...no wait, that was on purpose.
Among the many things we pioneered in NJ (breaks his arm patting himself on the back), is aging beer. "Born on" dating of beer is actually a good idea. For some very good beers, freshness is key. Some American microbreweries even make merchants agree to pull their beer from the shelf if it's on too long. The breweries have been known to follow up with surprise visits to ensure this is being done. I support this.
In some mass-market beers of course, it's really little more than a marketing ploy. Don't be fooled. Some of that stuff (rhymes with schludkeiser) is almost as shelf stable as Velveeta cheese.
Many great beers however, absolutely and completely improve with a few years of bottle-age. This is mostly (but not exclusively) a characteristic of "bottle-conditioned" brews. Bottle-conditioned beers have a touch of yeast added to the bottle right before corking to get a second fermentation going and provide lees (spent yeast cells) in the bottle for improved aging. If you're a beer head or you have one in your life, cellaring a case or two of a Belgian ale is something you really should try. If you're a wine-head but not into beer (yet), maybe this is your entrée to this fascinating world.
While Mark and I are fairly interchangeable in most areas of expertise, he certainly has the lead on beer. He got Stage Left mentioned in Michael Jackson's (not the one with the glove) beer books in the 1990s as one of the top 5 places on the East Coast to get Belgian Beer. In the last 5 to 6 years or so, it's become quite a trend (and one we celebrate) among truly great restaurants to have an aged beer list. We started cellaring Belgians in 1996 with St Paul Triple. I believe we now have the largest list of aged beer in NJ (maybe the only) and one of the best in the country.
So in lieu of The Spirits Project this week, we are going to open the beer part our cellar and pour a flight of three vintage beers (2 oz each) for $5. We're going to change up the beers as the weekend goes on. This will be available beginning Thursday at 6:30 and through Sunday night closing.
I encourage you to have a look at one of the best darned vintage beer lists in America and to experiment yourself this weekend and on into the future. You have access to something here that people in most places (even big cities) do not have. It's a really fun time to order a current vintage of one of these beers and then order an older one after or side-by-side. Please come enjoy another great and unique culinary adventure, brought to you by the guys at Stage Left and Catherine Lombardi. Beers are available in BOTH restaurants. The flights are available only in Catherine Lombardi.
Please note: Bottle sizes are 750 ml (wine bottle size) unless otherwise specified. Alcohol percentages are listed for each beer so that you can consume safely and in moderation. For reference: most wine is between 12% and 15%. Budweiser is 5%.
| Belgium | |
| Brasserie Dupont 'Speciale Belge (5.75%)' 2012 | $28 |
| Brasserie Caracole 'Nostradamus Brown Ale (9.5%)' 2012 | $35 |
| Brasserie de Rochefort 'Rochefort 8 (9.2%)' Trappist 2013 (Magnum/1.5L) | $99 |
| Brasserie des Rocs 'Brown Ale (9%)' 2012 | $35 |
| Brasserie Dupont 'Les Bons Voeux (9.5%)' 2013 | $30 |
| Dochter van de Korenaar 'Embrasse (9%)' 2009 (650 ml) | $39 |
| Lindemans 'Kriek (4%)' Lambic 2012 | $32 |
Chimay |
|
| Chimay 'Red Label (7%)' Trappist 2014 | $37 |
| 2013 | $37 |
| 2012 | $42 |
| 2011 | $45 |
| 2010 | $49 |
| Chimay 'Blue (9%)' Trappist 2014 | $40 |
| 2013 | $40 |
| 2012 | $45 |
| 2011 | $47 |
| Chimay 'Speciale Cent Cinquante (12%)' 2012 | $99 |
Huyghe |
|
| Huyghe 'Delerium Tremens 'Red' (8%)' 2014 | $35 |
| Huyghe 'Delerium Tremens (8.5%)' 2013 | $32 |
| 2012 | $39 |
Koningshoeven |
|
| Koningshoeven 'La Trappe Tripel (8%)' Trappist 2015 | $35 |
| 2010 | $47 |
| Koningshoeven 'La Trappe Dubbel (7%)' 2011 | $43 |
Scaldis |
|
| Scaldis 'Refermentee (12%)' 2014 | $40 |
| 2013 | $45 |
| 2012 | $47 |
| Scaldis 'Noel Premium (13%)' 2014 | $59 |
| 2012 | $64 |
| Scaldis 'Tripel (10.5%)' 2014 | $60 |
| Scaldis 'Prestige Nuits (12%)' 2012 | $129 |
Westmalle |
|
| Westmalle 'Dubbel (7%)' Trappist 2014 | $35 |
| 2012 | $35 |
| Westmalle 'Tripel (9.5%)' Trappist 2014 | $35 |
Italy |
|
| Birrifico Baledin | |
| Birrifico Baledin 'Isaac - Belgian Witte Style (4.8%)' 2014 | $49 |
| 2013 (187 ml) | $25 |
| Birrifico Baledin 'Al-Iksir - Strong Pale Ale (10%)' 2011 | $39 |
| Birrifico Baledin 'Nora - Ancient Herbed Ale (6.8%)' 2012 | $49 |
| Birrifico Baledin 'Super - Pale Ale (8%)' 2011 (187 ml) | $29 |
United Kingdom |
|
| Meantime Brewing Co. 'Naval College Old Porter (8.0%)' 2013 | $38 |
USA |
|
| Brooklyn Brewery 'Sorachi Ace (7.6%)' 2012; New York | $40 |
| Stone 'Vertical Epic 12.12.12. (9%)' 2012 California | $30 |
| Uinta 'Crooked Line - Cockeyed Cooper Barley Wine (11.1%)' 2012; Utah | $29 |
| Allagash | |
| Allagash 'Interlude (9.5%)' 2011 Maine | $38 |
| Allagash 'Tripel (9%)' 2014 Maine | $35 |
| 2010 | $39 |
| Anchor Brewery | |
| Anchor Brewery 'Merry Christmas (5.5%)' 2013; California,(375 ml) | $8 |
| 2012 (375 ml) | $9 |
| 2012 (Magnum/1.5L) | $39 |
| 2011 (Magnum/1.5L) | $49 |