cactivity:

Spiritual Leader-Shaped Pear
A farmer out in China by the name of Hao Xianzhang has been creating some brilliant Buddha-shaped pears that are set to become available in the United Kingdom soon. Hao has been spending the past six years developing his technique of creating pears that grow into the shape of one of the worlds most talked about spiritual teachers. These Buddha-shaped pears are grown in custom individual moulds that are placed onto the growing pear. It is believed that if you own one of these good luck will be around you. Hao has already created 10,000 of these miniature edible Buddha’s

Spiritual Leader-Shaped Pear

A farmer out in China by the name of Hao Xianzhang has been creating some brilliant Buddha-shaped pears that are set to become available in the United Kingdom soon.

Hao has been spending the past six years developing his technique of creating pears that grow into the shape of one of the worlds most talked about spiritual teachers. These Buddha-shaped pears are grown in custom individual moulds that are placed onto the growing pear. It is believed that if you own one of these good luck will be around you. Hao has already created 10,000 of these miniature edible Buddha’s

Reblogged from Visual Amor

Harvest’s February Cask Tasting

Join us at Harvest Wine & Spirits for our monthly Cask Event… This month we will feature Thornbridge County Brew Hall of Derbyshire, UK. alongside Birrificio del Ducato of Parma, Italy

We’re Tapping at about 5pm Friday February 22nd… We expect the beers to last until some time on Saturday so if you can’t make it Friday stop by early on Saturday to sample as well!!!

Harvest Wine & Spirits @842 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119

The beer being featured on this wonderful evening of free beer and good vibes…

Blueberry Nightmare Del Ducato, Italy
96 at Rate Beer! ONE TIME BREW!
9.5%
This beer is an extension of Del Ducato’s Verdi Imperial Stout. My Blueberry Nightmare is a stout brewed with hot chili, then aged for 2 years in oak barrels with blueberries.
Sounds harmless enough, but the result is just crazy!!!! Words really cannot describe it…
Sour- funky- acidity…really in a world of its own! Opaque black in color with just a touch of carbonation (not much). Quite acidic and very intense! This nightmare is sure to leave a lasting nightmare!

&

Halcyon
98 by Ratebeer
7.7% abv - English Imperial IPA
This beer is similar to what original IPAs would
have been like back in the days in England.
Rich fruit and hop character in aroma. Chewy,
juicy malts and intense hoppiness coming
through in mouth with a hint of tangerine and
pear drops. Ends with a well-balanced bitterness.

The cask tasting will serve as a warm-up for the Thornbridge Brewmaster Dinner on Monday, May6th at Half Door Pub…

Available Beers for Purchase to include Thornbridge Kipling, Jaipur, Halcyon, and St. Petersburg… As well as a very limited amount of uber-rare Blueberry Nightmare bottles…

Thornbridge County Brew Hall

Innovation. Passion. Knowledge

Derbyshire, UK

It all started in the fall of 2004- when the idea of brewing their own beers was brought up between friends. By the spring of 2005- the group had begun brewing a couple of beers on a fairly regular basis and by the summer they brewed Jaipur for the first time. Two months later it won the their first beer award. This was the start of what would become one of UK’s most innovative young breweries. Over the past 8 years - Thornbridge had accumulated over 200 industry & consumer awards. They are constantly pushing the boundaries of brewing.

They harness their passion for great flavored beer and give the beer the “Thornbridge Never Ordinary” treatment.

Kipling
95 by Ratebeer & Exceptional by Beer Advocate!
5.2% abv- South Pacific Pale Ale
Kipling a golden beer with an exquisite
passionfruit, gooseberry and mango aroma.
Named after the windows in the brewery building
that came from the caravan owned by English
author Rudyard Kipling.
The beer is single hopped with Nelson Sauvin
hops from New Zealand, that imparts the tropical
fruit like flavors. The beer’s initial sweetness and
medium body are balanced by a lasting grapefruit
like bitter finish. Winner of at least 22 awards!!!

Jaipur
96 by Ratebeer & Exceptional by Beer Advocate!
5.9% abv- India Pale Ale (IPA)
A wonderful IPA that has a beautiful light
golden appearance. On the nose, sweet
citrus notes prevail reminiscent of candied
lemon peel and combined deliciously with
hints of sundrenched tropical fruits.
To taste, the immediate impression is soft
and smooth but this rapidly builds around
the mouth to a crescendo of massive
hoppiness accentuated by honey with an
enduring IPA bitter finish.

Halcyon
98 by Ratebeer
7.7% abv - English Imperial IPA
This beer is similar to what original IPAs would
have been like back in the days in England.
Rich fruit and hop character in aroma. Chewy,
juicy malts and intense hoppiness coming
through in mouth with a hint of tangerine and
pear drops. Ends with a well-balanced bitterness.

St. Petersburg
96 by Ratebeer
7.7% abv- Russian Imperial Stout
Rich and dark with a smoke, subtle peatness and the power of dark malts. Molasses and liquorice and chocolate
goodness all wrapped up in a smooth, warming liquid. Finishes with a distinct humming bitterness carried well by
the hop and malt combo!

Birrificio del Ducato

Parma, Italy

Beginning in 2007, Ducato Microbrewery is today’s most awarded Italian brewery. It is located in Roncole Verdi, a small village in Parma County, birth place of world’s renowned composer Giuseppe Verdi and also home land of prestigious food such as Parma ham (Prosciutto) and fizzy wines such as Lambrusco and Malvasia. A land portraying a history of daily sacrifices and great passion.

Today Ducato keeps growing by launching a new craft beer line named BIA. This is a high quality beer (unfiltered and unpasteurized) targeting large distribution and featuring its own web site and on-line “viral” advertisement. On the other hand, the investigation on beer aging moves on, targeting both the experts and the connoisseurs of this style worldwide. In light of its success, Ducato Microbrewery has recently expanded by acquiring a brand new facility to increase production and enter the international market.

Also available fron Del Ducato

La Luna Rossa

A blend of different beers, some of which are barrel aged up to 2 years with morel and amarena cherries. Intense amber with ruby highlights, the nose is extraordinarily complex with fruity aromas of morel and amarena cherry perfectly blending with subtle ethereal notes, acetic and lactic flavors and hints of oxidized malts. It has a sapid, full mouthed lasting palate with a magnificently elevating sour finish. A beer for strong emotions, it is an homage to all lovers beyond time and space.

Tags: beer cask beer real ale thornbridge brewery harvestbeerclub harvest wine & spirits west hartford connecticut craft beer b.united barrel express local ct hartford free beer

Harvest Saturday Beer Tasting w/ Peak Brewing

We’re Tasting w/ Peak Organic of Maine from 5:30pm Saturday February 16th

@842 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119

Peak is a craft brewing company, dedicated to making delicious beer using local, artisan and organic ingredients.
With roots in home brewing back in the 90s, brewer Jon Cadoux set about combining his love for beer with an ethic for sustainability. Whenever possible, he would go out and find ingredients from local organic farmers for his homebrews. It was a defining day when Jon discovered that you don’t need to sacrifice flavor for sustainability, but that better ingredients actually made the beer more delicious.

simcoe^® spring ale

We love the piney, fruity flavors of Simcoe^® hops. This is a classic pale ale, single-hopped and dry-hopped with Simcoe. We cold condition this beer and give it a restrained malt profile, so the hops really pop, like flora in spring. Our friends Patrick, Jason and Brad grow these luscious hops and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

ABV: 5.4% IBUs: 66

Suggested food pairings: Risotto, Fish Tacos, Lamb, Salmon

IPA

This unique India Pale Ale features our favorite hops—Simcoe^®, Amarillo^® and Nugget. A generous Amarillo and Simcoe dry hop provide for an assertive, hop-forward nose and front palate. We don’t use traditional bittering hops in our IPA, providing nothing but stimulating citrus and floral characteristics.

Inspired by a recipe from our good friend and fellow homebrewer Tim from the North Shore Homebrewers Club.

ABV: 7.2% IBUs: 76

Suggested Food Pairings: Spicy foods, pesto, smoked meats, mild cheddar or mild blue cheese, gorgonzola

hop noir

Hop Noir is a delectable Black IPA, dripping with piney, aromatic Centennial hops. The malt base is dark and rich, anchored by organic black malt. This provides a strong foundation for the extravagant kettle hopping and dry-hopping that this beer experiences. Enjoy with a night-light.

ABV: 8.2% IBUs: 98

Suggested Food Pairings: Brie, grilled vegetables, lamb shank, pungent cheeses

oak aged mocha stout

This is an extravagant, immoderate beer. We mixed together our three favorite things – beer, chocolate, and coffee. A rich stout serves as a backbone, with organic black malt and chocolate malt providing a luscious foundation. During the boil, we add artisan chocolate from your friends at Taza. During conditioning, we add coffee from our friends at Coffee by Design. Then, this concoction is oak-aged, resulting in soft vanilla notes. We hope you enjoy this beer as much as we do.

ABV: 8.4 % IBUs: 22

Suggested Food Pairings: Delectable Deserts, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, and Salted Pretzels

(via Amazon.com: Beer Saver Reusable Silicone Bottle Caps - Set of 6: Kitchen & Dining)

GRAB A SIX OR SINGLE AT HARVEST NOW!(via America’s First Craft Beer Makes a Comeback [PICS] New Albion Bottles – Beer Street Journal)

Austin from Thomas Hooker sampling Chocolate Truffle Vanilla Coffee Bean Stout at Harvests’ First Cask event of 2013… Looking forward to February when Olde Burnside Brewing will be bringing in a very special cask of a favorite of ours… Penny Weiz with a special twist for the Harvest faithful!

Tags: cask harvestbeer Hartford West Hartford beer beer tasting local beer craft beer thomas hooker

(via ThinkGeek :: Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bottle Opener)

Stift Engelszell: the new Trappist brewery » Beer Travel | DRAFT Magazine

The world’s eighth Trappist brewery serves beer in Von Trapp style.

By Evan Rail

Fans of monastic beers had to get a start on their travel plans upon hearing about the arrival of the world’s eighth Trappist brewery, Stift Engelszell, which opened this past summer. Located in a remote corner of Upper Austria, Stift Engelszell lies halfway across Europe—a good 500 miles—from the traditional Trappist homelands of Belgium and Holland, in a scenic valley straight out of “The Sound of Music.” With an annual production scheduled for just 2,000 hectoliters (about 1,680 barrels), Stift Engelszell is easily the smallest Trappist brand, cranking out less than half of what Achel brews, and just a tiny fraction of what is produced by giants like La Trappe and Chimay. A few tips for your trip:

How to Get There: The nearest big city is Passau, a cool university town about 18 miles up the Danube (and across an irrelevant, now completely unused border) in Germany. Rent bikes in Passau and cycle to the monastery’s village of Engelhartszell: The well-paved bike trail follows the river through breathtaking scenery of soaring hills and swooping valleys, though the easy-to-pedal trail itself runs flat. And from late April through early October, daily passenger ferry boats make the journey on the water.

What to Expect: A beautiful setting, meditative calm and the air of long-established spiritual practice—but no pub or café, at least not at the abbey itself. (Bars and restaurants in town stock other local beers, but the monastery production has been too small to regularly supply anyone else.) To sample the wares, your best option is picking up some bottles and a block of cheese at the monastery’s own shop, then picnicking on the riverbank. What to Drink: To slake your thirst, try Benno, the monastery’s hoppy, saison-style golden ale, about 7% ABV. Fans of strong dark ales should try Gregorius, whose pronounced Dutch cocoa flavors belie its 9.7% ABV. Both are made with local hops and an addition of local honey (though neither is meant to be a “honey beer,” per se). Gregorius has been pouring in the United States since late last year; Benno arrives shortly.

What to See: Originally built in 1293, the abbey is home to amazing architecture, most of which arrived courtesy of a Baroque-era rebuild. Art geeks can gawk at the main chapel’s massive ceiling fresco, a vintage-1957, Cubist-style depiction of the nine choruses of angels by the Austrian modernist Fritz Fröhlich, which makes a marked contrast to the circa-1760 statues of angels and the main altar’s Gothic-era crucifix, which dates from 1147. If you stop for a snack at the Klosterkrämerei café across from the church, you might even get to chat with one of the monks over a beer.

(Published January/February 2013 From Draft Magazine)

There Will Be Bourbon: Black Pepper and Bourbon Caramel Chews

therewillbebourbon:

We love candy almost as much as we love bourbon, so when we saw this recipe at Mercury News to make candy with our favorite spirit, we knew it was only a matter of time before we made some. The timing is perfect, as a bundle of these makes a wonderful small holiday gift.

Black Pepper…

Reblogged from There Will Be Bourbon

Tags: mmmmmfood nom bourbon dessert

Join us for a special “Diesel Release Party” Harvest Beer Tasting with Sixpoint Craft Ales and Connecticut Sixpoint Ambassador Adam Lang…

We’re Tasting from 5:30pm Tonight Friday December 14th, 2012

@842 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119

Since 2004, Sixpoint has made hundreds of different beers, and there is no plan to stop this proliferation of styles. (Awesome!!!)

Tags: beer beer tasting sixpoint West Hartford harvestbeer harvestbeerclub harvest wine & spirits

Great ‘Nog Recipe from your friends at The Ministry of Alcohol…

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pint whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces bourbon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites*

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.
Cook’s Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.

(via Holiday Eggnog Cocktail Recipe | Ministry of Alcohol)

If Your Voting... Harvest is the Place! Best Beer & Wine Selection... you know you wanna!

Best Of Hartford Magazine 2013 Readers Poll

December Tastings’ at Harvest…

Holiday Tasting Line-Up @ Harvest this Month…

Friday 12/7- Michael David Winery

Saturday 12/8- Clown Shoes Brewing

Thursday 12/13- Wines of Tribeca Grille: Bacchus & Jean Marie by David Gordon

Friday 12/14- Sixpoint Brewing

Saturday 12/15- T.B.A

Friday 12/21- Hooker Cask Event

Tags: tasting Wine Tasting beer tasting West Hartford

Celebrate Repeal Day!

We celebrate Repeal Day because December 5th marks a return to the rich traditions of craft fermentation and distillation, the legitimacy of the American bartender as a contributor to the culinary arts, and the responsible enjoyment of alcohol as a sacred social custom. (via http://www.repealday.org)

Tags: holiday

CONNetic’s 2nd Annual Artful Wine Fundraiser: Legendary…Cool…Esoteric

A wonderful evening of art supporting art. CONNetic Dance is having their annual fundraiser party at Art@StudioN111 at 75 Pratt Street. There will be a silent auction filled with beautiful art from prominent local acclaimed artists, wine provided by Harvest Fine Wine of West Hartford, the unveiling of the special Suite&Spicy chocolate created by Aruna Chocolates, and light food. You can meet the dancers and help us kick off our traditional holiday season performance of The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy! Tickets for the tasting are $40 per person and may be purchased in advanced or at the door. Come to the fundraiser and support the cast! #860-251-9194

(Mark your calendars! And to donate art supporting art for the auction contact wmjp1961@me.com.)

Artful Tasting Presented By…

Harvest Wine & Spirits is a little wine shop with a big heart! Located at 842 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut, Harvest is a relaxed, laid back space where we go to buy wine, shop the best selection of beer in Connecticut’s capital city and get our swerve on… always a great tasting going on, some great artists being featured and boss tunes playing…

For the 2nd Annual Artful Tasting the Harvest Team will be presenting an eclectic and exciting tasting menu featuring…

Beer By B.United…

D‘UVA BEER - A beer made with grapes? - Say what?

Valter Loverier strives to make beers that are special while pushing the boundaries of “extreme” beers but are still perfectly balanced all while using only locally sourced ingredients. His beers can surprise even the most curious palate.

OLD ENGINE OIL ENGINEER’S
RESERVE

Intensely flavored but ridiculously smooth, this is our fabulous Old Engine Oil brewed up to 9% ABV. Originally created as the base of our award-winning Ola Dubh, our master-brewer enjoyed it so much he felt it deserved its own release.

SCHLENKERLA OAK SMOKE

In the middle of the old part of Bamberg, directly underneath the cathedral is the Schlenkerla Brewery and Tavern. It was first mentioned in 1405, and now ran by the Trum family in the 6th generation. It is the origin of the Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer, a Bamberg Specialty.

+A Few Surprises… And Limited Bottles We will Open for Sampling…

Wine Featuring Winebow Select…

Bottex Bugey Cerdon
“Ever so slightly sweet, it makes a delightful party wine… Vin du Bugey-Cerdon is an unusual non-vintage sparkling red wine from the Savoie in eastern France. A blend of 80% Gamay with 20% Poulsard (a local grape), Patrick Bottex’s ‘La Cueille’ is a deep rose in color with a lovely taste of wild strawberries. Ever so slightly sweet, it makes a delightful aperitif, or party wine. And with just 8% alcohol in it, you can feel free to open a bottle for an afternoon dessert fest. Perfect for garden parties. Pair it with strawberry shortcake, cookies and even soft, ripe cheeses.”
-L.A. Times

Terranoble Classic Sauvignon Blanc
“Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc harvested in March from various vineyards in the Central Valley. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks for two months prior to release from the winery.
This Sauvignon Blanc , offers you a wine with an attractive yellow color with greenish tones. It has intense aromas of tropical fruits, especially pineapple. It is a very fresh wine, dry and equilibrated. It has a good structure and a nice natural acidity which has a long permanence in the mouth. Ideal as an aperitif, with seafood and fish.”

The Rhone Gang Le Hold Up
“The Rhône Gangsters made an unpredictable but successful « hold-up » : they robbed delicious Pinot Noir and Grenache, and reinvented one of the coolest blends ever. Hold-up is a hedonistic wine, fresh and mineral, intense in the mouth, offering sexy notes of red fruits and Kirsch.”

Castano Monastrell “Bodegas Castano’s unoaked 2010 Monastrell (100%) is a glass-coating opaque purple color. Asian spices, incense, black fruits and chocolate compose the nose of this juicy, fruity, plush offering. Lengthy on the palate and well-balanced, this outstanding value will provide enjoyment for another 3-4 years.”

Tortoise Creek “Cherokee Lane” Cabernet Sauvignon
“Cherokee Lane” Cabernet Sauvignon is loaded with aromas and flavors of red and black cherries supported by vanilla and cedar nuances. It is beautifully balanced with both fruit and tannins. An ideal pairing with grilled meats, sausages or stews.

Mixology & Booze Featuring Dave Rudman & Sailor Jerry…

Old-fashioned punches have made a comeback on the bar scene, and rightfully so. Punch fell out of style in the United States decades ago as a result of a confluence of factors. The temperance movement was growing. Advances in the distillation and aging of liquors meant they didn’t need heavy manipulation to be enjoyed. And, perhaps most destructive of all, people started acting like they were too busy to enjoy a punch.You can put all those college memories of technicolor swill mixed in plastic tubs behind you. Punch is a history-steeped; festive family of drinks sipped by everyone from Jonathan Swift to Charles Dickens to Jane Austen to George Washington.

Tags: tasting connecticut Wine Tasting beer tasting bartending booze mixology Connetic Dance West Hartford Hartford Ballet harvest wine & spirits

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The Wine, The Beer & The Ugly

28th February 2013

Spiritual Leader-Shaped Pear

18th February 2013

Harvest’s February Cask Tasting

15th February 2013