What to Look For

When you're looking for new beer, wine or spirits, you've come to the right place. We know how to balance the interesting new offerings with the old favorites we've been carrying, so that you have optimal choices. And don't miss our tastings, both our regular weekend wine tastings and other events (see our website Events Calendar for details), so that you can sample some of the new products before buying.

Here's a look at some of the newest items at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge.

Caymus Special Selection is the flagship wine of the Wagner family and is comprised of the very best barrels of the vintage. This wine is not produced in difficult years.

We will get a few cases of the 2012 vintage by the end of the week, and it will be available sporadically after that.

While we haven't yet seen the ratings on the 2012 Caymus Special Selection, the last few vintages did well. The 2011 scored 95 from Wine Advocate, and 94 from Wine Spectator. The 2010 scored a WA 98, and a WS 96.

Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweizen is a true fruit beer, not a fruit-flavored beer.  We add pureed raspberries to our Hefeweizen during the primary fermentation process.  Although we add no sugar, color or flavors, the resulting beer is a hazy pink color, with citrus aromas from the wheat and a flavor that is neat and tart.  While this beer is low in bitterness, it is not overwhelmingly sweet, making it a thoroughly drinkable beer for the season.

In Belgium, fruit beers are quite popular and brewers often include wheat, along with malted barley.  While our Raspberry Hefeweizen is not a true Belgian fruit beer, we have carried on the tradition of adding real fruit to fermenting beer.  Today, many beers with fruit character are made with a fruit extract; we prefer to use the actual fruit to avoid any chemical or artificially sweet undertones in the beer. In Woodbridge only.

Great Divide Barrel Aged Old Ruffian is an allocated beer, so please check with the store Beer team for availability and limitations.

This special release of our acclaimed, hefty barley wine has been aged for over 12 months whiskey barrels.  The process tempers Old Ruffian’s edges for a mellowed version with heady whiskey flavors and subtle oak notes. This rounded wonder clocks in at 85-90 IBUs, and 10.2% ABV.

Crème Yvette was first brought to market around 1890. For nearly half a century, bartenders around the world have been patiently awaiting the return of Crème Yvette. Enjoyed as an after-dinner digestif and cocktail ingredient, Crème Yvette's quality, integrity and balanced flavor made it a critical component in a variety of classic cocktails.

Finally, you can re-create these storied classics or invent your own new and inspired cocktail expressions.

Crème Yvette is an all-natural blend of four berry fruits—mûre, framboise, cassis, and fraise sauvage— blended with dried violet petals from Provence.

The primary tasting notes are intense, rich berry fruits, matched with the depth and sophistication of a subtle botanical overtone.

Dewar's Scratched Cask blended Scotch whisky is finished in charred and scratched American oak barrels, imparting notes of vanilla and oak, similar to those of Bourbon. This is a unique and boundary-pushing within the Scotch category. If you currently enjoy an American whiskey, especially Bourbon, this is an easy transition into Scotch whisky.