As I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently spent some time in Michigan's wine country. While it's no Napa, it has a charm that is unique to Michigan and it produces some pretty kick as white's. While at the tastings, I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxed nature of the staff and the wine enthusiasts they were pouring for.
I was expecting more of the "snobs" that are often associated with wine enthusiasm. Thankfully, they were absent.
Have any of you ever experienced such wine/beer snobs before? Are you a wine/beer snob? If you've ever used the term "sweaty saddle" to describe a leathery like scent in a wine, the answer is "yes".
My favorite beer of late is Hitachino Nest White Ale
Damned good.
I really enjoyed the Sex "Brut Rose" from L. Mawby that I had on our wine tour. Who says a pink wine can't kick ass? Rose's can be so awful but when they are good....!
So what's your poison these days?
I had a Kölsch in Dusseldorf once that blew me away. Cologne is supposed to be the place for it, however. Maybe it was from there. In Michigan, Keweenaw Brewing Company has some very good beers. I'm a fan of their Pick Axe Blonde and their Widow Maker Black Ale. They are available in the UP and LP, maybe Wisconsin too.
Thanks, I've not had either Pick Axe or Widow Maker. I'll keep my eye out, but won't hold my breath in NC.
My favorite beers are Belgian: Hoegaarden, Leffe, Westmalle, La Chouffe, Duvel. But the circumstances in which beer is drunk are very important for its appeal too. After hiking in the Rockies for several weeks even a Heineken tastes like heaven. (No, it doesn't, it was an MCB actually. Heineken: fuck that shit!)
Westmalle Trippel is one of the finer things in life. The Belgians do beer right. Love all the Trappist beers, and the lambic family is a fun excursion to the edges of what beer can be - Boon especially. Drool...
Like I said, one dimensional and that dimension happens to be skunk. Beer Advocate gives it a 65% rating based on over 1600 reviews. Pretty bad.
Heineken: fuck that shit!
-Wow, there's some serious Heineken anger. I've never understood why Heineken is so damned popular. It's a really one dimensional beer. I think they're just really, really good at marketing.
Here's the reference : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snhiofL2Rh4
Nice, can't believe I didn't catch that. pour out a sip for my fallen homie mr. Hopper
I'm a relative beer n00b but my favorite is currently Quilter's Irish Death from Iron Horse Brewery in Ellensburg, WA. It tastes how I thought Guinness would taste. You can actually find it in single bottles in supermarkets in the Seattle area, but I've also seen it on tap in a fair number of places around town.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll keep my eye out for it next time I'm out west. I'm curious, was Guinness lighter bodied than you expected? It was for me. There is a beer called Moose Drool that I used to drink in college that has the same effect. It's really dark and cloudy but actually drinks smooth and light.
That is it exactly. With all the talk I'd heard of how Guinness is a meal in itself, and not for the beer n00b, I thought there'd be... more... to it. More body, more flavor. It's not bad, and I'll have one from time to time, but.. Irish Death is what I was expecting out of Guinness.
Ghetto Blaster from Motor City Brewing Works, hands down. And I don't have a close second (but I have a shit load of distant seconds).
I have had Ghetto Blaster before. Not only is it a great beer but it's a kick ass name for a beer. I wonder if there is anywhere in my neck of the woods to get some? Ill look in to it. I would love to try any specific suggestions in this thread if possible. I just got back from the grocery store and they had the Hitachino Nest there, I'll be diving in momentarily while starting season 2 of Game of Thrones. -Can't wait.
Another favorite of mine that has exploded in the last 5 years is Bells Two Hearted Ale. They have a tough time keeping up with orders in North Carolina and bars/restaurants get shorted here often. When I see it on the shelves, I buy it. Sometimes quality is sacrificed for quantity, maybe it's better that Motor City Brewing Works keep it local.
I recently realized that I enjoy white wines now, which is great because I've been working towards that for a while now. My wife had a head start on me, having a bit of wine with dinner as a teen with her family. Still don't have the taste for beer, but with so many wine and whiskeys to be tried I won't go unparched. I hope to do a wine tour of the Okanagan valley sometime, sounds like those things are fun!
I enjoy white wines a lot but never did when I was just beginning to drink wine. I also LOVE sparkling wines. Enjoy the wine tour, they can be a lot of fun. I used to teach a wine training class for incoming servers at the restaurant I worked at with sounds_sound. He used to always say "I never met a red that didn't want to be a white". -What say you now s_s, still a bigger fan of the reds? P.S. those were the days my friend!
Those were the days for sure. We had a lot of fun back then. As far as the wines go, I'd have to say a really good red is still hard to beat. Something bruised and chocolaty, or even dried and condensed like an Amarone is still tops for me, but I'd most definitely take a big, balanced buttery chardonnay over a cheap cab any day.
Teaching that wine class with you was my first taste of what it's like to do something you truly enjoy and get paid for it. I felt like I was stealing.
Great photo, makes me want to try one. Right now!
I don't think I can pick a favorite beer, but here's some favorites that may have flown under people's radar: Lost Coast Indica IPA Humboldt Brewing Co's Hemp Ale Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian IPA Trader Joes has a seasonal Belgian Celebration Ale for $5 around Christmas that's usually a must-buy
I've not tried any of these, thanks for the suggestions. I always see Flying Dog beer in the store, their labels are hard to miss. I know I tried one at cW's house once and I recall enjoying it but can't remember which one it was. I'm looking forward to trying the Trader Joes seasonal Belgian Celebration. I love belgians, I love only spending $5 on good beer and Christmas is my favorite time of year. I'll definitely check these out. Thanks.
Shiner Bock. (Nice beer but it's not really a bock).
Great beers, all of them. When I was at the University of Montana you used to be able to go in to Buttreys/Albertsons grocery and get mix and match 6 pack. I would always get the Deschutes Brewery beers in there. Thanks for the memory.
NZ Sauvignon Blanc (spelling?) is very good; Pinot Noir also. Overall I'd say Australia is better for red wines, and NZ is better for whites. Not sure how much gets exported, but NZ wine is generally excellent, and getting cheaper all the time. As an aside, NZ has almost completely eliminated the cork, and gone screw-top. A bottle of wine with a cork, these days, is a sign of a wine maker who has not upgraded their equipment (i.e. wine with a cork is now quite likely to be inferior to a screw-top).
I like NZ Sauvignon Blanc's, they can be really great and are perfect for outdoor summer consumption. Refreshing, crisp and often with some nice apple and pear accents. I would agree that Australia is better for the reds, at least that has been my experience. I seem to like Shiraz's from the McClaren Vale area and the Borossa Valley. You have a favorite Sauvignon Blanc? Who knows, maybe they distribute to North Carolina?
My fav Sauv Blanc is "Saints", mostly because it's really good and you can find it on sale for $10-12 a bottle (about 81 US cents to our dollar, but I'm not doing the math). Haven't had a bad one, though :-)
Nice. I'll keep my eyes out for this bottle. Appreciate it.
That's the stuff. As an aside - my spouse was on the latest season's NZ Master Chef. She was booted in the first episode, though ;-(
Wow, that's bad ass brian. So do you eat well at home or is it like a mechanic that never works on his own cars because he's sick of doing it all day? I always thought it would be great to date a massage therapist but then I asked a guy who was dating one once about it and he said he probably gets less massages from her than most do from their girlfriends. I hope your spouse enjoyed the experience. I know someone that was on the US version of "Top Chef" and she was eliminated early on too. These types of shows do very little to display how good a of a chef someone is but rather how good they are at silly tasks or cooking in an insane environment with unusual items/instruments and very quickly. -At least in the US.
She cooks too well! Really makes it hard to drop a few pounds (and I need to). She enjoyed being on the show, and I really enjoyed her practicing for it, but she came away from it a bit disillusioned. Editing can make anyone appear however the editors want - it has caused us to view all reality TV in a new light. With enough footage, you can paint any picture you want.
Reality TV is for the birds.With enough footage, you can paint any picture you want.
-This has long been my feeling about "reality" TV. My friend wasn't painted in any sort of "light", she really wasn't there long enough but I could see them framing her as the "weak" one, which is far from the truth. She's a pretty strong willed person.