Merchant du Vin | Mashing In

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen Lands in the U.S.

Posted on August 28, 2018 by mashingin

Privatbrauerei Ayinger (Aying, Germany) and Merchant du Vin have announced that Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen has officially returned to the U.S. market for a Seasonal run.

Regarded as “one of the world’s most highly-respected Märzens”, Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen is a “full-bodied, amber-gold colored, deep lager” that supplies its drinker with “a bouquet that blends hearty German barley with elegant hops and impressive richness.” Balanced with just “enough hops to make it snappy and thirst-quenching”, this Fest-Märzen (5.8% ABV) is back for Oktoberfest season to showcase “classic Bavarian style and the elegant Ayinger signature: inviting, rather than aggressive, bitterness.”

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen is hitting the U.S. now and will be available throughout Oktoberfest season. You can expect to find this Seasonal offering available in individually sold 16.9 oz. bottles, 4-packs of 11.2 oz. bottles and on draft at fine beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida and all other areas regularly serviced by Merchant du Vin. Prost!

Vital Information for Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen from Privatbrauerei Ayinger

Release – Seasonal, late August – October 2018
Style – Oktoberfest/Märzen
ABV – 5.8%
IBUs – 21
Recommended Glassware – “Traditionally served in tall earthenware or glass mugs”
Suggested Food Pairings – “Tellerfleisch (boiled beef), pretzels and radishes, goulash with dumplings, clam chowder, bock-wurst, weiner schnitzel, roasted chicken, pork, and sauerkraut.”
Availability – 16.9 oz. bottles, 4-packs of 11.2 oz. bottles & draft
Beer Finder – http://www.merchantduvin.com/find-our-beer.php

Samuel Smith’s Brewery Adds Cans to its U.S. Portfolio

Posted on June 26, 2018 by mashingin

Samuel Smith’s Brewery (Tadcaster, England) has officially announced that it will offer two of its flagship beers – Nut Brown Ale and Pure Brewed Organic Lager – in cans this summer in the U.S.

The legendary and highly-respected Samuel Smith’s Brewery may have been established back in 1758, but that does not mean that it turns a blind eye to current trends taking place in the beer scene. After witnessing the beer community’s preference shift toward cans, the folks at Samuel Smith’s have decided to accommodate consumer and retailer demand by offering the following two offerings in cans this summer (descriptions sourced from the brewery’s website):

Nut Brown Ale – Brewed with well water (the original well at the Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use, with the hard well water being drawn from 85 feet underground); best barley malt, yeast and aromatic hops; fermented in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’ to create a relatively dry ale with rich nutty colour and palate of beech nuts, almonds and walnuts. ABV – 5% IBUs – 31
Pure Brewed Organic Lager – Brewed with great care using only organic malted barley, organic hops, medium-soft water and a bottom-fermenting yeast; matured at low temperatures to bring out its delicate flavour and soft hop-character finish.
The cold maturation period allows the bottom-fermenting yeasts to secondary ferment and improve this lager’s flavour, purity and condition. ABV – 5% IBUs – 25

Cans of Nut Brown Ale and Pure Brewed Organic Lager will begin rolling out in the U.S. during the first half of July 2018. You can expect to find these classic brews available in 4-packs of 14.9 oz. (440ml) cans at fine beer retailers located in Alabama, Florida and all other areas of the U.S. serviced by Merchant du Vin. Prost!

Zundert Trappist 8 Ale Heads to U.S. Shelves

Posted on May 23, 2018May 23, 2018 by mashingin

Brouwerij De Kievit (Netherlands) and Merchant du Vin have officially announced that Zundert Trappist 8 Ale will launch in the U.S. this summer.

One of only 11 Trappist breweries in the world, Brouwerij De Kievit is located “in the quiet countryside outside the village of Zundert, near the Belgian border”, at Abbey Maria Toevlucht, Netherlands. After visiting several Trappist breweries in 2011, the monks at the abbey decided to establish Brouwerij De Kievit, “developed a beer to their taste” and started selling Zundert Trappist 8 Ale in the Netherlands and Belgium in 2013. Built in one of the abbey’s historic farm buildings, Brouwerij De Kievit – “The Lapwing Brewery” – is named for the lapwing weathervane on the building’s roof and “also uses the beautiful crested northern lapwing in their logo.”

The “slightly unruly” Zundert Trappist 8 is a bottle conditioned and chestnut-colored Belgian-style Tripel that “you have to take time to understand.” This complex Trappist Ale offers an “aroma of caramel, herbs and spices; initially floral and slightly sweet; character develops from light caramel to a lovely, dry, mellow hoppy bitterness as the flavor opens.” Clocking in at a slow-sipping 8% ABV, Zundert Trappist 8 “evolves with each taste and defines a new chapter in the book of excellent Trappist ales.”

Zundert Trappist 8 Ale will roll out in the U.S. during the summer of 2018. You can expect to find this offering available year-round in 11.2 oz. bottles at fine beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida and all other areas of the U.S. regularly serviced by Merchant du Vin. Prost!

Vital Information for Zundert Trappist 8 Ale from Brouwerij De Kievit

Release – Year-Round, launching in the U.S. during the summer of 2018
Style – Tripel
ABV – 8%
IBUs – 28
Ingredients – “Water, barley malt, candi sugar, hops, yeast, herbs”
Suggested Food Pairings – “Peking duck with hoisin sauce, goat cheeses, grilled tuna, spicy Southeast Asian cuisine, Boerenkoolstamppot (hearty mashed vegetables and potatoes, a traditional Dutch meal), mosselen (mussels).”
Serving Recommendations – Zundert Trappist 8 is “traditionally enjoyed in Zundert chalices at 45-50 °F.”
Availability – 11.2 oz. bottles

Lindemans Brewery Introduces the US to GingerGueuze

Posted on November 7, 2017 by mashingin

With the assistance of Merchant du Vin, Lindemans Brewery (Vlezenbeek, Belgium) will officially begin the US launch of Lindemans GingerGueuze during the month of November.

Lindemans GingerGueuze arrives as the latest release from the brewery’s series of small batch Botanical Lambics, experimental blends that “test the limits of their master blender, and present the pinnacle of sour beer artistry.” To make this offering a reality, the Lindemans team based the recipe “on a blend of 12-month-old lambic with two- to three-year-old lambic, fermented in oak with fresh ginger.” The finished product is a 6% ABV Lindemans GingerGueuze that is “a hazy golden color and combines the sourness of lambic with the enticing flavor and heady aroma of fresh ginger.”

“We all know ginger as a very powerful spice”, says Geert Lindemans, General Manager of Lindemans Brewery. “Finding the right balance for this beer was a serious challenge, as we want the spice to complement our lambic, without overpowering it. That is why we have actually used galangal for this beer. Galangal is part of the ginger family, but more complex in flavour. It took us quite a few batches to get the balance right, but now that we have, we are excited with the result”.

Lindemans GingerGueuze is hitting the US now and will be available in 750ml bottles while supplies last. You can expect to find this new Limited Release on shelves across the country. Prost!

Vital Information for GingerGueuze from Lindemans Brewery

Release – Limited/Botanical Lambics series, US launch begins November 2017
Style – Gueuze
ABV – 6%
IBUs – 12
Blend – 12-month-old Lambic with two- to three-year-old Lambic
Treatment – Fermented in oak with fresh ginger
Suggested Food Pairings – “It’s an ideal aperitif, or try alongside dishes that feature ginger. For a compelling contrast, serve GingerGueuze alongside rich, deeply flavored foods. Paired with a Thanksgiving dinner, GingerGueuze will make your holiday even more memorable!”
Availability – 750ml bottles

Ayinger Brewery Sends Bavarian Pils to the U.S.

Posted on April 14, 2017 by mashingin

Ayinger Brewery (Aying, Germany) and Merchant du Vin (Seattle, Washington) have announced that Ayinger Bavarian Pils is officially available in the United States for the first time.

Although Ayinger Bavarian Pils has been brewed for years, this classic offering has sadly never been available on U.S. shelves and taps alongside other Ayinger products. Now that spring has begun to shift to summer, Ayinger Brewery – a Bavarian brewery founded in 1878 and known globally for their commitment to quality – has decided it is high time to remedy this situation.

Inspired by Czech Pilsner beers, Bavarian Pils is a perfectly clear, golden colored lager that combines the flavor of Germany’s highest quality barley with the “marvelously good aroma and bouquet” of noble hops from the Hallertau region. True to tradition, Ayinger Bavarian Pils proves to be a clean, crisp and beautifully balanced beer that “may make you realize that the Reinheitsgebot is a powerful brewing asset rather than some kind of restriction.”

Ayinger Bavarian Pils officially begins its U.S. launch this month (April 2017) and will be available as a Year-Round offering. You can find Bavarian Pils available in 4-packs of 11.2 oz. bottles and on draft at fine beer establishments located in Alabama, Florida and throughout the nationwide reach of Merchant du Vin. Keep an eye out for Ayinger Bavarian Pils while on your next beer run so that you too can “Genießen Sie die echte Bierkultur” (“Enjoy the Real Beer Culture”). Prost!

Vital Information for Bavarian Pils from Ayinger Brewery

Release – Year-Round, launching in the U.S. in April 2017
Style – German Pilsner
ABV – 5.3%
IBUs – 32
Ingredients – Water, Wheat Malt, Barley Malt, Hops & Yeast
Suggested Glassware – A tall, tapered Pils glass
Suggested Food Pairings – “Goat cheese or mild cheddar, grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut and pomme frites, croque monsieur, fried oysters with spicy remoulade, jerk or tandoori chicken, sushi, pound cake, or strawberry rhubarb pie.”
Availability – 4-packs of 11.2 oz. bottles & draft