Sun King cans now available at City-Wide Liquors

Heard some great news last night via a Facebook update from City-Wide Liquors (with locations in and around South Bend) about having cans of Sun King beer in stock. At this time, this is exclusive to City-Wide locations, since they are the only liquor store operation to send a truck down to Indianapolis to pick up enough of it. Cheers to them for going the extra mile (actually 284, round trip) for their customers!

The cans available are Wee Mac (Scottish Ale), Sunlight (Cream Ale) and Osiris (Pale Ale).

More Beer at Citywide on Jefferson Ave! (South Bend)

Afraid of commitment? We are too... and now you won't have to commit to a 4-pack or Sixer, you can peruse over 120 different singles at Citywide on Jefferson Ave. with the recent reorganization that they did to their beer cooler..

22oz Selection

Typically when I wanted to search through singles quickly, I would check out the Belmont on South Bend Avenue, but Citywide just upped the ante with their reorganization. Now, not only is their selection better than anywhere else in the area, but the beer is also rotated through faster (Fresher) and kept in the cooler.

12oz singles

In the interest of full disclosure, this is something they always did to a point. If there was a beer in the cooler that you only wanted a bottle or two of, they've always been accommodating about piecing them out.

So the next time you are looking for singles, stop downtown and try a few before making a commitment!

'11 Founders Breakfast Stout available in South Bend

If you enjoy Founders Breakfast Stout (Imperial Stout, 8.3%) as much as I do, you'll be pleased to hear it's available in the South Bend area now. This isn't a super rare beer, although it is seasonal. I recommend picking up two 4-packs or more (roughly $10 each) and drink half now, then age the rest. As a source of inspiration for this post, I decided to enjoy a bottle from '08.

A description of the beer from the Founders website...

"The coffee lover's consummate beer. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and imported chocolates, and Sumatra and Kona coffee, this stout has an intense fresh roasted java nose topped with a frothy, cinnamon-colored head that goes forever."

This is one of the beers that was the catalyst for my love affair with stouts.

Check out Citywide on Jefferson Ave in South Bend; they received about 5 cases.

Citywide Beer Tasting (South Bend, IN)

If you are in the South Bend area tonight and want to drink some beer, stop by Citywide Liquors on Jefferson Ave from 5-8. Below is the information I received on this...

"Beer tasting ten different New Holland beers, five different New Holland spirits, Five beers from Figure Ei8ght from Valparaiso and the whole St. Bernardus line up. Free and open to the public!"

Beer finds around Michiana

So I was out running errands on Saturday and decided to stop by Belmont on South Bend Avenue, and Citywide on Jefferson Avenue. Cutting on the chance, here is what I found...

Belmont (South Bend Avenue)
- At least 1 4-pack of Founders Devil Dancer
- 2 bottles of Founders Blushing Monk
- A large lineup of 3 Floyds bombers
- Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree
- Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster

Citywide (Jefferson Avenue)
- Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti
- Great Divide Belgian Yeti
- Great Lakes Doppelrock (It's outside it's date by a month, but they've lowered the price to $4.99, a great deal)
- Still a few 3 Floyds Blackheart, APW, etc
- Left Hand Wake Up Dead
- Tons of delicious Caldera IPA, Amber and Pale
- 3 year vertical of Stone Imperial Russian Stout
- Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster

That's just a sample of what I found, feel free to share what you've come across as well!

Founders Blushing Monk available in the South Bend area!

Blushing Monk (9.2% "Belgian Style Ale fermented with pure raspberries") has hit the South Bend area in VERY limited quantities, with most stores getting a case of the 750ml bottles. Blushing Monk was once bottled, but retired quite some time ago, and recently resurrected for a one-time release as part of their "Backstage Series."

Here's a list of places in the area that I know do, or do not, have this in stock.

Citywide (Jefferson Rd, South Bend) - The entire case has been allocated.

Citywide (Grape Rd, Mishawaka) - Should have some bottles available, received 1 case.

Belmont (South Bend Ave, South Bend) - Did not/will not receive any.

Belmont (933/Dixie Way, South Bend) - Did not/will not receive any.

Chalet Party Shoppe (Nappanee, CR17 & Cass in Elkhart) - None of these locations have it in stock, the CR17 location hopes to get a case today, but aren't sure if they will receive any.

If you want this limited edition brew, get it while you can, because if it's available by Friday (or even tomorrow), I would be very surprised.

***Update on the Blushing Monk at Belmont, I mistakenly mentioned that they received a case. This was based on bad information I was given, and they in fact did not receive any Blushing Monk.

3 Floyds Blackheart available in South Bend

I recently picked up this little number in South Bend, and is available at Belmont on South Bend Ave, and Citywide on Grape. Blackheart (9% abv) is an English style IPA, brewed with all traditional English ingredients and aged on toasted oak. Get it while you still can!

Citywide Liquors Craft Beer Tasting!

I completely forgot to mention that there is a craft beer tasting at Citywide Liquors tonight from 5-7. Here is a copy/paste job from a facebook note I saw reminding me of the event. I can't make it, but you should!

"Big beer tasting tonight at Citywide featuring three different distributors. We will be tasting all the Great Lakes products, Sam Adams Longshot, Sam Adams latitude deconstructed and many different styles of Belgians. Starts at 5 and goes til around 7. Bring your ID and a fresh palette!"

In Search of Beer: Citywide Liquors

One of my favorite things to do when I'm not spending time with my wife, kids, and friends, is to go down to the finest purveyor of great craft beer in South Bend, Citywide Liquors. 

That first sentence makes it sounds like they are paying me to write about them on my blog, but unfortunately they are not.  I won't tell you the real number of trips I take to this store, but let's just say it's at least a few times every month.  Each visit surprises me with a new beer or a new brewer that I haven't had the opportunity to try.  Sure they have all the staples like Budweiser, Coors, and Keystone, but you don't read this blog for information on those.  Their fully stocked displays contain some of my absolute favorite brewers, from Dogfish Head and Brooklyn in the East, 3 Floyds, Dark Horse and Bell's in our area, Sierra Nevada and Stone on the west coast, and everything in between.

The rest of the iceberg from which their display is just the tip is the cooler and the variety contained within.  Didn't know about this?  Why would you?  Most stores show you as many of their products as possible, but this is where Citywide differs from those places...  they cater to the craft beer enthusiast.  Every time I'm in their store, I make a quick scan of the initial display, looking for something obviously new, but within a short time, I'm in the cooler.  Cases upon cases upon cases of beer are stacked in there, knowing that people like me will buy it before it even has a chance to touch the display.  Next time you are in this shop, ask someone up front if you can see the cooler, it's even more impressive in person.

Although their other locations are fine, when you go to this store you're getting a vast selection of craft beer and more often than not, informative conversation with some fellow beer enthusiasts.  Not sure what you have a taste for?  Pick and choose from their wide assortment of single bottles without having to commit to an entire six pack. 

Stop by sometime and pickup something good!

Beer Tasting Event at Citywide Liquors

I spoke with one of the guys that works at the Citywide Liquors downtown South Bend and was informed that there would be a beer tasting coming up, featuring Goose Island and some others.  Although the date is not set in stone, tentatively this is scheduled for 3/24. 

Look for more information to follow in the next week or two...