Weekend Tasting Fun!

Join us this weekend, in Lawrenceville from 4-6 on Friday and 2-4 on Saturday, or Woodbridge from 4-6 on Friday and 1-3 on Sunday and sample some of these amazing value wines!  We know that if you try them, you won't be able to leave without grabbing a bottle (or two!)

This Weekend's Wines in Lawrenceville:

Pierre Dupond Macon Villages
The Pierre Dupond Macon Villages boasts excellent ripe peach flavors that linger nicely on the palate; perfect with rosemary accented baked chicken.
Regular Price: $15.99 / Bottle Club® Price: $12.96

Nightstar Riesling
An easy drinking white with a bouquet of apple, citrus & tropical fruits. A medium-bodied palate with juicy flavors & natural acidity. Enjoy on its own or pair with poultry.
Regular Price: $9.99 / Bottle Club® Price: $7.97

Wakefield Bay Pinot Noir
An elegant, light-bodied Pinot Noir with smooth flavors of ripe dark cherry and hints of cola, balanced with natural acidity and soft tannins for structure and length. Enjoy by the glass, or pair with a multi-course meal including poultry, ham or mushroom risotto.
Regular Price: $21.99 / Bottle Club® Price: $14.97

Fleur de Charme Sauternes
An elegant dessert wine with seamless flavors of golden honey and dried tropical fruits, balanced with underlying acidity for structure. Medium-bodied with a smooth mouthfeel, this versatile dessert wine can be enjoyed on its own, or paired with pate, high fat cheeses (blue cheese), cashews, fried or spicy dishes, and desserts.
Regular Price: $18.99 / Bottle Club® Price: $14.97



This Weekend's Wines in Woodbridge:

Nightstar Dornfelder
A semi-sweet red wine with red cherry, raspberry and blackberry aromas. Medium-bodied with ripe red fruit flavors balanced with a lively acidity and clean finish. Serve slightly chilled with roasted chicken, pork, or chocolate-based desserts
Regular Price: $9.99 / Bottle Club® Price: $7.97

Nightstar Riesling
An easy drinking white with a bouquet of apple, citrus & tropical fruits. A medium-bodied palate with juicy flavors & natural acidity. Enjoy on its own or pair with poultry.
Regular Price: $9.99 / Bottle Club® Price: $7.97

Campana Pinot Grigio
Crisp and refreshing, with notes of citrus and fresh green apple. Nicely balanced.
Regular Price $8.49 / Bottle Club® Price: $6.96

Squadra Prosecco
This is a delicious, crisp wine with attractive spices, flowers and white peach aromas. Flavors of green pear, melon, almond skin and ground spices linger on the palate. Made in an irresistible, pleasurable style, this medium-bodied Prosecco is a terrific choice for casual drinking.
Regular Price $19.99 / Bottle Club® Price: $12.96 

A Point-ed Craft Beer Selection

This week on our Craft Beer Corner blog we're featuring Ballast Point Brewery.  Our Beer Manager in Woodbridge is excited about these!  They should be available in both stores, but as always, please call beforehand if you're making a special trip because our craft beer departments do move quickly!  And don't forget that you can place your prepaid order ahead of time at jcanals.com and it'll be waiting for you when you're ready.

"The perfect balance of taste and aroma. An obsession with ingredients. An exploration of techniques. And while we savor the result, we’re just as fascinated by the process to get there. What started as a small group of home brewers, who simply wanted to make a better beer, evolved into the adventurers known today as Ballast Point. 

We live to add our own touch and ask if there’s a better way. As we tinkered, tested and tasted, we discovered that making beer was more art than science. And while we respect and honor tradition, we relish the opportunity to take it further. That freedom has allowed us to reinterpret brewing. And along the way help to reinvigorate the industry. From bringing a hoppy twist to a porter, or developing a proprietary yeast for our amber ale, to creating a breakthrough gold medal-winning IPA."

Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado
Our Watermelon Dorado Double IPA is not one to back down from big flavors. Mash, kettle, and dry hopping blend to create a huge hop profile that is balanced with a blast of watermelon. The result is a refreshing brew that is all summer and no seeds. 10% ABV

Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin
Our Pineapple Sculpin IPA came from one of many small-batch cask experiments to enhance the flavor of our signature IPA. With so many tropical hop notes in Sculpin, how could we not try adding some sweet, juicy pineapple? The combination of fruity flavors and hop intensity definitely packs a punch. 7% ABV

Ballast Point Mango Even Keel
Our Mango Even Keel is the ideal beer for easy drinking. This hoppy, session ale gets a flavor boost from mango, which perfectly plays off the citrusy hop bouquet. With fruit, hops, and a low ABV, this beer truly is on another level.  3.8% ABV

Ballast Point Orange Vanilla Fathom
Our Orange Vanilla Fathom India-Style Pale Lager continues our quest for exploration. The piney and citrus hop aromas of our India-Style Pale Lager combine with sweet orange and creamy vanilla – while staying true to classic lagering techniques. Brewed with a touch of nostalgia, it may remind you of a childhood treat, but this one is just for adults. 7% ABV

Cool as a Cucumber

Looking for something new to add to your bar?  Try these newer spirits!  As always, you can place a pre-paid order for pickup at jcanals.com and it'll be pre-picked and waiting for you at customer service.

Svedka Cucumber Lime Vodka

This is THE perfect summer vodka!  Opening with a hit of cool cucumber and tart citrus, SVEDKA
Cucumber Lime ends with a fresh, bright lime kick.  Try it in these great recipes, or just top off with club soda over ice.  Delightfully refreshing!

Cucumber Hither
-1 1/2 parts Svedka Cucumber Lime
-3/4 parts fresh lime juice
-3/4 parts simple syrup
-Pinch of mint
Combine ingredients including mint in a shaker set, shake and strain unto a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a cucumber wheel.

Svedka Q-Cumber
-1 1/2 parts Svedka Cucumber Lime
-3 Parts Tonic
-Squeeze of fresh lime
Build ingredients in a rocks glass over ice.  Top with lemon/lime soda, and garnish with a lime wheel and a straw.

Hixson Gin
Continuing with cool cucumber flavors, Hixson Gin is something special at a great price.   The perfect blend of juniper and luscious botanicals. Hints of cucumber and coriander. Slight flavors of citrus and lavender blossom at the finish. Smooth and delightful.

Hixson is a great product at a good price that plays in the increasingly popular botanical gin or High-end gin category.  Priced at a value to Hendricks or Bombay, Hixson is great with tonic and a lime or more modern mixology concepts,

This gin was featured a couple weeks ago in our Drink on Us segment on nj.com!  Check it out on Facebook - Click here!

You Friday Grab Bag

TGIF!  It's going to be a super hot weekend here in Jersey, so be sure to stay hydrated while enjoying your preferred beverages from Joe Canal's!  What will you be drinking this weekend?  Leave a comment below or pop on over to our Facebook page and give us a shout out.

nj.com was in our Woodbridge store earlier this afternoon for the weekly "Drink on Us" feature.  We love having them, and David is always ready to educate our customers, either in front of the camera or in person at the store.  Today he showed us how to make a refreshing twist on a summer classic.

JAGER VACATION

- 1 1/2 parts Jagermeister
-3 parts Pina Colada Mix
-2 parts Pineapple Juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender with ice and blend until smooth.

Be sure to like us on Facebook to keep up with the Drink on Us series as well as stay informed of all the great stuff we have going on in our Woodbridge and Lawrenceville stores.

Ripped from the Headlines

 

It's no secret among those of us "in the know" that Cava is a great value alternative to Champagne, but it seems to be catching on!   Click here to read on shanken news how this delicious Italian sparker is giving Champagne and Prosecco a run for their money!

 

Our stores are stocked with a great variety of Cava, and this steamy weather is the perfect time to enjoy some! 

 

Our Weekend Events are Hot Hot Hot

We just posted our weekend wines!  Visit our events page at Woodbridge and Lawrenceville to see what our Wine Managers have chosen for you this weekend.

At Woodbridge, we're featuring two great Pierre Moulin wines as well as the Pinot Project Rose, all of which also happen to be some of the items that we're offering coupons for (visit the WB coupon page here)!  On Saturday, our friends from Weyerbacher will be here, so be sure to stop by and beat the heat with some cold Weyerbacher beers.

Visit us in Lawrenceville and try four wines that are new to our store, including a crisp and refreshing sparkler as well as a plump and round Sauv Blanc.  We've also got some beer for you on Saturday from 12-2, so come in and taste some Heineken!

Hooray! These Great New Spirits are Here!

On the lookout for something new to try?  There's never a shortage at Joe Canal's - there's always something exciting being brought in!   This week we'll feature a few of our newest spirits for you.  Don't forget that you can place your order ahead of time on www.jcanals.com, and it will be waiting for you to pick it up!

Magic Moments Vodka
How does Magic Moments make it possible for you to embark on such lovely flights of fantasy? By choosing only the finest grain, triple-distilled to create a smooth and crystal liquid that's more than a just a drink... it's a moment of magic in every sip!

Available in a variety of flavors, such as Chocolate, Peach, and Lemongrass, Magic Moments Vodka is stocked at both of our locations and line priced at an amazing $9.99 in our Bottle Club®!


Havana Club RumsBlanco: Distilled and aged in Puerto Rico under the Caribbean sun for 1 year in oak barrels. Aged rums are blended together, then the blend is aged for a second period in oak barrels for at least 2 months. A medium-bodied aged white rum.  Notes of pineapple and banana, hints of vanilla and oak.
Available in both locations for only $19.99 in our Bottle Club®!
Anejo Classico: Distilled and aged in Puerto Rico under the Caribbean sun for 1-3 years in oak barrels.  Aged rums are blended together. The blend is aged for a second period in oak barrels for at least 3 months Smooth and velvety finish, with notes of apricots and pineapples, complimented by oaky notes with hints of almond and vanilla.  Only $21.99 in our Bottle Club®!

New Amsterdam Apple VodkaAlso in both locations is a new flavor to the New Amsterdam line, apple!  This is a great quality vodka for a super low price. It is available in 750ML and 1.75L sizes.

The story behind our premium vodka and gin isn't a history. It's a story that celebrates what's next. It's not about where you've been as long as you make an entrance.  We craft spirits for the places that move fast and don't look back. The places where the city is celebrated.

It's a Weyerbacher-palooza!

This Friday in Woodbridge from 3-5pm, we're pouring some great brews for you to taste from our good friends at Weyerbacher!  We hope you'll join us!

Here are just a few of the beers we may be featuring.  These are all also available in our Lawrenceville location.  Be sure to call ahead to make sure they haven't sold out if you're planning on making a special trip, because our craft beer department is hot and these brews can go fast!  Also, don't forget that you can visit us online at www.jcanals.com to place an order for pickup!


Tarte Nouveau with Blood Orange

We’ve taken our session sour, Tarte Nouveau, and added blood orange. The result? The pour has a nice, effervescent head with a big citrus aroma. First sip has a tart bite with a lingering orange/citrus flavor. The finish? Clean and crisp. 3.9% ABV.






Line Street Pilsner

Sure, we love our big beers, but sometimes we just want something lighter without sacrificing flavor. That’s Line Street Pils. A hoppy pilsner with great flavor and a not-so-menacing ABV. This brew pours a bright and deep yellow with a pleasant, light citrus aroma. Our twist on a Czech pils using Centennial and Mandarina Bavaria hops, this beer has a crisp, refreshing bitterness up front that fades into a dry, palate quenching finish. Bright, crisp and hop forward – that’s Line Street Pils.  5.3% ABV

21st Anniversary

Weyerbacher is celebrating our 21st with a delicious chocolate cake with bourbon bacon icing (in a glass...). Cocoa nibs and cocoa powder give this big beer its rich chocolate flavor. Vanilla beans and Munich malts add a cake layer of flavor. Where's the icing? We're blending this already amazing beer with its bourbon barrel aged counterpart, while smoked malts bring a touch of bacon.

In Weyerbacher's traditional celebratory fashion, this big stout comes in at 11.9% ABV.

 

In addition to the above from Weyerbacher, check this also just in from our distributor!

 

Evil Twin Brewing Even More Jesus

 

A few times in the history of craft beer it has happened that a highly praised beer rises beyond mortal stardom into a higher godly league. Usually the recipe to make such heavenly drops is thick fudge-like body, pitch black color, amazingly overwhelming aromas of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and muscovado sugar, obviously only made in limited amounts and most crucial of all - it must taste rare!  12% ABV. 

 

Evil Twin Even More Jesus is only available in our Woodbridge location.

 

 

Refreshing Summer Sangrias

We've had a bit of a staff change here in the Internet Marketing Department at JC's WB & LV.  Your Bottle Blogger for the last three years, Steve, has moved onto greener pastures and can be found working in the Lawrenceville location.  If you see him, say hello, and send him best wishes and many thanks from the New Old Marketing Girl.  My name is Shannon, and I'm taking over for Steve, who took over for me three years ago.  I'm back in the Web Seat, bringing you blogs, social media updates, and your favorite email newsletters, among other things.  I'm also six months pregnant, so this will be an exercise in self-torture, as well as a checklist of sorts for when I can enjoy the perks of my job again in a few months. 

My inaugural Mixology Monday blog is going to be about one of my greatest cravings so far this summer, sangria.  I've been cool missing out on crisp roses and summer IPAs, but when I'm in a restaurant and a server walks by with a pitcher of iced fruit goodness, I can't help but salivate.  Here are a few recipes I've come across and filed to enjoy next summer.

Pina Colada Sangria
1 750ml bottle of your favorite light white wine, such as Dark Horse
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup seltzer
1 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup coconut rum
1/4 cup maraschino cherries

In a pitcher combine ingredients and refrigerate until chilled.  Serve over ice, garnish with pineapple and coconut shavings.
Rose Sangria Spritzer
2 bottles of cold rose wine, like Barton & Guestier Rose d'Anjou
1 green apple, thinly sliced
1 orange, halved and sliced
1 pint raspberries
2 tblsp simple syrup
2 cups club soda

Combine ingredients and refrigerate until chilled.  Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Mango Peach Sangria
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup Grand Marnier
2 peaches, cut into wedges
1 bottle of a great white blend like Wolftrap White
1/3 cup water
1 mango, diced
1/3 cup sugar

Cook the water and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.  Transfer into a pitcher and refrigerate until cold.  Stir in the Grand Marnier, wine, mango, peaches and mint and serve over ice.  Garnish with a strawberry slice.

Mid-Summer Classic

If baseball's All-Star game can be the Mid-Summer Classic, why can't this blog post claim the same title? It's not like they're the NFL, with their trademark on the term "Super Bowl". Anyway, the point of this blog post is to keep you informed, so let's roll out some information.

Events in Lawrenceville

Astute blog readers will note that we did not do an Events post yesterday. We just had that travel info to share instead.

It's a simple events weekend at our Lawrenceville store. We'll have our standard wine tasting today, from 4-6pm. Tomorrow, we're offering samples of Palm Breeze Sparkling Alcohol Spritz, from 11am-2pm.

Palm Breeze Sparkling Alcohol Spritz is from the Mike's Hard Lemonade team. Ruby Red Citrus contains the taste of fresh-cut citrus and grapefruit with a light carbonation. Pineapple Mandarin Orange is a blend of pineapple and orange, and pairs well with ginger. And don't miss the Palm Breeze Hummer in the parking lot!

Events in Woodbridge

So many people get to leave work early on summer Fridays, we decided to start our wine tasting early as well. Our wine tasting will run from 1-3pm today. Click here for the tasting menu.

Another reason why the wine tasting is early is because we're offering samples of The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, from 4-7pm today.

If you use gin in any cocktail, you owe it to yourself to experience something delicious and different..

For this, "The Botanist" Artisinal Islay Gin, we use nine of the classic gin aromatics - orris root,

cassia bark, coriander seed, etc - and augment these with a heady harvest of 22 local botanicals, hand-picked by our expert foraging team from the windswept hills, peat bogs and Atlantic shores of this Hebridean island of Islay.

Saturday also brings a "twofer" tasting. We start with our regular wine tasting, from 1-3pm. Click here for the tasting menu. Up next, scheduled for 4-6pm, is a tasting of fresh beer from New Jersey's Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Co.

                                                               New Products

Magic Moments Grain Vodka. How does Magic Moments make it possible for you to embark on such lovely flights of fantasy? By choosing only the finest grain, triple-distilled to create a smooth and crystal liquid that's more than a just a drink...it's a moment of magic in every sip!

Nose : Clean and Fresh with subtle aroma of neutral grain spirit
Palate : Delicate and Neutral taste
Finish : Crispy and short finish

We're now stocking the unflavored Magic Moments vodka, as well as the Apple, Chocolate, Ginger-Lemongrass, and Peach flavors. Each variety is only $9.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Avery Raja. Brazenly bitter. Dashingly dry-hopped. Raja is an audacious addition to our lengthy lineage of intrepid IPAs. Hops for all! All for hops! Double IPA, 8% ABV. Limited availability.

Cocktails On Us

Part of our summer session with NJ.com on Facebook. The link will be available later today on our Facebook page as well. This recipe is courtesy of David Rudd, Store Manager for our Woodbridge location.

Seargeant Pepper
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lime juice
1 oz orgeat
1 oz cumin/pepper simple syrup
4 oz Hixson gin
1 pinch cayenne

To make the simple syrup:
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds, toasted, 5 whole peppercorns and 1/2 cup each sugar and water. Simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain and chill.

Combine ingredients in a shaker with large ice cubes and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a pineapple.

Ripped from the Headlines

Will low or zero alcohol beer reach the predicted 20% of sales in less than 10 years? Click here for the story in Fortune.

A Personal Note

As your blogger for the last three years, I've enjoyed sharing a wide range of information with you. Our company has made some changes, and we're moving back to the Joe Canal's location in Lawrenceville. A new blogger will occupy this space as of Monday, with free rein to make this an even better project. Cheers!

#Roadtrip, Part 2

Your blogger recently had the opportunity to visit some of our partner properties in California. Part 1 of this report was on Monday. Today, we report on winery visits in Sonoma County.

When we began planning this trip, we had always planned on visiting Sonoma. We'd visited Napa on our last trip to Northern California's wine country, so it was time for a change. We picked a hotel in the quiet town of Healdsburg, and visited wineries within about 20 minutes of there.

If you're thinking about visiting Healdsburg, here are some pro tips. Most importantly, the town closes fairly early. By 9pm, there aren't a whole lot of places still open in the center of town. It's very walkable, with plenty of tasting rooms all around the square. In addition to the tasting rooms, you'll find the Bear Republic brewery just off the square. As we were told on our first visit to Sonoma, it takes a lot of beer to make a good wine.

Our first stop was the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. This is a full-on entertainment destination, with movie memorabilia, a swimming pool and restaurant. We started with a taste of the Sofia Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine, and then went on a tour of the facilities. Since it was early July, the harvest hadn't started, but the bottling line was humming along. After our walk-through, we returned to the tasting room for samples of several additional wines across their extensive portfolio.

The tasting really just confirmed what we already knew: Coppola produces solid wines that are excellent values at every price point, throughout their extensive portfolio. We wrapped up our visit with a pairing lunch at Rustic, the on-property restaurant. Three courses, paired with the appropriate wines. We could get used to that kind of lunch.

Next on our agenda was the Sbragia Family Vineyards, which was barely 10 minutes from Coppola. We don't currently stock wines from Sbragia, but they are available via special order. The peacefulness of this part of Sonoma was a welcome companion to the outstanding wines. Sitting out on the terrace and talking about the various Sbragia wines was a great way to wind down after a hectic day. The Sbragia tasting room is also a short drive from the Lake Sonoma recreational area, and we took a nice ride through the mountainous area.

Whether you prefer white (Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay) or red (Cabernet, Zin, Merlot), there's a lot to like in the Sbragia portfolio. Since the tasting rooms all have to close by 5pm, we limited our official agenda to two wineries per day.

On our last day in Sonoma, we started off at the Quivira Vineyards. At this point, we only carry their Dry Creek Zinfandel, but their portfolio is certainly larger than that. They practice Biodynamic agriculture at Quivira, part of which means that a percentage of the land must be devoted to uses other than the grape crop. At the entrance, you'll find an extensive flower, herb and vegetable garden. The property also includes bee colonies, along with an assortment of farm animals.

We were given a bit of salumi to accompany our tasting, and we went home with four of their wines. Your blogger is partial to Rhone wines, and they excel at those varietals at Quivira. This was probably our favorite stop, even though we started the tasting at 10am. Hey, it was 1pm according to East Coast time.

Our final stop was down in the Russian River Valley, at the Gary Farrell winery. Where most of Sonoma is typically hot and relatively dry, the Russian River Valley has more of a maritime influence, with much cooler nights. We watched the afternoon fog roll in from the Pacific, which also impacts the overall climate.

That cooler climate means that Russian River vintners tens to specialize in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. We tasted through the Gary Farrell range of both varietals, all while relaxing on their beautiful terrace. These are outstanding wines that are standards of their varietals.

Like every other winery, the Gary Farrell tasting room closed at 5pm. We decided to follow the Russian River down to the Pacific, and follow the coast road back to San Francisco, for the flight home. Napa might have mystique, but for wine travel, your blogger can highly recommend Sonoma County as a desirable destination.

Showing Off

We're showing off some of our new products in today's blog post. If you're focused on new items in general, please consult with our in-store staff.

Havana Club Rum Anejo Classico. We may have not had direct access to Cuban products for about 50 years, but Cuban flavors have always been popular here, especially in the summer. And that leads us to Havana Club Rum.

• Distilled and aged in Puerto Rico under the Caribbean sun for 1-3 years in oak barrels
• Aged rums are blended together
• The blend is aged for a second period in oak barrels for at least 3 months
• Smooth and velvety finish
• Notes of apricots and pineapples
• Complimented by oaky notes with hints of almond and vanilla.

Only $21.99 in the Bottle Club®. Also look for the Havana Club Blanco.

Coteaux Romanais Les Roches Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. Our favorite summer white wine is a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. It pairs so well with the lighter, seasonal fare, and it's refreshing on its own. This pale yellow wine, streaked with green, is dry and refreshing with straightforward but typical aromas; the mouth is full and develops into fleshiness with the characteristic fruitiness of Côteaux wines. It goes perfectly with seafood, raw vegetables, charcuterie, fish and barbecues. Only $8.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Groveland Reserve Bourbon. Smooth, sophisticated, and bold bourbon. This Bourbon has traditional oak aromas along with sweet vanilla and caramel. It has soft, subtle fruit notes with a subtly sweet finish. Groveland Small Batch Bourbon is a great whiskey for drinking neat, on the rocks, or as part of an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. Only $18.97 in the Bottle Club®.

Click here for our website's coupon page. This week, we've included a coupon for an additional $1 savings on Groveland Reserve Bourbon, as well as wine and craft beer. The coupons are valid at our Lawrenceville and Woodbridge locations.

Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale. Our most popular beer. 420 Extra Pale Ale is a tasty West Coast Style Pale Ale with a good hop feel to it and a crisp finish. First brewed on April 20th, 1997, this beer has developed quite the following in the Southeast. Drink 'em if you got 'em. Currently available only at our Lawrenceville location.

Evil Twin Mission Gose. Effortlessly cool, popping up in a cultish fashion and constantly on a tasty mission. This is Mission Gose: our take on an old-fashioned and slightly odd German beer style that is with good reason trending as the tastiest right now. It’s tart, salty, low in alcohol and probably the most refreshing beer you’ll ever have. Perhaps enjoy this beer in a restaurant with a mission near you. Wherever you are we made it stylishly good and exclusively well balanced just for you. 4% ABV. Currently available exclusively at our Woodbridge location.

Summer Corner

Seems like our posting that was scheduled for last Tuesday never got published. We apologize for any inconvenience. We'll make up for that by bringing you some fresh craft beer. As always, please check to make sure that these are still available before making a special trip.

Weyerbacher 21st Anniversary. Weyerbacher is celebrating our 21st with a delicious chocolate cake with bourbon bacon icing (in a glass...). Cocoa nibs and cocoa powder give this big beer its rich chocolate flavor. Vanilla beans and Munich malts add a cake layer of flavor. Where's the icing? We're blending this already amazing beer with its bourbon barrel aged counterpart, while smoked malts bring a touch of bacon.

In Weyerbacher's traditional celebratory fashion, this big stout comes in at 11.9% ABV.

Dogfish Head Flesh & Blood. An honest to goodness IPA brewed with a bounty of real citrus including lemon flesh, blood orange juice plus orange and lemon peel. A combination of Warrior, Centennial, and a rare experimental hop to perfectly complement the citrus ingredients and flavor. Flesh & Blood balances the resinous hoppy characteristics of an American IPA with the explosive, zesty fruitiness and subtle dry tartness of citrus to deliver a highly quaffable ale that’s incredibly unique and lovely to down

the whole year round. 7.5% ABV, 45 IBU. Limited availability, and only in our Woodbridge store.

Flying Dog Bloodline. Bloodline begins with huge grapefruit on the nose. Then, a delicate balance of citrus sweetness and bitterness. Try it with grilled light proteins, salads with fruity vinaigrettes, and fresh salsa. Originally a small-batch release in the spring of 2013. Bloodline is brewed with blood orange peel and blood orange juice and hits the perfect balance between  citrus sweetness and bitterness. 7.0% ABV, 40 IBU. Limited availability, and only in our Woodbridge store.

Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail. Did you like Before During and after Christmas, maybe you thought it poured brilliantly, the alcohol was admirable well hidden and you loved how the

arrogant amounts of hops numbed your mouth. This beer will knock your tongue off - it’s a tour de force in hoppiness and by far one the craziest beer ever made by Evil Twin Brewing. An Imperial IPA. 13% ABV.

Flagship Metropolitan Lager. Flagship Brewery’s "Metropolitan Lager" features toasted Vienna and Rye malt. Full bodied with smooth flavor and texture in part from the Rye, floral noble hops are added in abundance for aroma and flavor. This Lager is smooth, clean, crisp and exceptionally balanced. 5.6% ABV, 27 IBU. From Staten Island.

Troegs Nimble Giant. "Without sway, there can be no balance." Our Double IPA gracefully boasts grapefruit rind, pineapple and honeysuckle notes with a hint of

earthy forest floor. Behold the wonder! 9% ABV, 69 IBU. Available in very limited quantities, for a short period of time.

Off Color Troublesome. Gose style beer. Most brewers spend a lot of time and effort keeping lactobacillus out of their breweries; it was the first thing we brought in (it still has to stay in the corner though). We blend together two different beers to make Troublesome. The first is a somewhat uninteresting wheat beer and the second is an overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus. We blend the two beers together with coriander and salt at the tail end of fermentation to create a mild, lemony tartness and a fuller sensation of mouthfeel. And yes, it's hard to make. 4.3% ABV, 10 IBU.

See you here every Tuesday, in the Craft Beer Corner.

#Roadtrip! Part 1

Starting the tour at Anchor

Our posting was light over the last week, as your blogger was on the West Coast. We had set a couple of posts to publish while we were away, but it looks like something went wrong. We apologize for any inconvenience.

We were on a brief beer and wine road trip in San Francisco and Sonoma. If you have the opportunity to include winery, brewery or distillery visits on your own vacation travels, we highly recommend it. At some of our stops, we visited wineries that don't do business at all in New Jersey, and we were just another tourist at others. We can say that, uniformly, we were always treated like our business mattered, and the customer service was exceptional. Below are a few highlights from our trip.

Bagged hops, for dry hopping

Anchor Brewing. This is a tour that sells out quickly, as it's only offered twice per day, and the group size is limited. The tour really starts outside the brewery, as the sweet smell of roasted malt is in the air throughout the neighborhood.

The tour guide offers tremendous detail about the company and the brewing process. All of the Anchor beer products that we sell are produced at that one brewery in San Francisco. The tour starts with a sample of Anchor Steam their flagship beer, and concludes with samples of several other beers.

Tips: parking is difficult in the area, especially on school days. Uber and Lyft are great options in San Francisco. The tour, with the tasting, lasts about 90 minutes. Food is not available at the brewery. Anchor Distilling is a separate tour, with an even more limited schedule.

Wine on tap at Wente

Wente Vineyards. While other California appellations may be more famous, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to go east from San Francisco, into the Livermore Valley. Wente, one of our best-selling labels comes from that AVA. And if you want to go exploring, there are many other wineries within a very short distance of Wente.

Because we're not yet in harvest season, things are generally quiet at California wineries. For our wine tasting purposes, it also helped that we were there on a weekday. We got a nice walk through the various stops that the grapes make on their way from the vine to the bottle, which was followed by a tasting across the range of Wente wines.

We did talk about "wine on tap" in earlier blog posts, and we got to see that in action in one of the tasting rooms at Wente. Wine growlers just

might be available here one of these days!

21st Amendment Brewing. We didn't have time to pre-arrange anything at 21st Amendment, but we made sure to pay them a visit for lunch. The brewery is only a few blocks from where the San Francisco Giants play, so that's a great twofer, if you have that chance. We didn't see any baseball, but we did enjoy the beer sampler, served in an old-fashioned muffin tin. You design your own six glass sampler from whatever is on tap during your visit. Our choices ranged from the El Sully (back row, on the right) to the Back in Black IPA (front row, on the left).

That covered our San Francisco area visits. In Part 2, we'll discuss our visit to Sonoma County.