Session Time…

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Nothing quite inspires a good session like a hot day.  Whether it’s post lawn mowing or just enjoying the afternoon the thirst provoked by the hot sun needs to be satisfied and beer can really hit the spot.  With beer shelves packed, top to bottom, with tasty libations how do you really choose what to treat your taste buds with when thirst and volume are diving the urge? More importantly, how do you choose when the shelves are packed, top to bottom, with today’s best offerings of high abv, intensely flavored brew? Flavor is so important and your sunny afternoon just will not be as satisfying as it could be without a beer that meets your standards.  Complicating matters, it is not just your standards that must be met, but the importance of not sipping yourself into a stupor when blue skies and summer temperatures are beckoning you to continue sipping throughout the evening. Continue reading Session Time…

Look elsewhere…like Spain!

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Here’s a challenge for all of you out there in internet land…try something new!  ‘You’ll never know if you don’t try,’ is applicable here.  I’m reminded of it myself when evening after evening I consume some of my favorite wines [brews, and ciders] from France & Italy…I know, France & Italy, as if anything matters outside of those two countries ;-)…& then I taste something that is either soo completely different or really good from neither of those two countries.  It’s shocking actually how ‘settled’ we can become in our habits, particularly in what we consume.

When I stepped on the plane to Spain at the end of February,  I thought to myself that I would much rather be flying to France or Italy (maybe the Piemonte again).  While on the plane less than a week later, I wondered to myself, “When can I come back?” What happened?  I was familiar with Spanish wines before through my tasting and studying of them, in fact I had even been to Spain before (Catalunya, although I was not there ona wine trip).  The trip proved to me how good Spanish wines actually are.  I came to understand that previously I didn’t really understand the wines of Spain, despite all my tastings of & studying of Spanish wines, as well as my previous visit. Continue reading Look elsewhere…like Spain!

Sake?

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OK I have a confession to make…I consume other beverages other than wine!  Shocking, I know, but there is a place in my heart for all types of brew as well as cider and even some liqueurs.  However, I have become interested in sake over the past few years.  Sake is not simple however, & let me tell you that I have struggled to understand the brewing process of sake as well as the subtle differences between a bottle marked ‘Namazake’ or ‘Junmai Ginjo.’  I recently had the opportunity to meet a sake specialist who was so incredibly helpful that I have invited him to teach myself and others about how sake is made.  He will also help clarify what the all those names on the bottle mean.  He will teach how to taste sake with the following sakes… Continue reading Sake?

What are Hops and why are they so delicious?

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Hops are the female flower clusters of a hop species, and are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor.  Hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine.  Hops were cultivated on a continuing basis around the 8th or 9th century AD in Bohemian gardens in the Hallertau district of Bavaria and other parts of Europe.  However, the first documented use of hops in beer as a bittering agent is from the eleventh century. Continue reading What are Hops and why are they so delicious?

Domaine La Croix Belle: A Shining Star from France’s Wine Pool

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Today, more than ever, there is a focus on “value wines”, getting the most for your money while still enjoying new sophisticated wines.  One of those places can be found in France Wild Southwest, once known only for providing bulk wine to the country, but I have found a place where I believe you still can find high quality at a reasonable price…Domaine La Croix Belle in the Languedoc.  Not only do I think they are stunning, but they have also recently received the following accolades… Continue reading Domaine La Croix Belle: A Shining Star from France’s Wine Pool

Happy New Beer!

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Okay, so it is a bit late to still be toasting 2010 and I am well aware that the play on words is lame at best, but the New Year has brought with it some delectable new beers which I will remain excited about for some time. There has been a slight rearrangement in the beer aisle – shifting the countries around a bit. We always need more space for Belgian beers and American brewing is stronger everyday. It is Scandinavia, however, that is flowing onto the scene. For many years the Scandinavian offerings here were quite limited but the potential was clear even with the lone representation being Sinebrychoff Porter. This porter is incredible. At one time there were vintage stamped bottles on the shelf from 1997 – a testament to age-ability and quality (also quite amusing to see a vintage sticker next to a ‘best before’ date). Sinebrychoff remains the only Finish beer on the shelf for the time being, but is now backed up by highly delicious offerings from its Scandinavian neighbors: Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Continue reading Happy New Beer!