Hitachino Nest and Anderson Valley

Before we jump into the new arrivals this week (of which there are plenty!), a quick note that the IBS is looking for a new employee. Full details are up on seek, in brief we need a beer loving, team oriented and intelligent store assistant to work around 30 hours a week starting late August. Interested parties can email a resume, including a cover letter, to: shop@internationalbeershop.com.au

We have been flat out in the store this week, with stacks of amazing new beers landing almost every day. Particular highlights include the return of the Hitachino Nest range of Japanese craft beer and award winning sake, the latest beers from Rogue, new ranges from San Fransisco’s Anderson Valley Brewing Company and New Zealand’s Renaissance Brewery, and some delicious and innovative beer from Brewdog. We can’t fit them all into this week’s newsletter – in the meantime check out our website, www.internationalbeershop.com.au for more details.

Finally a quick side note, Brewdog’s 41% monster IPA Sink the Bismarck! has arrived, and has already almost sold out. There are only 2 bottles left instore, so act quick if you’re interested in this once in a lifetime brew. Tactical Nuclear Penguin has already sold old, and Abstrakt AB:01, another new arrival from Brewdog, will quickly follow. Get in soon to avoid missing out!

HITACHINO NEST

Regular readers of our newsletter may recall our brewery profile of the Kiuchi Brewery in March, when Hitachino first came to Australia. Founded as a sake brewery in 1823, it wasn’t until 1996 that Kiuchi expanded into beer production and created the Hitachino Nest label.

Kiuchi’s Hitachino Nest beers blend traditional sake brewing practices and techniques with European (predominantly Belgian and English) beer styles, and modern American gusto. This unusual approach results in wholly distinctive and individual beers, full of interesting complexities and unusual flavours.

Both the ales of Hitachino Nest and the sake of Kiuchi are multi-award winning and highly sought after worldwide. The beers come packed in beautifully presented 330ml bottles, characterized by a quirky owl that is said to give a bit of love back to the drinker!

We received our second shipment of Hitachino beers last week, as well as a greatly expanded range of Kiuchi’s award winning sake. Brand new for Western Australia is also Kiuchi’s Plum Wine, and distilled beer/plum hybrid; Umeshu. Our current range includes:

Hitachino Nest Beer

White Ale: Kiuchi’s flagship beer is a Belgian style witbier, brewed with toasted coriander seeds, nutmeg, orange peel and orange juice. A highly refreshing and interesting take on the classic style, the White Ale also comes in ultra-modern, concave 650ml bottles.

Real Ginger Ale: a dose of fresh ginger roots added to the brew kettle creates an intriguing mix of ginger, malt-sweetness , and citrus aromas and flavors. Hoppy dryness is very subdued with ginger sweet and spicey notes dominating to the very finish.

Red Rice Ale: a Belgian style strong ale brewed with Japanese red rice, which has been used for centuries in the production of sake. A smoky, yet floral and delicate fusion of beer and sake.

Japanese Classic Ale: an historical 19th century style English India Pale Ale matured slowly in new cedar casks (typically used in Japanese sake production). The result is an elegant beer full of the flavours and aromas of peppery cedar, pine, citrus and earth.

Espresso Stout: a Russian Imperial Stout infused with roasted coffee beans, resulting in an amazingly complex and rich yet surprisingly smooth beer, with notes of vanilla, cocoa, black current, dark fruit and espresso. A definite staff favourite which is absolutely perfect for the winter months.

Kiuchi Sake / Liqueur

Junmaishu: a clean and balanced sake, brewed to showcase the taste of rice.

Tarusake: a sake matured in cedar barrels to produce subtle aromas and flavours of Akita cedar. This unique sake has some tropical fruit sweetness, initial cracked pepper spiciness, a little bitterness and flavour and creaminess imparted by the wood.

Kurashizuku: an “Usu-Nigori”, or unfiltered sake that still has some natural sediment from sake yeast, rice and koji in the bottle.

Yamahai Genshu: brewed to the ancient “Yamahai Jikomi” method, whereby the sake is fermented slowly and carefully at low temperature. The result is a mellow and complex sake.

Asamurasaki: this distinctive rouge coloured sake is brewed with Japanese red rice, which imparts nutty, slightly smokey flavours to this characterful brew.

Sparkling Plum Wine: made with Japanese plums from Ibaraki, and crafted with century old techniques this is a refreshing, bittersweet plum wine.

Umeshu: distilled Hitachino White Ale is blended with Japanese plums (‘ume fruit’). An amalgamation of beer and fruit wine.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company

We have talked at length about the American craft brewing revolution previously, and could write pages on how important and incredible these burgeoning styles and methods are to the world of beer. Suffice to say that we are very lucky to have these phenomenal beers slowly trickling into Australia. If you have yet to enjoy a US IPA or Imperial Stout, seek one out and try for yourself what many regard as the future of brewing.

Founded in 1987 in Boonville, California Anderson Valley are one of the stalwarts of the American craft scene, gaining recognition and respect for beers such as the luxurious Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, and the perfectly balanced Hop ‘Ottin IPA.

Everyone should be pleased to learn that half of the company’s electrical needs are provided by their very own solar power. On top of this, Anderson Valley operates its own wastewater treatment plant, and uses spent yeast to grow mushrooms for cattle feed. The brewery has carved its own niche, brewing beers of incredible balance, sophistication and quality. Our current stock includes:

Boont Amber Ale: displays all the trademarks of a great US amber ale – an abundance of fresh, citrus/pine hops perfectly balanced by rich caramel malt flavours. A multiple medal winner that is rich and complex, yet exceptionally drinkable.

Boont ESB: an abundantly hopped new-age English Special Bitter, layers of rich, biscuity malt flavours are balanced by earthy hop aromas, and a surprisingly bitter finish.

Poleeko Gold Pale Ale: a classic US Pale Ale, brewed with more than its fair share of distinctive Pacific Northwest hops. Crisp, clear and decisively drinkable.

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout: said to be one of the thickest, richest and most complex stouts on the market today, this is a true dessert island beer. An incredibly thick, velvety mouthfeel (not dissimilar to full cream milk) carries immensely satisfying flavours of mocha, roasted malts and a subtle hop finish.

Hop ‘Ottin IPA: drawing its name from Boonville’s incomprehensible local dialect “Boontling” (translating to “hard working hops”) Hop ‘Ottin IPA is an IPA lovers’ IPA – intense hop aromas and flavours, balanced by a subtle malt backbone, and bitter, dry finish. More approachable than some of the overstated, mouth puckering IPAs from the Northwest, this is a true lesson in balance.

Deepender’s Dark Porter: this historical style was dwindling into obscurity in its native England, before being resurrected and reinvigorated by modern US brewers. This full bodied porter has a rich, creamy head, and flavour profile dominated by a rich dark chocolate character, and roasted coffee finish.


Brother David’s Double: a complex, well crafted interpretation of a Belgian dubbel. Rich, spicy and dry – this gives even the best of Belgium a run for its money!

Rogue

Portland’s Rogue Brewery never fails to excite or disappoint. Apart from the return of some old favourites, we have several new beers from Rogue including:

John John Dead Guy: the first of a series of collobaration beers between Rogue Brewmaster John Maier, and Rogue Sprits Master John Couchot, John John Dead Guy is Rogue’s award winning maibock Dead Guy Ale aged in Rogue’s Dead Guy Whisky barrels.


Double Mocha Porter: in the vein of Double Dead Guy Ale, comes this 750ml imperial version of Rogue Mocha Porter. Rich, chocolaty, and decadent.


Finally, the Rogue XS range has been repackaged, and will now be available in modest and responsible 207ml bottles. First to hit our shelves are the rich, dirty street-fighting XS Russian Imperial Stout, and the hoppy, firey XS Imperial Red Ale.


We are also running a Member’s Special on the entire Rogue 650ml range (other than John John Dead Guy) – any 2 x Rogue 650ml beers for $29.99!


Crown Ambassador Reserve

Just in is limited stock of Crown Ambassador 2010 Reserve Lager. The 2010 edition includes a small percentage of last year’s vintage, which saw one year on French Oak. It will be interesting to see how the Australian macro-giant’s premium offering compares to similarly marketed beers from Europe or the USA. This highly collectable beer will not last long.


BEER TASTINGS
A reminder that we are running free beer tastings every Friday afternoon and Sunday for the rest of the year. In the coming weeks we’ll be tasting beer from Primator, Mountain Goat and Kosciuszko, as well as the odd surprise..

Look out for another post in the coming weeks detailing new beer from Rogue, Renaissance and Brewdog, as well as more members’ specials and limited offers.

Brewdog Beers - Just landed!

Literally not on the shelves 15 minutes ago - a new shipment from Brewdog, including Hardcore IPA (new recipe), Sink the Bismarck!, 5AM Saint and Abstrakt AB:01. Our tasting notes on the new Hardcore IPA:

Aroma - Huge fresh hop aromas - passionfruit, mango and pine with deep earthy notes punching from underneath. Nutty, chocolate fudge malt backbone. Steely, peppery alcohol is there too, but well hidden considering the abv. Very tight and sophisticated, everything is there in perfect harmony, eg nothing overwhelming (or underwhelming) or out of place. Wow.
Flav - Incredibly fresh, zesty US hops upfront, malt strengthens mid-pallet, primarily caramel, peanut brittle and fudge. Subtle alcohol is always there. Bitterness is firm, but not mouth puckering, making the beer surprisingly drinkable and perfectly harmonious.

Thanks Brewdog.

Anderson Valley Brewing Co

Just instore - brand new stock from USA's amazing Anderson Valley Brewing Co. These beers came with a big reputation, and after working our way through a few in the range (including the limited edition double IPA, and an amazing Oatmeal Stout) we are definitely inclined to agree. Watch out for more information in a newsletter later in this week. The beers:

Poleeko Pale Ale 355ml can
Boont Amber 650ml
Deependers Dark Porter 650ml
Boont ESB 355ml
Hop Ottin' IPA 355ml
Barney Flats Oatmeal STout 650ml
Brother David's Double 650ml
20th Anniversary Imperial IPA (very limited stock)

Also brand new craft beer from NZ's Renaissance Brewing Co, including:

Discovery APA
Elemental Porter
Stonecutter Scotch Ale
Craftsman Choc Oatmeal Stout

Cheers!

Nuclear Penguins, Sale and New Beer!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

First of all, thank you to everyone who supported us during our Sunday trading trial last month. We are very happy to announce that it was an overwhelming success, which means that we will be open every Sunday from midday - 6pm indefinitely. Cheers.

Our sale is still going strong, although we have seen the last of some of the more popular lines, including Riegeler and Courage Directors. There's still some fantastic bargains to be had, including some fresh additions to the sale - Schmucker, Youngs Bitter and a great deal on the Weihenstephaner World Cup Gift Packs. Check out all the details below.

NEW ARRIVALS

We had some exciting new arrivals this week, some are detailed below and some will be saved until next week's newsletter! As many products are in very limited supply, we ask the online shoppers amongst you to please call through orderson 08 9381 1202, and ask for stock to be put aside. We won't check our email over the weekend, so this will ensure you don't miss out. Also, we haven't had a chance to our website with some of the new products, or updated pricing. Hopefully everything will be up to date by tomorrow night.

Stone & Wood

We were delighted to receive stock of Byron Bay based Stone & Wood Brewery's much anticipated Draught Ale and Stone Beer earlier this week. The effortlessly drinkable and full flavoured 4.4% Draught Ale, is bursting with Galaxy hop aroma and flavour and supported by a lovely biscuity malt character.

We also received very limited quantities of Stone Beer - an historic style of ale, brewed with the addition of red hot rocks to the wort. This once common technique superheats and caramelizes the wort during the boil. Stone & Wood then add these caramel coated rocks to the fermenter as a special treat for the yeast.

Draught Ale is available in 330ml bottles for $4.50 each, $21.95 per 6 pack, or $77 per carton (24).

Stone Beer is available in 500ml bottles for $9.50, $32 per 4 pack, or $85 per carton (12).

Little Creatures Brown Ale

No doubt the hop heads out there will already be savvy to the new Little Creatures Small Batch release - a series of one off limited release beers. Creatures' latest offering is an innovative American / Australian style Brown Ale. An unusual grain bill (including pale ale, Munich, crystal, rye and roast malts) provides biscuit and traditional malt flavours, as well as a unique spiciness and mouthfeel from the rye malt. The beer is said to be a showcase of Australian hops, and certainly does provide plenty of hop aromas and firm bitterness. We are expecting to sell out of our first allocation by the weekend, but should have some more early next week. As with all limited stock, pre-orders are recommended.

Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager

Rogue's latest "Chatoe Rogue" estate release is a Schwarzbier brewed using Rogue's own farm-grown hops, and base malt grown on their own micro-barley farm. Jet black in color with a tan head, medium to full bodied, deftly balanced with seamless dark roasted chocolate malt flavors, a smooth bitterness and lingering finish. According to the reliable ratebeer.com, Dirtoir Black Lager is the best Schwarzbier currently produced anywhere in the world.

Also back from Rogue is the Morimoto series Soba Ale and Black Obi Soba Ale.

BrewDog

Tactical Nuclear Penguin

We have just received a few more bottles of Brewdog's 32% ABV Uber-Imperial Stout Tactical Nuclear Penguin. TNP starts off as a respectable 10% ABV Imperial Stout, before spending 8 months in Isle of Arran whisky casks, and a further 8 months in an Islay whisky cask, before being stored at -20C for three weeks. The beer was periodically decanted to remove ice, leaving behind a super concentrated, super complex super-stout of 32% alcohol by volume. Check out a video of the process at: http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article.php?id=214

Our first delivery of TNP sold out entirely on presale, so be quick if you'd like to try this amazing beer. Be warned though, the roughly 2 year process from start to shelf does come at a price - single 330ml bottles of TNP are retailing for $144.99.

Sink the Bismarck!

And if 32% doesn't quite sound like enough, we can confirm that we will soon be getting very limited stock of the world's strongest beer: Brewdog's 41% ABV quadruple IPA - Sink the Bismarck! . Like TNP, Bismarck is fortified by freezing to remove ice, leaving behind a beer with an ABV higher than most whiskys! Sink the Bismarck! is expected instore in around 2 weeks time, if you would like to reserve a bottle please contact us with payment details or stop by the shop to place a $50 deposit. Bismarck! will be $210 a 330ml bottle, although we are offering an early bird special of $200 for all members who secure stock with a deposit.

St Peter's

St Peter's Wheat Beer

St Peter's spring seasonal offering for 2010 is an English style Golden Ale brewed with a high proportion of premium wheat malt and balanced by Challenger and Goldings hops. This unique hybrid of German wheat, Belgian yeast and English hops has created a clean and refreshing ale best drunk at its freshest - ie right now!

Nail Brewing

Limited Edition NS1032 Celebration Nail Stout 750ml Bottles

We have very limited numbers of Nail Brewing's collector's edition 750ml Nail Stout. These bottles come from batch NS1032, which won a Gold Medal winner, and award for Best Packaged Stout at the 2010 Perth Royal Beer Show. Batch NS1032 also won a silver medal at England's International Beer Challenge 2010. If you have the self control, we recommend cellaring this amazing WA beer for a year.

SPIRITS

Limeburners M23

We have very limited stock of Great Southern Distilling Company's newest release - Barrel M23. This 61% ABV barrel strength single malt whisky is made in Albany from local barley, matured in an American oak Brandy cask before being finished in small bourbon casks.

For those interested in quality Sake and Plum Wine, we have just received 7 of Japan's best from the Kiuchi Brewery - more info soon..

*** SALE ***

Schmucher Bio Pils

Although we've sold out of Riegeler, we just received stock of an unfiltered, organic German Pilsner from the same brewery (Fursteberg). A very refreshing beer, but with some added complexity and smooth mouthfeel from the presence of live yeast in the bottle. Our stock has a BB date of 29/9/10, and is heavily reduced at:

$3.50 (330ml), $17.99 (6 pack) or $62.99 (carton 24).


Weihenstephaner World Cup Gift Packs

The World Cup may be over, but there is still reason to celebrate with the last remaining stock of Weihenstephaner's World Cup Gift Packs, a limited edition pack containing:

1 x Weihenstephaner Hefe 500ml

1 x Weihenstephaner Dunkel 500ml

1 x Weihenstephaner Kristall 500ml

1 x Weihenstephaner Limited Edition World Cup Glass

All for just: $14.99 each

Crest Super Lager

Save 20%+ on this Super Strong English lager, with blue 500ml cans priced at:

$5.80 each / $19.99 4PK / $108 Case (24)

BACK INSTORE

We received a few favourite beers back instore this week. More info on each beer, including prices is up on our website by Saturday. The new arrivals include:

Sierra Nevada

Limited stocks of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Porter.

Tusker

This favourite Kenyan Lager is available in 500ml bottles.

Innis & Gunn

We have just received fresh stock of Innis & Gunn Triple Matured - a limited edition whisky barrel aged Scottish ale.

Efes Pils

Turkish Pilsner

Hitachino

More info next week.

TASTINGS

We've lined up tastings every Friday and Sunday for the next few months, so if you're instore on either day just ask us for your free samples.

Cheers
The International Beer Shop Team

New Arrivals (07/07/10)

- Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Dark Lager
- Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale
- Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale
- Flying Dog Canis Major Gift Packs - Just $27.99 ea
- Flying Dog Kerberos Triple 207ml - Just $3.99 ea / $12.99 4PK
- Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter 207ml - Just $5.99 ea / $19.99 4PK
- Flying Dog Double Dog IPA 207ml - Just $5.99 ea / $19.99 4PK
- Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine 207ml - Just $5.99 ea / $19.99 4PK
- St Peter's Spring Seasonal (Wheat Beer)



Check out www.internationalbeershop.com.au for more info!