Espresso time again? What? How Portland has mocked me so...

The mantra still rings true. As my wife had said, it's easier to get an espresso in Oregon than it is a gallon of gas. I awoke to start on a very busy day all set to hit the imbibing trail. Maps and scribbles were in tow, the location of the bike rental was set, geometric internal compass was calibrated, all that was needed was.. a morning fix. I wrote earlier about another great coffee place earlier called Barista. Well I figured I would be done with nice coffee places and figured things would be more low key today as I asked the front desk at my hotel where I could go close by to get a good cup of coffee and perhaps a snack.

"Oh you should head to Public Domain, just go this way on Broadway and turn right and you'll see it." mentioned the hotel staffer. I arrived and figured out... well... why didn't I come here first (simply cause it was closer to where I was staying). I approached the front and saw a similar sign. Here are the "espressos" available. Oh god please no... I can't do this again... This time there were 4, and I had no time to try them all.

I jokingly mentioned to the staff that I would try all four if I had the time. "Oh well...", she said. "Actually if you come later today on Thursdays we have espresso happy hour between 4 and 6. It's half off."

Now this was beginning to sting. It was as if Portland was beginning to punish and mock me.

I did notice the weather had changed also. It was no longer a sunny day, clouds roared in hinting of a large rain pour to come, and there was a chill in the air. Perhaps this was a sign that things were too good to be true, and that dourness could come at any time in imbibing. I quickly saw lemon zest as an item and asked for the Peru San Ignacio. And there it was just like the last lemony espresso I had, only bolder. Good lord how is this possible??? It was an espresso lovers dream to be in these places. I glanced at the machine saying to the barrista, "yeah I can't quite make this at home I guess huh!" He smiled and replied, "well a machine like this one costs about several thousand so don't expect to", he cloyingly mentioned in playful terms. He did say the model name which escaped me. The name however did sound more like an Italian high end sports car, than anything that should be making espresso. Which probably explains why the name of my machine at home sounds more like a lawnmower. Public Domain is located at 603 SW Broadway in downtown Portland.

For grace go with I and my date with Owen. Oregon's Pinot Noirs dominate Willamette valley as treasure to behold.

I love wine. God I love wine. There is so much to discern and enjoy when drinking wine that for me it is very easy to get overwhelmed. When visiting Oregon and the Willamette valley (to pronounce that correctly think of saying DAMIT! then WIL-AM-ETT!) which is known for it's Pinot Noirs, it's an experience of sensory greatness you don't mind. My other imbibing conquest while visiting the Portland area had to be wine. Pinot Noirs from this area are very well known and respected. The area is also getting known for it's other wines such as the Pinot Gris, Pinot Blancs and occasional Rieslings as well. This is without surprise because they are exceptional. Now I am not a huge Pinot Noir fan but I can see why this varietal here is so enjoyed. I could write about this for ages but I'll just have to keep it brief as I can, my note scribbles after 5 winery visits are chaotic, and it's just difficult sometimes to remember everything after tasting so much. I will try to get to the highlights as best I can describing my adventure. I will put up pictures of my notes along with the wineries which you can read which I hope will help, keep in mind that everyone has different palates, and you may not be able to make sense out of my scribbles. In a strange way to me though they do make sense. Well lets just get to the point. First if I could be blunt. NOTHING sucked, and secondly just about everything we had was an exceptional product. Yes I know that is probably not a good and intelligent way of describing and espousing the wonders that we enjoyed so let me continue further. The first place I went to was Four Graces with four wines to try (they were out of the Pinot Blanc it had been going fast!). The 2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir personally was my favorite at this place. It was very much as described by the write up given, but it even felt like it had slight faint hints of sweet tobacco and tea. It may have been my favorite of all the Pinot Noirs I tried because nothing was overbearing. However, there was more to visit, and while going up and down 99W everything was just a hop skip and a jump to go to the next winery. We arrived at Four Graces early (right when it opened) and many people were arriving just as we were leaving. It was getting VERY busy so it was a good time to go, but I certainly had to talk to a guy who was wearing a Four Roses hat to ask him about his trip to that Bourbon distillery. In short he said it was great, plus in a real beautiful place. Sometimes on the wine road you run in to other great tips!!!
My next stop was Dobbes Family Estate, which involved quite a selection. At this winery we tasted the most wines out of all the ones we visited.
Wines that stuck out in my memory and my notes were a simple 2009 Wine by Joe Pinot Blanc that had slight grass notes, tropical fruit, and a slight whiff of cane sugar. A 2008 Skipper's Cuvee Pinot Noir subtle bouquet with a great mouthfeel, soft, and with a finish and taste of chamomile or some other type of herbal tea. "How are things?" the woman behind the counter asked. After only 2 visits and several wines so far there was nothing to complain about whatsoever, and I instantly got jealous. This is because the closest wine region near me is Virginia, which while has its moments is just not on par with this region.
I closed the tasting at Dobbes with their "Mirror Image". It is essentially a Ruby Port, but they are not allowed to write or use the term PORT on their wine bottle. It has a huge strawberry type fruit nose on it to me, but it's not as sweet in taste as most ruby ports I've had, it even had a slight caramel finish. This was a ruby port I really enjoyed (I normally prefer Tawny's cause they are usually to me not as sweet and have more caramel toffee finishes that I enjoy).
Where was I heading next? Oh yeah... there were several to choose from, a place named Daedalus Cellars grabbed my attention. Problem was our basic wine region map was seriously lacking in details about where to find certain places. "Where is this place it should be right THERE" I said driving up an down back and forth, only to realize that one of their signs was really camouflaged on the side of the road, in a very small corner. Daedalus was hard to find, being in a really small location that could easily be missed, but it certainly is worth going to. For one thing you get to meet Marmadukes brother.
Upon entering the premises we were greeted by a giant great Dane who was very curious about us. And yes he was huge. However, as enjoyable and as much as I love dogs, and I never get to see dogs this big if ever, there was much wine hunting to do. There was a 2007 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir that had no fruit on it's bouquet to me but had this perfect smell of pipe tobacco. It reminded me of the old pipe ashtray stand my dad kept in the living room as a young kid before he broke that habit. However, there was a standout dessert wine made from Riesling grapes that was quite unique. Their 2008 Sweet (Dessert) Riesling is huge on apricots in the nose, not just apricot but DRIED to the rind apricot. It's as if the rind has been just getting baked in the sun and it burst with intensity. In the taste were peach notes and it didn't feel too high in sugars. It was a nice surprise to also find this wine offered at a local lunch establishment later.
By now it was close to our scheduled appointment. This for me wasn't just any appointment, it was something I had been hoping and planning for several months. So far the three places we visited were all open to the public with no appointments necessary. The next winery we were going to was by appointment only. About two years ago, I was at a wine tasting and had this incredible wine from a place called Owen Roe. Now off the top of my head I can honestly not remember what that wine was or its vintage, but it was one of the most favorite wines I ever had. I always felt if I had an opportunity to be in Oregon and the Portland area I HAD to visit. I made arrangements and spent weeks anticipating this. Problem was I thought I'd never find it. We drove and drove and we were getting late... oh dear god no PUHHLLLEAZE let me find this place! I called to make sure they knew we were still coming. I felt like I was ruining a date with a beautiful woman. We did find it, and they were not disappointed by our lateness whatsoever. In turn I tasted fantastic wine such as their 2008 Yakima Valley having hints of black tea, dirt/earth, and then giving way to a bouquet of a giant cigar box. AHhh... I was in my element.... But wait there was more. Our host brought out grapes for us which she described and allowed us to eat. This was the first time this ever happened when I visited a winery and it was a real pleasant surprise. She described that the proprietor picks these when they are really dimpled and the seed are big and have a nice crunch to them. And those seeds crunch! The grapes were just delicious unlike anything I've ever had a chance to sink my teeth into. Long story short, I bought a lot of wine here. After enjoying the grounds though I had to realize that I couldn't stay here all day in this cool sun Oregon day. DOESN'T IT RAIN IN PORTLAND?!?!? I keep asking myself.. Isn't it suppose to cold wet and miserable all the time??? This hardly felt like it at all. After devouring a fantastic lunch at Farm To Fork in Dundee we had one more place to go. We set out for Eyrie vineyards tasting room further on down the road one of the first and oldest vineyards in the Oregon area. I soon began to realize we never seemed to leave this highway.
We arrived very late and were the last people to arrive before closing. We were greeted by an older Frenchman I guessed from his accent who was more than happy to indulge us. It was more of the same great goodness as always. Here though the bouquets were very unique. I was asked my opinion of the first wine we tasted in comparison between two years. It was I "think" a Pinot Gris off pictured to the left in my photo (90 points), comparing 2007 and 2008. I mentioned that the first was more fruit forward, but the second bottle's nose was dramatically different and masked by some type of smoke characteristic. He looked at me in a way of amazing fascination. "Please hold on", he said. I figured oh oh what's going on? The man grabbed a handle from nearby to pour himself a quick glass from a machine that essential resembled a soda fountain for adults. He was testing both wines. "Please sir" I said, "nothing is wrong with them" in just a quick remark, figuring that he thought maybe I was complaining (this is something I would never try to do). He replied back to me, expunging into a boston shaker, "you're comments are really interesting to me." Really??? Suddenly I was engaged in a real serious discussion and he was engaging me in every wine we tried. Some of the things he talked about involved me picking out fruit more prominent compared to barrels, or vintage, but I have to admit he was getting into some real specifics that get into the nitty gritty of making wine that I just couldn't keep up with and went over my head. He used a term that at first threw me in contrasting the two vintages. He said this one is much "rounder". Ironically as soon as he said this the first thing that popped into my head was the word.. no joke... "beachball". what? Wines don't have beachballs what's going on here? I had to sit and think about what he was saying and he was right, it was a bigger profile I guess, although it didn't explain this faint smoke almost ashen air I got off this one glass. We moved on to the NV La Luz which I thought had this tart rotten fruit smell almost like a rotten crabapple hinting at a buried brown sugar sweetness (that's not a bad thing). The gentlemen once again grabbed a taste to compare and talk with me again, we were in some real good discussion about comparisons. By the time we got to the Daphne, and other Pinot Noirs, the bouquets on these were really unique from the other cherry, berry, plum, fruit, spice notes of the other Pinot Noirs we tasted previously from other makers which were still stamping their mark as Oregon Pinots. When I mentioned two of the Pinots had a sweet red vermouth quality to them, one of them on the nose literally smelled like Campari without the bitterness, he was grabbing at the soda fountain quickly. I figured I was going to drive this guy insane, but he was actually just having a good time as we talked at length about what was in front of us. We bought a bottle 2005 Pinot Noir Reserve, made from a clone (Pommard), to me it had hints of rosehip tea very faint though not overpowering. The gentlemen pointed to pictures of regions where we were tasting our wine from, asking us our personal favorites, sometimes excitedly pointing as if he could tell which branch of that vine it was coming from. Something really struck me about this even though we were the last people there and they had closed. I got the most pleasant vibe that this person just didn't want us to leave. With that we settled back only to be reminded of what a good wine region and its people can offer. A place like Oregon and the people who inhabit it make this all incredibly worthy and memorable.

Starting out in a Portland morning the right way. Breakfast espresso hits the spot

One thing about imbibing, not everything is limited to spirits, beer and wine. For when I want to start my morning off right I want an espresso, and I want a good one.

This for me is very hard. Try as I might I can't duplicate the technique much to make the perfect espresso yet. It probably has more to do with my machine which is ok, but it is a little limited in making quality espresso that you can find in most coffee shops. I got my grind, tamps, all that but something else needs to better. Or maybe it's just me...

However, I figured that if I am in Portland before hitting the wine trail, I should definitely be able to find good coffee, and luckily I did. Nevertheless, my wife didn't doubt I'd have any problem with this hunt. She had arrived to the area earlier, traveling around a bit and succinctly told me, "In Oregon it's easier to find an espresso, than a gallon of gas!"

I walked through downtown Portland, a most easily walkable city to go to Barista. Not only was there espresso ... there were choices. I approached the counter surrounded by young urban hipsters, yoga mats, manicured framed glasses and tattoos everywhere. "What will you have?" a young man asked me across the counter. Pretty much all the baristas behind the counter were all decked out in tattoos along with their patrons. The vibe was infectious, enjoyable, cheery, full of warmth.

"I'll have a double espresso" which is what I always ask for, only to cheerily be greeted with,

"What kind?"

In all my espresso hunts this has NEVER happened to me. What kind? I get a CHOICE? Suddenly my mind clicked back to a board posted in the area I saw earlier. I had arrived early enough, the lines kept growing behind me, I needed to make a decision, this was not a time to be dilly dallying with locals behind me desperate no doubt for their caffeine fix and not ready to be patient for this "outsider" to make up his mind. :) In the end there was only one way to do this.

"Pick one for me!" I said with enthusiasm and jumping for joy. With that the barrista behind the counter felt enthralled to be putting his personal spin and opinion in front of me.

I was given the Hairbender, described as having toffee and citrus notes. It was presented with one big brown dark piece of crema that I don't think I've ever seen on an espresso. It was pretty intense and I realized that searching for the notes of aroma and flavors was fun, but it was just better to consume it and just take in the Pearl District with the sun blaring in my face. Never in my life have I had a great cup of coffee while wearing Ray Bans indoors but there are firsts for everything. Isn't is suppose to RAIN in Portland all the time? It became apparent that I was presented with an opportunity. I had the ability to try all of these which in a short morning span I would normally never do. But heck... I figured I'll try the other one. I ordered the "black cat" searching for peanut butter, only to find similar notes as the first one but not as enjoyable a taste. However, this was fun and I think I just had more enjoyment going up to the counter just as an excuse to talk to the baristas who seemed genuinely pleased to see me back.

"You again?" one quipped. "Yeah I guess I am back, now I guess I'll have to try all three!" It seemed I was overdoing it but these things happen when on vacation. The black cat seemed to lack more of the complex aromas the board described, but everything was just excellent so far. My eyes glanced to the far side of the counter where the bags of coffee were all for sale, except for the first one I tried. It made me feel like I wanted that first espresso more. By this time though there was no turning back. I returned asking for the Helsar. "Here" the barista replied, "This one's on the house". So there you have it free coffee!
More importantly it was the best one. While it had the similar profile as the other 2, it had to me a distinct fruit finish specifically of bitter lemon. This was pretty amazing since many times when having espresso you are served a slice of lemon rind. I am never sure what to do with those, but I always love chewing on them after I finish my coffee to freshen up my mouth. I've heard all sorts of theories as to what you're supposed to do with them, or where the came from, but chewing on them afterwords just seemed to make the most sense. Perhaps if I am wrong, I probably don't care cause now I am so use to it. While imbibing this espresso though, it was as if the lemon rind was being tasted after the coffee's lingering finish. Wow pretty dang impressive!
Now espresso is not for everyone I think, and I don't think many people were ordering it just straight as I was. But there were plenty of nice looking latte foam art to be had. One person was kind enough to let me take a pic of his coffee. OH DUDE shoot I spilled part of it I am so sorry man! Apologizing to me for your coffee? oh heck no need man. Before I knew it, he was suggesting I should come around when the owner was in, or talk to so and so (I forget to be exact). I soon began to realize that in Portland people really actually like to have conversation.

Problem was I couldn't stick around because a) I had to hit the wineries and pick up the rental car b) I had 3 shots of extreme coffee and was wired beyond believe that if I had more I would probably never shut up talking to this guy.

The reality is there are only so many espressos you can have in a day. No I take that back, there are only so many espressos you can savor... IN A HALF HOUR. The good news, is if you're lucky maybe you can find a place that makes a real good one, or just try to grab a bag and see if you can do it better yourself at home. I think I know already that answer, but I'll let you know how it goes... and I always add a bit of sugar, cause I am not that hardcore... ya know ;)

Beer Bourbon casks can make a better beer! Say that 3 times fast!

If you are a fan of Bourbon whiskey, and a brewery says to you... I am going to make a beer and use Bourbon whiskey barrels to make it, would you jump at the chance to try their creation? If you loved beer and Bourbon so much would you knock over the old lady on the street corner, just to get to it?

For me such a question I thought would be and easy answer. I love beer. I love Bourbon. Therefore, I would kill my first born and it would be a marriage of great body, massive caramel, tobacco, and sugary sweetness that would be in a beer and send me to another realm. The beer could not be bad. It would be nirvana.

The reality is regarding both of those statements, neither turned out correct. I tried two Bourbon cask aged beers, one was from Allagash from Maine, a tripel aged in oak Jim Beam barrels named Curieux. The other was an Imperial Stout from a brewery named Goose Island based out of Chicago.

The beers are of course from two different breweries, but they are also two different "types" of beers (one a Tripel, the other an Imperial Stout). I was really hoping to find characteristics of good Bourbon in beer. Alas, the reality is I really did not find those distinct Bourbon characteristics from these two. But in trying these beers, I discovered some fantastic drink. Check out the Bourbon cask beers that I reviewed in the video below.

The White Manhattan Cocktail... twist on a classic standard. You can teach an old white dog new tricks!

Sometimes, everything comes together in life. When it comes to a good cocktail, it's also the finer things and the patience involved to make it, that somehow makes it more rewarding.

I had done a previous whiskey tasting of young whiskey as part of my series. While tasting the whiskey I realized that much of it sat on the shelf and I cared not often to bring it down for my liquid pursuits.

However, after finishing the tasting I went back to some old articles and came across one for white whiskey in the Washington Post, and there it was ... there was included a recipe using white whiskey in a classic standard cocktail favorite of mine... a "white Manhattan".

I love Manhattans. I am normally a Bourbon fan with them and particularly like them on the rocks. What my biggest pet peeve with them though was, were the ubiquitous companionship of cocktails.. those things that I could not escape no matter how hard I tried... the dreaded red fake cocktail cherry.

But even then I fixed that solution purchasing Italian Wild Cherries that were just DIVINE. I was all set, I even decided to order some other French Vermouth, only to receive dry vermouth instead of Blanc (white/sweet). My plans were put on hold, I would have to wait... WAIT to make this drink... My temptation to just make one, sans true cocktail cherry, sans Dolin Blanc (perhaps even ruining it with an old long shelved bottle of Martini Rossi Bianco), no I would have to be patient... A true good cocktail need EVERYTHING just right. And the wait was well worth it.

Subtle, sweet glycerine taste, orange slight bouquet, Benedictine... oh what a great liqeur you are... and then topped with a great tasting cherry. This is a great sweet drink, which you white whiskey fans may be all over... Benedictine is not a normal component in a classic Manhattan. Put here with the sweentess of a Blanc Vermouth it really adds a great texture along with orange bitters. Definitely worth a look.

I present to you... the White Manhattan. Cheers!

So what's the deal with cocktail cherries?

Cherries.... I always hated those things...

To many people who know me, they know I am not in to sweet things. I usually do not care for sweet drinks (although the right occasion sometimes calls for them!) and I usually have no interest in dessert. I like to tell people when I eat out that when I am asked if I am interested in having anything for desert I'll say give me another steak. So I usually steered away from sweet things and that included fruit.

My admonishment for all things fruit also goes back to how I grew up eating fruits in general. I grew up in a very Northern climate that was also very far from typical fruit growing regions in North America. Fresh fruit was not common. Cherries to me were always a rare thing. I did seem to make an exception for citrus.

My first impression with cherries was... it was those bright red things that came in a jar. It was what you found on a banana split at the Dairy Queen. They were bright red almost florescent soaked in a sickly disgusting syrup that was filled with lots of artificial flavoring.

I absolutely HATED them, they were repulsive.

So to this day when it comes to cocktails, the cocktail cherry is something that I really despise. People still use those sickly corn-syrupy artificial red dye things. I ranted about this in my Old Fashioned video. So many times when I was at a bar asking for a Manhattan I would constantly tell them to not put cherries in my glass. However, after moving to an area with a better change of produce in season, I discovered cherries actually were different.

My wife came home from the farmers market with a bag of cherries. The first thing I noticed was how DARK they were. "What are these?" I asked her.. she looked at me as if I had three heads. "They're CHERRIES... try one." And I discovered that in season cherries I really liked.

So I would throw those in cocktails and they'd hit the spot, occasionally I'd make a cherry syrup, but the problem was they wouldn't stick around. I figured well that was it... no cocktail cherries for me any more, but I somehow felt there was a way around this. And boy was there ever.

Enter the picture above. I read and found out about these cherries that come from Italy. They are wild and selected Amarena Fabbri cherries. These... are just perfect. I know feel I can but these in my glass and not be disgusted. They tasted absolutely divine, not too sweet, great texture, almost alcohol brandy like, and they look like the real thing.

So all is not lost, and the imbibing world just got a little better, so this time, pretty please make a Manhattan, with Fabbri Wild Cherry on top!

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!