Stone Enjoy By 10.31.16 Tangerine IPA

I picked up a bottle of the latest Stone Enjoy By creation and found the initial aroma to be fantastic. The flavor when cold had a muted hop flavor and while I was impressed with the aroma and flavor at that point, later on as it warmed the flavor presented as syrupy, almost cloying, and sweet. This was probably my least favorite of those I have tried in the series and could have benefited by a few more days in the fermenter. If you have it certainly drink it, but if you don’t, then I’d suggest you skip it.

Have a Happy Halloween and if you see a creepy clown take it out!

Should We Spend Time Looking For Whales?

Often a highly sought after beer, wine, or spirit will be released and you can feel the rush in the air as lines form and waiting lists are compiled to taste or purchase the rare libation. The question is should you spend much time trying to find a whale? IMO if it isn’t out of your way stick your head in the store and see if they might have what you are after. In most cases with whales they are very good if not excellent, but you can typically find something as good or almost as good with zero effort so putting forth effort to find a whale is not time well spent. I’ve had and sampled my share of whale beers and almost always the beer is good, but not mindblowing. Take Minneapolis Town Hall Masala Mama India Pale Ale for example. At one time it was a royal pain to find, but eventually I was sent a growler. In the past the brewery was one which was sought out, but at the most recent GABF they had no line at all. So enjoy what you have around you and if you run into a whale, celebrate your good luck, but I wouldn’t exert too much effort to secure something made of unobtanium.

Suntory Toki

I was perusing the aisles of the local liquor store and on the way out peeked behind the cashier to see what was new and he pointed out he had just received Suntory Toki and with a price tag of $29.99 I decided to give it a whirl. The closure is a plastic wrapped in a gauze cloth which was a bit odd, but easily opened to reveal a twist top. In the glass it does not have much color at all, mostly straw which made my wife comment because I so rarely drink light colored spirits neat. The aroma immediately brought to mind Speyside single malt Scotch, but this is a blend of whiskies from Suntory’s Hakushu, Yamazaki, and Chita distilleries. Toki was devised to be mixed, but I found it interesting enough to drink neat. It did not assault the nose or palate and had a honey character to the aroma with a hint of phenol. Those characteristics flowed into the flavor and to me it seemed like Macallan 12 lite and with a price tag of half Macallan I had no guilt at all filling another glass and even considered a third. The alcohol is so well restrained this is a great whiskey for having with a meal, dessert, or as I had it neat while relaxing. I can see the Scotch purist turning their nose up to this one, but to me it was a great glass. If you see it, give it a whirl, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

National Chocolate Day

OMG today is National Chocolate Day. I don’t care what you drink today, but make sure you have some chocolate with it. Chocolate pairs in many forms with alcohol in all forms and can make for a terrific experience. So if you aren’t prepared for today head for the store and get some beer, wine, or spirits and some chocolate to accompany your selection and end the week with a sensory experience. Cheers to Chocolate!!!

New Beer Woes

There is nothing I hate worse than thinking you are trying a new beer only to discover you have had it before, sometimes many times before. I play on Untappd and it helps track new beers, but often I pick before I consult the app and sometimes when I do I get burned. Tonight was one of those times and after making my beer selection I found I had actually had the beer before. Luckily it was the best of the bunch so having it again was not particularly disappointing, but I still prefer to select something new and local when I have a choice. In this case the it was the beer of choice and so I happily drained the glass and ordered another round. Life is tough doncha know!

Fantôme Reply = Coolest Thing Ever!

Yesterday my topic was an upcoming Fantôme event scheduled at a local watering hole and how the beers were all something I already had in the fridge. I received a comment from Dany Prignon and to me that is just about the coolest thing ever. I started my foray into Fantôme beers back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. We were going over the saison style and a buddy suggested we get together and try several. He had many different Fantôme bottles and I was instantly hooked. Sure they were outside the BJCP style guidelines at the times and knowledge of how to make a great homebrewed saison was limited because Farmhouse Ales was not published until 2004. One of my dreams is to actually visit Fantôme and meet Dany so to see him make a comment on my blog is awesome. Perhaps one day I will snap a photo of all my Fantôme bottles, but one of my absolute favorite beers from them is Brise-BonBons! Now if I could just find one of their tulip glasses I’d be a happy man!

Fantôme Event?

I happened to see a Fantôme event scheduled at a local watering hole on Halloween and thought I might go join in the fun. Then I looked at the beer lineup and I have the majority of them in my fridge and don’t have to spend $35 beans to go taste them. Of course the bottles were not cheap so at $35 the event is more or less a bargain, but it was quite a disappointment to see there were no extra special bottles of their beer which are made of unobtanium. I like going to events where something special is presented which cannot be easily obtained so this one might turn out to be a pass even though Fantôme has always been a favorite brewery.

Beer And Candy

Came across an HGTV video on beer and Halloween candy pairings. I’ve often paired various candy with beer over the years. I may have even recently paired PBR with Brach’s Indian Corn, but if I did I certainly would never admit it.  😉

NC Governor Election

A few days ago I made a few suggestions for President, but after seeing the N&O endorse Roy Cooper for Governor thought it might be best to detail who should be elected as Governor. Once again I must remind everyone there are only two topics I concern myself with for this blog, firearms and fermentation. Since alcohol is not a hot button topic as part of this election let’s concern ourselves with firearms. In that regard the choice is obvious, Pat McCrory. I can see left leaning readers bringing up HB2 and I suggest they delve into the truth of the matter, not simply the media hype. Charlotte passed an ordinance and the legislature reacted to quash it and soon after it was signed by McCrory. If CLT would have rescinded their ordinance then HB2 would have never happened. I see it going away at some point in the future, but to blame HB2 on McCrory is asinine. Cooper has refused to defend statute law on topics where he differed as Attorney General. He needs to be reminded his job does not allow him to decide what he can and cannot defend based on his personal beliefs. He was elected to a job and if he refuses to do his job he should either resign or be fired. He is a career politician and has never been a friend to the firearm owner and will not be if elected to officer. His inability to carry out his previous duties and desire to strip gun rights is enough for me to vote AGAINST him now and forever. So when you go to the polls in NC vote McCrory if gun rights are something you value and vote Cooper if you believe elected officials should be able to shirk duties of their position.

PBR, Acceptable Or Not?

Simply put, of course it is acceptable. There is a beer for everyone and even though most of the American lagers are very similar there is nothing wrong at all with someone preferring a particular beer. Yesterday I picked up a 12 pack of PBR to go with some BBQ and if you position it in your mind as a Classic American Pilsner you might be surprised at how your perception of the beer changes. At $6.99 a twelve it was the beer that’s in when the wallet’s thin or the beer to have when you are having more that one. So if you like a particular beer, go ahead and fill the fridge if you want to and don’t feel ashamed. If someone wants to poo-poo your selection then tell them to bring over something else. It’s your house, it ain’t Burger King, you get it my way or you don’t get it at all!