CS Booze Club.

[thansal]

Out of curiosity, I asked them if they did that on purpose. I got a grin and "oh god yes, we were dying to see what your face was going to be like"

<facedesk>

murtilation is indeed in order, my apologies.

[Jester]

I mixed a six at Friar Tuck, and the other beer included Hite, but I've tried Hite and found it vile.

Then why would you get it again?

[KiaKat]

Tonight's Wine

Pascal Janvier Jasnieres 2010 -- 100% Chenin Blanc from the northernmost region of the Loire Valley, along the Loir tributary in the Val de Loir. Jasnieres was the favourite wine of King Henri IV, until it fell out of favour - which I think is an atrocity. Chenin Blanc is one of my favourite grapes, and the Loire one of my favourite regions for this phenomenal wine. Jasnieres is a tiny little section of the valley, and one that I'd never heard of before we picked up this wine for a tasting next week. The nose is dominated by gunpowder and golden apple (or is it Honeycrisp...), with underlying notes of damp slate and chalk.

I could hold this wine in my mouth for minutes and not get all the flavours. It's incredibly complex and minerally with a distinct flint note that I've only encountered in a couple other wines - and neither one was this weighty. Serious body on this wine, and the finish is apple & pear, backed with more of that gunpowder note, plus a bit of... electrified metal? Something metallic, but sharper than just plain metal. Like metal after a thunderstorm.

We're selling this for $25/btl. How is this a 2010, with this complexity, for only $25?! Definitely getting put to the side and held for a couple years.

[Jester]

That wine sounds good....I am going to have to look for it!

[KiaKat]

If it helps, it's a Kermit Lynch import. I'm not sure who he distributes with in Florida, but his website is pretty comprehensive. He's a major importer, so most decent stores are likely to carry at least a few of his wines.

[Jester]

Well, we have many fine venues for wine purchases here...not just my Beer Monger and the several wine bars/shops, but also one of the grocery stores here has an IMMENSE selection of wine. I call it the Mile of Wine.

And, let's see, it's shortly after noon on a Sunday....TIME FOR A BEER REVIEW!

What? I don't work for another 22 hours or so. And it's SUNDAY! Soon enough I'll be at a crappy sports bar eating crappy wings and drinking crappy beer, watching my suddenly not so crappy Raiders playing the relatively crappy Browns. So damn it, I deserve a good beer!

Here's hoping my selection is, in fact, good.

And the selection is Kostritzer Schwarzbier, a German black lager.

And we're off to a good start, as it pours almost motor oil-like, which is always a good thing in a dark beer. (Though it is not as thick as, say, an Oskar Blues Ten Fidy.)

The nose is subtle, but earthy, with some hint of coffee or mocha, but nothing over the top. Gee, guess I'm gonna have to taste it, huh?

Oh, this is nice. It seems light at first, but then the coffee and dark chocolate notes hit you on the finish, and elevate this. It's kind of a "light" black lager in the sense that it's not as heavy-handed with many of the flavors, but it's also not as boring and bland as Guinness's new black lager (which I have not yet commented on, but I tried on vacation, and took notes on). A tasty dark beer which is nice and malty, with a bit more carbonation than many dark beers, and just a hint of bitterness, but appropriate bitterness. I give it a solid 7.5.

[Jester]

By the way, I need some suggestions for a good riesling for a steak dinner. A girl is cooking me said steak dinner (with cous cous), probably Tuesday night. I hesitate to call it a date, as I don't think it is...but either way, I'd like to bring a nice wine, and she doesn't like many wines. She did mention she likes riesling, which I like as well, so....ideas? Suggestions?

[Victory Sabre]

A week and a half ago I had an amazing beer. It's called John Henry 3 Lick Spiker ale. The flavor was amazing. There was one drawback from it, though, it had 9.2% alcohol content. Oh, my, it knocked me for a loop. Tasty, though. I wish I remembered more specifically about the flavor. It was tasty, but a slow sipping beer. My friend had 2 16 ozers in the time I had one 12 oz bottle.

If you're not in Minnesota, you might have a hard time finding it, though. It's made by the Cold Spring (MN) Brewing company. I don't know how far and wide it's distributed.

[KiaKat]

Jester - if she says she likes Riesling, it's because she likes sweet wines. And that won't go with a steak dinner. But bring one anyway - Dr. Loosen from Loosen Bros. in the Mosel Valley is a good bet, and easy to find.

If you really want to pair with the steak, get either a good Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County (or Bordeaux), or an Italian Nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco, Carema, and Grumello are all good regions).

[Jester]

There was one drawback from it, though, it had 9.2% alcohol content.

So...what's the drawback?

Jester - if she says she likes Riesling, it's because she likes sweet wines.

Yes, she does. She pretty much said that.

And that won't go with a steak dinner.

By the usual standards, no it won't. But the most important rule of thumb is not the usual standards, but what one likes. And if she only likes sweet wines, well then....

If you really want to pair with the steak...

Oh, I know how to pair wines with food. I also know what wines go with steak, in general. But the girl doesn't LIKE those wines, so that whole idea goes right out the window.

[Victory Sabre]

So...what's the drawback?

If you need to drive afterward, it is.

[Cat]

Had some great beer in NH.

Tuckerman's Pale Ale. This is one of my favorites. It's a good clean pale ale and it just brings back great memories. No aftertaste really to speak of, good or horrid. If you can find it (only in NH and MA I think), give it a shot. (its prefect for after a hike)

Tuckerman's Stout. Tasty and rare (they only brewed a small amount for this year). Left you with a comfortable feeling.

Avoid Tuckerman's Headwall Alt. It leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. (we avoided it like the plague this time)

Moat Mountain's Okerberfest. I believe this was new this year. Tasted like fall.
Moat's Bear Peak Stout: Full beer. It was like drinking a loaf a bread. A wonderful loaf of bread. It can be a meal.
Moat's Square Trail Brown: A good average brown beer. Pleasant aftertaste.
Moat's Iron Mike Pale Ale: An average pale ale. Tasty. (if you are in N Conway...get a bite to eat and a pint there. My favorite place. "Fear No Beer")

We also spent an obscene amount of $ at the NH liquor store, so I hope to have more reviews.

Sorry my reviews aren't the best....beer is more about what memories I can associate with 'em rather then accurately describing the flavor.

And we continued our "Great Quest to find the Best Pumpkin Beer." We tried Sam Adams's Pumpkin beer. I was surprised how good it was. Initial sip was average....but then it got you with a pumpkin aftertaste. Still not beating Kennebunkport, but worth a buy.

Oh, and Jester, maybe you can help settle a debate. When one orders a Growler to take home, you tip your bartender, correct?

[Jester]

And we continued our "Great Quest to find the Best Pumpkin Beer."

Try Shipyard's Pumpkinhead. Absolutely deeeeelicious!

Oh, and Jester, maybe you can help settle a debate. When one orders a Growler to take home, you tip your bartender, correct?

That is, technically, a to go item. Much like to go food, tipping is really a matter of preference. *I* always tip my bartender, but that's me. If my bar did growlers and someone came in just for that, and didn't tip me, I wouldn't be all that concerned. But consider that a bartender pouring a growler is pouring you a drink. I would tip, but this is one of those gray areas, so I will not come down on either side of it. Sorry, I can't settle that particular debate.

I will tell you this, though....if you do tip the bartender in question for just a growler, you will almost definitely be treated better and get better service when you do actually stay and drink at the bar. Something to consider.

[Jester]

Okay, I have no idea if I've reviewed this beer here or not--I really need to go throw this forum and get my notes from it sorted, and compile a personal beer database (yes, I'm serious)--but on the risk of repeating myself, I am going to talk about a lovely Brazilian beer today.

Yes, I said Brazilian beer. Don't laugh...this stuff is the BOMB.

It's called Xingu, and it's a black beer. If you like dark beers, go find yourself some Xingu. I would tell you how to pronounce it, but I have no idea how to type it out. Basically, it's almost Gin-goo, but the first sound is much softer, than a hard G, but not quite a soft G. Zhin-goo might be the best way to type it. Sort of a cross between the g and the sh sounds, if that makes sense.

Anyways, enough about linguistics, let's talk about the beer!

It pours as black as any dark beer out there. No light gets through the blackness of this beer. It is a beer black hole. It is, in other words, gorgeous, with a lovely creamy tan head. The nose is very, VERY subtle, almost nonexistent, with no hint of what is to come, other than smoothness. This may be Xingu's biggest flaw, is its odd lack of nose.

More carbonated than a lot of dark beers, this is tasty, slightly malty, slightly sweet, no real bitterness, utterly drinkable for a dark beer. I picked up a six pack, and I could blast through it tonight. And might just do that.

Is this the best dark beer I've ever had? No. But is it delicious and memorable? Yes. Does it get me excited when I see that the Beer Monger got some in? Yes. I went in there with only the idea of buying a mixed six pack, or perhaps a six pack of Tire Bite (reviewed a few days ago). I got the mixed six pack, and they were out of stock of Tire Bite, but I saw the Xingu, and just got HAPPY. Yep...it's the kind of beer that makes you buy it despite other intentions.

Score: 8.5, plus several Jesterly smiles.

[Cat]

Ah, okays...we didn't tip for the first Growler (I didn't know til after the fact) and made sure we tipped for the 2nd. We're only in the area 2 weeks outta the year, but I'd like to leave a good impression

I have had Shipwyard's Pumpkin Ale....it is great. Still no Kennebunkport (which we can't find anymore. Enjoying this Quest greatly.