This Sunday (October 29th) the Cheese Lady is returning to St. Ambrose Cellars for another pairing event!
Instead of a guided pairing with advance tickets and sessions, this will be an all-day affair. At least, that is, until the cheese runs out.
You’ll be able to purchase (for $15) a flight of four St. Ambrose drinks (more info below) that come with specially selected paired cheeses. The cheese will also be available for purchase so you can take some home and continue the fun.
So, what’s the flight? What are the cheeses? Read on …
Rhythm & Blues
Our newest draft mead features black currants and blueberries for flavor. This mead will be paired with two cheeses:
Irish Cheddar
From the Irish fields of Tipperary, this creamy cow’s milk cheddar is slightly aged and very full-flavored. Very pleasing, with distinct grassy taste.
Capra
This Belgian fresh chevre is smooth and creamy – a drop of sweet Belgian “liquid gold” gives the cheese a hint of sugar to please the palate.
Drunkin Pumpkin
Our seasonal pumpkin spice mead is still here for a limited time, and will also be paired with two exciting cheeses …
Mahon
From Menorca off the coast of Spain, this aged cow’s milk cheese is cheddary and sweet with a crunch to the texture. Rubbed in butter and paprika.
Fromager D’Affinois
An ultra smooth brie-style cheese that features a fresh, full, buttery flavor. Produced in France and made from cow’s milk.
2016 Vin Gris
This elegant dry white wine made from pinot noir grapes will be paired with ..
Double Cream Gouda
A cheese made in the small cheesemaking factories of Hollan, it is known as one of the creamiest and mellowest cheeses made in the country.
Cherry Amore – New!
The returning Cherry Amore features a new and improved formula featuring a dark, flavorful, and tart experience. Try the new Cherry Amore with …
Peppadew Spread
The peppadew is a sweet, hot pepper grown in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Blended with a mixture of cheeses, it makes a delicious and spreadable snack.
Be Here Sunday!
The fun starts at 12 Noon – and you don’t need tickets. The flight and cheese pairing will be available as long as supplies last!
Summer is winding down, but that doesn’t mean the fun is winding down. We’ve got another buzzworthy weekend coming up, and here’s all the details you need!
DeDe Alder
The wonderful DeDe Alder – a mainstay of the St. Ambrose Cellars music lineup – is back again on Friday night.
From humble beginnings, Dede has paved her way on her own experimental, alternative, off the grid musical journey. Dede has picked up her gypsy skills over the years including soulfull singing, raw song-writing, playing percussion of all kinds, dancing, community organizing, and being able to sleep in any location at anytime. Skilled in the art of the Vibraphone, Tambourine, Drumkit, Frame Drum, Snare Drum, Vocals, Word Smithery and much more, she is a versatile performer that can wear many hats, and does.
Her vocal style mixes sweet Irish influence with growling soulfelt jazz sensibilities, a unique combo you can only experience for yourself.
Come enjoy DeDe and her delightful drums, and grab yourself some mead, wine, beer, and food from the awesome TNT Food Truck outside.
Suds on the Shore
We’re back at Suds on the Shore in beautiful Ludington, MI this weekend. For the low low price of $25, you’ll get to sample the wares of St. Ambrose and 60 other vendors!
If you’ve been to the tasting room lately, you’ve certainly noticed the larger tap selection that we’ve added. We have too many cool ideas to be contained by just 12 taps – so we put on a few more, and that’s allowed us to debut some new beverages – including two options for our designated drivers (or soda lovers in general)!
St. Cider
Our house cider is now available. It features 11 different apples! We use Spartan, Gala, Jonathan, Honey Gold, Yellow Delicious, Ginger Gold, Iona Gold, Cortland, Greening, Chestnut Crab, and Wickson Crab to make this house cider.
Eat a Peach
Our Peach Cyser, with peach, apple, and apricot flavors, is a traditional cyser (mead/cider combo) that is going to have Georgia on your mind in no time.
Northwoods Soda
We’ve added two Northwoods Sodas – Lake Effect and Black Cherry – to our lineup, for those looking for something a little lighter.
Imperial Brag-about-it
This is our first true braggot – a mead and beer hybrid – that is hard to describe and even harder to forget. Words aren’t going to do this justice, so you need to come in and grab a glass before it’s gone!
TNT Food Truck
As usual, the TNT Food Truck will be joining us on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Here’s a preview of the menu:
THE CRUSH 2017
It’s that time of year again!
It’s that time … THE CRUSH! St. Ambrose Cellars presents the yearly birthday party that we all love! This year, we’ll be donating a portion of your $10 entrance fee to the Honor Area Restoration Project. For your entrance fee, you’ll get to enjoy FOUR great bands: The Ol’ Microtones, Kellerville, The Barbarossa Brothers, and the world famous K. Jones & The Benzie Playboys, and you’ll get a drink token!
Join us for another awesome day and night of partying at the Cellars – September 16th, starting at 4PM!
It’s true! The St. Ambrose Cellars disc golf course is open for business. It’s a 9 hole, free-to-play course that’s easily accessible from the meadery. Simply park in the parking lot, and head into the big field next door – you’ll see the first tee.
Here is an overview of the course layout:
Now we’ll take you through the course, hole by hole, so that you can get a feel for where you’re headed.
This is the first tee:
Hole 1 is a straight shot – but it’s kinda long. It’s 540 feet from tee to the basket. This is a view of the basket:
Moving on to the second hole, you’ll be met with a slight dogleg. Here’s the view from the tee:
The basket is tucked into the woods – here’s the view:
Hole 3 is a moderately long hole, with a dogleg at the end. Here’s the view from the tee:
And here’s the view of the basket area:
Hole 4 is pretty straight – but you’ve got a couple options here. We have three trees in the middle – you can go around to the left, right, or straight over all them if you want:
This is the Hole 4 basket:
Hole 5 is medium length par 3, and there’s a dogleg at the end, to the left. The view from the tee:
Once you get to the basket, here’s your view:
Hole 6 starts with a curve, instead of ending with one. You’ll need to get left from the tucked tee:
And here’s the sixth hole basket:
Hole 7 is basically straight with a curve at the end. Here’s the view from the tee:
Here’s the seventh hole basket:
Hole 8 is a big, long dogleg right. You’ll start off down this path:
Here’s the view at the turn in the hole – notice the large brush pile that might be problematic.
A bit beyond that brush pile, you’ll find the basket:
We finish up on Hole 9 – where you’ll need to navigate this mess of trees:
How many times have you gotten to the winery at 11:00 AM and waited patiently for us to open up? I know at least two of you have – because I have seen your cars. Well, we’ve noticed, and we’ve made the change! For the rest of the summer, we’re opening up at 11:00AM for all your mead, wine, and beer needs. Get those growlers filled earlier, pick up some wine for your afternoon picnic, and don’t forget the honey. As a reminder, our new operating hours for the rest of the summer are:
Monday – Wednesday: 11AM to 9PM
Thursday – Saturday: 11AM to 10PM
Sunday: 11AM – 6PM
Music This Weekend
Your home for the hottest music in Benzie County is right here at St. Ambrose Cellars. We’ve got three more night of tunes for you this week.
Open Mic
The ever-popular Open Mic series hosted by Jim & Wanda Curtis rolls on this week, starting Thursday at 6PM! We’ve got a fancy sound system and everything for you to play with now!
Alfredo Improv
Local legends Alfredo will be back on Friday night, starting around 6PM.
TBA
The hottest band in the land – To Be Announced – will be hopefully joining us on Saturday.
Ok, The Whiskey Charmers had a situation pop up and had to unfortunately cancel, so we’re working on a replacement. TBA ! TBA ! TBA !
TNT Food Truck
Joining us on our Thursday nights, Friday nights, and Saturdays will be the TNT Food Truck! The menu is constantly evolving, but here’s a selection of what they have been serving up lately:
In the Wild
HopCat East Lansing
Looking at our Untappd check-ins, it seems the HopCat down in East Lansing is really purring with love for the Black Madonna draft lately. If you’re downstate and need your fix, head down to the HopCat and check out Black Madonna – along with about 1 million other beers, ciders, and meads – and show them some love!
VinoShipper – our shipping partners for online sales – have made some shipping changes for the summer. Shipping during the summer months can be a challenge due to varying temperatures around the country, so this summer, in partnership with UPS they are offering substantially reduced UPS Next Day Air shipping rates – a reduction of about 45%.
This helps save your mead and wine from being left in hot trucks or other delivery points during these blazin’ summer months. You can shop our VinoShipper store here.
Yard Yoga!
Join RYT200 certified yoga instructor Jenn Ryan & guest teachers for YardYoga at St. Ambrose Cellars, Tuesday evenings, beginning June 13th!
REGISTER via text: 231-218-0655
Classes will always be different – sometimes gentle, sometimes a well-balanced vinyasa flow – we’ll have fun, enjoy nature’s beauty, & afterward, perhaps have a sip or a snack.
YardYoga will happen IF:
1. it’s not raining
2. it’s at least 65 degrees Farenheit
3. the ground isn’t soaked from a day of rain that has ceased
Namaste!
Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival
We’ll be pouring our wares at the Mt. Pleasant Beer Festival on Saturday, June 10th! More info here:
A lovely pink wine in hand. The sun blazing on your shoulders. And a big splotch of BBQ sauce narrowly missing your shirt after you eat an amazing pork nacho. That’s summer, right? If it’s your idea of a good time, you don’t want to miss out on Pinot Noir Riesling.
This is a first of its kind for our winery! A lovely pinkish/red color, our Pinot Noir Riesling blend is handcrafted to perfect your summer evenings on the porch.
Pinot Noir Riesling 2016 features watermelon, strawberry, and cherry flavors. There is a nice spice on the finish to tingle the tastebuds. The whole cluster press of the pinot noir grapes provides the wine with a nice structure.
St. Ambrose Pinot Noir Riesling is an ideal summertime wine. It plays nicely with your favorite backyard barbecue fair – we recommend pairing it with BBQ pulled pork nachos, or perhaps your favorite spicy rubbed meat. On the cheese platter, find yourself a nice cheddar or monterey jack and enjoy!
This new wine is here for a limited time only. You can try it in our tasting room, and you can purchase bottles via VinoShipper here.
Wine Stats
Harvest Date: October 2016
Brix at Harvest: 21.5*
pH: 3.1
TA: 8.55 g/L
Blend: 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Riesling
ABV: 11.5%
R.S.: 2.6%
Bottling Date: March 2016
Vineyards: Evans Brothers (Frankfort, MI) and Daddy Long Legs (Benzie County, MI)
Winemaker: Michael Altesleben
