The Finer Things In Life

[FlaSoxxJim]

Went to a Belgian Beer Festival on Saturday that was quite good. Rather than doing small tastes of everything for a door fee, they were pouring full servings, so sadly between my wife and I we only got to sample 6 or so of the 50 beers on offer. The highlight for me was an 10% T'smisje/Regenboog Special strong ale with pumpkin that was exceptional. Also couldn't pass up the always wonderful Saison Dupont which I almost never have an opportunity to have on tap.

 

There were no geuezes on draught which bummed me out, but the Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus framboise comes off way more like a geueze — brilliantly tart and tasty.

 

T'misje Vuvee was a nice witbier we'd not encountered before, and Maredsous 8 was as good a Dubbel as I have ever had.

 

The Duchesse de Borgone Flanders sour red ale ran out before we got to it, so we made due with an Ichigem's Grand Cru that was itself very, very good.

 

The evening before, out at our newish craft beer bar, we had a chance to try Brooklyn Blast which was terrific. I believe that was the only keg to make it to east-central FL, so I'm hoping there's still some left. This is a Brewmaster's Special, or reserve, or some other such designation indicating highly limited availability. Draft-only as far as I can tell, and most of the production not leaving New York. If you run into this one, get it! Supposedly 9 different hop varieties are used, and the aroma and flavors suggest most of that hopping is late-addition and likely a good amount of dry-hopping as well. HUGE, floral citrus-spice hop bouquet, and light, crisp and fresh hop flavors dominate. The bar called it an IPA while some online resources suggest a double IPA or imperial IPA. On tasting, I'm saying the bar got it right. Despite the enormous hop presence in this one, the actual bitterness is quite moderate.

 

This is a new favorite in the American pale ale/IPA category for me!

[G&T]

That sounds like a hell of a good time. Love me some Belgians.

 

Speaking of which. A friend's bday was yesterday and we went to the biergarten. They have Aventinus on tap so of course that was my beverage of choice. No one else had ever heard of it. By the end, I got 2 people to love it, and everyone else proved that they are bud light drinkers. Oh well. Can't win them all.

 

Meanwhile, my fiance's brother was out here a couple of weeks ago, and isn't much into quality beers since he is in college. I grabbed a Sam Adams brewmasters 12 pack. He took strongly to the scotch ale and didn't care for the noble pils. A man after my own heart. Big malty beers, and no hops. So I went out and grabbed an Oscar Blues Old Chub and a rauchbier, since I figured he's probably never drink one again. Guess which one he liked more? The rauchbier! I told him it tasted like sausage and onions and smokey-ness, but he couldn't believe it when it actually did.

 

So, even though I've had to severely cut back my quality beverage drinking, I've accomplished something in the last month.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I haven't yet had the Sam Noble Pils. I'm optimistic that it is more balanced than their Imperial Pilsner which is just totally too high octane for the style and an object lesson that more is not always better. The Noble Pils has looked interesting (the promise of five types of hops always catches the eye), and I keep flirting with picking it up but then end up getting something else instead. It has started to show up on draught though, so I'll probably give it a spin that way before picking up a 6-pack.

[hogan873]

I'm more of a fan of malty beers than those loaded with hops, but I though the Noble Pils was actually pretty good. Clear golden body with a soapy white head that disipates quickly. Citrus and pine hops dominate the aroma, which invites you to take a sip. Medium mouthfeel with some bright carbonation towards the end. The taste starts with just a bit of malty sweetness. This is quickly pushed aside in favor of slightly sugared grapefruit and a punch of pine. Nice, smooth aftertaste. Good brew!

 

[G&T]

I haven't yet had the Sam Noble Pils. I'm optimistic that it is more balanced than their Imperial Pilsner which is just totally too high octane for the style and an object lesson that more is not always better. The Noble Pils has looked interesting (the promise of five types of hops always catches the eye), and I keep flirting with picking it up but then end up getting something else instead. It has started to show up on draught though, so I'll probably give it a spin that way before picking up a 6-pack.

 

Their imperial series is a mess in general. I haven't had any of it since the initial release. But this is a session beer.

It's actually the spring seasonal which I guess means they pulled that dreadful white ale. From what I've read on Ratebeer, SA pumped up the hops from the time it was first available for sampling to the time of release. It probably won't be hoppy enough for your tastes, but I happen to like it. At the very least, it isn't anything you'll hate.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Their imperial series is a mess in general. I haven't had any of it since the initial release. But this is a session beer.

It's actually the spring seasonal which I guess means they pulled that dreadful white ale. From what I've read on Ratebeer, SA pumped up the hops from the time it was first available for sampling to the time of release. It probably won't be hoppy enough for your tastes, but I happen to like it. At the very least, it isn't anything you'll hate.

 

No, I actually really appreciate late hop flavors and aromas as much as I do ballsy IBUs, so I need to give it a spin.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Grrrr. . .

 

I use up the last 1.5 oz of 8-year PR rum in the house, another 1.5 oz of coveted Appleton 12, an ounce of Goslings 151, carefully measure out 6 more ingredients in anticipation of a perfect 1934 Don the Beachcomber zombie. . .

 

And then I fock it up on the last ingredient, adding 1/4 tsp instead of 1/8 tsp of Pernod. I knew it looked like too much as I was putting it in, and sure enough I used the wrong measuring spoon.

 

Anything but Pernod and it's no big deal. But with the heavy anise flavor of the Pernod, any sort of overpour just totally throws off the balance, unless you are a big fan of black licorice and Good 'N Plentys. Which I am not.

 

There is almost enough high-octane rum in this one to overcome it, but not quite. And so the cocktail I'd been looking forward to for a couple of days now days is now a flawed gem.

 

 

ETA: I even squeezed afresh grapefruit for a nice, zippy Donn's Mix #2 to go in this one.

 

Grrrr.

Edited March 4, 2010 by FlaSoxxJim

[witesoxfan]

Grrrr. . .

 

I use up the last 1.5 oz of 8-year PR rum in the house, another 1.5 oz of coveted Appleton 12, an ounce of Goslings 151, carefully measure out 6 more ingredients in anticipation of a perfect 1934 Don the Beachcomber zombie. . .

 

And then I fock it up on the last ingredient, adding 1/4 tsp instead of 1/8 tsp of Pernod. I knew it looked like too much as I was putting it in, and sure enough I used the wrong measuring spoon.

 

Anything but Pernod and it's no big deal. But with the heavy anise flavor of the Pernod, any sort of overpour just totally throws off the balance, unless you are a big fan of black licorice and Good 'N Plentys. Which I am not.

 

There is almost enough high-octane rum in this one to overcome it, but not quite. And so the cocktail I'd been looking forward to for a couple of days now days is now a flawed gem.

 

 

ETA: I even squeezed afresh grapefruit for a nice, zippy Donn's Mix #2 to go in this one.

 

Grrrr.

 

Measure twice, cut once

[FlaSoxxJim]

Measure twice, cut once

 

indeed

[FlaSoxxJim]

Finding myself out of an anejo Puerto Rican rum (see above Zombie Nightmare post), I decided to pass up my usual (and truly very good) Bacardi 8 year for a bottle of 3 Star Ron del Barrilito. The 2 Star is minimally aged (3 years I think) and well respected as the everyday gold rum in much of PR, while the 3 Star has a little more age (blend of 6-10 year rum) and depth of character. Haven't mixed up a drink with it yet, but I quite enjoyed it neat as a sipper last night. Once I clear another space in the cabinet I need to think about getting the 2 Star as well.

 

I'm sort of embarrassed I haven't gotten around to these rums before now. They are well-regarded and have a 100+ year history behind them. Supposedly there was a barrel filled and set aside in the aging cellar in 1942 with instructions not to tap it until PR becomes a free nation. Not sure that's ever going to happen, but I sure bet that rum has come along wonderfully.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Don't want to toot my own horn, but isn't that a great damn garnish in that martini?!??

 

Oh. . . and the Boodles Gin, Noilly Prat vermouth, and Ango orange bitters don't hurt, either.

Edited March 9, 2010 by FlaSoxxJim

[Leonard Zelig]

I got to try Sam Adams Noble Pils at the brewery this summer. They had 2 new flavors and we got to vote for the one to get into the rotation.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I got to try Sam Adams Noble Pils at the brewery this summer. They had 2 new flavors and we got to vote for the one to get into the rotation.

 

So. . . How was the Noble Pils?

[Leonard Zelig]

So. . . How was the Noble Pils?

 

It was good, I voted for it over the American Lager. I don't remember it well enough to describe it, it was a great trip and we drank a ton of great beer.

[Balta1701]

It was good, I voted for it over the American Lager. I don't remember it well enough to describe it, it was a great trip and we drank a ton of great beer.

Wow, a beer in this thread I can comment on.

 

I thought it was ok, but I probably wouldn't order it again. Despite trying, I wasn't able to catch any of the stuff discussed in the last post on it. Maybe I'm just a weak palate.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Wow, a beer in this thread I can comment on.

 

I thought it was ok, but I probably wouldn't order it again. Despite trying, I wasn't able to catch any of the stuff discussed in the last post on it. Maybe I'm just a weak palate.

 

Still haven't tried it. Went to the excellent local beer bar with my wife on Sunday specifically planning to try the Noble Pils on draft, but they ended up having too many other new things on tap and I never had the Sam.

[Leonard Zelig]

On our tour of the Sam Adams Brewery, I saw people working that I recognized from their commercials. Particularly the big, bald, bearded guy.

[FlaSoxxJim]

On our tour of the Sam Adams Brewery, I saw people working that I recognized from their commercials. Particularly the big, bald, bearded guy.

Bob Cannon, one of the brewers there. That's pretty cool!

 

[Balta1701]

Anyone else ever found the New Belgium 1554? Dark beer they're putting out now. I tried it 2 weeks ago and found it very good.

[southsider2k5]

<!--quoteo(post=2097055:date=Mar 9, 2010 -> 12:03 PM:name=Leonard Zelig)-->

<!--quotec-->On our tour of the Sam Adams Brewery, I saw people working that I recognized from their commercials. Particularly the big, bald, bearded guy.

 

Bob Cannon, one of the brewers there. That's pretty cool!

 

So tell us now many brewers are on your Christmas list?

[FlaSoxxJim]

Anyone else ever found the New Belgium 1554? Dark beer they're putting out now. I tried it 2 weeks ago and found it very good.

 

New Belgium doesn't make it anywhere near Florida, sadly. I dream of plain Jane Fat Tire that I can't get.

 

That 1554 does look interesting though. Looks like the first time they've ever used a lager yeast in one of their beers.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Adding the exactly 6 drops of Pernod first this time around, I managed to mix up a 1934 Donn the Beachcomber Zombie to book specs tonight — or at least to reasonable specs given that the Puerto Rican rum Donn used back then doesn't exist anymore and I can't get Demerera 151 here to save my life.

 

Subbing the newly encountered and very nice Ron Del Barrilito 3 Star PR and an imperfect Goslings Black Seal 151 in place of the above missing ingredients, and piling Appletons 12 year on top of that, gives a nice rummy base for this historic tiki drink. Toss in homemade falernum (lime zest and ginger liqueur that one of the great "lost" cocktail ingredients), homemade cold-press grenadine (pomegranate juice and sugar), homemade Donn's Mix 2 (grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup), lime juice, and a dash of bitters, quick mix in a blender with a cup of ice, and voila! Vintage Tiki genius.

 

Stepping back from my own cocktail nerdia long enough to see the number of specialty and homebrewed ingredients in this one, I guess I can understand why the original zombie is not often mixed up outside of the homes of obsessed alco-historians. Which is a shame, because this is one incredibly tasty, no-holds-barred, rumaliscious drink!!

 

That said — and as much as I'm digging the Del Barrilito as a new favorite sipper — I think this drink is slightly better with old standby Bacardi 8. Granted, when a drink weighs in at 4 oz of rum (including a good whallop of overproof), you're not doing a lot of side-by-side comparisons unless you already have a replacement liver lined up. But I think there is an over all depthe and richness that the Bacardi 8 gives to drinks like this that the Del Barrilito just barely misses out on. Maybe that means Del Barrilito stays on as a fine sipper, while the Bacardi 8 resumes its place as my go-to anejo PR rum for mixed drinks aqnd cocktails.

 

Meanwhile, the Missus continues to give me the Evil Eye as the rum collection spills out from it's confinement pen and onto the kitchen counters and beyond.

 

In tonight's zombie, the cinnamon and ginger noted from the Donn's mix and falernum do rise up to add essential flavor notes, while the Pernod that almost single-handedly destroyed my last zombie attempt (due to an accidental overpour) sits quietly in the background where I much prefer it.

 

The big downfall of the Internet is that I can't give you all a taste of this drink, because I think if I could I'd make a lot of converts to the cause.

 

[FlaSoxxJim]

And in other not-drunk-but-drinkin' news. . . the Trinidad Sour continues to be the greatest counterintuitive-cocktail-that-totally-works in history. I think I poured dashes off of my first bottle of Ango for two years before I used it up, and now here comes this crazy, shouldn't-work-but-does cocktail that uses a full ounce of the stuff in one go!

 

Someone else here on SoxTalk, please give this cocktail a spin at home. It has, for good reason, been the buzz in the bozeblogger community for a while and it's worth trying if only to challenge your notion of how bitters should be used in cocktails and what exactly constitutes a cocktail by conventional standards.

 

Disclosure: I can't get a 100-proof rye here, so by necessity I substitute the venerable 80 proof Old Overhart in this one. I've asked Santa for Bonded Rittenhouse for a couple of years running, and instead I always seem to get underwear. Go figure.

Edited March 16, 2010 by FlaSoxxJim

[hogan873]

Anyone else ever found the New Belgium 1554? Dark beer they're putting out now. I tried it 2 weeks ago and found it very good.

It's one of my favorites. Extremely flavorful and easy to drink. If you're a fan of dark beer, this is one of the best.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Despite the lack of activity in this thread, my evenings of late have not been entirely bereft of the finer things.

 

This evening I'm getting the chance to get to know a brand new (to me) rum called Scarlet Ibis. A Trinidad navy proof rum blended from several oak aged pot still rums and imported to the states specifically at the request of NY's Death and Co. cocktail bar, a couple dozen cases were released to the public in 2008 and apparently some more has been made available as well. Been reading about this one for a while and last week it showed up on the shelf of a local shop.

 

Sipping this one neat revealed lots of great funky pot stil flavors backed up by a formidable bit of alcohol. Some of the reviews I've read suggest this one is too harsh to make for a good neat sipper, but I think I have to disagree.

 

Tried it in a classic (rum, curacao, lime, orgeat, simple syrup) mai tai next, pairing an ounce of Scarlet Ibis with an ounce of El Dorado 15-year Demerera rum which remains one my all-time favorite rums. Outstanding drink, good complexity and balance, and one that I could drink on a regular basis if the rums weren't both $30+ per bottle.

 

Currently enjoying a daiquiri with the new rum, lime and sugar, and a bit of pimento (allspice) dram. Really a very good drink, although I'm a little surprised how nicely this boisterous rum plays with the other ingredients. Totally tasty drink, but I was looking forward to a little more of the rough rum character coming through in this one. Might need to step back some of he other ingredients to let the rum come through a bit more.

 

The experimentation continues. . .