Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Holiday Shopping Corner

We were pleasantly surprised at the number of visitors we had in our beer department last week, in the run up to Thanksgiving. With two more major holidays coming up, and a limited amount of craft
beer available, we suggest shopping early. As always, some of these products are available only on an allocated basis.

Weyerbacher Berry Monks. Berry Monks is a variation on our classic Belgian Tripel, Merry Monks, brewed with cranberries, orange peel and ginger. This 9.3% ABV ale is ripe with apple and pear notes, which blend nicely with the tartness of
the cranberries, the citrus twist of the orange peel and a touch of ginger.

Oskar Blues Death by Coconut. Intense pure liquid cacao flavors swirl with popping coconut aromas, all supported by a semi-sweet porter made from loads of our dark chocolate and extra dark caramel malt. This limited release specialty comes around once a year to satisfy that sweet tooth, so get 'em while you can before they disappear. At 6.5% ABV and 25 IBUs, this choconut goodness will have you yellin' "Pass. Dash. Hit." all winter long.

River Horse Oatmeal Milk Stout. A velvety smooth Stout brewed with oats and milk sugar that create a creamy finish over a dark malt base. ABV - 6.7%.

Lagunitas High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout. Another One Hitter, this is Ale Brewed with Coffee and then Aged in High West Rye Barrels. This beer couldn't have been done without the help from our friends at High West Distillery in Park City, UT and Chicago's-own Metropolitan Coffee. We brewed a rich, malty Imperial Stout with some of Metropolitan's Spice Island blend, then let it vintag-ize in High West Rye and Bourbon Barrels for up to 17 FREAKING MONTHS. It's good to have friends! 12.2% ABV. 39.6 IBU. Very limited availability.

Allocated Beer: Our Lawrenceville store will receive a small delivery of Stone Xocoveza and Oskar Blues Barrel Aged Ten Fidy. You will definitely need to
ask for assistance on these beers.

Other  beers due to arrive include Left Hand Wake Up Nitro, Weyerbacher Quad and Schlafly Christmas. Look also for a couple of seasonal Ballast Point beers, in 22oz bottles.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Welcome Back from the Holiday Weekend

The team at Joe Canal's hopes you had a very Happy Thanksgiving. It really is gratifying to know that "our" wines, beer and spirits graced so many tables during Thanksgiving, and we appreciate knowing when our recommendations are on point.

This being Cyber Monday, you can click to the Lawrenceville or Woodbridge websites and order these products by referencing the product number at the end of the description. Cheers!.

Here are some of our newest arrivals.

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the first wine of the new harvest. Because it is a food-friendly and fruit-forward wine, it has also become a must-have for many Thanksgiving and Christmas tables.

The third Thursday in November celebrates the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau from France. This vivacious fruity red wine is a favorite of both wine aficionados and style setters. Versatile with many popular dishes, Beaujolais Nouveau is the ideal accompaniment for holiday entertaining. #14097.

Lautaret Cornas Emotion 2014. 93 points from Wine Spectator. "This is alluring, with a core of dark, well-steeped plum, blackberry and black cherry fruit flavors, melded with singed juniper and alder notes. There's dried bay leaf and smoldering tobacco details in the background, with a tarry echo through the finish. Best from 2018 through 2029. 300 cases made." At $28.96 in the Bottle Club®, this is our lowest priced wine from the Coronas region. #32329.

Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2013. This has been available on in Woodbridge, and is now also in stock in Lawrenceville. 93 points from Wine Advocate. "The 2013
Cabernet Sauvignon has impressive intensity, a dense ruby/purple color, loads of licorice, graphite, mineral and black fruits, a medium to full body and moderate tannin." $25.99 in the Bottle Club®.

And the winery notes: "Our 2013 Estate Cabernet sings the beauty of a near-perfect vintage aft er two warm years. Tightly wound and dark on the nose, its aromas of blackberry jam, black licorice and coffee begin to emerge accompanied by hints of cinnamon and vanilla extract. Th e palate is so ft and the tannins velvety. Th e wine delivers a full-bodied punch of ripe briary fruits like blueberries and blackberries baked in a bu ttery cinnamon pie crust. Th is wine will surely emerge as one of our best in a decade." #28521.

Cheshire Triple Sec. Triple Sec is the backbone of so many classic cocktails. Flavors of orange peel and a slight bitter finish. Great ingredient in cocktails such as Margarita, Cosmopolitan, and Long Island Iced Tea. #32325.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Turkey Corner

So the title of this post was a little predictable. We write 10 or more major subject lines and/or titles every week, and sometime we just run out of creativity. We don't, however, run out of great new craft beer. Here's a look at some of our freshest deliveries.

Owl's Brew The Blondie and (That's My) Jam. Owl’s Brew is the first ever "tea crafted for cocktails." It is one of the only products on the market that is fresh-brewed and bottled. We brew the product in Vermont in large kettles, where it is handcrafted in small batches, and then sweetened, packed, and bottled.

Owl’s Brew was founded by two female tea-drinking boozers (always in moderation). We were looking for a sipper that was lighter, fresher, funner. We were tired of our go-to vodka cran. While an easy bar-call, there was too much sugar, and a serious lack of hydration. It didn’t take us long to think of a product that offered endless flavors, that was light and fresh - our favorite non-boozy sipper - tea!

(That's My) Jam is an amber ale blended with brewed Darjeeling tea, hibiscus flower, fruit juices, and agave sugar. The Blondie is wheat beer brewed with spices and blended with black tea and citrus juices.

Sixpoint Global Warmer. No one can deny the beer climate is changing. Extreme bittering patterns and massive flavor oscillations are the new normal.

Experts have determined that IBU levels of beers have been rising at an alarming rate and the Mad Scientists have concluded that this will have a lasting impact on our Beer Climate. Take, for instance, the Winter Seasonal. The snow-covered cabins and bucolic winter scenes have melted down. Now, beers are inundated with spices and infusions, torrential downpours of hops flood our tastebuds, and cloying beers coat our palates like oil slicks.

We present the Global Warmer, an authentic Mad Scientists creation based upon an original recipe.  The objective is simple—create awesome liquid and draw attention to the rapidly changing beer climate. Naturally, the beer doesn’t conform to existing style guidelines, because the Mad Scientists brew to their own tastes. This undefinable formulation demonstrates the potency of changing recipes, but does so with nuanced flavor from malt, hops and yeast. Toasted malt expresses rich depth to remind you this is a winter brew. But the citrus hop character and 70 IBUs of incandescent herbal spiciness shine throughout—a new sort of winter warmer for a changing globe.

The Global Warmer is 7% ABV with 70 searing IBUs. After a nose characterized by big hop character, an ample, coating bitterness rushes the palate. The malt is a pleasant contrast; it’s soft and complex, with notes of biscuit and toasted caramel. And the malt presence is deep enough that you’ll detect dark fruit and even mild hints of chocolate as your brew warms.

Heavy Seas Winter Storm. Winter Storm may be Hugh's favorite beer in the Heavy Seas catalogue. Our winter ale draws on hops from the West Coast and the UK for its pronounced bitterness. A mix of pale and darker malts give it its tawny color and its bigger body. True to the style, Winter Storm's aroma is nutty malts and earthy hops. This is a perfect fall beer, especially because of its warming qualities. 7.5% ABV, 50 IBU.

Pair with Brie or Havarti cheese, pan-seared steak, barbecued pork.

Because of Thanksgiving, there wasn't much new to report this week. As always, please ask about allocated items that might not be on display.

Events update: Look for a Victory Brewing tasting event in Lawrenceville next Friday, 12/2, from 4-6pm. Also on 12/2, at the same time, there will be a Weyerbacher tasting in Woodbridge. To keep up with events in Lawrenceville, click here. To see the Woodbridge event calendar, click here.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Monday News

We hope you have a festive and enjoyable Thanksgiving. We're busy selecting our wines and beer (no cooking for your blogger on Thanksgiving) for the holiday, and we hope to see you in Joe Canal's
Lawrenceville and Woodbridge as you do the same. Today. we'll take a look at some of our newest products-maybe something here will make it to your table on Thursday.

Kenwood Pinot Noir. After an extended absence, Kenwood wines are back in stock. As we've discussed previously, Pinot Noir is our favorite red for Thanksgiving. This classically styled Pinot Noir used to craft was made from vineyards located in Sonoma County’s celebrated Russian River Valley appellation. The Russian River empties into the Pacific Ocean and serves as a channel for the cool ocean fog to move inland from the coast. The soil combined with the ocean’s cooling influence creates ideal conditions for growing Pinot Noir. Only $14.99 in the Bottle Club®


Eaglewood Cellars Chardonnay. From Napa Valley. A complement to the Eaglewood Cellars Cabernet. Full-bodied, lush and round on the palate with layers of tropical fruit, juicy peach, vanilla and soft spices. Aged for 6 months in new French & American oak. Enjoy on its own, or pair with dishes such as poultry (like that one at the top of this page), seafood, pork & vegetables. Only $16.97 in the Bottle Club®.

Lea Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. This wine is a blend of Pinot Noir sourced from three vineyards within the Santa Rita Hills appellation, an area known to have ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir. The grapes come from the Turner Vineyard, Mormann Vineyard and Buona Terra Vineyard, and each brings its own signature to the blend.

Buona Terra contributes red fruits and fresh acidity while the Turner delivers darker, stone fruit notes and a streak of exotic spice and pepper. Mormann rounds out the blend with a silky texture, long finish and juicy red raspberry and pomegranate. This wine is very food friendly and pairs well with everything from delicate shellfish dishes to grilled steak. And did we mention turkey? Wine Advocate score range 91-93 points, and only $22.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Harpoon Vanilla Bean Porter. Always a party pleaser, our take on this luscious style is brewed for the season of celebrating and merriment with friends. The deep chocolate
hue complements the roasted malty aroma, delicate vanilla sweetness, and smooth character of this robust porter. 5% ABV, 27 IBU. This seasonal beer will only be available for a short time.

Appearance: Dark brown, almost black
Aroma: Roasted, coffee-like bitterness blended with sweet vanilla
Mouth feel: Medium to full body, almost velvety.   
Taste: Roasted bitterness up front
Finish: Sweet vanilla aftertaste

Please visit our blog tomorrow for the Craft Beer Corner. If you want to review our staff recommendations for your upcoming pizza dinner, click here.


Saturday, November 19, 2016

Weekend Grab Bag

Our store teams are putting in pretty full schedules this week, so we thought the blogging crew should join in the fun. There are no scheduled events this weekend, as our satff will be busy helping shoppers like you. Meanwhile, here's a quick post for you.

New Products

 Reserve de la Saurine AOC Vin de pays du Gard Red. The wine has a beautiful ruby color with good intensity. The nose displays aromas of fresh red fruits. In mouth, it displays roundness and generous concentration. La Réserve de la Saurine will pair beautifully with any kind of meal. Actually a returning wine, along with the Blanc. 60%Grenache Noir, 40% Carignan.

Dogfish Head Pennsylvania Tuxedo. A spruce-infused pale ale, Pennsylvania Tuxedo pays homage to the flannel-suited hunters and gatherers who dwell deep in the backcountry of north-central PA.

Brewed in collaboration with family-run outdoor clothing company Woolrich, Pennsylvania Tuxedo is a sessionable concoction with a grassy citrus kick complemented by the resinous conifer notes of fresh green spruce tips. We went into the forests of north-central Pennsylvania and Georgetown, Del., to pick these fresh tips ourselves.

A dry yet doughy malt backbone lets the hops and spruce shine while still balancing out the bitterness, making this one an easy sipper. 8.5% ABV, 50 IBU.

Ashbrook Estate Shiraz. Grown entirely on a lyre trellis system so as to eliminate green characters and highlight the attractive fruit flavors of this variety, Ashbrook produces Shiraz wines of a silky, rich texture and medium to full bodied style, enhanced by 24 months in French oak and 18 months of bottle maturation.

The wine is matured in 100% French oak barriques (26% new) for 2 years, then further stored in our underground climate controlled cellar for 18 months before release. The inviting nose bursts with ripe raspberry, redcurrant and cherry plum fruit leather aromas with hints of violet and sweet spice. Fine tannins, a succulent depth of flavor and balanced acidity result in a wine that is extremely easy to drink and a wonderful food wine. An exciting wine to lie down too! 90 points from Wine Advocate.

Ripped from the Headlines

Can a beer a day help prevent a stroke or heart disease? Science demands that we test the theory! For the story, click here.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Come for the Pizza, Stay for the Turkey


According to the folks over at pizza.com, the night before Thanksgiving is one of the top 5 days for pizza sales. The others are, in no particular order, Super Bowl Sunday, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Halloween. We thought we'd take a quick survey of our staffers, to see what recommendations they had for a pizza pairing. Please note that every product mentioned is linked to the Joe Canal's website page for that item. This will allow you to learn more about that product, and see the pricing as well.

Here are their suggestions:

Toni Carver, Lawrenceville Store Manager: "I love an imperial IPA with an extra cheese and garlic pie!! In general, an IPA will pair very well with cheese. The crispness of the IPA cuts the pizza grease and heightens all of the flavors."

Her recommendations:
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Elysian Space Dust IPA
Victory Vital IPA

David Rudd, Woodbridge Store Manager: "I love a Zinfandel with meatsapizza! The spicy, jammy character absolutely compliment the seasonings used in cured Italian meats and sausages. Like a party in your mouth, gotta gotta get up to get down."

"Try the Dashe Dry Creek Zinfandel or the St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel."
Brandon Bartfalvi, Lawrenceville Senior Wine Manager: "No question, it's Poggio Anima Samael Montepulciano D'Abbruzzo. Ripe, flavorful and generous with ample spice notes. This is my comfort wine and it is awesome with a good tomato pie. Delish!!!"

Kevin Saunders, Woodbridge Wine Manager: "I am a firm believer in the idea of 'what grows together, goes together.' When I'm eating Italian food, I'm drinking Italian wine. One of my go to wines is the Cerro Manero Rosso di Toscana 2014. It's only $9.96 in the Bottle Club® and it's rated 90 points. How could you not?

General staff consensus also says that you should consider the following wines. The links will go to the Lawrenceville store page; for our Woodbridge shoppers, just note the item number when you toggle back to the Woodbridge page.

Tivo Primitivo. Zinfandel's Italian cousin. Well-integrated red and black fruit, with enough tannic structure to balance the cheese.

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a really good example of an easy-drinking and affordable red from central Italy. Of course, that small grapevine they have tied to the bottle is one of the greatest marketing tools ever created !!! People come back looking for a delicious, nameless Italian wine 'with the stick'. Just to give representation to other worthy pizza pairings from elsewhere in Italy, Mastroberardino Aglianico - from the home of 'Napolitano' - is a mouthful of fruity, soft velvet.

Whether your choice is wine, beer, or something else (sangria, anyone?), you can find the best selections and lowest prices at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Pre-Turkey Corner

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. All we need to do is show up with an appetite. And craft beer. Here's a look at what's scheduled to arrive this week.

Dogfish Head Beer for Breakfast. A stout tricked out with all sorts of breakfast ingredients including Guatemalan Antigua cold press coffee, Maple syrup harvested from Western Massachusetts and for the quintessential Delaware breakfast touch - Rapa Scrapple and their secret blend of spices.

2-row Applewood smoked barley, Kiln Coffee malt, Flaked oats, Roasted barley, Caramel malt along with additions of Molasses, Milk Sugars (lactose), Brown Sugar, Roasted Chicory lay the foundation for this malty, breakfast-themed concoction. Enjoy huge notes of coffee in the nose and savory layers in the flavor.

Pair with hearty breakfast foods (eggs, homefries, scrapple/sausage/bacon), steak, vegetable hash, creme brulee. 7.4% ABV, 30 IBU.

Also new from Dogfish Head: 60 Minute IPA in cans, Pennsylvania Tuxedo and World Wide Stout.

Flying Dog Jalapeno White Ale, part of the Heat Series. Pair with Mexican melting cheese, guacamole with fresh cilantro and jalapeno, anything with salsa verde. ABV: 5.5%.  Flying Dog Sea Salt Caramel Brown Ale, part of the Brewhouse Rarities series. The caramel sweetness isn’t cloying, so you could pair this with a not-too-sweet shortbread or cheesecake. Want to go savory? Try it with dry-rub BBQ or smoked brisket. ABV: 7.0%.

Troegs Blizzard of Hops Winter IPA. We created this Winter IPA to toast hop growers around the world for another successful harvest. This storm of hoppy citrus
and pine notes is a bright reminder the end of the Hop Cycle is only the beginning. 6.4% ABV, 80 IBU. Pair with smoked salmon, grilled octopus, dry aged ribeye, or aged sharp cheddar. Available in 12-pack cans and 6-pack bottles.

We will also get one or two 3L bottles of Troegs Mad Elf, perfect as a special holiday gift.

While you're shopping, please take the time to peruse our beer aisles and windows. We have too many winter seasonal and holiday craft beers to list here. And we sometimes have extremely limited items in the cooler in the back, so don't hesitate to ask for Carton or Kane products, as well as Samuel Adams Rebel Raw.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Catching Up on the New

Yes, the New, not the News. We've added lots of new products to our shelves in time for the holiday season, and we'd like to highlight a few today.

Holiday Gift Sets. Covering wine, spirits and beer, these are arriving virtually every day. For example, we have the Bruichladdich Variety Pack, featuring three different 200ML bottles. Wine lovers can pick up the two-bottle (both 750ML) Campo Viejo Rioja set. Craft beer enthusiasts can find gift sets from Ommegang. Most of our gift sets are available in limited quantities, so shop early for the best selection.

Jack Daniel's Winter Jack. Jack Daniel’s Winter Jack is a seasonal blend of apple cider liqueur, Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey and holiday spices, based on an original family recipe from Jack’s home in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Even if you live in a place where it’s never cold or snowy, you’ll never regret being prepared. Our heartwarming Tennessee
Cider should always be enjoyed with friends and family.

Betis Reserva Tempranillo. Ruby red in color with an enticing bouquet of ripe dark fruits, black pepper and vanilla. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and well-balanced, boasting ripe dark cherry and sweet tannins with a smooth finish. Pairs well with red meats, aged cheeses and risotto dishes. Only $10.97 in the Bottle Club®.

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau. Maybe the most-anticipated wine release every year. The Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine of the vintage to reach the market, and it will be available on Thursday. Many people can't have a
proper Thanksgiving dinner without including this wine, so if you haven't yet tried this fresh,  food-friendly, fruit-forward wine, grab a bottle and enjoy it! Only $8.09 in the Bottle Club®.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day is marked in France on the third Thursday in November with fireworks, music and festivals. Under French law, the wine is released at 12:01 a.m., just weeks after the wine's grapes have been harvested. Parties are held throughout the country and further afield to celebrate the first wine of the season.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA Cans. You almost scrolled past this, right? further proof that canned craft beer is the next wave, we will have a few cases of the incredibly popular 60 Minute IPA in cans.

60 Minute IPA is continuously hopped -- more than 60 hop additions over a 60-minute boil. (Getting a vibe of where the name came from?)

60 Minute is brewed with a slew of great Northwest hops. A powerful but balanced East Coast IPA with a lot of citrusy hop character, it's the session beer for hardcore enthusiasts!

And don't miss this week's Craft Beer Corner, where we'll review other freshly delivered brews.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Veterans Day Corner

We know that this blog is most read on Friday, so we're saying "thank you" to our Veterans. Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge will be open normal hours on this holiday.

This is, however, still the Craft Beer Corner, so let's take a look at this week's scheduled deliveries.

Sweetwater Squeezebox. Slice open citrus heaven with this grapefruit laced IPA. Bright and crisp with five tropical hop additions and dosed with a shot of grapefruit, it’s a refreshing new squeeze. Slice one open! 6.1% ABV, 45 IBU.

Avery Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles is the crafty shapeshifter, the second fallen angel; he who does not love light. Herein he patiently lies, waiting and willing to do your bidding, but for a price. Enter into his darkness, a tangled and intricate labyrinth of bittersweet rapture. 15% ABV. Allocated-ask a store associate for availability.

The Bruery So Happens It's Tuesday. Our infamous Black Tuesday® stout is named in honor of the great stock market crash of 1929. So Happens It’s Tuesday is similarly dark and delicious, but in a more affable format, reminding us that there is always a bit of good to be found within the bad. Things happen, life goes on. This beer can be enjoyed in all of those moments and seasons. 14% ABV, 22 IBU. 98 points from RateBeer.com.

Food pairings: Abandoned shopping carts with Sartori Espresso BellaVitano cheese, breakfast for dinner (and heavy on the candied bacon), Rubus occidentalis still on the shoot, beef wellington by candlelight with no match in sight, Darwinism.

Allocated-ask a store associate for availability.

Dogfish Head Flesh & Blood. Not new, but the return of a popular IPA. Flesh & Blood began with a ton of real citrus including lemon flesh and blood orange juice—hence the name—plus orange and lemon peel. Then the brewers began searching for the perfect combination of hops to perfectly complement the citrus flavors. After trialing number of different hops one-by-one, they emerged with Warrior and Centennial.

So what does this focus on simple, pure unadulterated fruit mean in terms of the aromatics and flavors in this beer? Flesh & Blood balances the resinous hoppy characteristics of an American IPA with the explosive zesty fruitiness and subtle drying
tartness of citrus to deliver a highly quaffable ale that’s incredibly unique and lovely to down the whole year round.

Hoppin Frog Raw Hop, Imperial Pale Ale. Special hoppy flavors and aromas are captured by adding freshly picked, undried hops during the harvest. These wet hops impart a character unlike other brews, that is quite unique and satisfying for those who love hops – the spice of beer. Smell the
hop fields, smell the freshness. 7.8% ABV, 45IBU. Limited availability.

As always, this is just a small sample of the new and exciting craft beers that will land on our shelves this week. Some will be available as soon as Tuesday, others will show up later in the week. Please note that inventory will vary by store.



Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Vote for the Craft Beer Corner

We're not really running for anything, but we do have election fever, so we decided to ask for your vote just the same. Here's a look at some of this week's scheduled craft beer deliveries.

AleSmith Double Red IPA. AleSmith’s Double Red IPA, previously known as Winter YuleSmith, offers up an intense hop aroma combined with a well-balanced, full bodied, caramel-malt sweetness. A variety of American hops burst with flavors of pine and citrus complimenting the substantial malt backbone to deliver a full-flavored ale with layers of complexity. 8.5% ABV, 80 IBU. Very limited availability.

Founders Backwoods Bastard. Expect lovely, warm smells of single malt scotch, oaky bourbon barrels, smoke, sweet caramel and roasted malts, a bit of earthy spice and a scintilla of dark fruit. It’s a kick-back sipper made to excite the palate. 11.2% ABV, 50 IBU.


Left Hand Fade to Black. That time of year when the day seems to fade away. Drifting further into the darkness with each passing day. Volume 1 – Foreign Stout – Pours black with licorice, espresso bean, molasses, and black cardamom notes that give way to a feeling of self loathing, burnt opportunities and smoked relationships. 3X Gold Medal Winner at the Great American Beer Festival in the Foreign Stout category. 8.5% ABV, 30 IBU.

Weyerbacher Heresy. Heresy is coming out of retirement for a small, limited run!

What is Heresy? An Imperial Stout aged in whiskey barrels. The aroma is filled with vanilla, cocoa and roasted coffee beans. This smooth brew has notes of whiskey, roasted barley and vanilla that meld together on the tongue to create an incredible drinking experience. 8% ABV.