CS Booze Club.

[Jester]

Jester, by any chance, have you tried Lucky Beer?

Nope. Never heard of it. However, I did punch it in to my two favorite beer rating websites, ratebeer.com and beeradvocate.com, and the reviews were pretty negative. Mostly very low scores and harsh criticism, with one reviewer comparing it to Heineken, which means I would hate it, as I despise Heineken. Ratebeer.com, on its 100 point rating scale, scored it a 3. Best comments I saw about it on either site were "nothing special" and "boring, not too bad." If that's the BEST thing said about a beer from several reviewers, I am going to have a hard time getting excited about trying it, to be perfectly honest.

Surprisingly, my sister (who just turned 18 yesterday) and I have strayed away from the lolly water disguising itself as Vodka Cruisers and are drinking ACTUAL alcohol . She doesn't like sweet stuff, whereas I don't mind sweet, but the cruisers are TOO sweet.

I'll be honest: I haven't got the faintest idea what a vodka cruiser is. Never heard of it. Ever.

I need to get her away from Sol and Corona though.

One question: Why? If she enjoys the beer, why do you need to get her away from it? I'll be honest...I drink Corona. A lot. It's Mexican pisswater, yes, but it is my default beer, I can get it in just about any bar I go to, it's not hugely expensive, and when I'm hot, sweaty, and/or thirsty, it goes down reeeaaall easy. Nothing wrong with that.

So, why do you feel you need to get her away from that style of beer? Is it because you look down your nose at it (as many people do, and to be fair, they have a point) or because she wants to try something new? More importantly, is this Lucky Beer the stuff you think is going to free her from the cheap crappy beer she is drinking now? Because, to be perfectly frank, Lucky Beer doesn't sound really at all better than Corona...and to me, it actually sounds worse. Now, if you want to get her (and you) into quality craft beers, that's one thing, but you seem to be proposing trading one bad beer for another one. Hardly a move up.

(If you're wondering, ratebeer.com only scored Corona a 1 on their 100 point scale. But that is hardly a major difference from the 3 they scored Lucky...which, it should be pointed out, got high marks from all reviewers for their bottle, which is pretty cool. And that may have actually been what gave it a 2 point advantage over its Mexican competition. Just a thought.)

[BeenThereDoneThat]

OK, got a question for those of you with a much better knowledge of champagne than I have - nothing too expensive but nothing with a screw-top either. I would like to have champagne on New Year's Eve, assuming I will not be leaving the house, so I need to buy some soon. It would just be one bottle, for me and maybe the hubby. Suggestions??

As a side note, I think tomorrow on the way home (before going to hubby's work Christmas party) I need to stop and get some eggnog and rum...won't have time or energy to make my own eggnog (and I have never made it before) but dammit, I want some for the weekend!

[KiaKat]

Skip the Champagne, and go for something like Cava or Prosecco. My personal favourite for Prosecco is Bisson - runs around $20/btl. Mionetto is ok, but ubiquitous, and a serviceable fallback. For Cava, look for either German Gilabert (Brut or Rose) or Gran Sarao. Both are delicious.

For something similar to Champagne in style, look for one of two American wineries that do a Method Traditional sparkling: Gruet, out of New Mexico, or Domaine Carneros, from California.

If you're wedded to the idea of Champagne, look for Montaudon - it's the same quality as Veuve or Roederer, but about $15-20 less.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Thanks KiaKat. Guess it doesn't have to be champagne, but sparkly would be good.

[Jester]

Freixenet is decent enough, and comes in splits, so you don't have to commit to drinking a whole large bottle. Yeah, the splits are screwtops, but that is not nearly as bad as it used to be.

Of course, I am hardly that well versed on champagne, so feel free to ignore my comments on this subject completely.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

LOL. Thanks Jester. I might want to commit to drinking the whole large bottle, though...let's see how next week goes!!

[Jester]

From Belgium, we have Pannepot 2011 Old Fisherman's Ale, which, according to the label, is a ale brewed with spices, and is 10% ABV (alcohol by volume, for those who have forgotten).

This is pretty dark, darker than I thought it would be. (The brown glass bottle hid any clue to its character or color.) My initial impression as I was pouring it into the glass was that it was dark brown, but looking at it in the glass, it seems to be pretty much black, though it didn't pour thickly like a lot of black beers I have had.

The nose is earthy and musty, in a good way, and promises something good, though it is subtle, so I can't really describe it much more than that, other than to say I think I get a hint of licorice upon further sniffing.

Aaaand...it has that alcoholy taste so prevalent in Belgian beers that I don't always care for. Hmm. Upon further review, I am not really a fan at all. The alcohol taste dominates, and it is just not my style of beer. I will choke it down (of course!), but I am sure I will not be getting this one again. To be fair, I tend to not like Belgian beers, so if you like them, don't go by my opinion at all.

My final score: 3.

[Jester]

It's Christmas Eve! And what better to do on Christmas Eve (other than hanging with friends or family, or avoiding friends or family), than to do something Christmasy? Now, I have no sugar plum fairies dancing in my head (though I have no doubt there are some dancing on Duval Street), but I do have sugar plum beer.

No. Seriously. From Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, I have a big ole bottle (25.4 oz.) of Sugar Plum Brown Ale, "brewed with fruit and spices." The name was so ridiculous, and I have had so many wonderful beers from Cigar City, that I just had to pick this up the other day.

Its color is what one would expect from a brown, though when held up to the light it does seem to have some ruby red highlights. The nose is subtly fruity, but I can't really pick much off it to describe further. Very subtle, but a bit earthy.

The good news about having a big bottle of beer is that you have more to look forward to when it's good. Of course, the flip side of that is that, if it's bad, you have to either pitch the rest and waste beer, or struggle through it. And Cigar City has never let me down.

Until now.

From the makers of two of the best browns I have ever had (Maduro and Bolito), this is a huge letdown. The taste is weird, the fruit is not really coming through, nor are the typical flavors you associate with a brown, and this beer really has no character. It's a bit thin, a bit watery, and a bit odd tasting. I get the distinct feeling that when they were brewing it up in Tampa, they had sugar plum fairies dancing in their heads, as they must have been greatly distracted to put out a product like.....whatever this is.

It's not unpleasant so much as it is boring. A word I never thought I'd use to describe a Cigar City beer. Score: 3.5, with hopes that this is the last such disaster CCB ever gives us.

[Jester]

Wow. That Sugar Plum beer was so bad, after I finished the first glass, I actually poured the rest of the bottle down the drain; as I was pouring more into my glass, I started physically gagging at the thought or drinking more of it. Very uncharacteristic of me. And very uncharacteristic of Cigar City Brewing.

But the good news is, I'm on to the next one! From the makers of one of my favorite nut brown ales, I have a Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale. I just hope it is more welcoming than my last one. And if not, well, this is just a normal 12 oz. bottle!

It pours a reddish amberish brown....I'm a tad colorblind, so don't hold me to such visual descriptions! And once again, not picking much up on the nose. The good news is, not picking much BAD up on the nose, either.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! This is DELICIOUS! Subtley earthy, and equally subtley spiced with Christmas spices, this is very tasty, and a lovely change from that last stuff. I was drinking. It's hard to describe this one, other than to say it would be great with a Christmas dinner, around a fire, or just hanging out with friends enjoying the time. This is truly a welcome winter ale. Well done, Samuel Smith! Score: 7.5.

[Dilorenzo]

I'll have to try this again when I'm not quite so... festive. But just tried Heavy Seas beer for the first time - Winter Storm. It's apparently a Category 5 Ale, and has a Skull and Crossbones on it. It should, by all accounts, actually be bad (that is, the cooler you try to make something look, it shouldn't be).

However, it's got some wonderful deep flavors going on here. Quite hoppy, not as much as some might be, a nice middle ground. I think, taking another swig, that I get a little smoke in there too. All round, very decent. Not top of the pile, but definitely worth trying!

[Jester]

More Christmas Eve beer fun!

Back to a big bottle, but with more hope for this one! From Hoppin' Frog Brewery, makers of the fantastic B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Russian Imperial Stout, we have Hoppin' Frog Silk Porter. 22 ounces of it. Here we go!

And it pours very much like motor oil, which regular readers here will know is a good thing in my book.

Color is dark brown bordering on black, with a thin head.

The nose is intoxicating and enchanting. I use the adjective "earthy" a lot here, but this beer makes full use of it. Dark and robust, with hints of chocolate and brown sugar, and promises of something wonderful. But will the Frog pull through, or is it doomed to the same fate as the earlier Sugar Plum?

A little watery to the taste, but the flavors are there. It doesn't live up to the promise of the nose (or of its cousin, B.O.R.I.S.), but it is very tasty, malty, with a prominent brown sugar flavor. Tasty, but I was hoping for more. Score: 6.5.

[Victory Sabre]

I've tried the Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale, and was totally not impressed. Maybe I was expecting a bit more flavor, but it was a let down.

Speaking of letdowns, I tried the 2011 Schell's Snowstorm beer. I bought a 6 pack, after missing the Christmas Eve party at the VFW. Every year Schell's Brewery makes a new beer for the winter season, and calls it Snowstorm. Some years it's so popular, they make it into a regular beer (Firebrick).

This years is called 2011 Wee Heavy Ale. I'll be honest, it was a letdown from their usual product. Is it ok, and drinkable? Yes. Is it something I'd go crazy for and want to get more after the 6 pack is done? No. I should have thought of writing a review when I was drinking it, but didn't think of it till insomnia hit now. I'll post a review of it later today.


EDIT \\

Having one right now, and the flavor is hard for me to describe. It's a good beer, but nothing I'd go out of my way for. Here's what the Schell's Brewery has to say about the beer.

2011 Snowstorm Beer Style: Wee Heavy Traditional Scotch Ale



Alcohol by Volume: 7.0%


Flavor/Color Profile: Schell’s Wee Heavy pours a deep, rich mahogany color. It smells slightly sweet with hints of dark fruit. The brew has a smooth, velvety mouth-feel. The malty backbone procudes notes of brown sugar. The presence of hop bitterness is very subtle. The clean alcohol flavor balances the malty sweetness of the beer.

[thansal]

My interesting bit as of late is that I went out drinking with some friends and had 2 new to me Whiskeys.

The one I absolutely loved was Jameson 12 year which I have fallen in love with. It's everything that I like about Irish Whiskey, just more so. Smoother and a fuller flavor, it was really excellent.

The flip side is that one of my friends sprung for some Johnnie Walker Blue (he is a bit insane when it comes to springing for stuff like this).

Honestly?

It's Johnnie Walker Black (never actually had red...), just a little bit more mellow. Still not a fan of it at all. Combine that with the price tag, and so very not worth it.

The other, interesting I guess, things of the night was the first time I've had a car bomb (some one needs to rename that, it's a terrible name), which I still don't really get, and a pickle back (Which I totally get, however I still hate doing shots b/c I'm a wuss :P).

[protege]

Jester, have you had Yuengling?

[Jester]

The flip side is that one of my friends sprung for some Johnnie Walker Blue...

It's Johnnie Walker Black (never actually had red...), just a little bit more mellow. Still not a fan of it at all. Combine that with the price tag, and so very not worth it.

I think this is a matter of different palates tasting things differently.

I have tasted both Johnnie Walker Black and Blue. The Black to me tastes like harsh rotgut. The Blue I have described as "liquid silk." I am not a huge scotch guy, but I love the Blue, and find the Black undrinkable.

But then, I know people that are not overly impressed with Pyrat Cask 1623 rum, and of course that to me is sacrilege, as that is the single best liquor I've ever tasted. *shrug* More proof of the adage "your individual mileage may vary."

...a car bomb (some one needs to rename that, it's a terrible name)

It's actually called an Irish Car Bomb, and whatever you think of the name, my friends and coworkers and I, for the most part, all LOVE them. Yummy!

Jester, have you had Yuengling?

By the gallon. Seriously. Well, the Lager I have had by the gallon. Which is pretty tasty for a beer that is normally comparable in price to the BuMiCos of the world.

I have also tasted Yuengling's Lager Light (tasted like watered down Yuengling Lager), their Black and Tan (tasted murky, not all that great), and their Lord Chesterfield (skunky cheap beer). Out of all of them, their flagship Lager is definitely my favorite.