Monthly Archives: July 2008

Three o’clock.

There’s something about three o’clock. At least on workdays (and particularly on tedious ones like today).  This is about the time I start thinking about what it would be nice to drink on a given night.  I let my mind walk through the cellar, stroll by the kegerator, and dig through the fridge to refresh my recollection about what tasty treats are available.  This is a leisurely process, and one I really enjoy.  It’s amazing what hidden gems my mind is able to recall when I let it linger on the subject.

Then my mind turns to what I might be making for dinner that night.  Once those options are established (and they are usually minimal given my general lack of planning), it’s time to decide on what would make nice combinations at the table.  If wine really does it with dinner, I start thinking too about subsequent meals, so I can get to the rest of the bottle in a reasonable amount of time.

Once the dinner pairing is worked out, I can turn my attention to any pre or post-dinner drinks.  These depend a lot on the schedule for the evening.  If I have a meeting, or it’s my turn to do the kids’ bedtime routine, I’ll shuffle things around or skip them all together.

Tonight’s plan?  A quick half pint of Victory Prima Pils as an after-work refresher, a couple of glasses of ’04 Clos Roche Blanc Cabernet (Franc) with the mushroom ravioli (no, not homemade – sorry), and maybe another pint of Prima with a book at bedtime.  And, I’ll probably change it all around in the moment tonight, but it was still a nice little 10 minute vacation from the workday.  Ahh.

The St. Louis Beer Selection is Getting Better and Better . . . .

How do I know?  Well, I just got back from a weekend jaunt to Michigan.  A couple of years ago, I used to tote back cases of beer for myself and friends.  Now, so much of this is available to us here in the St. Louis metro that I brought back a whopping half a leftover sixer of Stone IPA and a four pack of Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout.  I probably could have gotten the Dark Horse from Andrew at some point, but it was there and I was craving it.

Sure, there are some fine Michigan brewers who don’t distribute down here, but with easy access to the full line from Bell’s, Founder’s (which I’m not really a fan of anyway, apart from the Black Rye which they killed), Jolly Pumpkin, Dark Horse, New Holland, and Arcadia (again, not a fan), my home-state itch is pretty well scratched.  I would love to get Michigan Brewing’s fine rendition of Celis White, and some of the lunacy from Short’s (as well as their outstanding Huma Lupa Licious), but I can manage.

We’ve really caught up on crafts from around the country though.  Sure, they get Brooklyn (which is almost always out of code . . .), Great Lakes (ditto) and Stone (I’m “eh” on most of the lineup, but the IPA is fine stuff), but apart from that, there isn’t a lot we don’t get already.  And while I’d love to have access to the great lagers from Great Lakes and Brooklyn, the recent addition of Capital really dulls that blow.  Toss in our ability to pluck New Belgium, Great Divide and Left Hand from the shelves at will, and I’m feeling really good about being a craft beer drinker in St. Louis.

As for imports, I didn’t see a single thing on the shelves at the stores I hit that I can’t get down here.  We’ve always been closer on the import front, but I didn’t see the massive selections from Shelton Brothers and B.United that I can several places in the St. Louis metro.

Next month I head to Wisconsin, and that will prove a much tougher test, simply because there are so many more fine breweries that don’t distribute down this way.  However, this is what makes beer travel particularly fun for me – being able to try stuff I can’t get at home.  I’m actually a little sad that Michigan isn’t the beervana it once was, but I want to thank our great local retailers and distributors for providing us with so many tasty options.  Now, let’s get out and drink them so the supply stays fresh!

A Capital idea, my good man!

More great news for St. Louis-area beer lovers as Andrew Traughber over at Bon Vivant Wines (my favorite Illinois-based wine and beer emporium owner) has gotten access to the fine beers from Capital Brewery in Madison, Wisconsin.  Capital specializes in outstanding lagers, and we can now pick up their Special Pilsner (one of the best domestic Pilsner, along with Victory’s Prima Pils – which Andrew also usually has), Munich Dark (a lovely dunkel), Bavarian Lager (a true Helles) and Wisconsin Amber (Vienna-ish).  I’m very happy to have grabbed (via proxy – thanks, Carl!) some of the Pils and Dark for the holiday weekend.

Oh, and to up the ante, Andrew also got Dark Horse‘s undefinable, but amazing, Black Bier, and their fine Crooked Tree IPA.  Oh, and some great stuff from Moylan’s.  And then, of course, there are the wines . . . .  Thanks for the continued hard work, Andrew!