“I can make a batch of tea, put it in a keg and run fresh raspberries in the infusion chamber and you’ll have fresh raspberry iced tea,” Patel said.
A pint night scheduled for Wednesday was set to feature Little Fish Brewing Company Woodthrush infused with berry flavored gummy worms and Stone Brewing Company Ruination 2.0 infused with lemon-and-lime zest and Citra hops.
This Saturday, the store will infuse chardonnay wines, turning them into a sparking wine by adding carbonation, then adding fruits and oak wood via the infusion chambers.
“We’re making our own take on off-the-shelf chardonnay,” Patel said.
The infusion chambers came as a result of his online research into beer, wine and liquor and “an edge for the business to have that will keep us separate from everybody else.”
“Every restaurant can … have craft beer and wine. What would give us the edge over those guys would be something that they cannot do that we can,” Patel said.
While the infused drinks are only offered by the pint for now, the business plans to sell growlers once staffers there are more familiar with the process, he said.
“It’s still a month old. We’re still learning all the nuances,” he said. “Every ingredient is a learning process because some of the ingredients infuse faster than others. As we learn we’re able to tweak and get the right balance.”
The store’s home brewer, John Campbell, has been involved with homebrewing for nearly 10 years.
“He has unique talents where he can figure out nice ingredients that we can infuse liquids with,” Patel said.
Infusion chambers are not the only new thing at Middletown Fine Wine & Spirits. The business is expanding by 800 square feet to include a tasting room for up to 22 occupants and will feature a plug-in for food trucks. That will allow the store to partner with various area mobile eateries to host wine-tasting events starting next month.
The new tasting room also will allow the store to expand upon craft beer tastings it started offering this summer, giving patrons an enclosed area that is comfortable in all seasons. By pairing the wines with food truck fare, the business aims to make the beverage more accessible to middle-class consumers, Patel said.
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IF YOU GO
WHAT: Pint Night, 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays. Switching to all-hour access starting in January
WHAT: Experimental Infusion, between 3 and 9 p.m each Saturday
WHERE: Middletown Fine Wine & Spirits, 721 S. Breiel Blvd. Middletown
MORE INFO: 513-423-3631
with alcohol delivery service Drizly, now available in Middletown, Columbus, Akron and the suburbs of Cleveland, among nearly 40 cities across the United States and Canada.
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