Bacchus E- Lines Holiday 2007 6633 Nieman Rd. Shawnee, KS 66203 913 962 2501 [email protected]

It's hard to believe that Christmas is just a few weeks away and another year is ending. We hope this holiday season finds you healthy, happy, and enjoying the fruits of your fermentation hobby. All our best for a wonderful holiday and a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year! We look forward to meeting your fermentation needs in the coming year. Happy Holidays from all of us at Bacchus & Barleycorn.

Time is running out to reserve your 2008 Winexpert Limited Edition Wine Kits with the order deadline being 6:00 pm December 11. This year’s Limited Edition varieties are phenomenal! These kits have established a well-deserved reputation for delivering unsurpassed quality and the three red and two white wines from world-renowned wine regions continue the tradition. Order information is at the end of this newsletter.

Bacchus & Barleycorn will be open regular hours throughout the holiday season. We will be close at closed Christmas Day. Regular hours will resume on December 26. We will close at 4:30 on New Year’s Eve and be closed on New Year's Day. Regular hours will resume on January 2, 2008. We wish you a safe and happy holiday. May Santa fulfill all your holiday wishes.

Holiday Gift Planning Back In Stock Every home fermenter has unique wants and Principles of Science, Second needs. To assist those who shop for you Edition, George Fix find that special gift, we've developed a A guide to the chemistry of brewing, 'Christmas Wish List'. Simply stop in, give Principles of Brewing Science thoroughly us a call or send an email indicating your explains the fundamental chemistry and wishes and we'll assist your family and biochemistry of brewing great . friends selecting gifts from your personal Included are discussions on compounds, wish list. reactions, fermentation and bacterial metabolism. $29.95 Bacchus & Barleycorn Gift Certificate – You choose the value and it always “fits”! Visplas Capsules: Buy 2 get 1 FREE Simply dip the visplas push on capsule in Carboy Dryer hot water and slip them over the neck of a Sturdy vented plastic stand holds an standard cork finish bottle. Visplas capsules inverted 3, 5, 6, or 6.5 gallon carboy are available in burgundy, green, gold, ivory steadily to allow it to drip dry inside and black. A package of 12 is only $1.39. and out. $11.95 Buy 2 get 1 free.

1 New – Just in Time for the Holidays London, England in 1768 and now resides in Posi-Pour 2000 Hampton Court of the Hampton Palace. The world’s best portion control pourer. Streamlined and VSS ACTIVATORTM Very Special attractive, strong and durable, the Strains Posi-Pour 2000 is the fastest and Available October through December, 2007 most accurate control pourer. This is the last month for these special Each pour is 1.5 ounces. $7.45 yeast strains! Wyeast has scored a trifecta, Product Spotlight – Great Stocking fulfilling all three of the Stuffers goals that inspired creation of Carboy Handles the VSS promotion: The orange handle fits introducing a new strain from standard 3, 5, and 6 gallon the French side of Flanders; carboys while the burgundy bringing back a strain from fits a 6.5 gallon carboy. The their archives by popular demand, and handle fits beneath the lip of a glass carboy. releasing a Proprietary Strain from one of The carboy handle is intended to aid in the most popular craft brewed beers in lifting a carboy to reduce the risk of America! dropping a full or wet carboy. It is not designed to support the weight of a full Fat Tire Yeast from New Belgium carboy; always support a full carboy from Brewery, Fort Collins, Colorado the bottom. $6.35 Like the ageless delight of pedaling a bicycle, Fat Tire Amber Ale’s appeal is in its The Brew Hauler® feat of balance: Toasty flavors (sorta’ Designed by a home brewer, this like biscuits just pulled from the oven) innovative product ends the coasting in equilibrium with crisp hoppiness. struggle of handling and moving Delicious stability - in the world of glass carboys. Constructed of sometimes-precarious flavors. Fat polypropylene webbing, it creates Tire’s depth of flavor, achieved with neither a cradle around a carboy and provides two a disproportionate sway toward hops or carrying handles. Adjusts to fit 5-7 gallon , tandems well with a full spectrum of carboys and can support and lift 100 lbs. today’s engaging cuisines. Fat Tire is so $13.00 named for the bike trip founding brewer Jeff Lebesch took through Belgium that greatly Buon Vino Spray Wand inspired his efforts. A plastic tube with four feet of flexible hose, the Spray Wyeast 3864 VSS Canadian/Belgian Ale – Wand connects to a laundry back by popular demand from the Archives faucet or garden hose. It’s This strain produces mild phenols, which excellent for washing increase with increased fermentation carboys. $13.43 temperatures. Low ester profile with a dry, slightly tart finish. It is complex and well- The World’s Oldest Vine balanced, alcohol tolerant. The world’s oldest know vine, a variety Alcohol tolerance: approximately 12% ABV known as ‘ black Hamburgh’ was planted in Flocculation: medium Apparent attenuation: 75-79%

2 Temperature range: 65-80°F (18-27°C) typically used in Tripels and dark in . Wyeast 3711VSS French Saison – A new strain Demerara is a special light brown The French Saison produces saison or sugar from England. farmhouse style bières that are highly aromatic with clean, citrus-ester, peppery Golden is rich and flavorful invert and spicy notes with no earthiness, and low sugar syrup, almost -like, made from phenol. This strain enhances the use of cane. spices and aroma hops, and is extremely attenuative, but leaves an unexpected silky Honey is the oldest form of sugar known to and rich mouthfeel in a very dry finished man. It is naturally a highly concentrated beer. form of sugar and it includes a number of Alcohol tolerance: 12% ABV impurities that can contribute distinct flavors Flocculation: low and aromas. Attenuation: 77-83% Temperature range: 65-77°F (18-25°C) Invert Sugar is made by boiling cane sugar in a dilute solution of acid. Home-made Tips & Tidbits invert sugar can be made by boiling 2 Brewing pounds of cane sugar in one pint of water Sugar can be classed as a with one teaspoon of citric acid until the malt adjunct. It solution has a pale golden color. The acidity contributes alcohol and must be neutralized back to a pH of 7 after strength to the brew. Too large a proportion boiling by adding calcium carbonate. will lead to a thin a poorly balanced beer. Either cane or corn sugar in large amounts is known as milk sugar is non- will lead to a ‘cidery’ taste in a finished fermentable by brewing yeast therefore it beer. Many recipes call for adjunct sugars remains in the finished beer providing some in small amounts to produce a distinctive residual . Traditionally lactose is stylistic character. used in sweet stouts which are often called milk stouts. It has a distinctive flavor that Here are a few of the potentially flavorful does not go well with lighter beers. sugars used in brewing. Some are strongly flavored and can overwhelm the malt is the residue produced when raw character. No more than 10% of the sugar cane is processes into sugar. It fermentables should come from sugar. contains the impurities from the sugar that are not wanted in refined sugar. As a result, is crystals covered it contains the most flavor and all the with molasses. The molasses provides the available sugars and . There are three flavor. The darker it is the more flavorful it grades of molasses: light, medium and black will be. strap. The lighter grades are more highly fermentable (up to 90%) with fewer flavor Candi Sugar is crystallized sucrose derived contributions. Black strap grades will be from sugar beets. Color ranges from clear less fermentable (50-60%) with a much (0L) to dark (220L). Clear candi sugar is higher flavor impact.

3 Raw Sugar is brown unrefined sugar Greece and Rome until it was to some extent crystals covered with a film of syrup. It is replaced by wine. reported to be 97% sucrose so it is highly fermentable and contains few impurities. If However, while the Romans were fonder of using raw sugar, use the darkest you can wine, this did not prevent them from find. appreciating beer, in particular in the northern regions, where conditions were is known as British molasses. It is better for barley fields than for vineyards. generally heavy and black. As with all The remains of a Gallo-Roman villa were molasses there are various colors and found to contain a brewery dating from the grades. 3rd or 4th century. Among Belgium's ancestors, the Gauls, the brewing of barley Turbinado Sugar is a form of raw cane (beer) was a cottage industry. It was brewed su gar. within each family by the women. The History of Beer Gauls came up with the idea of replacing Beer has been brewed since time beer vessels made of pottery with wooden immemorial. It is thought that it was first barrels. Which were interestingly invented made in Palestine around ten thousand years by the Gauls. ago, in 8000 BC, by macerating barley bread in water. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the church took control of the land. The monks The Sumerians developed no fewer than ten took an interest in this malt beverage, and varieties of beer, and the Babylonians added eventually it appears that there were at least 34 more. Later on, the Egyptians breweries in every abbey in Christendom. developed what can be called government Brewing also went on in inns, castles and breweries, making brewing a state homesteads. monopoly. These “barley wines” were used as offerings to the gods. Pharaoh Ramses II, Brewing practices and traditions have gone who is referred to as the “brewing Pharaoh”, through many changes since these times. imposed very strict rules on the making of beer. "There is no such thing as good small beer, good brown bread, or a good old woman." Beer made its way to Europe around 5000- --- British Proverb 4800 BC along two routes: the Danubian route (Eastern Europe) and the Mediterranean route (south of France). Contrary to what is generally believed, beer was brewed and consumed very early in

Selection Limited Edition 2008 wine kits by Winexpert The 2008 Selection Limited Edition series features a limited number of five outstanding wine kit varieties released annually from January through April. Winexpert’s Limited Editions have won numerous awards at various amateur winemaking competitions and continue to be a highly sought-after offering. These 16-liter kits come

4 complete with additives and instructions and include a package of 30 labels inside the box. Here’s how the program works for those of you new to it. Due to the popularity of these wines and their limited availability, sales must be made on a reservation basis. The program has completely sold out the last several years. Don't miss out on this unique product that is only available for a short time. Fill out the form at the bottom of this sheet and return it to Bacchus & Barleycorn by mail (6633 Nieman Rd, Shawnee, KS 66203), fax (913 962 0008) or e-mail ([email protected]) by close of business (that's 6:00) Tuesday, December 11, 2007. You will be notified as the wine kits are received each month at Bacchus & Barleycorn. Payment is due when you pick up your wine kits. Here are the 2008 varieties:

January Chilean Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon $124 Winexpert’s Carmenère comes from the Maipo Valley, Chile’s most famous growing area located just south of the capital of Santiago. Similar to Merlot, Carmenère is a synonym for brilliant red, ‘carmine’. Blended with the King of red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, it produces exceptionally powerful, rich red wines of great length and structure. It has a deep crimson red color with luscious fruit aromas of plum and blueberry, a touch of chocolate and hints of coffee and toasty oak. On the palate, notes of red fruit, dark plums, damsons and spice, generously framed by toasty oak with a soft and well structured mouthfilling texture, velvety on the tongue with very supple tannins. Robust, tannic and structured in its youth, this wine will require at least a year to open up and show its rich red fruit, and after two to three years will beguile with its smokey, velvety finish and spicy berry flavors. Sweetness Code – 0 (dry)

January Australian Riesling $118 Australia’s Riverland region could produce higher yields, but artisan grape growers remove half the fruit at budburst and limit irrigation. With smaller numbers of berries and water-stressed vines, the resultant grapes, display highly concentrated flavor, aroma and body. The Australian Riesling is medium bodied, crisp and refreshing, with aromas of white fruits, juicy apple, and the perfume of spring blossoms. It’s wonderfully drinkable, but still shows depth of flavor with minerals and a bracing backbone of acidity and structure. The main difference between a German and an Australian Riesling is that Australian Riesling tends to be drier. The Australian version exhibits the characteristics of the grape; the perfume, the complexity, and the zest. While crisply fresh and bright when young, it will develop more of its floral/mineral aromas after six months, and after a year will begin to show honey and citrus notes, and continue to deepen in flavor after two years or more. Sweetness Code – 0 (dry)

February Sicilian Nero d’Avola/Shiraz $124 Avola is a village in South Eastern Sicily, where Nero d’Avola evolved through selection by vine growers centuries ago, and has spread throughout the island. The Sicilian winemakers often treat Nero d’Avola like Shiraz, which is why the two blend so well together. It has the classic Shiraz notes of blueberry, blackberry and dark fruits, with a delightful scent of rose, cherry and herbs. This dark-garnet wine shows ripe, berrylike fruit aromas lent complexity by hints of toast and smoke. It is warm and plummy with touches of raisins and hints of almonds in the flavor, there’s sufficient acidity to give it structure, but the overall impression is soft as velvet. While this is a wine that will age well for years, the exuberant fruit will beckon you for early drinking. If you do succumb, put a bottle aside for the future, but you won’t go wrong by drinking it after six months to a year. Sweetness Code – 0 (dry)

March Pacific Quartet $118 The Pacific Quarter showcases bright fruit, excellent structure and a long finish. Vidal from British Columbia gives spiciness and stone fruit. Chenin Blanc from California gives a

5 wonderful melony-honeyed aroma with hints of apple. Gewürztraminer from Washington contributes lychee, rose petals and floral notes, and Muscat from Australia’s Murray-Darling Valley gives wonderful grapey notes with dried fruit and hints of orange peel. Although delicious right on bottling day, drinking it early would prevent it from showing its best—after six months the Muscat and Vidal will dominate with spicy/grapey notes, after a year the Chenin Blanc’s honey and melon will come out, and at 18 months to two years the Gewürztraminer will show a perfumed floweriness and lush structure. Sweetness Code – 1 (off dry)

April Italian Brunello $124 Brunello is a large-berried variety of the Sangiovese grape, most famous in Brunello di Montalcino. Italy’s hot, dry climate allows Brunello to thrive, displaying great varietal character and intensity. The flavor profile of Sangiovese is fruity, with strong natural acidity, a firm and elegant to assertiveness and a robust finish that can extend surprisingly long. The aroma is generally subtle, with cherry, strawberry, blueberry, and violet notes. It is medium-bodied but boldly tannic and intense, this gripping wine will begin to open up after six months, but the richer flavors will take at least 18 months to show, with cherry and spice dominating the long, fruity finish. Sweetness Code – 0 (dry)

Please reserve the following wines for me from the 2008 SELECTION LIMITED EDITION series:

Name: ______Quantity Wine Kit

Address: ______Chilean Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon (January) $124

City: ______Australian Riesling (January) $118

State: ______Zip+4: ______Sicilian Nero d’Avola/Shiraz (February) $124

Phone: (______) ______Pacific Quartet (March) $118

E-Mail: ______Italian Brunello (April) $124 Must be returned to Bacchus & Barleycorn by 6:00, Tuesday, December 11, 2007

“To enjoy the total pleasure of wine, you have to be serious without taking things too seriously.” --- winemaker Paul Pontiller, Chateau Margaux, Bordeaux, France

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