• A Great Beer Debate

  Ageing Beer?

People have known for centuries that ageing wine can add complexity, soften tannins, integrate flavors, and generally improve a bottle of wine. In fact, many of the most collectible and sought after wines are so valuable because they are made with the intent of ageing the wine; think of Barolo, Cru Classe Bordeaux, Grand Cru Burgundy, Penfolds Grange, etc. While these wines can be tannic, rough, abrasive and unapproachable in their youth they have the capacity to age for decades, and morph into something magical.

Onto the crux of my article, what about ageing beer?

I’m certainly not going to advocate cellaring that 24 of Canadian your buddy brought over to your Superbowl party. Run of the mill beers are meant to be consumed now, maybe not on the Monday after Superbowl, but within 3-6 months of their production. Just like there is lots of wine produced for immediate consumption most beer is produced for the same purpose. The beers I’m talking about cellaring are the cream of the proverbial beer crop; the special styles, the iconic producers, and the exceptional quality that can make some beers tremendously age worthy.

When thinking of beers to cellar what you should be looking for are Vintage dated beers, Imperial Stouts, Belgian Strong Ales, Lambic beers, and Old Ales. These are the kind of beers made to rigorous standards, often bottled larger formats (750ml and up) and sometimes sealed with a cork. If the idea of ageing beer piques your interest it is these beers that can age beautifully and develop magnificent and beautiful character over time.

My recommendation to you is to buy yourself a few of these beers, multiples of each work best (in case you can’t help but drink a few) then lay the beers down to age and try one every year or so. Head on down to Bin905 for some great advice and some fantastic prices to help get your beer cellar started, you’ll be amazed how rewarding it can be.

Here are a few great possibilities available at Bin905:

Les Trois Mousquetaires, Porter Baltique
Chimay, Pères Trappists, Grande Reserve (Blue Cap)
St. Bernardus, Abt 12, Belgium Strong Ale

Region: worldwide

• BINBAG

  February

  $100

That’s right folks; it’s that time of the year again.
Time to get some…
With Valentine’s Day nestled mid-month, February definitively is marked by love and affection.
At BIN905 we think that telling people when to love isn’t right; Valentine’s forces couples to spend money on each other while make the singles uncomfortable.
So, for you to get some Romance (or Ho-mance, or Bro-mance) we’re dropping our pants real low and are putting together an offer you can’t pass: get the February BINBAG and save 28%!

You will be drinking:

Liefmans Fruitesse Fruit Beer, Fruit Beer, Belgium ($10)
Costaripa Rosamara, Chiaretto di Monega, Italy ($26)
Le Grand Vausdanière Sparkling Vouvray, France ($24)
Pfeffingen Gewürtzraminer Spätlese, Germany ($28)
Summers Knights Valley Merlot, United States ($27)
Quinta do Infantado Ruby Port, Portugal ($24)

BINBAG February was - $139 is - $100

GET SOME!!!

Region: Heart (Right lobe) in the chest

• 2007 Carema

  Ferrando

A couple of years ago I was given a copy of Neal Rosenthal’s book, Reflections of a Wine Merchant – a biography of sorts written by one of America’s most dynamic wine importers. Mr. Rosenthal is a big supporter of the concept of terroir and in his book he devotes an entire chapter to the wines of Ferrando, located in Piedmont’s Carema zone about 100 kilometres north of Barolo. This is rugged, mountainous country situated at the base of Valle d’Aosta, a difficult place to grow grapes to be sure but an area where Roberto Ferrando’s family has been making wine since 1900. His production is based primarily on two grapes, Nebbiolo for the red wines and the rare Erbaluce for the whites. After I read the chapter on Ferrando – described by Mr. Rosenthal as his desert island wines - I was intrigued and so I contacted Roberto Ferrando to see if he had any wine to sell. At the time he was sold out but he told me he would let me know when the next vintage was ready and perhaps we could proceed then. In 2011 we were sent an offer along with some samples and we were blown away by what we tasted. The Nebbiolo wines are spectacularly aromatic but unlike their cousins in Barolo they offer a level of finesse and elegance that Barolo offers only after many years in the bottle. The white label Carema drinks beautifully now while the black label is a great candidate for the cellar and will pay handsome dividends in about five years’ time. The white Erbaluce wines offer lots of minerality with notes of white orchard fruits and toasted almonds. We also receievd a lovely sparkling Erbaluce produced in the traditional Champagne method along with some sweet Erbaluce made in the passito style from dried grapes, remarkable stuff. To finish things off we have a beautifully silky grappa produced from Nebbiolo, all in all a phenomenal lineup. See our exclusives section for prices.

Region: Piedmont

• November BinBag

  Escapism In A Bottle

It’s the start of a new month and we all know what that means. A brand new BinBag offer from Bin905! Aside from being a steal of a deal the BinBag is a great way to try some new wines and to practice a little escapism at the same time. You can indulge in rich Mediterranean reds while your mind wanders a Spanish beach, or sip on the aromatic whites and reminisce about all the beautiful fall evenings, soon to be just a distant memory.

Here are the 6 wines we selected to help with your escape:

Monregale Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, Italy, 2009
Chateau Fontanche, Saint-Chinian, France 2008
Sogrape, Douro, Portugal, 2008
Wrongo Dongo, Jumilla, Spain, 2009
Pfaffenheim Gewurztraminer, Alsace, France, 2010
Gruen Riesling, Rheingau, Germany, 2009

Was $100, Now $80!

Region: European

• The $20 Below Shelf

  Get em’ while there hot!

Old Man Winter is on his way and although you don’t know exactly when he’s arriving you do know he won’t be calling ahead and making sure it’s cool to crash at your place. ‘Twenty below’ is a phrase I expect to hear a few too many times before Mr. Winter finally packs his bags but when I heard someone talking about it already I could feel the shiver running up my spine, at least until I realized they were talking about great deals on wine!

Bin905 is proud to be introducing its brand new $20 below shelf. This new shelf will have 10 different wines all under $20 and all gauranteed to be great values! The wines will rotate as new products come in and current products sell out, but you can rest assured knowing that all the wines are hand picked by the fabulous staff at Bin905 to be the most awesome wines under $20 ever!

So hurry in, check out the selection and take a few bottles home for yourself. Just be quick and get them before the staff manages to drink it all….. Like I said we personally picked them as the most awesome wines under $20 ever!

Region: Valuetown

• Two Buck Beer Bonanza

  Various Brands

As a public service the Bin905 beer drinking society is offering a friendly reminder. We have one of the best single beer selections around, and many of them can be had for a mere Toonie!

In our never ending quest to keep the ‘single beer bin’ full (those already in the know manage to empty it on a weekly basis) the beer selection is always changing, but we are overstocked on great deals.

Here’s a list of some of the great deals that can be had today, but you’d better hurry. Once the bottom of the bin starts to show we break down some new six packs and fill the bin with fresh and fun new beers.

Brooklyn Lager – Amber-gold in color with fresh bitterness, firm malts and crisp, floral hops $2

Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc – A smooth, slightly bitter and refreshing wheat beer $2

Amber’s Maple Lager – Special Canadian malts and all natural maple $2

Region: Worldwide

• BIN905 customer appreciation day

  The more you spend, the more you save…

  - 15% store wide

To thank our customers for their continuous support over the years, BIN905 puts a sale up that will enable you to re-stock the wine cellar for good!

On Saturday October 15th, from 10 AM to 8PM, the whole store will be discounted 15% and specials will be offered on case lots as well (see below).

For those who need to do corporate gifting, we would like to remind you we would gladly wrap your orders free of charge.

We hope to see you then!

Cheers!

LIST OF OUR CASE LOTS DISCOUNTS
12 Ojai Riesling 408 300
12 Ojai Thompson Syrah 600 450
12 Ojai Rose 312 200
12 Summers Petit Syrah 468 325
12 Martinelli Zio Tony Chardonnay 540 400
12 Martinelli Terra Felice Syrah 660 450
12 Betz Clos de Betz 700 500
12 Villa Matilde Fiano di Avelino 373 300
12 Boscarelli De Ferrari 312 240
12 Costaripa Mazane 275 200
6 Villa Caffagio Cabernet Sauvignon 384 300
12 Toni Jost Bacharacher Riesling 348 250
12 Egon Muller Kabinett Riesling 924 700
12 Muller Catoir Musbaccher 504 360
6 Keller Westhofen 990 775
6 Ogier Cote Rotie Lancement 2004 1350 950
6 Ogier Cote Rotie Belle Helene 2004 1139 850
6 Ogier Cote Rotie Belle Helene 2003 1380 1050
12 George Vernay Cote Rotie 2005 1200 1000
12 Georges Vernay Coteau de Vernon 1416 1000
12 Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme 467 350
12 Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1463 1000
6 Chateau Pape Clement 1350 900
12 Domaine Pelle Moroguges Pinot Noir 432 350
6 Francois Raveneau GC Blanchot 1600 1200
12 PYCM Santenay VV PN 780 600
12 PYCM Chassange Morgeot Fairendes 1260 1000
6 PYCM Corton Charlemagne 1350 1000
12 PYCM St Aubin 780 600
6 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee 2000 809 600
6 Jacques Selosse Initial 1380 995
6 Foreau Vouvray Moelleux 2003 630 500
6 Foreau Vouvray Moelleux 1995 450 350
12 Palacios Corullon 900 600
6 Knoll Riesling 366 250
12 Casa de Mouraz Red 288 200
12 Casa de Mouraz White 288 200

Region:

• 04 and 06 Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme

  Why pay the Grand Cru price?

  $39

Classification Cru Bourgeois Supèrieur of Haut-Médoc in 1932 and Cru Bourgeois Exeptionnel in the 1966 contest.

Geographic Situation In the St Laurent Médoc area and in the direct neighbourhood of the vineyards of Gruaud Larose, Lagrange, Belgrave, Camensac and Lanessan.

The Vineyard is made up of 45 hectares (113 acres) of a single tenant, planted on a mound of first class gravel on a base of iron rich sandstone, a little more sandy to the east, a little more clayey to the west. The vine varieties are of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 3% petit verdot and 37% merlot.
The average age of the vines is 25 years old.

The wine making follows very much the pattern of the “ Grand Cru “ chateaux. The grapes are destalked, then slightly crushed and sent into fermentation vats which are either stainless steel or cement with an epoxy coating and always thermo-regulated. Fermentation is lead at the temperature of 28/30° celsius with light “over the top “ pumping for a soft extraction of the skins. The maceration can last up to three weeks.

The ageing of 12 month months is made exclusively in French barrels of 225 L., of which 25% are renewed each year. The wine is fined with egg whites and finally bottled at the vineyard 20 months after it is harvested.

Region: Haut-Medoc / Bordeaux / France

• Best accompanied with fat dumps and bluebird...

  Mikkeller

For the beer lovers, connoisseurs, geeks and heathens, Bin 905 has held on to a select amount of Mikkeller beers to help warm the soul during those chilly autumn and winter months ahead. As summer breaths its final breath over Calgary we are all looking for a hearty beverage that will bring warmth and delight to the senses and the boys from Mikkeller do just that. From the subliminal Koppi (coffee flavored IPA) to the Black Hole (highly hopped stout) there is something that will appeal to all the beer lovers in the Great White North. If you love the current North American IPA trend, but feel that this fails to stand up to the frigid temperatures of a Calgarian winter, then check out the Black Hole. If you love pulling a Homer and drinking your tasty Sus Domestica then jump into a Beer Geek Bacon (WARNING: may not contain traces of “Babe") big, smoky and meaty. Mmmmmmm.....Bacon! While the range focuses on the bigger, heartier beers there will be something here for all beer lovers to enjoy. The only way any of these beers could be better is accompanied with fat dumps and bluebird…
Happy winter beer drinking to all,
From the Bin 905 beer drinking society
Available to stave of winter gloominess;
Beer Geek Bacon: $11.00
Beer Hop Breakfast: $11.00
Beer Geek Breakfast: $16.00
Big Worst Ale: $16.00
Black Cognac Ale: $15.00
Black Hole Stout: $9.00
By George Stout: $7.00

Region: Denmark via the World

• 2006 Chateau Pierre Bise

  Chateau Pierre Bise Anjou White

  $33

Until recently I hadn’t had the pleasure of indulging in some of the delicious offerings from Chateau Pierre Bise (Owned and operated by Claude Papin).  Here at Bin905 we carry three of his wines, but it’s his ‘Le Haut De La Garde’ Anjou White which I can’t get out of my head. If you haven’t tried any, or all, of the wines we carry from Chateau Pierre Bise then you are missing out on some of the best wine the Loire Valley has to offer.

There is so much more to know about Claude Papin than I’m able to write here but suffice it to say he makes his wines to express the ‘terroir’ where the grapes are grown rather than the ‘varieté’ from which the wine is made. Chateau Pierre Bise ‘Le Haut De La Garde’ Anjou White is made from 100% Chenin Blanc and is sourced from a north to north-west facing vineyard on the south bank of the Loire with a mixed terroir of schist, sandstone and rhyolite, an igneous rock with high silica content. Botrytis is also a factor in Anjou and a large part of Claude Papin’s wines. The Chenin Blanc grapes are allowed to fully ripen and at that point Claude hopes for a rapid onset of Botrytis to concentrate the flavors and preserve the ‘terroir’ characteristics.

As for the wine itself it pours a rich, almost amber color into the glass, an indication of how concentrated it is. On the nose you will smell rich apple, pear and honey notes all of which are well polished and very attractive. The palate has a big and impressive structure with the characteristic oiliness of Chenin Blanc as well as lots of minerality, despite the aromatic plushness, and lots of acidity to boot. Overall the wine comes together extremely well delivering a rich and complex nose, great balance and mouth feel, then caps everything off with a delicious and lingering finish to complete the experience.

I hope everyone gets the chance you try this wonderful wine. If your experience is anything like mine I know you will be coming back for another bottle soon after finish the first.

Region: Anjou, Loire, France

• 2009 CASA de MOURAZ

  DÃO WHITE

Casa de Mouraz is a small, family-owned/run estate from the Dão region offering some intriguing, high quality wines that are very reasonably priced. They count among less than a dozen producers in all of Portugal that farm their grapes organically and they go the extra step and employ many biodynamic principles as well. Some would label biodynamic farming as new age mumbo jumbo but the proof is in the puddin’, and this puddin’ is mighty tasty.  The white is a blend of indigenous varietals including Malvasia, Encruzado, Bical and Cerceal-Branco. These may not be household names but that only makes the wines more intriguing as far as we are concerned. The end result is a lively white wine with an underlying richness backed by layers of tropical/citrus fruits.
Available today:
Casa de Mouraz White - $24

Region: DÃO / PORTUGAL

• 1996 Schloss Schonborn

  Riesling Spätlese 1996 in 1000ML

  $41

Schloss Schönborn – famous wines with a long tradition. Located in the heart of the Rheingau valley, the Domänenweingut Schloss Schönborn has long stood for premium wine culture.

Many of the vineyards along the slopes bordering the Rhine river have been part of the Schönborn family estate since 1349, which has been added to continuously since then. Several top sites were acquired in the 17th and 18th centuries, giving the estate a real boost. The estate now covers 50 ha, of which 90% are planted with Riesling. The remaining vineyards feature Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. The Schloss Schönborn wine estate is one of the founder members of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) and has for many years been managing its valuable vineyards in tune with nature.

Available today:
Schloss Schönborn Hochheimer Daubhaus Riesling Spatlese 1996 1000ML $41

Region: Germany, Rheingau

Next Page