Irish Mist:

750 ml - $26.99

750ml - $12.99

AHHHH - St. Patty's & beer !!!!!!! 

HISTORY:

Merchant du Vin is the brainchild of Charles Finkel, who founded the company in 1978 after having established for himself an enviable reputation in the wine trade. Charles had witnessed the way in which hundreds of thousands of Americans had awakened to the rewards of fine wines during the 60’s and 70’s. It was his theory that a similar audience must exist for beers of distinction, and he decided to put his theory to the test. 
Charles identified two dozen classic styles of beer and set about to find the definitive styles of each. 

It was his idea that you should sell fine beer much as you sell fine wine. The secret to this, and the goal of Merchant du Vin, is to educate the consumer and arouse curiosity as to the differences among these classic styles.

Merchant du Vin sets the strictest standards for the beers that bear our importing label. All Merchant du Vin beers are "authentic"—meaning they are naturally made, without chemicals, additives, or preservatives (sometimes referred to as "adjuncts"). Secondly, the beer must be an outstanding representative of its style, and produced by a brewery of superb reputation. As a result of these standards, Merchant du Vin’s benchmark breweries appear on nearly every list of the top beers in the world.

Some 10 years later, having established Merchant du Vin as the Country’s leading importer of fine beers, Charles expanded Merchant du Vin’s presence in the burgeoning domestic craft brew segment. He first purchased America’s oldest homebrew store, Liberty Malt Supply, and subsequently created The Pike Brewing Company at the base of Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. 

Our Customer—Discriminating persons who recognize and enjoy beer as a high-quality food product. Our direct customers are distributors who have a proven track record in the distribution and sale of high-quality alcoholic beverages. Thousand of retailers, both on and off premise, stock our beers and profit from their sale.

Our Scope—Worldwide. Our products are currently distributed in all 50 states in the United States and many other countries.

Our Purpose—To be the country’s leading agent for the world’s finest handcrafted beer.

Our Product—Original beer products which are produced, packaged, and promoted to reflect the high quality of the product. Our goal is to set the standard for quality and variety in the industry.

                                     

Lindemans family has been farming and homebrewing as long as anyone can remember. Commercial brewing started in 1811 in their barn-like brewery.

Lambic, or spontaneously fermented beers, are among the world’s rarest. Produced more like a methode champenoise champagne, than a typical beer, these products mature in oak for nearly two years prior to release.

Merchant du Vin introduced Lindemans lambics to the United States in 1979, making them the first lambics marketed in U. S. history. To this day, they remain both the best selling and most widely honored brand in the category; including being named "One of the Top Ten Breweries in the World" for four consecutive years.

All Lindemans beers are vegan products, as can be seen under item #6 of their official export paperwork, linked right here. 

Spontaneous Fermentation
Lambic Simplified

The romantic, mysterious, wild-fermented wheat beers of Belgium’s Flanders are among the world’s rarest beers. The unique natural combination of the Senne River valley; small hills with numerous cherry trees; small farms growing hops, barley and wheat; and wooden kegs with fermentation liquids, has given the region an air-disseminated microflora that has seeded farm breweries for more than 500 years.

The mashing process is very much the same as with other styles, except for the unique addition of 30 percent unmalted wheat to the malted barley. Whereas most brewers use the freshest hops during the boil, lambic brewers use aged hops to contribute preservative properties without the bitterness of the herb (this protection is important to the final product, since it is such a long process from start to finish). Singularly, in the world of brewing, no yeast is added to this beer. After the boil, lambic wort is transferred into a coolship (a large, shallow, copper vessel) that exposes the hot wort to the cool fresh air and wild yeast! The fermenting rooms are dark and filled with cobwebs and brewers dare not clean their brewing cellars for fear of losing the natural yeasts.

The beer is top-fermented by the wild yeast strains Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus, whereas most ales use the cultivated yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast enters through louvers in the barn’s walls that are raised during the brewing season. 

After fermentation, the beer is transferred into "hogsheads" (casks) for two summers of maturation. A second, slower fermentation takes place in the oak. After aging, the base lambic is treated in different ways to make different beers.

Without question, lambic is the world’s most unusual and some say best beer. Lambic is unique in that the brewing process often takes several years. Lambics are a complex family of beers, which include dry aperitif beers, full-bodied dinner beers and fruity dessert beers. 

Gueuze Simplified
For gueuze, the base lambic is blended to make a distinct, wine-like drink that is traditionally served with the meal (a blend of 1/3 young lambic and 2/3 old lambic). Gueuze is known to mature beautifully, and stories abound of discovering age-old gueuze lambics that had matured to perfection.

Lindemans, which originally made only traditional unfiltered gueuze, switched to the filtered version because it is quicker to make. Realizing that there were almost no traditional gueuzes being produced, Merchant du Vin convinced Rene Lindemans, Head Brewer, to discontinue the filtered version and concentrate only on the finest traditional bottle-conditioned product. Cuvee Rene was born! It is a golden turbid wine-like beer that balances a malty fruit and a complex yeasty acidity with exceptional finesse. Cuvee Rene is a blend of lambics of various ages and is destined to be the standard by which gueuze is judged. 

Fruit Lambics Simplified
Nowadays lambic fruit beers are extremely popular. The first fruit beers were made with sour cherries growing in villages around Brussels. The most famous in Schaarbeek, which gave its name to the best variety. In the 1930s different farm breweries restarted brewing kriek by adding crushed cherries to young lambic in the casks

Artisanal lambic breweries, such as Lindemans Farm Brewery, make their fruit beers by blending the lambic and fresh fruit before bottling producing Kriek (cherry), Framboise (raspberry), and Pêche (peach). When the brewery makes Kriek, whole fresh cherries are added to the casks, triggering a third fermentation and promoting a spritzy carbonation that gives the finished beer a champagne-like character. 

Pomme

Long before hops were common in most beers, various fruits and herbs were used to season beers. The clean, bright aroma and flavor of apples melds beautifully with the complex tartness of lambic. The pronunciation in English is "PUM." 


Smooth, light body with the fresh flavor of real apples and a light green-apple tartness. Style—Apple Lambic. Color—Glowing Gold .


Perfect with rich cream sauces, hearty soups, aromatic cheeses and spicy cuisine - supremely refreshing. Serve in flute-shaped Lambic glasses at 38-41 degrees F.

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   Framboise

Long before hops were common in most beers, various fruits and vegetables were used to season beers. The acidity of Lambic beers blends perfectly with raspberries. 


Magnificent aroma, delicate palate of raspberries with undertones of fruity acidity; elegant, sparkling clean natural taste. Style—Raspberry Lambic. Color—Rose.


Chocolate desserts (especially chocolate decadence), fresh raspberries, ice cream with a raspberry demi-glaze sauce, créme caramel, baked Alaska, Olympia oysters, caviar. Serve in flute-shaped Lambic glasses at 45 degrees.

Gold Medal—World Beer Championships

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   Cassis

A classic Belgian favorite. Black currants have been used for centuries as an ingredient in beers and liquors in Belgium and Northern Europe. 


Deep reddish-purple color with exceptional aroma, flavor, and complexity. Fuller bodied and soft, while still being refreshing and crisp.


Venison, roasted pork tenderloin with rosemary cream sauce, scones, New York style cheesecake, and fresh fruit.


Gold Medal—World Beer Championships

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   Kriek

Peter Breugel pictured happy peasants dancing and drinking Kriek in the 17th century. Lindemans has brewed Kriek since 1811


Bouquet of freshly harvested cherries; sparkling, smooth, fruity and refreshing, finishing dry. Style—Cherry Lambic. Color—Rose.


As an aperitif in place of dry sherry, with carbonnade a la beouf, mussels in white wine or Gueuze, flavorful cheeses; traditionally served in tall, thick tumbler with cubes of sugar to sweeten to taste.


Platinum Medal, World Champion Lambic—World Beer Championships

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   Pêche

Suggested to Lindemans’ Farm Brewery by Merchant du Vin who recommended that the fruit be sliced when told that only whole fresh fruit was used in lambic.


Golden in color; with a nose that fills the room with fresh peaches. Sparkling, crisp and refreshing balance of fruit and acid. Style—Peach Lambic. Color—Golden.


Peach Melba, peaches in brandy, pear tarts, salad Nicoise, sorbet, egg rolls, peach cobbler, Waldorf salad, haroses, free-run chicken crepes, Belgian waffles. Serve in Champagne flutes at 45 degrees.


Gold Medal—World Beer Championships

Our Price: $8.49 ++

prices subject to change without notice

Not into the "fruit infused" beer - no problem !

Come in & custom make yours today for your St Patty's Celebration or any occasion !

Stop by & check out the vast selection that we are offering, 

Also we carry a full array of Seasonals and everything else imaginable  - get them all at Pond Point - we have the largest selection in Milford !!!!!!