Can you smell the Beer.. or Wine... or Whisky?

After years of having nasal problems I decided to have surgery to "clean out" my sinuses. So as I am writing this I am 24 hours out of surgery and feeling pretty good thanks to a few beers. I forgot that 80 percent of your taste comes from smell so lately everything has been dull to the taste. I am looking forward to finally getting the nuances of beer, wine and whisky back and really able to enjoy what is out there. First, I will review some more bourbon and a few more beers and maybe a wine or two that I have had in the past before my smell went south, in a manner of speaking that is. I will be enjoying a Breckenridge Brewery Vanilla Porter as I write this (maybe two or three) to get me in the spirit of things.
Well to start, I had a snow day last Monday but left it outside to get cold. It was nice and chilled in about 15 minutes and it was ready to drink. So I left another one out there and drank that one too. Needless to say the six pack did not last long and it was inside for me. New Belgium has done a great job with this beer and if you have a chance to have a snow day like mine, take advantage of it. This winter ale has a great pale ale flavor with just a little extra hops to give it that wintery feel. If they made this a year round beer it would not be as special as it is. Get yours before the season is over.

So before the snow started to fall, I decided to visit the local ABC store and see what they had in stock. I do recommend that you visit the local liquor store when you travel because you never know what kind of deals you can get. I was shopping in the Bourbon section, (no surprise) and came across some Baker's 7 year old 107 proof. I have not tried it before but when I looked at the price, It was almost 10 dollars less than I could get it at my local store at home!

Needless to say, I grabbed a bottle and ran to the cash register to purchase the bottle and speed off down the highway before they realized that they drastically underpriced the bottle. This Bourbon was introduced by Jim Beam Distillery and is named after Baker Noe, grand nephew of Jim Beam. This Bourbon is hand bottled and uses a special strain of yeast that has been in the Beam family for over 60 years. This is a small batch Bourbon and has a wonderful smooth and creamy body with the taste of nutty vanilla and hints of fruit. With it's caramel color, wine shaped bottle and no frills label the Beam family put all it's efforts into the flavor of the Bourbon than fancy marketing. If you can buy this Bourbon for under 40 dollars, jump on it!

So now it was time to leave and we were flying out of Winston-Salem, Greensboro airport and it took us an hour and a half to drive there from our place in Virginia. We arrived around lunch time and my friend Kevin, said that there was a pub in the airport. Well by now you should know that the word "pub" has my complete interest so I suggested we go there. It was a place called Natty Greene's Brewing Company with the main brewery in downtown Greensboro. I had a buckshot amber ale and an appetizer. The ale tasted okay as it had a lighter than normal flavor and a mild hop taste. Maybe it would have tasted better if it was at the brewery. If you get a chance to go there let me know and I'll give it another try.

Hopefully I'll heal soon and i can get back to tasting and reviewing. I have some more Rhone and Loire Valley wines I want to taste so let's see how I am in a wee or so. Until then, Cheers!

Wine Time!!!

So I have been neglecting my wine collection for a while and I decided to jump back in this week with some great red wines. Not to say that I won't go back to beer and whiskey, it's just you can't stay in one place or you get stagnant. You know what I mean. I'll stick with Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhone valley for this week and I might do a Bordeaux while I'm in there.

I went to a wine tasting the other night stuck with my theme of Cabernet Sauvignon and tried the Liberty School. It was a bit fruity and had cherry and plum flavors and was light on the tannins. For around 10 dollars it was not bad. My second was Il Pioggione Rosso di Montalcino 08. A well balanced medium body wine with cherry and currant on the nose. With the flavor of black cherry and plum, this wine will be on my "I need to buy this wine!" list.
Next, was Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon 08. With the flavor of cherry, black currant and plum this medium body wine had a good flavor with nice easy tannins. I ran into some of my wine friends and we exchanged pleasantries and talked about the wines at the tasting. One friend suggested the Diadem Cabernet Sauvignon. He said that this one was a large bodied wine and that I would love it! I walked over and held up my glass and asked for the Diadem.

This wine is from the Spring Mountain area of Napa Valley which has produced some great wines. It is aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months gives this wine a bold, rich and elegant flavor with hints of plum and currant. A very full bodied and luscious wine the price is not for the timid at 50 dollars a bottle. But if you wish to serve this wine with chocolates and flowers to impress that special lady, well this is the wine for you.
I strolled around some more and talked to a few more folks and found myself running out of time at the tasting. So I went to the last station for which there were wines that I have not tried. I saw a Rhone Valley wine there so I decided to try that one. Jean Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone red. I had been on a Rhone Valley kick lately so this was the last one I would try. This wine had a light cherry on the nose with flavors of plum and black currant. It had great structure with nice tannins on the end.

For around 10 dollars a bottle this is my best pick. You will not go wrong with this wine. You have a high price flavor with a conservative price. Look for it at your local wine dealer.


Now my Bordeaux pick is Chateau Ferrand 2005 Pomerol. This wine for the price is the best pick in Bordeaux. With flavors of plum and black cherry with a hint of currant creates a complex structure with an elegance on the tongue. A well balanced wine with just the right amount of tannins. It's 60 percent merlot 40 percent cabernet franc which gives it the right balance and flavors. Around 35 to 40 dollars a bottle this is a great wine for dinner parties. With the 2009 banner Bordeaux year I would get a couple of these bottles and let them sit for a couple of years and enjoy them then. 


Well that's it for this week. I'll be on the road again next week and will have some new beer and wine picks then. I'll focus on Virginia wines and let you know what I come up with. Until then, Cheers!

Rip Van Winkle and his buddies.

OLD RIP VAN WINKLE

In the 1870s, Julian P. "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr. and Alex Farnsley bought and merged two distillers together which became the Stizel-Weller Distillery. In 1935 Pappy opened a new Stizel-Weller Distillery in south Louisville and was hands on most of the operation until his death at age 91. His son Julian Jr. took over and in 1972 was forced by stockholders to sell the distillery. All of the labels went with the distillery or were sold to other distilleries. Julian Jr. decided to resurrect and old pre prohibition label which the family kept the rights to called Old Rip Van Winkle and used the stock from the old distillery to start the label. After Julian Jr. died in 1981, Julian III took over and carried on with the family business. Lately, Van Winkle has entered into a joint venture with Buffalo Trace to produce their bourbon at their distillery. We shall see how that turns out. In the meantime, we are still getting the bourbon from the old distillery and I must tell you it is outstanding!

The Old Rip Van Winkle 90 proof 10 year old Bourbon is a very smooth, very creamy bourbon with flavors of vanilla with a hint of carmel and a bit of spice on the end. The creaminess stays on the pallet for a good long time and the smooth creamy flavor comes from the wheat used instead of rye. The hint of caramel are what makes this bourbon candy on the tongue.

BELL'S BREWERY
CHERRY STOUT

Bell's Brewery started like most micro breweries with a 15 gallon pot and a desire for fine crafted beer in 1985. At first taste, you get that chocolate and coffee flavor with a tart twist. The tartness comes from cherries grown in the region. I found it interesting that this stout has a tart fruitiness which is, to me, unusual. At first smell you get the coffee and a bit of cherry. I was not sure how this would sit on my pallet until I finished the beer. For those that like a bit of tartness in their beer, this is for you. As you drink this beer the tartness is there throughout until you finish the beer. I, for one am not a fan of tart beers but I can appreciate the taste for those that are fans of tart beers. I would recommend this to those that enjoy a tart beer but it might not be for those that are stout fans.

UNIBROUE
TERRIBLE


In 1990, Unibroue was formed by Andre Dion and Serge Racine with the desire to carve a niche in the craft beer world. They became majority shareholders in La Brasserie Massawippi a financially strapped brewery. They began with Belgian Beers and created Blanche De Chambly, their first Belgian beer. In the years to follow the company brewed some fine belgians and also answered the call to brew lagers for which most Canadians are well versed in. In 2004 they were purchased by Sleeman Brewery which was interested in the modern brewery and efficient labor. They became Sleeman-Unibroue Brewery and created some of the finest Canadian Belgian style beers around. In 2006, The company was purchased by Sapporo International, Japan's older commercial brewer, and continued the tradition of brewing Belgian Style beers. Terrible, which is an Abbey Ale is rich in color and in taste has a classic Belgian flavor with notes of cherry and plum with the full rich and slightly creamy flavor. If you have not tried this one, you can add it to your list of Canadian ales but if you cannot find it don't go out of your way to get it. Wait for it to come to you. I have had several Abbey Ales that taste extremely similar to this and it's a good beer but not great.

That's my reviews for this week. Let me know what you think and I'll post your comment, good or bad on the next blog. Just remember folks, everyone's taste id different so get out there and support your local brewer!

The Super Bowl.....then whatever.

With good friends and family we watch the biggest sporting event of the United States. How it became this way is still to be determined. My friend Rocco is laying in his dog bed while we sit on the couch consuming mass quantities of food and drink.
I always think about the troops overseas and what they are doing and if they have the opportunity to watch the game. I think of this because of my days overseas and the limited chances of watching major sporting events. I am so glad to see that things have changed over the years and that the support for our troops have become positive.
On a positive note, the Brooklyn Black Ops was a incredibly creamy stout with flavors of coffee and cappuccino. With an 8.5 ABV makes this a super bowl beer at any rate.
Good luck to both teams and to all, have a great time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Palmetto Club Dr,Miami,United States

Beer, Beer and more Beer....

Well, this week I am reviewing four beers that are new to me but may not be new to you. Therefore, I shall tell you what I think of them and you let me know if you feel the same way. If you have not tried these before, then, try them and tell me what you think.

MOERLEIN CHRISTKINDL

WINTER WARMER ALE

This is a belgian strong ale brewed in Cincinnati, Ohio and has been there since 1853. Founded by Christian Moerlein, It was resurrected in 1981 and was one of the only American breweries to pass the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516.  In 2004 it was purchased by a native of Cincinnati named Gregory Hardman. This particular beer, has an up front creaminess and just enough hops to balance the flavor. Amber in color with a light creamy head this beer will be on you list for next Christmas. I for one, enjoyed this beer and will again!

INNIS and GUNN

RUM CASK

Innis and Gunn was born from an accidental tasting. Originally, it was meant to give Scotch a beer flavor. The beer was put into oak barrels and then (sadly) poured out. The workers thought it was a waste so they started drinking the beer and found it to be the best tasting around. 

I was tasting the Rum Cask which was aged in rum barrels for 60 days. The minute you open the bottle you can smell the aroma of rum as you pour it into the glass. This is a creamy ale with rum flavor and hints of vanilla. Light on the hops but with a smooth clean finish. This year they will be coming out with a stout aged in irish whiskey barrels. This is the first stout for Innis and Gunn, and if history has proven itself, it should be a winner too!

OSKAR BLUES

OLD CHUB SCOTCH ALE

In November of 2002, Dale Katechis founded Oskar Blues Brewery and started his "canned beer apocalypse" on the craft beer world. His signature beer Dale's pale ale was a hit and started turning heads in the craft beer world. When old chub came out, people took them for real. This is a great scotch strong ale with flavors of coffee and chocolate and a slight smokiness to it. I can take this beer where I can't take others. Being a canned beer, it can always go where bottles cannot. This will be on my list of beers for camping, fishing and other activities where glass bottles just won't work. The bonus with this beer is the 8 percent ABV so I can forgo the case of beer for just a couple of 6 packs!

LEFT HAND BREWERY

BLACK JACK PORTER

22 years ago, Left Hand Brewery started out as a home brewing kit and a love for beer. Dick Doore and Eric Wallace founded the brewery and have not looked back since. The beer of choice this week is the Black Jack Porter. Chocolate and coffee in flavor with a medium body. A slight hop spice on the end but does not take away for the flavor or finish. For all of you dark beer fans, this is an easy drinking beer in the bottle or the pint.
I'm looking forward to the new milk stout nitro coming out this year. It will be debuted in Atlanta on March 1st and 2nd. I might have a trip to Atlanta on my horizon for the premier.

Try these beers and let me know what you think. I'm going to start paring beers with foods soon and let you know my take on what goes with what. Also, Super Bowl this weekend so go out and get your favorite craft brew and enjoy the game!