Review: Highland Brewing Rising Haze IPA
North Carolina’s largest “native” brewer recently dropped a new permanent addition to its lineup, a hazy brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy hops. Strictly available in cans. It sure smells the part on the nose: Pour it heavily into a glass and a brisk, sweet pineapple note immediately invades the senses, undercut by just a…
Review: Pyramid Subliminal State Hazy Pale Ale
Pyramid’s latest was originally brewed for the Lazy Dog restaurant chain, but now it’s going out as a bottled seasonal. It’s (another) hazy pale ale, which Pyramid describes as “a tasty beer that combines the best parts of a hazy beer with some west coast-style bitterness” and is its first made with Kveik yeast. There’s…
Review: Jameson Cold Brew
Jameson’s latest bottling isn’t yet another standard spin on Irish, it’s a combination of whiskey with cold brew coffee flavor added. Makes sense, after all. The most iconic coffee + whiskey cocktail is, of course, Irish coffee. There’s not a lot of backstory here, but Jameson reps say that customers have been asking for this…
Review: Martini & Rossi Fiero
Fiero is Martini & Rossi‘s answer to Aperol, although unlike that iconic spirit, Fiero is actually a vermouth — an aromatized wine — not a distilled product. The new Fiero is actually a relaunch, the line having originated in 1998 as an “orange vermouth,” and only now revamped and reintroduced into a market that’s hungry…
Review: Plume & Petal Lemon Drift Vodka
Bacardi’s newest brand is a line of flavored vodkas, a “collection of premium low-ABV vodkas infused with natural artisanal flavors, created to address the real-life demands of modern women.” I’m no modern woman, but I get the spa inspiration behind Plume & Petal, which includes a cucumber version, one made with peaches, and the lemon-infused…
Review: 2018 Seghesio Chardonnay Sonoma County
Seghesio is so well-known for Zinfandel that this chardonnay isn’t even visible on its website unless you search for it via Google. The unique thing about this Sonoma chardonnay? It’s blended with a tiny bit of vermentino from Seghesio’s Keyhole Ranch Vineyard in the Russian River Valley — a first as far as I can tell.…
Review: Grander Panama Rum Trophy Release (2020)
Hot on the heels of its rye-finished special release, Grander Panama Rum is back with another special edition — or rather, the beginning of one. The plan is for Grander Trophy Release to drop in two batches each year. Each release will be a small batching of Panama-distilled rums, all between 8 and 15 years…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Early 2020 Releases
This lineup from Deschutes’ releases in the first half of 2020 covers a vast range of brews, from a coffee-infused lager to one of its most prized barrel-aged releases. Let’s take a dive into the pool. Deschutes Brewery Luna Jo Cold Brew Coffee Lager – A collaboration with fellow Bend-based coffee brewers, Riff Cold Brewed,…
