CS Booze Club.

[Jester]

I mostly drink Jack, but when I drink beer its either Modelo or one of my two favorite local brewers, Abita and Tin Roof. Tin Roof has a Watermelon Wheat that is exceptional. Very subtle fruit flavor and very crisp. I used to like Flying Dog but I cannot find it around here anymore.

Negra Modelo, or Modelo Especial? Or some other one I don't know about?

Love Abita Amber, and have enjoyed many of their offerings. Not familiar with Tin Roof. Flying Dog makes some great stuff, and has great artwork on their labels.

Priorat is generally considered to be the Rhone Valley of Spain. Grenache/Syrah based blends, usually with Cab or Merlot to shake things up a bit. Montsant is usually known as the "baby Priorat," and the big winemaking family for the area is the Perez family. Sarah is Mas Martinet, and her father is the bigwig behind Clos Martinet. In many ways, they ARE Priorat.

When my finances improve, I shall look for it!

[MoonCat]

So since the place we wanted to go for drinks closed early today for the Labor Day holiday we decided to just go pick up some wine and a new bottle of rum.

Jester! I found Brinley Gold! Shipwreck Spiced Rum, to be exact, the only flavor they have of this brand. It's very smooth. Going to try some in coffee.

[Jester]

Not a huge fan of their spiced rum, actually. I find it to be the only thing they make that is average.

[MoonCat]

Not a huge fan of their spiced rum, actually. I find it to be the only thing they make that is average.

I'm no expert, so I can't really tell, although it's better than the last stuff we had. I will keep looking for some of their other rums. Really want to try the vanilla

[Ellain]

Speaking of rum, has anyone tried Kilted Bear rum? It is to die for. (This is coming from someone who doesn't drink much.)

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...y=1&ref=search

[KiaKat]

Hehehehehehehehehehe yah. You know he's one of our long-standing members, right? (Redbeard, formerly Silverharp)

I've had it. It's absolutely killer, and definitely needs to somehow get out there - Once he's funded, I'm going to put him in touch with some of the Northeast distributors, so it'll get into bars out here and become the Next Big Thing.

I need to post about the Rioja rose (vintage 2000!) I had this weekend, along with the cocktails and the new rum I picked up. Going to be a fairly long post, deserving of some decent attention.

[Ellain]

I knew he was Silverharp, but I didn't realize he was Redbeard, lol. And you should have been at Dragon Con- I wanted to meet you! Among others...

[KiaKat]

I wish! We're aiming for next year, but this year was just a bit too chaotic.

[Jester]

Speaking of rum, has anyone tried Kilted Bear rum? It is to die for. (This is coming from someone who doesn't drink much.)

Negative, Ghost Rider. I've never even heard of it. And I'm the Rum Guy!

So, if this guy is a member here, how about you have him send me some of this killer rum my way? Hell, there's a very good chance we could start buying it for The Bar. (Though I have no idea how the distribution would work...)


Last night I tried something new (to me) from Shiner, their Kosmos Reserve. Which is, apparently, an American Pale Lager. Which is what most average rum of the mill American beers are. Style wise, that is. Not taste wise. This was fuller and smoother, by far, than your typical American swill, such as the typical BuMiCo. Tastier, too. As of last night, it was pretty much the best thing I had had by Shiner. I gave it a 6.5 out of 10.

Tonight I'm trying another offering from Shiner, Prickly Pear. Which, as the name might tell you, is beer brewed with prickly pear fruit. The color is interesting. Sort of a medium dark amber. Definitely darker than the very light color I would expect from beer made with cactus. The nose is sweet with just a touch of acidic tartness--very interesting. The taste is...is....is....I don't really know how to explain this taste. It is definitely one of the most unique tasting beers I've ever had, and that's saying something! Like the nose, it's a bit sweet with a touch of tart, but there's more to it than that. It's very smooth, not just the taste, but the mouth feel, which is something I rarely comment on. It's slightly rich, too. THIS now is the best effort I've had from Shiner. I've gotta give it a 7.5 out of 10. I don't know that I could drink a lot of these. But it is definitely something I would buy again.


Speaking of beer, while on my quick two day road trip up to Fort Lauderdale, I tried a couple of beers I hadn't had before. And...I did not take notes. Why not? Three reasons:
1. I was in the middle of my fantasy football draft on my computer. Since it was a live draft, I couldn't really miss it. And we made it to Lauderdale and into the bar, and got my computer set up and online, just in time to make the draft. I think I had only five minutes to spare.
2. The food at the place was killer, and while I enjoyed the beers, I could not be bothered.
3. I just felt like not taking notes for once. It was kind of cool.

But I will say that the beers in question were both quite good. Sadly, I can't tell you what they were, as not only did I not take notes, but the beer menu listed the bar's website is not at all the same one I ordered off of. But they were two of the only craft beers on draft that I had never tried. I know one was from Sierra Nevada, I believe a red, and I liked it, which was odd, as other than their flagship Pale Ale, I had never had anything by them that I'd truly enjoyed. I can't tell you what the other one was.

That being said, if any of you are ever in Fort Lauderdale and would like to hit a bar that is good for food and beer, with friendly (if a bit slow) service, head to Tap42. I am still dreaming of their Drunken Goat Burger, made with lamb and beef (not goat), whipped goat cheese, arugula, tomato, onion, and Abita Purple Haze raspberry jam. Simply one of the best burgers I've had in my life. But don't even bother trying to eat it with your hands. I took one look at it, and grabbed my fork and knife!

We also had their Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppadews, made with clover honey and basil, which were so good, we ordered another round of them! And my friend got the Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi, made with mandarin oranges, jalapeños, pink radishes, cilantro, and a ginger ponzu sauce. My friend thought the dish was too busy and didn't need the excellent sashimi bogged down with all that stuff, but I thought it was a brilliant dish overall.

Of course, the measure of any restaurant or bar comes down to a simple question: Would you go back?And, while most of the beers they have that I have not yet sampled are very expensive large bottles, they DO have a great selection of craft beers on draft, and they have fantastic food. Would I go back? The answer is a very emphatic "Hell yeah!"

[KiaKat]

Jester, he's still working on the licensing and distribution angle. I'll shoot him over here, though, and we'll see what happens.

[Jester]

In a celebratory mood. Football season is finally here. My college team looks good, my NFL team doesn't look nearly as horrible as I thought they would, my fantasy team is kicking ass and not even bothering to take names, and my psycho ex is behind bars as a "fugitive from justice." Life is good. Time for a new beer!

Tonight I shall be having, from Founders Brewing in Michigan, Dirty Bastard scotch style ale (8.5% ABV). The name really seems fitting for my evilly happy mood.

The color is a rich chocolate brown. The nose is even richer, malty with strong notes of chocolate, cocoa, and dark brown sugar. The taste....is phenomenal. Smooth, rich, malty, semi-chocolatey, but balanced, with just a hint of a strong alcohol bite hiding back in the shadows. Delicious! This would go great with any rich mean, or as a nice, slow sipper after dinner, or to celebrate something....something evil...something dirty...something deliciously wicked. I could not have picked a better beer for tonight's schadenfreude. I am tempted to score this a 6.66 out of 10, and that would be funny, it it would not do the beer justice. No, its score matches its ABV: 8.5.

To quote the Refreshments: "...and that seems fair!"

[Jester]

Sweetwater Brewing (Atlanta, Georgia) presents Waterkeeper Hefeweizen Ale (0.0% ABV): Hazy golden color, typical of the style, with a fluffy white head. The nose is subtle, but hints at the banana aroma one would expect in a hefe. The wheaty flavor associated with hefes is here, but more reatrained than in many other iterations. Some might say watered down. Decent, even good, but not as good as I had hoped, especially from a brewery like Sweetwater. But then maybe I fell too in love after having had their 420 Extra Pale Ale, which is truly special. After all, their blueberry certainly wasn't all that. In the end, Waterkeeper is worth drinking, and refreshing, but not worth spending your time seeking out. Though if I came across a six of it, and there was nothing else really jumping out at me, I'd buy some. So basically, slightly better than boring, and a 6 on a 10 scale.

[Jester]

I am going to try a new beer, and I am very excited. While I often get excited about trying a new beer, it's rare that I get this excited. Why the difference today?

Because today I'll be trying an Aecht that I've never had before.

"What's an Aecht?" you may ask. Oh my friends, gather round, and listen....

Aecht is a German brewery I had never heard of until World of Beer opened in Key West, and I spent some time attacking the Germans. (German beers, that is.) Aecht specializes in smoked beers. Now, I've had some smoked beers before, but most of them fell flat, either because they brought the smoke but had no other discernible flavor, or they had a flavor, but the smoke was negligible. But the idea of smoked beers had always intrigued me.

And then I found Aecht. WoB KW had four of them, and I tried all four. And...I loved all four. And shall post my notes on those four at the end of this, for the new Aecht is calling to me. So just one more bit of exposition before I get to the beer itself.

Having never heard of Aecht, the crew at WoB KW and myself had no idea how to pronounce it. Originally, we were pronouncing it OCT, as in octagon or October. But then one day I met a fellow from Germany who told me it was pronounced OSHT (rhymes with moshed). While I was up on the mainland last week, I bought a few singles of various beers I hadn't tried before, or seen in KW. And while shopping for these, I saw an Aecht on the shelf...an Aecht I'd never had: their dopplebock. I LOVE a good dopplebock. So, without any further Reinheitsgebot....

Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche (oak smoke dopplebock, 8.0% ABV): The color is light brown, somewhat darker than a good caramel, with a very slight haze to it. The nose is the most heavenly sweet smoke, like a family barbecue welcoming you home on a cool fall evening. There's a hint of toffee on the nose as well, along with other things I can't quite identify, but would love to spend some time with, talking about mutual friends.

The taste....is superlative. The smoke, while unmistakeable, is not as strong as the three other smoke beers I've tried by them, though stronger their lager. (See below.) Smooth, slightly sweet, balanced, with that ever prevalent smoke, this beer is masterful, one to be savored slowly, with good food, or without any food at all. I am enjoying mine as an after dinner drink, following so perfectly on the homemade pasta dinner I whipped up for myself earlier. It is harder to describe the flavors than it is to bring up the images it conjures with each sip. Like walking through a forest as sunset approaches, with the leaves and pine needles crunching beneath your feet. Yes, folks, this beer inspires poetry! It is epic, and heroic. Romantic, and wistful. It is something refreshingly new, and yet it harkens nostalgically back to times past.

Is this the best Aecht I've had? Honestly...no. But is it better than the vast majority of beers out there? In a German word: JA!

Score: 8.5/10


Let me say right here that if you don't like smoke, don't bother buying yourself any Aecht. But, if you like smoke, and have been looking for that perfect blend of smoky goodness and amazing beer, find yourself some. Not soon. Not even now. Yesterday.

Below are the notes that I took in my phone on the other four Aechts I've had the pleasure of drinking. The first one impressed me so much when I first tried it, on a whim, that I tried the other three in succession after that, over two nights back in March, right after WoB opened here. And have often gone back to them. For they are wonderful.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Wiezen (Germany, 5.2%): dark reddish amber, hazy. Amazing nose, unlike anything I've had before. Smoky, sweet, bananas, cloves...wow! Taste: similar to the nose. Wow. Smoky wood, spices, wheat. Not overly banana-y, but still stunning, and an amazing wheat beer unlike any other. Disturbingly, amazingly, wonderfully good. According to the bottle, it uses both a classic Schlenkerla smokemalt and an unsmoked wheat malt. (Bartender told me that "rauchbier" means smoked beer.) 9.5.

)NOTE: Until I had tried this beer, I had never given any beer a score of 9.5, other than Weihenstephaner Korbinian dopplebock, which I scored a perfect 10. In short, this is one of the two best beers I've ever had.)

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock (Germany, 6.5%): medium brown with reddish tint. Amazing smoky nose, with hints of cedar. Taste: smoky, malty, smooth, complex, almost hint of brown sugar, but elevated. Amazing beer. 9.0.

Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier (Germany, 4.3%): light gold color. Fresh nose with hint of hops, hint of smoke. (While not an actual smokebeer like the others, it is brewed in the same kettles as the smokebeers.) Tasty, round, light, stronger hint of smoke than the nose, but not even close to the level of the rauchbiers. Very nice, light and refreshing without being wimpy. Medium bodied. 7.5.

Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen (Germany, 5.0%): dark brown with ruby highlights. Amazing smoky nose. (Kinda sense a theme with this brewery...) Ho. Ly. Crap! We are back in a town named Amazing. This seems deeper and more balanced than the other smokebeers, but maybe that's just compared to the lagerbier. It is, however, unquestionably great. A wonderful smoked beer, of which there are so many bad ones. Aecht is definitely my new favorite brewery, right up there with Weihenstephaner. 8.5.

[Kaylyn]

If I may come play in here...

A while back a liquor store mispriced their Jameson 18 Year whiskey at the same price as regular Jameson. What should have cost $100 per bottle only cost my friend $20/bottle. He bought their entire stock. This was at a tiny liquor store that didn't know any better; as far as I know, my friend did not go all SC on them and force a change, they simply scanned it and sold it without realizing what they'd done.

I met him later that evening and tried a sip and fell in love, but couldn't drink more that night and couldn't afford to buy my own bottle at the time. But today...today I paid full price for my own bottle, and I intend to savor it for a while. As in weeks. Because a thing like this can't be rushed, and it's a waste to get drunk off of it in my opinion.

[Jester]

If I may come play in here...

Please do! That's why this is here, actually....

A while back a liquor store mispriced their Jameson 18 Year whiskey at the same price as regular Jameson. What should have cost $100 per bottle only cost my friend $20/bottle. He bought their entire stock.

Something similar happened to a former manager of mine. He was in a liquor store, and saw Pyrat Cask 1623 priced for what would be normal for Pyrat XO Reserve. He grabbed a bottle or two, can't remember which, paid for them, and got the hell out of Dodge!

For those unfamiliar with the aforementioned rums, allow me to elaborate:

Pyrat XO Reserve is a fantastic rum, both as a sipper and a mixer. It is a lovely 15 year blend, and is generally priced at $30-$40 a bottle.

Pyrat Cask 1623, on the other hand, is the same company's ultra premium rum, being a 40 year blend, and generally retailing for somewhere around $300 a bottle. It also happens to be, in my mine, not only the best rum I've ever had, but the best liquor of any sort that I've ever tasted.

I hated my manager when he told me about his luck!

But today...today I paid full price for my own bottle, and I intend to savor it for a while. As in weeks. Because a thing like this can't be rushed, and it's a waste to get drunk off of it in my opinion.

Good booze is good booze, and is not for slamming down or getting hammered on...although if you have a great time with it AND get hammered, well, I would say that's not exactly a total loss.