Meet the New Boss

Very much the same as the old boss. Your blogger wraps up his maternity cover duties today, and returns you to Shannon, your regularly scheduled blogger. We've had fun back here in the Craft Beer corner, but you can still find us at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville. Please enjoy (responsibly!) these new craft beer deliveries. Note that some will be delivered Tuesday,. and some will arrive on Friday.

Lagunitas High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout. 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 Metropolis Coffee. We brewed a rich, malty Imperial Stout with some of Metropolis' 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! Limited availability, at 12.2% ABV and 39.6 IBU.

Avery The Maharaja. Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat, meaning "great", and rajan, meaning "king". Much like its namesake, this imperial IPA is regal, intense and mighty. With hops and malts as his servants, he rules both with a heavy hand. The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops: tangy, vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley – fashioning a dark amber hue and exquisite malt essence. Welcome to his kingdom! 10.0% ABV.

Rogue 6 Hop IPA. A big, beautiful bite. 6.66% ABV, 87 IBU. We're stocking this in cans. Look also for the arrival of Rogue Dead Guy in cans.

Dogfish Head Flesh & Blood IPA. Now available in cans! 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. 7.5% ABV, 45 IBU.

Cheers! See you in the store.

The End is Near

The end of our temporary stewardship of this blog, that is. We have been here on a maternity cover, and your regular blogger will return the week of February 6. We have some great additions for this penultimate Craft Beer Corner. Please note that due to inventory at our Woodbridge location this week, the delivery schedules for both stores are disrupted. Regardless, everything listed should be in stock by Friday, January 27.

By now, you're probably aware of the Sierra Nevada recall. Click here if this is news to you. We've checked our inventory, and what we have for sale is safe. Check the codes (there's information in that article about what to look for) on any relevant Sierra Nevada product that you may have purchased elsewhere, and contact that retailer, if necessary.

Troegs Nugget Nectar. We're not burying the lede here; let's start with the most requested beer of the month. It’s impossible to forget your first squeeze. Once a year, as the newest humulus lupulus harvest arrives at Tröegs, we blend these super-fresh hops into an Imperial Amber Ale. Excessively dry-hopped, Nugget Nectar is an explosion of

pine, resin and mango. 7.5% ABV, 93 IBU. In bottles and cans.

Sixpoint Hi-Res. Another annual release, back for a limited run. To see the hop cone up close, we zoomed in microscopic, and found a hi-res view. In Hi-Resolution, the hop optic was magnified; our perception, fully amplified. It's microscopic. It's telescopic. It's off-topic. It's Mad Science. 10.5% ABV, 115 IBU.

We don't have proper tasting notes yet, but we're scheduled to receive Flying Dog Salt & Pepper, from their Brewhouse Rarities series, and Denali, from their Single Hop series.

Weyerbacher Sunday Morning Stout? Not yet. The exact delivery date isn't clear, but should be within the next two weeks or so.

River Horse Hippo's Hand Double IPA. New England style IPA brewed with Buddha’s Hand fruit and dry hopped with Mosaic, Citra, and Lemondrop hops. Left unfiltered, it has a hazy golden appearance and a delicate citrus nose. The Buddha’s Hand fruit lends big citrus notes complimented by the Citra and Lemondrop hops. Not overly sweet and not overly bitter, this is an extremely balanced, smooth and refreshing double IPA.

Until next week, cheers!

Zany Weather Corner

The weather has always been one of your blogger's favorite topics. it's easy conversation, since pretty much everyone experiences the weather. And in the winter, when there are days that we only venture outside to shovel sidewalks or scrape ice, coming back inside to a great craft beer is one of the simple pleasures.

If you shop at our Lawrenceville store, please note that we will be closed for inventory on January 17. That's our regular craft beer delivery day, so these selections will not arrive until Friday. That same format will repeat next week, but in Woodbridge, where the store will be closed on January 24. One final housekeeping note: Beginning Monday, January 16, Woodbridge will close at 9pm every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The store hours will otherwise not change.

Ballast Point Manta Ray Double IPA. This new IPA rises above the rest. We’ve developed many IPA recipes in our R&D program, but right from the tank, our Manta Ray Double IPA was a winner. Aromas of fresh, citrusy tangerine, melon and light pine leap from the beer and linger over a smooth finish. Like its namesake, this brew can sneak up on you – a big beer without a bite. 8.5% ABV, 70 IBU.

Pair with Chinese Salt and Pepper Wings, Bay Blue Cheese, or Dungeness Crab

Cakes.

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s Imperial IPA (8% ABV, 85 IBU) was born at the cross roads, in a juke joint, as if Dale’s Pale Ale sold its soul to balance Deviant’s foreboding aromas of citrus, grapefruit rind and piney resins with a copper ball-of-fire color and inscrutable finish. The 2011 Great American Beer Festival Silver Medal Winner (American IPA Category) is the Devil incarnate with untold amounts of malt and hedonistic Columbus dry-hopping. Limited availability.

Yards Golden Hop IPA. This light-bodied IPA soars with the tropical notes of tangerine, mango and grapefruit from Mosaic and Amarillo hops and bright
floral and citrus undertones from Cascade in the hopback. 6.0% ABV, 55 IBU.

Golden Hop IPA's crisp melon and citrus flavors pair well with acidic, tomato-based foods like Italian cuisine. Try with bruschetta or Lasagne alla Bolognese. Cin cin!

Troegs Nugget Nectar. Not yet. Should be available to us in about 2 weeks.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. Now available in 6-packs. A Double-Barrel Dose of Malt and Hops. The beer with a guarantee built right into the name, this one is destined to blast through the flavors from the night before. Massively dry-hopped for your aromatic pleasure. 8% ABV, 102 IBU, and 99 points at RateBeer.

These bombers are also scheduled to arrive this week: Cascade Apricot, Founders Frootwood, and Green Flash Nuevo Tarte. Also just arrived (in 12oz 4packs) is Dogfish Head Olde School.

Cheers!

Back to the Corner

Your blogger is back in New Jersey and ready to discuss some of our latest additions. Before we do that, however, here's an important reminder. We publish money-saving coupons on our website every Tuesday, and on Twitter every Thursday. Our website coupons almost always include craft beer, and the Twitter coupons may also include ciders or national brands. Go to our website and save.

Here's what's new at Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge:

River Horse Chocolate Porter. We start with a brown porter brewed with dark roasted malts, and add one pound of chocolate per barrel. We then throw in some Madagascar Vanilla beans to accentuate the chocolate flavors, resulting in a decadent porter. 6.5% ABV.

We're also anticipating delivery of their all-new Hippo's Hand Double IPA, so it's an exciting week for anyone who enjoys local craft beer.

Allagash Hoppy Table Beer. While Hoppy Table Beer was inspired by the Belgian tradition of low-ABV, easily drinkable beers, it still occupies a hop-forward spot all its own. Brewed with our 2-row malt blend, Maris Otter malt, and oats, the beer is then spiced with a subtle addition of coriander. We ferment it with our house yeast for classic Belgian citrus aromas. Hoppy Table Beer is hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Comet, and Azacca hops, then dry hopped with more Comet and Azacca. A mildly hoppy aroma full of grapefruit springs from this straw-colored, light-bodied ale. Flavors of pine and stone fruit balance the beer’s clean, slightly bitter finish. 4.8% ABV.

Lagunitas Citrusinensis. A Pale Ale brewed with natural blood orange flavors. We took some fresh Sanguinello Blood oranges, juiced 'em, concentrated that juice (without heat) and threw it into a wheatier version of our New Dogtown Pale Ale. The end result? A refreshingly hopped pale-ish ale with a huge citrus burst! 7.7% ABV. In 12 ounce bottle 12-packs.

New Belgium Dayblazer. A deliciously refreshing golden ale, brewed with the finest malts and hops giving a sweet, crisp citrus finish with just a hint of honey. Blond, with uniform medium haze. White foam and light lacing. Low overall aroma built on malt in the form of corn chips, cereal, vanilla and honey; balanced with some flinty sulfitic, isoamyl acetate, and herbal grassy hop aroma. Light initial sweetness followed by a subtle hop bitterness, neither overpower. It's effervescent, with a clean fast finish. 4.8% ABV.

We also expect delivery of Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine within the next few days. Please ask a beer team member for assistance. Cheers!