Something borrowed

Check out this wonderful blog

http://coffeebikebeerrepeat.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/five-favorite-beer-from-victoria/

Gluten ruined my life

                Some would say it's a passing trend, that next year it will be some other lifestyle bandwagon to jump onto.   Frankly I have to disagree with all those naysayers.   Having seen many a friend and yes even myself being effected by the little bugger that is gluten!
             Up until 8 months ago I would wake in the middle of the night in sheer agony, that if I were lucky would only last a couple of hours and at the worst which I happened to have experienced while traveling this summer in South America,  where bread is EVERYWHERE and is so damn good how can it be denied.  I ended up having to sit in a bathtub running the hottest water I possibly could handle to numb or at least appease the pain.  8 god awful hours in which my body was literally (okay maybe not literally) screaming at me.
      My poor friend not knowing what to do,  just waited around for me, well maybe she found a place to shop at but was worried nonetheless.   But what do you do in those moments when you can't control or make something go away and you have no clue as to why its happening.  Well I had a hunch but I thought maybe it was combinations of food that was affecting me.   It wasn't until I stopped eating gluten that the pain has ceased,  I am now 100 % free of the pest that use to haunt me at night. 
      Having to change eating habits is extremely expensive and hard.... and you have to read EVERYTHING!  I mean cream of mushroom soup has gluten in it,  not that I shouldn't be getting off my lazy ass and just making it from scratch.    I just have to be so thankful for that little gluten free logo to make my life just a little bit simpler but not always satisfied.     Some things gluten free just don't appeal to my taste-buds;  leading me to gluten free beer.
        There are some gluten free beers that really shouldn't hold the title of beer...at all!  I don't want to name names but you know who you are!  However sometimes you luck out and find good one's like Green's (when you can find it)   and now Omission a new brewery coming out of Oregon.  www.omissionbeer.com   Omission has found a way to process barley so it takes the gluten out of the equation,  yet keeps the flavour intact!    For those who can still drink all the wonderful craft brews we have the privilege of getting our hands on in B.C.   try it blind... I bet it will be hard to tell the difference.

For those craft brewers out there that scoff at me when I ask if you will ever do a gluten free beer and you tell me that's not beer.   I ask how can Omission do it and yet you can't!    I was a loyal beer loving gal until gluten came and ruined my life.   So here is a challenge to all of you craft purists!  Come up with a solution so all those who love beer can enjoy it without the anguish it brings to so many of us...  and at the same time make our taste-buds happy! 

6th Sense Syrah

Still my favorite Syrah! 

This delicious Syrah from the Lodi, has to be one of my favorite wines currently to come out of California. With its aromas of black olives, hints of tobacco and bacon...yes bacon and who doesn't love bacon! Then your hit with this decadent plethora of fruit, black cherry, blueberry, blackberry and plums come to mind.

Then there is this fruit explosion when it hits your tastebuds, its like digging into a fruit filled cobbler, blackberry, black cherry and notes of vanilla.
The mouth feel is velvety and delectable and finishes with the typical syrah pepper.

This Navigation will lead you in the right direction

This limited release from Lighthouse Brewing, is the second 650ml release by them and is a fantastic follow up to the Shipwrecked Ipa. This traditionally strong dark lager is perfect for the beer lover in your life this Christmas. Make sure you come in this weekend to get it will it lasts!

We're All Fat Cats Here!

In our quest to keep the aisles here filled with the finest local and not-so-local malted products, we paid a visit up-island to the lucky metropolis of Nanaimo and found this yummy stuff!

Here's what they have to say about their beer:

Fat Cat Brewery uses no additives, ever. No sugar, no pre-gelatinized rice, no pre-gelatinized corn, no cornstarch, no molasses, no seaweed, no synthetic clarifiers, etc. Just Nanaimo water which happens to be just perfect for brewing beer, hops, malt and yeast, all made from scratch.

Our brew house is very “hands” on, no push buttons to this brewery. Our beer is not pasteurized so we cold micro filter our bottled beers. By doing this it helps extend shelf life. Fat Cat Brewery Beers are listed on the official Vegan list too.

Thanks for keeping the seaweed out, guys! (And I hope you got your fabulous Nanaimo water from west of the city and not to the east....)

There's lots more information on their website; we're bringing in their IPA, Honey, Black & Tan, Porter -- and for the adventurous among you, their "Old Bad Cat Barley Wine": 11.5% alcohol, and conditioned in oak bourbon barrels. (The labels of this last one are dated with the year of production as well, so it's plain that they expect it to age gracefully!)

Welcome to Spiritmerchants, Fat Cat! Is this a great island or what?!

Coming Soon: New brews from Upright Brewing

Here's a heads-up on a new product that's in the pipeline right now but we hope will be in the store in no time flat -- Four new brews from Upright Brewing in Portland, Oregon! Here's what they have to say about themselves:

Upright Brewing specializes in farmhouse inspired beers rooted in France and Belgium but made with local ingredients and a Pacific Northwest twist. The name is a reference to Charles Mingus and his primary instrument, a musician whose compositions defy categorization. At Upright we use a special saison yeast and open fermenters to produce beers that are a true hybrid style, sharing Mingus’ spirit of exercising creativity and craft.

For a start, we'll be bringing in their "Sesame Street" group of products -- beers named Four, Five, Six, and Seven; all cleverly named after their approximate alcohol levels. It's time for us all to learn to count!

Phillips Double Barrel is Back!

By now, we all know the secret of Phillips' Brewery's success: Take a great idea that's already out there; jack up whatever makes it great by about 50%; sell it at a reasonable price; repeat.

In this case the great idea is Innis and Gunn oak-aged beer from Scotland. Last year Phillips took a run at it, and the result was pretty good, but almost over-the-top in its oaky enthusiasm. This year, they've perfected the mix and the result is everything an Innis & Gunn fancier could want! We've got 16 cases of this limited release -- get 'em while they're cold!

New Brews from Russell Brewery!

The label may look like it was designed by Goth Bikers, but it's what's inside the the bottle that counts! Rich, dark and bitter and yummy -- and I'm not looking in the mirror! We've just brought in four new beers from Russell Brewing -- try them all!

It's Here! Howe Sound Three Beavers!

We've got about 100 liters for a start -- here's what the Vancouver Sun had to say a couple of days back:

VANCOUVER — They're cute furry Canadian icons proudly sporting gold, silver and bronze medals on a podium made of tree stumps.

They look like medal winners at some kind of wildlife hinterland Olympics but the Three Beavers are actually a clever marketing image behind today's launch of a new beer from Squamish-based Howe Sound Brewing.

The microbrewery is not an official Olympic sponsor like Molson but the timing of its latest product — just three weeks before the 2010 Olympics — is clearly no accident.

“We really wanted to celebrate Canada during the Olympics and we figured telling a tale about beavers in Canada was a very Canadian thing to do,” brewery co-owner Leslie Fenn said in an interview.

The Three Beavers Imperial Red Ale label recounts the historical importance of beavers in Canada and notes the brewery won gold, silver and bronze medals for its beers at the North American Brewers Association awards in 2007 and 2009.

Ambush marketing around the 2010 Olympics — where non-Olympic sponsors try to associate themselves with the Games — has increased recently but Fenn is confident the upstart brewery has broken no rules.

“We've been very careful not to mention the Olympics or anything like that,” she said. “I don't think we're supposed to use the term gold medal but we have won gold medals at the brewery awards so we shouldn't be expected to hide that fact.”

While Molson is the official 2010 Games brewing company, Budweiser — a sponsor of the U.S. Olympic team — will host Club Bud parties at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on five nights during the Games.

Molson will no doubt monitor that situation closely to ensure Budweiser doesn't cross any Olympic marketing guidelines but Fenn doubts the Canadian brewing giant will have a problem with Howe Sound Brewing's latest product.

“We're not presenting ourselves as the Canadian beer of the Games,” she said. “We're just a small microbrewery.”

Fenn said its latest beaver-imaged brew will be promoted with street-oriented marketing featuring people in beaver suits who will show up soon around Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler.

But the only info you really need is all on the label: it's big; it's malty... and it's yummy!

The Hammer is Back!

Spring? Who needs it?

Rated an 'A' by The Beer Advocate, Phillips Hammer Imperial Stout is back at Spiritmerchants again for another limited run! Here's what one of the BA critics had to say about the last batch:

This is a world class RIS that ages gracefully. Dark and thick, this is pure sexy chocolate and roasted coffee malts. I have had bigger and even better impys but this has to be one of the best BC beers ever. The case for Matt Philips as one of the best BC brewers can be made from this beer alone.

Who cares if it's raining outside, when you've got something like this in the fridge?

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale -- It's not just for Thanksgiving anymore!

For all you brokenhearted souls out there who missed the batch of Pumpkin Ales we brought in at Thanksgiving and Halloween, we've just taken a midwinter delivery of Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale! (Word has it that pumpkins grow year-round in Colorado, where this was brewed, but we haven't chased the source of that rumor down yet.)

New seasonals from Phillips!

It's back -- and in full bottles, too!
Phillips Instigator's 2009 edition has just been released, to fill that yawning gap in the Phillips release schedule between the Dirty Squirrel and the Hammer Imperial Stout. 8.5% alcohol and stiff enough that you can stand a straw up in it, Instigator is just the thing for the cold snap we're going through right now -- curl up in front of the fire with one while you wait for BC hydro to come and get your heat up and running again!

For the even more adventurous, there's Phillips Deadhead Barley Wine -- an ale with 10% alcohol, and in their words, "as gentle as a log to the bow."

Both of these fine products will be available for only a short time, so don't hesitate -- the weather may turn warm again!

Blackstone Porter is back!

It's been almost a year since we've carried this great offering from Victoria's Driftwood Brewery -- and they've been 11 tough months! This time, Driftwood has sworn on a stack of Brewer's Guardian that this time they're going to keep it on our shelves a little longer; maybe for the entire winter season. For more details than you'll ever need to know, take a peek here! Otherwise, take a peek on our shelves just about any time after Nov. 6th!

The Hermannator is Back!

It must be that time of year again! Vancouver Island Breweries has entrusted us with about a hundred and fifty precious six-packs of their staggeringly good (snicker!) once-a-year ice bock!

This year's version meets the potent standards set by last year's brew -- full-bodied and complex, with a whopping 9.5% alcohol seamlessly integrated into the mix -- the one beer to have when you're having only one!

Easter Seals Drop Zone -- Still time to donate!

* Not exactly as illustrated

Spiritmerchants' Heroic Duo -- Caitlynn Crawford and Maria Natalia Perri -- will rappel down the face of Victoria's CIBC building to raise donations for Easter Seals on September 17th! It's never too late to donate! Come in to Spiritmerchants at Vic West, goggle at the Courageous Two, and make a donation!

It's Here: Phillips Crazy 8's!

You think you're crazy? Phillips Brewing Company is celebrating it's eighth anniversary in business with with "annu-ale" (their phrase, not mine) number eight: Phillips Crazy 8s -- 8% alcohol and 100% fabulous.

The idea is that with each passing year, they'll bring out a celebratory beer that's 1% higher in alcohol than the beer from the year before. Style will evolve with alcohol content; pretty soon it's going to be a fortified malt product! Stick around for the 50th anniversary and we'll all learn something!

10% Off Craft Beer Products with Beerfest Spinnakers Coupon!

Save that Beerfest program! On the back of it you'll find coupons for a host of Spinnakers products -- including as the jewel in the crown, a coupon worth 10% off any craft beers purchased before October 31st at either our James Bay or Vic West Spiritmerchants stores!

Last Chance for Phillips Gentleman Jim's!

Our already-limited supply of this glorious Phillips one-shot is getting down to the bendin' end -- we've got only about 5 cases left and they're fading fast! Here's what the brewery had to say about it:

This copper ale will hit you with a few flavourful jabs of ginger before walloping you with the full spectrum of taste. This new seasonal is named after legendary prizefighter Gentleman Jim Corbett who changed boxing from a primitive pursuit into the scientific sport it is today. Like Gentleman Jim, this fiery ale is not a heavy puncher, however it can still put you down for the count, but will graciously shake your hand when you come to.

Who am I to argue with eloquence like that? Gome and get it before it's gone!

Gone out; back soon....

Stay tuned -- We'll be back up with a host of new products in a day or two!

Coming to Spiritmerchants: Phillips Double Barrel!

Mark Tuesday the 28th of April with a big X on your calendar, because that's when Phillips delivers its first few dozen boxes of their newest to Spirit-merchants: Phillips Double Barrel!

Innis and Gunn fanciers take note---this is another case of Phillips doing what they do best: taking a great idea and running with it. Double Barrel is just that, a beer aged first in bourbon barrels; then in wine barrels from the Okanagan.

We're looking forward to our first bottle; we know you will be too!