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Brewery Spotlight: Bent Water Brewery

Science, art, and love. The three ingredients that created Bent Water Brewery. Located in Lynn, Massachusetts, this brewery got its roots from 3 friends from the North Shore. Bent Water’s philosophy is, “Every beer begins with water, and with careful, creative manipulation, we bend water into unique, careful brews.” They are a self-canning, self- distributing brewery with 13 rotating taps in their taproom. And the best part is- they welcome pets on their patio during the warmer months. Good brews, great weather, and furry friends, what more can you ask for?

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Bent Water offers a very wide variety of brews from IPA’s to Pale Ales and everything in between. They have released an experimental series called the X-Series. There are 22 different batches in this series, that are each brewed differently with their own distinct flavor.

Here are a few listed below that sound too good to be true –
X-6: Raspberry Lime Wheat Ale
X-9: Apricot Ale
X-12: Vanilla Chamomile Stout
X-15: Chocolate Milk Stout
X-17: Blood Orange Acid Beer

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They also have a selection of new arrivals to try, such as –

  • Double Thunder Funk Double IPA and Sluice Juice New England IPA.
  • Double Thunder Funk Double IPA: a recreation of the original Thunder Funk, adding more grain and more hops, resulting in more power and flavor.
  • Sluice Juice New England IPA: With aromatics of orange, tangerine and lime peel, this is their juicy, hazy and smooth New England IPA.

From their bold packaging and can designs to their wildly interesting flavors and brew names, Bent Water Brewery has a lot to offer. With Summer almost coming to a close, if you haven’t gotten a chance to try their X-Series or new brews now is your chance! With one of their 6-pack’s and a good group of friends, your night has already transformed from a good one to a great one.

Stop into Mystic Wine Shoppe and shop the Bent Water Brews we carry!

Photos from the Bent Water website.

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Grand Rosé Wine Tasting Recap

This past weekend we hosted our annual Grand Rosé Wine tasting at Mystic Wine Shoppe.  We had 3 great wine reps sharing samples of 12 delicious rosé wines. Guests from near and far (some folks joined us from Western, MA) enjoyed finding their favorite new rosé wine(s).  Thank you to everyone who joined us for this fantastic event.  Keep an eye out for our Fall Grand Wine Tasting in October.

Special thanks to local Author Kathleen E.R. Murphy for being our special guest.  Her book, Wisdom Whisperer, is on sale now! Buy it now… it makes for a great gift for Graduates.

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Thanks again for your support!

The Mystic Wine Shoppe Team 🙂

 

 

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June’s Cocktail: Frosé

Last summer rosé and frosé (frozen rosé) was all the rage and we think it will only become more popular this summer. With new rosés coming out left and right, the options for tasting and creating cocktails is endless. This month we’re sharing a super simple recipe to make your own frosé at home.

Check it out –

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Mystic Wine Shoppe Frosé Ingredients:

  • Bottle of rosé – we found the darker colored rosé worked well to hold its color
  • Juice of a lemon
  • Handful of rasperries
  • 1/2 cup sugar

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Prep:

  • Freeze your rosé for at least 6 hours – we used ice cube trays
  • Place sugar into a small saucepan and add half a cup of water. Heat and stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Add crushed  raspberries to the sugar/water mixture. Let it all sit for a couple of minutes in the freezer. Strain out the liquid and place to the side.

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Directions:

  • Mix together frozen rosé cubes, handful of ice, raspberry liquid and lemon juice
  • Blend to perfection and serve!

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This would be perfect for all your summer cookouts!  Next month we’re adding strawberries and vodka to take it up a notch!

Thanks for your support – Cheers,

Mystic Wine Shoppe

 

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Glazed Pork and Big Barrel Pinot Noir

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Bird Big Barrel Pinot Noir Tasting Notes:  There is not much one can say about this wine without gushing.  It is delicious. From the remarkable color to the nose full of delicately scented cherries and roses and baking spice and the taste of a very carefully and lovingly vinified Pinot Noir, it is to be savored. If handled improperly, Pinot Noir grapes will still yield a juicy wine, but it will lose all the uplifting aromatics.  Therefore, this wine is made in the eponymous big barrels to keep the oak from overpowering the essence of the grape.  The winemaker also uses an unusual “Vernou roll” technique that allows the wine to come into contact with the skins very gently and with limited exposure to oxygen, thereby preserving much of the flavor and intensity without extracting harsh tannins.

 

Pork or Veal Loin Glazed with Pomegranate and Oranges

  • One 3-pound roast of pork or veal, or two 1 1/2 pound tenderloins
  • Marinade
    • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
    • Grated zest of one orange
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
    • 2 tbsp pomegranate syrup or pomegranate molasses
    • 2 tbsp hot mustard
    • 2 tsp freshly minced garlic
  • Basting sauce
    • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
    • 3 tbsp honey
    • 3 tbsp pomegranate syrup or pomegranate molasses
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp reserved marinade
  • To Make:
    • In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Reserve 2 tablespoons. Then marinade the roast in a dish, covered by plastic wrap or a lid. Marinade for at least 6 hours, overnight if possible.
    • Combine the ingredients for the basting sauce. Reserve 1/4 cup for spoon on at the very end.
    • Broil or grill the roast or tenderloins not too close to the heat source, turning the meat and basting with the sauce at least 4 times. Cook until a meat thermometer registers 140 degrees Fahrenheit, 20 to 30 minutes for a large loin, 5 to 7 minutes per side for tenderloins.
    • Or, in an oven, place in a roasting pan at 400 degrees.  Baste every 5 minutes, until meat thermometer reads 140 degrees, about 40 minutes.
    • Transfer meats to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly. Simmer reserved basting sauce until slightly thickened. Spoon over meat to glaze.
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Good wine for a great cause

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disease that slowly moves from tremors to stiffness to cramping, eventually leaving its sufferers entirely disabled – in a wheel chair or even bedridden.  It is painful and horrifying, knowing that it will only bring more and worse suffering.  The most famous face of Parkinson’s in our lifetime has been Michael J. Fox, who has been tireless in raising funds, awareness and supporting research to fight this blight.  And one of his signature efforts has been the production and sale of 4 Foxes Chardonnay.
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This wine was released by the President of Jackson Family Wines, Rick Tigner, whose wife also suffers from Parkinson’s. It is a wine typical of the storied Russian River Valley of Sonoma County.  On the nose, you get delicious smells of lemon, pear, apricot, perhaps a hint of tropical fruits like mango.  On the palate, you get a buttery mouthfeel with the oaky taste of vanilla and caramel.  It has a soft finish that would pair well with everything from a simple white pizza to chicken with mushrooms.
A good wine for a great cause – cheers!
Seema 🙂
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Oak, smoke, toast…vanilla?

Wine makers and wine drinkers love to talk about oak.  And given that oak-use is incredibly complicated, it is not surprising.  Oak barrel fermentation, aging in oak, the flavors that oak imparts, the amount of oxidation you get through the porous oak barrels, the type of oak that is used – American, French, Slavonian – and the size of the barrels not to mention the discussions of how the barrels are made and who makes them.
Oak barrels are made in “cooperages,” and each cooperage imparts its own unique character to its barrels.  The staves are the raw materials of oak.  American oak is less dense and can be cut to size.  French oak, with a tighter grain, must be split.  In the most traditional (aka, “best”) cooperages, the staves are left out in the weather for a few years to “condition.”  A lesser cooperage will kiln dry the wood.  Then the staves must be heated to bend the staves into the characteristic shape for a barrel and then roasted for the desired length of time the right amount of “toast”.  The toasting of oak is very important because it determines the flavors that are imparted to the wine.  More butterscotch?  Less smoke?  That is all a function which type of oak and of how the barrel is toasted.
  • White wines tend to show more oak because the wine itself tends to have more delicate flavors and fewer tannins.  The oak  itself has tannins that bind with the proteins in the wine, so whites do not become more tannic with oak fermentation or aging.
  • Red wines on the other hand, already have tannins that have bound with the proteins in the wine. That means that non-neutral oak generally imparts more tannins to red wines than they have naturally.  So, in addition to the vanilla / caramel / butterscotch types of flavors in American oak and the more coconut / hazelnut / smoky flavors in French oak, red wines tend to become more structured in oak barrels.
Two wines that display some oak character:
The Four Foxes Chardonnay is a moderately oaky chardonnay that has had a few years in the bottle.  It is a mellow wine that has notes of apple, pear and apricot with a medium amount of oak.  In contrast, the Treana Chardonnay has a bolder oak character – more rounded in the mouth with riper flavors of peach, apricot and honey.  The dominant flavor of “creme brûlée” is a result of the distinct character of the fairly heavily toasted oak in the wine.
The Lopez de Haro Rioja Reserva is a wonderful example of a red wine whose flavors intertwine seemlessly with oak.  The Temperanillo grape loves oak and as a “reserva,” this wine spends 20 months in a combination of French and American oak, smoothing out its rough edges, aging gently and becoming absolutely delicious.  The Roots Run Deep Winery’s Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon is the equivalent of a big, bold wine in exclusively American oak that Napa is famous for.  It is a burst of black currant and black berries with a deep, caramel, vanilla and leather set of flavors that lingers on the palate.
We hope to see you at Mystic Wine Shoppe soon,
Thanks for reading – Seema
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Our Mother’s Day Cocktail

New to Mystic Wine Shoppe is the fancy and oh so drinkable, Pommery POP Rose Champagne 4-Pack. These fun champagne bottles make a lovely Mother’s Day gift as well as the perfect addition to any spring celebration. We love these little Pommery Pop bottles not just because they’re adorable, but they’re also delicious, bright and lively.

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Host a Mother’s Day Brunch with POP!

We think Pommery Pop Rose Champagne would make a killer addition to your Mother’s Day brunch… So, this month’s cocktail is more of a ‘make-your-own’ cocktail bar. Check it out and get some inspiration for your Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations.

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What you need:

  • Setting up a Pommery Pop Champagne Bar is really one of the easiest options you can offer your guests. Not only do you not have to make the drink, but guests can customize their drink the way they want it.
  • We purchased fresh juices (OJ and apple juice) and fresh fruit (strawberries and blackberries) to create a nice display for our guests to choose from. You can use whatever juice or fruit you would like at your bar!
  • Thinking about feeding your guests? We recommend some delicious baked french toast and/or quiche to go with the champagne bar.

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Feeling inspired for Mother’s Day?!  Enjoy your day and don’t forget to stop into Mystic Wine Shoppe to grab all your champagne, rose, beer and liquor needs.

Thanks for reading –

Mystic Wine Shoppe

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Wine, Wisdom and Baseball

As opening day for the Red Sox approaches, I can tell the fans are getting excited. The problem is and I have to be honest, I am not a baseball fan. I know people LOVE the Red Sox and I appreciate that – I am a fan of wines and would totally fan-girl over some famous winemakers, give critical commentary on their raw materials, their decisions for how to make wines, how to label them, when to release them. And most philosophical, I think people find real depth when thinking of and speaking about baseball – similar to the Truth that is said to lurk in every bottle of wine. The link between the two seems inevitable.

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Photo by: CBS Boston

Being a complete novice though at baseball, I began researching this game that so absorbs and thrills fans. The wisdom among its famous is quite real. For example, some guy named Bob Feller said, “Everyday is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind you and start over. That’s the way life is, with a new game everyday and that is the way baseball is.” Those truly are words to live by. I also loved Tommy LaSorda saying, “There are three types of baseball players, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.” Again, this is a very profound life lesson.

But perhaps the person most credited with folksy wisdom in baseball appears to be Yogi Berra. And these seem to be his best quotes:

• “When you get to a fork in the road, take it.”

• “It gets late early around here.”

• “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

• “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

• “Ninety percent of this game is half mental.”

• “I really didn’t say everything I said.”

• “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

• “Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.”

• “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up someplace else.”

• “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.”

But to go with all this wisdom, one needs the right wine. What better choice than the Red Sox Club Series Cabernet Sauvignon? Wine consumption grew 40% between 2000 and 2013 and baseball club series labels are sold in many stadiums these days – meaning people are drinking wine at baseball games. Beer is losing its supremacy. This wine is bold and structured, the perfect wine to go with meats off the grill – burgers, ribs and sausages. As a Cabernet Sauvignon, it is not as heavy as some others making it more approachable in the summer heat. But perfect for those “I’m-expecting-it-to-be-warm-but-it’s-still-cold” spring days. It has all the black currant you expect from a Cab but also some subtle hints of chocolate and tobacco, with a nice fruity finish. It is the perfect gift for a baseball fan on opening day!

Enjoy, Seema

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