Hillside Liquor Store Blog

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Friday, December 12, 2008

Tree Hophead Double IPA

From Kelowna's Tree Brewing comes the Hophead Double IPA!
This beer has been brewed with five different types of hops, this beer shows citrus aromas and sweet malt undertones with a slightly darker copper colour. This has incredible bitterness balanced by the malty sweetness, so is definitely not for those who are looking for a mild beer. And in true IPA form, it is also 8% alcohol.
This would pair well with rich desserts or flavourful meals- think cheesecake, stews, ribs, strong cheeses, bacon....
Quantities are extremely limited and will probably be sold out before the weekend is over!
$6.95 + bottle deposit for the 650 ml bottle.

Friday Fun!

Today's in-store tasting is sure to get you in the holiday spirit! We have an interesting line-up today, with two Chilean products, and a bubbly from Hungary! Join us from 4-8 pm as we taste the Hungaria Grand Cuvee, Fresita Sparkling Strawberry bubbly and Montes Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hungaria Grand Cuvee is an inexpensive sparkling wine that delivers a slight initial sweetness followed by a palate full of apple, peach and toasted bread with a nice lemony acidity. This is a great crowd-pleaser, and is suitable as an aperitif, for 'Champagne' cocktails, Mimosas or for turning an ordinary weekday into a festive occasion. Better still, this one is easy on your pocket book, retailing at Hillside Liquor Store for only $13.90 + bottle deposit.

Fresita Sparkling Strawberry started life as a sparkling wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Muscatel grapes to which fresh Patagonia strawberry pulp was added. The nose is full of pure strawberry, followed by a palate with melon and citrus notes, and real strawberry flavour without being artificial or too sweet. This is fantastic by itself, but is also a wonderful component to unique cocktails!
Available in the traditional 750ml size for $19.90 + bottle deposit.
Stocking stuffer 200ml size is $5.90 + bottle deposit!

And for those who prefer wines to be still, we proudly present the Montes Cabernet Sauvignon, a perennial Hillside Liquor Store Staff Favourite.
From the Colchagua Valley, this lovely Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a deep ruby-red colour, a nose full of caramel, cinnamon, candy and a hint of mint with a palate that is spicy and full-flavoured. This wine shows great flavours of plum, blackberry, raspberry, chocolate and a slight leafiness with the fruit dominant over oak. This one is fantastic by itself, or pair with red meats, stews, chocolate, stronger cheeses or lamb.
Only $16.05 + bottle deposit

Monday, December 8, 2008

Phillips Brewing Releases Winter Beers

On Friday of last week, Hillside Liquor Store received its first shipment of two favourite Phillips Brewing Beer: Instigator and Burley wine.
http://phillipsbeer.com/home/

Phillips Instigator is a doppelbock, which literally translates to double-bock. A bock is a strong, German style lager, so a double-bock is even stronger still! The Phillips Instigator is full of malty goodness with strong rich flavours and a nice high alcohol percentage, although this beer is so smooth that it is hard to tell that it is 8.5%. This is a great beer for sharing with friends, or pairing with strong aged cheddars, Brie or Camembert, roasted meats, chocolate, nuts....pretty much all the yummy food that is found at this time of year.
Quantities of this beer are limited, so stock up soon!

The Phillips Burley Wine is their version of the barleywine, which is a strong and intense form of ale. It is always lively and fruity, with good balance between hops and malt and high alcohol. This is a beer well suited to aging, or pairs well with strong cheeses- think aged Cheddar, blue cheeses, sharp Cheddar- garlic sausage, raosted meats, chocolate.....or by itself.
This year's version comes in at about 9.8% alcohol, so be forewarned. Again, quantities are limited so it is probably best to buy a lot and age the ones that don't get consumed during this holiday season!

And rumour has it that Santa Claus might have brought the good beer drinkers of Victoria an early Christmas present...Phillips' Dirty Squirrel Hazelnut beer might make a re-appearance just before Christmas. Keep reading this blog, or check in-store to make sure you don't miss it!!!!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Granville Island Tasting Tonight!

There is a Granville Island Beer tasting in-store tonight from 5 pm until 9 pm.
Featuring some of Granville Island's most popular beer, the tasting will be of the Cypress Honey Lager, Winter Ale and the Pale Ale.

Elephant Island Tasting Today!

There is an in-store tasting of Elephant Island fruit wines from the Okanagan today. The tasting will be held from 2-5 pm and will feature the Apricot and Cherry fruit wines and the StellaPort "port"style wine made from Stella cherries.
These are excellent wines for aperitifs, adding to champagne cocktails or an unusual food-pairing table wine. Come in and try them to find your favourite!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Howe Sound Brewery Tasting Friday!

This afternoon from 4-8 pm Squamish's Howe Sound Brewing will be at Hillside Liquor Store to do an in-store tasting of the Father John's Winter Ale.
The Father John's Winter Ale is a strong, sweet mildly spiced dark ale brewed every winter in honour of the original brewmaster, John Mitchell.
Father John's and other Howe Sound beer are available in the 1L bottle format- perfect for filling stockings or sharing with friends!
Come on in and try this delicious beer from the Mainland!