Beer Glorious Beer

Beer. I really do love beer. Beer, beer, beer. Yes, I'm very aware that this is a wine blog, but the same things we discuss when we talk about wine, are very similar to the qualities of a good beer. The two are not mutually exclusive. Beer is as complex (maybe even more so - take that oenophiles) as a good bottle of wine or a bottle of scotch. It shouldn't be looked at like it's alcohol's bastard stepson. Nor should drinkers of beer be seen as just a bunch of blue-collar shlubs. I don't wanna go all Breakfast Club, but drinkers of good beer come from all walks of life. But, then again, beer drinkers know that.

Anyway, I'm not reviewing anything today. I just wanted to stop by and tell you about some things that I'm looking forward to trying. First, Sam Adams is (or has) introducing an Imperial Series of beers to its lineup. For those who don't know, Imperials are usually referred to as "big" beers. They are usually higher in gravity and therefore have a higher alcohol content. Other terms associated with this style of beer are Double and Triple as in Double IPA or Triple Bock. According to the Sam Adams Web site:

With the Samuel Adams Imperial Series our brewers offer beer lovers intense versions of some of their favorite traditional beer styles by boosting the quantity of ingredients and testing the limits of each traditional style. With more robust and complex flavors and nearly twice the alcohol by volume of your average beer, each style in the Imperial Series is intended to be savored and appreciated like a fine wine.

Heh. In your face wine snobs - "...and appreciated like a fine wine." Enthusiasts really should give the Double Bock, Imperial Stout or Imperial White a go. Unfortunately, you readers in Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina and West Virginia will have to travel across state lines to pick these up.

250 years. Longer than the United States has been in existence. That's how long they've been brewing Guinness at St. James Gate. That means there's only...um... 8,750 years left on the original lease. Well for the first time in 20 some odd years, Guinness will offer a new, limited edition stout to commemorate the 250th anniversary of St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin. The new version of the "black stuff" will be fizzier, stronger and a single-pour version of its older, creamier sibling.

“This is more about refreshment and zing,” said Guinness master brewer Fergal Murray who created the new carbonated stout. “The stout has a different look and taste than anything our fans have ever experienced, but still retains the familiar character,” he said.

Guinness aficionados can grab the new stout starting April 24. I recommend stockpiling as the anniversary stout will only be available for six months.

Know of any new offerings or outstanding seasonals about to enter the market? Please let us know. We're always looking for something new to try. And, if you're a brewer, send your samples directly to me please...in large quantities...really large quantities.

Breathing New Life

When I began this wine blog back in May of 2007, it was really going to be just a way to help me discover new wines. I'm an admitted wine novice, but I like a nice glass of affordable wine and I'm always looking for recommendations...... so that's where we began.

Here we are, a couple of years (and a couple of pregnancies) later -- and well..... I'm looking for some new recommendations -- thought it would be a good time to breath new life into the site.

In addition to our already stellar roster, we've added two new contributors -- Two Busy & Kemp, and we are looking for one or two more.

And you can now follow us on Twitter.

Keep an eye on the site over the next couple of weeks as we look to make some exciting changes and hopefully increase our following

Cheers!

Drinking alone.... no fun!

So, a couple of months ago -- the Big Dubya got sick.... I mean really, really sick.

After spending the better part of a week in the hospital, he was sent home with some strict orders.... the harshest of which.... no alcohol for 6-8 weeks.

He told me to go ahead and indulge... he certainly did during while I abstained during all three of my pregnancies... but I've come to the conclusion -- I just don't like drinking alone.

Well, last night -- I got home after a really rough week.....dropped into the middle of a rough couple of months and well, I wanted a nice glass of wine and I'm thrilled to report that I got one!

2007 Trilogie de Fabre Montmayou Lujan De Cuyo Mendoza -- it's a red wine out of Argentina.

I can't find much on the internets about this wine... and I have no idea where I picked it up, I found it on the wine rack and it was either a gift..... or I bought it myself, in which case I know I wouldn't have spent more than $10-$12 on it.

It's a 70% Malbec, 15% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The bottle says

"The owner of the winery, born in Bordeaux-France, crated this typical 'assemblage' where the Malbec combined with the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon gives to this very elegant wine a great complexity. To be enjoyed every day!"

I can honestly say that the thing that struck me was it's smooth quality -- it was soft and simple, yet the underlying flavor was complex and deep.

I wish I knew where I picked this one up..... I'd happily buy it again!

Tastefully Simple!

A couple of months ago, I was invited to a Tastefully Simple party.

Normally, I'm not too enthused about such things.... you know how they can be -- you feel pressured to go, pressured to buy things you don't want, don't need and in some cases can't afford. The stuff gets delivered to you and then sits in the pantry 'til it expires and you throw it out. But, the hostess was kind enough to invite me and an evening out with the girls is rare these days -- so, I coerced my sister to come along and we went.

The girls -- really nice.

The food was good!

The drinks.... even better!

There was plenty of wine and snacks -- and then came time to order. And my sister's even more of an impulse buyer than I am, so the two of us were doomed!

I ordered a tub-o-chocolatini because it was delicious at the party -- now that I've got it at home.... 'eh -- it's just okay.

Would I buy it again?

Uhm probably not just for myself -- but for a party? -- it's handy and novel and yeah, sure why not? Some of the girls suggested embellishing it -- adding some half 'n half or other liqueurs.... maybe Bailey's or Frangelico hm... maybe I'll try that, see if my opinion changes.

I also ordered a box of the Bountiful Beer Bread. At the party I thought it was just okay -- I think the hostess said she had made it with Labatt's Blue -- the Tastefully Simple Rep said that the beer you used could make a big difference (translation: duh, don't use Miller Lite, stupid!). I say it was "okay" but that didn't stop me from slathering all kinds of insanely good and fatty dips all over it -- but honestly, I just wasn't sure if beer bread was for me.

For Superbowl Sunday, I made the bread at home with Berkshire Brewing Company's Gold Spike and HOLY CRAP is this bread good. I mean really, really good -- I mean, so good that I had a piece with my dinner last night and now I wish I'd brought a piece to have with my lunch today kind of good.

So, here's my question -- do you cook with beer?

I cook with wine all the time, and I've made Guinness beef stew once -- but, for some reason I felt kind of funny pouring beer into my bread mix (which, by the way is insanely easy to make....)

I got the fever....

Normally, I'm a "light" beer person.

I don't mean that to say that all I drink is Coors Light, but other than our dietary staple Guinness -- I tend to lean to the lighter brews.

Well, a few weeks ago we were invited to a holiday party where Berkshire Brewing Company's Cabin Fever was on tap -- I have one word for you..... YUM!

Cabin Fever is one of their "Holidales" and so it's only available this time of year, and while supplies last. It's really flavorful.... yet surprisingly it's not heavy. It just tastes like the holidays -- I never thought that a beer could remind me of gingerbread and nutmeg and still be...... well.... beer, but this one does.

Get your hands on some if you can

The Three Days of Sam Adams' Christmas: Days Two and Three

Ah, the holidays, when one's hopes tend to be shattered by the inability of others to give worthy gifts. Fortunately, my fam hooked me up with some lovely stuff; I fulfilled a years-old dream to go to a Christmas Day Lakers game, and I got a kickass new coffee maker, a stainless steel monster by Cuisinart that should keep me in a jittery state for years to come. The flip side: Sam Adams failed on most counts.

As the 23rd drew to a close, Beth and I decided to uncap a bottle of the Sam Adams Cream Stout and Holiday Porter. The Cream Stout was awful; the "cream" taste was there, but it was overpowered by a horrific twist on the coffee flavor touted on the bottle's label. Yes, it tasted like coffee - coffee that's been sitting in the pot for a day. The finish was sour and stale. The Holiday Porter fared a little better; much more drinkable than the Cream Stout, it was decent, with a mellow chocolate scent and taste, and a slight hint of honey at the finish. Still, nothing about the Holiday Porter was special - one expects a little bit of holiday magic from a holiday release, and the Holiday Porter was good, but not great.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were a blur, thanks in no small part to the drinking. I was lucky enough to score a bottle of Samichlaus for Christmas Eve. Wow. Too good. It's like Beer Crack. It's a good argument against the "I wish everyday was Christmas" sentiment, in that we'd a have a ton of Samichlaus addicts on our hands. When we got home on the 26th, Beth and I split a bottle of Adams' Limited Edition Chocolate Bock. This was a winner. Made with Swiss chocolate, it delivered on the taste; lightly hopped, with a rich, malty flavor. It was like Yoohoo for grownups.

Finally, I should mention Adams' Winter Lager. Eh, actually, it's not worth a mention. It's surprisingly lifeless, failing to deliver on the spiciness promised on the bottle. The flavors in general were underwhelming; I'd have liked to have tasted a bit more citrus, or cinnamon, or anything, really. Again, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't memorable, and the Winter Lager is further proof that Samuel Adams is no longer a "microbrewery"; there's something artificial and manufactured about this particular beer.

So while we're still in holiday mode - there's a couple more days left in The Season - I'm gonna venture out and see what other festive beers I can find. Have a safe and happy New Year! Prost!

The Three Days of Sam Adams' Christmas: Day One

It's possible that I could have come up with a more awkward title for this, my first The Whinery post. Give it time, folks. Anyway, hi, glad to be here. A few things about me, alcoholically speaking: I love good beer. I am, in fact, a Beer Snob. So my focus here will be on beer. Hooray beer! (Boo Red Stripe!)

For Beer People, there really is no better time of the year than Christmastime. For starters, we now have an excuse (as if we need one) to drink beer! And Christmastime is that magical time of year when brewmasters around the world release their seasonal offerings. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he loves him some caramel and chocolate malts and festive spices. This year, my wife Beth and I hit up the BevMo - hooray BevMo! - in search of yuletide brew. The selection was somewhat daunting, so I grabbed the Samuel Adams Winter Sampler box (containing 2 of the following: Cranberry Lambic, Old Fezziwig Ale, Cream Stout, Winter Lager, Holiday Porter, and their boring old Boston Lager) and a 750 ml bottle (1 pint, 9.4 ozs - close enough) of Sam's Chocolate Bock. I'm a highly efficient holiday shopper, I am. But you don't care about that part. You wanna know how the stuff tastes. Alrighty then.

Tonight I started with the Cranberry Lambic. I will tell you that along with my love of stouts, porters, amber ales and lagers - the heavy stuff - I do like a good fruity beer. The Germans and Belgians excel at these, and the Cranberry Lambic was heavy on the cranberry. As in, it tastes like an Ocean Spray Shandy. This was a bit off-putting - I like my beers to taste like beer, not Fanta - and the Cranberry Lambic suffers from the same overpowering fruit flavor that marks Sam Adams' Cherry Wheat. Sweet with a very tart finish, light despite the deep reddish and amber hue, it didn't strike me as a winter brew - this would be ideal on a hot summer day.

Next up: the Old Fezziwig Ale. Now this is a Christmas ale! Very complex, with strong caramel notes, and the flavor of mulled cider - orange, cinnamon, and ginger. I didn't get the bitter hoppiness that I found with the much less interesting Winter Lager. The dark brown color and relatively low carbonation scream "heavy", and indeed it was. Highly recommend this one; serve it before or after Christmas dinner, as the spices might be a bit much for the meal itself. I will say that a beer like this almost demands a higher alcohol content; both the Cranberry Lambic and the Old Fezziwig Ale have a 5.9%.

On tap for tomorrow: the Cream Stout and the Holiday Porter.