New Belgium Ranger IPA

20130329:
I wrote: "This beer is definitely an IPA. I have beers frequently enough that I'm used to the bitterness and I find I can enjoy the flavors in this beer as opposed to being put off by its bitterness. New Belgium Ranger IPA 6.5%." 10:08PM ET

(20130329)

[20130426]

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20130902:
I wrote: "I love the smell of this New Belgium Ranger IPA. The beer has a slight chocolate taste to it. Or perhaps a toasted flavor. I don't detect any bitterness throughout the tasting." 9:44PM

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New Belgium Ranger IPA

Relevant Links:
Ranger IPA (New Belgium Website)
Ranger (BeerAdvocate.com)
New Belgium Ranger IPA (RateBeer.com)

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(20130902)

Website Information:

Ranger IPA
India Pale Ale
- Year Round

STORY
Ever met a New Belgium Beer Ranger? They are our beloved folks out in the field. Spanning all 29 of our states from the Pacific to the Atlantic, our Beer Rangers do their best to protect, to pour and to partake. And explore many a beer from many a brewery, they do.

Bring out the hops! This clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: Cascade (citrus), Chinook (floral/citrus), and Simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with Cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor. Brewed with pale and dark caramel malts that harmonize the hop flavor from start to finish, Ranger is a sessionable splendor for all you hopinistas. Thank your Beer Ranger!

BEER FACTS
Birthdate: February, 2010
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 70
Calories: 187
Hops: Chinook, Simcoe, Cascade
Malts: Pale, C-120
Body: Medium
Aroma: Bursts with an abundance of hops (citrus, floral and fruity)
Mouthfeel: Bitter and dry hop finish- imbalanced yet sessionable!
Flavor: Pale and caramel malts harmonize with hop flavor from start to finish- yet finishes deliciously bitter.
Visual: Light veil over this amber beauty

Jefferson's Straight Rye Whiskey

20130329:
I wrote: "The whiskey has a spice to it. Easy at first, but it develops a bit of a burn towards the end. Jefferson's Straight Rye Whiskey. Aged 10 Years." 9:59PM ET

[20130430]

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Jefferson's Straight Rye Whiskey

Relevant Links:
Jefferson's Bourbon Website

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Website Information:

Jefferson's Rye: The newest addition to the Jefferson's line, Jefferson's Rye is made with 10 year old North American Straight Rye Whiskey. It offers a fantastic combination of age, purity and strength. Jefferson's Rye features a full body with classic caramel and vanilla flavors and a mid-palate spiciness that is slightly tempered by notes of dark chocolate.

Allagash White

20130322:
After drinking some Cabernet Sauvignon (Chateau Ste. Michelle and Double Dog Dare), I drank a bottle of Allagash White.

I wrote: "The Allagash White has a sort of bubblegum taste. I can't get much of a smell from the bottle, but it has a good taste." 8:45PM ET
*I probably used the description "bubblegum taste" to describe what the company calls "fruity."

[20130417]

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20130425:
I wrote: "This Allagash White has a very nice taste. I taste it mainly upon swallowing. It mostly reminds me of a subtle bubblegum flavor. There is a mild wheat smell." 10:14PM ET
*I was tempted to start using the word "fruity," but to me it really does taste more like bubblegum.

[20130426]

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Allagash White

Relevant Links:
Allagash White (Allagash Website)
Allagash White (RateBeer.com)
Allagash White (BeerAdvocate.com)

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Website Information:

Allagash White
Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel, this beer is fruity, refreshing and slightly cloudy in appearance.

Description: Belgian Style Wheat
ABV: 5.0%
Profile: Light, Crisp, Fruity, Spicy
Serving Temperature: 38°-50°F
Availability: Year Round
Package: 12oz bottle, 5.17 gallon keg and 15.5 gallon keg
Ideal Within: Six months

Awards:
Gold, World Beer Cup 2010
Bronze, GABF 2010
Gold, GABF 2005
Silver, World Beer Cup 2004
Gold, GABF 2002
Bronze, World Beer Cup 2002
Gold, World Beer Cup 1998

Double Dog Dare Cabernet Sauvignon

20130322:
This Double Dog Dare Cabernet Sauvignon tastes a little bit harsher than the 2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon. 8:42PM ET

I later had a bottle of Allagash White.

Some digging shows that the wine has an ABV of 12.5% and tends to sell for about three or four dollars a bottle.

[20150919]

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Double Dog Dare Cabernet Sauvignon

2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon

20130322:
Today I met up with my friends at Iggies Pizza, a pizza place, with BYOB (bring your own beer). Among the various alcohol shared, I had a little of this cabernet sauvignon. I also tried a bargain Cabernet Sauvignon by Double Dog Dare.

I wrote the following: "This Chateau is good. I take that back, I think it's simple. No wait, I'm going to call it standard." 8:24PM ET

[20130429 Edit][20180610 Post Date][20180707 Edit]

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2010 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon

Relevant Links:
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon (Chateau Ste Michelle Website)

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Website Information:

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon
COLUMBIA VALLEY

Our goal with the Columbia Valley Cabernet is to highlight concentrated Washington red fruit in an accessible style. This is our inviting Cab with plenty of complexity and structure with silky tannins. It’s also very versatile with food–try it with beef, pork or pasta.

VINTAGE
- 2010 was one of the coolest vintages on record and a year that tested our winemaker’s patience.
- The ripening season was marked by a mild spring and cool summer, resulting in harvest starting three weeks later than normal.
- Fortunately, a warmer September and October allowed grapes to ripen to maturity.
- The cooler weather conditions resulted in grapes reaching optimum flavor ripeness to desired sugar levels.
VINEYARDS
- Sourced from Columbia Valley vineyards in eastern Washington including our Cold Creek, Canoe Ridge Estate and Indian Wells vineyards.
- Columbia Valley vineyards lie in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains and receive just 6–8 inches of rainfall annually.
- Warm, sunny days and cool evening temperatures create ideal conditions for intense aroma and flavor development in the ripening grapes.
- Sandy soils with low fertility and low water-holding capacity enable precise control of vine growth.
WINEMAKING
- Ripe grapes were destemmed and inoculated with various strains of yeast to maximize complexity.
- Gentle pumpovers during fermentation were used to extract color and flavor and produce soft, supple tannins.
- Aged 16 months in American and French oak, 31% new.

TECHNICAL DATA
Total acidity: 0.52g/100ml
ph: 3.86
Alcohol: 13.5%
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Syrah, 3% Merlot, 6% other varieties (Malbec, Petit Verdot and Grenache)

FOOD PAIRING
Foods: blue cheese, duck, beef, veal, dark chocolate
Herbs: mustard, paprika, rosemary, thyme
Spice: allspice, cloves, ginger, mace, nutmeg

90 point rating 2010 Vintage WINE & SPIRITS June 2013

Gin and Orangina

20130322:
I wrote: "Gin with Orangina as a chaser is good." 7:56PM ET

[20130429]

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

20130321:
I wrote: "From the bottle. It smells a bit like a brown. It has a malty taste. I don't really pick up on any chocolate notes. The beer leaves a real bitter aftertaste. Pretty strong (10.0% ABV)." 1:18AM ET

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20130322:
I wrote: "OMG, this chocolate stout is beautiful. I can taste the chocolate despite having had a shot of gin, a Natty Boh, a glass of wine, and an Allagash White." 9:26PM ET

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Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Relevant Links:
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (Brooklyn Website)
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (BeerAdvocate.com)
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (RateBeer.com)

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Website Information:

BROOKLYN BLACK CHOCOLATE STOUT

This is the famous Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, our award-winning rendition of the Imperial Stout style, once made exclusively for Catherine the Great. We use three mashes to brew each batch of this beer, achieving a luscious deep dark chocolate flavor through a blend of specially roasted malts. We brew it every year for the winter season. It is delicious when newly bottled, but also ages beautifully for years.

SPEC SHEET
Style: Imperial Stout
Malts: American two-row pale malt, caramel malt, malted wheat and a blend of American roasted malts and barleys
Additions: Contains wheat
Hops: Willamette and American Fuggle
Alcohol by Volume: 10.0%
IBUs: 51
Original Gravity: 21.7° Plato
Calories: 320
Food Pairings: Served in a snifter glass, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout is excellent with chocolate desserts, cheesecake, fruit tarts, and ice cream. It is also a very good accompaniment to strong cheeses, such as Stilton (try . Colston-Bassett, T.H. Stevenson or Cropwell Bishop.)
Availability: October-March
Format: 15.5 gal kegs; 5.2-gal kegs; 24/12oz bottles; 4-packs

Flying Dog Green Tea Imperial Stout

20130319:
I wrote: "I might be influenced by the drink's name, but it kind of smells like green tea. Otherwise, I pick up on standard stout scents. The smell is nice and reminds me of Bailey's Irish Cream. It has a great taste on the tongue. It's strong, but good. I detect more of the flavor after swallowing. It's so strong. I should wait before taking another sip, the flavor has begun to diminish." 9:02PM ET

[20130430]

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Flying Dog Green Tea Imperial Stout

Relevant Links:
Green Tea Imperial Stout (Flying Dog Website)
Green Tea Imperial Stout (BeerAdvocate.com)
Flying Dog Green Tea Imperial Stout (RateBeer.com)

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Website Information:

BREWHOUSE RARITIES
GREEN TEA IMPERIAL STOUT

BREWER BREAKDOWN:
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 10%
AVAILABILITY: February release
HOP BITTERNESS: 75 IBU
SPECIALTY MALTS: C-80, Chocolate, Roasted, Black, Smoked Malt
HOPS: Warrior
YEAST: Whitbread

FOOD PAIRINGS:
The combination of a cold green tea steep and a rich malt backbone creates a unique umami complexity. Rich dark chocolate and herbal accents greet the nose, giving way to a bittersweet chocolate base with roast earthiness and savory green tea flavors.

2010 Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva

20130312:
I have not learned to drink wine in the same way I've learned to drink beer. Thus, wine drinkers might be able to appreciate this particular wine, but I cannot.

I wrote: "Veramonte 2010 Pinot Noir. Smells like I'd find it hard to drink. It's hard for me to drink. It's so bitter." 6:55PM ET

[20130315][20180610 Edit]

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2010 Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva

Relevant Links:
2010 Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva (CellarTracker.com)

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Website Information:

VERAMONTE
PINOT NOIR
2010
Reserva

APPEARANCE: Bright cherry red
AROMA: Intense and fresh aromas of red berries with floral notes
TASTING NOTES: A soft, round, medium-bodied wine with complex flavors of red berry fruits and spice balanced by long silky tannins
WINEMAKER NOTES: At Veramonte, Pinot Noir is hand-sorted before it is destemmed and whole-berry crushed. The grapes cold macerate for five days and fermentation beginsin small, open-top tanks. The must is punched down three times a day fortwo days. Primary fermentation is completed in tank after maceration, then malolactic fermentation takes place in oak barrels. The wine then ages in temperature controlled cellars for 10 months.
APPELATION: Casablanca Valley, Chile
HARVEST DATE: March 2010
VARIETAL: 100% Pinot Noir
ALCOHOL: 14%
TOTAL ACIDITY: 3.38 g/l
PH: 3.68
TIME IN OAK: 9 months in 100% French oak

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Website Information (CellarTracker.com):

Vintage 2010
Type Red
Producer Veramonte
Varietal Pinot Noir
Designation Reserva
Vineyard n/a
Country Chile
Region Casablanca Valley
SubRegion n/a
Appellation n/a

Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL

20130310:
I wrote: "Double Agent IPL. Interesting. In the description it says it has a grapefruit character. Sure, I can see that. It tastes good and leaves a slight bitterness afterwards." 5:34PM ET

[20130311]

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Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL

Relevant Links:
Double Agent IPL (Samuel Adams Website)
Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL (BeerAdvocate.com)
Samuel Adams Double Agent IPL (RateBeer.com)

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Website Information:

Samuel Adams
Double Agent IPL
Full of the bold grapefruit & piney character of an American IPA, this brew also reveals its smooth lager side creating a balanced, flavorful brew.

HOP VARIETIES Zeus, Simcoe, Citra, Ahtanum, Cascade, Centennial, and Nelson Sauvin hops
MALT VARIETIES Samuel Adams® two-row pale malt blend and Munich malt
YEAST STRAIN Botton-fermenting Lager
COLOR Bright amber / 10 SRM
ALC. BY VOL/WT 5.0%ABV - 3.9%ABW
IBUs 43
AVAILABILITY Year Round
TASTING NOTES The addition of American Zeus hops add a resinous, piney character.
While not brewed with tropical fruit, citrus and tropical fruit notes come from American hops Citra and Cascade.

Ommegang Witte

20130304:
Yet another day of climbing (20130304) followed by dinner at CVP.

I wrote: "It has a nice orange-citrus smell. It has a great orange taste." 9:01PM ET

[20130316]

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Ommegang Witte

Relevant Links:
Witte (Ommegang Website)
Ommegang Witte (BeerAdvocate.com)
Ommegang Witte (RateBeer.com)

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Website Information:

WITTE
WHEAT ALE

Wheat Ale with Spices:
Sweet Orange Peel, Coriander

TRADITIONAL BELGIAN-STYLE WHEAT ALE.
FLAVORFUL, SOFT AND HAZY

A DRINK OF THE SUN, WITTE WAS MADE TO REFRESH AND RESTORE.
http://www.ommegang.com/images/BEER_WITTE/witte-reeds-front_1280.png

A tumbler is traditional for Witte. A sturdy shape and wide mouth is needed to survive the repeat visits to a replenished brew.

BREWMASTER PHIL'S TASTING NOTES
Witte is our version of the classic Belgian wit or "white" ale. Witte, which is actually Flemish for white, is brewed with malted and unmalted wheat, orange peel, and coriander - offering a refreshing style that showcases the Belgian talent for brewing full-flavored ales that are also light and balanced. It is pale straw in color, slightly hazy from the yeast, and topped with a huge white, fluffy head.

Witte is pleasantly light on the tongue, balanced between malt and wheat sweetness. Hops and spice with a subtle clove note backed by flavors of lemon and sweet orange give way to a dry, crisp, refreshing finish.

CHEF'S TASTING NOTES & RECIPES
A popular Belgian-style beer, Witte is also one of the most commonly used in cooking. It can be compared to a Sauvignon Blanc - light, biscuity, citrus fruit, and a touch of sweetness. Use it to steam mussels, clams, or steamers. Finish with butter and the Witte's mellow flavors work with the natural liquor of the mollusks creating a sauce no bread can resist.

One of Witte's unique abilities is how it accentuates certain flavors. Have it accompany a salad of crab, grapefruit segments and avocado and see how it sweetens the crab, softens the bitterness of the grapefruit, and lends a helping hand to cut through the rich avocado. Keep in mind what you would cook or eat with a Sauvignon Blanc and let the ideas keep coming.

PROFILE
MALTS: Pilsner, unmalted and malted wheat, oat flakes
HOPS: Spalt Select
SPICES: Coriander, sweet orange peel
YEAST: Ommegang house yeast
OG: 11.5 Plato
FG: 2.6 Plato
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 11

Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale

20130301:
I wrote: "Flying Fish EPA. It's good. There's nothing particularly special about it, but it's solid." 8:22PM ET
I also wrote: "I was picking up on a little taste near the end of the beer." 8:25PM ET

[20130316]

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Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale

Relevant Links:
Extra Pale Ale (Flying Fish Website)
Extra Pale Ale (BeerAdvocate.com)
Flying Fish Extra Pale Ale (RateBeer.com)

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Website Information:

Extra Pale Ale

An original American pale ale, our XPA highlights the subtle, sophisticated flavors and aromas of our Midwestern two-row malt and imported aromatic and Munich malts. Pacific Northwest hops create an extremely balanced beer with a beautiful straw color. And thanks to you baseball fans, the XPA is the best-selling local craft beer at the Phillies ballpark.

Malts: Two-Row Pale, Munich, Aromatic, Carafoam
Hops: Mt. Rainier, Palisades, Columbus
Yeast: Chico
Original Gravity: 12.2 Plato
Alcohol by volume: 5.2%
IBU's: 11.2
Formats: 12 oz. bottles,1/2 kegs, 1/6 kegs, cask-conditioned
Availability: Year round

Food pairings
Perfect with all foods, spicy, fish, fowl, grilled, pub grub, just not a dessert beer.