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New Beer for the Week of March 8th, 2017

Posted on March 11, 2017

Welcome back, everyone, to another fun filled blog post about the new beers coming into KWM this week! As always, I have a quick list of delicious things I hand pick just for you (and myself), along with some returning favourites!

I want to give everyone quick update on the growler bar first though.

Here’s what I’m pouring this week:

Dandy brewing Wild Sour. Dandy sources a new strain of wild yeast for their sour ale and boy is it fruity!
Outcast brewing Make That a Double! Murky mega-hopped imperial pale from Calgary’s answer to the NEIPA movement.
Banded Peak/Steel&Oak Highfives and Handshakes. Dry and light, dry hopped Belgian pale that will knock your socks off.
Cold Garden Red Smashed in Buffalo Jump. Robustly malty and comforting Irish red ale.

While you’re in to get your fill, check out the latest arrivals to the beer section as well!



Midnight Hoppyness by Knee Deep: This is a generously hop forward black IPA. Big pine notes are accompanied by slightly mild citrus notes and bitter baking chocolate. A medium roasty body with more chocolate, and a fairly bitter finish to clean it all off. ($14.49 for a 650mL bottle)

Gno More Gnomes by Evil Twin: This fantastic barley wine made with figs hits the shelves after being featured in the 2016 advent calendar. Rich, sweet toffee-like malt body, balanced hoppiness and some nice dried fruit notes. ($4.99 for a 330mL bottle)

The Commodore by Ballast Point: Commodore is a fairly easy drinking American stout. Rich chocolaty malt, with light sweet tones, and very little alcohol bite (it's not imperial afterall). A balanced bitterness rounds out the beer and emphasizes the American style. ($4.49 for a 330mL bottle)

Voodoo 8 Hop Pale by New Belgium: Following a rebranding of their IPA line, New Belgium offers this easy drinking, and modern pale ale. 8 different hops pack this pale full of huge citrus and tropical fruit aromas and flavours. Light, easy, and tailored for the modern beer palate. ($21.09 for a 6-pack of cans)

Velocihopter IIPA by Ninkasi: Velocihopter is a true-to-form classic IIPA. Resinous, and citrusy with a robust malty profile, moderate alcohol, and a big bitterness stemming from the use of 6 different hop varieties. (10.29 for a 650mL bottle)

The Grand Subduction by Alley Kat: Another entry in Alley Kats Back Alley Brews series, The Grand Seduction is a Cascadian Dark featuring Cascade and Simcoe hops on a chocolate and roast heavy malt base. ($8.59 for a 650mL bottle)

Anniversary India Red Ale by Tree Brewing: This year's Anniversary beer from Tree in an old-meets-new(sort of) red IPA. Summit, columbus, tettnang and mandarina bavaria hops give this an earthy, citrus and pine forward profile, all on a lightly roasted and toffee-like base. ($8.39 for a 650...

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Hunter's World of Mezcal - Thursday, March 2nd, 2017

Posted on March 21, 2017

Mezcal, Straight and Simple

by Hunter Sullivan

One thing that is not always clear about the spirit industry is the vast disillusionment one sometimes can experience in being a part of it. The constant exposure of the whisky lamp, one’s secret favourites becoming old bag, respect turning to “oh, they’re owned by a massive corporation now?”, and the fogeys will not stop jabbering about the good ol’ days. It seems I have joined their ranks.

I love whisky, but sometimes I am quite chagrinned with the direction it appears to be heading. Perhaps in tasting so many legends so young I’ve grown up too fast, touched the light and fizzled like another hundred gin distillers hitting the market too late. All this barrel steeping nonsense has got me wound up; maybe pessimism regarding the sport is part of the age. I have to be against something if I’m going to remain relevant in this market (see: edgy).

For those who are of like mind or are just interested in a quasi-new experience, give mezcal a try. It isn’t exactly clear as to why anyone likes this stuff, but let me try to tempt you. When one drinks mezcal, one is not simply drinking another ambiguous grain distillate. Instead, what you may be trying is a terroir and varietal specific expression of a spirit whose distillation process was passed down via a multitude of familial generations. These distillation practices are notoriously ancestral, usually attributed to some distant and foggy tale of a specific way that great-great-great (ad infinitum) grandma or grandpa harvested, cooked, milled, and distilled a ground pineapple (a.k.a. agave) that takes somewhere in the 12-year range to reach appropriate distillation maturity. Methods of this sort uniquely combine the terroir of specific agave species, of which only grow in very specific areas and in very limited quantities, along with distillation practices that uniquely highlight the style of each mezcalero’s technique and apparatus. This juice is highly detailed, delightfully unrefined, and antiquarian in nature. It holds the beauty of something long since gone and uses methodology steeped in tradition that has yet to be tainted by the rising tide of spirit enthusiasm.

There is much more to know and be found out about the spirit in tasting it. Here is what I poured for Mezcal, Straight and Simple.



Nuestra Soledad - Santiago Matatlan 2014 Release

A preciously delicate release from this cooperative of agave farmers/distillers. High toned, a mortar full of green and leafy herbs, jade leaf crushed between your fingers, cracked pepper, glossy in feel. Smoke and earth are delicate, soft strokes of soot, match stick and vegetable matter in smouldering charcoal. Everything is strung together so well, nothing disjointed. Easy to pick up and enjoy. 3rd favourite of the night. - $76
...

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The Best of Tight Wad Oenophile

Posted on March 21, 2017

Tasting from February 28, 2017

I have been extremely lucky to be teaching our Tight Wad Oenophile class for the last 6 or 7 sessions at the Kensington Wine Market. I always try to use different wines from different regions and grape varietals and to adapt my class to the season or the taste of the moment at the shop. After a few classes, I realised that one of the most entertaining parts for me about this class is to try to guess which wine is going to be the favourite of the night. Sometimes, it is fairly easy and predictable. Some wines have such a crowd pleasing profile and over deliver for the money in a way that makes it the perfect candidate. Sometimes, on the other hand, you have surprises. That's why I decided to test our guests with the ultimate experience: a blind tasting of our 7 champions (selected either as the favourite or runner-up in a previous Tight Wad edition) to decide what is the absolute favourite wine under 25$ from our customers. What a better way for me to conclude my experience as a wine educator at the Kensington Wine Market!

The Wines:



2015 Fattori Gregoris Soave $21.99
100% Garganega
DOC Soave, Veneto, Italy
Antonio Fattori is one of the most talented white winemakers in the Veneto. Although he also makes Valpolicella reds, his white Soave expressions are the true standouts," according to Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. It is this quality and winemaking expertise that you can taste in your glass. Enticing aromas of peach, melon, ripe pear, jasmine, and almond. The palate is very fleshy and expressive for a Soave, soft and fruity, with notes of yellow plums, chamomile, and pomelo with a fresh creamy finish. Great alternative to pinot grigio!

2015, Bodega Amalaya Blanco Altura Torrontes $17.49
85% Torrontés, 15% Riesling
Valle Calchaquí, Argentina
This Torrontes-Riesling blend comes from extremely high vineyards (1800 metres above sea level), which benefit from brilliant sunshine during the day, but cool nights that slow the ripening so that the grapes retain their crisp acidity while having time to develop flavour. Rose petal, fresh melon, apricot, peach and ripe grapefruit notes lead into a well-balanced taste of minerals laced with a touch of honey. Best pairing partners: seafood and spicy Asian dishes. 95 Points World Wine Award by Decanter Magazine!

2016 Viña La Rosa, La Palma Rosé $14.99
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Cachapoal Valley, Chile
La Palma is Spanish for palm tree and at Viña La Rosa, the vineyards share the land with thousands of native Chilean palm trees - hence the name. Here's a Rose blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Aromas of wild strawberry and passion fruit and a hint of red orchard fruit (apple and pear) and rose water. Voluptuous in the mouth. Fresh and fruity with crisp acidity and a clean finish. Get ready for the s...

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Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada March 2017 Outturn

Posted on March 8, 2017

As we do at the beginning of each month we sat down and tasted our way through the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada Outturn. March's Outturn included seven new single cask and cask strength single malts for us to work our way through. We tasted them all blind before revealing all.
It was another solid Outturn. March featured 4 unpeated single malts and 3 peated (though I personally thought there was a hint of smoke on one of the unpeated as well…). Members that could not attend the tastings are welcome to come into Kensington Wine Market and sample any bottles that we have open - just ask. A few of the bottles from this month have proven to be quite popular so if you find something that seems interesting it would be a good idea to act fast!

A big thank you to Cured Delicatessen for providing some charcuterie for us to nibble on during the tasting.
Cheers,
Evan
Here is the March lineup.



54.40: CAREFREE ENTERTAINMENT - $110
This 9-year-old Speysider is from a 1st fill barrel and comes in at 59.8%
Flavour profile:  Juicy, oak & vanilla
Outturn:  90 bottles
Panel's tasting note:  "The nose was clean and refreshing – fruit bars (strawberry, rhubarb, blackcurrant), Starburst and lemon candies – complicated by classroom memories of paper, pencil shavings and ink. The palate was tinned fruit cocktail (peach, pear, cherry and grape in syrup) plus fruit candies and slightly more penetrating crème de cassis – maybe a distant model shop; we found it frivolously entertaining, but not without weight. The reduced nose seemed more perfumed and more tropical – tinned lychees, blossom and a high class nail bar. The palate was now smooth as a perfect peach – waxy fruits and banana chips – creamy yet tangy, satisfying and cockle-warming."

Drinking tip:  "A perfect pick-me-up after a day's work"

35.165: VARIETY - THE SPICE OF LIFE - $152
At 52.9% this 13-year-old Speysider was matured in a 1st fill Chenin Blanc hogshead.
Flavour profile:  Spicy & sweet
Outturn:  180 bottles
Panel's tasting note:  "The air was immediately filled with spices; caraway, fennel, aniseed and the finest Hungarian rose paprika, all of them mingling with the additional sweet aromas of tobacco, cinnamon and chocolate powder. On the palate there was a real variety; from bitter orange leaf tea to delicate soothing smooth hot fudge sauce over peach and apricot ice cream finishing with matured balsamic vinegar. A drop of water and the spices turned more herbal – how about a Hanky-Panky cocktail? - Vermouth, dry gin and a dash of Fernet Branca. The taste was now like a fudgy fig roll with bitter orange juice."

Drinking tip:  "A restorative dram"
121.81: INTENSE, LIVELY AND DELICIOUS - $166
From a refill hogshead, this 15...

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New Beer - Friday March 3rd, 2017

Posted on March 4, 2017

Hey everyone!
It's time for yet another product update! Another week has gone by already, and I've been able to secure some very tasty things for you. Check out what I have for you this week:



Simplicity ale by Category 12 brewing: Simplicity is a moderate ABV saison, light in body it is a soft fruit and floral note along with delicate spice and grassiness and a hint of bitterness. ($8.99 for a 650mL bottle)

Nitro Milk Stout by Left Hand brewing: Silky, sweet and goes down easy! Wonderful chocolate notes all over this milk stout. The addition of lactose gives just enough sweetness to really round out the style and provide just enough sweetness to lift the cocoa notes and stand up to the bitterness on the finish. A very well balanced stout! ($4.09 for a 330mL bottle)

Barrel aged Salted Caramel Stout by Breakside brewing: As delicious as their standard salted caramel stout and then some! Big vanilla and chocolate notes accompany the burnt sugars and toffee notes. Enhanced sweetness and notes of bourbon from the Heaven Hills bourbon barrel. All rounded off with a light bitterness and salty finish. ($18.59 for a 650mL bottle)

Shazoo Imperial Milk Stout by Gigantic brewing: Shazoo is a big, rich imperial stout, made all the more round and sweet with the addition of lactose. Huge notes of chocolate, coffee, and caramel dominate the palate on this dessert worthy brew. ($12.49 for a 650mL bottle)

As Follows by Stillwater brewing: As Follows is a big Belgian beauty! moderately sweet malt with hints of citrus fruits and yeasty phenolics. The 9% ABV pokes through here and there, but for the most part stays down behind the malt. Lightly bitter and sweet finish. ($5.19 for a 350mL bottle)

Autumnal by Stillwater brewing: Autumnal is German meets Belgian kind of beer, with ingredients from both countries. Though since fermented with Belgian farmhouse yeast, the yeast character forces it to lean towards the Belgian end of things. Medium bodied, fruity and malty with hints of caramel. ($5.19 for a 350mL bottle)

Of Love & Regret by Stillwater brewing: This is a botanical driven Belgian ale made to be a "liquid interpretation of the Spring season". Lightly fruity and funky with generous herbal and floral notes. Added botanicals include Heather, Chamomile, Lavender and Dandelion. ($5.19 for a 330mL bottle).

Tanilla Vanilla porter by Knee Deep brewing: Tanilla is a robust porter with Tahitian vanilla beans added, giving rich vanilla notes to an already chocolate and coffee heavy ale. Comforting, lightly sweet, soft and full. ($12.19 for a 650mL bottle)

If none of those happen to kick-start your heart, then maybe there's something on the ol' growler bar that that'll quench that thirst! Here's the tap list for this week:
-Dandy brewing Wild Sour. Dandy sources a new strain of wild yeast for thei...

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