I know I’ve beaten this reindeer to death, but I like my holiday brews to taste like “Christmas” to me.  Many of our readers disagree, saying that they can take only so many winter warmers until they get bored and long for holiday seasonals that break the mold a bit. While I could happily drink […]

Let’s be clear from the outset – I won’t ever be wishing anyone “hoppy holidays.”  It’s not that I don’t like hops – sometimes they call to me, especially when I have an Avery Maharaja chilling in the fridge.  But hops and holidays don’t mix in my book.  This time of year I want big […]

I went to the Second Semi-Annual Ungettables Tasting at Brewforia last Monday evening.  It was an amazing time, and I got the chance to try some fantastic beers and some not so great beers from around the world.  This was an awesome event and some people really went all out bringing cases of different brews. […]

. It looks like Sam Adams is trying to rekindle the romance with hardcore craft beer geeks with the release of their small batch series of beers.  Glancing at the labels, you wouldn’t guess that these are Sam Adams products, and I think that’s the whole point. When we discussed our “no-go” breweries here yesterday, […]

I guess I’m a fickle little bitch when it comes to beer. Last night I was so excited to come across some four packs of Founder’s Backwoods Bastard sitting in the cooler of my local beer shop.  Backwoods Bastard got me into whiskey-barrel-aged brews, and once upon a time it topped my list of favorite […]

The single barrel showdown has made it into round 2.  After a lengthier than anticipated break in the action I have finally gotten back to the showdown!  This match up pits the last of my Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit against a Willitt special barrel purchase.  These are two heavy weights indeed with the Wild Turkey […]

  Here it is, the last of the first round matchups!  And I think that it is fitting that this was the absolute closest match so far.  You might think that it would be one sided with the New Knob Creek being so close to barrel strength and all, but it was by no means […]

Every year about now I begin to think about the holidays.  I know it is only August, but before you know it these suckers will be upon us, and the Mastercard and Visa folks will be going crazy.  This is the time that I begin to think about all those bills, and also about what […]

This was a great pairing with which to begin my Single Barrel Showdown.  Frankly, I don’t think I could have picked two better single barrel bourbons to begin this.  They were similar in some ways, the Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit (WTKS) was 101 proof, the McKenna was 100 proof and Bottled in Bond.  The WTKS […]

When you Google “affordable luxury” on images, all manner of pictures come up for your perusal.  I found this one to be the most hilarious!  In and amongst all the Audi’s, BMWs, diamonds, and luxury resorts (none of which are very affordable in my world) was this photo which represents “Affordable Luxury” in Cambodia!  This […]

  Well my sleep saga continues, but I think I may have come across a solution.  Last night after dinner I had a little pool maintenance to take care of, then we needed to find a hotel for an upcoming trip to Vegas.  That took until around 9pm and I was afraid that I wasn’t […]

  I don’t know how much I can continue to gush over and like, no love the beers from Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon.  You guys and gals are going to start thinking I’m on their payroll, but I promise I am not.  Last week I picked up a bomber of their Total Domination IPA […]

Finally a Pilsner I can get behind!  Avery Joe’s Pilsner was Avery Brewings first foray into canning beer.  It was their first release in cans about a year ago.  I talked about it here.  Well it finally made its way to Idaho (only took a year)!  As soon as I saw it I picked a […]

This was disappointing.  I cracked open a Rogue John John on Friday evening, only to be greeted by a thin and sour tasting beer. I’ve had it before and don’t remember it being a sour (it’s Rogue Dead Guy Ale aged in Rogue Dead Guy whiskey barrels), so I think there might be a quality […]

Rogue Brewery has taken the Terroir movement to heart, growing all their ingredients within the state where the reside, and making some pretty good beer with it at the same time.  Truth is this is the ONLY way Terroir works.  If you get apples grown in your state but they are small and come with […]