Stop! Ninja time.

Ran some errands today, groceries, BJs etc, and stopped at the liquor store. I felt like something different. I didn't know what it was yet, just in a browsing kind of mood.

Wound up with this ($21.99):


Pours perfectly clear, a little thick, with an orange-gold hue.

The nose is huge. Vanilla is by far the dominant note, with a little lime. The vanilla does fade after a few minutes, bringing the lime out a bit more, along with a hint of cinnamon and an alcohol note (at 92 proof, as opposed to the usual 72-80, not surprising).

Decent mouthfeel, more vanilla, a lot more lime,

Goes down very warm (alcohol!), leaving a nice burn on the back of the tongue and a tingle in the cheeks, and goes right to your head.

Not bad at all at the price point, worth trying but nothing special. If I had any actual lime and some Coke, I'd try it in a Cuba Libre. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

What a day this is going to be

Let's see...

Wake up and snowblow, again!
Get the split-pea & ham soup going
Eagles - Giants
Chargers - Steelers
Golden Globe Awards

If I can even sit upright by midnight, much less type, it will be a miracle.

On tap

Got some boys coming up for the weekend, and the kegerator is full. Here's what we've got going on:



That's a whole 30 minutes of Photoshop/Illustrator right there, bitchez.

Trust me, the booze will be much better.

Drink time!

This is what Erica's students made for her, for the weekend.



A marteeny and a bunny. What else does one need?

Sunday booze-bloggind

Lactaid Egg-Nog and Gosling's Black Rum? Yes, please. A. Also, a very nice ingredient list on the nog part. Milk, sugar, eggs, cream, vanilla, etc. The chemicals are WAY WAY WAY down the list. Great stuff.

Van Gogh Espresso Vodka. A++++. Wait, there's vodka in this coffee? Is that why I'm stumbling around the house like an idiot?

No, seriously. I fully acknowledge I drink a little too easily, so stuff like this is buttah to me. But take your average drinker, and pour them a glass of this, over ice. Say you have a normal 12-oz rocks glass, and they get 8 oz vodka, and 4 oz ice.

They will complement you on your drink mixing. They will think they have 1 oz vodka, 1 oz coffee liquer, and 6 oz something else. But they will be wrong. And they will soon be kissing the porcelain FSM. Because they will be schnockered.

This is the most dangerous, potent, delicious liquid in the world.

It should come with a disclaimer.

UPDATE: I just noticed the typo in my headline. I was going to correct it, but that just proves the power of the Van Gogh. Holy fucking booze.

Have another beer!

Gotta pay those player salaries somehow.

And really, how difficult are those lyrics? No amount of beer should make you forget those six simple words...

Sunday beer boredom

So, Bill and I have been brewing for a few years now, and we've always used Warsteiner bottles, because that's one of my favorite winter beers (the Dunkel).

They're a pain in the ass to cap, and that leads to one or two duds per batch, but the last two times we used them we each had to pour out 12+ bad bottles. That's unacceptable.

I since switched to drinking beers using the more common bottle used by Sam Adams, Saranac, Dogfish, and pretty much every other craft brewer. At BJs yesterday, I was looking for a case of Sam Lager, but they only had the mixed Winter case.

Four each of Lager, Winter, Old Fezziwig, Holiday Porter, Cream Stout, and Cranberry Lambic. I didn't really want that, but there was nothing else that interested me, so I figure that would be an interesting beer-blogging experiment, if nothing else, especially on the heels of Toast's little experiment last week. Of course, that was a little unfair, pitting a rookie up against the Master, but still the key point was this: This is a perfect example of what can go wrong when American craft brewers recklessly expand their catalog...

Absofuckinglutely. Every time I see that ad where they ask people how many beers Sam Adams makes, and the answer is 27 or something, I just cringe. At least 20 of those are a waste of time.

So, in short order:
1) Sam Adams Lager - B. The perfect "standard beer." You know that if you walk into the divy-est of dives, with tap after tap of Coors, Coors Light, Michelob, MGD, Bud, Bud Light, you'll at least be able to get Sam in a bottle, if not on tap. And you can enjoy your evening.

2) Old Fezziwig - B-. Darker Sam Adams. A little maltier. OK.

3) Holiday Porter - D. Really? That was a porter?

4) Winter Lager - D. Watery, and a touch of cinnamon. Winter my ass.

5) Cranberry Lambic - F. Putrid fruit juice, with a hint of beer. Never, I repeat never, buy a "lambic" or otherwise fruit-adjuncted beer from an American mass-market brewer. No sense of taste, class, or moderation. Beer for chicks who don't like beer.

6) Cream Stout - B-. Not bad. Creamy and Stouty, as labeled. Just mediocre in its category, that's all.

UPDATE: Fridge, in his drunken-Giant-fan revelry, went and gave the Holiday Porter a 4.

Let me revisit this, in full-blown beer-blogging style:

Sam Adams Holiday Porter, 12 OZ, 5.8% ABV

The Pour: Standard pour, thick head, but very lightly colored for a porter.

The Color: Completely opaque. I held it up to the brightest light I have here in the cave, and see that the base color is reddish.

The Nose: A little burnt toast over malt. A touch of coffee?

The Taste: Again, the burnt toast, with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. A good amount of hop bite, seems out of balance with the style.

The Verdict: C. The second impression worked out a little better, but still, nothing to write home about. Beer. If you handed me one of these, I wouldn't complain. Not what I would want when thinking of a "holiday porter" though.

OK, maybe I was too flip the first time, but I'm still not seeing it.

That's OK, different strokes. But I'm glad I revisited it. And I'll make sure it's the first beer I drink tomorrow before the MNF game, just to see what else I can get out of it.

Beer blogging

Another Sunday, another day of typesetting travel brochures in Japanese. The only solution is, of course, more cowbell. And lots of beer.

And off we go...

Corsendonk Christmas Ale, 12 OZ, 8.9% ABV, $3.50

The Pour: Low foam, but swirling in the brandy snifter stirs it up nicely for a minute or so.

The Color: Orange-amber, nice clarity.

The Nose: A nice nutty malt. I can tell this is going to be sweet.

The Taste: Smooth malt, sweet, just enough hops for balance, and a nice carbonation bite, almost champagne-like. Doesn't bowl me over in any special way. Cherry? I'm not sure. A little citrus to it; I don't know if that's floral notes from the yeast, or adjuncts in the brewing process. I'm also not getting any of the spice that "Chistmas ales" are usually overloaded with. Rate Beer does, I don't. For me, that's a good thing, because most people go overboard with the nutmeg and the clove.

The Verdict: B. A good beer, but not spectacular. Certainly worth a shot.

Bud Points: 1.78. (I'm feeling the glow already...)

Scaldis Noël, 25.4 OZ, 13% ABV, $15.99

The Pour: Nice thick head. Using the snifter again, btw.

The Color: Another perfect orange-amber, just what you'd expect from a Belgian heavy.

The Nose: Sweet malt, a little orange, alcohol.

The Taste: Orange, malt, alcohol. Yes Virginia, this is a strong beer. It's not off-putting, but obviously stronger than the Corsendonk, all else being equal. Though very very similar to Corsendonk, this feels a little better "put-together" for some reason.

The Verdict: B+. Another solid Belgian.

Bud Points: 5.5 (7.28) Um... this may not have been the best idea for a second beer. Will I even make it through the 4pm games? And through this brochure?

Avery "The Kaiser", 22 OZ, 9.4% ABV, $6.99

The Pour: Tall head, but large soap-bubble-like foam, dies quickly.

The Color: Copper. Copper. Copper. This is one of the most inviting-looking beers ever.

The Nose: Skunk. WTF? Try again. Skunk. Fuck. It says right on the bottle, 2007. Let's let this sit for a little while. OK, 10 minutes later, I get skanky pussy. Did this bitch just run a marathon? Wait some more... hey, I've got beer! Hops. Hops. Malt. And a touch of pussy. Is that a standard characteristic of the Imperial Oktoberfest?

The Taste: Something's wrong here. Well, I've had many a corked wine before, but never a bad beer. I sure hope they weren't trying for this. We'll give it 10 more minutes. Good time to pound some water and rehydrate. And... we're back. Nope. This is a bad, as in sick, beer. Sanitation much? Oh well. I'm getting my money back for this one.

The Verdict: ???

Avery Fourteen, 22 OZ, 9.5% ABV, $6.99

The Pour: Beautiful, thick head, with that top-to-bottom cascade of bubbles that I think is so pretty. A good sign. Can Avery redeem themselves?

The Color: Exactly as you see in the picture. And I'm even using an imperial pint glass! I rock.

The Nose: Smoke, burnt toast, caramel.

The Taste: A little more of that smoke, lots and lots of malt. Burnt caramel. Creamy mouthfeel at first, but it does thin out a little too quickly. More hops than you usually get from the maltbombs. Not at all out of balance, just more than usual. These are usually more about the sweet.

The Verdict: B-. This is the kind of beer I make when I'm not trying any specific recipe. Really. I think I've made this exact beer. "Oh, I don't know, three pounds of this, 6 pounds of that, 2 pounds of this..." Um, yeah. My regular homebrew is someone else's Fourteenth Anniversary Special. I'm not sure what to make of that. Of course, when I make this, it's about $1.40 for the same amount. So, when I make this for shits and giggles, it's damned good. When I have to pay $7 for it, it's just OK.

Bud Points: 3.48 (10.77)

Young's Winter Warmer, 17 OZ, 5.2% ABV, $3.49

The Pour: Watery, average head.

The Color: Copper-brown, high clarity. Beautiful.

The Nose: Malt, spice. I'm a little stuffy right now.

The Taste: Beer. Some nutty tones, but enough about me. A bitter afternote.

The Verdict: C. Eh. Beer. I'd rather have a plain old Sam Adams.

Bud Points: 1.47 (12.24)

OK, I swore I wouldn't do this tonight, but I finished my work earlier than I expected. And if I drink this one tomorrow, I'll probably space half the Steeler game.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, 12 OZ, 20% ABV, $7.99

The Pour: Syrupy, standard head.

The Color: Orange. The bubbles are moving really slowly through this stuff.

The Nose: Citrus, hops, alcohol, spice. HUGE nose.

The Taste: Sweet and bitter, tart citrus, HOPS!

The Verdict: A+. This is certainly not for everyone. But holy motherfuck! As complex as any wine, more complex than all but maybe 5 beers I've ever had. Just ridiculous.

Bud Points: 4.0 (16.24)

And picking up where we left off...

TCD is coming up tonight so we can bottle our seasonals.

I'll kick the night off with:

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, 12 OZ, 18% ABV, $7.99

The Pour: Motor oil, very little head settling down to just a meniscus.

The Color: Just look at the picture. Speaking of which, I didn't get that kind of pour, and I wasn't babying it. Too cold maybe?

The Nose: Smoke, alcohol, port.

The Taste: Burnt caramel, a sweet brandy/port alcohol burn, low carbonation but just enough to stimulate the senses. Rich mouthfeel.

The Verdict: A-. A very strong beer. Not for everyone, but I love this shit. Three ounces in, and I can already feel it.

Bud Points: 3.60.

Next!!!

Bill brought up an Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence, which we drank at room temperature. All three of us (wife resampled also), agreed that it's very good, and very chocolaty. My upgrade to B/B- yesterday was justified. Still, for the price, it doesn't come close to Young's Double-Chocolate Stout.

I had half of this, so...

Bud Points: 1.48 (5.08)

Next!!!

Dogfish Head Pangaea, 25.6 OZ, 7% ABV (pussy), $8.99.

The Pour: Large, foamy head.

The Color: Whoa! A beer I can see through! There's a curveball for you. Golden-amber.

The Nose: Ginger ale. Unanimous.

The Taste: Given the strong ginger aroma, I was worried that this may be a little too strongly "adjuncted," to make up some bullshit word. But no, fine balance, slightly more than a hint of ginger (but not too much), and nice hops balance. Clean, slightly tart finish. Yes, there is a slight schweppervescence, but balance is the key here.

The Verdict: A-. An excellent one-off. There are no stylistic comparisons to make here, so it is what it is. And it is good.

Bud Points: 1.48 (6.56) again, I had only half.




Next!!!!



Weyerbacher Insanity, 22 OZ, 11.8% ABV, $6.99

The Pour: No head, just traces of foam. It's a little colder than recommended, but not fridge cold.

The Color: Very very very cloudy orange. Obviously a low-flocculating yeast, and no filtration. This is not necessarily a problem – I don't filter my home-brews – but strange to see in a commercial beer. Probably one out of twenty beers I buy are this cloudy.

The Nose: Brandy, horse manure, hay, barn. Wow. Now this is what you look for in a nose. As complex as the best wine, and way beyond 98% of beers you'll ever try. I'm giddy in anticipation... (Also, they recommend a brandy snifter for this one. So I used one. Now I know why.)

The Taste: Fucking wow. Brandy, earth, a wonderful balance of malt and hops. Fantastic. And the deeper I get into the bottle, the better it gets.

The Verdict: A. Just as Bill predicted, I liked this much better than the Blasphemy. Like I said yesterday, the Blasphemy wasn't bad, per se, but just a victim of its hop-crazy competition (ahem, Dogfish, Stone, etc.). On the other hand, Insanity is something I've never had before. If you're looking for your next generic six-pack for a football Sunday, this ain't for you. But if you're willing to experiment, I cannot recommend this enough.

Bud Points: 4.07 (10.63)

And, considering it's Monday night, we'll just leave the last two in the fridge for next Sunday.

Sunday Epic Beer-blogging

First up: Sierra Nevada "Bigfoot Ale" (Barleywine Style), 12 OZ, 9.6% ABV. $2.75.

The Pour: nice rich head at first, settling into a 1/4" head, leaving long legs of foam down the side of the glass. That's alcohol, baby! (This is still a little warm, because I'm impatient.) Good beer doesn't need to be cold though, so I'm not worried.

The Color: Rich, reddish brown, with a touch of gold. Perfect.

The Nose: I'm not getting too much, and my sinuses are fine today. Just the basic aroma of rich, sweet malt. Not that that's a problem, but I can usually detect other aromas. Hmm.

The Taste: Right there with style expectations. Heavy, creamy mouthfeel, the requisite sweetness balanced by the right amount of hops to keep it balanced. Very cockle-warmening. I felt a nice glow just seconds after the first sip. A touch of bitterness in the finish.

The Verdict: B. True to the style, no glaring flaws. I've had better, but a very solid effort from one of the larger "micro" breweries. (Note: I edited this down from B+.)

(Just for fun, I'm going to keep a running count of how many "standard" beers worth of alcohol I'm drinking today. All of today's beers are very strong, and many are larger than the standard 12 oz. The reference is Budweiser, at 5% and 12 ounces.)

Bud Points: 1.92.

Next!!

Flying Dog "Horn Dog Barleywine" 12 OZ, 10.5% ABV. $3.25.

The Pour: Two-layered head, regular-sized bubbles topped by a 1/4-inch layer of pure cream. Settling slowly.

The Color: So dark it's opaque. Holding it up to the strong light I get some red highlights.

The Nose: Same. Rich, sweet malt, not much else. My nose just may be off today. Oh well.

The Taste: Wow. Even creamier than the Bigfoot. HUGE mouthfeel, warm and sweet and brandy-like, with just enough hop-bite to provide excellent balance. It just lingers and lingers, and warms the heart going down.

The Verdict: A-. True to the style, yet with a character of its own that makes it stand out.

Bud Points: 2.1 (running total 4.02)




Next!!!



Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence, 25.4 OZ, 7% ABV. $9.95.

The Pour: Maple Syrup, with a head.

The Color: Maple syrup, with an orange undertone (according to Erica).

The Nose: Big surprise! A packet of dried hot chocolate powder, or maybe some unsweetened baking cocoa.

The Taste: We're drinking this a little too cold, so I will let it sit for a while, but the first glass has a nice thick stout mouthfeel with chocolate undertones. We were expecting overtones, based on the labeling. Like one of my perennial favorites, Young's Double-Chocolate Stout.

We interrupt this beer-blogging session to inform you that Erica has started doing a phenomenally sexy cheerleading routine right here in my basement, in her painting clothes. I was playing a stadium-rock type tune, that lends itself perfectly to such behavior. There may have to be an intermission soon....

The Verdict: C. I may have to update this when we let it get back to room temperature, but for now, we're kind of disappointed. This is one of the top breweries in the world, and I expect nothing but the best from them. So this would have to count as a miss.

(Update: Now a B/B-. The chocolate came out more as the beer warmed. This was my fault. Also, as I commented at Toast's place: I think it's our own expectations. Ommegang, Rare Vos, Three Phils, and Hennepin are four perfect beers. Just perfect. ... [I'm] just not used to anything from Brewery Ommegang being "normal."

I still rate this below Young's, but it's a fine beer.

Bud Points: 2.96 (6.98)

Next!!!!!!!

Weyerbacher Blashpemy, 22 OZ, 11.8% ABV. (label quote: "When they first suggested we age our QUAD in Oak Barrels, I said THAT'S BLASPHEMY!") $6.99.

The Pour: Not much head, and it faded quickly.

The Color: Clear amber.

The Nose: Hello hops! And oak. Yup, just as labeled. Caramel.

The Taste: Hello hops! Very sweet, I guess as one would expect from the ABV. It is balanced but a large hop bite, being a quad and all. I'm getting some caramel also, but that's influenced by the nose.

The Verdict: B-. Tastes great, but nothing I haven't experienced before, from better mega-beers like Dogfish Head. A victim of its competition.

Bud Points: 4.33 (11.31)

Next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Young's Old Nick Barleywine, 17 OZ, 7.2% ABV. $3.49.

The Pour: Very thick head, slow to settle.

The Color: Brown-opaque.

The Nose: Malt. Ok, that's 3 out of 3 barley wines that didn't express themselves. Erica says caramel/malted milk-ball. I'm still getting nothing. OK, that's a caveat for all of today's reviews. My nose is useless today.

The Taste: Deep sweet malt, with a little burnt toast. Plenty of hops to achieve balance.

The Verdict: B. True to the style.

Bud Points: 2.04 (13.05)

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

Oh, what a glorious day. Got a lot of work done around the house yesterday, Erica and I went to a book signing/art show, I cooked up a MEAN venison beans and rice, and we knocked a ton of stuff off the DVR.

Today, a few more errands, a little more cleaning, and then, the football!

My Steelers are on the teevee today, because they're playing the J-E-T-S Suck Suck Suck!

Toast and I have a six-pack on the line for this game, as he is a Jets fan. And in a very cool coincidence, he and I are also going head-to-head in my fantasy football league too.

I bought an epic selection of beers for blogging, and if I haven't died from all of those, I'll throw in some wine-blogging too, as this year's Nouveaus are out.

Oh, the drinks we will drink and the trash we will talk.

Join us over at TwoGlasses for the Virtual Couch™, if you will, and yap away.

Brew-blogging update

Saturday, I racked my beer (and TCD's of course) down into the secondary fermenters.

12 days is longer than I like to wait, but I've been really busy, and these are really strong beers, so they can take it.

His is a deep, deep brown, very aromatic and mighty tasty. I added two vanilla beans for him, cut into 1-inch chunks.

Mine is black as tar. Even in the racking tube, it was solid black, 0% opacity. Oh, baby. Also tasted great, with chocolate and some burnt undertones. We'll probably bottle next Monday, and let them sit until the holidays. They'll need it, for the flavors to really blend.

I forgot to test the densities, stupid me, but on flavor alone, these will definitely pass 9%, and probably 10% when all the sugar is gone. Rock on.

Wine blogging

By popular demand! And by popular, I mean the 8-10 lushes that join us for Sunday football blogging at Toast's place.

First up: Falanghina Dei Feudi Di San Gregorio, $15

We've had a long week, as evidenced by the post below, so no cooking for us. The Wife suggested sushi, and I'll never argue with that call. While she was waiting for the order, she popped next door to one of our two wine shops, and asked for a recommendation. The main issue being, of course, that not many wines can stand up to wasabi (we like our soy dip hot to VERY hot) and/or don't go well with the raw ginger.

This was the guy's suggestion.

Thank. You. Sir.

Visual: high clarity; pale yellow fading to clear at the edge

First nose: TW said peach, pear, and banana. I said apple and peach and what was either oak or malolactic fermentation.

(NOTE: These things are highly suggestible, so we keep our impressions to ourselves until we decide we both have something to share. If one person just says "APPLE!" out loud too soon, the other tends to have trouble smelling anything other than apple.)

Second nose: She didn't get my apple, I didn't get her pear, but I did get her banana.

Does that sound dirty?

And I also decided on malolactic over oak. They confuse me sometimes, but made a decision here.

Taste: thick, rich, creamy, and dry on the finish. After tasting, all TW could say was "banana cream pie." I had to agree. Though I still got my apple.

Anyway, I was right about the malolactic (further research confirms stainless/malolactic fermenting). The cream just gave it away.

It went very well with the sushi/sashimi, and gamely held its own vis-a-vis the wasabi and ginger.

$15 isn't exactly in the "every day" budget range, but well worth it for a nice Friday splurge.

Now, to decide on a ratings scale...............

0-5 is fine for music and movies, but I have to go to 0-10 for wine. Just too much variety.

8 points.

Really, get over it.

I understand "image" and "marketing" and all that shit, but it really pisses me off that the media have been instructed to stop calling Georgia @ Florida the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." And the media comply (well, except for a couple ESPN radio guys).

You can call it whatever you want, it doesn't change the fact that there are 100,000 people there, 90,000 of whom have been, um, partaking in the enjoyment of libations?

This phoniness will be the death of America. Just look at the last 6 years...

Reality check: people drink. Also? People fuck. Sometimes, people drink then fuck. It's a beautiful thing.

So... all you fundies, tight-asses, prudes, and kill-joys? Are you listening? Just get over it. Get over yourselves. In fact, why don't you just joins us, and enjoy your lives?

Weekend Linkdump

There was a lot of great stuff out there this week, and I got nuttin'. I have a couple posts in draft form, but until they're finished, here you go:

Chris Dodd rocks.
Five greatest alcohol stories.
That "press conference" FEMA held about the wildfires? 100% fabricated. Just the way wingers like it.
Pizzas of death.
Even Republican "diplomats" don't want to go to Iraq, so they're conscripted or fired.
John Edwards is the man.
Wingnuts explain how they love children, but they just don't want to insure them.
The best motherfucking "Lost Pet" sign ever.
Chris Dodd rocks some more.
A really funny collection of blog posts that went nowhere.
The "War on Christmas" is starting early this year. DAMN are winguts gullible and stupid.
A depressing interaction with the deli clerk.
The looming real estate disaster looms larger and larger.
Best. Caption. Ever.
Michell Malkin flecks some spittle at a company suspected of fraud, because it's owned by George Soros. Wingnuts flock right behind her. Unfortunately, she didn't take 5 minutes to discover that Soros sold the company (after turning it around completely) to to some Republicans. Who obviously couldn't maintain that level of success, so they did what Republicans do. Namely, resort to fraud. Too funny.


And this. Holy shit, this...

The Ten Most Dangerous Organizations in America, according to Family Security Matters:

10) ThinkProgress
9) Muslim Student Association
8) CodePINK
7) American Civil Liberties Union, National
6) Family Research Council
5) Center for American Progress
4) League of the South
3) MoveOn.org
2) Universities and Colleges
1) Media Matters for America

The most dangerous organization in America is one that watchdogs the media? Telling, that.

It's not a bad workplace when....

Thursday, 6pm, still at your computer, hell of a day, and someone comes to your desk and hands you a beer and a cup of pretzels.

I work with a bunch of lushes.

Cool.

I'm gonna pour some out for my dead homie...

Sad news for beer drinkers.

Kitchen, continued...

Well, the floor in the kitchen has been done for a couple days, and I'm almost done getting it into the foyer. As great as it looks, and that certainly feeds the motivation, this is getting old.

But we have guests for the weekend, so I need to finish a lot tonight.

This is the normally weekend of my annual Saratoga Racetrack party (Saturday's big race is the Alabama), but not this year. It's just too difficult to cook for, and clean up after, 10-15 people. So just my friends from Boston, Tom and Alicia, and a good friend from Troy, John.

I'm predicting the damage to be: 2-3 cases of beer, 8-12 bottles of wine. That's reasonable for 5 adults, right?

Also, my birfday Friday. A pancake/blowjob breakfast and a round of golf. What else does one need?