Bitburger beer

Bitburger beer: You may have seen this sitting amidst a shelf of familiar mid-shelf beers, and I honestly have never heard of it. as you probably have already guessed I'm a bit of a risk-taker when it comes to buying beer.
this beer is imported from germany, and most of it's lettering is unreadable (a good sign that its actually from germany)

Now to be honest, when I took my first swig I didn't think it was anything very special, pretty flavorless. BUT then I realized that within the past few weeks I had been largely drinking dark beer or brown ales and that I was comparing the flavor of this obviously pale beer to the boldness of darker beers, BIG mistake; thats like comparing a panther to an ostrich, they are a completely different species.

So...I sat back, took a deep breath, and reset my taste buds, THEN took another sip.
very smooth, with a present but not overwhelming bitterness, which you find in many good german beers. the flavor is fairly light, with a hint of burt caramel. it's different from your average pale beer, In that its smooth, yet has the bitterness you might find in a darker beer, and a flavor that says "I'm here, I won't get in your face, but I'll mingle a bit" Like that mysterious woman at a classy party you lock eyes with.

It's a very easy beer to drink, but for some reason its the only beer this pale I feel inclined to sip occasionally and enjoy like a dark beer. oh and one last thing, the carbonation is relentless! in a good way. Its been over 30 minutes and my beer is still bubbling away as if I just poured it. you may not take carbonation into account, however, if you plan on sitting down and enjoying a beer, instead of just chugging away (which I suggest with this one) its a very important aspect.

I mean, what if you've got to go and tee off on a golf course or...clean up your kids constantly new mess he/she is making. or maybe you've got a cake to take out of the oven (or maybe you really did just lock eyes with a mysterious woman) . You don't want to come back to a flat beer, which I've had happen in amazingly short amounts of time with some beers...not this one. so if you haven't guessed, yes, I recommend you try it, at least once.

Gentleman jack

This whiskey is double mellowed, meaning it is filtered through maple charcoal before being poured into barrels for aging, and filtered through once more four years later before bottling. From what Ive read, this is the only whiskey in the world that does the double mellowing process. upon opening the bottle, I smelled that distincive jack daniels smell, It certainly has the reminiscence of that flavor upon entry, however, its a different breed, more refined. It's smoother, milder, and maybe a tad bit sweeter, the real pleasure comes with the aftertaste however, with very smooth (and not overwhelming at all) notes of wood and mild smokiness, the heat buildup is nice and slow. It's a whiskey that is smooth and refined, just like a gentleman.

Thank you for your patience..it shall be rewarded.

I apologize for the significant gap in posts as of late, but don't worry, Ive been busy researching and discovering the bold, new, borrowed and blue (yes I said blue) so sit back, kick up your feet, pop open a bottle of the good stuff (whatever that may be to you) and lets burrow our way through a myriad of beers.

The bold.

the bottle is so dark that even with a lamp shining directly on it, it still looked like a shadow.

Narwhal Imerial stout: I saw this at the store and thought, "I like dark beer, the artwork is cool, I'm chancing it."

and I'm glad I did. This beer has to be by far the darkest tasting beer Ive had, yes, more so than even Guinness, and dare I say, I prefer it over Guinness on occasion. with strong notes of smokey dark chocolate and coffee, this beer spells complexity, through and through. I would definitly reccomend this  to anyone who enjoys dark beers, and by dark I mean black. I mean, how many other beers can double as paint?

yup, thats straight up beer painted on there.

The new.

samuel adams Octoberfest: I know, I know, It's not really "new" but it did just get on the shelf a month ago for the fall season, and went off the shelf quite fast too might I add. I went to 3 different stores and a well known, well stocked liquor store before I finally found one pack left in my grocery down the street. a friend told me I HAD to try it. I had reservations since Ive never really had any memorable samuel adams beers before, but I took his word for it, and he was right. as soon as I took the first sip I involuntarily muttered, "thats a good beer", very smooth, and just the right amount of carbonation. With a very mild sweetness, almost carmel-y (and maybe its just the fall nostalgia, but I think I detect a wheat-ish pumpkin?), It's taste definitely fits with the atmosphere of fall; not too light, but not too dark. It's sortof "in-between seasons" if you will. I mean, it's got to be pretty good to have won a gold star in germany, right? because germans know beer...a little too well.

you can bet your schnitzel that this german knows beer. 

The borrowed.

the reason this is under "borrowed" is because I may or may not have "borrowed" a few from a friend.


I'm sure you've had it, or at least seen it and wondered if it was really worth the money. bud light platinum is very smooth, I will give it that much. for some reason, however; I had a strange suspicion, upon drinking, that its color resembled that of water due to it's lack of, well...complexity. when I poured it in a glass, I discovered that I wasn't far off. I do applaud them for their simple, sleek, modern bottle design amidst a crowd overwhelmingly rustic and vintage looking beer designs, however, this beer is a little too "safe" for me. Theres nothing surprising or incredible about it, It pulls all its punches and just makes sure it's good enough for the average bear. honestly I wouldn't spend money on it again, but I wouldn't refuse if offered one.

The blue.

photo credit goes to berts beer blog. sorry, I drank all of mine :)



Have you ever had a blueberry pie before? well, this is blueberry pie...in a bottle. upon tasting youre hit with overwhelmingly sweet blueberry goodness. the fact that its 8% doesnt hurt either, but theres little to no bite. I know it seems like a bit of a novelty beer, and I would agree to an extent, but It's not one that you just try once and never buy again. this is what I call a dangerous beer, It's so good that you forget your drinking beer and just keep wanting more until, well...you can fill in the blanks. I would, and have, recommended this to friends and family. which results in "tastings" which usually results in something like...

neither of which is me, of course.

Thank you for reading this post, I promise there are more to come soon!

Beefeater gin

I'm sure youve heard it said that "Gin is just gross" but then again, I've heard that said about EVERY other type of liquor. Don't let the popular saying turn you off, to me, gin is the last frontier of liquors, I say that because many people only choose to try gin after they've had every other type of liquor and want to explore new areas (I admit, This was even the case with myself) so I decided to do some research then pick up a bottle of beefeater london dry gin.

Upon tasting the gin for the first time I discovered something, it is not gross is the least, however, it is much different then I expected. having a somewhat bitter and garden herbs-type taste, along with a noticeable yet not over-encumbering bite, it was certainly unique. the ammount of heat reminds me of Finlandia, but the flavor is entirely different. The aftertaste is unexpected and pleasant, being almost sweet and floral. priced at around 18-20 it is DEFINITELY worth the price, especially if you plan on making martinis which it works amazingly well with.

-J

Barefoot Cabernet, Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum, Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

I would like to apologize to my fellow writer "J" and any other consistent readers of this blog. I haven't been posting as frequently as I would like and I'm sorry for the wait on reviews of various alcohols! So for this post I decided to try quite the collaboration of a dark red wine with surprising notes, a classic rum, and a less known wheat beer with an odd twist added to it. Let's get started.

Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon

As of the past few days i've been craving wine. Which is odd of me seeing as how I am an infrequent wine drinker (save for meals) and I am also not a woman. So i picked out what seemed to be the darkest and cheapest wine of my preference. (Cabernet Sauvignon) Now i will preface this review with a disclaimer, I am by no means a wine connoisseur and to be completely honest i cannot tell the difference between this 6 dollar bottle of wine and a 40 dollar bottle of wine of the same type. That being said, lets continue to the review.

I found it to be quite tasteful and satisfying to my unusual craving. Swirling the glass releases a fruity and pleasant basket aroma of numerous dark fruits. Which ones in particular I could not begin to tell you. It also had a dark oak scent at the end. At the beginning this particular Cabernet is smokey, slightly complex, and quite filling, yet it left me pouring a few glasses. I really wanted to know what was unique about this wine. The end is has notes of cloves and is slightly bitter all while being smooth. Overall i enjoy this wine. And the next time I am having such an odd craving it will definitely be considered.-B

Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum

Sailor Jerry's this review will be short and sweet as this rum is fairly common and delicious and I know of few people who haven't tasted it before.

Looking at the bottle artwork, images of military and frat boys sprung to mind. Ed Hardy sporting men who look to prove their worth in how much they can drink in a short amount of time. (This is a generalization mind you, if it makes you laugh then good. If it upsets you then you're one of the Ed Hardy sporting douche bags.) This rum has always piqued my curiosity though. On opening an overwhelming aroma of sweet caramel and nutmeg floods the senses. "This is going to be good" I thought to myself. The first sip is similar to the smell, perhaps a little overly sweet for my taste. But it's a rum so that's expected. I enjoyed this rum. Pairs well with a Coke or alone with ice and a lime. Besides it being too sweet the only complaint I can find with it is that it tends to disappear rather quickly...-B

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

My my my. Mr Adams. What have you done. This beer, (it can hardly be called so) has got to be one of the most overwhelming beers I've had in my life. I saw it at the liquor store as i was picking a variety of beers for my refrigerator. And the red label caught my eye. "Sam Adams Cherry Wheat? Looks enjoyable! I'll give it a shot." After a little anticipation and patience waiting for it to chill I finally got a chance to open it. I was in for a surprise. Ridiculous amounts of cherry filled my nostrils. This has got to be one of the worst wheat beers i've had in my life. I don't know what the brewmaster was thinking. Cherry overwhelms every other note I could possibly pick up from the beer. Altogether too strong of an ingredient for a wheat beer in my opinion. Perhaps in a lager or an ale as a more subtle note. But this? This was an abomination. I will never buy this beer or recommend it to anyone. Stick with the Boston Lager.-B

All pictures are the rightful property of their respected owners. No infringement was intended.

The good, the bad and the ugly of vodka

We may review some higer-end vodkas in the future, but were going to be sticking with mid shelf (to low shelf with the bad and ugly) for these reviews because we know that affordability is a must in this kind of economy. 

The good.

1. Stolichnaya. This is my go-to vodka, It will always be a favorite of mine, it's affordable at around $20 a bottle, its clean, smooth and has the perfect buildup of heat for my taste. It comes in different flavors now such as blueberry and strawberry, but I prefer the original, I think other flavors just take away from the pure taste.

2. Kai vodka. This vodka is a definite close second. Its got a silky, oily texture, and with its immensely smooth yet flovorful taste, it goes down quite easily. Ths one may be difficult to find as it comes from vietnam, it's priced around $25

3. Finlandia. this vodka surprised me, it's always just been that one I pass by and say, "huh...cool bottle" but when I finally decided to pick it up, it became one of my favorites. while it's got a little more bite than stolichnaya, It also has a little more of a velvety, slightly silky texture. Chilled, it would bring out that texture even more and reduce that bite. priced around $25-$30

I will not be including prices from this point forward, in the hopes that your not actually planning on buying these.

The bad.

3. Pinnacle. this is basically a novelty/party vodka, having crazy flavors like cookie dough, cake, cotton candy. The flavors are pretty accurate, but as for quality of the vodka itself...theres little to none.

4. Smirnoff. It's definitely not quality vodka, and has swayed many a consumer to think "vodka is gross and only useful for mixing with orange juice and getting drunk". vodka is an art...and some people just don't know how to paint.

5. Skyy. this vodka is mixable...but just has way too much unnecessary bite and charcoal flavor for my taste.

The ugly.

6. Gran legacy. Never...ever...buy vodka from this company...unless you need a little help vomiting.

Theres actually a joke that circles the internet about how the company is so poor that it couldn't afford the "d" in "grand" and after tasting their stuff...I honestly think that could be the case.

7. UV. This probably ranks 3 on top worst vodkas I've had, I tried mixing it with some juices, but honestly it doesn't help unless the juice to vodka ratio is about 4/1.

8. Fleichmann's royal vodka. It's hard to differentiate between this and Gran legacy, I literally couldn't breath after spitting this stuff out, thats not natural.

-J

A song... (poem)

Upon a hill I heard a song;
a gypsy tune played with strings.
A flame sparks from campfire,
a small man sits, a small man sings.

Notes chime in, a flute is played.
A woman stands, a woman sways.

Softly, raindrops fall...
silently, on pine trees tall.

A nearby lake, deep and dark,
ripples with the melody.
Lightning flashes, thunder barks,
The music shifts with scenery.

A violin plays, slow and long,
Through the rain's swiftly building throng
The memory clear, reflecting lifelong
when, upon a hill...I heard a song.

-a poem by J