I was at work the other day looking around for something new to bring home and I came upon La Crema Pinot Noir . I went to do a little research about the wine on the web and found out it had some pretty impressive reviews, so I went along and bought a bottle. First impression, attractive fruit-driven scent of an array of dark fruits and berries. Vivid and pure flavors of cherries and berries backed by mild tannins. This kind of wine reminds me that my first “Wine Love” was, and still is… the sexy, soft and feminine Pinot Noir. This is a must buy and you would be crazy not to pick it up.

BTW, thank you Mike Kelley, Aka… “My Boss” for not telling me about this La Crema special the other day. Bad Boss… LOL

This week, we will start you off with a trivia question. What constellation has the stars Castor and Pollux? Give up? It is Gemini, of course. Now, how is this relevant to beer? It’s not, but the beer we will be look at this week is Gemini from Southern Tier Brewing. Castor and Pollux, in mythology, are known as the Twins, one strong and the other smart. Southern Tier’s Twins are known as Hoppe and Unearthly. They have equally blended these two beers in order to make one over the top DIPA (not like the” Big Dippa”, but a Double IPA). This set of twins has been brewed big and strong weighing in at 10.5% ABV, but remains smart with a quick hop punch thanks to its six different hops and a nice floral smell. As with all DIPAs, expect some lingering bitter aftertaste, but it is quite pleasant, but be forewarned, Gemini’s alcohol can team up on you quickly. All in all, these two, or should we say, this one big beer, is sure to please. So come on by and grab a bottle (22oz) and get ready to gaze at the stars with your new friends, Castor and Pollux.

This week I would like to talk about two very special wines. The first is called Conundrum: a branch of wine belonging to the Caymus Family. Conundrum lives up to its name, piecing together distinctive white varietals for a truly unique, lively, and full flavor. This riddle in a bottle is the conjured up by combining Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay, and Viognier, and then fermenting roughly one fourth of each harvest in stainless steel barrels while the rest is aged in both new and seasoned oak. Aromatic to the senses, the nose is greeted by scents of green apple, tangerine, and sweet white flowers; flavors of stone fruit, ripe melon, and citrus – balanced with hints of vanilla – accompany the crisp scents. Full acidity and a creamy texture on the mid-palate make Conundrum a great aperitif or complement to salads, spicy fare, and even fruit desserts.

A Pinot Noir worth talking about, Meiomi (pronounced May-oh-mee), was chosen to represent the varietal’s source and the name is derived from the word for “coast” in the indigenous language spoken by the Wappo and Yuki – tribes native to California. The abundant choices presented along California’s cool, lengthy Pacific coastline are the varietals from which Meiomi’s profile is drawn. The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir grapes grown in Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Barbara Counties. What I liked most about this wine are its layers of complexity that take Meiomi’s richness to an even more satiable – but not serious – level, one layer being a mild hint of earthy flavor that I find rare for California Pinots. This wine is near to perfection for what it is: a luscious, fruit-forward, full-bodied Pinot Noir that I promise is a definite crowd pleaser. Meiomi’s color, smell, and flavor work together marvelously. It is a bright but deep garnet with notes of cola, blackberries, and a sweet cedar. The rich flavor is velvety and easy on the palette. Layers of ripe cherry, cola are unloaded and then balanced by undertones of dried leaves and vanilla, with leather and high-style oak. The many layers emerge

I love Australian Shiraz when it’s balls-to-the-walls, no-holds-barred, straight up and intense. That’s how Sarah & Sparky, proprietors of Mollydooker, make their wines.

Sarah & Sparky used to make wine for other award-winning wineries, such as Marquis Philips and Henry’s Drive. They kept getting all these amazing scores from wine critics all around the world, and earned a wagon-load of awards like “Australian Winemakers of the Year” and Wine Spectator’s Top 10 Wines of the World. Finally, the light-bulb went off and they got the idea to create their own label. They chose the name Mollydooker, which is an Australian expression for left-handed, because they both are! Left-handed, that is.

Their Mollydooker wines are the darlings of critics — they’ve never earned less than 90 points, and five have scored the magic 99 points from the Wine Advocate. That ain’t easy…

Mollydooker Shiraz “The Boxer” offers some red berry fruit, spice and smoky forest floor. The palate, though, is much more luscious, offering creamy mocha and vanilla up front, and then bright acid as it finishes. The balance is what makes this wine classic: it settles somewhere between voluptuous and elegant.

Click below to see how to do the Mollydooker Shake!!!

Top of the evening to everyone. This week, we will be featuring beers of the United Kingdom. As you read in last week’s blog, IPAs hail from the UK, but the UK also provided the world with two other important beer varieties, Bitters (also called pale ales) and the infamous Stout.  These two styles could not be more different, but pint by pint have found their way around the world. Stouts, such as Guinness, are using heavily roasted malts to produce a beer so dark, light typically does not pass through them. Many people associate them with coffee flavors, but that is because the malts are roasted for an extended length of time just like coffee.  They are also going to be thicker than the typical pale ale or lager. On the opposite end of the spectrum are bitters. This style is known for its golden color, high drinkability, and typically low alcohol content of about 4-6%. We will be highlighting this style of beer this week with Old Speckled Hen. This beer has more of an amber color to it than the typical golden color associated with the style, but the taste is completely appropriate. Up front, it is very malty and sweet, but finishes dry with very little residual aftertaste. It weighs in at only 3.5% abv, but is perfect for drinking while watching the games on the weekend, or for eating some fish and chips. If you are unfamiliar with a proper British pint, come on in this weekend and give them whirl at the tasting, you won’t be disappointed.

This week we are exploring the world of Indian Pale Ales. The IPA or Indian Pale Ale was named by European breweries during the 16^th and 17^th Centuries. In order to preserve the imports en route from India, hops were added to prevent spoilage by the arduous cross-oceanic voyages. Unexpectedly, the result was the distinctive taste that beer drinkers now associate with most IPA’s that dominate the present-day market. The beers available for tasting this week (Standard IPA, Double IPA a.k.a. “Imperial IPA,” Black “Cascadian” IPA, and Oak Aged IPA) are not your traditional IPA’s. Rather, we invite guests to explore newly-spawned versions and join us on a journey through the modern era – a step away from mainstream IPA’s and towards the contemporary genre and the class of developed flavors that accompany it. Rogue’s “Brutal IPA” is featured this week: a hoppy 22oz ale that does not push the taste envelope too far. The Brutal IPA is only 59 IBU’s (International Bittering Unit) – a scale used to measure the bitterness of beers. The first sip or two of this IPA should be a full in-your-face shock treatment to your tongue that gradually subsides to become a mellow and smooth choice of brew. The hint of citrus – lemon and grapefruit flavors – add a refreshing quality while not overpowering the malted flavor IPA drinkers love. Pair this with a juicy steak and enjoy it during an outside dinner in the new season. Cheers!

Beer Blog by Luke Girman, Aka… Beer Geek

Tempranillo is Spain’s quintessential, indigenous “Noble Grape”. It’s Spain’s answer to Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a “classic” quality grape variety and responsible for making some of Spain’s best wines. The term “Tempranillo” comes from the Spanish word temprano, for “early”, referring to the fact that this grape ripens sooner than the other traditional varietals in Spain (2 weeks earlier than Garnacha, for example). It’s a thick-skinned black grape used to make full-bodied red wines of various styles, depending on where it’s grown, and blended.

Everything about Mano a Mano (“hand to hand”) reflects a natural approach to winemaking, as the name implies. Even the label for Mano a Mano was originally hand drawn by children. The Mano a Mano winery is located on some of the best terruña (what the Frenchies call “terroir”) of La Mancha. This is estate-grown 100% Tempranillo, all from old vines averaging more than 40 years of age.
The Color is deep black purple ruby, translucent. Aromas: Cherry, pomegranate and hints of meat and bacon fat. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, with intense dry gravelly tannins to balance the bold fruit flavors and tart acidity which explode on the palate. The finish is firm with warm echoes of lush red fruit and a dryness that begs another sip…

Creta Roble is 100% Tempranillo aged 4-5 months in neutral French and American oak. Purple-colored it exhibits a brooding bouquet of mineral, spice box, violets, and assorted black fruits. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied with exceptional volume. Smooth-textured, dense, and savory, this nicely balanced effort .

Creta Roble’s philosophy is this: try to make wines of the highest possible quality based on each year and look to be able to offer to them to the world with reasonable and competitive prices. By representing the integrity of the vineyard and the grapes that are produced, the outcome is a wine with structure and a true love for wine making.

Creat Roble Tempranillo, Spain

Güten abend meine damen und herren! It’s German Beer Week at Kelley’s and we want to start you off with an old saying, “If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it.” And that is what can be said for Weihenstephaner. They are the world’s oldest continually run brewery dating back to 1040. Yeah, you read that right, 971 years of brewing beer. This weekend, we were lucky enough to get our hands on Festbier, their offering to the holiday that is Oktoberfest, but is not an Oktoberfest beer. This very light golden beer has wonderful hints of citrus through the thick white head. But be forewarned, this beer is addicting and very hard to get your hands on. So why not grab yourself a few extra and go enjoy this the German way, outside, while grilling up some brats before the big game! Gute nacht!

Ahh…. Every beer aficionado’s favorite time of year is almost upon us. Of course, we are talking about Oktoberfest! Many of you might be thinking to yourselves that it’s only the start of September; however, Oktoberfest actually begins September 17^th at Noon (Munich time) – to be precise – and runs until the first Sunday in October. With that being said, did you know that only beers brewed within Munich’s city limits are served at Oktoberfest??? Kelley’s Beach Liquors is proud to bring three of these official German ales to our stores: Spaten, Paulaner, and Hofbrau. All of these beers are brewed to Marzen guidelines, meaning they will be copper in color, moderately “hoppy” in taste with caramel flavors, have an alcohol content between 4 and 7 percent, and best paired with pretzels, sauerkraut, and other traditional German delicacies. Our Oktoberfest tasting is being held early this year, so you have plenty of time to stock up for the festival season. We invite you to visit our FWB and Crestview locations for samples, but hurry because supplies won’t last long! Zicke Zacke Zicke Zacke Oi Oi Oi!!!