Thursty Thursdays @ Max’s Oyster Bar – Local Brews with Local Seafood

Max’s Oyster Bar in West Hartford will be offering a regional pairing of Local Brews with Local Seafood. Each week in February we will pick a New England region and pair a selection of local seafood along with a local craft brew from that area. Starting this week for Thursty Thursday @ Max, we will be promoting Bluepoint Brewing Co from Patchogue, NY, along with a 1/2 dozen plate of Bluepoint Oysters, all for $9. What better way to celebrate local farming than with local seasonal products and great local brews.

Upcoming specials may include Thimble Island Brewing with Thimble Island Clams, Narraganset Brewing with Rhode Island Oysters, Harpoon Brewing with Massachusetts Oysters, Maine Brewing Company with Maine Lobsters , Rogue Ale with Washington State Oysters, or whatever combination we can think of.

At Max Restaurant Group we are very pleased to announce a new initiative at each of our locations: Thursty Thursdays @ Max. Come into any Max location on Thursdays and discover a great special only available that night. Each month our locations will have new promotion that will be available on Thursdays. These will change from week to week and month to month, so check back here or subscribe to our Social Media sites to get the latest updates on what we are offering. Some of the creative offering may include drink and food specials, half-priced wines, or special tastings – the choices are limitless and are designed to give our loyal patrons another great reason to join us. Whether you are winding down your week or getting your weekend kicked-off, this is a great opportunity to discover the fabulous sections of beers, wine, and cocktails at each of our locations.

Thursty Thursdays @ Max, just another great reason to join us.

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February 6, 2014July 6, 2018

Thursty Thursdays @ Max A Mia – Vino e Salumi

Max A Mia in Avon will be offering for Thursty Thursday Vino e Salumi. Each Thursday in February we will pick a new wine from our list and offer it by the glass along with a Chef’s selction salumi plate – all for $15. And our intention is to showcase the best of what we have. This Thursday we will be pouring the fabulous Prudittori di Barbaresco 2008 Barbaresco, one of the most famous selections from Piemonte, and a truly delicious wine (normally sold for $20 / glass), along with a classic salumi plate put together by chef David Stickney.

Thursty Thursdays @ Max, just another great reason to join us.

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February 6, 2014July 6, 2018

Thursty Thursday @ Max Fish – Pick Your Draft + Oysters for $9

Max Fish in Glastonbury will be offering a Pick Your Draft + Oysters promotion. We will be featuring a 1/2 dozen fresh oysters along with a pick your draft selection, all for $9. There are few better combinations than fresh, briny oysters and craft beer – get them both at a great price on Thursdays at Max Fish.

Thursty Thursdays @ Max, just another great reason to join us.

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February 6, 2014July 6, 2018

Thursty Thursdays @ Max Amore – 1/2 Priced Wines

Max Amore in Glastonbury will be offering 1/2 priced bottled wine every Thursday night in February.

Yes, that is right, every bottled wine on the list will be 1/2 priced from its normal offering. A huge savings and great way to try many of the top wines we carry. Max Amore’s Italian focused list has selections from every major wine region in Italy, plus favorites from California, Washington State and beyond. Come in and discover your new favorite along with the spectacular menu from Chef Ted Burnett.

Thursty Thursdays @ Max, just another great reason to join us.

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February 6, 2014July 6, 2018

Thursty Thursdays @ Max’s Tavern – Round Trip Flight with Brews & Sliders

Max’s Tavern in Springfield will be offering the Round Trip Tasting Flight consisting of a beer flight paired with a slider flight- all for an amazing $6. Pick your favorite brews or try something new: offer includes three beer samplers in one of our famous Max sampler glasses served along with a flight of one of our famous beef, pork and chicken sliders. Not a bad way to start the evening!

Thursty Thursdays @ Max, just another great reason to join us.

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February 6, 2014July 6, 2018

Thursty Thursdays @ Max Burger West Hartford – 1/2 Priced Cans

Max Burger in West Hartford will be offering 1/2-Priced Cans for Thursty Thursdays @ Max in February. C’mon in and take your pick of any of our canned brews and get them at a 50% discount, all day and all night. The canned beer has made a huge return among craft brewers in the past few years as many people have discovered that fresh beer really does taste better this way. One of the most damaging things for beer is light and the can provides the perfect vehicle for getting all the flavor the brew master intended to your glass (or just from the can). We agree and we also like the fact that this is a lighter and more eco-friendly way to transport beer. We have a growing selection of great canned brews fro across America, so join each each Thursday in February to taste your way around the canned section.

CAN BEER IS COOL!

Thursty Thursdays @ Max, just another great reason to join us.

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February 6, 2014July 6, 2018

Thursty Thursday @ Max Downtown – Silver Oak Cab for $18

Max Downtown in Hartford will be offering a new selection from its Wine by Coravin list. If you are unfamiliar with the new Coravin device, and you are a wine fan, you need to discover the flexibility it allows us in offering more selections by the glass. The Coravin is essentially a mini-cruvinet system, which allows us to literally tap a bottle of wine without removing the cork, replacing the air inside the bottle with inert gas as we remove the wine for you to taste. This means we can tap and offer a large selection of wines without any adverse effect to the wine remaining in the bottle. This week we will be featuring the fabulous Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, 2010, one of the most highly regarded California wineries, at he unbelievable price of $18 per glass! Rarely offered by the glass, here is a great opportunity to taste without committing to a full bottle.

Thursty Thursdays @ Max, just another great reason to join us.

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January 23, 2014July 6, 2018

America’s First Trappist ale @ Max Burger Longmeadow

by Brian Mitchell, Corporate Beverage Director for Max Restaurant Group

When a club has only eight members in the entire world, you can call it exclusive. Well one club of eight has just added a new member. The St. Joseph’s Abbey of Spencer Massachusetts, has launched a new brewery which is to become the ninth brewery in the world to be allowed to make Trappist Ales. (This is the same abbey that makes the Trappist Preserves label of jams.)

An order of Cistercian monks descended from an order begun in 1098 in France, the modern day monks are carrying on the tradition of generations before them by making beer and brewing an integral part of the “business” of the monastery. By definition, all Trappist beers must be made under the watch of monks within the grounds of a Trappist abbey, and proceeds must go back into the running and operational benefits of the abbey. At one time there were nearly 200 Trappist breweries, but today there are only eight, or now nine.

The first beer brewed by the Spencer Brewery is the Spencer American Trappist Ale, and Max Burger in Longmeadow, Mass, has been fortunate enough to get a couple of the first cases. We will be offering these, while they last, in the 11.2 oz bottle size. At 6.5% abv, this is a classic Belgian ale with a slightly cloudy soft golden color, medium-body and , bright and crisp on the palate and a smooth finish with just a touch of hops.

The Spencer beers are produced under the guidance of the Chimay Brewery (one of the other nine Trappist Breweries), from which advisers from Belgium have traveled to the US in order to get the new brewery up and running.

The word is that we will also be able to get some of the first kegs available from the new brewery by the end of the month and we will update then when we know more accurately what and when. Suffice it to say, though, that we are very excited to be participating in this point in beer history. Come in and be a part of it as well.

Click here to visit the brewery website

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January 23, 2014July 6, 2018

Victory Brewing Dinner @ Max’s Oyster Bar Feb 6th

Craft beer is one of the great pleasures in life, and when you put it together with a great meal, can you claim Victory? Without a doubt!

Take a break from the winter chill and claim your victory on February 6th with a great selection of Victory Brewing craft beers paired with the exceptional cuisine of Max’s Oyster Bar Chef Scott Miller. We love doing beer dinners and when we can pair up with a great selection of our favorite beers, it makes it just that much better…

VICTORY BREWING CO.

CRAFT BEER DINNER

Thursday February 6th, 2014

6:30 PM RECEPTION

Victory Helios Farmhouse Ale
Melville Cheese & Roasted Cauliflower Gratin Pickled Onion | Sriracha Caviar | Mustard Greens

Victory Mad Kings Weiss
Cornmeal Fried Cod
Okra | Green Tabasco Aioli | Pork & Collards

Victory Hop Ranch Imperial IPA
Shrimp Meatballs
Curry | Eggplant | Yogurt | Cilantro

Victory V 12 Belgian Ale
Rellenos
Confit Chicken | Smoked Bean Puree | Chorizo Vinaigrette

Victory Dirt Wolf Double IPA
Smoked Beef Brisket
Dumplings | Pho Broth | Hoisen Side Car

Victory Old Horizontal Barley Wine
Blood Orange Panna Cotta
Yuzu Gelee | Pomegranate | Lemon Shortbread

Click here to visit Max’s Oyster Bar Website

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November 7, 2013July 6, 2018

Max Downtown Library Wine Added for the Holidays

by Brian Mitchell, Corporate Beverage Director, Max Restaurant Group

Several times a year, Justin Gavry (Sommelier at Max Downtown) and myself go through our library reserves and pull out selections that we feel are ready for addition to the regular wine list. We do this as other selections that have sold through open up space both in our stock room and on our wine list proper.

It may not be as well known as it should, but at Max Downtown we keep a substantial number of selections in reserve off the wine list, allowing them to age and develop to optimum drinking levels before we add to the list. This is a huge commitment on our part, both in inventory dollars and space, but it is a commitment that we feel makes our wine program one of the best around. There are many wines that come available to us to buy, but are far too young to be drunk right away. These wines – some California Cabernet, some Bordeaux, some burgundy and others, really can benefit from a number of years of cellaring to soften the tannins and allow for the flavors to reach their peak.

Below is a list of the wines that we have recently added to the Max Downtown wine list, many of which you will notice are in the range of 10 years old. We feel this is the best time for many of these wines, and we hope you will agree.

1) Peter Michael Winery Les Pavots Estate Red, Knights Valley 2002
2) Peter Michael Winery Les Pavots Estate Red, Knights Valley 2003
3) Joseph Phelps ‘Insignia’ 2004
4) Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 1999
5) Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 2000
6) Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 2003
7) Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 2004
8) Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
9) Château Léoville-Las Cases 2000
10) Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
11) Two Hands ‘Ares’ Shiraz Barossa Valley
12) Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia 2004
13) Elderton ‘Command’ Shiraz 2004
14) Avignonesi Riserva Grandi Annate, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
15) Dominus Napa 2003 & 2004
16) Quintessa Napa 2005

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October 22, 2013July 6, 2018

Marguet Visits Max Downtown

Max Downtown in Hartford is very pleased to welcome Mr Benoit Marguet to our Tavern for an informal meet-and-greet on Wednesday, October 23rd. Max Downtown has been a great supporter of Grower Champagnes and has listed the wines from Champagne Marguet for some time, now.

Champagne Benoît Marguet in Ambonnay is one of many extremely interesting small producers in Champagne. He is the kind of producer that you rarely find, unless you know exactly where to go.

Passing through the region, Mr. Marguet will be on hand from 5-6pm to taste and discuss his family wines, spread the word about the individuality of small producer wines such as his, and to bring a bit of France to Hartford. Champagne is one of the true luxuries of the wine world, but one that is affordable to anyone. Celebrate these lovely wines and gain a bit of understanding about the region and it people from one of our favorite producers.

Organic farming is the preferred method at Champagne Benoit Marguet, utilizing plow- horses and minimal inputs create an environment that will produce outstanding grapes and preserve the land for generations to come. The attention and commitment to these details show in the wine and create a quality divide that is quite apparent when tasting against most large production producers.

We will be sampling some selections from Champagne Marguet along with complimentary treats from the kitchen to pair. Any and all are welcome to join us.

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October 5, 2013July 6, 2018

New Wines at Max’s Oyster Bar

by Brian Mitchell, Corporate Beverage Director

I am very pleased to announce several new additions this week to our wine list at Max’s Oyster Bar in West Hartford. Both Bob Cooke, Managing Partner, and myself tasted these wines in recent weeks and felt they were compelling enough to add to the program. We always look for wines that share that special combination of very high quality and that compliment the cuisine of Chef Miller. These wines each fit this criteria.

Earlier in the week, we tasted the new releases from Domaine Serene from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Domaine Serene enjoys a very high reputation for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir production, and we were very pleased with selections of each. Typically we will not rely too heavily on any single winery for multiple wine listings, but these wines were so good that we took both. On the list for this weekend is the Domaine Serene Chardonnay Evenstad Reserve 2012 and the Evenstad Pinot Noir 2011.

The Chardonnay is delicious, plane and simple. A generous, but very well integrated, layer of oak rides just under lovely flavors of ripe apple

and fresh pears – the combination coming across as beautifully balanced and elegant enough to enjoy with delicate (but cooked) seafood. Not an exact replacement, but certainly on par with 1er Cru Puligny.

Domaine-Serene-101102401.jpg.jpg

The Pinot Noir to me was just short of the Chardonnay in its overall quality, but quite good in its own-right. For me, I enjoy the elegance of Oregon Pinot Noir, but still always want to see a bit of depth in the fruit and not a wine that is weak like “traditional” French Pinot Noir. This wine has just that – lush, but not sweet, cranberry and deep cherry fruit, some spice and a balanced lovely long finish. I would prefer the Chardonnay, first, but I’m not kickin’ this to the curb, and would be quite content with this and lovely piece of grilled salmon, or swordfish, such as is on the specials menu this weekend at MOB.

Also hitting the list shortly is a great wine that is a little hard to classify as it does not fall in any single varietal camp, but rather is among the new generation of finely tuned blends that have become quite popular, as of late. The is the Blindfold White Blend from famed winemaker Dave Phinney of Prisoner Wine Co. This wine has a big chunk of Chardonnay, with a great selection of Rhone-regional varietals thrown in. Varietals such as Marsanne, Rousanne, Viognier and Grenache blanc, plus a touch of Riesling and Semillon just for some added aromatics. To me this wine is excellently balanced, with deep flavors of waxy apples – really loved his wine.

Additionally, I am very excited to be able to finally offer the fabulous Brut Rose from Billecart-Salmon Champagne, perhaps the most famous of the Rose Champagnes. Over the past few years it has been a challenge to acquire this wine as the previous importer caused pricing and availability to be a challenge for us. Now with a new importer, Billecart has become available for us once again – and so we have it starting this weekend. Not cheap, but the elegance, the complexity of the fruit, the racy acidity, make Billecart all that and then something. Had a good week? Come celebrate with a bottle and dozen of the freshest oysters around. You will be happy with that choice, for sure.

Finally, if Billecart is not quite in your wheel-house, but you still love the beauty of sparkling rose wines, I have selected what I consider to be one of the finest Spanish selections – the Raventos i Blanc de Nit Cava Rose. A favorite winery, this particular wine is a great value in the sparkling wine category. Deeper fruit than what you might find in the champagnes, it delivers a lot of freshness and elegance. Made from some less-than-familiar grapes (Xarel.lo, Macabeo, Monastrell, and Parelleda), the combination is really delightful. Have this with some fried seafood apps or maybe some fresh tuna.

New cocktails for the fall are coming next week, on the menu starting Monday October 14.

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September 9, 2013July 6, 2018

MBWH Brewery of the Month: Oskar Blues from Colorado

by Brian Mitchell, Corporate Beverage Director, Max Restaurant Group

Each Month Max Burger West Hartford has a brewery that we like to focus on and pay a little extra attention to. There are so many great craft breweries in the United States, at this point, that we feel it is important to support this effort and recognize the great brewers in and out of CT. For the month of September, we have chosen Oskar Blues Brewery from Longmont, Colorado, as our feature.

Why Oskar Blues??

The make great beer. At affordable prices. Only in cans (and kegs, which are big cans). They have a lot of fun doing it. We have a lot of fun drinking it.

Founded in 1997, by Dale Katechis, who now owns several related breweries and brew pubs, Oskar Blues made a statement by being the first craft brewery to “bottle” their brews in cans, rather than bottles. They are basically credited with starting what has become a national trend in brewing by using lighter weight, recyclable aluminium cans, kind of the way a lot of older styled brands were consumed. They also like to do things like Mountain Bike and Hike, and since cans are lighter than glass these beers are often found along for the ride.

Oskar Blues makes 6 different styles of beer:

Dales Pale Ale (the first, 6.5%abv and lighter than an IPA),
Old Chub Scotch Ale (8%abv and made with a variety of malts that lean toward the heavier side),
G’Knight, a fuller style of beer that is brewed in honor of Gordon Knight, a Colorado firefighter who lost his life in 2002 (8.7%abv),
Ten FIDY and Imperial Stout at about 10%abv, this is the seasonal’s seasonal as it is big and hearty
Mama’s Little Yella Pils, which is a smaller batched Pilsner style made with German malts and Bavarian hops (5.3%abv)
Gubna an Imperial IPA that is dry hopped and and comes in at 100 IBUs and 10%abv

Max Burger West Hartford will be featuring a selection of Oskar Blues Brews throughout the entire month of September, plus on the third Wednesday of the month, we have a very special keg that will be tapped at 5pm. Join us in person to taste and enjoy this great beer and all the others from Oskar Blues all month long in West Hartford.

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