Attention chocolate lovers! Did you enjoy the Ommegang Double? Well, hold onto your hats: the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is here! Collaborating with Swiss chocolatier Felchlin, Samuel Adams has selected roasted malts, Bavarian Noble hops and has used the brewing process known as Krausening to carefully age the beer on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs harvested in the rain forests of Bolivia. Just in time for that special Valentine: $15.99/25.4oz. In stock now, but not for long, so don’t delay…

Prost!

From the beer cellar this week, I am featuring three new brews from Midnight Sun, one of Alaska’s best breweries.

The Coho Imperial IPA is malty, with loads of hoppy bitterness at 85 percent IBU’s and packs a punch at 8.5 percent ABV. The malt and hops are layered with an addition of juniper berries resulting in a complex interplay of flavors. $8.99/22oz.

Panty Peeler is a lanky, Belgian-style golden ale with 15 percent IBU’s, the flavor coming mainly from Curacao orange peel and coriander. This is also a big boy at 8.5 percent ABV. Beautiful golden-amber color. $7.99/22oz.

Rounding out this trio is the Obliteration Double Wheat, featuring citrus, spice and pine notes and finishing with a strong hoppy kick. 70 percent IBU’s and 7.8 percent ABV, not your everyday Light. $11.99/22oz.

Taste them all on Saturday, January 10 at the Willamette store.

I’d like to take just a moment to thank you for making 2008 a wonderful year for my staff and me! Without your participation, the “Revolution” would not be possible.

Despite the mergers and acquisitions, the strong-arm, sucker-punch tactics of the big distributors and the archaic alcohol regulations that favor distributors over consumers, we’re still bringing you the best the world of wine and beer has to offer.

Isn’t it about time for the Legislature to jettison the COD alcohol regulations, the beer franchises, and end the monopolistic practices of the spirit, wine, and beer distributors?

I ask you: How are COD payments and beer franchises different from the protection rackets run by the mobs during Prohibition? The racketeers have essentially been made legitimate with the consent of your legislators.

The slippery slope to monopoly is being greased by the beer and wine lobby. In 2008, the beer and wine lobby was essentially funded by two huge distributors, who subsequently merged.

Does anyone really believe that concentrating all the beer and wine producers in one giant company is beneficial, except for the CEO’s of that company and the beer lackeys who have no choice?

Kudos to all those brewers who saw the light and used the recent expiration of the franchises to make changes! The three-tier system of alcohol distribution is out of date. Time for a change!

Beer Heaven, Now in Stock:
• Orval Trappist Ale, Classic Belgian Pale Ale: lightly hoppy with some sour notes of Brettomyces, then orange peal and coriander. $5.99/11.2oz.

• Silver Moon: my favorite Bend brewery (thank you for not being in denial about Megazilla’s boot strings!) is in stock now. The Badlands ESB is a classic-session ale: lightly bitter up front, smooth mid-palate with a crisp sharpness at the end. $3.79/22oz.

• Classic Barleywine-style ale from Dog Fish Head: Pennsylvania’s premier brewery, the Olde School is in session. At 15 percent ABV, this is nothing to sneer at. Brewed with figs and dates for a uniquely dense and absorbing mouthfeel. $3.99/12oz. Don’t miss the class bell.

Scope out my ever-changing selection of fine beers and wines. The proof’s in the pudding: no supermarket in the southern Willamette Valley touches us. Buy your beer-flavored water and rice beverages at the big boxes, but when you want the real thing, come see me. You won’t be disappointed.

Weekly Tastings:
• Friday, Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. – Maipe Bonarda 2008
• Saturday, Jan. 3 at 5 pm – Eel River Beer with Martin Gredvig
• Sunday, Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. – Selbach 2007 Riesling

Case discounts of 15 percent off on unmixed cases of wine, and 10 percent off on mixed cases.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a big THANK YOU for your support in 2008. Keep the “Revolution” going – buy eclectic, trust your palate, take chances!
Cheers!

Brew News: Not snowed in yet, but we’re getting close! More reason to stow some choice bottles of winter beer while the stowing is good.

Just In: Stumptown’s New/Old Lompoc C-Note IPA and Special Draft. 22oz bottles $3.99 plus deposit. There will be a tasting Saturday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m.

Arrived today: More Brown Shugga. New winter seasonal brews also arriving include Lost Coast Winterbraun.

On Saturday, Dec. 27 at 5 p.m. Martin Gredvig from Eel River will be here to pur Triple Exultation and Ravenseye Stout!

Eugene’s offers an eclectic and wide selection of fine wines and beers. Why fool around with ho-hum distributor-driven, boring thumb-in-the-side-of-the-cheek wine and beer sections at the big boxes? You may need a flashlight in our wine and beer cave, but, hey, nothing good’s easy! And besides, you can chat with me and my staff and make us look for it! What could be better?

Cheers!