Is it a beer or is it a Wine?

Brewmaster Keith Villa has created a new Beer or is it a Wine. In case you don't know the name Keith Villa, he is the creator of Blue Moon (MillerCoors).  He is also the guy that added the then unheard of garnish of an orange slice as a marketing/branding exclamation point)  

Now he may have done it again by creating a Wheat beer that puts grapes in the same barrel as the beer (instead of malts).  Actually he started this project back in 1995 and test marketed it at Coors Field.  The consumer response was underwhelming so it was shelved.

16 years later, Villa has resurrected his hybrid product.  He again test marketed small batches and it won several awards.  It is now ready to be brought to the masses.

There are currently two styles.  One beer (Wheat Ale) is half-Sauvignon Blanc and is called Proximity and the other beer (Wheat Ale) is half-Cabernet Sauvignon and is called Impulse.  Both varieties are on the shelves right now, under the Vintage Ale Collection.  (This summer they will be re-branded under the Golden Knot label along with a new summer variety). 

It can be found in the wine section of liquor stores in 750 ml bottles so check there first.  I will have tasting notes as soon as I find a bottle.

Chin chin!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com 

Monks Selling their Rare Beer in the United States

St. Sixtus Abbey Westvleteren Brewery in Belgium is going to sell its Westvleteren XII beers in the US to pay for some much needed improvements to the Abbey.  

Westvleteren XII is believed by some to be the best beer in the world-It is considered the holy grail for many beer lovers.  

Westvleteren XII is brewed by Trappist Monks in the Belgium countryside and is normally only available at the Abbey.  But now (for as long as they last) consumers in the U.S. and a few other countries can purchase the beer at select retailers for $84.99 for six bottles.   

The 21 monks made the decision to export a very small amount of their rare libation overseas for the first time because of the need for expensive renovations and lack of cash on hand.  Because of their lifestyle they purposely don't have cash reserves and live a very noncommercial existence.

Mark Bode, spokesman for the Westvleteren Brewery, recently said "I think it will be the last."  They say, 'We are monks, we don't want to be too commercial. We needed some money to help us buy the new abbey and that's it,' " then  "Back to normal again."

The monks only brew 3,800 U.S. barrels a year, every year.  That is exactly what is needed to create enough cash flow to sustain the abbey. Obviously, sales of the beer are under tight control.  This low supply has caused high demand especially regionally.  

Despite it being a heavy, dark sweet Ale, the few that have tasted it have given it outstanding ratings which has only added to the mystique and demand.  

Chin chin!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com

Happy National Lager Day!

Celebrate National Lager Day today Monday December 10, 2012 with your favorite lager.  Lagers are by far the most consumed type of beer in the United States.

Lager are not just the classic clear, light refreshing pilsners-type beers you may first think of.  Lagers represent a large variety of styles including those lights (i.e Miller High Life) all the way to the darker bocks (i.e Spaten Optimator). 

All lagers are fermented for longer aging times than "ales" and at lower temperatures which help create cleaner, fresher tastes for the palate.  (Lagers were accidentally created by Bavarian brewers who were trying to ferment their beer during lower winter temperatures).

Up until the late 1980s most Lagers brewed in the US were of the pilsner variety and it was difficult to find any full flavored lagers out there.  The original Samuel Adams Boston Lager was one of the first full bodied lagers to become popular and widely accepted.

Do your part to support National Lager Day.

Chin chin!

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com

Samuel Adams Holiday Mix 12 pack has a new beer!

Samuel Adams White Christmas Ale

I tasted it using the Samuel Adams perfect pint glass.  It poured a foggy orange yellow with a distinctively thicker white head than expected.  The head held up well throughout the tasting experience.  The style is a traditional witbier normally associated with spring months.  The normal wheaty mallty base and orange flavor is present, but that is quickly infused with overlapping notes of nutmeg and possibly a hint of cinnamon.  These traditional Holiday spices fully compliment the flavors of this wheat based beer.  The body is medium with a very smooth drinkability, a decent foray into the Holiday beer genre.  As others have written, this beer gives us a great reason to enjoy a witbier in the winter months.

Chin chin

David Ruiz is a Sales & Marketing pro who is unnaturally obsessed with good beer.  Contact him at beersnobber@yahoo.com