One of the better Guinness beers. Good stuff!
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Wine and Beer Enthusiasts
- Thread starter albertfallickwa
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One of the better Guinness beers. Good stuff!
By far the nicest Guinness, actually, and I write as someone who does not much care for the standard Guinness.
As you know, I love those splendid robust triples and quads - and, indeed, we are coming into the time of year when they are wonderful to drink.
working on a case of sam adams' winter variety pack, they're all pretty good. the chocolate one is my favorite
A glass or two of port earlier this Saturday evening, and now, a glass or two of a lovely wine from Alsace made from the Pinot Blanc grape.
A (red) wine, a Chilean reserve, "G7 The 7th Generation - Estate Bottled The Loncomilla Valley."
love Napa cabs.
Well, these tend not to feature on shelves in Europe.
But, I will admit that I am rather partial to Chilean reserves - they have a quality of smoothness that I really rather enjoy.
We had a nice merlot this evening with our dinner. I'd give the winery but it's from a family friend's private estate/winery. Not sold.
I need to go pick up some wines for the holidays. And get a crate/box or two of longtime favorites.
I recognize FreeMark Abbey and obviously the higher end Mondavi, but I have no idea what the other wineries are. I've probably seen them in store but paid no mind. Someone gave us a 2011 Oakville last year. I brushed it aside based on what I'd read about the Oakvilles but it was such a lovely wine for the then price point. I think the going MSRP about $50 is a tad too much for a Mondavi wine, but it can be worth it. Though other, lesser marketed wines excel where it lacks.
I believe you're around my age, maybe a bit younger. Remember the days when Opus was dirt "cheap"? Last time I was in Europe some of their vintages were being sold for about 800-900 Euros. Disgusting.
I need to go pick up some wines for the holidays. And get a crate/box or two of longtime favorites.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the Hall cab-sauv. Especially at its price point. We had the 2012, and I've seen mixed feelings on the '14 vintage. I remember Hall being a better winery in the past. Perhaps it's nostalgia. Their NV merlot is a steal, though.love Napa cabs.
I recognize FreeMark Abbey and obviously the higher end Mondavi, but I have no idea what the other wineries are. I've probably seen them in store but paid no mind. Someone gave us a 2011 Oakville last year. I brushed it aside based on what I'd read about the Oakvilles but it was such a lovely wine for the then price point. I think the going MSRP about $50 is a tad too much for a Mondavi wine, but it can be worth it. Though other, lesser marketed wines excel where it lacks.
I believe you're around my age, maybe a bit younger. Remember the days when Opus was dirt "cheap"? Last time I was in Europe some of their vintages were being sold for about 800-900 Euros. Disgusting.
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The 12 Hall was a little muted. The 13 was better and the 14 IMHO even better.
I'd read they had issues with their first few seasons of organic grapes. Might be the reason... Neighboring wineries didn't have issues with their vintages that year. I found their price jump between those two and the 14 amusing.
I was still working on this post, I guess tapatalk thought I took too long. LOL. anyway, I think all 3 of these vintages need to be held for 5 years maybe.
getting back to the other labels. the fait main teeter totter is made by benoit touquette, you may recognize his name from kata wines. the Melka is made by Phillips melka. he's made a ton of stuff for other wineries including lail, Quintessa and seavey.
in regards to opus, I remember maybe 12 years ago when it was about $70 a bottle. good wine, but not $300 good. like all things, prices just skyrocket when the market dictates that. my other vices, bourbon and cigars have suffered the same fate.
The market, and fashion and the words and informed - but sometime snot necessarily objective - opinions of certain commentators.
Europe may respect venerable wine making traditions (and regions) a little too much - and interrogate and question them too little - but the sort of excessive influence wielded by a handful of individual commentators is happily absent from our part of the world.
For myself, I have opened a splendid Riesling from Alsace to accompany me for an hour or two. It hails from the Klipfel vineyard and producer.
I do now. The name doesn't drudge up a lot of memories, but there aren't many third parties who offer out their services like that.
Mm, don't recall it being that cheap. It was around 40-50 in the early 90s or late 80s. I remember someone introducing it to me. Unlike me, I suspect you're a California native. So you should know the history of how bad wine was prior to the state becoming the defacto developer of new world wines.
Though you've still got a point. There are some vintages of Opus that are cost appropriate, and most that aren't. Arguably, sparkling wines such as Dom Perignon or Armand de Brignac cost what they do because they're so hyped. Best Dom I had were 80s and some early 90s years. Veuve tastes as if your mouth has been stuffed with Brioche.
Has anyone here tried Sam Adams Utopia? It is hitting my area and debating on picking one up. It is rather expensive and at 28% ABV it will pack a punch!
Did I read that right? 28 ABV?
This is clearly a spirit of some description - or a beer with ambitions in that direction.
The described ABV is well above what you get in ports and sherries, and not far short of some whiskies.
On the topic of robust beers, in general, I like them
Some of the superlative quads (or stunning porters or stouts) that I love - andhave had have reached 12-13%; depending on how good the producer is (Trappistes are excellent and Founder's first rate) they usually (though not always - I have had one or two at that strength from Buxton - a brewer whose products I normally adore, that didn't quite work) get it right, but the challenge is to make sure that the alcohol doesn't overpower everything else and that the beer remains smooth and balanced and more than quaffable.
Yup, you read that correctly!
Sam Adams - Utopia
Speaking of high ABV, I actually have a 19% ABV Imperial Stout coming to me within the next two weeks depending on when it ships.
Tasting notes on both - do, please, let me know more about the stout, as I am rather partial to solid and robust stouts - especially in winter - will be gratefully received.
I haven't purchased it, was trying to see if anyone in this group has tasted it. They start at $199 a bottle and that is if you can find it. I have seen a couple of bottles in the wild, but they were far more than the $199 a bottle!
Now the stout that I did purchase I will surely let you know what I think of it. This is a new local brewery that I found online and started following them. I actually can't wait to try it!
Hm.
I have some of those hefty beers - and, at that price, I would advise further ageing, possibly for another year or so.
Reading your link, and the tasting notes - it seems to suggest something akin to a port, sherry or cognac with the 'foundation' of a beer.
The thing is, it is experimental, and - at that price - the margin for error is nil.
I have opened some experimental beers (quite pricey, but nothing on that level) and found them wanting when I first opened them. I left them for well over a year, only opening another when I had nothing else to sample one winter's night last year. Then, as the beers had had the opportunity to age, and having aged, and matured and blended further - I found that the second (and third) were delicious and beautifully balanced.
A sherry, or port, or cognac, will - once opened - keep happily for a few days, or weeks - or, in the case of a cognac - some months (assuming your self-restraint is equal to that). A beer won't - it'll require drinking in a day or so, and, if it isn't sufficiently mature - if the alcohol is too obvious and 'sharp', or 'burning', then the drink has failed to hit the mark.
That sort of alcoholic power needs time to smooth out its rough edges; my fear is that it wouldn't have had the time to balance and blend properly, and, at that price (which I'll happily pay for a port or cognac) I am not going to be a party to an experiment.
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The Black Tuesday sounds gorgeous; in fact, it sounds just exactly like the sort of winter stout I would love.
Do let me know when you have sampled and savoured and sipped it - and how you found it. And enjoy.
How much was it?
It was $25 a bottle and I found it on one of my feeds within Facebook of all places. I had never heard of the brewery before and what makes it even nicer is they are a local brewery. I am having it shipped to me though, due to scheduling conflicts which would hinder me actually going to the place and picking it up. I also ordered another one of their stouts:
Bruers' barrel-Aged Zesty Mounds
Bruers' barrel-Aged Zesty Mounds
Some of the really good beers that I have tried - say, "Blushing Monk" from Founder's, or some of the more esoteric offerings from Buxton, kick in at around that price. Do enjoy, and let me know how you found it.