Saturday, December 31, 2011
New Year's Resolution
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Fall, Part 5 - Weather is Weird
Sledding is very wintery. | Hockey Skates - also wintery. |
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Fall, Part 4
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Fall, Part 3
Monday, October 24, 2011
Fall, Part 2
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Fall, Part I
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Nostalgia begets whiskey
Leopold Brothers claim that they produce their American Small Batch Whiskey in the pre-prohibition style, which is to say that they barrel at a lower proof (98 instead of the modern 125), ferment naturally without refrigeration, and distil the corn and rye over a whole day instead of flash-boiling. Interestingly they claim that by barreling at a lower proof this allows "more of the whiskey to come into contact with the barrel, allowing the mild brown sugar and molasses notes that come from the charred barrels to shine through." I'm not sure how that's true, unless the lower alcohol content means that the "angel's share" is smaller. Anyway, the real question is how does this pre-prohibition whiskey stack up?
For the record, I'm drinking this neat. First, the whiskey is very clear and light in color. Leopold Brothers doesn't state on the bottle or their website how long they're aging the whiskey in the barrel but I wouldn't think more than a year and certainly not more than two. It's similar in color and clarity to hard cider or a desert white wine. It has a mellow smell, mostly yeast and alcohol. The taste is similarly mild and distinctly unlike most bourbon. The whiskey is sweet, tasting slightly of vanilla and corn syrup. It's not cloying, but it is mellow and pretty one-dimensional.
So my verdict? I wouldn't buy this again or order it at a bar, but it wasn't bad. I'm actually intrigued to try some of Leopold Brother's other whiskeys. They make a "New York Apple Whiskey" that I might have to seek out given how much I love hard cider and Calvados.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Devoid of Flavor
Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite: Is There Any Difference?
BY ERIC ASIMOVIt's true that the craft-beer movement of the last 30 years has exposed a lot of Americans to the idea that good beer is complex, flavorful and distinctive. It's also true that Americans buy an enormous amount of terrible beer. Six of the 10 best-selling beers in the United States are light beers, including Bud Light at No. 1 (it outsells No. 2 Budweiser by more than 2 to 1), Coors Light at No. 3 and Miller Lite at No. 4. Because huge budgets are devoted to television advertising, industry analysts say that light-beer sales are "marketing driven." Basically, what the beers taste like is less important than the effectiveness of their ads — Bud Light's "Real Men of Genius" or Miller Lite's "Be a Man" campaign or Coors Light's labels that turn blue when properly cold. And apparently there is a need for the latter — sales of Bud Light and Miller Lite have declined for three straight years as Coors Light has shown modest growth.
I recently sampled the best-selling light beers to see if there was any palatable difference between them. The results: Coors Light offered no smell and no taste, but as the label indicated, it was indeed cold. Bud Light, which promises "superior drinkability," had only the faintest hint of bitterness but was otherwise devoid of flavor. Miller Lite was the clear winner. It seemed almost robust by comparison, but still hardly bitter. For added thrills, I drank a Michelob Ultra, the 12th-best-selling brand. Now here was a beer that truly tasted like nothing — no smell, no taste, not even the cold sensation of the Coors Light. If you want to drink basically nothing, Michelob Ultra is for you.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Black Chocolate Stout
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Put it in a box
But, is it any good? We thought that Hidden Oak Winery's 2006 Merlot was good enough to bring home a box. As you can see from the picture, the Merlot has a dark color, and while you can't appreciate it in the photo, it's a really nice dark ruby color. It has a relatively weak nose of red fruit. Now, even though the wine comes in a box it is a 2006 vintage and does require some time to breathe. When I first poured myself a glass I found a bracing acidic aftertaste. Luckily, that quickly faded as the wine opened up. Hidden Valley's '06 Merlot is very fruit forward, with a mellow tannic finish. The fruit flavors (raspberry, currant, and cherry) are quite nice, and the wine is well structured. You can tell that the tannins have faded with time, and they balance the fruit nicely. Finally, it's a fast-moving wine in my opinion. There's not much of a long lingering finish here, which some folks will like and others would no doubt criticize. My verdict - it's a good value and high quality, and should pair well with grilled meat and seafood.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Quick Trivial Post
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Still summer?
And yet, the summer sun is shining, it's gorgeous here in Cambridge, MA, and the breeze is warm. Maybe it's still summer? I found a singular bottle of Cisco Brewery's Summer of Lager. Maybe it's just denial, but I was looking for a last gasp of summer, and I went with it.
Each sip had a pretty hearty "beery" flavor with a lot of grain and a decent malt foundation. The Cisco website touts this beer's "hints of citrus" and "light, refreshing flavor." Crap. This beer is straight-up sour. But even worse than that, there's a musty fungal aroma that works its way into each and every sip. Just checked in on Iowa - tied in overtime. West Coast must be having a fit. Speaking of West Coast, the label on the Summer of Lager indicates a conscious echo of the Summer of Love, and I think perhaps all that the brewers at Cisco brought back to Nantucket from San Francisco was a love of sourdough. Gross.
There's probably a reason there was only one of these left. Maybe summer really is over.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Expanding the beat.
The ladies over at Jezebel have a post up today entitled How Much Alcohol To Drink So You Never Die. I found it amusing, and for some reason it actually caused me to reflect on my on drinking habits. Over the past year I've made an effort to drink little alcohol during the work-week, and instead do my drinking over the weekend. While this change has probably been overall good for my health, it is a major change for me. During law school, I'd frequently enjoy a beer with dinner. Now that I've been cutting back on drinking during the week I find that I'm not drinking as much beer as I used to. I enjoy a wide variety of booze including most wine varietals and spirits. Lately, I've been spending more and more time with wine, whiskey and scotch rather than strictly drinking beer.
So, while my previous posts have been devoted to beer, I've decided to broaden the purview of your noble West Coast correspondent to include these other beverages. I'll still cover beer, but less frequently. I hope that this change will be welcome. I certainly will have much to say -- I'm well informed on wine but a whiskey novice. And, since I'm located in San Francisco, I've ready access to some of the finest vineyards in the world. Look forward to some dispatches from Paso Robles starting next weekend, as the boyfriend and I are taking a weekend to do visit the AVA for wine-tasting and see my favorite band in concert.
On a slightly related note, I learned today that there is no proof that Ben Franklin said that "beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" (or similarly attributed quotes). Instead, Ben Franklin wrote this about wine:
This finding was clearly an auspicious omen for the newly expanded project. A toast then, to beer (still proof God loves us if you ask me), wine (in vino veritas), and whiskey (the water of life). Cheers!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Beginning a New Session
East Coast is a far better beer photographer
I recently had the pleasure of drinking one of the beers our East Coast correspondent previously enjoyed in March, Full Sail's Session Black, a black lager checking in at 5.4% abv. Like East Coast, I'm generally suspicious of black lagers. This could be because one of my favorite beers, Death & Taxes by Moonlight Brewing, is so exemplary that other black lagers seem terribly disappointing in comparison.
I found the Session Black to be good, although not as good as Death & Taxes. First, I have to say that the Session Black has a fantastic nose. It smells slightly yeasty but also has notes of coffee and chocolate. It has a slight smoke and chocolate flavor that is pleasant but ultimately too insubstantial. I understand that the brewmaster is walking a tight line, trying to add flavor without making the beer heavy, but I really felt that the Session Black was too light for its nose. I think this has a lot to do with how carbonated the beer is. It really feels like you're drinking seltzer when you take a sip. This doesn't drive the beer into "would not drink again" territory, but it's a mark off what is otherwise a very pleasant lager. All in all, it paired quite well with the grilled bratwurst and tomato salad that I was having for dinner, and I'm not at all worried about finishing the bottles left in the fridge.