Lagunitas - The Hairy Eyeball Ale

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Beer Name: The Hairy Eyeball Ale

Location: Petaluma, California

Brewers Description:
 Big, brown warmer with several varieties of crystal malt. No actual eyeballs were added during the brewing of this beer.


Style: American Strong Ale - Seasonal                          Alcohol: 8.8% ABV

Appearance: Deep medium/dark brown with a soft long lasting beige head.

Aroma:  Predominant malt aroma, hints of pine & molasses.

Palate: Malt, raisins, and brown sugar. Slight alcoholic warmth.

Finish: Very well balanced malty finish this is not too sweet and not too bitter that leave you yearning for more.


Summary: Upon tasting this beer I found it to be a wonderful, well balanced malty experience. Not overly bitter however enough to offset the sweetness of the aggressive usage of crystal malts in this recipe. Even with it's higher alcohol percentage and full body, this wonderful brew is an amazingly easy beer to drink in the winter as well as throughout the spring. Pull up a seat and have a pint pulled from the keg right here at The Wine Room. Also available in 6 packs.

A Merlot to Love

           I have been looking for a Merlot for a change of pace -something new and different - and think my search has ended. The 2007 Sebastiani Alexander Valley Merlot that we will be tasting this weekend is dark in color with ruby tints and a finish that won't bite you back. It has a nose of black cherry, dark chocolate and espresso and is aged in French Oak (my favorite). The finish is smooth and long. I love the Alexander Valley and this Merlot tastes of berry fruits, almost like Zinfandel.

           This Sebastiani Merlot is comprised of 76% Merlot, 13% Petite Verdot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon,2% Malbec and 1% Barbera. We are tasting it this weekend and while everyone has their own taste (which is what makes tasting and drinking wine great, in my book), I hope you will find it to be a good one.

          To see what else we're tasting this and upcoming weekends, click here. 

Southern Tier 2XIPA



Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company

Location: Lakewood, NY
Brewers Description:
Not quite an imperial, but certainly not a standard India pale ale. Our double IPA is a hop lovers dream. Citrusy and clean with an incredible finish.

Style: IPA (Not an Imperial IPA)Alcohol: 8.2% abv

Appearance:
Bright pale golden color with a crisp white head. Yeast sediment in bottom of bottle.

Aroma:
Citrus, floral, grass clippings, slight caramel malty nose.

Palate:
Silky mouth feel & light on the palate. Sweet malts up that is quickly masked by a citrusy hops. Hints of lemon, grass clippings, and finally.... pine. Lighter mouth feel than expected.

Finish:
Dry finish with a clean pine aftertaste. Slight alcohol warmth due to the lighter body

Summary:
This is a crisp light bodied IPA that is a wonderful transitional beer for those that wish to try an IPA.