Labels

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Barrel of fun - barrels of Bourbon


Want to help us pick our next single barrels of Bourbon?


Stop in tonight and help us pick our next barrel of Four Roses Cask Strength and our next Barrel of Eagle Rare!

come in and ask for Andy at our Forsyth location.

Excel Sugarfire Smoked Lager


Excel Sugarfire Smoked Lager....$8.99 6pk

made in collab with





2013 Pahlmeyer Jayson Red!


There is always a little confusion on Jayson wines.  He makes two red wines - Jayson Cabernet Sauvignon and a "RED WINE" Bordeaux blend - this is the blend!

Great intro price!!
2013 is another spectacular vintage!

2013 Pahlmeyer Jayson Red Blend....$45.99 - on sale!

47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec


The Jayson portfolio is the second label of Pahlmeyer. Jayson honors its namesake,Jayson Pahlmeyer, with wines that express his unquenchable desire for excellence in artisanal winemaking. Expertly made from select vineyard blocks and barrels, Jayson wines are the essence of luxury with a style all their own.

TASTING NOTES: The intensity of this wine is first revealed by its garnet core, then from concentrated aromas of dark black cherry and coffee, nicely lifted by notes of candied red fruits, sarsaparilla and a hint of leather. Upon entry, the showy, plush Merlot and floral, fleshy Malbec leap forward, followed by more subtle dried grass and tea flavors from the Cabernet Franc, immediately balanced by the grip of savory old vine Cabernet Sauvignon and brooding Petit Verdot. A cooling swath of pebble reaches across the palate, as the fine-grained tannins culminate in a lingering and satisfying finish. This wine is ready to enjoy upon release and can age for up to seven years.

Sierra Nevada new single hop


A new single hop beer from a new hop!


Sierra Nevada Harvest Single Hop Ale "Idaho 7"..$5.99 / 24oz
HARVEST SINGLE HOP IPA - IDAHO 7 VARIETAL
A newly developed hop unveils a fruit-forward nose.
On our never-ending quest for exciting hop flavors we stumbled upon a pioneering hop grower in western Idaho working with a handful of new and interesting varietals. One of these captivating hops, Idaho 7, headlines the first of five bottles in our 2015 edition of the Harvest series. Complex fruity aromas of orange and apricot mesh with hints of black tea-like character and a pleasant fresh herbal bouquet. This IPA kicks off our 2015 series exploring diverse hopping methods: single hop, fresh hop, wet hop and wild hop.

A couple of off the charts 2012 Cabernets!





2012 Cade Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon....$174.99
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve comes in a unique bottle that is similar to the special bottle used by Joseph Phelps for their Insignia (which reminds me of a grenade). A blockbuster superstar, this inky/purple-hued 2012 is filled with crème de cassis, blueberry and mulberry fruit that hides any notion of its oak aging. Opulent, voluptuously textured, multilayered and stunningly rich with a finish that lasts 45+ seconds, this magnificent Cabernet should age effortlessly for two decades or more. But who can wait that long? Not me.
Rated 98/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate





2012 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville...$99.99
The long, mild growing season allowed for a long hang time with even ripening and outstanding flavor development and tannin maturity. The flavors coming out of our Estate vineyard in Oakville were absolutely amazing and these flavors have persisted throughout fermentation and aging. The fruit on the nose is intense and lively with aromas of black cherry and raspberry followed by iron, crushed granite, and sage, all laced with mocha and vanilla. This wine has a rich and concentrated palate with great structure and an enduring finish..



Odette - great new wines!






2012 Odette Estate Cabernet Sauvignon....$94.99
Stags Leap District
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc) is a near perfect, glorious example of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from an absolutely magnificent vintage. The scary thing is that 2013 might be not only as good, but better. The color is dense ruby/purple and the wine shows classic crème de cassis notes along with some floral underpinnings, deep raspberry and a touch on minerality. Good crisp acidity provides focus and uplift through this wine’s other exuberant and concentrated component parts. This is a stunner, and a classic Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink over the next 15 or so years.

This is one of the new, hot, fashionable and much-watched small estates just off the Silverado Trail in Stag’s Leap. My first impressions were exceptional. Of the two Cabernets, one is the reserve and the other their standard offering.
Rated 96/100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate




2012 Adaptation (Odette)...$47.99
"Mother nature was incredibly kind in 2012, giving us a stress-free beautiful growing season to craft wines with intense purity of fruit, density and concentration. Sunny, warm and moderate temperatures allowed for peak hang time and optimal ripeness in the vineyards. This wine reflects the characteristics from paring a great vintage with great vineyards in the Napa Valley." - winery

Monday, April 6, 2015

4/22/15 Domaine Faiveley 2012 Burgundy Tasting

April 22nd from 7pm-8:30pm

The Wine and Cheese Place

7435 Forsyth Blvd, Clayton, MO 63105




Domaine Faiveley Tasting
Featuring special guest:  Vincent Avenel, Export Director for Domaine Faiveley


We are very pleased to be able to offer a tasting of this magnitude. Not only do we have some of the most acclaimed wines of the spectaular and spectacularly small vintage 2012 but we will be lead through the wide array of climats by Vincent Avenel of Domaine Faiveley. Thanks to the Domaine's generosity we are able to open this tasting to 20 guests.



$20 per person, reservations required.  Call 314.727.8788 or order online

SOLD OUT

Wines to be tasted:

all 2012 Domaine Faively
  • Bourgogne Rouge...$21.99
  • Mercury Clos Myglands Rouge...$43.99
  • Gevrey Chambertin...$64.99
  • Nuits St Georges Les Damodes...$75.99
  • Nuits-St.-Georges Les Porêts St.-Georges...$89.99
  • Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers...$119.99
  • Chambolle les Charmes...$139.99
  • Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley...$224.99


Vincent Avenel is the Export Director for Domaine Faiveley:

One of France’s most prestigious family domaines. He has held this post since 2007. Prior to working for Domaine Faiveley, Mr Avenel was the European Export Manager for Bouchard Pere et Fils, another well-known Burgundy domaine. Although Mr Avenel’s first love is Burgundy (and he gets the chance to enjoy his passion in his work every day), he also spent time working in Bordeaux for the highly regarded negociant, Barriere Freres in Bordeaux. Mr Avenel speaks fluent English, German and, of course, French. He is married and has three children and lives with his family in the charming town of Bligny near the legendary wine capital, Beaune.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Mulligan's Bourbon





Mulligans Bourbon....$22.99 / 750ml
"Bottled at 80 proof, this 4 year aged Kentucky Bourbon is a little smoother than most small batch bourbons. The temperatures in Kentucky force the bourbon to expand deep into new white oak barrels to pull out the flavors of the wood.  The flavor of vanilla assure an incredibly smooth taste and finish."

Mulligan’s Bourbon has been awarded a Bronze Award in the prestigious 2015 World Spirits Competition. Each year more than 20,000 beverage brands from around the globe compete in the World Spirits Competition — the only worldwide competitive beverage event where entries compete for one of only four coveted awards bestowed within each brand classification. The World Spirits Competition was founded on the premise that beverage products should be judged not by the strength of their marketing or the budget of their sales force, but rather on the quality and innovation of the product itself.

Maker's Mark 46 now in 375ml replica bottle



Makers Mark 46....$17.99 / 375ml - NEW SIZE
Makers Mark 46....$31.99 / 750ml 
Aged - To maturity
Proof - 94
Aroma - Pleasant, sweet, toasty oak nose with caramel overtones. More intense aroma without an alcohol nose.
Taste - Rich, creamy seared-oak flavors; caramel and vanilla notes linger on the front of the palate, but it is still soft enough to hold on the tongue even at 94 proof.
Finish - A big mouth-watering oaky finish. Long with a little spice, staying forward on the palate without the bitter bite found in older whiskies.


How is it made?
* Fully matured Maker's Mark is removed from its barrel. Top hoops are removed from the barrel, and the barrel head is pulled

* Ten wooden seared staves are then affixed to the inside of that barrel.

* Searing the staves caramelizes the sugars in the wood, adding a unique flavor that finishes on the front of the tongue.

* The fully matured Maker's Mark is then put back in the barrel and aged several more months. When it tastes exactly right, Maker's 46 is removed from the barrel, bottled, corked and dipped.



The back story:
The folks here at the Maker's Mark Distillery have been handcrafting one thing, one way, since 1958. But, the fact is, innovation has been part of our heritage since Bill Samuels, Sr., first experimented with soft red winter wheat to create Maker's Mark® all those years ago. Well, curiosity finally got the best of us all over again.
Not too long ago, while staying true to the craft and heritage of Maker's Mark, Master Distiller Kevin Smith began some lengthy "trial and error" to create something new and different. After more than a few failures and bad ideas, Kevin reached the conclusion that the foundation for any new whisky we create should ultimately be our original whiskey – fully matured Maker's Mark. So, with the help of barrel maker Brad Boswell, Kevin started over. Together, they began even more experimentation, realizing that their new creation simply couldn't come from artificial flavors, but, instead, it had to come naturally from grains and wood. In December 2009, one taste of the new product said it all – "We finally got it right." -- Maker's Mark

Iqhilika African Coffee Mead



Iqhilika African Coffee Mead....$21.99 / 750ml
In the southern most corner of the Wild Coast in South Africa, there is a small coffee estate called Transkei Gold, located in the Coffee Bay area. In the early 1900s, the estate had fallen into disrepair and its coffee trees had reverted to the wild. Over the next 90 years, the trees cross-pollinated each other and a new, hardy strain developed, adapting to the edge of the mangrove swamps of the area. These wild coffee saplings only recently started to experience significant growth, and have since been organized into plantations to be cultivated.

This rarest of African coffees, grown entirely organic and sold only to exclusive outlets, is harvested as part of a community job creation project. Local village people are brought on to cultivate and tend the crops, along with volunteers from Europe & the United States. The profits from this project are returned to the community to support education, health care, and clean water projects. The coffee smells wonderful to the nose, and has the aromas of hope for the community.

This exclusive coffee is blended with Makana Meadery’s Sweet Mead to produced a robust beverage ideal for accompanying after-dinner treats. A bit of carmelized honey has been added to the recipe to integrate the flavors of African wildflowers with the roast expressions of the coffee.

Cannonau Sardinia - the fountain of youth!



2012 Pala Cannonau Sardinia....$8.99
Next lowest price on Wine-Searcher is $12.99
Grapes - Cannonau 100%.
Age of vineyard - 10 years.
Intense ruby red colour with violet threads, very clear. A very intense perfume, fresh and with connations of mature red fruits and vegetables.

Cannonau is the main red grape of Sardinia. The DOC Cannonau is one of the most well-known.  It's a flower that grows here in our vineyards... that's why we called I Fiori in range with the other classical traditinal wine varietarls of Sardinia.
The flower on the label is aAquilegia Nuragica, one of thetwo hundred endemic speciesof Sardinia, a symbol of its diversity. It grows in the Gorroppu canyon (Gennargentu National Park) and there are only ten plants left and protected. Hisoriginal color is the one used in Nuragus label.




As seen on Oprah and Dr. Oz
Dan Buettner's Blue Zones - living longer
"Sardinians drink wine moderately. Cannonau wine has two or three times the level of artery-scrubbing flavonoids as other wines. Moderate wine consumption may help explain the lower levels of stress among men. - Bluezones


Blue Zones History
In 2004, Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people live measurably longer better. In these “Blue Zones” they found that people reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States.

After identifying 5 of the world’s Blue Zones, [Sardinia being one of them] Dan and National Geographic took teams of scientists to each location to identify lifestyle characteristics that might explain longevity. They found that the lifestyles of all Blue Zones residents shared nine specific characteristics. We call these characteristics the Power 9®.

Dan’s subsequent book The Blue Zones hit the New York Times best-seller list and took Dan everywhere from Oprah to TED to Bill Clinton’s Health Matters Initiative. The success prompted a new challenge: could we improve health and longevity in the US? 
- Bluezones

WOW - Wine of the Week - Salvard Cheverny


WOW - Wine Of the Week

Come taste the WOW each Saturday at all FOUR of our locations.

There will be a special price that day only for the wine of the week. Check the store that day for the sale price.

Wine of the Week : Salvard Cheverny

Come taste it all four locations on Saturday April 4 - from 11am-4pm




Stock up for the Spring and Summer with this great Loire white...

2013 Domaine du Salvard Cheverny....$15.99
85% Sauvignon Blanc
15% Chardonnay
The Delaille brothers have focused their attention on growing fresh, lively Sauvignon Blanc, deeply rooted in the sand, clay, and limestone plains of northeastern Touraine.   Until finally achieving A.O.C. status in 1993, Cheverny was widely regarded as one of the best V.D.Q.S. (Vin de Qualité Superieur) of the Loire. However, some argue that this A.O.C.-in-waiting designation was a political maneuver by the I.N.A.O. to keep Cheverny’s delicious, sprightly Sauvignon Blanc out of competition with the other more famous appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Kermit was the first to discover the charm and value of Cheverny back in 1978 when he imported the Domaine Jean Gueritte. He took on the Cheverny of Domaine du Salvard in 1992, a year before the status change in the appellation. We continue to tout the domaine’s wine as one of the greatest values for Sauvignon Blanc perfection.

Forsyth Location Cheese Feature: Verano

Forsyth Location Cheese Feature
Always cut fresh to order, come in for a taste.
All stores carry a different selection, check each store for selection.



"One of the country's best cheeses." - New York Times



Vermont Shepherd Verano Sheeps Milk Cheese
Like many fine foods… strawberries, cider, and asparagus, Vermont Shepherd cheeses are seasonal. “Verano,” we make from pure sheeps’ milk when our pastures are abundant with wild herbs and grasses.   The sheep graze naturally on the summer grass.   The flavor of the summer cheese is sweet, rich and earthy with hints of clover, mint, and thyme.  The cheese is then aged for months before it is released.  Come in for a taste.




New Ballas Cheese Feature: Tomme Noir

New Ballas Location Cheese Feature
Always cut fresh to order, come in for a taste.
All stores carry a different selection, check each store for selection.


Tomme Noir with Peppercorns
The Black Coat Pyrenees Cheese comes from the south-west of France in the district of Ariege, Hautes-Pyrenees. Half pressed and made with uncooked pasteurized cow milk, it falls into the semifirm cheese category. The black skin coating gives the lacy white paste interior a fine finished appearance. The milk comes from the specific areas defined by the "Certification de conformite” (conformity certification). Tomme des Pyrenees is made and aged entirely within the same place as the milk is, produced by local business’ workshops. Rennet is added to the cheese, and after curdling, the curd is cut for extra lactose removal. It is put into a mold and shaped. Once removed from the mold, it is then salted and aged in cool, humid cellars where it is turned by hand every day and cured for 21 to 45 days


Tomme Noir Pyrenees is a fine cheese board companion, lending to the none aggressive side of a selection. The 50% maître grasse (butterfat content) is perfect for melting in sandwiches, on soups, or shreds for casseroles and signature pizzas. It slices and cubes wonderfully for buffet style servings and is delicious with the Autumn apple bounty. Note: Tomme des Pyrenees pur vache, also known as Tomme Noire, was made in the twelfth century in the region of SaintGirons. Until the nineteenth century, this cheese was particularly famous in its region but now can be found throughout France.

Friday, April 3, 2015

Founders Tasting today!

We have Ashley from Founders Brewing on hand 
tasting a few beers also tonight (Friday April 3) at Forsyth from 4pm-6pm







Founders Rubaeus Raspberry Ale
Not another boring summer wheat beer or lemonade shandy—Rübæus is Founders’ way to celebrate the season’s warmest months. Optimizing the flavor of fresh raspberries added at multiple stages during fermentation, this stunning berry red masterpiece is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. No question about it, with a hefty malt bill and 5.7% ABV, this beer is 100% Founders.
ABV: 5.7%
IBUs: 15

  • Founders Dirty Bastard 
  • Founders All Day IPA  
  • Founders Rubaeus

New Magic Hat Mix 12 pack


Magic Hat Summer Scene Mix...$14.99 / 12pk

3 bottles of Magic Hat #9 plus 3 bottles each of these beers...







New Version of Goose Island Summer Ale (formerly Summertime)

Goose Island Summer Ale....$7.29 / 6pk
Different than the previous Summer Ale from Goose Island.  New Version.
Sessionable ale with a fresh orange aroma

Billecart Salmon - limited vintage releases







2002 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Francois Billecart...$186.99
his has amazing clarity with sliced pear, mineral, apple, hints of cream and perfume. It's tight, subtle and shy on the nose. Full body, yet very fresh and precise with layers of ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay; 20% fermented in barrel and 20% no malo. All about intensity, finesse and focus. So structured and firm - it has the structure of grand cru like Batard-Montrachet.
Rated 97/100 James Suckling
Rated 96/100 The Wine Enthusiast

1999 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Francois Billecart...$99.99
Very elegant, ethereal in texture and well-knit, offering flavors of poached pear, black licorice, lemon pâte de fruit, pastry and ground ginger. Shows fine balance and integration, with a fresh, lasting finish of ripe fruit and saline minerality. Drink now through 2027
Rated 95/100 The Wine Spectator

Grand Cru for only $19.99






2010 Domaine Ehrhart Gewuztraminer Grand Cru Hengst..$19.99
We are by far the Lowest price in the Country on Wine-Searcher
Compare to $33 Wine Spectator Suggested Retail price.
Lightly floral, with apple blossom and honeysuckle notes, this is open-knit, offering fresh flavors of apricot, lychee, kumquat, spice and herb. Hints of smoke and Grand Marnier liqueur linger on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 100 cases imported.
Rated 90/100 The Wine Specator

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Ballwin Location Cheese Feature: Mahon

Ballwin Location Cheese Feature:

Always cut fresh to order, come in for a taste.  Ballwin will be featuring both the young and aged versions of Mahon.
All stores carry a different selection, check each store for selection.


Image

Mahon Cheese from Spain
Mahon has a bold, magnificent flavor that could never be called mild. The yellowish-orange rind conceals a soft, slightly salty and decidely spicy interior.  It is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese made both "young" and "aged".    Many refer to it as a cow's milk version of the famous Manchego cheese, but Mahon is its own delicious cheese.  It does not have to stand in the shadow of Manchego.


Rock Hill Location Cheese Feature: Kenny's Kentucky Rose

Rock Hill Location Cheese Feature:

Always cut fresh to order, come in for a taste
All stores carry a different selection, check each store for selection.


Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese Kentucky Rose
This has become somewhat of a flagship for our farm, and rightly so because it was named for Mary Rose Mattingly, our original cheese-maker, marketer, farmers market minivan to Louisville schlepper, and inspiration on many long hard, earlier days when it was difficult to soldier on with our duties on the farm and in the creamery. Her constant reminder- That this business is about People and Relationships has become one of our guiding principles. Kentucky Rose is many things, but at its core it is a very simple gently pressed farmhouse-style cheese with a tiny kiss of roquefort, just to give it a floral and earthy note on the rind. Added cream creates a level of decadence that carries the experience from start to finish, but somehow amid all of the that buttery goodness this cheese remains light and airy. The briny finish is longer than you expect. There is nothing to compare it to, like Mary Rose, she is truly one of a kind!


Delirium Red - NEW!

A new one from the Huyghe Brewery






Delirium Red...$10.99 / 750ml
Delirium Red...$18.99 / 4pk
Delirium Red...$5.49 / 11.2oz
Alcohol volume: 8.5% ABV
Colour and sight: Deep dark red colour, with a light pink, compact and lacing head.
Scent: Soft fruity aroma, with hints of almond and mildly sour cherries.
Flavour: Sweet and fruity, with a nice balance between sweet and sour. An excellent dessert beer.

Gouden Carolus Easter




Gouden Carolus Easter....$9.99 / 750ml
We brew this dark special beer every year for Easter. It contains several types of malt and during the brewing process two different kinds of herbs are added to give it that fine, special taste. Its ruby red colour, high alcohol concentration of 10% VOL and its full and well-balanced taste are a source of vitality and strength. A true delight, even for the most critical connoisseur. For ideal tasting, serve cool at a recommended temperature of 7-8° C and pour out gently in one movement. This pleasant, dark special beer is chosen by all who love a richer, slightly spicier tasting Ale.
Type of beer: Dark special beer
Colour: Ruby red
Alcohol: 10,5% VOL
Hops: Exclusively Belgian hops

Alpha Brewing Company Xenu Xipa





Alpha Brewing Company Xenu Xipa...$5.99 / 22oz

English Style Export IPA
"Our theaton level is off the charts with this Hoppy Brew.  This beer has always existed, but only now does it come in the form of a bottle in a traditional English Style Export IPA.  Shove this down your through!" -label

4 Hands Downfall!

4 Hands Downfall will go through the BRC -

Emails just sent!






4 Hands Downfall Bourbon Barrel Aged Milk Stout with Raspberries...$15.99

Downfall is an Imperial Milk Stout aged in Bourbon barrels with raspberries. This huge chocolatey stout is rounded out by a giant punch of tart berry and a warming Bourbon heat. Downfall pours a thick inky black with a creamy tan head.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Pretty Things Beer!

Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project 



Pretty Things Beer Jack D'Or....$6.49 / 22oz
Rated 95/100 RateBeer
Beer Type: Saison Americain
Hop Variety: Nugget, Styrian Golding, Columbus & Palisade
Malt Variety: Pils, Vienna, Wheat, Oats, Rye
ABV: 6.5
IBUs: 57
Color: jackish gold

“Jack D’Or” is a simple table beer, or “Saison Americain” as we’re referring to it. We are not trying to coin a beer style – we’re just having fun. The Jack D’Or (pronounced “Jack Door”), is at the very center of Pretty Things and nearly three years on we’re still pleased as punch that he joined us!

As you know, PRETTY THINGS doesn’t brew “styles” per se. Close, but we re-imagine everything and leave the style numbers in books on the shelves where they belong. What that means is that while other people might be able to put our beers into a category, we have a hard time with it! Our beers are first and foremost creative beasts, not “types” of beer. Jack D’Or is the kind of beer Martha and Dann like to drink before, after and during a great meal. Heck, we’ll drink this sort of beer any time.

On Dann & Martha’s honeymoon in France and Belgium they stashed quite a few cases of Wallonian beer into their trunk. Every night after setting up their tent they’d cook lardons and lentils on a camp stove and enjoy fresh “saison” under the stars.

Inspired by some of our favorites like Saison DuPont, but also DeRanke’s XX Bitter, De Dolle’s Arabier, and local IPAs like Smuttynose, the Jack D’Or starts off with North American Pils, Vienna, Wheat and Malted Oats (among others) and is hopped with a combination of four hops, finishing with Palisade and Nugget. The bitterness is the real backbone of the Jack D’Or. It’s a proper “plant-like” bitterness with all of its jagged edges, beginning deep in the soil, then to the stem of this beer and up into to the very tippity heights. Fermentation-wise we use a blend of four yeast strains to give Jack D’Or its refreshingly dry character. Finally, despite all of the spicy flavours in this beer it contains no actual spices – only malt, oats, rye, sugar, hops and yeast. One more time: there are no spices or citrus in Jack D’Or. Wheat lends acidity at Jack’s edges, then rye and our blended yeast character come into play for a bit of polyphony, displeasing the notion of “balance” and creating the fire in the belly of Jack D’Or!

The creature on the label is Jack D’Or himself, conceived and drawn by Dann. Far away in a small clearing in the woods of New England, ankle deep in the mash tun, he contemplates and conjures himself into a batch of beer. For those of you who are new to this, Jack is a grain of malted barley, but more than that: he is the unifying force behind all of the Pretty Things. Jack D’Or Must Die!





Pretty Things Saint Botolph's Town....$6.49 / 22oz

Rated 93/100 RateBeer
Rated 98/100 in its style on RateBeer
Beer Type: Yorkshire dark brown ale
Hop Variety: if you can taste any let us know
Malt Variety: all of the primary malts for this beer come from Thomas Fawcett & Son, Yorkshire
ABV: 5.9%
IBUs: 38
Color: deep reddish brown in the light, brown to black on the bar

When Martha and I began thinking about what type of beer to brew next for PRETTY THINGS, there was no discussion. In fact we’ve had it figured out for years. We both had our hearts set on brewing the sort of beer we loved so much in Yorkshire.
Many people know that Martha and I love Theakston’s Old Peculier, at least the cask version. But Robinson’s Old Tom is high on our list as well. Now that Samuel Smith has released Yorkshire Stingo that makes three. At the brewery where I worked in Yorkshire we made a unique beer called “Morocco Ale” that is quite similar as well.

Obviously PRETTY THINGS isn’t all about simple replication. As a rule we don’t do beer “styles” straight up, as it doesn’t leave any room for creativity. Instead we take our inspiration from great beers as a starting point.
“Rustic Dark Ale”, is about as apt a descriptor as we could come up with for Saint Botolph’s Town (we almost used “New World Stingo” but decided to save that for a future beer). This ale is formulated with the malts of Thomas Fawcett & Sons of Yorkshire, England as its base. When I was brewing in Yorkshire I visited this magnificent maltings many times, seeing crystal and roasted malts still made by hand. On brew day their crystal malt gave an amazing golden raisin-like aroma in the kettle. Fantastic!
As we did in Jack D’Or, we used a small amount of Malted Oats, but cut it this time with Torrefied Wheat. We “chaptalized” using four different types of sugar in very small doses for both flavour AND colour.

SBT is fermented with two yeast strains for a unique rustic finish. But it’s in the yeast strains where this beer really departs from the typical: one is a German ale strain, the other is a common English strain. Why? Because it’s about the flavour, not just ticking the “style” boxes.
In the end we have an ale of 5.9% abv with a big malty, almost smokey Black Malt character, a bitter attack from Fuggle hops, a rich barleymalt finish, some dried coconut hints and an old ale acidity around the edges. We’ve even timed its tan head, standing proud for ten minutes!
The name “Saint Botolph’s Town” is in tribute to our great home in America: Boston. The original Boston in Lincolnshire, England is an abbreviation of “Botolph’s Town” or “Botolph’s Stone”. When we were back in Yorkshire recently, we found a churchyard where St. Botolph spoke in the year 675; a ‘stump’ (broken old cross) marks the spot. Saint Botolph is a 7th century saint from England whose feast day is June 17th. Perhaps a great day to save a bottle or two for!

by Dann





How about some Fluffy White Rabbits for Easter!
Pretty Things Fluffy White Rabbits....$7.49 / 22oz
Rated 95/100 RateBeer
Beer Type: Why, it’s some sort of Triple
Hop Variety: Amarillo, Saaz, Styrian Golding
Malt Variety: Pils, Malted Wheat
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: 50
Color: Pale Gold

Our first Spring, we brought you a magical tree full of waving babies… and the Baby Tree has stuck around, we’re happy to say. So for our second Spring, and each Spring since, we’ve made a pale gold, hoppy triple called Fluffy White Rabbits. This is a fun and Springy beer: possibly even our fun-est beer. In Yorkshire, they say “White Rabbits” on the first of the month for luck, and here’s to a lovely warm Springtime for all of us!

The beer is 8.5% abv, with Saaz, Styrian Goldings and Strisselspalt hops added aplenty. Fluffy mouthfeel: yes, really! There’s a faint sweetness with tropical fruit undertones. Fluffy White Rabbits is a very “Pretty Things” take on a Triple.

We use what we think are the finest ingredients around: malts from Weyermann (Germany) and Fawcett (Yorkshire) in this beer.

It’s a fun one, we hope you enjoy it!

Dann has been working on the poem for this beer since springtime of 2009. One day, maybe you’ll come back and find it here. One day.




Pretty Things Lovely Saint Winefride...$7.49
Rated 97/100 RateBeer
Rated 100/100 in its style on RateBeer
Beer Style: “Brown” Lager
Hop Variety: Hersbrucker
Malt Variety: Blend of German Pils, Vienna & Carafa malts
ABV: 7.0%
Color: Rich Brown

Lovely Saint Winefride is a “brown” lager, created by Dann using a complicated and extremely-rare decoction mash. You’re correct, “Brown Lager” isn’t actually a style, but we wanted to make the most deliciously malty lager imaginable. At the same time we wanted this to taste like a lager you’d actually find in Germany, bursting with authentic character and suitable for the most discerning old-timer.

Besides the decoction mash, we fermented Saint Winefride at 52 degrees and lagered her over a period of 9 weeks in the deep of winter. They just don’t make lagers like this here in New England. The beer is malty, containing a blend of German malts and roasted German malts. There’s even the wisp of smoke near the end.

St Winefride lived in post-Roman Wales from 600 to 660 A.D. She was charming and intelligent, and decided to become a nun. Unfortunately, this news went down poorly with her suitor, Caradoc, who hacked off her head. Luckily, her Uncle Beuno was able to perform the miracle of reattaching it and she recovered fully. (Hooray!). She became an Abbess and governed Gwytherin Abbey in Wales until her death on November 3rd, 660 A.D.

The lager, yes lager, started out as an idea to create a very rustic beer with a roasted character and a brown disposition. We imagined a pre-Great War sort of beer that might have been on its last legs of popularity. The kind of beer young folks of the time would laugh about as being “an old man’s lagerbier”. Well Pretty Things is the old-man’s-dream-beer-brewer, so we decided to give it a whirl. We started with malted barley and hops from the German tradition and employed a single decoction mash. Decoction is a slightly complicated, time intensive and little used technique (on this continent anyway) that insured temperature accuracy in the age before real temperature control. Got it? Okay, that was a boring explanation. How is this: we took a portion of the mash and boiled it at 212 degrees F for 15 minutes. Trust us, boiling a mash is rare. Dann has only done this a handful of times in his twenty year career (on purpose anyway). Ahem. We continue by saying this brown lager is also quite delicious and nice to drink. If you choose to not think about boiling mashes and old men we assure you this beer will still very much please your palate.

Tasting notes: deep brown red colour, tannish head, fine carbonation, deep dark malt character with quite a lot of yeast presence in the flavour, refined Hallertau hoppiness. 7% ABV

Quite a lady! We hope you enjoy this beer! Keep an eye on this page as we will add more beery-details in the days to come.




Just in time for Easter
Pretty Things Baby Tree....$7.49 / 22oz
Rated 95/100 RateBeer
Beer Type: Quadruple
Malts: Pils, Vienna, Chocolate malt, Oats
ABV: 9.0%
Color: Garnet

Baby Tree was our first Easter beer. We LOVE Easter here at Pretty Things. Usually after the long Boston winter, we’re itching to bring out the bunnies, bonnets and yellow fluffy chicks and get on with our Springtime.

The Baby Tree is a real tree. This must be said. It dwells in Sexhow and carries cavorting baby-dolls and in season, a few pears appear. It belongs to great friends of Dann & Martha, and they chose to rescue these small plastic people from a landfill-fate by allowing them to ride in their pear-tree many years ago. And thank heavens they did.
Our Baby Tree is a very magical, traveling tree filled with waving, happy babies, some of whom may or may not resemble Mikheil Gorbachev. There may also be some discrepancy in the number of limbs, but we cannot be sure where other baby heads may be poking through the leaves so we don’t worry ourselves about it. If you want, read our poem about it.
Baby Tree beer is a Pretty Things take on the best of Abbey-style brewing from Belgium. Inspired by monastic and abbey quadruples, embellished with dark fruit flavours, not too sweet, not too heavy, it’s a springtime beer with some of the richness of late winter. It makes it perfect year round, so that’s when we offer it! You should be able to find it most months of the year, on draft or in bottle.
All in all, it’s our way of bringing a bit of Springtime to you and to us, all year round. Hooray!
-Martha







Pretty Things Meadowlark IPA....$7.49 / 22oz

Rated 98/100 RateBeer
Meadowlark IPA is a new juicy and floral hoppy ale we brewed to celebrate the flavor and spirit of American craft brewing. This 7% alcohol beer has a sunny orange-gold colour, 60 International Bittering Units, a smooth mouthfeel and layers of soft flowery hops. We wove fragrant Citra and Bravo hops from the Pacific Northwest with intensely fruity Galaxy hops from Australia. The malts are English pale & crystal, flaked barley with malty highlights from Munich malt and Roast Barley. The resulting patchwork is as “American” tasting as short ribs and slaw, and provides an excellent accompaniment to that kind of food too!