Whichcraft

(Aged in Whiskey barrels) – Van Steenberge brewmaster Jef Versele crafted this exclusive Gulden Draak Brewmasters Edition as a tribute to his grandfather Jozef Van Steenberge and the 230th birthday of the brewery. It’s a Belgian strong dark ale coming in at 10.5% that was aged in whiskey barrels. 10.5% ABV/Ertvelde, Belgium/Ratebeer 97 *Arriving Friday

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

A bourbon barrel aged version of Dirty Bastard, this is Founders’ most sought after release next to KBS. And yes, at the time of this email going out, we still have some available. Expect lovely, warm smells of single malt scotch, oaky bourbon barrels, smoke, sweet caramel and roasted malts. A bit of earthy spice and a scintilla of dark cherries. 10.2% ABV/Grand Rapids, MI/Ratebeer 100

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

This is a Belgian classic strong dark ale. For the secondary fermentation, wine yeast is used. Pours dark but transparent. Aromas of sweet dark fruit and the ABV is well hidden. Rich toffee & caramel flavors with a Belgian yeast finish. 10.5% ABV/Ertvelde, Belgium/Ratebeery 99 *Arriving Friday

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Trignac from Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck was introduced in the spring of 2013 and is far more than a tripel matured in oak barrels. It is, in fact, the first genuine tripel matured in recycled French cognac barrels. Yellow & cloudy color that comes from the barrel aging and rich hints of cognac play well with the spicy & fruity esters from the Belgian tripel yeast. Rich & delicious. 12% ABV/Ingelmunster, Belgium/Beer Advocate 90 *Arriving Friday

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

The latest in the Off Label series of experimental beers from the crew at No Label has them aging a scotch ale/wee heavy in Wild Turkey Select barrels for 6 months. It’s blended slightly to reduce the booziness from the barrels but still comes in at 9.5% ABV. Katy, TX/Beer Advocate 89 *Arriving Friday

Ask whether it is a cream or honey liqueur, straight spirits are vegan.

We’ve been selling the Brasserie Silly Scotch ale aged in port wine barrels for some time, and it’s outstanding. Silly knocks it out of the park again with their cognac barrel aged version. Tastes of dark grape and raisin, a nice vineous characteristic, also light chocolate, some toasted malt, red apple, vanilla, an extra-alcoholic pinch, hinting a strong spirit, but cognac doesn’t pop that clearly in mind. 9% ABV/Silly, Belgium/No ratings yet *Arriving Friday

Ask whether it is a cream or honey liqueur, straight spirits are vegan.

Wheat wines are a somewhat recent stylistic development, akin to barleywines in strength, but brewed with a large portion of wheat malt, which provides a soft mouthfeel to balance the big body of these warming brews. Boulevard adds a generous helping of Hallertau and Citra hops, and ages the beer on both French and American oak, resulting in a beer that opens up with a warming burst of tropical fruit flavors, adding subtle Sauvignon Blanc notes before rounding slowly to a dry, oaky finish. 9.5% ABV/Kansas City, MO/Ratebeer 97 *Arriving Friday

Ask if any of the wines are marked vegan. Most are clarified using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the label.

Nutcracker Ale is Boulevard’s special offering for the holiday season. This hearty, warming brew is a classic winter ale, deep amber in color, with hints of molasses balanced by the “spiciness” of freshly harvested “wet” Chinook hops. 7.8% ABV/Kansas City, MO/Ratebeer 87 *Arriving Friday

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Pours a cloudy orange/brown color that shifts slightly to orange when held up to the light. Golden raisins, light toffee, with bright cherry slightly present in the background. Herbal hop aromas, bitterness is there but seems low due to high carbonation and sweetness. More peppery flavors from the yeast, just the smallest hint of garlic and/or cloves, and some cola notes. 10% ABV/Melle, Belgium/Ratebeer 96

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Dark malts and aromatic hops create the diabolical spirit of this brew. It is finished with lager yeast and aged cold for no less than 30 days. This Imperial Helles Lager will warm even the darkest hearts. This season, replace the cookies with a bottle of Krampus. 9% ABV/Lakewood, NY/Ratebeer 96 *Arriving Friday

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

The latest from New Braunfels Saur program is a dunkel weizen which is then aged 4-5 months in TX’s Garrison Brothers bourbon barrels. It’s then also inoculated with NB’s house sour culture so it has characteristic tartness, intermingled with roast, whiskey and wood. 7.8% ABV/New Braunfels, TX/No ratings yet

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

From the Yakima Valley in Washington state, Tieton makes a delicious range of ciders. The autumn harvest blend of Jonagold, Pinova and Winter Banana apples produces a pale straw cider that is expressive and floral with a pleasing sweetness. This 11% ABV still cider can be enjoyed as an aperitif or digestif. 11% ABV/Tieton, WA/Ratebeer 89 *Arriving Friday

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

One of the world’s original doppelbocks, Eku 28 has the character and richness to stand in for fine sherry or port. Just the right degree of sweetness – never cloying, wonderfully aromatic and warming. 11% ABV/Kulmbach, Germany/Beer Advocate 89

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

According to the chronicles of the Kulmbacher brewery, some time around 1900 an apprentice forgot on a cold winter day to carry two barrels of bock beer into the brewery cellar. The barrels stayed outside, were covered by ice and snow and weren’t discovered until the following spring. The barrels had burst and the apprentice was reprimanded. But the carelessness was a stroke of luck because under the thick ice coat, a bock beer extract remained, strong tasting and high in alcoholic content. 9.2% ABV/Kulbach, Germany/Beer Advocate 92

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Aromas of dark fruits, earth, peat, floral notes, toffee, and caramel malts. Dark cherries, plums, raisins, flowers, peat, cola and a hint of honey. Hints of caramel and toffee towards the end. Finishes with some more flowers and caramel malts. 10% ABV/Ipswich, MA/Beer Advocate 87

Ask whether it is a cream or honey liqueur, straight spirits are vegan.

S’muttonator is a tasty mixture of German ingredients and good olé fashioned New England tenaciousness. The brewers take 30 hours to brew a single batch of this traditional Double Bock. Take your time and enjoy its rich, malty, and deceptively smooth flavor. 9.6% ABV/Hampton, NH/Ratebeer 97

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Fresh Hop is an American-style pale ale with moderate hop bitterness marked by a unique and intensely grassy hop flavor and aroma. Fresh Hop is a superbly refreshing, medium bodied, light-copper colored pale ale weighing in at 55 IBUs and 6.1% ABV. Denver, CO/Ratebeer 98

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Aging on a blend of French and toasted oak chips infuses a subtle oak and vanilla character into Yeti’s already intense chocolate, roasted coffee malt flavor and hugely assertive hop profile. 9.5% ABV/Denver, CO/Ratebeer 100

Ask whether the chocolate has milk in it.

Avery’s winter strong ale has a gorgeous mahogany hue, a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee. No spices, just a perfect blend of five specialty malts. 8.3% ABV/Boulder, CO/Ratebeer 96

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

A big backbone of malt, with plenty of caramel sweetness and just a touch of chocolate and toast, provides enough alcohol to stay warm through the winter months. But it’s the epic grapefruit hop aroma and flavor, provided by a huge dry hop addition at the end of fermentation, that really make this seasonal beer shine. 6.2% ABV/Durango, CO/Ratebeer 90

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Oasis TX’s latest release is a 4 pack of 16 oz cans called Lake Monster. It’s an 8.5% barrel aged Baltic porter aged in red wine barrels from TX. 8.5% ABV/Austin, TX/No ratings yet

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

A tart and herbaceous hybrid Scandinavian grog. The newest in the Dogfish lineup of Ancient Ales, Kvasir (say: Va-seer’) is brewed with lingonberries, cranberries, birch syrup and herbs. 10% ABV/Milton, DE/Ratebeer 89

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

In both 6 packs and awesome 50 ounce single bottles, Anchor was the first brewery to really make a Christmas ale years ago. The recipe changes a bit each year but is always a winter warmer with a bit of spice. 5.5% ABV/San Francisco, CA/No 2014 ratings yet

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

This medium to full-bodied beer, pale to amber in color, is most accurately described as a Bavarian wheat beer. The aroma and flavor of this unfiltered beer is decidedly fruity and phenolic — a big word for a brew that tastes like cloves, nutmeg or sometimes vanilla with banana-like esters. 4.8% ABV/Papillion, NE/Beer Advocate 86 *Arriving Friday

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Harpoon adds natural raspberry flavor to the UFO Hefeweizen to create this beer. Consistent with the hefeweizen style, this beer is unfiltered and cloudy with a solid foamy head. UFO Raspberry has a distinctive, hazy rose color. The taste of the fruit compliments the beer nicely, neither overwhelms the other. There is a faint sweetness on the palate, which finishes cleanly in a semi-dry, tart finish. 4.8% ABV/Boston, MA/Beer Advocate 82

Ask if they know which are marked vegan. Some beer and wine is cleared using fish, milk or egg, and that is never printed on the bottle.

Ask what it is made with. The menu does not list the ingredients.

Ask what it is made with. The menu does not list the ingredients.