admin, Author at The Blind Monk Blog Posts

The Strong Beers of Christmas

In the beverage world, nothing says Christmas more than Christmas beer.  Throughout the brewing world, the holidays are a time when breweries release special beers that are brewed just for the season.  Sometimes this means spiced ales, where the beers emulate the spiced loafs and pies that we find on our tables this time of ... Read more

A Wine Lover’s Guide to Sustainability

By Lauren Samson   As the movement to consider the environmental impact of our food system grows, individuals and businesses both have a role in practicing social responsibility. In the wine industry, winemakers are progressively moving towards, or should I say a return to, a more “organic,” “sustainable,” and “biodynamic” style of farming and production. ... Read more

Passport Japan

The craft beer movement has indeed spread to Japan…   By Jason Hunt   As in most countries, it is light, pale lagers which dominate the production and consumption of beer in Japan. Moreover, due to its heavy taxation on beer, even lighter styles of beer-like beverages known as “happoshu” make up a huge part ... Read more

Summer Passport Series: Spain

THE BLIND MONK’S SUMMER PASSPORT SERIES A TASTE OF SPAIN Monday, September 29 2014   RAVENTOS I BLANC L’HEREU, CONCA DEL RIU ANOIA 2011 TASTER $7 | GLASS $12 | BOTTLE $38 The Raventos family has been growing grapes and making Champagne Method sparkling wine in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Penedes since1497. In 1984, the family ... Read more

But first, a Spritz!

“Facciamoci un aperitivo!” (“Let’s have an aperitivo!”) is a phrase commonly heard on the charming streets of Italy. More than just a pre-dinner drink, the aperitivo is a symbolic marker of the end to the day’s stresses and the beginning of the evening meal. Though this tradition began in Northern Italy, an aperitivo is the perfect refreshing antidote for the ... Read more

My Little Sweet

Introducing Capcanes Pansal del Calas By Ben Lubin   I rarely had dessert growing up. Now, however, I have a major sweet tooth; no matter how satisfying my meal, I want something sweet as a final punctuation. It happened gradually. My first memory of really craving dessert was as a young Marine officer candidate going ... Read more

Boulevard of Broken Dreams: A Beer and Movie Pairing Event

Join us on February 22 as we celebrate the movies of Hollywood legends James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and Elvis Presley. Each movie will have a beer themed to pair with it. The evening starts at 6:30 with Bogie’s most famous film Casablanca. Here’s the full lineup: 6:30 Casablanca 8:15 Rebel Without a Cause ... Read more

Cheese News

  This week, we bid farewell to perennial favorites Bonne Bouche, La Tur, and Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert. But do not fret! We also welcomed a few soon to be favorites:   Vermont Creamery’s Cremont   Knock off a few letters and join the words “Cream” and “Vermont” and you get Cremont, the name of ... Read more

Screw It!

By Michael Siegel There are many modern marvels–Iphone5, 3D printing, cars that park themselves, the list goes on and on. Could screw caps for wine bottles be another modern marvel? Often referred to as Stelvin closures, a shortened version of Stelcap-vin (the name used by a French company who began releasing them for use in ... Read more

It’s Our Birthday…and We’re Throwing A Party!

We want to thank all our friends and guests for playing such a big part in our success. Please come celebrate with us this Saturday, August 24.   6pm – Area Sommeliers Compete in Blind Tasting Competition   Festivities kick off with some of our favorite wine professionals from some of our favorite restaurants and ... Read more