This beer was released at the brewery on St. Paddy’s day and immediately sold out.  The Half Pints blog explains how Black Galaxy made its way to Alberta:

We will be shipping cases of this beer to Alberta, cause we figure we owed it to our friend Kyle from Lethbridge who drove all the way to Winnipeg a couple weeks back only to find we hadn’t bottled the beer yet.  However, he did get to taste the beer from the tank before I did!  Look for it popping into the AGLC system and then the stores a couple of weeks or so after St. Paddy’s Day.

Thanks Kyle!

Half Pints Black Galaxy

Be warned that this does not taste like sweet iced tea.  It is mainly beer with a hint of tea.  In the Toronto Sun, Jordan St. John had this to say:

Understand this: as a beer critic, I really want to hate Coors Light Iced T. It would be fun to savage the thing on principle, because it’s not a beer so much as it is a beverage. It’s pretty much designed to appeal to people who don’t like beer, and that’s not something that I can pretend to like.

On the other hand, I have to admit that as a beverage, it’s refreshing and I can certainly see the appeal of drinking one if it were really hot out and you were playing golf or trying to cool down in the shade on a summer day. It is thirst quenching, and if that’s what you need at the time, it will do the job admirably. It is better than it has any right to be.

Coors Light Iced T

Bakon Vodka ($37.95) is distilled in Idaho from potatoes and infused with the flavour of bacon.  Mmmmmm, bacon.  It’s supposed to make a great Bloody Mary (a Caesar with tomato juice instead of Clamato) and at bakonvodka.com there are many other recipes to try. 

As my friend Lindsey says, “Everything tastes better with bacon!”  BLT Martini, anyone?

Bacon-flavoured Vodka

In order to write something about this little number, I decided to do an impromptu staff tasting.  Okay, there were only three of us and it was before noon, but we all really liked it!  I could really smell butterscotch, but the maple flavour came through when I tasted it.  And at 40% alcohol, I was amazed that it didn’t burn on the way down.

This would be great on the rocks, or maybe with a bit of ginger ale, but I think it would be too sweet with cola.  Maybe, maybe not.  The Cabin Fever website has some interesting recipes to try and some of them sound delicious!

For a detailed review of Cabin Fever, check out the Whiskey Nose site.

Cabin Fever Maple Flavored Whisky

Some things have definitely changed over the years.  Here we are in Blairmore, with computers doing most of the work at the till!  But some things have remained the same.  It’s been busy as all get-out this Christmas too, but I hope we’re still able to add a personal touch to the products and services we provide.

A&B was built on a foundation of family and friends, and after 18 years, those building blocks remain the same.  Merry Christmas to you and yours, from the A&B Family!

The Pass Herald - January 11, 1994

• The Steam Whistle gift pack ($27.95) includes a Steam Whistle Retro Style Bottle Opener (very cool!) and two bottles of Steam Whistle Pilsner.  We had this a couple of years ago and sold out right away, so get ‘em while you can!

Steam Whistle Gift Pack

•  The Canadian Whisky Skate ($44.95) is simply a bottle shaped like a skate, filled with Canadian whisky.  Very Canadian, eh!
• Update: This was a limited edition and is now sold out.  Look for a soccer shoe filled with blended Scotch whisky, coming later in 2012.
  

  Canadian Whisky Skate

• The Glenfiddich Gift Pack of three 200ml bottles is so elegant, I’m tempted to start drinking Scotch.  It includes a bottle each of the 12-year, 15-year and 18-year Glenfiddich.

Glenfiddich Gift Pack

•  Beer lovers rejoice – the Innis & Gunn Gift Pack is back!  This year it includes a beautiful glass and three bottles: Innis & Gunn Original, Winter Beer 2011 and Spiced Rum Finish.
  

  Innis & Gunn Gift Pack

 Ho ho ho!

It’s called Whipped Lightning and we have it in three flavours: Spiced Vanilla, German Chocolate and Amaretto ($16.95).  Apparently it’s not for the faint of heart though – I’ve read many reviews that say you can most definitely taste the alcohol.

 According to the Whipped Lightning website, you should try it on “shooters, cocktails, martinis, coffees, or frozen beverages… as well as your favorite desserts.”  I’m thinking waffles with Whipped Lightning would be a great way to start the day!

Spiced Vanilla Whipped Lightning

The white skull is Kah Blanco and we have two sizes: 750ml ($62.95) and 50ml ($12.95).  The yellow skull is Kah Reposado ($68.95) and the black skull is Kah Anejo ($74.95).  Not only are the bottles incredible, the tequila inside is getting really good reviews.  An Editor Review on Tequila.net gave the Reposado 92 points and had this to say:

One of two 110 proof Tequilas that we’ve tried, Kah Tequila has great aromas, full of character, and is surprisingly easy to sip. These higher proof rested / aged Tequilas are a welcomed addition to the industry. Palates that are partial to robust flavors and heat will love Kah Reposado.

Kah Day of the Dead Tequila

A couple of things stand out with this spiced rum: the rum itself is oak-aged for four years, with no colour added (most spiced rums are aged much less and then coloured with caramel colour) and they flavoured the rum with real spices.  The back of the bottle reads: “Because we use genuine spices to flavour The Lash, you may occasionally see some spices in the bottle.”  I’m looking at a bottle right now and you can definitely see some spices floating around.

For more information, check out the Ministry of Rum discussion on The Lash, where the creator of the rum banters with other rum enthusiasts.

The Lash Spiced Rum