Austin Liquors Fall Festival
October 22, 2011 1-4 PM
At our Shrewsbury location.

2011-03-23

_{"Big, Dark and Scary Imperial-esque Stout Brewed With Plenty of Dark Malts and Roast Barley And Loads of Sebastopol’s Hardcore Coffee for Even Bigger Roasty Flavors and that Extra Krunk." Lagunitas Brewing Co.}

LIMITED RELEASE:
8.8-9.2 ABV
I.B.U. 29.50
O.G. 1.076

Poured vigorously into a DFH snifter. 2 finger head sticks around for a couple minutes with decent lacing. Nice roasty, creamy, coffee notes with a touch of cocoa powder. A satin mouth feel that is surprisingly smooth and drinkable. Definitely a cappuccino stout, like Sumatra style coffee, and there's that cocoa powder again. For a <$6 bomber this is quite enjoyable. Almost as good as the beer is the label with the story of/rant about the events that brought this stout into existence. Very well made. Very affordable, and available at both Austin Liquors locations

Cheers and good beers,
 Dylan

Concannon Vineyard

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting fourth generation winemaker John Concannon last week. Not only did he bring us some wonderful wines to drink, he brought us his story.

I, like so many of you, enjoy the history and the story that goes into the making of wine.

Johns’ story is very rich in history. His great-grandfather, James was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1847. He immigrated to the United States and eventually ended up in San Francisco in 1883. He was a successful businessman and a devout Catholic. So, when the Archbishop suggested that he buy some land and produce sacramental wine for the church, he accepted the challenge.

He settled in Livermore, purchased some land, built his family a home and planted vines. Those vines and that home are still in existence today. In fact, John grew up, and raised his own children, in that same house.

Since they made sacramental wines, Johns’ grandfather, Joe was able to continue operating the winery throughout Prohibition. Another interesting fact is that Johns’ father, Jim, is responsible for introducing Petite Sirah to America.

As you can see, this is a family business steeped in history. So, when the threat of urban development threatened to encroach on some vineyards in the Livermore area, the vineyard owners took matters into their own hands. They put their land into a legal trust which strictly prohibits any further urban development in the greater San Francisco Bay area. The Livermore vineyards in this area are referred to as Concannon Conservancy and produce remarkable wines that are unique to the terroir.

I hope you will join me in enjoying a glass of Concannon Vineyard wine on St. Patrick’s Day. In honor of James Concannon-the first (successful) Irish Winemaker in America!