Winter Beers are on the way...

[Lyle]

It seems every year, we start getting the winter/holiday beers earlier...

Anyway, here's a list of a few things that should arrive in the next two weeks at Premier:
Aventinus Eisbock - 12% abv, very limited supply.
Lee's Harvest Ale, 1986 vintage (the first year it was brewed!) - EXTREMELY limited.
RCH Ale Mary - Premium bitter spiced with ginger, cloves cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and pimento!
Gale's Christmas Ale - spiced with cinnamon and clove. Brand new brew.
Harvey's Christmas Ale - new vintage. It was fantastic last year.
Brouwerij de Regenboog Wostynje (mustard beer) - only available in 1.5L magnums.
Hitachino Nest White Ale - Belgian Wit brewed in Japan. LOTS of awards.
Hitachino Nest Weizen - Bavarian hefe brewed in Japan. Also LOTS of awards.

The micro seasonals should start arriving very shortly. There will definitely be a handful of new ones this year.

Just arrived two days ago - Allagash White, Allagash Double, Allagash Double Reserve, and Allagash Triple Reserve. We expect their Grand Cru Reserve Winter Seasonal shortly! For more info on this brewery, check out http://www.allagash.com

[db]

When does T&B come out with their Porter? Will it be available at LCBO?

[Lyle]

More new seasonal stuff arriving at Premier...

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 2001-2 Vintage, arriving tomorrow (10/20)

Arriving next week:
Allegash Grande Cru Special Reserve (very limited)
Abita Fallfest
He'Brew Genesis Ale and Messiah Stout

Arriving first week of November:
Flying Dog Horn Dog Barleywine (very limited)
Flying Dog K9 Cruiser Winter Ale
Flying Dog Variety 12-packs
Flying Dog In Heat Wheat
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve
Rogue Yellow Snow Ale

About 50 more winter brews are on the way. I'll try to keep you guys posted as I hear arrival dates. Any time anyone wants us to hold a few bottles, just send me an email - its never a problem.

I hope to send out one of our Premier e-Brewletters in the next week or two. If you want to be added to our list, just send me an email...

Cheers

[Lyle]

Okay - I still haven't managed to get a Premier e-brewletter out. Just too busy. Anyway, here's some more new arrivals:

Unibroue 10 - we got ~15 cases. I haven't tried it yet. My parents had a bottle with dinner last night and said it was tremendous.

Anchor Christmas (Our Special Ale) - we've got tons. Plus, a very limited number of 1.5 liter Magnums.

Sierra Nevada Celebration - tons. yay!

Fantome de Noel - very rare Belgian holiday brew. just arrived today.

De Ranke Pere Noel - another Belgian rarity.

Otter Creek A Winter's Ale - from Vermont. just arrived.

Abita Mixed 12-packs - includes a few bottles of the Christmas Ale.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale - due any day now.

Flying Bison Skye Pilot Scotch Ale - A Buffalo original!

Victory Old Horizontal Barleywine - supposed to arrive Monday

Rudolph's Revenge Winter Ale - from the U.K. also due on Monday.

We are also getting a very small stock of Dogfish Head World Wide Stout (18% abv) - only ~2 cases total. It will be quite expensive - around $6-8 PER BOTTLE U.S.

Plus, fresh stocks from Scotland of Skull Splitter, Dark Island Dark Ale, Ebulum Elderberry Ale, Grozet Gooseberry Ale, Fraoch Heather, Kelpie Seaweed Ale, Alba Scots Pine Ale, and the Red McGregor.

Lastly, I know it ain't beer, but there is a great new cheddar cheese from England made with Boddington's Ale and pickling spices. If you stop by the store, ask to try a sample!


_________________
Lyle Ostrow
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
tel:(716) 877-3574
email: premierbeer@adelphia.net

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2001-11-30 16:17 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Lyle on 2001-11-30 16:18 ]</font>

[Josh Oakes]

I have to say, that list look scary. May or may not have the opportunity to visit Buffalo this month, but man I hope I do. I haven't had too many of those, but Horizontal rocks and Rudolph's Revenge would make a good substitute for anyone who was a fan of the Wood's Christmas Cracker last year.

[Cass]

Thanks for the update Lyle. I was in Buffalo a couple of weekends back and stopped by Premier to stock up. Grabbed a bunch of good stuff, but I think I'm going to have to go back for more!

[Manul]

I don't know man. The customs are getting worse and worse. Too bad you cannot open a store in Toronto.

[Cass]

Yeah, the border can often be a pain. I guess we just got lucky last time. And I hate the thought of being inspected by the National Guard for a beer-trip...

[Lyle]

- this email just went out today to our e-brewletter list. If you want to be included on the list in the future, send your email address to premierbeer@adelphia.net.
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Finally, we present a much delayed run-down of holiday/winter seasonal brews available at Premier Gourmet!


NORTH AMERICA

Abita Christmas Ale - From the Abita Brewery located 30 miles north of Louisiana, a limited seasonal release, appearing on our shelves for the first time! We also have Abita 12-packs, featuring two bottles each of their Turbo Dog, Amber, Purple Haze, Christmas Ale, Fall Fest, and Golden Lager.

Allagash Grand Cru - Brewed in limited quantities each year by the Maine brewery famous for their Belgian-style ales. At 7.2% alcohol, Allagash Grand Cru is deep golden in color with a yeasty/spicy palate.

Anchor Christmas, Our Special Holiday Ale - This complex and rich limited seasonal release from San Francisco is always superlative. Although the exact recipe and "secret" spices change each year, I usually detect notes of chocolate, orange, and pine. A great beer for the cellar, this year's vintage also tastes terrific fresh! We also have a very limited stock of special 1.5 liter magnums.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - Based on a style originally brewed in England for the Russian court of Catherine the Great. "Chocolate" refers to the dark roasted malts used in brewing. Described by the brewery as "velvety black in color, with a dark chocolate and coffee aroma, a powerful warming palate, and a long, malty, fruity finish…"

Brooklyn Monster 2001-2 Vintage - The third year for this limited bottling from the Brooklyn Brewery. Brewmaster Garrett Oliver describes it as having "…a magnificent burnished copper color, an aroma redolent of sherry, citrusy hops and fruit, a soft, warming, complex palate, a spirituous finish, and 11.8% alcohol by volume."

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout - at 18% alcohol, this is the world's strongest dark beer. It is brewed with six different malts over a seven month period, and then aged for half a year before release. Unmatched in rich and roasty character, this is a beer to be chewed. Its alcoholic strength is hidden beneath layers of complex malt. Extremely rare and exceptionally unique.

Flying Bison Skye Pilot Scotch Ale - back for a second year, this local winter seasonal is so popular that Tim and Phil have already brewed a second batch - before the winter season has even started! Beautifully balanced, with an amber red color, toasty malt body, and refreshing hop finish. A phenomenal brew that Buffalo should be proud of! We also have foam gift-boxes that hold 2 growlers from Buffalo's only distributing microbrewery - a great gift! Flying Bison now has a website - check them out at http://www.Flyingbisonbrewery.com

Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser - From Colorado, an English-style strong winter ale (5.9% abv), - with fantastic label artwork by Ralph Steadman. Awarded "Best Dark Beer" at the 2001 "March of Ales" in Ft. Collins, Colorado. We also have the Flying Dog Litter of Ales 12-packs, featuring a mix of their Doggie Style Pale Ale, Old Scratch Lager, Road Dog Scottish Ale, Tire Biter, Snake Dog IPA, and K-9 Cruiser.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale - We only have a very limited stock of this holiday brew from the renowned Cleveland brewery. Copper colored, medium bodied, and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and honey. 7.5% alcohol by volume. We also now have two more long-awaited beers from Great Lakes - Eliot Ness Vienna Lager and Dortmunder Gold.

Harpoon Winter Warmer - one of the best "spiced" winter seasonals available. Festive notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, with a nice crisp hop finish.

Middle Ages Wizard's Winter Ale - An English-style strong ale from Syracuse. 6.3%abv. The brewery recommends pairing with stews, soups, roasts, and wild game. We also have Middle Ages Family Jewels 12-packs, containing 3 bottles each of their Duke of Winship Porter, Wizards Winter Ale, Grail Ale, and Beast Bitter.

Otter Creek - A Winter's Ale - 5.8%abv - from Vermont, a mild Scottish-style ale with a subtle roasty character and a lightly sweet caramel maltiness.

Pete's Winter Brew - An amber ale spiced with nutmeg and raspberry. We also have Pete's Wicked Winter Sampler 12-packs, containing a selection of their Wicked Ale, Strawberry, Helles Lager, Red Rush American Red Ale, and the Winter Brew.

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve - a double-hopped version of Rogue's St. Rogue Red, brewed with chinooks, centennials, and a "mystery hop" called Rudolph. Apparently, Santa is quite a hop-head.

Rogue Yellow Snow Ale - Brewed in anticipation of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, Yellow Snow is described by the brewery as, "a pale ale, saffron in color with a smooth malt balance; a floral aroma with a dry spicy finish from whole juniper berries."

We also have a limited supply of Rogue Holiday Gift Boxes - wooden boxes containing one bottle each of the Santa's Private Reserve and Yellow Snow.

There is also an extremely limited supply remaining of the Rogue Chocolate Stout - originally released in Japan as "Teddy Bear Beer" - this is a chocolate lover's delight! A staff favorite that is not to be missed!

Sam Adams Winter Lager - loosely in the style of a traditional German wheat bock, but spiced with curacao orange peel, cinnamon, and fresh ginger. 6.94% abv.

Saranac Season's Best - The F.X. Matt Brewery changes the recipe for this rich, nutty winter lager each year. 5.3% abv. We also have the fantastic Saranac 12 Beers Holiday mixed 12-packs, featuring their Mocha Stout (new!), Single Malt (new!), Pale Ale, Adirondack Amber, Pilsner, Black & Tan, Black Forest, Traditional Lager, Scotch Ale, IPA, ESB, and Caramel Porter.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - Definitely one of the most popular winter seasonals in the country. Huge citric and floral aromas and flavors from tons of North American hops, with a sturdy malt backbone providing body and warmth that sets it apart from traditional American IPAs. The San Francisco Chonicle called it the "…best beer ever made in America." We also have a limited stock of the Bigfoot 2001 barleywine still remaining, while we await the release of this year's brew in a few months!

Unibroue 10 - A special very limited release from one of our favorite North American Breweries. "10" is brewed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of this "Belgian" brewery in Chambly, Quebec, and is 10% alcohol. It comes in a beautiful gold-screened champagne-corked bottle. We were very lucky to get a stock of this limited release. In fact, customers have been driving down from Canada to buy it!

Victory Old Horizontal - in our humble opinion, every single beer brewed by this Pennsylvania micro is exceptional. At over 10% alcohol, Old Horizontal is a powerful barleywine, combining fragrant North American hops with a sweet malty character, velvety body, and substantial alcoholic warmth. A definite staff favorite. I'm actually enjoying one while I write this email!

Victory Storm King - Another huge beer from Bill and Ron. This time, they combine their love of N. American hops with the intense roasty character of an imperial stout. A fantastic beer for the cellar! Beer Philadelphia described it as "...stimulating in its roastiness, assaultive in its hoppiness and narcotic in its booziness."


BELGIUM

Blaugies La Moneuse Special Noel - The tiny 7-hectoliter Blaugies Brewery, located in Western Hainaut near the border with France, produces this special 8% abv holiday version of their La Moneuse strong saison. The brewery was started in 1988 by a husband and wife who were school teachers. One of their ancestors was a local bandit called "La Moneuse," who gives his name to the beer.

Boon Mariage Parfait 1997 Framboise Lambic (Belgium) - Frank boon blends only the best casks from his most outstanding years to produce the limited release Mariage Parfait lambics. 100% spontaneously fermented and erupting with notes of raspberry, winey complexity, and tart lambic acidity. Serve it in a champagne flute to toast the new year!

Brugse Tripel giftpacks - A great gift! Two bottles of this classic example of style from De Gouden Boom (the Golden tree Brewery), plus a special glass.

Chimay Giftpacks - One 11.2oz bottle each of the Cinq Cents, Grand Reserve, and Premiere, plus a fantastic Chimay chalice for drinking them!

Corsendonk Christmas Ale 2000 - Brewed by du Bocq (the brewery that makes Corsendonk Pale Ale), this is a dark and spicy Belgian treat - ripe fruit, brown spices, and a subtle but distinct licorice note. We hid a limited stock of the 2000 vintage release in our Premier cellar (dark and 54-58F). In a vertical tasting last year of the 1998, '99, and '00 vintages, our panel all agreed that this beer reached it's peak after 2 years of aging. If you want to find out for yourself, you'll have to hide a few bottles in your own cellar - our stock will certainly be gone by then! Our tasters also all agreed that this brew improved dramatically as it warmed in the glass. Therefore, we recommend serving at cellar temperature or even warmer.

De Dolle Stille Nacht - The winter seasonal from De Dolle Brouwers ("The Mad Brewers") - a tiny Belgian village brewery. Always a unique treat and a definite staff favorite! Assertive aromas and flavors of honey, green apples, and slight banana pie give way to a warming, brandy-like (or sherry wine?) character as this rare and unique brew matures. We also have a limited stock of the 1996 and 2000 vintages.

Delirium Noel - We are still awaiting the arrival of the 2001 vintage of this strong Belgian ale packaged in corked ceramic bottles. A limited stock of the 2000 bottling is available. Look for the labels with pink elephants wearing red hats and pulling Santa's sleigh!

De Ranke Pere Noel - Brouwerij De Ranke brews some of the hoppiest beers in Belgium. Tim Webb describes their XX Bitter as "a pale ale with the hop punch of a one-legged Mike Tyson." Although, I don't totally understand the metaphor, you get the gist. At 8% abv, Pere Noel is slightly less hopped than their other offerings, and slightly darker. The bottles are hand-wrapped in green tissue paper depicting Santa delivering a nice big keg in his sleigh.

Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze 1999 Vintage - The "Three Fountains" café-restaurant first started blending lambics in 1955. They blend their own Gueuze from one year old Girardin and two-year-old Lindemans lambics. We only have an EXTREMELY limited stock of this authentic Belgian specialty that should continue to age well for 15-20 years.

Fantome de Noel - This Belgian microbrewery was founded in 1988 and is dedicated to producing yeasty saison-style beers. They like to experiment, producing a range of seasonals and several "one-time" brews. At 10% alcohol, the almost black Fantome de Noel has a "sweet and sour" complexity - reminiscent of a Flemish Oud Bruin.

N'Ice Chouffe 2001 - this year's vintage has just arrived! Brewed since 1993, N'Ice Chouffe has notes of raisins, dates, ripe fruit, and brown spices. The founders of the Brasserie D'Achouffe are brothers-in-law who started out as homebrewers. We also have a limited stock of the 1996 and 1999 vintages!

Scaldis Noel - At ~13% alcohol, Scaldis is one of the strongest beers in the world! Reminiscent of an English barleywine, brewed with a spicy, fruity, Belgian yest! We also have a limited supply of giftpacks, with 4 bottles and a special glass.


BRITAIN

Cropton's Rudolph's Revenge - a bottle-conditioned 6% abv winter ale, brewed with English malt, and a blend of Belgian Styrian Goldings and American Cascade hops! A big hit at the Premier/Alternative Brews Holiday Beer Tasting, Rudolph's Revenge is full flavored and warming. Maybe now we know why Rudolph's nose was red!

George Gale's Christmas Ale 2001 - This is the first time that Gale's has bottled their 8.5% Christmas Ale for export! Hand corked and matured for months before release, Christmas Ale has all the wonderful fruity, raisiny, and oaky flavors that the brewery is renowned for. It is subtly spiced with cinnamon and cloves, but the "spice" that really stands out in this year's release is the hops! There is a delicious herbal, slightly bitter finish that perfectly balances the sweet malty body. Premier Beer Manager Doug Loughran's favorite holiday import!

Harvey's Christmas Ale 2001 - Although brewed in England for over a quarter century, this is only the second year it has been imported into the U.S. Christmas Ale is rich and warming, with a deep mahogany-red color, and aromas and flavors of toffee, figs, prunes, plums, cloves, and berry fruit. Reminiscent of a Japanese plum wine, this rare treat is a perfect accompaniment to vanilla ice cream or crème brule. Tremendous cellaring potential. Dry-hopped with Fuggles and Goldings grown within 35 miles of the brewery, Christmas Ale has won several awards, including First Prize Gold Medal in the British bottlers' Institute 2000 Ale and Lager Competition. We also have a limited stock of the 2000 vintage!

RCH Ale Mary - Brewed in a former cider mill in West Hewish, Ale Mary is spiced with ginger, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and pimento! A solid English ale with a delicate spicy character, Ale Mary won a gold medal as the best bottle-conditioned beer at the 2001 Great British Beer Festival.

Sam Smith's Winter Welcome - Vintage dated, with a special label each year. Described by importer Merchant du Vin as "honey-amber-colored, creamy head of small bubbles, floral aroma, and delicious malt flavor with great finesse."

Young's Winter Warmer - The original "winter warmer" - in fact, the brewery copyrighted the name in the UK (although there are some American beers called "winter warmer").


MORE SPECIAL TREATS FROM NEAR AND FAR!

Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock - In the early 20th century, the famous German wheat-doppelbock Aventinus was shipped throughout Bavaria in containers lacking temperature control. Consequently, the beer partially froze during transportation, separating out some of the water and producing a stronger version of the beer! Hans Peter Drexler, brewmaster of the Schneider Brewery, has recreated this classic "mistake" by freezing the beer in a conditioning tank at 20F. The result is a richer, maltier, more intesnse version of Aventinus, with all of the wonderful spicy weizen yeast characters of the original. Each bottle is individually numbered - only ~100 cases per month are being released from the brewery in total!

Samichlaus - At 14% alcohol, Samichlaus is the strongest bottom-fermented lager in the world. It is brewed only once a year, on December 6th - aged for ten months before bottling, and released the following year. We cellared a limited stock of the 2000 bottling and there is still some left. This year's vintage has been delayed, but should arrive shortly!

Looking for more great gift ideas from closer to home? Check out the wonderful variety 12-packs from the Ithaca Brewery and Cooperstown Brewing Company! Also, be sure to check out our Premier Beer Gift Packs, hand picked by our beer experts. There are three different varieties:

Imported Sampler Pack - a collection of 10 imported beers from around the world, each from a different country.

Microbrew Sampler Pack - Ten disntinctive, award-winning beers from some of our favorite craft breweries in North America.

Holiday Sampler Pack - Ten different beers, specially brewed for the season, available for a limited time.

Plus, we also have our Big Brew 4-Packs - featuring a selection of four "large" bottles in a colorful giftbox.

A few late arriving winter seasonals and other new brews on the way soon, including Geary's Hampshire Ale, Middle Ages Druid Fluid 2002, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2002, Mead the Geuze (a blend of Lurgashall Mead and Hanssens Gueuze), and more!

Lastly, here's a quick list of some other recent arrivals at Premier (some of these are brand new, and some have just been out of stock for a while):

From Scotland - Alba Scots Pine Ale, Grozet Gooseberry Ale, Ebulum Elderberry Ale, Fraoch Heather Ale, Skullsplitter, Dark Island Dark Ale, Red MacGregor, and Kelpie Seaweed Ale.

From England - Cropton's Calamity Ale and Lee's Harvest Ale 1986 Vintage (a very limited stock from the first year it was brewed!).

From Germany - Einbecker Black Beer, Einbecker Pilsner, Kapuziner Hefe-weizen, Monschof Schwarzbier, Spezial Rauchbier Lager, Mahr's Weissbock and Mahr's Brau Ungespundet Lager.

From Japan - Hitachino Nest Weizen and Hitachino Nest White Ale.

From Belgium - Uitzet Kriek, Druivenbier, Fantome Black Ghost, Vapeur en Folie 2000 Vintage, Saison de Pipaix 2000 Vintage, and Witkap Pater Singel Abbey Ale.

Happy Holidays!!!


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If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions about beer, Premier, or this brewletter, please send me an email! If you have friends who might enjoy this (but didn't receive a copy), please forward it on and send me their address! If you are not sure why you received this email, and do not want to receive it in the future, just send me a note.

Cheers!
Lyle Ostrow
Premier Gourmet
3465 Delaware Avenue
Kenmore, New York 14217
Tel: 716-877-3574
Fax: 716-873-9019
premierbeer@adelphia.net