The Seventy-Five Wine Company - 2008 "The Sum" cabernet sauvignon / syrah (United States)

Today's wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon / Syrah blend from California-based The Seventy-Five Wine Company, as distributed by Tuck Beckstoffer Wines. It's called "The Sum."

This was, of course, another purchase from Charles Bissell. I've had it for probably 5 years now, it being one of the special "cellarable" bottles that I have. Most red wines can safely cellar for at least a year or two, but some are meant to be left for longer. Fewer still need aging time before they can be properly enjoyed. This one, I was told, was a particularly good year for the grapes (well, formerly grapes) inside and so that it would cellar. So, I bought it in 2010 and popped it into my cellar.

Let's talk grapes. This wine is made from two varietals of grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Cabernet Sauvignon itself is a hybrid of two grapes: cabernet franc (a dark-colored grape) and sauvignon blanc (a light-green colored grape.) The resulting mixture has been called "the king of grapes" and is one of the most frequently-planted grapes in the world. Syrah, on the other hand, is also a hybrid grape, but a much older one. It's a hybrid of Mondeuse blanche and Dureza, two grapes from southern France that had almost dwindled out of existence, but have made a resurgence thanks to DNA profiling that revealed them to the parents of ultra-popular Syrah.

The wine pours nicely and opens up to the air. It's got some interesting fruit / berry smells wafting up from the glass, with a tinge of alcohol smell as well. After the requisite time to open up, I dove right in.

I was definitely expecting a big berry taste, since the wine is billed as a big-and-bold California red, but was instead met with a much more muted and polished taste. The tannin and strength I was made to expect ended up being softened, most likely with age, and instead came through as clean fruit flavors on the tongue. The aftertaste was of slight alcohol but not unpleasant.

One thing I liked very much was softness of the wine. It's a little more mellow than I was expecting, and that's not a bad thing, at all, since I find sometimes the boldness of a wine (the tannic output or "heft") can really distract from the flavors or from what you're serving. So this wine was a great success, and it really just goes to show you how cellaring can make a difference. What ought to be a "big and bold" California red ends up mellowing out to something much softer but still full of flavor.

Beer Flash: Two Beers' "Trailhead" ISA

My brother Dan sent me two of these in the last beer box. It's Seattle-based Two Beers Brewing Co.' "Trailhead" ISA, or India-style session ale. It's relatively light, weighing in at 4.8% ABV with a matching 48 IBU's. Cracked one open the other night; it turned out nice and hoppy, very aromatic, with good lingering floral flavors and a nice bitter finish. Nice as a session ale, wouldn't mind drinking this again!

Bell's Brewery - "Hopslam" double India pale ale

Recently, my friends at Irving Wines and Spirits informed me that Bell's "Hopslam" would be coming to the shop, and asked if I wanted any. I declined initially, since I admit to you that I didn't quite know what it was and I wasn't interested in paying $23 for a six-pack of an unknown beer. But, based on the near-universal excitement on Reddit's DC beer community, I figured I should at least try it - for science. Enter the 10% ABV Hopslam.

It's a double IPA from Galesburg, MI-based Bell's Brewery. According to my research, it's made with six kinds of hops and is then dry-hopped like crazy with Simcoe hops, a famous West Coast strain of hops. It's got an original gravity of 1.087.

You may have heard the term "high gravity" beers or "original gravity". It's a term of art used to describe the relative density as compared to water. It's a way for brewers to check the progress and health of their beers during the brewing process, by using special tools like a hygrometer. Some brewers like to put that information on the bottle itself.

But speaking of the beer - one thing I have learned is that people love this beer. Reddit's DC beer community was abuzz with talk about Hopslam. Everyone seems to be talking about it and looking for it. There was an article a few years back by Sam Hiersteiner in the Washington City Paper titled "The Lowdown on Hopslam - Searching DC for this Rare IPA? Good Luck." More recently, the Washington Post has kept readers abreast of Hopslam's arrival by indicating where to buy it and where kegs were being tapped in the city. Most distributors were only allotted small amounts. I saw a guy walking out of the Harris Teeter on 17th and Kalorama holding a case of the stuff. If what I paid at Irving is any indication, that guy dropped almost $90 on beer.

And so apparently this is a Very Big Deal. And now I must try it! A big shout out, as usual, to my buddy Jesse at Irving Wines and Spirits, who hooked me up with today's six-pack for $22.50.

Cracked it open; it pours swiftly with a honey / straw color and generates a nice white foamy head.

I let the beer sit for a while, and it throws an aroma of hops, honey and some pine smells. So far so good! I'm preparing myself to be blown away. There's a nice bright orange color when candled, mostly clear, with little carbonation bubbles rising to the surface here and there.

Dipped into it after letting the beer come up to temperature a little bit. It has strong hop flavors up front, like any IPA, but dies away quickly and gives way to a smooth, slightly sugary, honey taste. It was interesting how fast that hops taste dropped off. The finish is sugary hops with a pleasant alcohol aftertaste that warms the tummy.

What struck me most about this is the drinkability. It's super smooth, very warming, and lacks any bite whatsoever. It doesn't taste like a 10% ABV, that's for sure! Given all the hops they jam into this thing, it's amazing it isn't more bitter. The honey adds a cool aspect too, since it's not something I encounter terribly often (especially not in a double IPA!) Few beers that I have tried use honey in the way that Hopslam does, and I like the end result - a pretty drinkable, tasty beer. I don't know if its necessarily worth all the hype it's getting, but it's delicious nonetheless and is definitely worth a try.

Field Trip: "Drink the District" President's Day Weekend beer festival

Happy President's Day! On Saturday, I attended the "Drink the District" beer festival held here in DC. It's held in a former shipping warehouse which is now an open-air market / event space called Union Market, pictured below. And no, it was not sunny and warm out - that's a photo I found online.

Source: K Street Magazine.com

The event itself was held indoors, on the upper floor of Union Market. It was a sort of post-industrial space / loading dock converted into event space. Lots of exposed beams, metal, and some brick. It was actually a neat venue, reminded me a lot of my college dorm senior year.

They also had an outdoor area with restrooms on one side and couple of foodtrucks on the other (including CapMac, a mobile mac n' cheese truck, which I obviously visited.)

There are two factors that made this event impressive. One - you paid $35 for unlimited 4 oz tasting pours. 4 oz may not seem like a lot, but when you can get as many as you want for three hours straight? That's serious. At Shirlington, we had to pay to get additional drink tickets, and ergo we had to be more judicious on which beers we could try.

Second point - there were quite a few big-name breweries there. A few that caught my eye were Dominion Brewing Co., Kona Brewing Co., Rogue Brewing Co., Lonerider, and Troegs to name a few. There were also a few vendors there, a DJ, and some games. Seemed like a good event, but let's see what beers they served. First up we have Uinta Brewing Co, which as you may recall produces the fine Baba Black Lager. I wanted to start out with something light, so I chose their 5.6% ABV Belgian white ale.

I liked it - it was sort of typical, but my first time having Uinta's offering. As noted on the placard, it had the typical notes of spices, orange zest, and yeasty tastes. Only a few tables away from Uinta was Kona Brewing Co., which I haven't tried in quite some time. They had a light Belgian ale, which I skipped, in favor of their "Big Wave" golden ale. 

It was nice and refreshing, not too strong, and full of caramel malts balanced with some nice tangy hops. I like the honey flavors. Not bad at all - I'd buy some for a summer BBQ or patio party. Next up is North Coast Brewing Co., with their "Red Seal" American Amber ale.

I really liked it. It's way maltier than I expected, which was cool. Reminded me a lot of Peak Organic's "King Crimson." I like the faint sweetness. The finish is just as advertised - long and spicy.

And, of course,we've got Dominion Brewing Co. I guess they had a wear-a-silly-hat contest or something. Despite the silly Skyrim-esque horned helmet hat (which is popularly misattributed to the Viking Age) there's nothing silly about the beer, the "Candi" Belgian trippel. Nice dark sugar tastes up front with a seriously sweet finish. I like it! I'd definitely buy a large-format bottle of this to try.

Laughing Dog is next, offering their "Fresh Hop." a 5.6% ABV pale ale with a sharp taste and a grassy finish. Pretty good, not my favorite, but it wasn't bad. Tastes like a standard pale ale, but certainly tasty.

 The last station I visited was Troegs, staffed by Jack Antonoff's body-double.

It's Troeg's "Hopback," a 6% ABV amber ale. It was pretty hoppy, as the name suggests, with some not-quite-fresh-hop floral tastes on the way out. I liked it as an IPA / amber ale mashup. Sounds like something I'd drink regularly. This ended up being a great end to the evening.

One downside to the event which I do need to mention (since it ultimately precipitated my leaving early) was the volume of people. It was just packed, and people congregated everywhere, making navigating the venue really hard. There was no real designated spots at the venue, so people pretty much stood around where they pleased. This made it hard to get to the beer stations, and even tougher to balance a full tasting glass.

However, I think that despite these shortcomings, and the fact Rogue was nowhere to be found, it ended up being a positive event. I went by myself, but I think it would be better for groups since there were games, a couple of tables outside, and a photobooth. I'm sure I'll try it out next year!

Troegs Brewing Company - "Impending Descent" Russian imperial stout

Today's beer was brought to me by colleague and fellow beer afficionado Dave Slavick, who obtained this through back channels in Pennsylvania. It's Troegs' "Impending Descent," a 10.9% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that is part of their "Scratch Beer" series. The Impending Descent has not yet been released to the public.

According to the bottle, the Scratch Beer series started in the early days of Troegs, when the brewers would "[spend] countless hours sampling beer, jotting down notes and developing recipes from scratch." And so in that spirit, they produce some one-off beers and experimental offerings that may or may not make it into full production. And even when a Scratch beer is released, it's only available at the Troegs brewery in Pennsylvania. My research shows that the Impending Descent was released once before, in 2012.

It pours black and milky, with a dark tan head.

Not even light can penetrate this Stygian creation.

Noses are usual - faint chocolate, roasted malt, cocoa. It's not terribly aromatic. The taste of alcohol is very strong here - it's definitely the dominant flavor. There's some roast malts and chicory flavors, most prevalent in the finish and aftertaste, but the main flavor profile here is alcohol. Not bad - I kinda like it in a go-big-or-go-home kind of way. I don't terribly like it as a session beer or as something to enjoy with dessert, but I sure enjoy the punch this beer packs.

Beer Flash: Deschutes Brewing Co. - "Zarabanda" saison

This beer, from Deschutes, is a 6.1% ABV farmhouse ale made in collaboration with chef Jose Andres. Jose Andres restaurants are pretty popular in DC, with several like Oyamel, Jaleo and Minibar. I saw this in the store, liked the label, and figured I'd give it a shot.

I found it very light and refreshing - nothing too unique or surprising, just a pretty straightforward saison that's summery and bright. It's got spice flavors, not strong but noticeable.

I must admit, it's not really the most unique of beers. But it's still pretty refreshing and tasty, so I did enjoy drinking it. It's also pretty expensive for what it is...I believe this cost me $12.99 for a 22oz, and frankly, for the cost, I wouldn't recommend this beer. If it was $6.99, sure, but almost $13 is too much to pay for a straightforward saison like this.

Field Trip: Lonerider Brewing Co. beer tasting at D'Vines

As many of you know, D'Vines in Columbia Heights has beer-to-go: growler fills. My D'Vines growler, a 64-oz fliptop jug named "Rex," accompanied me to the gym on Saturday as I was planning to swing by after working out to grab some Founder's Breakfast Stout on draft (I happened to snag the last pour before the keg kicked!) But, as happens now and again, a brewery does a beer tasting in the lobby of the store.

Enter my man Glen from Lonerider Brewery.

Lonerider, which just celebrated its 6th anniversary a few weeks ago, is based out of Raleigh, NC. They have a few signature brews: the Sweet Josie (a 6.1% ABV brown ale), the Shotgun Betty (a 5.8% ABV Hefeweizen), and the award-winning Deadeye Jack (a 6.0% ABV porter) along with a few more seasonal and specialty brews (including an amazing-sounding "Hangman" barleywine! You know how much I love the barleywine.)

So Glen is up here in DC, repping the brewery and giving out samples of these three beers. I, of course, am interested and Glen is happy to oblige by pouring me some samples (and also giving out some sweet swag!)

I had a sample of each, and all were pretty good. The Shotgun Betty had a pretty interesting spice note, which I think is clove or allspice. The Sweet Josie was good as well, pretty straightforward brown ale that was tasty (in a simple, 'good' sort of way. Like mac n' cheese - not gourmet, but always hits the spot.) The Deadeye Jack was my favorite of the three. It was smooth and delicious with some great malt notes. I went home with a six-pack.

But Glen had one more surprise up his sleeve. From his cooler bag he pulls an unreleased brew and pours me a taster. This is the "The Hops You Rode in On," a 4.4% fresh-hop IPA. It was just brewed a few weeks ago.

It was my favorite by far. I really enjoyed the crispness of it. It was super-clean with a taste of bright hops and fresh citrus, which is really great. It reminded me of Stone's "Enjoy By..." series. It should be hitting the DC market in a few months, so be on the lookout for it! It's going to be a great, light session ale that I would not mind drinking all day. Glen gave me a can (!) to take back with me, and since today is in the low 60's, I cracked it open and basked in the fresh-hop paradise that is "The Hops You Rode In On."

So be on the lookout for these - Lonerider is definitely worth trying and I'm looking forward to what they're going to come up with next.

Vintjs - 2012 Paso Robles barbera (United States)

Today's post is another "Dinner and a Movie" post, where I make a nice dinner from scratch and pair a wine with it. One meal that's always a home run with me is chicken alfredo. It's a delicious, heavy meal that pairs well with certain wines and is appropriate for all seasons. It's also approachable enough that most people enjoy it. I'll be making that tonight, and pairing it with a 2012-vintage Vintjs Barbera from Paso Robles, California. Vintjs is actually one Trader Joe's secretive house labels; and as such, when I reached out to them about specific information for the wine, they would not comment.

The Barbera grape originated in north-west Italian region of Piedmont. The wines, called "Piemonte" after the region, are chiefly made of Dolcetto, Moscato, Barbera and Niebbolo grapes. According to wine expert Jancis Robinson, Barbera was a run-of-the-mill Piedmont vintage for a long time until Braida Estate's Giacomo Bologna introduced the fine Bricco dell'Uccellone onto the worldwine viticultural scene. Now, Barbera is produced in quantity in Australia, South America, and the United States (with the lion's share still produced in Italy.) Robinson's excellent article on Barbera can be found here.

Robinson does not, however, really acknowledge the California Central Valley as a star producer of Barbera, which happens to be from where this particular vintage hails. We'll have to find out for ourselves!

So, as I usually do, I pop the bottle in the fridge for a few minutes to bring it down to "cellar temp." In terms of food, I'm going to prepare a chicken saute with mushrooms and julienne'd bell peppers, in a homemade alfredo sauce.

The key to this dinner is the sauce. I make the sauce by muddling some basil in a mixing bowl, then adding it to some heavy cream. While that's heating to a boil, heat some water for your pasta and saute some mushrooms...

...and after simmering the heavy cream, it's time to add the secret ingredient: herbed goat cheese. The delicate flavors and creamy texture makes it an interesting divergence from the usual hard-rind Italian cheeses like Parmesan or Reggiano.

As the mushrooms finish, and I set them aside, I start the chicken in the pan and add the pasta to the boiling salted water.

I like the bright red color the wine has when candled. Sitting out in the glass, it throws an aroma of dark berries and leather - a great scent. I let it sit for a couple of minutes, to open up, while I'm wrapping up plating the pasta (and cracking some black pepper on it!) Aww yeah, look at that:

Now it's time to dig in and try the wine. My first impressions are very positive - the wine is very smooth, with no tannic bite. The aroma of dark fruits translate into a deep, lush taste of red fruit in the body of the wine. There's a much more muted cassin / blackberry taste, mostly on the finish. There's a sliiight metallic aftertaste, but nothing really objectionable.

I'm curious to see how this would compare to an Italian Barbera, given the climate differential (California's Central Valley is classified as a "hot Mediterranean climate" whereas the Piedmont regions are cooler, although the Barbera grapes are usually planted on the warmer areas of the Piedmont.)

I'm once again impressed by Trader Joe's selection of (very) affordable wine. No place beats TJ's when you can get great, drinkable wine for cheap. I do encourage you all to investigate this wine, a bottle of which will cost you the trivial sum of $8.99.