Blind Craft Beer Tasting before the Nick vs Nets basketball game

We are blind tasting beers at Aroma Thyme Bistro in Ellenville NY. With over 150 different beers any bottle can be opened next. Check out our expert confusion with some of the great craft beers. www.aromathymebistro.com

Winter Beer in the New York Times

Josh Haner/The New York Times
David Hall, an owner of Shotwell's Bar in the Mission District of San Francisco, pouring an Anchor Christmas Ale.

December 25, 2009
SPIRITS
On Tap, and Brewed in the Holiday Spirit

By JORDAN MacKAY
It’s hard to know who gets more excited about the holidays — children eager to tear open presents, or beer enthusiasts eyeing the latest glistening vintage of winter brews.

Once a rarity, Christmas, or winter, beers are now a bona fide phenomenon. Whole Foods has carved out a section of its beer aisle just for holiday brews. Beer shops and brewpubs in recent weeks have been holding tastings devoted solely to this year’s crop of beers. A Facebook group called Christmas Ale has more than 32,000 rapturous devotees.

What’s driving the enthusiasm? “A lot of American brewers are being innovative with their Christmas ales,” said Dave Hauslein, the beer manager at Healthy Spirits, a San Francisco specialty shop. “There’s a lot of creativity going into some simply spectacular beers.”

Some seasonal beers, like Anderson Valley Brewing Winter Solstice, are nondenominational, and some — Marin Brewing’s White Christmas or Schmalz Brewing’s Jewbelation, for example — are not. What holds the category together is that the beers are brewed in small quantities and often contain unusual ingredients, like spices and fruit. And, like an orchid that blooms once a year, their appearance, over by January, is fleeting.

The winter beer movement began, as many modern craft-beer trends have, with Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the first modern Christmas ale, which Fritz Maytag, Anchor’s founder, conceived and brewed in 1975. On the label was a hand-drawn tree and the words, “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.”

“Originally it was the only seasonal beer that was made,” Mr. Maytag said. “Now everybody wants four seasonals. But we were all alone for a long time.”

In 1987 Anchor found its current signature style of Christmas ale, one that helped define the category. The creamy brown ale is distinctively flavored with a potpourri of herbs and spices. The beer’s recipe is famously secret. All that’s known is that the formula changes in some way every year (as does the label). Speculation about it adds to the beer’s considerable mystique.

Mr. Maytag, normally tight-lipped, has recently revealed a few juicy tidbits about the recipe, offering rare insight into its conception. He has said, to the surprise of many, that the beer has never included cloves. He also said that once Anchor tried roasting its own barley using a special coffee-roasting technique developed in San Francisco. And he disclosed that for a couple of years Anchor used a native herb, yerba santa.

“It was a significant factor, but we changed our mind,” he said. “We decided that its bitterness was probably not a great bitterness, so we backed off.”

Mr. Maytag let it slip that “last year we used a small amount, because we were nervous, of a very unusual experimental hop.”

The tradition of brewing commemorative beers goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years in Europe.

Christmas beer has been brewed periodically in this country since Prohibition, though Anchor’s was the first to be distributed nationally. It was such a success that it was eventually followed by other now-iconic winter brews like Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, which made its debut in 1982.

Over the last 20 years, production has picked up, with the tradition spreading back to Europe, where it has been revived in places like England and Belgium.

While the expectation is often that winter beers will, like Anchor’s, be spiced, in fact there’s no unifying style but instead more of a common intent.

“Winter beers are celebratory — strong, rich and meant to be sipped,” said Dave McLean of the Magnolia Pub in San Francisco. “They’re often quite complex, and thus more meditative and reflective. That’s kind of what celebrating the holidays with a beverage is all about.”

Mr. McLean’s holiday beer is called Winter Warmer, named after an English style known for being full, round, malty and only subtly hopped. Sierra Celebration Ale is not spiced but rather aggressively hoppy, a malt-rich beer that’s unusual in its intensity. Yet it’s the spices that have been the most dominant and influential flavorings, and have been adopted by breweries all over the world.

In the Bay Area you can find interesting variations, like Moylan’s zesty White Christmas, a rare winter Pilsener, enhanced with honey, rye, orange peel and other spices. Arne Johnson, brewmaster of Marin Brewing Company, reveals that his Hoppy Holidaze, a wheat beer, has nutmeg, mace, vanilla, cinnamon and orange peel. It’s soft and easy, with the comforting warmth of spiced citrus illuminating its finish.

These beers’ immense appeal may have to with their transitory nature.

“It’s a very limited window for our product, and that adds to the opportunity,” Mr. Maytag said. “If you were going to brew it for months and months and months you might be less willing to do something creative, and the public might be less interested.”

Given Christmas beers’ growing popularity, however, keeping them in stock has become a problem. Mr. McLean ran out of Winter Warmer last week. But raising production is not an easy answer, as it seems that, like Christmas trees unsentimentally tossed to the curb by New Year’s Day, these beers have a limited appeal.

“Some years we run out Hoppy Holidaze before Christmas, and people get angry,” said Mr. Johnson of Marin Brewing. “But that’s better than having any left in January, because, popular as it is, as soon as the holidays are over, people don’t want to have any part of it.”

Jordan Mackay is the author of “Passion for Pinot: A Journey Through America’s Pinot Noir Country” (Ten Speed Press, 2009).


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Winter beer are very popular at Aroma Thyme Bistro, from our tap lines to bottles. One of our most popular winter's in the Ommegang Adoration. On the imported side Scaldis & Corsendunk lead the pack.

Aroma Thyme Bistro
165 Canal St
Ellenville NY 12428
Check out our beer videos reviews on youtube

We have Yellow Snow for You & Your Friends

We at Aroma Thyme Bistro now have 5L of Rogue Yellow Snow IPA. Yes a full 5L of awesome Rogue IPA. Bring some friends in for beer and food.


Style: India Pale Ale Food Pairing: Beef, Hot & Spicy

Tasting Notes:

Pale golden in color with a hoppy fruity aroma. Big hop flavor up front complemented by medium body and hoppyness mid-pallet. Finishes with a characteristic lingering bitterness.

6 Ingredients: Malts: Two Row Pale, Cara Foam & Melanoiden. Hops: Amarillo. Yeast & Water: Rogue's Pacman Yeast and Free Range Coastal Water.

Specs: 15º PLATO 70 IBU 76 AA 14º Lovibond

World Class Package:

Draft, 22oz, 64oz, 5L Can.

Aroma Thyme Beer Appreciation Dinner

Way too many beers to list. Take a look at the video for a rundown.

Craft Beer Dinner Line-up Announced at Aroma Thyme Bistro

There is an incredible line-up for beer dinners in 2010 at Aroma Thyme Bistro. Their once a month craft beer dinners have become outrageously popular over the last couple of years. And this year will be no exception to the growing popularity. In fact the entire craft beer industry has celebrated this increased popularity. Annual sales for craft beer keeps growing by 10%.
“I am not surprised that our craft beer segment at the restaurant keeps growing and growing”, says bistro owner Marcus Guiliano.

Beer dinners are priced at $49 per person and includes a five course tasting menu with matching beers. Each dinner will have a brewery representative on hand. Each dinner is a learning experience and social gathering.

Aroma Thyme has an exciting line-up for 2010.



January 22nd 2010

Shamltz & Coney Island




February 19th 2010

Brewery Ommegang




March 19th 2010

Stone Brewing




April 16th 2010

Abita Brewery




May 21st 2010

Rogue




September 17th 2010

Smutty Nose




October 22nd 2010

Dogfish Head




November 12th 2010

Troegs Brewing



Aroma Thyme Bistro offers over 150 bottled beers and seven rotating craft beer taps. They are located in the Hudson Valley NY and are Green Certified. Wine lovers also dig their almost 300 wine selections.

More information can be found at www.aromathymebistro.com or by calling 845 647-3000.

Aroma Thyme also does monthly wine dinners.

Abita Andy Gator on tap at Aroma Thyme Bistro, December 2009

We just had our first real experience with Abita this last fall while we were in New Orleans. We had seen this beer in New York several times but for some odd reason never tried it. WOW we should have been drinking this beer years ago. But never the less we now have Abita at Aroma Thyme Bistro. And we even have a beer dinner planned for April 23rd, 2009.

Join our beer group on Facebook for all the latest updates.


Andygator, a creature of the swamp, is a unique high-gravity brew made with pale malt, German lager yeast, and German Perle hops. Unlike other high-gravity brews, Andygator is fermented to a dry finish with a slightly sweet flavor and subtle fruit aroma. Reaching an alcohol strength of 8% by volume, it is a Helles Dopplebock.

You might find it goes well with fried foods. It pairs well with just about anything made with crawfish. Some like it with a robust sandwich! Andygator also is a good aperitif and easily pairs with gorgonzola and creamy blue cheeses. Because of the high alcohol content, be cautious---sip it for the most enjoyment.

Keegan Supper Kitty coming on Tap, December 2009

We love Super Kitty at Aroma Thyme Bistro. And we have some 2007 in bottles that are drinking great right now. And the big news this year is that we will tap a keg of it sometime in December 2009. Stay tuned for our beer e-mail. Check out our fan page on facebook, click here.

Super Kitty is Keegan's first seasonal beer to be sold in stores. At around 12% ABV, it is meant to be cellared, sipped and appreciated by the finest palates. Brewed using the excess from our Hurricane Kitty recipe, this beer is combined with 100lbs. of local Hudson Valley honey, oak chips and several additions of hops throughout the 6 month conditioning period. Production is limited to 250- 1 liter bottles, and usually sells out before we can get it bottled. For those of you who are patient, you'll find this beer ages gracefully, with a complex and smooth character that can only be gained by maturity.

NEW Day & Time for Cask Beer Night in the Hudson Valley at Aroma Thyme for 2010

Cask Beer night at Aroma Thyme Bistro has a new day. Cask beer night is moving to the second Friday of every month. Our cask beer night has been so successful that we want to promote it even more. In fact our ultimate plans are to have two cask beer nights a month. We have people that drive from all over the Hudson Valley to take part in this real beer experience.

So our new day to second Friday of every month. The cask will also be tapped earlier in the day. Look for the cask to be tapped by 3 PM.

Aroma Thyme Bistro has become one of the top beer bars & restaurants in the Hudson Valley. Aroma Thyme has an impressive 150 plus bottled beer menu. There are also seven incredible rotating taps.

So what is cask beer exactly and why is it different. Here is great summary from the cask expert, Alex Hall.

Also known as ‘real ale’, cask-conditioned ale is unfiltered, unpasteurized craft beer served without any forced carbonation pushing it to the tap. It is served either by gravity-dispense straight from a tap hammered into the front of the cask, or by use of a beer engine, a simple manual pump clamped to the bar which extracts the beer with the vacuum created when the lever is operated. Cask beer was standard prior to modern kegging and chilling techniques, benefiting from the natural soft carbonation, lack of extraneous CO2, and a serving temperature where it can be tasted properly.

Aroma Thyme Bistro

165 Canal St

Ellenville NY 12428

845 647-3000

Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah 13th Annivesary Ale is now at Aroma Thyme Bistro

We now have this rare beer in stock for a limited time at Aroma Thyme!!!


THIS YEAR, HE'BREW BEER TURNS 13!

Shmaltz Brewing Releases JEWBELATION BAR MITZVAH, Limited Edition Holiday Seasonal
Brewed With 13 Malts & 13 Hops Soaring To 13% Alc

New York, San Francisco, Beyond! – September 23, 2009 America’s smallest, biggest and most award-
winning Jewish (and now Sideshow Freak) Beer Company, Shmaltz Brewing celebrates its 13th year of
delicious beer and delicious shtick with the special release of JEWBELATION BAR MITZVAH: their 13th
Chosen Beer in 13 years of Shmaltz. Brewed with 13 malts, 13 hops and soaring to 13% alc, Jewbelation
Bar Mitzvah will be nationally available in 22 oz. bottles and a very limited amount of draft for select bars
beginning October 1, 2009.

The national launch of Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah will take place at the Great American Beer Festival in
Denver, CO from Thursday, September 24 – 26, 2009. Shmaltz proprietor Jeremy Cowan and the Shmaltz
posse will join forces with Joe Carroll of Brooklyn's famous Spuyten Duyvil and Fette Sau on Friday,
September 25 at the Beer and Food Pavilion as they present Jewbelation 13: A Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah. Any
good Jewish celebration demands delicious food, and Williamsburg Brooklyn's Fette Sau (named by Zagat
as "Best BBQ in NYC") has stepped up to the culinary pulpit to create divine pairings that are sure to make
you yell "L'Chaim!!"

This winter, HE’BREW will pit Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah along with other Chosen Beers against national
holiday beer luminaries in their annual challenge “Chanukah vs. Christmas: The Battle Royale of Beers” in
NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Connecticut, Baltimore and additional cities t.b.a.. Designed
by Shmaltz’s Art Director Matt Polacheck, Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah’s artwork incorporates consumer
submitted Bar/Bat Mitzvah photos culled from Shmaltz's recent national photo contest.
Since its inception in 2004, Shmaltz’s Jewbelation series has been touted by critics receiving top accolades
including “5 Stars” from Celebrator Beer News, “Best Holiday Beer” by Pacific Brew News, and Playboy
Magazine pegging Jewbelation Twelve as one of the "Best Winter Brews." A recent issue of Beer Advocate
(Volume II, Issue VIII) commented, “Today, Jeremy Cowan of Shmaltz Brewing Company is arguably
making some of the best contract-brewed beers in America.”


About Shmaltz Brewing Company
Established in San Francisco in 1996 with the first batch of 100 cases of HE’BREW Beer bottled, labeled,
and delivered by hand, Shmaltz Brewing Company introduced 6-packs in 2003 and moved its production
East to the acclaimed Mendocino Brewing Company’s Saratoga Springs, NY brewery. 2003 to 2008 saw
over 1000% growth in sales, with over 5 million bottles sold to date. HE'BREW’s award-winning lineup
including its flagship Genesis Ale and Messiah Bold as well as Rejewvenator (Summer 2009 seasonal),
Origin Pomegranate Strong Ale, Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A., and the “extreme” Chanukah annual,
Jewbelation, are available in over 25 states through over 30 wholesalers at more than 1500 retail specialty
shops across the U.S. including Beverages & More, Whole Foods, Total Wine, select Krogers, and Cost Plus.

Shmaltz Brewing beers have appeared in such distinguished media outlets as The New York Times, CNN
Headline News, The Onion, Beer Advocate Magazine, Celebrator Beer News, Ale Street News, The Today
Show, Bravo, NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” New York Magazine, Newsweek, Elle, SELF, Men's Health, BUST,
Playboy, Associated Press, Reuters, MSNBC, San Francisco Magazine, The Jerusalem Report, New York
Jewish Week, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Forbes.com and Entrepreneur.com.

Wolaver's Brown Ale now in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

Mild and creamy, deep amber in color, with a smooth and luscious taste. A soft beer, slightly malty and well balanced with hints of cherry and black currant. Perfect with light foods.

OG: 1056, 21 IBU

Aroma Thyme Bistro

165 Canal ST

Ellenville NY 12428

845 647-300

Wolaver's India Pale Ale back in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

Made with a generous amount of hops to produce the classic IPA. Crisp and clean, with a delicious hop spiciness and subtle malt balance. A strong beer, great with spicy foods and for those who enjoy a good, full-flavored, well hopped beer.

OG: 1064, 55 IBU

Aroma Thyme Bistro

165 Canal St

Ellenville NY 12428

845 647-3000

Wolaver's Alta Gracia Coffee Porter now in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

The next release in our Organic Farmer Series, Alta Gracia Coffee Porter is brewed with organic roasted barley and chocolate malts for a rich, dark and robust flavor with an infusion of organic vanilla beans, and coffee from the Dominican Republic farm community Alta Gracia.

This non-profit farm works to empower farmers with tools and techniques to grow quality shade-grown organic coffee. The result is growers who feel pride in their stewardship of the land, are paid fairly for their labor, and have healthy sustainable farms.

A view from the Alta Gracia Farm.

Growing coffee is hard work. Harvest must be done by hand so that only the ripe berries are picked.

The farmers of the Alta Gracia farm community are paid fair wages for their work. It is the mission of the farm to teach neighboring farmers techniques to grow high quality shade-grown organic coffee that will allow them to get a fair price for their product.

Alta Gracia also works towards sustainability by teaching reading and writing. A school and library were built for the community.

Aroma Thyme Bistro

165 Canal St

Ellenville NY 12428

845 647-3000

Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu now in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

Chateau Jiahu

Availability:

Limited

Let's travel back in time again (Midas Touch was our first foray and Theobroma our most recent), this time 9000 years! Preserved pottery jars found in the Neolithic villiage of Jiahu, in Henan province,Northern China, has revealed that a mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey and fruit was being produced that long ago - right around the same time that barley beer and grape wine were beinginning tobe made in the Middle East!

Fast forward to 2005.... Molecular Archeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology calls on Dogfish Head to re-create their second ancient beverage and Chateau Jiahu is born.

In keeping with historic evidence, Dogfish brewers used pre-gelatinized rice flakes, Wildflower honey, Muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit, and Chrysanthemum flowers. The rice and barley malt were added together to make the mash for starch conversion and degredation. The resulting sweet wort was then run into the kettle. The honey, grapes, Hawthorn fruit, andChrysanthemum flowers were then added. The entire mixture was boiled for 45 minutes, then cooled. The resulting sweet liquid was pitched with a fresh culture of Sake yeast and allowed to ferment a month before the transfer into a chilled secondary tank.

Aroma Thyme Bistro

165 Canal St

Ellenville NY 12428

845 647-3000

Dogfish Head Theobroma now in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

Theobroma

Availability:

Limited

This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions. The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC. As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (translated into 'food of the gods') is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs (from our friends at Askinosie Chocolate), honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds). It's light in color - not what you expect with your typical chocolate beer. Not that you'd be surpised that we'd do something unexpected with this beer!

This beer is part of our Ancient Ales series - along with Midas Touch, Chateau Jiahu, and other - step back in time and enjoy some Theobroma.

Aroma Thyme Bistro

165 Canal St

Ellenville NY 12428

845 647-3000

Dogfish Head Pangea now in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

Pangaea

Availability:

Limited

Brewed with ingredients from each and every continent, this is slightly spicy ale, with a mouthful of rich flavors. Pangaea is a great food beer.

Our list of worldly ingredients includes:

Crystallized ginger from Australia

Water from Antarctica

Basmati rice from Asia

Muscavado sugar from Africa

South American quinoa

European yeast

and North American maize.

Aroma Thyme Bistro

165 Canal St

Ellenville NY 12428

845 647-3000

Abita Abbey Ale now in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

Abbey Ale honors the ancient tradition of monks who perfected the art of brewing beer to support the monastery and their "liquid bread". We offer up our support and thank them with a 25¢ donation to St. Joseph's Abbey with every bottle sold of this heavenly brew. Dark amber in color, the aroma of caramel, fruits and cloves invites you to contemplate the creamy head of this "Dubbel" or double ale. Abita Abbey Ale is a malty brew, top-fermented and bottle aged to rapturous perfection. This ale pairs well with barbecue, meat stews or a nice thick steak. For dessert, try Abita Abbey Ale with milk chocolate or chocolate bread pudding. We suggest serving this brew at 46 degrees.

Aroma Thyme Bistro
165 Canal
Ellenville NY 12428
845 647-3000

Abita Amber now in stock at Aroma Thyme Bistro

Amber is a Munich style lager brewed with crystal malt and Perle hops. It has a smooth, malty, slightly caramel flavor and a rich amber color. Abita Amber was the first beer offered by the brewery and continues to be our leading seller. Amber is Abita’s most versatile beer for pairing with food. It has been voted "best beer" in numerous New Orleans reader polls and is used frequently in recipes of great Louisiana chefs.

Because of its smooth, malty flavor, try it with smoked sausages, Louisiana boudin, or even with caviar. It’s great with crawfish and Cajun food. You might also enjoy it paired with a spicy gumbo or tomato-based pasta sauce. It goes well also with fried catfish dipped in a tart, lemony tartar sauce. Parmesan, Pecorino and Romano cheeses are good pairings with Abita Amber.

HE'BREW Messiah Bold coming on tap, December 2009

Watch for Messiah Bold on tap at Aroma Thyme Bistro. Coming December 2009!!!

Messiah Bold:

It's the Beer You've Been Waiting For!

A deep, bold nut brown ale beautifully balanced with rich dark malts and a complex hop character converging to reveal a simply enchanting elixir.

Malts: 2-row, Carapils, Dark Crystal/ Caramel 80L, Dark Chocolate, Victory

Hops: Warrior, Cascade, Mt. Hood

"HE'BREW could bring a whole new meaning to the term High Holidays...genuinely delicious brew!" - Jerusalem Report

"Full bodied, luscious, velvety...a testament to the craft of the brewmaster." - All About Beer