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New beers - September 22, 2016

Posted on September 25, 2016

Hey beer fans!

It's about 11pm on Wednesday and I am coming to you 1 Wild Rose AF23 and 1/2 a Jerkface deep to tell you about my sweet new beers this week. It's been a bit of a busy week, and I know you want your beer and I want my sleep. So I'll hop right to this! This week I was able to get some great beers at dynamite prices, so I'm going to feature those 4 first on the list, followed by the aforementioned Wild Rose. Here we go!




Oak Aged Mocha Stout by Peak Organic Brewing: Peak mixed together their three favourite things - beer, chocolate and coffee. A rich stout serves as the backbone, with organic black and chocolate malts along with artisan chocolate from Taza followed by conditioning on coffee and finally oak-aged. It's a real luscious and elegant mouth full. ($5.99 for a 650mL bottle)

Boris the Spider by Spider Bite Brewing: From everyone's favourite Arachnid based brewery, Boris the Spider is an imperial stout that gives the rich, dense, roasty chocolate qualities that everyone craves (I know you do) over a well-hidden 10% alcohol. ($2.99 for a 330mL bottle)

Baltic Porter by Duck Rabbit Brewing: North Carolina brewers Duck Rabbit bring this high alcohol Baltic style porter to the table and boy does it deliver. A rich, silky chocolate filled body with mild bitter notes floating this way and that. Mild toasted malt notes bring balance to an overall decadent beer. ($2.99 for a 330mL bottle)

Dirty Little Freak by Du Claw: This medium bodied porter is loaded with shaved coconut and chocolate notes. Immediately brings chocolate chip macaroons to mind. The flavours are not overly oily and do not stick to the palate as much as other coconut beers. It finishes with a clean bitterness that cleans it all up. ($3.99 for a 330mL bottle)

AF23 Pale ale by Wild Rose Brewing: The AF23 Pale is a light, balanced hop forward beer that's only moderately bitter but full, full flavoured. Azacca and Mosaic hops keep this beast as tropical as can be, but drinks about as anything you could want!

All 4 of those beers for between 3 and 6 bucks is kind of crazy, make sure not to miss out if you haven't tried them yet!




Of course we always have returning favourites right? Well I mentioned it last week... and they are finally coming in! 3 pumpkin beers have hit our shelves, and of course our favourites are the first to arrive. Howe Sound, St. Ambroise and Alley Kat's spicy pumpkin ales are now on the shelf. As a heads up, those last two sold out in record time last year, so make sure not to miss out!

It's been a couple of years since Alberta has changed the laws on what it takes to open a brewery, and we had no idea what kind of brewers to expect here! Well we're at the point where we can visit a number of local guys and see what kind of culture we've grown! Who's pushing the bar! Who's t...

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Cabernet Franc tasting - September 15, 2016

Posted on September 20, 2016

First Cabernet Franc tasting at the Kensington Wine Market. And to be perfectly honest, I was little bit anxious… When preparing myself for a class, I always try to find that balance between what people expect to taste, and my vision of the theme, or in this case, the varietal. Of course, I want to surprise our guests with a few wines or style that they didn’t expect. But the truth is that I had no idea where to start! What do people really know about Cabernet Franc? When helping customers in the store, I noticed that very few people actually know about the varietal, and often time, just think that Cabernet Franc and Cabernet sauvignon are the same. So who signed up for the class? Loire Valley aficionado like myself, people looking to learn more about a not-so-common grape varietal, or people that were expecting big, fruity and lush Cab Sauv?

I decided to go all in, and to present Cabernet Franc without interference as a single varietal -with the exception of the last wine of the night from Bordeaux- and to take our guests on a journey around the world to discover the true character of this intriguing grape, softer progenitor of the more famous Cabernet Sauvignon.



NV Château de Targé, Saumur Brut Rosé $24.99
Saumur-Champigny, Loire Valley, France

From the warmest appellation of the Loire Valley, Saumur, the cabernet franc comes from a 0.50 ha vineyard with clay & limestone soil dedicated to the production of their sparkling wine. This brut rosé has a delicate salmon color, with aromas of rose petals, cranberry & raspberry, with a distinct hazelnut character. On the palate, it has a very subtle fruitiness reminiscent of crushed strawberry and raspberry, with a hint of orange peel and a little bit of that nuttiness that was so pleasant on the nose. Fresh, full of joy, and the perfect way to prepare our palates for the great wines that are following. Santé!

2014, Domaine de La Noblaie, Chinon Les Blancs Manteaux $27.99
Chinon, Loire Valley, France

This wine takes his name from the calcareous “Tuffeau” (local white limestone of the Loire Valley) hillside where the grapes are grown. The vines from this parcel have an average age of 60 years. The result: an aromatic wine that is balanced and elegant, with a lovely fruitiness, a refreshing green bell pepper tone, supple tannins, and a calcareous finish. Delicious, but maybe a little too firm for immediate consumption. I am convinced that this textbook Chinon will improve nicely over the next 5 years. Interesting fact: 2014 is the first vintage certified organic of the Domaine.

2014, Norman Hardie County Cabernet Franc $45.99
Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada

Norman Hardie’s approach is to use very few modern techniques in the cellar. This "old world" approach entails using absolute minimal amounts of sulph...

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New beers - September 14th, 2016

Posted on September 14, 2016

Hey everyone! Time for your weekly update on all my new stuff! I've got neat new bottles and cans, both light and dark, and a formal update on all the new kegs I've tapped (or will be tapping shortly). There has been an influx of Mikkeller stock these past couple of weeks, and since he is one of my brewing idols, I jumped at some of these beers (and will jump on more for next week). Some of my absolute favourites have returned to the shelf after a very unfortunate absence. So here we go!

Papaya Saison by Collective Arts brewing: A neat and new twist on the classic saison. Collective Arts took this early, fruity saison and packed it with papaya to give it a super quenching, almost tart tropical twist. Semi-dry, earthy and crisp. ($3.49 for a 473mL can)

Drink'in Barely Berliner by Mikkeller: Like the name suggests, it's like you're drinkin' but just barely! 0.1%abv on this crisp, lightly acidic sour. Notes of sour fruits (citrus and otherwise), crackers and fresh wort. Unique and modern, in the vein of Kombucha and other non-liquor ferments. ($3.99 for a 330mL bottle)

Mikkeller Porter by Mikkeller: A favourite style from a favourite brewer! This porter is bitter-sweet with low carbonation and a rich, silky mouth feel with notes of coffee, chocolate, dried fruits and toasty malts. ($5.89 for a 330mL bottle)

Texas Ranger Chipotle Porter by Mikkeller: A rich roasted porter border-lining on stout territory. Dense and black, and quite spicy thanks to the addition of chipotle peppers. The smoky peppers compliment the roasted malts, black coffee and bitter spiced chocolate notes and leave a generous (but not overwhelming) heat. You won't be able to stop drinking this one! ($5.89 for a 330mL bottle)

In the meantime, other freshly tapped kegs include Southern Aspect IPA from Banded peak (a seasonal IPA that's so fresh we were the second place to buy a keg of it!), First Crush white IPA by Trolley 5, and Yankee Chappie dry hopped American pale mild by The Dandy boys. Each and every one I sampled (multiple times) and deemed delicious.

So that's about all for now! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ShawnsBrewsCGY, and see you in the shop!

- Shawn...

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Tight Wad Oenophile tasting - September 8, 2016

Posted on September 12, 2016

One of the biggest challenge for a wine retailer is to find wines under 25$ that overdeliver of the money. Of course, there are many options out there for cheap wines. 8$, 12$, 15$... The vast majority of them are bulk wines and as a wine professional, I am always concerned about what’s inside the bottle, how many additives and preservatives, and the effect on your health. I am also concerned about the standardization of the taste of the wines; a wine from France should never taste like an Australian, or a wine from Spain like an Argentinian wine.  That notion of  “terroir”, or that “sense of place”,  is at the center of my definition of a value wine. It is not a smart buy if I cannot travel while enjoying my bottle of wine...

If you are looking to buy wines for everyday consumption, wines to entertain, or wines that will help you develop your palate and wine knowledge without having to spend a fortune, these 8 wines are for you! .... Because it simply feels good to pay under 25$ to travel the world!

Santé!  Cheers!  ¡Salud!  Saúde!  Salute!



NV Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut $14.99
50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, 15% Xarel-lo
Cava DOC, Spain

The Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut is medium to full-bodied with notes of apple and rich honey complemented by hints of spicy ginger and orange. It’s richly flavored and benefits from a balanced, clean dry finish. Serve chilled, with a variety of appetizers, as an aperitif wine… and maybe keep the leftovers for your Sunday brunch Mimosa!



2015, Mayu Pedro Ximenez Reserva $16.99
Pedro Ximenez
DO Valle de Elqui, Huanta Vineyard, Chile



These Elqui Valley vineyards offer "mindboggling quality and character at unbelievable prices”, according to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate… and I agree! Harvested from one of the highest altitude vineyard –if not the highest- in Chile (6,320 feet!!!), this cool-climate wine is dry and crisp. The place has a special brightness that brings the aromas out, because of the quality of the light from the high altitude. Mineral-driven, with notes of lime-blossom and acacia flower, on a core of pomelo and sweet lemon, this is one of my all-time favorite value-wine in the store.



2015, Domaine de Ménard Cuvée Marine $16.99
60% Colombard, 20% Ugni Blanc, 20% Gros Manseng
IGP Côtes de Gascogne, South West, France

In the Heart of AOC Bas-Armagnac, this blend of typical varietals from the South-West is absolutely gorgeous, and one of my top five value wines of the moment in our store. Exotic fruits, pineapple, guava on the nose, but with a refreshing grapefruit acidity and a round wild flower honey palate. The name of the cuvee derives from the soil which, composed of clay ...

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SMWS Canada September 2016 Outturn

Posted on September 11, 2016

Andrew was away on a very important honeymoon for this month so the attendees to our Scotch Malt Whisky Society Outturn tastings were stuck listening to my ramble on about whisky which comes in fancy green bottles.

We had three separate tastings to reveal this month’s SMWS bottles and each one was a great gathering with a variety of takes on the whisky tasted. I found myself especially enjoying a number of the bottles including:



SMWS 44.71 - A lovely spicy and sweet number originally from Craigellachie distillery.

SMWS 3.261 - A superbly balanced Islay malt that is from a little bit different in cask and style then recent SMWS Bowmore bottles.

And a special mention on SMWS 77.42 - A very good Glen Ord - this also happens to be the first cask finish bottling from SMWS Canada. It is a very well balanced Sauternes Cask finish in my opinion - the fact that it was a 2nd fill Sauternes Cask likely helps keep the wine from taking over. To me this one had just enough of the dessert wine’s influence without going over the top.

The favorites of the attendees were:

SMWS 33.143 - The first Society Ardbeg in a long while. This mature beyond its 8 years Islay is so popular that we will be drawing names out of a hat to see who gets a bottle. More information on this below.

SMWS 53.234 - The third of the Islay malts for the night - this Caol Ila packs a punch. At 64.1% ABV some found it to big and hot. Many others found it dangerously drinkable.

SMWS 71.42 - a sibling of the August Outturn’s 71.41 which prompted a rant by Andrew in the blog - this one shares some similar notes but doesn’t to be quite as divisive as the latter bottle.

More information on all of the bottles with the Society’s notes will follow below!

Cheers,

- Evan



Here is the September 2016 Scotch Malt Whisky Society Outturn - in the order tasted:

44.71 - INVIGORATING AND INSPIRING - $144
This 11 year old Speysider is 58.3% after maturing in a refill barrel

Flavour profile:  Spicy & sweet

Outturn:  222 bottles

Panel's tasting note:  "The nose neat calmed our minds and immediately created a Zen like ambience. Descriptors of resins, cloves, musky, wood and the earthy scent of opening the door of an old-fashioned dunnage warehouse drew us in and we took the first sip. Now very different; candied ginger spice to start then, surprisingly, snowballing to a chili heat which left us all very much invigorated. Water released a bouquet of freesias; a combination of freshness and sweetness without being sickly and that slight hint of pepper. The taste was now all about being sweet and spicy in perfect harmony."

Drinking tip:...

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