Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/621120
www.beveragedynamics.com january/Februrary 2016 • Beverage Dynamics 71 BEER SELECTIONS • IMPORTS (93) Newcastle Brown Ale (Newcastle, En- gland). 4.7% ABV. A wonderful bouquet of caramel nuttiness and herbal English hop aromas. Perfect clarity and a wonderful gar- net-brown color with an off-white head that lingers slightly. Caramel and toffee notes dominate up front with very low hop fl avor and bitterness and fi nishes dry with light, lingering chocolate notes. A quintessential brown ale and session beer that is easy drinking and full of fl avor. (93) My Blueberry Nightmare (Birrifi cio del Ducato, Italy). 9.4% ABV. It starts life as Verdi Imperial Stout, a stout that is brewed with chil- ies. It's then put into oak barrels with blueber- ries for two years. This is batch number four. There are big differences between batches. One of the most intense beers you will ever drink. Very acidic and tar t, this batch has a nice smokiness that rounds it out nicely. (92) Magic #4:21 (Omnipollo, Stockholm, Sweden). 6% ABV. A raspberry smoothie IPA that pours a bright pink with a medium white head. Lots of sweet fruit aromas, tar t rasp- berry sweetness with a slight hop bitterness. (92) Unibroue La Fin Du Monde (Quebec, Canada). 9% ABV, 19 IBUs. La Fin Du Monde is one of the greatest interpretations of a Bel- gian tripel style ale brewed outside of Europe. The beer pours a dark golden color with a massive fl uffy white head. Big funky Belgian yeast and spice on the nose. La Fin Du Monde is a very approachable big beer. Sweet, fruity and spicy. Clove is apparent on the tongue, fi n- ishing dry with a slight hint of alcohol. A per- fect beer to recommend to the person looking to expand their brew universe. (91) Negra Modelo (Mexico/Austria). 5.4% ABV. A Vienna lager with a wonderful toasty and malty aroma, very clear appearance with amber reddish hues, and a white head lingers. Like the aroma, an amazing toasty, malt-for- ward fl avor dominates, but plays well with a low hop fl avor and bitterness. A smooth creamy medium body. All around a great malty toasty beer that pairs well with a number of Mexican dishes. (91) Rodenbach Flanders Red (Roeselare, Belgium). 5.2% ABV, 15-20 IBUs. Rodenbach pours a very dark amber, almost-brown color. The nose is tar t and very funky. First sip is sour and refreshing, with hints of red fruit. Rodenbach is an almost wine-like ale with sourness reminiscent of vinegar, and a very dry tannic fi nish. With the exploding popularity of wild and sour ales, this Flanders Red is the perfect introduction to this trend. (87) Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale (Yorkshire, England). 5% ABV, 31 IBUs. Big toasty malt aroma. This beer pours a light brown, leaving a little white head. Toasty and nutty malt on the pal- ate. This brew reminds one of freshly baked pum- pernickel bread. Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale has almost no bitterness, with a slightly sweet dry fi n- ish. Defi nitely one of England's fi nest brown ales. (87) Hitachino Extra High XH (Kiuchi Brewery, Kapan). 8% ABV 44 IBUs. A Belgian-style strong ale aged for three months in sake casks. Pours a dark amber color with a thin white head. A little boozy sweetness is provided by the time in the sake casks. (85) Schofferhofer Grapefruit (Binding-Brau- erei AG, Germany). 2.5 % ABV. Pronounced Chauffeur + ah + The Hoff + ah! The beer pours as a cloudy and golden color with slight head. As a 50/50 split of hefeweizen and grape- fruit juice. The wheat beer half counteracts the bitterness of the grapefruit juice, while the grape- fruit half adds in carbonation. With a very low ABV, it's a great summer day (or recovery) beer. (85) Reissdorf Kolsch (Koln, Germany). 4.8% ABV, 21 IBUs. Pours a golden straw color with a quickly disappearing white head. On fi rst sniff, Reissdorf gives off a pleasant, sweet malty and yeasty aroma. This refreshing Kolsch is crisp and fruity, very malt forward with almost no hop bitterness. (85) Young's Double Chocolate Stout (Bedford, UK). Not as sweet as the name would suggest; only a slight chocolate taste towards the end of the sip to balance the bitterness. Mouthfeel lighter than expected from the jet-black appear- ance. Alcohol is almost undetectable at 5.2% ABV. I would consider this a good entry-level stout for those who want something new. BD Matt Bardill Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Jeremy Bigelow Hy-Vee Bloomington, IL Nathan Burcham Hobart, IN James Campbell Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits Annapolis, MD Adam Carlson Gardina's Wine Bar & Café Oshkosh, WI Christopher Ciskey Yankee Wine Newtown, CT Jon Davidson Midwest Manager St. Killian Importing Zachariah Gaddis Staples Corner Liquors Crofton, MD Nick Guy Holiday Wine Cellars Escondido, CA Travis Harvey Young's Market Waipahu, HI John Hutton Cordially Yours Depew, NY Scott Marshall West End Outdoors Athens, AL Lisa Morrison Belmont Station Portland, OR Ed Mulvihill Peco's Liquors Wilmington, DE Derek Ridge Hazel's Beverage World Boulder, CO Greg Rixen Happy Harry's Bottle Shops Grand Forks, ND Nathan Robinette The Casual Pint Knoxville, TN Anthony Strange BevMo! California Jennifer Tague Liquid Assets, LLC Baton Rouge, LA Mitch Worley Hy-Vee Springfi eld, IL THE BEVERAGE DYNAMICS NATIONAL BEER WINE PANEL (89) Moosehead Lager (New Brunswick, Canada). 5% ABV, 13 IBUs. A light, crisp lager that is clear and golden in color with minimal head. Slightly hoppy lager that goes down easy. It's perfect whether you're watch- ing hockey or football. Comparable to most domestic beers, with a more fl avorful palate.