Last Minute Valentine Libations

It's Valentine's eve and I thought I would post some last minute wine and beer suggestions to help you delight and indulge tomorrow or just anytime you want to treat your Sweetie!

First and foremost, when I think of romance, and celebration I think of Champagne and for me Ruinart is simply the best...

NV Ruinart, Rose, Champagne, France (55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay); starting with the luminous rose gold color to it's intoxicating bubbles and notes of wild strawberries, raspberries, roses and roasted herbs it makes my heart skip a beat! Heavenly with duck breast, seared ahi or even a rich lamb burger (SRP $60)

2011 Chateau Bonnet, Rose, Bordeaux, France (50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvingon); Rose is perfect for every season and this dry rose is sophisticated, fun and juicy and would be delightful with salmon or pork at a fantastic everyday price (SRP $13)

2010 George Dubouef, Fleurie, Beaujolais, France (100% Gammay); Fleurie (translates to "flowery") is known as the Queen of Beaujolais and this wine is elegant, velvety and floral with notes of violets, spice, raspberries and plums...pair with roast chicken or a rich chocolate cake with a raspberry coulis (SRP $16)

Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence, New York, US; Rich dark Belgian chocolate, dark malt with Perle hops that impart flavors of mint and spice..feeling frisky...why not pair this with some chocolate crepes (SRP $14)

Guinness, Stout, Dublin, Ireland; Smooth and creamy with hints of coffee and cocoa I have loved Guinness with everything from Oysters to a coffee rubbed filet (SRP $8)

Southern Tier, Choklat Imperial Stout, New York, US; This is probably the richest, most decadent beer I have ever tasted with the marriage of bittersweet dark Belgian chocolate, chocolate malt and Chinook and Willamette hops. Love chocolate covered strawberries? Have a glass of this in one hand and strawberries to feed your love in another... (SRP $10)

Tis The Season....

Anyone that knows me knows that I adore anything pumpkin. I think it comes from growing up in New England. Fall has always been my favorite season; the weather starts getting crisp, the leaves begin to change color and pumpkin delights start appearing everywhere. Now that I am older my love for pumpkin has met my appreciation for beer and it has become my quest to find well made and delicious pumpkin beers. SO, I thought I would break down some of my recent favorites I have tried:

My absolute favorite...and of course the one I can't seem to get a hold of on the West Coast is Southern Tier's Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Pumking has the ability to embody all that is warm and comforting and displays flavors of a spicy pumpkin pie; cloves, allspice, cinnamon and fresh pumpkin, and a kick of hops all without being too sweet. It is extremely well balanced. Another charming fact about Pumking is it comes in 22oz bottles (and is 8.8%abv) so there is more to love if you are lucky enough to get your hands on some!
http://www.southerntierbrewing.com/beers.html

Coming in second for me is Dogfishhead's Punkin Ale (7%abv) I discovered Punkin on a recent trip to Bev-Mo as I was on the hunt to find as many pumpkin beers as I could. I did find a few others, but honestly they aren't worth mentioning as they were either too sweet, or oddly enough...just plain clumsy in their execution. Punkin however is a beautifully full bodied ale with hints of roasted pumpkin and brown sugar and almost a kiss of orange on the finish. Yes, Punkin is available on the West Coast but I still have come across difficulty acquiring it due to it's cult following. So I would advise to get at least 2-4 packs if you do find it, as it will only be available until around Thanksgiving.
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/punkin-ale.htm

My third and final pick was an absolute surprise to me as I walked past a cooler at Target just today and noticed a Samuel Adams Harvest Beer 12-pack (of course only available for a limited time!) that contained Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (5.7%abv)! This is extremely exciting to this former Bostonian girl who loves Samuel Adams! What a wonderful treat! For Sam's Harvest Pumpkin it is brewed with over 11 pounds of pumpkin per barrel and has a roasted, and almost smokey quality to it due to the smoked malts and finishes with a subtle ginger note.
http://www.samueladams.com/enjoy-our-beer/beer-detail.aspx?id=fa331e9c-604f-4ccd-9a29-4dd64c9a993c

If you have found any of these fantastic brews and are wondering about some food pairings I'd suggest any of these for your Thanksgiving meal of roast turkey. How about Dogfishhead's Punkin with Duck a'la Orange!? Or...of course on their own to enjoy as a seasonal treat!

Slainte!

Tis The Saison

Recently while I was home for the Holidays I visited one of my Boston favorites; Boston Beer Works. I go to Beer Works for one of my favorite beers, their Blueberry Beer that is packed with fresh blueberries that dance in the glass. However, this trip I also tried something new, a seasonal beer they call Saison Nouveau. Saison Nouveau is an unfiltered Saison-style ale slightly orange in color with a mild spice. It was deliciously crisp with a light sweet citrus kick, spice and floral (chamomile) on the nose. Now, you may be asking what is a Saison-style ale?

"Saison" is the French word for season and these low alcohol ales were traditionally brewed in the Fall or Winter seasons and meant to refresh farmworkers. They were brewed in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French speaking region of Belgium. Saisons have been described as an endangered style, though there has been a rise in interest of this style over the past few years which I hope continues.

Cheers to Beer Works for this ale and do yourself a favor if you're in the area and grab yourself a pint of Saison Nouveau!
http://www.beerworks.net/home/index.html