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Shelton Brothers 2006 Winter Beers
The best beers...imported by hand.
What exactly does that mean, and how do they do it?
The best beers are brewed with a sense of place, a distinctive house character, and an appreciation for tradition, value, and/or the natural art of beer-making. Most often, this is expressed in breweries producing less than 5,000hl per year, though some brilliant exceptions exist, especially in Germany.
Beer should have depth, texture, and nuance – it should sometimes even be a little rough around the edges. There are a few (very few) exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking, that means the following about a brewery’s beers:
• Brewed in small batches using traditional methods
• Unsweetened
• Unpasteurized
• Unfiltered / Bottle-conditioned
• Little to no use of spices or adjuncts
• Slow-fermented
• Distinctive house yeast or yeasts
• Dry as opposed to sweet
There’s no miracle to importing good beer – just hard work and a lot of travel. Shelton Brothers specifically seek out unmanipulated beer, generally looking to small breweries with craftsmen taking seriously their passion for a natural, traditionally-made product.
Shelton Brothers is the only beer importer with these specific criteria for hand-selecting what they offer to their customers. They’ve turned down offers from large European breweries, and they’ll continue doing it. They’re only interested in bringing you the very best.
Seriously Bad Elf:
Country of Origin: England
Brewery: Ridgeway
Beer Style: English Ale/Bitter, Tripel, Winter/Holiday Beer
Alcohol By Volume: 9.0%
Format: 500 ml bottles
Around since November 2005, another masterpiece from Peter Scholey at Ridgeway Brewing. Seriously Bad Elf is Peters's very English interpretation of a Belgian Tripel, brewed to warming 9% alcohol, especially for his rapidly-growing American following.
Seriously, you don't want to miss this beer
Very Bad Elf:
Country of Origin: England
Brewery: Ridgeway
Beer Style: English Ale/Bitter, Winter/Holiday Beer
Alcohol By Volume: 7.5%
Format: 500 ml bottles
It seems like every year these Elves just get worse and worse . . . This Very Bad Elf is stronger and darker than its predecessor. Anyone out there remember Brakspear’s Vintage Henley? That was one very special brew. This is Vintage Henley cranked up to 7.5%, for the sole purpose of making your holiday bright.
Based on an original recipe from 1795, Very Bad Elf has nutty and sweet-roasted flavors attributable to its use of an ancient pale malt, uniquely recreated for this delightful ale. A rare variety of Fuggles hops dating to the mid-1800’s gives the beer a soft, rounded bitterness and uncanny drinkability.
Criminally Bad Elf :
Country of Origin: England
Brewery: Ridgeway
Beer Style: Barley Wine
Alcohol By Volume: 10.5%
Format: 500 ml bottles, 23 liter kegs
No additional information provided for this product at this time.
Warm Welcome:
Country of Origin: England
Brewery: Ridgeway
Beer Style: Brown Ale, Winter/Holiday Beer
Alcohol By Volume: 6.0%
Format: 500 ml bottles
Peter got to work brewing the beer, which is of course a classic Brown ale with, er, more balls. It’s 6% by volume, a little hoppier than your average Brown, and with a little extra malty sweetness. A Nut Browned worthy of the holidays, for sure. Keep an eye out for a little earthy funkiness in the beer, the result of special multi-strained yeast.
Santa's Butt:
Country of Origin: England
Brewery: Ridgeway
Beer Style: Porter, Winter/Holiday Beer
Alcohol By Volume: 6.0%
Format: 500 ml bottles, 50L kegs, traditional casks
They said it couldn’t be done, but they did it: Santa’s Butt, the beer, coming to a theater near you for the holidays. It’s a splendid, satisfying Winter Porter at 6% -- a souped-up version of the classic Entire Butt Porter that you’ve enjoyed in the past. Everyone wants a piece of Santa’s Butt.
This special porter is made for winter -- rich and warming, the way they like it in the North Pole. It was inspired by this famous line from a well-loved children’s story book:
Hop Back Pickled Santa:
Country of Origin: England
Brewery: Hop Back Brewery
Beer Style: Winter Warmer
Alcohol By Volume: 6.0%
Format: 12 x 500 ml bottles
No additional information provided at this time for this product due to limitations put on the name of the beer. Apparently it isn’t appropriate to have to term “pickled” on the front of a beer label for some unknown reason. It seems as though some people believe this to be the state that the beer is going to leave you in when you are done with it. This may be the case, it may not be, why not run with it?
Lump of Coal:
Country of Origin: England
Brewery: Ridgeway
Beer Style: Stout, Winter/Holiday Beer
Alcohol By Volume: 8.0%
Format: 500 ml bottles, 50L kegs
Looking forward to a depressing holiday? Here is liquid consolation. This 8% bittersweet chocolate stout is the best you could hope for in these dark times. Actually, come to think of it, considering how bad you’ve been, this little coal-black gem is more than you deserve for Christmas this year.
The handiwork of vastly talented (but altogether too cheery) master brewer Peter Scholey, Lump of Coal is the perfect stocking stuffer for the beer lover or manic depressive in your family.
Christoffel Blond:
Country of Origin: Netherlands
Brewery: Christoffel
Beer Style: Pilsener, Specialty Lager
Alcohol By Volume: 6.0%
Format: 330 ml flip-top bottles
Christoffel Blond is a robust, hoppy "Pilsner," that, according to famed beer writer Tim Webb, "has been for many years the best in Benelux."
A fruity aroma and a fresh taste with a pleasant, hoppy finish -- it is dry-hopped -- set Christoffel Blond apart from the normal bland Dutch beers you've probably tried before.
Christoffel Blond is available in loose 330 ml flip-top bottles, and as part of a special gift pack that also includes a bottle of Christoffel Robertus, a Christoffel glass, and two coasters
Christoffel Robertus:
Country of Origin: Netherlands
Brewery: Christoffel
Beer Style: Specialty Lager
Alcohol By Volume: 6.0%
Format: 330 ml flip-top bottles
Robertus is a bottom-fermented, ruby-red beer, brewed, very roughly, in the Münchener dunkel-style. It is a malty, fresh beer with a light sweetness.
Beer writer Tim Webb gives the Robertus Four Stars and says it is the best of its style in all of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Christoffel Robertus is currently available in 330 ml flip-top bottles and as part of a special gift pack that also includes a bottle of Christoffel Blond, a Christoffel glass, and two coasters.
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