The Finer Things In Life

[AssHatSoxFan]

has anyone had the Bud Light Golden Wheat? It has to taste better than regular Bud Light, no?

[hogan873]

Much better than the Anhauser attempt at a pumpkin beer at least.

 

Have you had Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale?

[FlaSoxxJim]

has anyone had the Bud Light Golden Wheat? It has to taste better than regular Bud Light, no?

 

My bet is it is at least as cr@ppy as Bud Light, though I'm not rushing out to try it.

 

Have you had Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale?

 

Aye, and it's excellent.

 

There are a few on this list I'm anxious to try or retry.

[G&T]

I had the Smuttynose Pumpkin offering over the weekend. Plenty of pumpkin but also a high level of hops which leaves it difficult to drink for me. Very bitter and very spicy. However, after about half a glass, that bitterness fades a bit and leaves a solid pumpkin beer.

 

Shipyard is easy to come by out here, and while there is good pumpkin flavor in theirs, its a bit thin for my tastes.

 

I also had the Blue Moon Pumpkin which was pretty nondescript.

 

Southern Tier (which I thought I had but I can't remember) and Weyerbacher are 2 that I would like to try.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I had the Smuttynose Pumpkin offering over the weekend. Plenty of pumpkin but also a high level of hops which leaves it difficult to drink for me. Very bitter and very spicy. However, after about half a glass, that bitterness fades a bit and leaves a solid pumpkin beer.

 

Shipyard is easy to come by out here, and while there is good pumpkin flavor in theirs, its a bit thin for my tastes.

 

I also had the Blue Moon Pumpkin which was pretty nondescript.

 

Southern Tier (which I thought I had but I can't remember) and Weyerbacher are 2 that I would like to try.

 

Weyerbache's is very good. I haven't had Southern Tier.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Revisiting the historic 1960s-era Boo Loo cocktail from Beachbum Berry's Grog Log over the last couple of days. I tend to only do this one when whole pineapples are on sale so I can have both the fresh pineapple the drink requires and also have a pineapple shel I can hollow out to serve up my drink in.

 

[The Mrs. thinks it's kind of dorky to go to such lengths as serving drinks in hollowed out pineapples, but she was away last night so I got to enjoy my tiki giki without the usual attendant snide remarks].

 

Fresh chunk pineapple, pineapple juice, lime juice, an ounce of honey, a dash of club soda, and four different rums (4.5 ounces!) from Guyanna, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica*, and blended together and served up in a big ice-filled goblet. Who can argue with that combination??

 

* [Forced, as always to cheat on the elusive Demerara 151 and use the serviceable but not-quite-perfect Gosling's 151 in its place.]

Edited September 30, 2009 by FlaSoxxJim

[FlaSoxxJim]

Decided I have one more Boo Loo in me tonight.

 

extra-blended the chunk pineapple to keep a little fresh fruit texture but to get rid of the largest straw-clogging chunks. Result is positive improvement of an already outstanding drink.

 

Also sub'd cheap (but tasty) El Dorado Demerara Dark for the marginally more expensive El Dorado 5 year (one of my favorites). Result is. . . a still better drink! Dark, rich rum flavors stand up to a good helping of pineapple and lime juice, and honey makes it all the better!

 

This is a drink that can make a rum convert out of practically anyone.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Tiki Bartender Revivalist God Martin Cate knew a great drink when he tasted one. The Boo Loo figures prominently on Forbidden Island's menu — a vintage cocktail paradise that makes me want to get on a plane to go visit Alameda CA right now.

 

This menu is largely based on the Beachbum's scholarly urban archeology, btw, and there are a full dozen drinks on the menu that I rock as house regulars. So why the hell is someone else making all the money on the deal?!?

 

 

 

Seriously, when it is all said and done, Jeff Berry will do for the Tiki Revival what Pierre Celis did for the Belgian Witbier Revival. And that is not an overstatement.

 

ETA: FI's description of the Boo Loo is on the money:

 

Boo Loo — A smooth blend of pineapple and honey, but beware its quiet strength.

 

You can taste lots of great rum flavors, but they are so smooth you would never guess there's 4.5 oz of rum in one of these (including a good dose of dark 151 proof).

Edited September 30, 2009 by FlaSoxxJim

[hogan873]

I need to make a trip to Binny's and get a good selection of fall brews.

[NorthSideSox72]

I tought I was a beer snob... until I read this thread and realized that I am nothing on the beer snobbery scale, and the beer knowledge scale for that matter.

 

I'll just throw a name out there, that I don't think I've seen discussed in here yet... 90 Shilling, by O'Dells (Colorado). Fave beer ever. Nectar of the Gods. Unfortunately, they don't ship outside CO and some nearby states, because they don't put preservatives in the beer whatsoever - the only way to get it elsewhere is to order it online.

 

Anyone ever had it?

 

[G&T]

I tought I was a beer snob... until I read this thread and realized that I am nothing on the beer snobbery scale, and the beer knowledge scale for that matter.

 

I'll just throw a name out there, that I don't think I've seen discussed in here yet... 90 Shilling, by O'Dells (Colorado). Fave beer ever. Nectar of the Gods. Unfortunately, they don't ship outside CO and some nearby states, because they don't put preservatives in the beer whatsoever - the only way to get it elsewhere is to order it online.

 

Anyone ever had it?

 

Yeah, I'm a snob. It's an illness, cured only by drinking...I hope.

 

I LOVE scotch ales. Have you ever tried 3 Floyd's Robert the Bruce? Probably the best scotch ale I've had. Haven't had the 90 Shilling, but the Robert the Bruce might be a good substitute.

 

By the way, very few breweries put preservatives in their beers. Macros tend to because they have no hops. No craft brewer ever adds preservatives to the best of my knowledge. Hops are a natural preservative. Interestingly, the preservative quality of hops is the reason for the India Pale Ale style, which is essentially an English ale with a ton of hops to survive the trip to India back during the days of English rule.

 

It's more likely that O'Dells just doesn't have the capacity to brew for national distribution. Also, the larger the batches, the more likely a drop in quality will occur. They might not want to sacrifice quantity for quality.

Edited September 30, 2009 by G&T

[bmags]

Are you sure there's no 90 shilling in Chicago, well, sorry you would know.

 

They have a good stock of it in Missouri. Oi, i didn't think I' ever pine/respect the products of Missouri when I first got there. Not a bad state everyone.

[NorthSideSox72]

Are you sure there's no 90 shilling in Chicago, well, sorry you would know.

 

They have a good stock of it in Missouri. Oi, i didn't think I' ever pine/respect the products of Missouri when I first got there. Not a bad state everyone.

O'Dells said (last I checked, a few months ago) they don't distribute to IL. I suppose its possible some shop in Chicago orders some directly and re-sells it, but I haven't seen it yet.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Yeah, I'm a snob. It's an illness, cured only by drinking...I hope.

 

I LOVE scotch ales. Have you ever tried 3 Floyd's Robert the Bruce? Probably the best scotch ale I've had. Haven't had the 90 Shilling, but the Robert the Bruce might be a good substitute.

 

By the way, very few breweries put preservatives in their beers. Macros tend to because they have no hops. No craft brewer ever adds preservatives to the best of my knowledge. Hops are a natural preservative. Interestingly, the preservative quality of hops is the reason for the India Pale Ale style, which is essentially an English ale with a ton of hops to survive the trip to India back during the days of English rule.

 

It's more likely that O'Dells just doesn't have the capacity to brew for national distribution. Also, the larger the batches, the more likely a drop in quality will occur. They might not want to sacrifice quantity for quality.

If you like Scottish Ales (which I do as well, obviously), another one I found in Chicago that was quite good: Stone of Destiny Ale, from the Lia Fail brewery in Scotland.

 

[bmags]

well if i lived in missouri i would've shipped you some...sorry!

[NorthSideSox72]

well if i lived in missouri i would've shipped you some...sorry!

THanks for the thought, but I can actually order it from O'Dells via their website and have it shipped. Its pricey that way, but every so often, I do it anyway.

 

[hogan873]

I found this site while searching for places from which to buy beer. Doesn't seem too bad price-wise. Anybody use them before?

 

http://www.liquidsolutions.biz/home/wall.asp?dept=beer

 

[FlaSoxxJim]

I've had 90 Shilling and a couple of other Odell brews that I thought were all very good. Someone gave me a bourbon barrel-aged stout from them the was great. The 90 Shilling is on the lower-octane side of Scottish-style ales, and although I'd prefer a wee heavy it's really well done.

 

The American Scottish Ale I loved and really miss is Bert Grant's Scottish Ale which is sadly no longer being produced.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Having been mostly out of the Finer Things loop for a couple of weeks, I need to go back and catch up with some previous posts. . .

 

Found Stingo at the bottle shop today. Probably shouldn't have spent that much on 1 bottle, but since it's the only one I'll ever buy, it's worth it.

 

Have you cracked this yet? I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

 

I'm currently doing a tasting of fresh Hennepin vs. Cave Aged Hennepin and the results are in. Cave Aged is AMAZING and blows away the fresh version.

 

The Cave Aged Hennepin sounds like it's definitely worth trying. I'm jealous.

 

Had a Stone Ruination IPA last night and a Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale tonight... both are very good!

 

I hope you had the Sierra first before the Ruination hops had their way with your tastebuds. I had no idea this Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale even came out, but looking at now it sounds really intriguing. I've had their regular harvest, and I've tried and failed to secure a bottle of the Chico Estate Harvest, but I'm familiar with and fond of two of the three New Zealand hop varieties used in the Southern harvest, so I'm dying to find it now.

[G&T]

Having been mostly out of the Finer Things loop for a couple of weeks, I need to go back and catch up with some previous posts. . .

 

Have you cracked this yet? I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

 

Have not touched it yet. Probably won't happen until the weekend, but I'll post my thoughts.

 

The Cave Aged Hennepin sounds like it's definitely worth trying. I'm jealous.

 

I don't know if I can drink fresh Hennepin again. I think the result would be the same if you just aged it in for a couple years, but it's almost worth the money to have them do it for you.

 

 

 

[FlaSoxxJim]

It has taken a year or so, but I think I now officially grok J. Wray and Nephew overproof rum.

 

Like most people, I wasn't even sure what to make of the stuff when I first encountered it. Heck, when even the likes of Kaiser Penguin title their JWray pieces, “Why does my drink taste like gasoline?”, you know there is a learning curve associated with this rum. For several months, I stuck to using the JWray in a purely suporting role, just a bit to add some Jamaican authenticity to caribbean punches (and the flavor does cut through nicely and make itself known). More recently, drinks where the Wray is more front-and-center like JWray and Ting and Jasper's Punch (see aforementioned Penguin post) have become more appealing to me, and I find myself going through bottles of JWray quicker than anything else.

 

Tonight I think I finally reached the next level with this unique rum. I revisited a Beachbum Grog Log recipe called Blackbeard's Ghost that is itself an embellishment of a 1970s grog cocktail from a long-defunct Newport Beach CA pirate-themed restaurant. A really good, very quaffable drink in its own right, with a couple of ounces of sour mix, falernum, and apricot brandy compliment a moderate (2 oz) amount of light and demerara rums. A couple months ago I'd have mixed this one up and been perfectly content to not tinker with it. Tonight, though, I tasted the Ghost, liked it quite a bit, but then thought, you know, going Jamaican and subbing JWray for the light rum and Myers (or Coruba) for he dark rum WILL make a really good drink. Thing is, I had no doubts about this whatsoever. Before I ever mixed it up and tasted it, I pretty much knew how this would come out and I knew it would click.

 

And it did. And I think I really get J. Wray and Nephew now. So, instead of Blackbeard's Ghost, I'll call this one Blackbeard's Nephew (see what I did there?), and it will be fast-tracked out of the experimental column and into the locked-in house drinks column.

 

yay rum!

Edited October 1, 2009 by FlaSoxxJim

[bmags]

You substituted ghost for Nephew!!!

[FlaSoxxJim]

You substituted ghost for Nephew!!!

 

[bmags]

Seriously, your posts make me incredibly thirsty/longing for sunlight/beaches (come november...Florionopolis). If I'm ever in FLA, presumably that's where you live, I'm expecting some top notch drinks to me made.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Yep, I'm in Florida. And you sure would expect the tropical-themed restaurants and bars here to make decent rum drinks, but for the most part they don't. Spiked Kool-Aid is what you get 9 times out of 10, although that is slowly changing for the better as the Tiki resurgence continues. There are a handful of places in my part of the state who make a decent rum drink here and there. The Keys are probably an exception, and most of my favorite rum bars are down there.