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Friday, April 2, 2010

400 Pound Monkey

in stock at Forsyth...
Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey....$8.99 / 6pk
Arriving today -- we will add it to tonight's tasting! ENGLISH Style IPA
"Okay, this one isn’t for everybody – yet. Over the years we’ve been asked to brew a year-round IPA, but have balked at the idea because of the flood of American IPAs currently on the market. If we couldn’t make an IPA that was different what was available, that we personally liked to drink, and one that we could put our personal signature on and be proud of, we didn’t want to do it. So, last fall we brewed a single batch IPA on our new brewhouse and sent it out to 5 different markets around the country to test the response. Which turned out to be pretty positive. So, here we are in 2009, and we’re back playing again with a few new test batches that we’re sampling here in Colorado and a few select markets around the country. What’s in a name, you ask? Well, back in February of 2007, there was an article in there titled ‘Extremely Boring’. Go back and find that issue, and that specific article, and you’ll see why we named the beer 400 Pound Monkey. Happy sleuthing!"



Next bacon...

The Wine and Cheese Place year of the bacon continues....with a bang. We are very excited about Bacon #8.





Bacon #8 - California
Hobbs Apple Wood Smoked Bacon...$12.99 / lb

Hobbs uses Berkshire Black Hair and Duroc Red Hair pigs for their bacon. All of their hogs are from Canada which they claim gives them much more flavor in the meat because of the colder temperature. They cure their bacon the old-fashioned way with just enough sugar and salt and they also smoke their bacon for 2 hours longer than most bacon producers to take out more moisture.

Thomas Keller arguably the best chef in the country and owner of the French Laundry, uses it at his restaurants and calls it the best bacon made in numerous articles that I have found. French Laundry is considered by many to be the best restaurant in the country (if not the world).

"Thomas Keller of the
French Laundry in Napa Valley loves Hobbs’ bacon, smoked for 16 hours over applewood chips in California’s San Joaquin Valley. His favorite way to eat it: “In a BLT. It’s classic” -- Food and Wine Magazine

Here is how it appears on the
French Laundry menu:
CORN-FRIED “TÊTE DE COCHON”
Hobbs’ Bacon, Hass Avocado, Petite Lettuces and Herbed Buttermilk


"Hobbs' Bacon Business Is Smokin' / Economist's hobby turns meats into millions
Twenty years ago, Hobbs Shore retired from a career as an economist and moved to the sleepy west Marin town of Marshall. But the tiny village proved to have even less of a pulse than Shore imagined, and two years into retirement, he was thoroughly bored.

At the urging of a commercial fisherman friend, Shore turned an old refrigerator into a smoker and began smoking salmon and the occasional ham or turkey for friends.

One Monday morning, a few days after he had made some smoked meats for a friend's dinner party, he got the call that brought retirement to an abrupt end.

"This is Bradley Ogden," said the caller, the chef-owner of the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur. "Can I place an order?" Today, Hobbs Applewood Smoked Meat is a $4.5 million business with customers from California to Florida's Disney World. Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville calls Hobbs' bacon the best in the world. Ogden uses 50 pounds of his ham hocks a week at the Lark Creek Inn. Insalata's in San Anselmo, Bay Wolf and Caffe 817 in Oakland, and Bizou, Boulevard and Park Chow in San Francisco are among the restaurants that have made Hobbs' name almost as common on local menus as garlic. In an industry dominated by meat-processing giants, Shore's experience reflects, in part, how a small business can thrive by addressing Bay Area chefs' concerns about how their raw materials are produced.

"If we use prosciutto at all, his is the one we use," says Michael Wild of Bay Wolf. "It's the one that's actually made by a human being with some kind of care."

At Park Chow, where Hobbs' pepperoni tops the pizza, chef-owner Tony Gulisano is another enthusiast. "We can't touch the pepperoni pizza," Gulisano says. "It's really, really good. It's so clean when you eat it, it feels healthful. It feels like you've eaten food that's been taken care of. Let alone all the love that (Shore) puts into it. I believe you can taste that, too."

For a 78-year-old who says the best part of his business is hanging out with chefs, the approval of these demanding clients is a huge ego boost. When Keller, who reportedly has time for no one, stands around with him in the
French Laundry kitchen debating whether to put truffle oil on Hobbs' bundnerfleisch, Shore is in heaven. When he recalls bringing liverwurst to Boulevard's Nancy Oakes and watching her and her staff eat it all on the spot, his elfin face lights up with delight."
By Janet Fletcher, Chronicle Staff Writer







KY Derby Bourbon

In stock at Forsyth.. (and online now)
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon Bottle 2010.....$39.99 / liter





Woodford Reserve® Bourbon Releases 2010 Kentucky Derby® Bottle

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(
BUSINESS WIRE)--Like nurturing a champion thoroughbred, the art of crafting fine bourbon whiskey takes time, patience and attention to detail. So it is with Woodford Reserve®, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, which honors the country’s favorite horse race with a limited-edition Kentucky Derby commemorative bottle. The 2010 bottle features the work of nationally-acclaimed, Louisville-based artist Jeaneen Barnhart.
“As a proud supporter of horse racing, it is fitting that Woodford Reserve has been selected once again as the ‘Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby,’ America’s most prestigious horse race”
“When creating this special painting, my intent was to reveal the energy and emulate the figures through loose interpretation of uninhibited line and depth,” said Barnhart. “It’s the heart, the bones, the muscle and the mind that open my eyes to deeper expression.”
Barnhart’s striking work depicts the vibrancy and intensity of Kentucky Derby racehorses as they charge toward the finish line. The artist’s signature adorns the neck of the bottle, and an attached neck tag bears information about the artist and product.
For the twelfth year in a row Woodford Reserve Bourbon has been selected the “Official Bourbon of Kentucky Derby.” It also sponsors a Grade I race, the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, which is run on Derby Day, May 1, 2010, and has become one of thoroughbred racing’s premier turf events.
Jeaneen Barnhart
Though her work extends through many subjects and artistic styles, acclaimed Kentucky artist Jeaneen Barnhart is best known for her equestrian drawings and paintings. In 1994 along with her twin, Doreen, the sisters worked side-by-side on their first Kentucky Derby Festival poster. This combination of Jeaneen’s art and Doreen’s design was the inspiration that led them to their own business and way of life, “Twinspired: Art + Design”. While successfully pursuing separate careers, the twins collaborated on many projects, such as the 1996 PGA Golf Experience Poster, 1997 and 2009 Kentucky Derby Festival Poster and the 1999 St. James Court Art Show Poster. They also partnered on projects for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Ball and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure’s Pink Tie Ball.
About Churchill Downs®:
Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2010 and the Kentucky Oaks on April 30, 2010. The track will conduct its 2010 Spring Meet from Saturday, April 24, through Sunday, July 4. Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on Nov. 5 and 6, 2010. Churchill Downs tickets are available at Tickets.ChurchillDowns.com or by calling (502) 636-4400. Additional information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at
www.ChurchillDowns.com.
Churchill Downs®, Kentucky Derby® and the Twin Spires design are registered trademarks of Churchill Downs Incorporated.
Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45.2% Alc. by Vol., The Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY ©2010.
Article from Business Wire











Avery 17th Anniversary!

Not released yet, looks like late Spring 2010
Avery 17th Anniversary label approved -- we should see some in St. Louis when it is released -- stay tuned.

Here is a preview
Avery Seventeen Dry Hopped Black Lager
"A study in German Hops"

Looks like it will be bottled in May 2010

"After years of commemorating our anniversary with deliciously wild and weird ales, we decided to mix it up a bit and create our first Anniversary Lager. SEVENTEEN is a celebration and case study of the aromas and flavors of German hops. And knowing our fetish for those beautiful green cones, you can be confident that the contents of this bottle are excessively hopped for your olfactory pleasure. Many thanks to all and we hope you enjoy our lupulin dissertation. Peace to all and follow your dreams!" -- label

8.52% ABV

Thursday, April 1, 2010

BBQ time is here

Fire King Charcoal is in stock now! Plus check out these new items...


Fire and Flavor Grilling Planks - in stock at Forsyth


Fire and Flavor Red Oak Grilling Planks
Fire and Flavor Alder Grilling Planks
Fire and Flavor Cedar Grilling Planks
Fire and Flavor Maple Grilling Planks
Fire and Flavor Cedar Papers
(wrap around seafood, meats, vegetables, and fruit)


Natural wood smoking chips!
Sweet and Smoky Ozark Apple Wood Smoking Chips
Sweet and Smoky Ozark Hickory Smoking Chips
Sweet and Smoky Wild Cherry Smoking Chips
Sweet and Smoky Mesquite Smoking Chips




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Glendronach is back!!

Founded in 1826 by the legendary James Allardice, GlenDronach was one of the very first licensed distilleries in Scotland (the Excise Act was passed in 1823, just 3 years earlier). Arguably one of the most unspoiled distilleries in Scotland, they are proudly using the same production processes today as they did in 1826. Many of the distillery’s unique attributes offer a distinctive character that you will not find anywhere else, and they are still producing the original, richly sherried style of single malt Scotch whisky associated with the distillery in its early days" -- importer.

Glendronach Revival 15 year....$79.99
Renowned amongst many whisky enthusiasts around the world, this remarkable and full bodied malt is matured for a minimum of 15 years in the finest Oloroso sherry casks. Bottled at 46%, the GlenDronach Revival is non chill filtered and of natural colour. A truly excellent single malt.
Deeper, richer, more viscous, and more intriguing than 12 year old. Complex and intriguing, with raisin, orange marmalade, grape skin, sugar plum, cinnamon bun, raspberry preserve, mixed nuts, and coal ash. Nice tannic grip on finish. The best of the bunch, and very impressive!
Advanced Malt Advocate Magazine Rating: 93/100





Glendronach Allardice 18 year....$109.99
The famous GlenDronach 18 year old, now renamed Allardice, is the third expression in the GlenDronach core range. This exceptional single sherried malt is non chill filtered and of natural colour. Matured in the finest Spanish Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 46%, this sublime richly sherried malt is truly unforgettable