Black Friday 2014 Scores?

If you didn’t find something to snag as a deal with the Black Friday sales you were not paying attention. Whereas last year was all safes, this year was firearms and accessories. I saw one rifle at an outstanding price starting at 6 pm on Thanksgiving day and since we were in the vicinity of the store. The price was $50 less than I had ever seen the firearm. We arrived at the store about the time it was to open and there were already several hundred people in line so we bagged it, I wasn’t about to stand in line and then go through the paperwork with a few hundred other people. There were deals to be found in brick and mortar stores as well as online. One deal I snagged was ebay so it probably doesn’t count as Black Friday, but nonetheless it was a terrific deal. Most of the deals are still going on until tomorrow so if you are searching for something I suggest you check Black Friday on Slickguns as well as the daily deals. Amazon is rolling deals continuously and Cyber Monday is tomorrow so I expect the deals to continue into next week.

Stout Appreciation 2014

Last night was our annual Stout Tasting and it came a little later than normal so we could be sure one of the group was able to attend. After 25 beers we came to some realizations. At least some of the AleSmith Speedway we received in NC was awful and Meantime Russian Imperial Stout is either mislabeled or they forgot to use roasted barley in the beer. In the end our top 10 is pictured below and the top five countdown looks like:
5 – Olde Hickory Imperial Stout
4 – Epic Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout
3 – Founders Imperial Stout
2 – Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti
1 – Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

I actually voted for the Oak Aged Yeti to take the prize, but all of the top five were outstanding. Everyone enjoyed the Terrapin Moo HooChiato, and I think it belongs in the top 10, but I don’t personally see it as number 6. An awesome time with friends, can’t wait to do it again next year.

 

 

Foothills November 2014 IPA of the Month

Foothills November IPA of the Month is quite a tasty beverage. The beer is 6.9% ABV and the hops for this one are Chinook, Citra, and Simcoe with blood orange essence. Now it didn’t knock my socks off the way October did, but it was a very nice brew. Only one more brew for 2014 and it should be released soon. In case you can’t tell I’m looking forward to it. Cheers to Foothills for this series!

Note: They plan to do the same in 2015 with dogs featured on the label art.

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2014!

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Why Would You Do That?

Seeing the aftermath of the riot in Ferguson just makes me scratch my head and wonder why anyone would do that to a town in which they live. I understand an unarmed man was shot by a police officer and the Grand Jury did not find sufficient evidence to bring charges against the officer and that enrages the citizens of Ferguson, MO, but why burn and loot the city in which you live? It just doesn’t compute to me. Now I will admit I have not been the target of the police and other than being called a redneck from time to time by my wife I have not really been subjected to inappropriate remarks and held back by society on any level. Of course there are millions of Americans who have been targeted by the police and been subjected to racism and they somehow seem to make it through life without burning and looting businesses in their community.

Below is a video from Jonathan Gentry and his thoughts on Ferguson and the events which unfolded in August. He could have recorded that yesterday as it is exactly what transpired in Ferguson on Monday.

William Larue Weller

Last night at one of my favorite Bourbon watering holes I spied William Larue Weller sitting on the top shelf and knew I had to have a glass. This Bourbon is barrel proof, uncut and unfiltered and nothing short of outstanding. When it first arrived it was quite boozy with alcohol so I let it sit for a little while before sampling. It had a nice strong caramel character with oak and char and a notable warming post consumption. Present were dark fruits, leather and tobacco with a nice level of sweetness in the finish. I have never been able to locate this in a store, but will certainly keep my eyes opened. If you have the chance to taste this one, take it. It is a really nice Bourbon from Buffalo Trace.

AleSmith Decadence 2014 Anniversary Ale

As I was walking through a local bottle shop I spied a bottle of AleSmith Decadence and almost as soon as I saw it the beer jumped in my cart and so I had to take it home. Decadence is currently brewed annually to celebrate the anniversary of AleSmith, but was originally brewed in 2005 to celebrate their first decade in business. The beer changes style from year to year and the style this year was Wheat Wine. Some of the styles from the past include:
2005 English-Style Old Ale
2006 Imperial Evil Dead Red Ale
2007 Imperial Porter
2008 English-Style Barleywine
2009 Dunkel Weizenbock
2010 English-Style Old Ale
2011 Maple Smoked Barleywine
2012 Belgian-Style Quadruple
2013 German-Style Doppelbock

After having the bad experience with Speedway, my fear was we might be getting beer dumped in NC. Luckily that is not the case. Decadence was a tremendous beer at 10.0% ABV. The aroma and flavor were filled with strong fruity esters which included pineapple, peaches, and passion fruit. The bitterness is what turned this beast into an outstanding evening. The hops were spicy and floral and bittered perfectly to accompany the sweet malt and wheat characteristics. I picked up a little banana in the aroma, but nothing over the top or unpleasant and this would not be confused with a hefeweizen. If you see it, let it jump into your cart too, it is a great bottle to have and share.

 

Black Friday Deals 2014

Ok, I’m starting to see a few deals pop up here and there, but currently nothing that will get my sorry butt off the couch on Friday. Most everything I have spotted can be had online with the exception of a couple of items which Dick’s has and I would only get if I happened to be beside the place on Friday. Speaking of Dick’s, almost everyone remembers the Troy fiasco from a few years back and it leaves a bad taste in their mouth. Troy is offering an overrun Bravo rifle for 6 bills that ain’t a bad deal. I think the stock looks like something which belongs on a whale, but it might just be your cup of tea. A more interesting black rifle deal is the uppers from DSG. A really nice 5.56 or .300 BLK with a 15″ rail and BCG for 4 bills. Wallyworld is offering 20% off any in stock rifle or shotgun on Friday, but I’m not running across town for most of the firearms they stock at a WalMart. Other than those I’ve not run into anything crazy exciting. If you know of something post a note in the comments, I always love a good deal, especially if I can order it online. 😉

Highland Cold Mountain 2014

One of the most sought after beers right now in North Carolina is Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale. If you don’t live in the state you may have never heard of the beer. At one time it was a little known beer only released in flip top liter bottles and then you had to know someone to get some and typically had to buy a case of six to get them. The beer actually started in 1997 as Winter Ale and the blend of spices and flavors changes every year. I first got my hands on some in 2003 and over time it has become significantly easier to find. Now if you are in the Asheville area that might not be true, but typically bottles can be found nowadays in other areas of the state and often it will appear on draft. I must admit I’ve not been a fan of the past few incantations, but this year the beer is pretty tasty. Quite a bit of vanilla and hints of roast in the aftertaste with some nice spice undertones. The label lists all kinds of things on it including hazelnut, raspberry, cranberry, vanilla beans, and cinnamon and all work together to create this beer. If you haven’t grabbed a bottle, get on it. This will not last long and it is already sold out in many stores.

 

O Canada

I gotta be honest, in the past I’ve not been a huge fan of our neighbors to the North. They never seemed to get involved and all they do is send people like Justin Bieber south to invade our country and pollute our air(waves). And yes, I wouldn’t care a lick if he was deported. Some recent actions have started to change my mind about the country of Canada. The first instance was the way they handled the Ottawa tragedy. When a terrorist murdered Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and headed into the Canadian Parliament Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers killed the rifleman and saved the day. The news reports were professional and as far as I know no one climbed onto a soapbox to outlaw lever-action rifles.

So I was growing lukewarm to the country and figured that was about as deep as my feelings would ever go. Then on November 18, 2014 the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing the Nashville Predators in Canada and while the National Anthem was being sang the microphone cut out on the performer. The Canadians immediately sprang into action and saved the day. So now I’m even more impressed by our Northern neighbors, before long I might even quit all negative thoughts, especially if they would take Bieber back. Well played Canada, well played!