Oktoberfest starts out with an Emperor gone bananas...

What gives with naming a beer after a controversial historic figure? No I take that back.. what gives with naming a SERIES of beers after a few controversial historical figures?

Well it's really simple. It's a way to get yourself noticed I guess. But what really matters is what's in the product if you are an imbibing conquesting hero.

Avery Brewing Company based out of Bolder Colorado, has created an Imperial Oktoberfest Lager, the only seasonal Lager they make (I think). I am not one to go for funky labeling, gimmicks of the sort, things that would make you turn you head and give yourselves a shake. In the realm of the numerous strongarm leaders that have come our way, why would you want to associate yourselves with a person possibly of controversy, and possibly put it out as a product you want to sell???

The reality is though, for Avery here, 3 of the "dictator beers" in their so called series and I emphasize that in quotes... I am not sure if that even matters? Perhaps when I think of the Romanovs... (a legacy that came in to fashion after the end of the repressive Soviet Union, used to promote an Imperial Stout called the Czar) and the Maharaja (an Imperial Ale) for a legacy well... I don't know the history that is so gone from our current past and perhaps that makes it easier to grab this bottle off the shelf. Sometimes you just can't win and you can guarantee to offend anyone. I don't find this product offensive, but perhaps someone might? He is on the bottle simply because as the company mentions he himself loved beer, so lets just keep it at that. The term Kaiser does not mean dictator, it means emperor and it's still used often. German soccer star Franz Beckenbauer's knickname is even "der Kaiser".

Hence forth... politics/history/debates aside... we have from Avery... The Kaiser... because after all, this is about imbibing, and imbibing GOOD beer in this case.

In the end... what we got is a great Oktoberfest beer to start the Fall season out of Boulder CO.

Check out the video review for the final thoughts. ENJOY!

Dogfish Head Theobrama, once, twice, three times was not the charm...

Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned.

When I first moved to the USA, (I was born and raised in Canada) I was excited to be delving in, and having a plethora of microbreweries to choose and taste from. I was also escaping much of the government run liquor stores which as many Americans depending on where they live, are all too familiar with. What that sometimes (not always) does is limits the amount and availabilities of liquor (beer/wine/spirits) that are available to you.

When I arrived in DC/MD/VA area I was amazed at the selection that was available to me. I tried so many beers that thinking back to those imbibing years was pure heaven, and so it went, and on that trail was one of nirvana... and its name is Dogfish Head.

I am a huge fan of this brewery. When I first tried their products I was absolutely floored as to how good they made their beers. Tastebuds don't lie, and in following up and researching them found they were highly respected and one of the best (if not some will argue the best around period).

That said, I ended up tasting another craft of theirs recently, called Theobroma. I will cut to the chase as time permits and give the reader the benefit of the doubt that from what I say will be taken with much consideration and heartfelt condolences on the status of this beer, and the lengths I went to review it.

Long story short. I bought 2 bottles. They were rancid, sour, compromised, oxodized, whatever you want to call it. While one of those 2 was better than the other, they were still UNDRINKABLE. I was miffed. How much did I just pay to review and taste this beer only to throw 90% of it away? I was debating my thoughts, I was dare I say it being a fan of this brewery... second guessing myself... there was no way this product couldn't be up to snuff could it? I was a lover jilted, cheated beyond belief it seemed. How could you do this to me? After all these years I've supported you! It was hard somehow when I say this... that I tried not to take this personally.. :) But damit! This is the Imbibe Hour! AND THIS IS SERIOUS!

I've learned from years past and it took me some time, but I know one thing now always... go with your gut. I finally got the third bottle, and it was not ruined and reviewed it. I have NEVER in my life gone to this much trouble to reviewing a beer as I had with this one. The results are in the video below.

Cheers and Enjoy!!

Watch out for the abominable chocolate snowman.

What's the deal with an Imperial Stout anyway? As much as I enjoy beer to imbibe, stouts in general are not the first thing I grab (although I grab a Guinness on occasion but haven't had the real stuff in Ireland). However, with my latest tastes and pickups of these crafty Imperial Stouts, my tastes certainly may be changing.

I first heard of the Yeti brew of all places on a wine tasting episode on YouTube. The name and the description of the Great Divide Brewing Company's products from Denver Colorado really started to intrigue me as I was reading up about them. To make sure I wasn't setting up for disappointment, I grabbed their Double Wit first. I figured if that was good then I knew I was on to something. In the end, I was greeted with a sweet tasty Belgian citrus bouquet, great body of a white ale, and a sweet nose that I got a big whiff of cardamom on. So far it was a big home run.

I tasted and reviewed the Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti and was pleasantly surprised as well. It really reminded me of a big red hot pepper chocolate bar, and was just a great beer (although my food pairings would be different than some of their suggestions). Cayenne taste comes out in the first chew, then dissipates and seems to come back SLOOOOWLY... on the finish. I did think the body was quite good, but it was almost a smidgen away from being just perfect. I thought if it was just a little thicker this beer would have been just phenomenal. I also didn't find much oak/wood smell/taste on it as it claims. Regardless it's still VERY VERY good. My review of it is in the video below.

Somehow the beer reviews are sneaking in on the Imbibe Hour, I did say they'd be there. But stay tuned for some more spirits and cocktails on the way shortly!

Cheers!

Fall imbibing season kicks in to high gear!

Fall has finally hit, even though it seemed that Summer recently wouldn't go without a fight.

I made a trip out to rural Maryland to take in some of the bounty that comes with Fall. The bounty would be apples, but more so for the imbibing purist, that pursuit would be in the form of hard cider.

I have to admit I was not in to cider, and I usually do not care for apples at all. My wife however loves cider, and the occasional trip to a farm in Fall would mean a jug of cider to bring home. I was interested when I started hearing about hard cider, but more so when I learned that there was a great drink you could have in Fall called a Stone Fence. It turned out I had one of these in a recent Mr. Booze event, and I was hooked.

A Stone Fence is a Fall cocktail. It consists of two simple primary ingredients. One, is cider either regular or the hard type. The other without question is Applejack, which is made by Laird's Company the oldest family run distillery in America. The Hard cider I picked up was in three varieties one very dry, and then 2 that had slightly more sweetness while still remaining dry and crisp. I had tasted them before purchase and figured that I could work with something at home even if it didn't work out. I returned home with bottles in hand all set for my Fall drinking glory to begin.
The first Stone Fence was made with the hard
cider which I will admit was very dry. The apple bouquet notes are very subtle but the drink has a good feel almost like if I could describe it (even though there is no such thing) an apple spirit. However, it became apparent that while this drink was enjoyable to my palate this was not the drink I remember having at the event. The other Stone Fence I had was much sweeter. Then it occurred to me... this should be made with regular cider. Some tempting moments later, regular cider was poured... and magic hit the glass. PERFECT! now this is what I remember!

So make sure to give a Stone Fence this summer with some great Applejack and the cider of your choice. Hard cider will create a very dry cocktail. Regular cider will create a sweet Fall apple mix that will just make you swoon. It's up to you how you like it, and it seems cider can change as it's been opened so you may find a certain cider that works for you. I've also seen some other recipes that involve the use of bitters, either Peychauds or Angostura. So it all depends.

Either way a Stone Fence in Fall is truly a fantastic drink and it's easy to make a basic one. Watch the video below to learn how to make one.

When life gives you lemons... you make grenadine...

I hate running around for shit. I will confess, I am a person who doesn't have a lot of patience.

I have my mind set on something, I know what it is, I want it, so I should go to that store and get it. It should be there right? Heck I am an educated consumer, and when it comes to imbibing I want the best of the best... I don't want something ordinary.

I would go to liquor stores, grocery stores, specialty gourmet stores in the area. I would ask or look around and go up to the sales staff and say......

"Do you have any Grenadine other than the regular stuff that isn't made with corn syrup, or artificial color???"

Trades people would then look at me like I had three heads. The most common response I got was, "What's Grenadine??"

This was bad enough. Don't get me started on walking in to liquor stores and talking to proprietors who don't know even what the flying fuck they are selling half the time when I have a question. I could write pages of that... ALL DAY...

Getting back to the point, and I am getting out something on my chest that obviously has been bothering me, if me crassness hasn't been apparent to thine reader right now...

What has been bothering me for the longest was trying to find real Grenadine. The most common brand is of course everywhere and it is called Rose's. As I started becoming more of an imbibing connoisseur, and a bigger cocktail aficionado, I was learning that Rose's seems to have become a bastardized grenadine. Grenadine is a syrup that back in the day was normally distilled from pomegranate fruit. Sort of a generic purple/red syrup.

What's it turned into now is a sugary mess. I say to myself NO MORE of that, there must be something out there, but my hunt turned into lots of brick walls. It was becoming a hopeless cause until something came to mind that made the most obvious sense. I wish I realized it earlier, when life give you lemons... you make you're own GOD DAM GRENADINE!

I was researching online and discovering people just easily made their own. Keripes why didn't I think of this? I make enough syrups as it is this should be a piece of cake. As per suggestion I grabbed some real POM juice, threw it on the stove and began my work. I was tempted to throw all sorts of herb in here, but I really should take it slow at first... baby steps... baby steps I kept telling myself.

I let the solution reduce for some time, until I was satisfied with the flavor. I really wanted to get some of the pomegranate to come out. Then I added sugar. After that it was all combined and set.

The results were quite good. It tasted like a very fruity pomegranate syrup just as I planned, although it was tempting to put herbs in there but that probably wouldn't be a good idea and would make it over complicated.

The results are pictured to my left, and they are what I expected and from what I heard. You will get a much darker syrup than the Rose's brand.

I only made a small amount to start with. There will be many practice attempts to decide on the ultimate ratio and reduction of juice to sugar.

Rose's also make a lime cordial product, and that is actually perfectly used in a Gimlet without a needed substitution.

But for me, I want the pomegranate and don't want to be staring all day at a giant red fire hydrant. So far on first go this one actually seems very promising in terms of texture and taste! Can't wait to officially try it out in a cocktail. Don't take my word for it though, make some yourself!

Unusual Summer DC in September, calls for the Dark N' Stormy

A funny thing happened in DC during the month of September. It turned to a brutal nearly code red August summer day. Temperatures swelled suddenly from the cool Fall days past, to a sudden hot high 90s. It was humid, it was sticky, plain and in short... it was summer in DC again one of those awful ones. I thought Fall drinks were on the way, but suddenly... they weren't!

So I thought I was done with summer drinks and mojitos and the like. But nope I was wrong.

With crisis comes opportunity, and with that I could crave something to beat the heat, and that little something something.. is none other than a Dark N' Stormy. The best thing about them, they are stupid easy to make.

First off a real good Dark N Stormy uses Ginger Beer. NOT GINGER ALE! like some other people use. I go for two types of ginger beer particularly.

The first type is one that I see quite often and I'll occasionally use in a pinch, and that's DG brand. It has a very ginger sharp taste to it, one that really cuts. The second I use is a much different a subtler one made by Reed's. Reed's ginger beer, is not as high on ginger (although the taste is there), but its filled with tropical fruit and aroma. It's VERY good if you can find it.

Ginger beer is basically a concoction of ginger and soda if I could explain it simply. If you want to put ginger root in a bottle and sell it as soda pop that's what you get. The hot ginger taste I find can really cool you off and its sweet. The DG brand is much sweeter than Reed's.

That said the next important thing is the rum. Not just any rum. A true Dark N' Stormy is made with Gosling's Black Seal rum from Bermuda. It has a big dark color, a seal on the bottle, and has this (to my senses) great toffee and smooth rum flavor.

With the really hot weather all of a sudden, I found myself desiring this tasty beverage. It turned out opportunity provided me a chance to get it sooner than I expected.

Watch the quick video below to understand how to make one. CHEERS!

One Beer, one Scotch, and then one Bourbon in that order.

So... The song goes, One Bourbon, One Scotch, and one Beer... However, I ended up yesterday being invited to a Scotch tasting hosted by Johnnie Walker and had some time to kill and ended up at one of my favorite places to get a beer.

Regional Food and Drink in Washington DC is owned and run by the same people who manage the Brickskeller. The Brickskeller's claim to fame is that it is noted for selling the most bottled beers of any place In North America. It is a well known place for anybody to go imbibe.

I saddled up in to one of my favorite spots to try something new and got what I like to call the best seat in the house.
Pictured to my left is my imbibing on a Corsendonk Brown Ale. I dig Corsendonk but I am not so much into Brown Ales, this one was not really much of an exception either, not much body but it did have some nutty characteristics and some hoppy-"ness".

However, when always partaking of the giant wall of beer, it's like being a kid in the candy store. Except that it is a candy store for adults.

Next on the list was to go for a Double IPA from another favorite brewery of mine. I like Bell's brewery which is located in Kalamazoo Michigan. They make a seasonal wheat ale called Oberon that I really enjoy. I am starting to discover that I seem to get kicks out of wheat ales. That being said the next thing on the list to taste was another seasonal release from them that I hadn't heard called The Oracle.
This is a "west coast style Double India Pale Ale" as the Bell's website mentions. This was quite enjoyable but probably not as enjoyable as I may have wanted. They mention it is aggressively bitter and that is an understatement on the finish. It is VERY bitter on the finish, but still has a great front end with hops and tastes of fancy. That bitterness though just drys you out like crazy. It was as if the beer was playing tricks on me, you drank it's good body and flavor quenching your thirst, then as you finished you'd dry up quick on bitterness and be extremely thirsty again. You repeat this process enough times and you can see where this is going...

Things had to get turned around quick... we needed to change the game up, and truly playing spin the bottle put me to my next selection.

I asked the bartender..

"I'll have the Abita Pecan Ale"

"Hang on let me check... Wow we still have this in stock I thought we were out of it."

I was given the bottle with much delight, poured and then read the contents. Abita is a Louisiana brewery and the Pecan Ale is made with Louisiana pecans that have been "toasted to perfection". According to their website, the pecans they use make it something really special, because most beers with a nutty flavor or aroma aren’t made with real nuts. The natural oils from the Louisiana pecans give the ale a light pecan finish and aroma.

So what's the verdict. Chock full of win, or more so, chock full of friggin nut FEST! There still is smell of beer here but it so wonderfully aromatized with these pecan nuts that it just makes you want to have pie. It isn't bitter, it isn't heavy, it isn't weak, it's earth without being dirty, it's just flat out fucking awesome.

I realized that I almost forgot the purpose of my evening tonight and the focus was not to be on beer but Scotch. It was hard to walk away, The menu list for October is quite extensive, but after meeting up with friends for dinner it was time for our next engagement.

I was asked if I'd wanted to go to a Scotch tasting by a friend and knowing me how could I turn that offer down, knowing my love to imbibe. Now if you have read my blog and know my enjoyment of Bourbon whiskey, then you know I am a fan of whiskey. But here's the thing. I don't drink Scotch, I don't particularly even care for it. I appreciate it, but don't drink it. For cocktails Scotch isn't very common, sure there are some such as the Rob Roy which is basically a Manhattan substitute (same ingredients just different whiskey), but it's not much of a mainstream consumers choice for cocktail afficionados.

But if you are probably going to start learning about Scotch and just want to get your feet wet well it seems like they would be the first brand you'd think of. Upon our arrival it became apparent though of the mood, theme, and purpose of the event. It was essential a setup (not any ambush so much) but more of what I would call a marketing junket, than a serious tasting. That's OK... there's nothing wrong with that.

You see, the idea is for JW to get people to drink their product, so what better idea than to give them some free drinks, and give them some history and a starter know how tasting? Why Not! heck throw in some well produced video and you're set.

We were taken to a room to have some simple drinks first. They did offer a Scotch and Ginger, and Old Fashioned (yes you guessed it a real bastardized one), and of course Black label which you could have how you wanted it (on the rocks for our hero's preference of course).

Afterwords we all were introduced to Stephen Wilson who was in his element. Surrounded by lighted tables showing off our drink selection, and several well placed video screens, he introduced all 5 of the products for tasting, and got people to give their comments.

I have to admit this was done real well, there was Cola and Ginger ale for mixing, a pitcher of water, and more importantly (not pictured) all 5 glasses for tasting the Scotches including droppers to cut the whiskey (whisky) with water.

While Stephen gave his story about the products, he was flanked and surrounded by about 6 huge screens and a booming stereo system as videos played. The most impressive being the first one showing actor Robert Carlyle talking about the history of the product in a 6 minute uncut stylish walk through the highlands.

It became very clear to me as I started entering the world of liquor advertising and marketing that the large companies have one thing all in common... they are stupidly rich and have lots of money....

In all honesty though, this wasn't suppose to be a serious tasting, the room was filled mostly with younger adults who probably don't know much about spirits and spend most of their time drinking in nightclubs where the activities of what you consume are well... secondary..

But for those who wanted to get their feet wet and understand what Scotch is, this was probably the perfect event. Our host while encouraging everyone to participate, even told people to get on Facebook and Twitter about the event.

After all this is about promotion and getting people to drink their product. There really was no pressure, particularly if you've had a few drinks.. The reality is though this event is no doubt to get people to start drinking Scotch.. and specifically JW's Scotch.

You see.. Whiskey (in my opinion as a whiskey fan), has an image problem. Whiskey and in particular Scotch... some consider it "an old fart drink". Scotch is what your old Dad or more likely, your CRUSTY grandfather who always sat in the corner of the room not talking to anyone drank. I'll admit it that's the connotation I have as well, but that doesn't stop me from drinking whiskey (or whisky) to appreciate it. As I have gotten a little older I like the texture, aromas and feel of Bourbon tremendously, Scotch to me is too "grainy", too "harsh and dry" most of the time, although I will admit their longer aged products were quite good but don't have the same appeal to me as Bourbon. I don't care about image, it's what's in the glass that counts, young people though... think differently and marketers are trying to jump on this.

Bourbon probably has the same marketing problem, but since it comes from Kentucky primarily and is associated with the past of America's illegal moon-shining, and its country roots.. some might consider it "hick" or "unsophisticated".

So there in lies the problem for distillers, how do you get people to drink your product?

Well if you're JW you may not want to shove a 20yr malt in front of someone and teach them about the bouquet for 10 minutes. You may however want to put up a hip actor from Trainspotting and give them a few free drinks with a smile. That's how I would do it, and sometimes it's a good thing to be a guinea pig once in a while. To make the evening complete, I finished at home with one Bourbon... just so I can say I gave George Thorogood his due.

For blueberry beer, the good, the not so bad, and the UGLY....

So... fruit in beer. Seriously what is up with that? I never even knew that beer could contain something such as fruit, until I started looking at great Belgian beer and discovering Kreiks, Lambics, and the sorts.

It turned out many of them I didn't care for, but it got me thinking that beer wasn't just a malty-hoppy one trick pony. With care fruit could be added and you could come up with something good. However, it is usually not the first thing I think of.

I soon discovered that with fresh fruit in season I could get blueberries in my area. I absolutely adored them. They were just perfect sweet snack food, not even too sweet sometimes. My wife who is originally from Maine even introduced me to one of the States best exports that being Maine wild blueberries. From there heaven could be found in blue fruit. Why not make thine marriage of suds and such things?

For this tasting I decided to have a little fun and compare 3 beers and their Blueberry-"ness". This was to just have a little fun and take a break from some serious Bourbon tastings, and good quality craft microbrew. I always wanted to do this, and I came home from work on a hotter than normal day.. dog thirsty and ready.

See the video below as I review 3 beers, or as I nicknamed them... "THE GOOD (Seadog Blueberry Wheat Beer), THE NOT SO BAD (Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale), AND THE UGLY (Wild Blue Blueberry Beer).

BLUEBERRY VIDEO QUICK THREE SIPS REVIEW

White light, white heat

White whiskey. It's one of those things that seems to have a bad reputation and filled with images of outlaws working on secret stills in the hills. Such was life and some would say still is... apparently illegal distilling takes place in areas where people take imbibing in certain "nip-joints". Illegal whiskey is apparently (not that our imbibing hero here would know) one of those products that could basically contain... god knows what. Have a barrel out in the woods.. yeah a few bugs wont hurt... need someway to make a still... yeah that old lead car radiator I found will work out well... Such were the stories I heard... never mind that the XXX rating found on "artisanal moonshine" involved names such as Tangles (XX) I forget what the first and third Xs were called, but they signified the times the whiskey went through the still, causing a higher proof (alcohol) content. 1 2 3... just like that. Fours Xs... and your still was launched allegedly to the moon... Before I go any further I 'll just say this right away.

The three bottles here I have acquired are all LEGAL PRODUCTS THAT ANYONE OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE CAN PURCHASE. YOU SHOULD NOT PURCHASE ILLEGAL MOONSHINE. Thank you... lecture over.... now...

However, living in DC I have nearby Virginia to sometimes enjoy and there is only one (I believe) legally available bottler who makes white whiskey. The product is called Virginia Lightning and it is made on Belmont Farms (you can find out more about them here http://www.virginiamoonshine.com/home.html ).

I picked up their product while visiting in the area, and also a second product they make which is a 2 year Kopper Kettle aged whiskey with applewood and oak chips and charcoal filtered. Those are the only 2 things they make.

I also tasted with this a second young whiskey called Mountain Moonshine Old Oak Recipe which is from West Virginia. They also make a white whiskey. Thoughts and comments about all these whiskeys are in the video below.

Stay tuned also, I will make for your pleasure soon with white whiskey... a White Manhattan.

Sour mix be damned... A true whiskey sour is a revelation.

Sour mix be damned. Ya know... those radioactive green-yellow bottles with the glow in the dark color contents? I always was kind of curious about them in the past when I became a serious imbiber.

Back in the days of yore, I thought sour mixes were almost kind of a product that had always been around as part of cocktail mixing. It was just like anything else you used, like a whiskey, or a bottle of bitters. Perhaps there was oh I don't know... THOUGHT that went in to making them? I thought they were distinct. I soon found out that when going back in the past of cocktails that this product didn't even really exist until drink companies, and tastes of the American public got lazy. There were these things called lemons and limes that actually well.... worked!

Essential sour mix now is stuff I wont even go near. It's awful, sure there's a time and a place for it... I always associate it with bucket mix.. ya know... you're in a pinch... you go off to a party, you grab a bottle of cheap tequila... (don't get me started on bad tequila), cheap sour mix... and you get.... that's right... the bucket. In cocktails it's rare, when all you really need are fresh lemons and limes. But it's just easier for someone to just grab a bottle and pour, the bottle almost ALWAYS has a picture of a palm tree or a parrot on it go figure that...

However, a true whiskey sour contains just lemon juice from real lemons. Oh lemons.. how I adore thee... In the video below I show you how I make one, and it's pretty much identical to several recipes that use... a raw egg. Raw eggs in cocktails are often referred to as flips sometimes, but the egg gives it a nice froth and texture... it's absolutely fabulous. This is also one of the last BASIC cocktail videos I'll make cause many people on YouTube make the basic drinks over and over again. I prefer to put up things you haven't seen before (and I will) and the way this video was made is also very similar to how Chris McMillan made his in his video. The book I bought that has some of the Vintage spirits I plan on putting up, because not many people make those either.

Sometimes you just don't mess with perfection. So stay tuned!!!

How to make a whiskey sour watch below

The Old Fashioned Cocktail, Old is new again and will never die...

It seems like when you discover something that is old and been around for a long time that you really enjoy, but not many people seem to know about, that's when you know you've hit something special.

When I first got into cocktails intently and spirits many years ago, I realized that many of them went past the ones we probably have all heard before such as the Martini.

The reality is that cocktails had their start long time ago and were concoctions mostly out of apothecaries, medicine shops, filled with bitters and tonics that were to be cure-alls if you will. I wont repeat much of that history but it's a fascinating one going back quite some time ago.

When I started jumping into the land of Bourbon, I discovered a classic old cocktail that I had never heard before that really fit in this realm. What??? There's something more to cocktails than Martinis??? Really??? you better believe it.. and it's a classic standard.

Below is a classic Old Fashioned recipe. I took this after much playing around and practicing and felt that the recipe provided by Chris McMillan (someone put YouTube videos of him up) was the best I've ever tasted. I duplicate it here for your pleasure with the exception of the Whiskey I used. I make some comments based on a previous recipe and give my thoughts on this great drink which is a favorite of mine. I found a great book that was recommended by Mr. Booze (see previous Blog postings) that was written by Ted Haigh (Dr. Cocktail!) called Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. Ted is also one of the developers of http://www.cocktaildb.com/I plan to make more of the drinks in this book, some of which you probably never heard of, but it's always good to make some basics first. Like I say... you have to learn to crawl first before you walk.

Yes I did it very much like Chris did, but the reality is this is how it's suppose to be done with I feel these correct measurements, which were also echoed in many other recipes I found also for this drink. Many other bartenders make this drink the same way on YouTube as well, some slightly varying it... but not by much. Regardless... it's fantastic and you should make one.

Check the video below to learn how! And stay tuned for another cocktial classic... the Whiskey Sour.

Cheers!

Bourbon tasting #2 becomes joy of joys!

Nothing feels quite as good in life, than a basic good Bourbon.

I set out for my second tasting after much deliberation and thought. The previous low proof tasting went well overall, but it made me rethink how to approach my second tasting for this blog. Somethings just get better with practice, and this tasting was a grand ole time.

I set out to taste 2 Maker's Mark products, their standard, and also a new product of theirs which has hit the Bourbon world named Maker's 46. It was kind of neat to be ready to be tasting something that was relatively new to the Bourbon theatre one could say. I have much to say, but the video below speaks for itself. Also it was a perfect time to check out some more Wild Turkey products, which like the 80 I enjoyed a lot. To see and hear more about it watch the video review below:

Part 1:


Part 2 the conclusion:


Stay tuned for several more Bourbon tastings.

The bitch is back - Dogfish head brewery back for the win!

Beer, oh how I love thee. Dogfish Head brewery which is located in Milton Delaware, makes some of the best beer to date I have ever had in my life. I discovered them in places of beer appreciation, and then found out that on my trips to the beach in DE that they were located not far from where all that sun and goodness lands.

Cracking open their brews is always a highly anticipated moment, mostly because what they make is so fascinating, with very little faults or failures. They are without question a large go to beer for myself, and I enjoy them immensely.

On a recent beach stop up in DE, I discovered and heard they had a recent new release. The beer was called Bitches Brew, named after a Miles Davis album of the same name. Contents inside hinted of honey and a gesho root, what that is... I am not even sure if I would know one or taste one if it came across me from the street.

That being said, contents were devoured and reviewed in the video below. Check out the latest in the Imbibe hour joy. It has been awhile since I have posted or done an imbibe video, but I have been busy. Another note... the Imbibe hour will actually be going on the road! To some really neat places so stay tuned!