Monthly Archives: April 2011

Review: Samuel Adams 2010 “Category 23″ LongShot Competition Winners

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

samuel adams longshot honey bs lavender ale Review: Samuel Adams 2010 Category 23 LongShot Competition WinnersEvery year the folks at Sam Adams hold a competition for homebrewers: Contestants submit their recipes to the company along with samples, the lab rats have a taste test, and the three winners (one is always a Sam Adams employee) get produced, bottled, and sold on an experimental basis.

Here are the three 2010 winners for “Category 23″ LongShot brews, which invites the oddest and most unusual beers. They hit the market late last year.

Samuel Adams LongShot Honey B’s Lavender Ale (pictured) is the brainchild of Caitlin DeClerq, a Sam Adams staffer, and it’s exactly what you’d think a lady brewer would come up with (no offense intended, I like it a lot!). It’s a simple idea: A dry ale is brewed with lavender petals, then honey is added to add a bit of finish in the end. Honey B’s lives up to its promise: Distinctly floral up front, then slightly sweet and very refreshing on the finish. The perfect style of very light ale, and just 5.5% alcohol. A-

Samuel Adams LongShot Friar Hop Ale is a Belgian style ale from Richard Roper, brewed with various spices. Lots going on here, with coriander and citrus playing atop a malty, creamy, very slightly sour body. Enjoyable if you are into something bit, hoppy, and hearty. Or if you are a friar. 9% alcohol. B+

Samuel Adams LongShot Blackened Hops is Rodney Kibzey’s crazy brew, a stout-colored monster of an ale. Full of hops and wood notes, it is intense and complicated. There are nuts, citrus notes, evergreen, and a finish that brings on, finally, coffee tones. Surprisingly this offers a refreshing and pretty clean finish, though a touch of coffee lingers on the palate. Fun. 7% alcohol. B+

$10 per six-pack of 12 oz. bottles (2 of each beer) / samueladams.com

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Posted in Beer, Rated A-, Rated B+, Reviews

Review: Vegefeuer Overproofed Herbal Liqueur

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Wow, Germany, thanks for the firewater!

No, seriously: At 110 proof, Vegefeuer Likor Spezialitat can be ignited. The creators take pride in this — in fact, it is supposed to be ignited for a minute or so before consumption — which perhaps makes this clear, overproof, herbal liqueur is “a drink for friends” that it claims to be.

As just about everything about this spirit implies, Vegefeuer is not a mainstream, big-budget product. This is a family liqueur that, I can assure you, you will have a hell of a time finding at BevMo.

Un-ignited, Vegefeuer is syrupy and thick with mint, hazelnut, and a touch of anise seed. Nothing at this proof is easy to drink, of course, and unflamed Veg’ can only be cautiously sipped or cut with water.

After flaming, Vegefeuer takes on a new character, revealing a huge vanilla character, plus strong notes of pistachio, cocoa powder, and orange. With much of the alcohol burned off, it’s mercifully smoother, too. It’s night and day vs. the unignited Vegefeuer which, I guess, gives you two drinks in one. Nifty.

A- / price unknown / vegefeuer.com

Vegefeuer liqueur Review: Vegefeuer Overproofed Herbal Liqueur

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Posted in Liqueurs, Rated A-, Reviews

Review: 3 Ribera del Duero Wines

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

These wines hail from the northern, central portion of Spain and are composed exclusively of Tempranillo grapes. Yet, like many varietals and regions, Ribera del Duero comprises a huge range of wine styles — though all are surprisingly light in alcohol (under 14%). Here’s how three vintages of RdD stack up.

2007 Bodegas y Vinedos Neo Vivir, Vivir – To live, to live! Vinedos Neo’s Ribera is a young, funky, and a bit skunky wine that exudes barnyard tones. Meaty and medium-bodied, it has a sharp finish that doesn’t help matters. Not my favorite of this batch. C- / $10

2003 Penafiel Ribera del Duero Miros de Ribera Reserva – Straightforward, spicy, and racy, a big food wine with a lush, lustrous body. It has an edge to it, which gives it a bit of a tough finish, but the big bramble, stone, and dark plum fruit flavors, it’s worth the journey. B+ / $25 (est.)

2003 Valdubon Crianza Ribero del Duero (pictured) – Valdubon shows how big Tempranillo can get, with this inky, licorice-inflected wine that recalls Italy’s Amarone wine. Silky, with a lasting finish, there’s a tart cherry body, notes of menthol, and cedar. A fun wine, tastes like it’s an alcohol bomb but actually pulls just 13.5%. A bargain. A- / $20

2003 Valdubon Crianza ribera del duero Review: 3 Ribera del Duero Wines

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Posted in Rated A-, Rated B+, Rated C-, Reviews, Wine

Review: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Liqueur

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

Gotta say, Jack Daniel’s knows how to launch a product. The sample bottle of its new honey-and-whiskey liqueur came in a refrigerated box, for no particular reason — it certainly doesn’t need to be kept chilled at all times — except that it is intended to be served cold.

Well, it’s been in my fridge ever since. I figure if they’re going to go to that kind of trouble, I better do as I’m told.

Honey+whiskey liqueurs have been coming out in absurd quantities over the last few years, so it comes as no surprise that JD would get in the game. Its version is as credible as anyone else’s: Honey kills the whiskey, but the whiskey leaves its mark. JD’s 70 proof version is pretty light on the honey — this is more of a smooth bourbon than a syrupy liqueur — but the adulteration makes it clear what the aspiration is here: Rocks, after dinner, maybe an ingredient in a cocktail.

The palate offers more than just honey: There is wood, vanilla, lavender, and notable lemon character as the finish fades away. Charcoal touches come on as the finish disappears completely. As honey liqueurs go, this has a lot going on, and that’s, as they say, a good thing. Who would’ve thought that in the realm of honey liqueur, it would be Jack that came up with the best of the lot.

A / $22 / jackdaniels.com

Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Review: Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Liqueur

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Posted in Liqueurs, Rated A, Reviews, Tennessee Whiskey, Whiskey

Review: Four Roses 2011 Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

Another unique winner of a vintage single barrel bourbon from Four Roses, this rendition of its annual release a 12-year old bourbon from barrel code OBSQ (click here to see what this means), the distillery’s rye-heavy whiskey recipe.

The preview sample of the 2011 Single Barrel is hot — 118 proof, though this will change a bit before the actual bottling — and full of pungent rye character. It carries flavors of fermented bean paste, malted barley, cinnamon, and earth. This is very much a rye at heart, warming and rich. There’s a big burn on the finish which mars the overall effect, unfortunately, but the end result is still a hit. Jim Rutledge says he gets roses on this whiskey, something I don’t pick up.

This isn’t my favorite Four Roses Single Barrel. I put it next to the only other Single Barrel I had on hand, the 2009, and was immediately drawn to the older bottling. Fans of rye — big, burly rye — will find lots to like here, but frankly I think this is a whiskey that would have worked better in a blend like Four Roses’ Mariage than by itself.

3,600 bottles made. Due out in May 2011.

B+ / price TBD / fourroses.us

four roses single barrel 2011 bourbon Review: Four Roses 2011 Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon

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Posted in Bourbon, Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Laird’s Apple Brandy 12 Years Old

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Aged apple brandy, or applejack, is a rarity, and Laird’s is one of the few U.S. brands that makes the stuff.

This 12 year old is a classic example of the product. Intensely woody on the nose, you might think you’re dealing with a whiskey.

Apple character comes along quickly when you sip it, though it’s never overpowering as it can be with young applejack or Calvados. Here you get a smooth and lightly sweet apple flavor that complements the vanilla, cinnamon, and oak wood character from the aging — almost giving you a rich and intense version of an apple pie (or, perhaps, an apple and a pecan pie served together). The finish is warming without being overly hot.

Applejack has never really been my bag, but Laird’s aged version makes a compelling case for drinking it.

88 proof.

A- / $60 / lairdandcompany.com

lairds 12 year old apple brandy Review: Lairds Apple Brandy 12 Years Old

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Posted in Brandy, Rated A-, Reviews

Mystery Review: Taiwanese Golden Pure Malt Whisky

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Malt whisky isn’t just made in Scotland. It hails now from locales around the world, with Asia turning in some especially credible single malts (see Yamazaki, et al.).

And then there are bottles like this, a gift to my parents from travelers returning from Taiwan.

I am not sure what to call it since the name does not appear in English. The best I can suggest is that it is “Golden Pure Malt Whisky,” the only Latin script on the bottle and packaging. Of course, it is also called “Golend Pure Malt Whisky” in an included card (which includes the unhelpful URL below), and, even more cryptically, “Golden Walt Whisky” watermarked on the box it came in.

Hmmm.

What it is is basically fairly rudimentary Taiwanese malt whisky… with gold flakes in it. If Dewar’s and Goldschlager had a baby, this would be it. I’m not sure if this is single malt or a blend (pure malt generally refers to vatted whiskys, but there’s no telling what it means in Taiwan), and the nose is little help. Innocuous and unassuming, the aroma reveals little. The palate only marginally more, revealing a grain-heavy, throat-burning whisky with the barest of herbal flavors and a slight sweetness on the finish. Nothing special, but pretty harmless in the end — if, to say the least, quite the conversation piece. And all with the joy of knowing I’ll be excreting undigestable gold flakes for the foreseeable future!

80 proof.

Any additional information on this spirit appreciated!

B- / price unknown / ttl.com.tw

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Posted in Rated B-, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select Bourbon

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Woodford Reserve is a near-ubiquitous brand on the back bar of virtually any drinking establishment, and if you’re in a bind it’s a solid go-to bourbon when you’re unsure about the rest of the booze on offer. This Kentucky Bourbon is a hot 90.4 proof and benefits greatly from a healthy splash of water, which helps to coax out some sweetness from an otherwise racy, spicy, and oak-heavy whiskey. Vanilla comes along in the finish: Straightforward, solid, and decidedly non-shocking.

B+ / $28 / woodfordreserve.com

woodford reserve bourbon Review: Woodford Reserve Distillers Select Bourbon

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Posted in Bourbon, Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Heaven Hill Trybox Series New Make White Whiskeys

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

Like it or not (and most of you appear to be firmly in the “not” camp) white whiskey is here for the consuming.

The good news: Heaven Hill is doing something useful with white whiskey beyond attempting to make a quick buck. (Since white whiskey is unaged and need not spend years in expensive barrels, it is far more cost-effective to produce and sell… yet producers command some pretty impressive prices for the stuff.) With its New Make series, Heaven is giving consumers an opportunity to see how different mashbills affect the finished product: Unadulterated by wood, you can now compare a predominantly corn vs. a predominantly rye spirit head to head.

The results are something every whiskey fan should experience at least once.

I sampled Trybox New Make production 6c11 (a corn whiskey which, when aged, would become a bourbon like Evan Williams Single Barrel) and production 7r11 (a rye which, if aged, would turn in to Rittenhouse). Neither is 100 percent any grain: Both contain a mix of corn, rye, and barley, just in different (and unspecified, except for which is “primary”) proportions.

The results are, again, intriguing, if hardly anything you’d want to sip after dinner. At 125 proof, these are both moonshine in the figurative and literal sense: Hot, wild, and deadly powerful white lightning.

The differences, however, are quite astonishing. The Trybox Series Rye New Make Whiskey (B+) has distinct corn character on the nose, but is spicy on the palate. Initially it is sweet and racy, then that secondary corn — always the overpowering element in any mashbill — kicks in, giving you a chili-flavored Frito finish. As much as is possible, this is a whiskey in balance among its various components — hardly complicated, but balanced and, in its own way, pleasant to drink. Trybox Series Corn New Make Whiskey (B) is a little more blunt, overpoweringly earth and corn-focused on the nose, then heavier with corn on the tongue. The sweetness comes along more in the finish, but that funky, petrol-laced finish comes on strong soon after, reminding you that this is young, immature bourbon at heart. It’s more instructive than it is enjoyable.

All in all, very interesting experiment all around. If you pick these up, be sure to grab both (or share with a friend) so you can compare the two offerings.

$25 each / heaven-hill.com

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Posted in Rated B, Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey, White Whiskey

Identify This Drinking Vessel!

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Christopher Null| 7 Comments

This antique was unearthed on a visit to Texas and dates back to at least the late 1800s. But what is it? What was it used for? About 4 inches tall, it looks like an egg cup for a quail egg or a tiny wine decanter… but neither of these seems to fit. Photo below, with a billiard ball shown for scale.

Ideas on what it is? Post ‘em here.

mystery glassware Identify This Drinking Vessel!

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Posted in Barware