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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2009)
Tak a Cup o’ Kindness TIPPLING UNDER THE TREE W by Shaun O’Dell hen the silver bells and caroling are just about to drive you up the decked halls, a bottle of alcoholic holiday cheer may be the best gift of all. What better way to let someone know you can recall their love of local libations than picking out a few holiday selections from around the Eugene area? First is a beer that has seen a holiday or two before. Ninkasi’s Sleigh’r returns to taps in the Eugene area, but for the fi rst time ever, this dark double alt beer can be purchased in stores in a 22 oz. Bomber bottle. This beer is dark and malty, a perfect combination for those switching form their hop-heavy habits of spring and summer. With an ABV of 7.2 percent, this beer packs a little extra punch for the holidays when grandpa won’t stop yelling about what’s wrong with kids today with all their crazy music and haircuts and piercings. Sleigh’r is available at Ninkasi Brewery, the Bier Stein, Beer Nuts Bottle Shop, Cafe Perugino and Market of Choice. The cost at Market of Choice is around $5.50/bottle plus deposit. Sleigh’r is only available for a limited six- week run, so grab it quick. Oakshire Brewing of Eugene is also offering a holiday beer this season. Ill Tempered Gnome is a hoppy brown ale with its own share of malty goodness. This beer was released to the public for the fi rst time in early November. Brewer Matt Van Wyk said of the public reception so far: “It’s been amazing. We’ve had to slow down our sales to outside distributors so our Eugene vendors didn’t run out.” If a quick perusal of Oakshire’s previous seasonal selections are any indication, this beer is also going to have a limited run. Ill Tempered Gnome has an ABV of 6.8 percent and is available at Kiva, Sundance, The Bier Stein, Beer Nuts, Oakshire Brewing and all Market of Choice stores. At Market of Choice, it’s about $4.50/bottle plus deposit. For those looking for something a little stronger, Side Pocket Corp. Distillery and Beverage of Cottage Grove is the local hard liquor. Side Pocket, run by the Meyers family, offers a wide selection of booze for swanky holiday offi ce parties and for New Year’s Eve bashes. The Meyers offer two kinds of whiskey: Meyers Premium Canadian Whisky and Octane Premium 100 Proof Whiskey, both perfect for a holiday Manhattan to light a fi re in your belly. Those looking for a warmer cocktail might consider one of Side Pocket’s rum selections like Vixen or Exit 172 rum for a hot rum toddy or some hot buttered rum this holiday. Side Pocket also offers gin, vodka, tequila and schnapps in a variety of fl avors, as well as a host of non-alcoholic cocktails mixers and caffeinated cocktail mixes for the bar afi cionado on your gift list. For more information, call Side Pocket at (541) 767-9146 or fi nd a complete product list at cottagegrovedistillery.com/home.cfm GG www.eugeneweekly.com LOCAL STOCKING STUFFERS How about stocking stuff ers to go along with your gifts meant to be imbibed? Those little gifts always seems to be the last thing we remember the night before Christmas. But no need to panic: We’ve got a few ideas. Candy is the stocking staple beloved by almost everybody. Chocolate lovers will rejoice at the trip you made to Euphoria Chocolates to pick up some of their tasty truffl es. For the wine lover, Euphoria off ers Oregon Wine Truffl es made with Oregon wines instead of the usual dairy products. This makes them perfect for hanging in a stocking because they don’t need to be refrigerated like a classic truffl e. Coff ee fans will be excited to wake up to a bag of Wandering Goat coff ee beans sticking up over the mantel. Bags of coff ee beans can be purchased by the pound (so get an extra strong stocking hanger), and all Wandering Goat’s coff ee is sustainably grown for the ecologically minded coff ee drinker. Wandering Goat also off ers herbal, green, black and mate teas for those who might not be looking for an extra- strong caff eine fi x on Christmas morning after the party the night before. And fi nally, cookie lovers can look to Monster Cookie for a local treat as a stocking stuff er. This company, founded in Eugene in 1977, makes a variety of cookies from snickerdoodles to chocolate chip peanut butter. They can be found at most Dari-Mart stores and are a great last-minute gift! come see me at the 2nd avenue blair artist studio sale December 4, 5 & 6 & open house Alison Shiboski Custom Work 343-4972 344-1844 • 35 E. 8th Avenue, Eugene Rings by Robin Mix Jewelry and 75 Oregon Artists! Shop Local All Year Open 10-6 Daily Open late on First Friday ArtWalk Eugene Weekly’s GIFT GUIDE 2009 3
