Au revoir et bon jour!!

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In lieu of a whiskey review this Friday night, I offer up to you a review of a Michigan micro-brew sold only at my local Meijer store. Cheers!

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Detroit was home to the longest running state fair in the United States. The state fair grounds are located just a few blocks from my house. When the boys were little, we always walked to the fair and trudged home at night, exhausted. But alas, a series of economic downturns in the last 10 years left all government budgets pared to the bone. The Michigan State Fair was a casualty. So the grounds sat empty for several years, many plans have been (and continue to be–it’s a large parcel) floated for land use. One that got a lot of attention was for auto racing. Why not, in Motown? I’ll tell you why not. It’s extremely noisy for what is otherwise a stable, quiet residential area. Thankfully, that idea went bye-bye.

The northern-most section of land is now developed. It is a new strip mall with a great big, beautiful Meijer…

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Domaine de Pouy

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Maker: Tariquet, Eauze, Midi-Pyrénées, France (Grassa family)

Grapes: Ugni Blanc & Colombard

Place of origin: Côtes de Gascone

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 11.5%

Appearance: Golden straw.

Nose: Crisp and lightly fruity. Peach, pear, tangerine.

On the palate: A bit more citrus, but still crispy. Peach, Clementine, lemon thyme drying to flintiness. As it opens up, more grapefruit comes to the fore.

Finish: Drying. The fruit is still there but loses out to minerals in the end. Leaves a slight bitterness on the tongue.

Parting words: I love wines (and beers and whiskeys and other stuff) that defy my expectations. You see, I had decided that I didn’t like French whites from the western part of the country. I had some dull white Bordeaux and so I wrote off the entire area.  But being an adventurous soul, I saw this wine recommended as a “crisp summer white” by a local wine-monger who has never failed to find me good values in French wine in the past. So I bought a bottle.

I’m glad I did. It certainly delivers on the crispness and it would be hard to ask for a better wine of this type at $10 or less. Might buy a couple more of these before the summer is out! Domaine de Pouy is highly recommended.

Rübæus

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Maker: Founders, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USARubaeus

Style: Raspberry Ale

ABV: 5.7%

Thanks to Patty for the recommendation.

Appearance: Crimson with a big fluffy head on initial pour,persistant lacing afterwards.

Nose: Raspberry jam, a hint of malt in the background.

On the palate: Full bodied, slightly tart but not overly sweet. Low-sugar raspberry jam with some malt and maybe even hops.

Finish: Creamy. Raspberry custard or maybe fool (look it up). Fades away slowly into a roasty malt flavor like the crimped edge of a baked pie crust.

Parting words: I one of those people who has said for a while that I didn’t like fruity beers, but Rübæus and another one (to be reviewed soon) have really changed my mind. . Raspberry was used at several stops along the way in the fermentation process and that care shows up in the depth of flavor and balance at every stop in the process of drinking it. The sweetness and some of the tartness of the fruit comes through without turning the beer into a pucker-fest. The creamy finish is really outstanding too. Makes a nice after dinner or summer afternoon treat. It comes in a four pack that sells for around $12 so it’s not cheap, but it is worth it. Rübæus is recommended.

Saint-Denis calling!

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Réunion island is a fairly small island in the Indian Ocean 586 miles east of Madagascar and 141 miles west of Mauritius. It’s an overseas department of France and as such it is a part of the Eurozone. According to Wikipedia, it is home to around 840,000 people and is about 970 square miles in area. It is also home to quite a few readers of this blog, or perhaps just one very dedicated reader.

One of the great features of Word Press blogs is the views by country feature. Over the past seven days, the top countries by number of views were:

1. U.S.A. 620

2. Canada 32

3. Réunion 14

4. U.K. 13

5. Australia & France (mainland) 9

Over the past 30 days, Réunion has the second most views after the U.S. and the third most in the current quarter.

I don’t know anyone from Réunion. I have never been there or anywhere even close. So what’s going on? I don’t know, but I want to know.

So please, mes amis Réunionnais, show yourselves and tell me how you found Sipology and what you like or dislike about it!

Woodward Limited Whiskey

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Maker: Valentine Distilling, Ferndale, Michigan.Woodward Ltd

Style: Maple flavored bourbon

Age: NAS (about 4 y/o)

Proof: 88

Appearance: Dark copper with long thin legs.

Nose: Alcohol, maple wood, leather.

On the palate: Sweet but not cloying. Maple syrup (the real stuff), caramel, wood, alcohol.

Finish: Pleasant and drying. Touches of maple linger on as the wood (mostly maple) takes hold and then gently fades away.

Parting words: I’ve been sitting on this review for a while now because of the video reviews but also because I had a lot of questions about Valentine’s operation. Since it’s only a few miles from Sipology Blog HQ, I decided to check the place out for myself before finishing my review. I’m glad I did.

It is distilled and aged in Ferndale in a small building that also serves as tasting room and a cocktail bar. They also make a vodka, an elderflower flavored vodka, Liberator Gin, and a barrel-aged version of Liberator Gin (review coming soon). We also had a sample of their bourbon (presumably with the same mashbill as Woodward Limited) which they sell right out of the barrel at barrel proof from behind the bar. It comes it at 114° and is quite good for its age. The bartender said they also sell it by the barrel which prompted several questions from my friend and me about distribution and the three tier system, none of which the bartender was capable of answering. So if you would like the try the bourbon, I would suggest stopping by the distillery yourself.

At any rate, Woodward Limited Whiskey (named after Woodward Avenue, the historic Michigan highway that runs from downtown Detroit through Ferndale and Royal Oak and on to Pontiac) is a winner. The maple flavoring (syrup according to our bartender) doesn’t overwhelm, but it balances out the youthful edges of the whiskey nicely creating a pleasant after supper sipping whiskey. Where it excels is in cocktails. It makes a very good Manhattan and fantastic Old Fashioneds and Boulevardiers. I’m sure it would work very well in other cocktails as well. As for the price, it’s reasonable for a microdistilled whiskey at just under $40. Woodward Limited Whiskey is recommended.

Spirit of the Vineyard Michigan White Grappa

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Maker: Black Star Farms, Traverse City, Michigan, USAIMG_20130731_114726

ABV: 40%

Note: Made using white wine leftovers (skins, pulp, seeds, stems).

Appearance: Clear with big thick legs.

Nose: Fruity and pungent, but not unpleasant. Like a fruity perfume. Ripe pear, table grapes, a hint of fresh cut cedar and lemon grass.

On the palate: Mild but full bodied. Sweet and mildly grapey.

Finish: delicately fruity and woody with more of that cut cedar aroma rolling around the mouth.

Parting words: For those who may not know, grappa is a brandy distilled from a fermentation of the left over byproducts of the wine making process collectively called pomace or marc. Grappa is the Italian word for such a beverage. Other versions of the same thing include marc (French), orujo (Spanish) and tescovină  (Romanian). The name grappa is restricted by the European Union to beverages of this type made in Italy, but has no such protection here in the U.S., hence this American grappa.

I haven’t had much grappa (or marc or the like) so the mental sample to which I am comparing this spirit is small. That said, this is very, very good. It’s not nearly as rough and raw tasting as the other grappas I have tasted and has a very pleasant nose that really shines in a Glencairn or Riedel Single Malt glass (I don’t own a grappa glass). It’s delicious chilled or at room temperature before or after a meal or on a hot afternoon.

Black Star Farms makes a wide variety of eaux-de-vie and brandies including a “red grappa” which is not actually red but made from red wine leftovers. It is also quite good, but the white has a very appealing perfumed nose, no doubt a reflection of the Riesling, Pinot Gris and other aromatic white wine grape varieties that lent their unused bits to the this spirit.

Spirit of the Vineyard Michigan White Grappa is highly recommended.

For further reading: https://sipologyblog.com/2011/07/08/a-visit-to-black-star-farms/

Nomad Dry Hard Cider

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Nomad CiderMaker: North Peak Brewing, Dexter/Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Appearance: Like cloudy lemonade. Fizzy head upon decanting, then with a few bubbles in the haze.

Nose: A crisp, subtle apple aroma with a bit of limestone in the background.

On the palate: Medium-bodied and very dry. Golden delicious, more mineral water.

Finish: Crisp and clean. Leaves a bit of a carbonated tingle behind.

Parting words: This is hands down the driest American cider I have ever tasted. It’s really remarkable. Not that it’s the best one I’ve ever had, but it’s unlike anything I have had made in this country. I’ve had British ciders that approached this level of dryness, but the closest comparison that came to my mind was the dry Austrian Riesling I reviewed a while back. An apple-infused San Pellegrino or Gerolsteiner come close too.

My only complaint is the price, which is very high. If I recall correctly I paid over $12 for a six pack. Still, there’s not much out there like it, and it’s very refreshing on a hot, humid summer day. Nomad Dry cider is recommended.

Video Review: Eagle Rare Head to Head

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Our Walloon Lake tasting panel returns with a head to head, or tête-à-tête as it were, tasting of Eagle Rare 101 and Eagle Rare Single Barrel (Kahn’s Fine Wine selection). I was going to edit this video down a little but I decided to go with the extended director’s cut. We had a lot of fun making these review, and I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!

 

Bowers Harbor Riesling- Medium Dry

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Maker: Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Lake Leelenau, Michigan, USABHV Med Dry Riesling

Place of origin: Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Vintage: 2011

ABV: 11%

Appearance: Pale straw.

Nose: Lychee, white peach, pear, whiff of dried flowers.

On the palate: Medium bodied and slightly tart. Queen Ann cherries, white mulberries, rose water.

Finish: Fairly dry with a hint of tartness. Pear, plum and Golden Delicious apple.

Parting words: Is orchardy a word? Because if it is, it applies to this wine. I don’t usually buy into claims that terroir makes much of a difference beyond soil composition and climate, but this BHV’s Medium Dry Riesling is very much in the spirit of Northern Michigan. Cherries and other stone fruit are abundant with a bit of apple and pear thrown in there as well. Starts to get overly tart after being opened for a day or more, but this one is so tasty it should not be a problem to finish a bottle within 24 hours. The dryness makes it quite food friendly and it would go very well with mild flavored fish (the label recommends Walleye) and chicken. Bowers Harbor Medium Dry Riesling is highly recommended.

Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout

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Maker: Bell’s, Kalamazoo/Comstock, Michigan, USA.Bells Double Cream Stout

ABV: 6.1%

Thanks to Brian for leaving three of these at my house!

Appearance: Dark coffee brown with a creamy beige head.

Nose: Semi-sweet chocolate, apricot.

On the palate: Full-bodied, creamy, and slighly fizzy. Chocolate brownies with raspberry morsels mixed in while drinking a cup of Ethiopian Harrar coffee. I know that sounds nuts, but 1) that’s how it tastes and 2) Shut up.

Finish: Intense, but not heavy-handed. Like sucking on a wedge of dark (70%+) chocolate. Fades away very slowly leaving a delicious and slightly bitter coating all over the lips and tongue.

Parting words: Wow. Bell’s Double Cream Stout is a fantastic beer, probably the best stout I can remember having ever. The depth and subtlety of this beer is just stunning. I found myself wracking my brains trying to pick out flavors and descriptors for this review, even moreso than I usually do for beers! There was a lot more there than I could put into words.

For long-time Michigan microbrew drinkers, Bell’s can seem old hat at times. Oberon comes in mini-kegs and 12 packs here and I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes at the raving about Bell’s by out of state beer drinkers. “Oh you’re excited about picking up some Oberon and Two-hearted Ale today are you? How cute.” This stout shows very clearly why Bell’s has become the juggernaut (by microbrew standards) it is. Bell’s Double Cream Stout is a masterpiece and highly recommended.