Everyday someone approaches me with a new beer or liquor and they always claim the same thing, "this is selling really well in other markets, you have to bring it in".

Majority of these companies have no resources to sample or market their products properly. In order not to snub out the smaller businesses I have resourced out to some local bars and resturants. This way, you, the consumer, can try a new beer or liquor before you buy it. We do alot of tastings and sampliings in both of stores every week but do not always get the demographics that we are looking for.

Two years ago we started working with Brew City (www.brew-city.com) in Worcester. Brew City is located right on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester. They are basically, perfectly inbetween both Austin Worcester and Austin Shrewsbury. Aside from location, Brew City has one of the most knowledgeable staff and diverse draft beer lineups in the city. Their rocking new burger menu has been a huge hit thus far.  Brew City offers a Beer of the Month program inwhich a selected brewery si featured throughout the month at a special rate. In turn, Austin features the same brewery by putting them on sale in the course of said month. 

Earlier this year Austin's started working with Blackstone Tap (www.blackstonetap.com) located on Water Street in Worcester. Blackstone is a great 5:01 spot (after work crowd). You'll find the demographics at this bar are all over the place, from young adults to blue and white collar people ending their shift with an icy cold pint. At Blackstone with the brick faced walls and hardwood floors gives it a home type feeling.  Don't forget their sunfilled patio. It's a great spot to try to even out those driver arm tans.

Look for the Austin Liquors Logo at your favorite bar. You'll never know who we team up next.  

Did you say Watermelon...in my beer? Really?

Truth is, watermelon beers are on the rise. More and more craft brewers are trying new fruits and vegtables every day. Most watermelon beers are on the lighter coloration side, with a sweet watermelon flavor. Some however, have the sweetness of the watermelon and somehow incorporated the bitterness of the rind. My best example of such is 21st Ammendment (CA) Watermelon. 21st Ammendment comes in 6pk cans year round. If you are one of those people who love to support local brands, OPA OPA (western MA) has re-released their version of a Watermelon ale. The OPA OPA version is only available in 64oz growlers. Our supply from OPA OPA is limited.

If you think watermelon is a crazy idea, how about beet juice? Oh yeah, I said beet juice. Up in Vermont the earthy- crunchy brewers at Magic Hat incorporated beet juice into there new summer seasonal Wacko last year. It pours this awesome ruby color. The flavor is light with a kick of bitterness to it. I wouldn't of been able to pinpoint the flavor unless directly told. I can not even remember the last time I tossed a beet down the old hatch. Making Magic Hat Wacko more of a summer relief treat.

Be on the look out for more odd ball fruits to be incorporated into beers in the next few years.

Anybody who knows me knows my feeling that “wine is more than grape juice and alcohol, it’s about the stories behind it and the memories created

Box wines , much like stelvin closures (screw caps) are a stigma in wine that people need to get over and realize that it is not only here to stay, but a better way to go. In Europe they have been drinking higher end box wines for years. My personal belief with box wines is the same as with tradition wine bottles, the packaging is irrelevant, if the wine is good going in, then it is good coming out. The old school Franzia, Almaden, and Peter Vella are still around with their Chillable Reds’, Refreshing Whites’, Rhines’ etc.. , but what we are also starting to see over the last few years are  varietal wines from known producers like Hardy’s and Banrock Station from Australia. From the US, box wines from Fisheye and Blackbox are leading the way in terms of quality.

Some other benefits of box wines are environmental, freshness, and economical. Environmentally, a 3ltr box creates a lot less waste then the 4 750ml or 2 1.5ltr glass bottle equivalents. For freshness, because the bag in the box is airtight, the wine will stay fresh for 4-6 weeks after opening. And best of all box wines will save you money. A 750ml bottle of Fisheye Pinot Grigio is $6.99, multiply that by 4(for 3 liters) and you have $27.96, yet a 3 ltr box of Fisheye is $17.99.

Here is a list of some of the better quality box wines that we carry and their price, remember these boxes are the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine.

Blackbox
Sonoma Merlot $29.99
Pinot Grigio (Italy) $25.99
Napa Valley Chardonnay $29.99
New Zealand sauvignon Blanc $25.99
Shiraz $25.99
Columbia Valley Riesling $25.99
Fisheye                                                   
Pinot Grigio $17.99             4 750ml-$27.96
Shiraz $17.99
Hardy’s(Australia)
Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot $16.99   4 750ml-$23.96
Banrock Station
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot $17.99           4 750ml-$27.96
Folonari
Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir $18.99        2 1.5ltr-$21.98
Turning Leaf
Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir $21.99         4 750ml-$27.96

So another holiday season has ended and I've got to say it was definitely an exciting one for me. I had alot of fun selecting wines for people either to give as gifts or to share at holiday parties. I hope that alot of great memories were made with these wines.

The leaves are changing colors and the air is definitely getting colder, fall is here. It's hard to believe but the holidays are coming up fast. So the question becomes what do I drink with my holiday meals. Well, Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, so lets start there.

If you think the time for drinking rose wine is over, now that summer is just a memory... hold on,

The air is turning colder, the leaves are changing color, and the holidays are approaching, for serious wine drinkers, this is a very exciting time of year.