P A

9.4

Watch out Napa your friends up north are getting better. — 9 years ago

Sergio Licea

9.2

Gardenias, carnations, honeydew melon, papaya, kiwi, white gummy bears, saline, ocean breeze, jasmine. Highly aromatic, rounded acidity, medium bodied, juicy/slightly oily texture, herbal/slightly bitter finish. A bouquet of flowers in a glass, much like a Muscat. — 9 years ago

Yuriy Roman

9.7

My favorite tequila to mourn the loss of the Bears in overtime. If you like smooth, nicely balanced and fine tequila, this is the right choice. — 9 years ago

Travis Morningstar

9.2

HELL YEAH! Somebody just randomly gifted this to me - along with some Haribo bears! — 10 years ago

Wheat Went

9.0

Perfect with Bears BBQ. Nice Rioja.
— 10 years ago

Stephen Rosemire

10

For all the koala bears... — 11 years ago

Victor Charcan

9.4

Extreme winemaking in the Liebana valley in Asturias (a mountainous region in Atlántico Spain best known for cider. Mineral, atlantic, fresh, plenty of red fruit, cherries and toasted coffee. A great discovery. Local bears also love the grapes. Fine acidity and great length — 12 years ago

Marshall Todd Herron DPM

10

I love Oregon wines! This is a Pinot Meunier! I can drink this all night long! Amalie Robert 2013 Oregon Pinot Meunier! Fantastic!!!! The cork was perfect. The color is cherry red. The legs are thin yet long. The bouquet is cherry pie and roses. The initial palate is cherry, apple, with a hint of spice on the tip of the tongue. The finish is long and dry for such a light wine. I have hints of cranberry, cherry, and gummy bears - the red ones. I literally cant stop drinking this wine. I have almost finished the entire bottle by myself! Good grief! I will definitely go to the web site and order a case!!!!!!!!
perfection...
— 9 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.1

Ridiculous value and one of the best Saint aubin wines I've had to date. This stuff is incredible. Almost premier cru puligny in character. Hell this is better than what a lot of producers pass as their grand cru offerings. It bears a light touch of oak around a core of mandarin orange, tropical fruits and creme brûlée.... Sublime! — 9 years ago

with Lee

garry post

9.4

Very fine Rose. Yum. — 10 years ago

Karina Rowan

9.6

Chocolate covered gummy bears — 10 years ago

Chris A

9.2

Love me some Sancerrre: for me this is the Goldilocks of white wine: not to sweet, not to dry...just right. If she had this with the porridge, the Bears would have approved! — 10 years ago

Eric Shangle

10

Bears Uncorked. Best wine there!!! — 11 years ago

with David, Grégoire and 1 other

Sergio Licea

9.3

Honeydew melon, rhubarb, gardenias, kiwi, almonds, gummy bears, saline, sea shells. Rounded acidity, lean body, mouth coating oily texture, floral slight berry notes on finish. Highly gulpable, excels with delicate scallop preparations. — 9 years ago

Sergio Licea

8.9

Lemon zest, lime pulp, white gummy bears, gardenias. Snapping acidity, oily texture, light bodied, crisp slightly bitter finish. — 9 years ago

Sergio Licea

9.2

Lime pulp, gardenias, wheatgrass, white gummy bears. Great acidity, slight effervescence, oily texture, crisp dry mineral citrus finish. Soft, fairly neutral wine. Pairs wonderfully with green goddess salads, light pastas, and mussels. Organic Blend of 60% Loin de L'Oeil 20% Muscadelle 20% Sauvignon Blanc. — 10 years ago

Travis Morningstar

8.9

Gamay bears.
. — 10 years ago

Deborah Lyman

10

Full bodied, with hints of Syrah. On the pricey side but well worth it. Hard to find. — 10 years ago

David Quammen

9.2

11/8/14 bears den, CO with Shamps — 11 years ago

Joe Carroll

Owner/Wine Director Spuyten Duyvil, Fette Sau, St. Anselm & Gotham Artisanal Provisions

9.5

Jean Van Roy's amazing story of Zwanze 2013. When we started renovation works in the cellars of the brewery two years ago, much to our surprise we came upon the remains of some very old walls. In agreement with the medievalists of the city of Brussels, the works were stopped in order to allow archaeological excavations to take place.

Shortly thereafter we were astonished to find out that Cantillon brewery had in fact been built on the ruins of the very ancient Abbey of Cureghem! According to the medievalists, this religious community was well-known during the middle ages for its fowl fed on draff and, more specifically, for its dish of stuffed Cureghem capon, which was served with a beer brewed at the abbey and apparently drew pilgrims from all over Europe.

Yet it was truly a heavenly surprise when the excavations uncovered the cell of the abbot, Father Faro. In the small room the archaeologists found quite a few old reference books, one of which contained the original recipes for the beers brewed at the abbey several hundred years ago. We didn’t hesitate for a second and decided on the spot to recreate one of these mythical beers.

This beer, which will be our Zwanze for 2013, therefore bears the name of its illustrious place of origin, Abbaye de Cureghem (Cureghem Abbey). Cureghem was formerly a village established many centuries ago on the banks of the Senne, the river running through present-day Brussels. The area was very heavily industrialised during the 19th century and, among other things, became home to many breweries. Today, it is part of the municipality of Anderlecht.

Since beers commonly referred to as “abbey beers” are not, or not any longer, products of spontaneous fermentation, we decided to brew a top fermentation beer, from a technical point of view in any case. The yeasts were selected in collaboration with Institut Meurice, a post-secondary college in Brussels specialising in biotechnology. Brewed in March 2012, our “Cureghem” beer fermented four weeks in stainless steel tanks before being blended with 10% lambic and pumped into 400-litre barrels of various origins. After maturing for six months, the beers were blended and put into casks or bottles to undergo re-fermentation and reach 7.2% ABV (Alcohol by Volume).

Inevitably, a top fermentation beer brewed in a spontaneous fermentation environment will be affected by the wild yeasts in the air, and this is certainly what happened in our case. For our Cureghem, the cultured yeasts were clearly the main factor behind primary fermentation and I think that the wild yeasts in the beer will instead play an increasingly important role as the product ages. However, despite the addition of the lambic to give it a little “extra something” in terms of character and ageing characteristics, this Zwanze cannot in any case be considered a spontaneous fermentation beer.

The long fermentation period coupled with the presence of wild yeasts lends this beer a solid character with a dry finish that lingers on the palate, while the combined use of fresh and aged hops yields both freshness and bitterness. Moreover, the different malts used give this year’s Zwanze a coppery colour along with a touch of caramel and candied fruit that provide body. Clearly, this is not your standard “abbey” beer but, perhaps, it is representative of what these beers were one or two hundred years ago — 12 years ago