Now Drinking

Josh2 Comments

Gin & Tonic

Ingredients: Boomsma Jonge Genever, Q Tonic water

Garnish: Lime wedge

Makers: Boomsma, Leeuwarden, Netherlands; Q Tonic, Brooklyn, New York.

Boomsma Jonge Genever is a Dutch-style gin.  For those who may not know, gin is vodka (grain spirit) infused with certain traditional botanicals, like juniper.  As with most liquors, there are a number of different styles of gin, although with gin, the differences are more subtle.  If this one is any indication, Genever is heavier bodied than London dry gins.  Smelled and tasted neat, the traditional juniper scent of English gins seems to be practically non-existant.  Delicate orange peel and licorice are leading the way here, but more by example than by force.

Q Tonic is a specialty tonic water that claims to be a return to traditional tonic water.  It uses real quinine, a substance found in the bark of a South American tree called the cinchona, and agave nectar rather than high fructose corn syrup.  Q tonic is much more citrusy than mass-market tonics, although whether that is a result of the quinine or the lemon juice added to it.  It has a nice bitter finish, like a good tonic should.

But of course the point is to have them together.  They are a good match for each other, and for the ice and the lime.  The gin comes through on the nose and upon entry.  The sour-bitter of the tonic is a perfect complement to the orange peel and licorice of the gin.  If one might dare to say such a thing about a G & T, it’s a triumph.  I’ve had this gin with the standard supermarket tonics and the sweetness of the tonic overwhelms the delicate botanicals of the gin.  Not so with Q.  It elevates this humble drink to another level.

Now Drinking

JoshLeave a comment

Woodchuck Summer Cider (Limited Release)

Maker: Green Mountain Cidery, Middlebury, Vermont.

ABV: 5%

Wow, I hadn’t realized that it had been this long since I posted!  Well I haven’t stopped drinking, but I have stopped writing.  So let’s remedy that right now shall we?

This cider is the special summer release for Woodchuck.  The bottle is mostly blue.  Initially I thought it was just to project a cool summer image of lakeside living.  But as it turns out there’s another reason.  As their website states,

“If there was going to be an official drink for the summer season, it would be our Limited Release Summer Cider. It was inevitable; we were going to come up with a Summer Cider at some point, mostly because the two just fit together so nicely. Our Summer Cider is light, crisp, and leaves the tingle of fresh-picked Blueberries on the tip of your tongue.

“Blueberries are a New England tradition that everyone looks forward to. They’re found in the cool shady spots off the trail when you least expect it. You’ve got to hunt for them, but the reward of sweet Blueberries on a hot summer afternoon is not to be forgotten. Neither is the stain they leave on your shirt.”

Wow, what a cool New England tradition!  I’ve never heard of those before, what are they called again?, blue berries?  Wow, us midwestern slobs have nothing like that around here!

All sarcasm aside, I did sense something a little different about this cider when I first tried it but I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time.  It’s a testament to how seriously the folks at Green Mountain take their produce.  The cider itself is a pale straw color (not some blue kool-aid color) and the blueberry is subtle but adds a perfect tang to the finish and to the nose.  Like blueberries, this cider has the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.  As a refreshing summer drink, it suceeds wildly.  Buy some.

Now Drinking

JoshLeave a comment

Pelee Island Winery Late Autumn Riesling

Vintage: 2007

Grape: Riesling

ABV: 12%

Region: Pelee Island VQA

Maker: Pelee Island Winery, Kingsville, Ontario

Yes, Canada does produce wine.  Most of it is in southern British Columbia or southern Ontario.  In Ontario, the Niagra penninsula, between lake Ontario and the Niagra river.  Pelee Island is the southernmost point in Canada.  It is an island in Lake Erie south of the Pennisula known as Point Pelee.  It’s a unique enviroment, being an island in a large inland body of water.  It is are famous for ice wine, but Pelee produces an impressive array of table wines as well.

The wine is light gold.  Three years in the bottle no doubt contributed a great deal to its present color, that’s is close to the upper limit for Rieslings.  The nose is rich, heavy on the apples and apricots.  It’s fairly heavy on the palate, too, for a Riesling.

 But when I first opened the bottle, the sweetness of it shocked me.  Since it is labeled as a “Late Autumn Riesling” I expected it to be sweet, but this is a different kinda sweet.  It tastes like there has been sucrose, table sugar, added.  This is not a rare thing, it’s even done in Riesling’s home turf, Germany, but it tends to be something of a distraction.  This is done to sweeten up wines that may not have had enough time to fully ripen on their own, a chronic problem in places like Canada and Northern Europe, even for a late bloomer like Riesling.  Nevertheless, after a sit in the fridge overnight, this sugary sweetness has disapated (or I’ve gotten used to it) and it now seems to be much more drinkable.  The apple has taken the lead, though, Paula or Gala apples specifically.

Overall, not a bad wine for drinking on its own, if you have a bit of a sweet tooth.

Now Drinking

Josh2 Comments

Virginia Gentleman Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Age: NAS (6-9 y/o ?)

Proof: 90 (45%)

Maker: A. Smith Bowman, Fredricksburg, Virginia (Sazerac corp.)

Viriginia Gentleman (VG) is a unique bourbon in a number of ways.  First, it is a great way to win a bar bet.  There is an urban (rural?) legend that bourbon whiskey can only be made in Kentucky.  In fact, it can be made anywhere in the U.S.  Some who will concede that point, instead believe that Kentucky is the only state allowed to put its name on the label of a bourbon.  This, too, is wrong.  So there’s two bets won right there.  It is also, as the label says, distilled both in Kentucky and Virginia.  The A. Smith Bowman distillery is now owned by Sazerac, who also owns the Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, KY.  Bowman takes unaged proto-bourbon from BT and redistills it in their copper pot still (maybe, the info is a bit muddled here), then barrels, ages and bottles it.

VG was already of rather limited distribution (Virginia and surrounding states and districts) when it was announced last year that it would be discontinued.  It has been replaced by John J. Bowman Single Barrel bourbon, which is only for sale at state-run liquor stores in Virginia.  I think it’s a shame that such a long-time, refreshing, summertime sipper like this one has been discontinued, but luckily I have a sister in DC, so I do have a source for the new stuff, which is pretty good, and maintains the tradition of having a beautiful bottle.  The 90 proof VG has been nicknamed “The Fox”, since the label features a beautiful painting of a fox hunt, and the logo on the back is a fox head and the letters VG.

The nose is delicate for a bourbon.  To me it smells like a freshly sliced granny smith apple, one that has been rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  On the palate, it’s almost creamy.  It has a medium-light body and the apple has been replaced by caramel, but the hot cinnamon is still there too.  Wood finally shows its face in the finish, which wraps everything together very nicely.  In the end, I feel refreshed, but dangerously so.  It’s great in mint juleps and manhattans as well. 

VG is gentlemanly to be sure, but before you know it, you’ve spent a little too much time with him and you wake up wondering how you ended up in his rose garden next to his maid and whatever happened to your pants.  To me, nothing says summer like VG.

Now Drinking

JoshLeave a comment

Motor City Hard Cider

ABV: 6.5%

Dry.  I’m not an expert on such things, but I think the folks at MCBW let this puppy ferment a little too long.  I’ve gotten more apple out of bourbons and white wines that I get out of this.  Not to say it’s undrinkable, it’s not, in fact it goes very well with food.  But if you’re looking for a little hit of apple, you’re barking up the wrong tree.  It’s a murky tan color and has a strange tangy smell to it.  It has a bitter finish too, that is not very pleasant.  If you see this in the store, skip it and get the ghetto blaster ale.

Now Drinking

JoshLeave a comment

Keweenaw Brewing Company Pick Axe Blonde

Style: American Blonde

ABV: ???

I was completely unable to find any information of the alcohol content of Pick Axe Blonde.  For some reason, it’s not on the can.

At any rate, this beer delivers what it promises.  It’s a perfectly blonde beer, with a medium-full body that is heftier than I expected.  I do like my blondes with a lot of body .  As the side of the can says it has just a kiss of hops, which is refreshing in these days of hop hysteria.  It’s almost too full-bodied for back porch sipping, but it has a great balance of maltiness and sweetness.  That and the busty blonde babe on the can, and you can’t go wrong.  I think I’m developing a big crush on this blonde.

Last Night

Josh3 Comments

Motor City Brew Works Amber Wheat

Style: Wheat

ABV: ???

In spite of what the brewer at Royal Oak Brewery would have you think, I do enjoy wheat beers.  So when my friend ordered the seasonal Amber Wheat when we met up at the Motor City Brew Works (MCBW), I made it a pitcher.  MCBW is best known for its Ghetto Blaster Ale, very popular in these parts.

The Wheat is a nice dark orange color and the pitcher came with an abundance of oranges.  It is medium-bodied and a bit light on flavor.  If you like wheats, then you may be a bit disappointed, but if you don’t, you might be pleasantly surprised.

MCBW is located in mid-town Detroit and has a wonderful brewpub that is perfect for warm-weather sipping.  The whole building seems to open up into the outside, with the feel of a beachside bar.  It has a fairly large, airy rooftop seating area, where my friend and I sat.  As the setting sun beat down on us the pitcher shrank and the conversation grew, and I was reminded that sometimes it’s not about the beer.

Now Drinking

JoshLeave a comment

Axl Pale Ale

Maker: Milking It Brewery (Royal Oak, MI)

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 6%

Christy, barmaid at my favorite Detroit pub, and former King Brewery (Pontiac, MI) employee is a partner in this new microbrewery in my town, Royal Oak, Michigan.

It’s what I like in a Pale Ale.  It has plenty of hoppy bitterness, but a touch of sweetness and a relatively dark color and full body with a tiny citrus tang in the finish.  King’s will indeed be missed, but this beer is a fantastic start for Milking It.  If this is any indication of what’s to come, Michigan is going to have yet another GREAT microbrewery.

Last Night

JoshLeave a comment

Old Charter Proprietor’s Reserve (Bourbon Heritage Collection) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Age: 13 y/o

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Maker: Belmont Distillery (?), Louisville, KY (United Distillers)

So that I don’t have to pretend like I’m getting all boozed up in the daytime, I’ve added a “Last Night” catgory.  This is what I was drinking last night.  Get it?  Good.

The Bourbon Heritage Collection (BHC) was a collection of whiskeys put out by United Distillers back in the 1980s and 1990s (I think).  There were five of them, representing the five biggest brands of American whiskey owned by UD at the time.  UD has a long conplicated history, but it is a descendent of the Guiness company and the Schenley whiskey company, and was itself an ancestor of international alcohol conglamorate Diageo.  The 5 were: Old Charter Propritor’s Reserve (OCPR), I.W. Harper 15 y/o, Weller Centennial (10 y/o, 100 proof), Very Special Old Fitzgerald (12 y/o) and George Dickel Special Barrel Reserve (a Tennesee Whiskey, 10 y/o).  Of these, the Weller Centennial and the and the OCPR are the best regarded, although all of them are very good whiskeys.

In the 1990s when UD was becoming Diageo, they decided to sell off their bourbon distilleries and most of their bourbon brands.  Old Charter and Weller went to Buffalo Trace and Old Fitzgerald went to Heaven Hill.  They kept Harper (now only sold overseas) and Dickel.  Of the BHC whiskeys, the only one that is still made is the Very Special Old Fitzgerald (VSOF).  The Centennial and OCPR continued being made by Buffalo Trace for several years after their acquisition, and they can still be found on shelves, but they are becoming increasingly rare, especially the highly sought-after Centennial.  The older OCPRs are easily distinguished by their “sloped shoulders” as opposed to the squat bottles (similar to Elmer T. Lee and the Centennial bottles) used by Buffalo Trace after they took over the brand.  All the BHC members also have a BHC neck band that was only used when they were made by UD.

As for the whiskey, the color is a light copper.  It has thin, light legs.  A good deal of wood comes through on the nose.  This smells older than 13 years old.  There must be a fairly high preportion of older whiskeys in this baby.  The predomiant aroma here is of butterscotch or toffee.  What it reminds me of the most is Werther’s Original hard candies.

On the palate it is light and sweet, with a big hit of wood upfront, like Sideshow Bob getting hit in the face with a rake.  Ok, that was kind of silly.  Sweetness follows on quickly, then some good, old fashioned alcohol burn.  It fades away into a faintly sweet finish, with some more of that light, sweet butterscotch.

What I like about this whiskey is that it is not a butterscotch monster like some of its younger kin.  It is very well-balanced.  It’s soft and sweet, but it still has plenty of character.  Again, I’m not too much of a fan of the other products of this distillery, but this one is truely an excellent whiskey, a classic.  Track one down if you can.