Wine of the Week! 11/11/2024

“The fruit for the Le Cigare Volant is grown in several plots in the Central Coast AVA. Its majority of Grenache comes from cold Central Coast climates that provide a long growing season, giving a “spicy, peppery quality” to the grape. These qualities are countered by the plumpness of the Cinsault …”

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Beer of the Week! 11/11/2024

“In 1991, Massawippi and Unibroue merged, and they hired a young, Belgian brewmaster as another plan formed — develop a brewery that brewed Belgian style beers, unheard of on this side of the continent. In 1992, what was now Brasserie Unibroue brewed the first commercially available Belgian Witbier style Ale in North America. The rest, of course, is … history …”

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Beer of the Week! 11/04/24

“It’s easy to throw back this Väsen brew and smack your lips to another Richmond hazy IPA. However, there’s a quiet play between the Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, and Citra hops — three hops with different profiles … So, what happens when Väsen gets these three different hops playing in the same sandbox? Well …”

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Wine of the Week! 11/04/24

“Languedoc’s main white grapes are Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Marsanne, Vermentino, and Viognier … not Chardonnay, but it is grown here. In fact, it is one of the most grown white grapes in the region. Whereas cold climate Chardonnay (such as in Burgundy) can be acidic and have a citrus edge, warmer climate Chardonnay is less acidic and sports riper, rounder fruit notes. In this form, this grape in the Languedoc is the grape behind a number of prominent Vin de Pays whites.”

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Beer of the Week! 10/28/24

“Originally under the name ‘Especial Rivera,’ Estrella Galicia Especial came one year after the brewery’s rebranding … Fermenting the beer with their house yeast, Hijos de Rivera Estrella Galicia then lagers this brew for one month to deliver an uno-dos punch of flavor …”

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Beer of the Week! 10/07/24

"Releasing this brew just at the beginning of this past summer, Richmond’s Väsen Brewing Company may have taken this beer’s name from the recently released young fantasy novel. However, there’s a Cloud Thief restaurant in Sydney, Australia, so it could be that — you never know. Whatever its eponym, the Cloud Thief is aptly titled as it’s a super hazy wheat IPA ..."

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