This week's list of new and returning products follows a few words about Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
Preamble by Steve Siciliano
If you fly into Jackson Hole, Wyoming and are looking to drive into Idaho to fish on the legendary Snake River the shortest route is through the Teton Pass. The highest point of the pass is 8,431 feet above sea level and the series of switchbacks, the ten percent grade and the numerous signs warning about the potential of rock slides was a bit disconcerting to a couple of flatlanders from Michigan. "Have you driven through the pass before?" the young man asked when we picked up the rental car on the outskirts of Jackson. We shook our heads to indicate the negative.
"Don't ride the brakes on the way down," he warned, a slight smile forming beneath a blonde wisp of a mustache, "or you'll burn em up."
We had intended to head back over the pass after our five day stay in the Teton Valley and then take US 191 up from the ultra busy tourist town of Jackson to our motel in the vicinity of the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. We scrapped that plan and opted to take the much longer but decidedly less stressful route north through Idaho, then west on to Montana and finally south through the western part of Yellowstone to our digs for the next three days--the Jackson Lake Lodge.
The historic lodge (it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003) was completed in 1955, in large part with the support of noted philanthropist and conservationist John D. Rockefeller Jr. It is owned by the National Park Service and is managed by the Grand Teton Lodge Company. Our comfortable room with an outside seating area was in one of the buildings towards the back of the property but the star of the show is the main lodge designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. Guests can enjoy a meal in the massive dining room or have a drink in the bar while gazing out the huge windows at the majestic Tetons.
The restaurant was operating at limited capacity due to Covid restrictions but on our first night we were lucky enough to snag one of the window tables. Both elk and bison were on the menu and since I already had the former I opted for the latter. As I dined on the gamey and a bit tough and stringy steak I silently cursed the government which encouraged the indiscriminate slaughter of tens of millions of the majestic animals in the late 19th century in an attempt to hasten the decline of the indigenous plains Indians. By 1889 the estimated population of American bison was less than 1,100 animals.
The next day we made the short drive up to Yellowstone. We did most of our sightseeing from the car, getting out only to ooh and ahh at the impressive Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. As we approached Hayden Valley the traffic had slowed to a crawl due to the fact that a bison was ambling down the middle of the road. I like to imagine that if the massive beast had hands rather than hoofs it would have reared up and showed the picture taking sightseers its middle finger.
Featured Wines of the Week
Kermit Lynch Blends, 2018, Vin De Pays De Vaucluse, France, $16.99/750ml-56% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre, 7% Carignan, 7% Cinsault, 1% Marselan. Explosive red fruit is gracefully harnessed by a clay and limestone mineral structure, notes of violet, licorice, and garrigue. So delightfully drinkable, you’ll wonder where the rest of the bottle went. (Source)
Art Of Earth, 2019, Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, Italy, $11.99/750ml- Dark dusty violet color. This wine showcases aromas and flavors of marinated blackberry leaf, fountain pen ink, herbs de Provence, and green peppercorn. It has a slightly chewy yet crisp and fruity finish and is great for rustic Italian meals. (Source)
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Featured Spirits of the Week
Nuestra Soledad, San Luis Del Rio, Mezcal, Mexico,$55.79/750ml-San Luis Del Rio is in the district of Tlacolula, located in the east of the Valles Centrales region. A small village making big mezcal, it is tucked away in the mountains next to the Rio Hormiga Colorada. Espadín is grown on slopes so steep and high that harvested piñas have to be rolled down the mountainside before being taken back to the plaenque through the river bed below. The intense heat of the sun on the high elevation mountaintops (over 7,000 feet up) results in early-ripening agave with very concentrated sugars. Roasting and fermenting the agave at low elevation, however, brings bold and funky flavors of mesquite, bright citrus fruit, spicy black pepper, and a round, creamy palate, with most perceived smokiness of the Nuestra lineup. (Source)
San Zanj, Haitian white rum, $31.59/750ml- Zanj Rums is a brand new label from one of the oldest operating rum distilleries in Haiti. Berling S.A. traces its lineage back to 1862 in Port-au-Prince, when it was co-founded by Labbe Barbancourt. Through over a century of ups, downs and commercial name changes, Berling S.A. has remained family-owned, and steadfast in their dedication to creating traditional and artisan Haitian spirits for the modern enthusiast. Berling S.A. today sources, distills, blends and bottles some of the world’s most widely recognized clairin and Haitian rum. (Source)
New and Returning Products
Greyline Brewing- DryPA/12oz/$2.79-Pale Ale - American
Greyline Brewing- Mosacca/12oz/$3.19-IPA - American
Paulaner- Oktoberfest with 1 Liter Mug/$11.19-The perfect balance of a light taste of hops and a strong note of malt. A feast of a beer, which always goes down well. This beer is only brewed for the Oktoberfest. That’s where it belongs, along with all the fun of the fair like the Ferris wheel and roasted almonds. (Source)
Arvon-
Another Day In Paradise/16oz/$5.09-NEIPA hopped with Simcoe, Idaho 7, Citra and Motueka
Rip Slide/16oz/$4.99-Vermont style IPA with Galaxy, Mosaic and Cryo Simcoe hops
Dazzle Razzle/16oz/$6.79-Double NEIPA with Galaxy, Simcoe and El Dorado hops
Banana Watch/16oz/$6.29-Kettle Sour with Bananas, Strawberries, Blueberries and Lactose
Strawberry Salt In The Air/16oz/$5.89-Margarita inspired Kettle Sour with Strawberries, Key Limes, Sea Salt and Lactose
Fat Orange Cat- I Don't Like Monday's/16oz/$3.79-New England style IPA brewed with Galaxy, Mosaic and Simcoe hops. Short Throw- Pilsner/16oz/$3.79- Skygazer- Watercolors Synergy Cotton Candy/16oz/$6.29-Sour - Berliner Weisse Stillwater- Extra Loud/16oz/4.89-India pale saison ale brewed with sake rice in collaboration w/ Dubfire Stillwater- Bourgeois Brunch- 16/oz/$5.69-Sour ale w/ Chardonnay grapes, tangerine juice, milk sugar & vanilla
Equilibrium
400x/16oz/$5.69-We hit the microscope and magnified our hopping rates in this intensely hopped DIPA. Starting off with a base of flaked oats and flaked wheat we added Galaxy and Simcoe to the whirlpool before a big dose of Simcoe, Strata, and Galaxy for the dry hop. Hazy yellow and vivid yellow in color, you’ll notice aromatic pops of pineapple, cannabis, citrus, and crushed berry before big flavors of papaya, mango, weed, lime and passionfruit exploding into a creamy, dank, and thick popsicle finish lined with our #?? #EQjuice finish. (Source)
Enso/16oz/$5.69-Enso pours a beautiful milky bright yellow with aromas of passion fruit, assorted citrus, pineapple, and sorbet. The flavor has bright notes of passion fruit, melon, and peach all coming together in a creamy lime push pop ending. This beer is soft and drinkable and ends with our signature #EQjuice finish in perfectly balanced form. (Source)
Mass Acceleration/16oz/$5.69- This juicy elixir pours a glowing tangerine color with aromas of dank orange juice with that melony EQ juice thing. The taste is orange/mango for days and melon flavored gummy bear juice. (Source)
Photon Citrus/16oz/$4.69-Photon Citrus is our beloved Photon American Pale Ale conditioned on fresh grapefruit, lime, lemon, tangerine, and orange zest. It is everything photon is with a balanced touch of citrus; this citric delight is perfect to welcome the summer weather. (Source)
Off Color- Waddle/16oz/$2.99-A fest beer to celebrate the wedding of one of our favorite twenty employees! Brewed in the classic style of an Oktoberfest lager, except if you see it after October, then it is a Marzen. (Source) Off Color-Pumpkin Beer For Cafe's/16oz/$2.99-Sure, it’s a pumpkin beer so it tastes a lot like everything else that is pumpkin spiced. But Pumpkin Beer for Cafés gains a sweet, nutty, and earthy twist from cold brewed red rooibos (pronounced roy-bows) tea and vanilla beans in an already chewy base beer heavy in unmalted grain. (Source)
Modern Times
Cosmic Ray's Hazy Tropical IPA/16oz/$3.89
Brain Vacation/12oz/$2.19-Brain Vacation has deep flavors of Florida navel orange, peach flesh, melon, pineapple, and a touch of coconut encompasses by marshmallow fluff. Creamy, juicy, and full bodied this beer is truly a vacation. (Source)
Dungeon Map/12oz/$2.69-West Coast IPA with Nelson, Strata, Mosaic and Centennial hops.
Founders- Velvet Rush/12oz/$4.59-Borrowing elements from both high-end craft cocktails and moody jazz clubs, Velvet Rush takes the bourbon barrel-aged brown ale up an octave with free-flowing notes of coffee, chocolate and vanilla extract. Milk sugar aids in weaving together this complex tapestry of flavors to create a unique sipping experience that really ties the room together. (Source)
Stone- 25th Anniversary/12oz/$3.19-This 12.5% ABV powerhouse of a triple IPA features notes of stone fruits, citrus, coconut and melon courtesy of its seven different varieties of hops: Centennial, Citra, Chinook, Cascade, Belma, Simcoe, Amarillo & Sabro. (Source)
Brewery Vivant- Zaison/16oz/$4.69-Imperial Saison brewed with orange peel and tellicherry black peppercorns.
Black Rocks- Nordskye/12oz/$2.19-IPA - Session / India Session Ale
Leinenkugal and Hofbrau Collaboration/12oz/$1.59-With over 550 years of brewing experience combined, Leinenkugel’s Collaboration Lager is a blend of German tradition and American ingenuity. Brewed in partnership with Hofbräu München and in the spirit of Reinheitsgebot, this German-style amber lager incorporates imported German malts with unique American hops to create a beer that is flavorful, balanced, and refreshing. (Source)
Boulevard- Kviek IPA/16oz/$3.59-Notes: This Imperial IPA uses a unique yeast strain called Kveik from Norway. It is a farmhouse ale strain that is known for producing intense tropical fruit aromas and flavors. AKA it is perfect for IPAs. (Source)
Great Lakes- Nosferatu/16oz/$3.59-Don’t be afraid of things that go hop in the night! Rich roasted malt flavors haunt the shadows of our Imperial Red Ale’s bitter teeth. (Source)
Short's- Island Chomper/12oz/$2.59-Double the IPA meets seven times the fruit in this punch-inspired brew made with pineapple, passion fruit, apple, orange, papaya, apricot and guava. Island Chomper smells like you’re holding a fruit basket up to your nose, with ample flavors of orange and tart tropical fruit, which shift quickly into a sour, mouth puckering bitterness thanks to a generous dosing of Mosaic, Azaaca, Calypso and Nelson Sauvin hops. Tiki drinks come in all shapes and sizes, folks. (Source)
Short's-S'more/12oz/$2.59-A complex stout brewed with graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, and smoked malt. The rich hearty flavors seem to take their turn as the subtle graham aromas lead pleasantly into sweet flavors of marshmallow cream covered in milk chocolate. All is followed by a slight lingering flavor of smoke when you add a flaming marshmallow garnish, which is strongly encouraged. (Source)
Sothern Tier- Cold Brew Coffee/16oz/$4.39-Settle in with smooth, roasty cold brew coffee combined with pumpkin pie spice. Each sip provides a sense of comfort like a morning’s first brewed batch of perfectly roasted coffee. (Source)
Southern Tier- Pumpking Nitro/16oz/$4.39-Pumpkin / Yam Beer