Background: The coffee for this beer is made with locally roasted coffee blah blah fair trade blah blah ground to order blah blah "by our friends at the Ugly Mug small batch artisan roastery." Hey, that's cool--I've been there, and they have good coffee. A "breakfast stout", combining an oatmeal stout with cold-brewed coffee.

Appearance: Opaque brown body, beautiful tan head.

Nose: Rich, luscious coffee and a hint of dark chocolate, with sugary vanilla coming through on the high notes.

Taste: Slightly tart lactose sweetness hits first, followed by roasted notes from the coffee and malt. A bit of bittersweet chocolate, some black patent bitterness, and a small amount of bitterness from the hops.

Mouthfeel: Slick and lightly carbonated; sugary sweetness from what I believe is lactose sticks around way longer than it's welcome.

Overall: Love the aroma, don't care for the taste. I think there's a good beer buried underneath the overwhelming sweetness...maybe this has more appeal for people that add sugar to their coffee?

Background: From the St. Julian Wine Company. The base wine is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Vidal; after distillation the brandy was aged for two years in Hungarian oak, two years in neutral French oak, and two years in barrels previously used for St. Julian's Solera Cream Sherry. Bottle #87. 40% ABV.

Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, almond, and nutmeg.

Taste: Solid oak background, some hazelnut presents, light flowery notes and a hint of rubber. Long, dry finish.

Overall: A solid second outing for the distiller(s) at St. Julian. Flavourful and smooth.

Background: This peat-smoked stout is the fourth of five seasonal beers the brewery calls their "Holiday Stout Series".

Appearance: Thick black body with a foamy dark brown head.

Nose: Rich roasted malt, mild smoke, and some lighter toasted notes.

Taste: Wow. Huge malt flavour showing up as espresso and bitter chocolate, some molasses and charcoal, with a goodly amount of smoke showing up in the middle and sticking around well into the finish. To balance the powerful char is a fair amount of sweetness and some light to medium hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Not as heavy as I expected from the pour, but still full-bodied and creamy.

Overall: I like it. A robust, full-flavoured beer perfect for relaxing on a winter evening.

Background: The brewery's flagship ale, an American Amber crafted from "mainly" pale malts.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful amber with a dense off-white head. Very pretty.

Nose: Sweet, toasty malt. Any hop aroma is masked by the malt and a slight amount of esters.

Taste: Medium malt sweetness, some citrusy hops and floral notes. Malt has light toasted accents and a bit of caramel character. Medium hop bitterness to balance the malt.

Mouthfeel: Moderate body, high carbonation. Finish is oily, and the hops stick around.

Overall: Solid, middle-of-the-road example of the style. I don't particularly care for it, but then again it's not a style I particularly care for.

Appearance: Clear chestnut, fluffy tan head.

Nose: Caramel maltiness, light fruity esters.

Taste: Moderate malt sweetness expressed as caramel, light toffee, and toastiness on the high notes. Medium bitterness continues into the dry finish; mild hop character.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, light carbonation.

Overall: Nice. Easy-drinking brown ale.

Background: Sparkling apple cider made at Black Star Farms in Leelanau County, Michigan from a blend of eight different cider apple varieties.

Appearance: Very light gold body, nice perlage.

Nose: Dry acidic apple. Lemon and musky floral notes.

Taste: Tart and acidic with a light sweetness. Clean, crisp apple. Long finish with some Riesling-like diesel character.

Overall: Nice acidity, decent complexity, and a great finish. Highly recommended.

Background: From Dragonmead in Warren, Michigan comes this Belgian-style tripel.

Appearance: Hazy peach body.

Nose: Sweet bread, banana, and bubble gum.

Taste: Light malt, yeast, white pepper, mild phenolic spiciness, with banana and clove esters floating on top. Finish shows a medium-high hop bitterness and a bit of earthiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, effervescent carbonation feels coarse.

Overall: Fairly good, but not top-class. I'd like to see a creamier mouthfeel and a slightly dryer finish.

Background: Golden ale brewed in the Bière de Garde tradition from barley and wheat. Made by the folks at Jolly Pumpkin in Dexter for the Leelanau Brewing Company.

Appearance: Whoa, this one's a gusher. Cracked it open and a torrent of foam inundated the table. Vigorous carbonation in the pour makes it difficult to serve. Pours an extremely hazy lemon yellow with a towering white head.

Nose: Cellar funk and citric fruit.

Taste: Acidic apple and lemon fruit up front, followed by a gentle earthy funkiness and some mild oak influence. The acid is balanced by a mild caramel malt sweetness. Slight hop influence on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Creamy medium-full body, bubbly carbonation.

Overall: Excellent beer, but I can't help but feel that it's quite overcarbonated. Regardless, the complexity and balance are very good.

Background: From Traverse City, Michigan; a sweet fruit wine made from tart Michigan cherries.

Presentation: Clear glass bottle, synthetic cork. Pours a deep red. 11% ABV

Nose: Cherry, funk, and alcohol.

Taste: Sweet cherry, somewhat cloying, some earthy funk, and a bit of tartness in the finish. Hot alcohol.

Overall: Not great. The earthy notes were interesting, but they were the wine's only redeeming quality.

Appearance: Impossible to pour. Excessively foamy white head. Excellent retention, though.

Smell: Subdued piney hops.

Taste: Pale malt, high hops bitterness, floral and pine hop flavour. Some pithy citrus as well.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, highly carbonated; feels heavy.

Drinkability: Not really there. Decent taste profile buried under a muddled mouthfeel.

Appearance: Looks like thick coffee. Minimal head quickly dissipates.

Smell: Fruity and roasty, with vanilla and floral hops.

Taste: Rich coffee character from the roasted malt, medium malt sweetness, mild hop bitterness. Mild fruity esters. Finish is a coffee-like bitterness that coats the roof of your mouth.

Mouthfeel: Rich and creamy, medium-low carbonation. Slight alcohol warming on the finish.

Drinkability: I wouldn't turn it down, but I wouldn't seek it out. One-dimensional and lacking in balance.

Appearance: Slight yeast haze in a light amber liquid. Minimal white head.

Smell: Muted banana, wheat malt, and caramel.

Taste: Sweet wheat malt, clove and banana esters, toasted malt.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, medium body.

Drinkability: Good. Light, but not uninteresting.

Background: Dry white wine, aged in neutral barrels for nine months.

Presentation: Green bottle. Pours a brilliant straw.

Nose: Slightly earthy, slightly diesel-mild fruitiness presents mainly as peach, with some green apple notes.

Taste: Fruity, with refreshing minerality and a bracingly acidic backbone. Fruit as in the nose, with some additional lime citrus character. A hint of loamy earth.

Overall: Refined and balanced. All-around just an excellent wine, and well deserving of its reserve designation. Drinkable now, but has some aging potential.

Background: This sparkler comes to us from the sunny Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan. A non-vintage blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Gris. After fermentation, the wine is blended with older reserve wines before undergoing secondary fermentation in the bottle, and aged en tirage before degorgement. Cuvee 107: en tirage January 2005, degorgement November 2006.

Presentation: Green champagne bottle. Pours a clear, very light straw. 12% ABV.

Nose: Crisp apple aroma with hints of grapefruit.

Taste: Clean and light, with a crisp fresh fruitiness.

Overall: Very good. The low price combined with elegance and balance make this an excellent buy.

Appearance: Hazy straw colour.

Smell: Clean grain aroma, grassy hops with a citrus bite.

Taste: Coarse, sweet, grainy malt dominating. A fair amount of fruitiness, and some citrusy hop flavour to go with the medium hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, peppy carbonation. Medium body.

Drinkability: Good. Nice light-feeling beer, perfect for a crisp autumn day.

Background: The other half of my first St. Julian shipment, this dry red wine is a blend of 62% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Cabernet Franc. Aged in French and American oak for 14 months.

Presentation: Small, austere tan label on a green bottle. Pours a clear, deep burgundy. 12% ABV

Nose: Rich, red fruit. Ripe raspberries, blackberries, and plum with some oak spiciness and a hint of black earthiness.

Taste: Fruity like the nose, with blackcurrant and vanilla. Lots of oak and tight tannins in the background. Silky mouthfeel with the barest hint of astringency.

Overall: Drinkable now, but still slightly closed and has a fair bit of aging potential. Robust red wine that pairs well with hearty meat dishes.

Background: Organic farmhouse cider produced by Koan Family Orchards in Flushing, Michigan.

Presentation: Brown 22oz bomber with a crown cap. Pours a clear light amber. 6% ABV

Nose: Earthy apple aroma with perhaps a hint of acetic acid and yeast.

Taste: Sweet and tart with a mild acidity, a mildly funky earthiness and some bready yeast notes.

Overall: A bit on the sweet side, but the complexity and acidity balance that nicely.