for fun events or just something to do through August, we have a number of tastings going on before we get back full-swing into our fall tasting schedule. Might I suggest you check out my wild fermented beer tasting on August 31st! Or I guess you could just come on in anytime and chat, and taste and stuff. Alright, that’s about all I have for you. Come get these awesome beers!

Cheers!
Shawn
Twitter: @ShawnsBrewsCGY
 ...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society August 2018 Outturn

Posted on August 4, 2018

What an Outturn this month! We had an awesome range of malts, one of which has a significant footnote to it... We kicked things off with an unusual single grain whisky, G15.2, distilled from malted barley. Think of it as Scotland's answer to the Nikka Coffey Malt. It has a lovely, soft and complex profile for a young whisky, with a profile that feels like a lovechild of malt and grain whiskies.

Another curiosity of the range was a re-release of whisky from 5 years ago, 73:53: Springtime freshness; spicy warmth. 3 cases of this whisky were recently discovered, so it was decided to feature it as the 7th man in the Calgary tasting. Priced at 2013 levels, it is a bargain. Only 3 left at the time of writing.

The highlights of the tasting were 3.306: Summer on Islay, 2.106: Devilishly opulent and 50.98: Honey on oak. The latter is a release from the Society's "Premium Collection". It is very tropical, creamy and complex. It also held it's alcohol well after 27 years, at 59.3%. Here is the full August 2018 Outturn:



G15.2: A beautiful, bright, summer afternoon* – 56.9% - 7 Year – Refill Barrel - Highland – Flavour Profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla - Panel's Tasting Note: "The sweet floral aroma of jasmine was soon followed by fresh Madagascan vanilla pods and white nougat laden with candied lemon peel and blueberries on a crisp rice-paper base. On the palate neat, comforting and soothing like a freshly brewed chamomile, honey and vanilla tea with a light peppery spiciness in the finish. After adding a drop of water even fresher – ‘a beautiful bright summer afternoon’ with the scent of eucalyptus and thyme next to a rosebush in full bloom, whilst to taste now juicy fruity wine gums, apricot custard Danish pastries as well as sweet jasmine rice pudding with shredded toasted coconuts." - $135
44.87: In a summer garden - 59.9% - 10 Year - Refill Barrel - Speyside - Flavour Profile: Spicy & sweet - Panel's tasting note: "The nose was clean and fresh – grassy, ‘real’ vanilla ice-cream and lemon-flavoured Turkish Delight – it was like a door into a summer garden – we could almost hear the bees humming. The initial palate had the uncomplicated sweetness of custard creams and fruit gums, but it was definitely lively – toasted oak, cinnamon and nutmeg, with an almost medicinal heat on the finish (menthol and eucalyptus lozenges). The reduced nose seemed more herbal (sorrel) with some lemon and pineapple. The reduced palate was sweeter and juicier – interesting combinations of juicy fruits and spicy heat – like raspberry and ginger or lime chutney." - $133
54.58: Glowing embers of satisfaction - 55.6% -15 Year - Matured in Ex-Bourbon 14 Years / Finished in a First Fill Red Wine Barrique - Speyside - Flavour profile: Spicy & dry - Panel's tasting note: "A fruity, aromatic ...

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Why you should get excited about wine

Posted on July 20, 2018

by Abi

“Wine, I soon discovered, is perfect for people who like to explore: history, biology, anthropology, geology, geography, even philosophy. The deeper you dig, the more you find”
- Uncorked, Marco Pasanella



Wine is a great thing. It has the power to change the atmosphere in a room, the power to challenge your inner curiosity, and also bring people together, all while tasting delicious. There aren’t many elements in this world that have the kind of power these days, but there is still that ability to enjoy and fall into a reverie or trance over a glass without repercussion (minus a possible hangover). It isn’t simply an instrument that enables one to get you drunk; wine is a form of communication, a way to bring history, geography, art, and elements of different cultures to consumers across the globe.
So, why should you be excited about wine?

Wine is meant to be fun and enjoyable, that is the most important thing to remember. Life is too short to spend drinking bad wine, and if you prefer the taste of a cheap and cheerful Pinot Grigio to expensive Champagne, you do you. You grab yourself a bottle of PG and savour every last drop.

Wine has a way of bringing people together. Just look at the staff at Kensington Wine Market; everyone here comes from different walks of life, with different upbringings and different interests, and yet working with wine has allowed us to create conversations, to discover mutual interests and to produce common ground between us. There is very little chance that the people we have conversed with over the years would have crossed paths with us if wine itself wasn’t a primary element, but yet, here we are, connecting with everyone through our mutual appreciation.

Wine is a cultural experience in of itself, full of stories and wonder. It’s packed to the cork with history. For thousands of years, it has been evolving and growing with the economic, political, social, and geographic landscapes of each era. With this, the wine develops stories and personalities that you wouldn’t be able to witness otherwise, telling us it’s unique tale of how it came to be in each glass we enjoy.

Wine also keeps you questioning and exploring. Working in wine is a beautiful experience, but sometimes the experience can become stale, especially when you find yourself in a rut, only drinking or trying the same styles over and over. Then, one day, you ’ll try something you’ve never experienced before, blasting you upwards out of the self-induced wine rut into the blinding, angelic sunlight, where you find yourself scrambling to comprehend what you just tasted. Soon after, you’ll find yourself in a wine infused haze, trying to gain as much information as you possibly can about the particular wine that had such a profound impact. I had one of those experie...

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New Beers for July Part 1 of 2

Posted on July 13, 2018

I am back again for another update on new beers hitting my shelves, and bringing the hype for these skilled brewers and their delicious, delicious beers. This time I get to introduce you to a newcomer to the Alberta scene and really, they are only a couple years old in the Halifax scene as well. 2 Crows is a small team that brews modern style beers, well crafted and well thought out. Their beers came in limited quantities and are meant to fly off the shelf. They have a spot front and center in my fridge for those who want to grab them and go.
Other than that, the ever so amazing Founders Canadian Breakfast stout has arrived, and you absolutely do not want to miss out on that! The rest I'll let you see for yourself, but first, just a reminder that there are 3 beer tastings happening through the summer, starting next week. Check them out here!

Coronado Marine Dream ($4.29 for a 355mL can)
Ninkasi Truly Yours ($21.29 for a 6-pack of cans)
Wild Beer co Ninkasi ($15.49 for a 750mL bottle)
Glutenberg Olallie ($19.49 for a 4-pack of cans)
Collective Arts Ginger Lime Berliner ($4.29 for a 473mL tall can)
Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout ($8.19 for a 355mL bottle)
2 Crows All In ($7.49 for a 473mL tall can)
2 Crows Maestro ($7.19 for a 473mL tall can)
2 Crows Fantacity ($5.79 for a 473mL tall can)
2 Crows Pollyanna ($5.99 for a 473mL tall can)
Steamworks Cucumber Ale ($3.29 for a 473mL tall can)
Breakside Rainbows and Unicorns ($11.09 for a 650mL bottle)

Town Square Megawatt NEIPA ($17.39 for a 4-pack of tall cans)
Town Square Beets by Sinden ($17.49 for a 4-pack of tall cans)
Blood Brothers Paradise Lost ($12.99 for a 500mL bottle)
That's about all the news I have for you right now. I'll be back in a couple of weeks with a little more, but you can also stay up to date via Twitter where I am @ShawnsBrewsCGY!

Cheers!
Shawn
beerguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com...

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NAS Whisky Wars

Posted on July 14, 2018

by Curt
NAS whisky.  Non-age-stated whisky, for those not up on their whisky geek acronyms. The concept refers to those products that now sag the shelves in the Scotch whisky sections of your favourite spirit sellers, boasting clever names, garish packaging and a very noticeable lack of numbers on the label.  You know the digits I’m referring to. The ones that often influence the decision-making when it comes down to purchase time. The much-lauded/occasionally-resented age statement. The big, bold numbers that tell you just how long that precious amber liquid in the bottle has spent slumbering away in a barrel in some dark corner of a warehouse beneath the grey skies of our beloved Scotland.
So, just how important is that number on the bottle?  Depends who you ask. I suppose one way to gather a bit more data in the quest for enlightenment would be to pit some of these NAS malts against comparable age-stated compatriots and see who comes out on top, right?  Hmmm…perhaps. But not really. Because the debate really isn’t about good or bad. But we’ll come back to this shortly. In the meantime, dram versus dram. Winner decided via show of hands from those in attendance.
Cool idea for a tasting, right?  Yup. But someone has to talk about it.  Someone has to be the referee between the malts that were toeing up to battle head-to-head for supremacy.  Wonder who that someone could be?
It’s no small secret in the whisky world that I’ve been quite vocal with my stance on the subject.  Not only that, but I’ve been burdened with both a moral compass that steers me far from the philosophy that justifies NAS whisky and a deep-seated polyamorous affair with a few of the distilleries and brands most directly responsible for leading the foray into NAS territory.  Reconciling these two has been trying at times, to say the least.
Call me a cynic, but I can just see Andrew and Evan gleefully rubbing their hands together as they plotted this out over drams of Ledaig or Loch Dhu or whatever it is they sip in the solitude of the malt lair (ahem…Andrew’s office) and pencilled in my name next to ‘event host’.
So…sure.  Why not? Throw the new guy into the middle of the big controversy and let the proverbial sh*t hit the proverbial fan, right?
It would almost be a cop-out at this stage of the game to say that NAS whisky is the most controversial subject in the whisky world.  It may well be, but at this point, we’re beating a dead horse in front of an indifferent audience. The debate still rages on some blogs and forums, of course, and it does still generate a huge amount of dissension and vitriolic industry apologism (as well as countless unmerited attacks by brand ambassadors unwilling to separate their day jobs from consumer empathy), but the most stinging of the barbs and arrows slung in this war between si...

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