Oxbow Brewing Co. - "Sap Haus" smoked lager

I came across this single beer at Each Peach Market in Mount Pleasant and picked it up on a whim. It's from Oxbow Brewing Co., based in Portland, ME. My brother and I visited in 2019, and got stuck in a downpour as we worked our way through their taplist. They seemed to focus on lighter beers and sours, and in fact the (few) Oxbow beers we've sold at the shop have been on the lighter end. Since I'm a fan of smoked beers and maple syrup I figured I'd give it a go. 

This 7.00% ABV dark lager is sort of a murky root beer color, with a swift pour and moderate, bone-colored head. 

Interesting. It's got a touch of malts, and overall the presentation is light and sweet. The maple syrup comes through as the beer develops, with a touch of cracker / salt / wood smoke at the end. There's a touch of lingering sweetness on the aftertaste, as well. But overall very light, and it's worth noting that this beer is much lighter in body than other smoked beers / rauchbiers I've had. Many, including Aecht Shenkerla, tend to have a much thicker, heavier feel so it's nice to encounter a beer in the style that is lighter. 

Additionally, I like that it tastes, well, as described. Each flavor is recognizable, makes an appearance, and doesn't overpower its neighbors. The flavor profile is somewhat unseasonable, but the light body and drinkability make it a winner for me. This single 16oz cost me $5.99, and worth it at that price. 

Weekly Cocktail: "Torres del Paine"

 I just cracked open a new bottle of pisco so I figured now might be the time to play around with it. Pisco, for those unfamiliar, is a grape brandy native to Peru and Chile. It's most commonly used in a pisco sour, but is gaining popularity in the US market as a mixer for other drinks, too. 

Today's cocktail is something I just made up on the spot - "Torres del Paine", named for the high-ridged mountains in Patagonia. To make it, you'll need:

• 2oz pisco (I used Capel)
• 0.75oz Oloroso sherry
• 3 dashes Dashfire mole bitters

Mix in a mixing glass, stir vigorously with ice, and then strain into a coupe glass. This savory and dry cocktail is perfect for early spring!

Weekly Cocktail: "Weekend at Mr. Lee's"

 This week's cocktail is a riff on an Old Fashioned. It's called "Weekend at Mr. Lee's", and is my own creation. To make it, you will need:

• 2oz rum (I use Ferrand / Plantation Barbados 5yr)
• 1oz amaro (I use Forthavn "Marseille")
• 1oz Demerara syrup (I use Pratt & Standard)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 dashes Dashfire "Mr. Lee's Ancient Chinese Secret Bitters"

Build in a glass, adding rum first over a few ice cubes and then adding bitters, amaro, and then syrup. Stir, and enjoy. The herbal notes of the amaro and bitters will be balanced out by the sweetness from the syrup and rum. Makes a nice late-winter, early-spring cocktail!

Lagunitas Brewing Co. - "Sonoma Farmhouse Brett Stout"

I saw this 22oz bottle a while back, and fondly recalling my 2018 trip to Sonoma and to Lagunitas, I picked it up. It's Lagunitas Brewing Co.'s "Sonoma Farmhouse Brett Stout", an 11.00% ABV imperial stout aged in Sonoma County red wine barrels. Barrel-aging using ex-wine barrels is often used with whiskeys, commonly and more specifically Port and sometimes Madeira, but it also makes an appearance in the beer aisle. I was hoping to find out from which winery these barrels were sourced; sometimes they'll tell you - if they partner with a particularly famous winery, or source the barrels from some exotic location. But alas, no information was to be had.

Also, of interest - the use of Brettanomyces yeast here. Most often you see it used in lighter beers, so curious to see how it would behave in a stout. 

Pours a thick khaki head, but dies away quickly. Some funky aromas in there, a little chocolate, too. 

Holy crow, this is winey. Very strong red wine character, something along the lines of a beefy, heavy California Cabernet Sauvignon. Very full and silky, this stout develops strong notes of pepper, earth, wood, and cocoa. As it warms up, the wine character gets even stronger, tasting a bit sweet almost. I'm having trouble fully appreciating the Brett, but I presume some of the earthy / peppery flavors are the most direct result. Finishes nicely, with some more of that sweetness. I should note the high alcohol content, which is hidden quite well. 

I very much enjoyed this. For $11.99 per 22oz bottle, it's not super cheap, but worth it. It's an interesting take on a stout, and if you like red wine and heavy, smooth dark beers, look no further than this! Perfect for this chilly weather. 

Cocktail Thursday: "Yellow Bird"

Since I'm dipping into spirits now on the blog (in fact, I have before a few times) I figured I'd also spotlight some cocktails I've been making. This will be a weekly post, on Thursdays. Cocktail Thursday!

Today's is an unseasonable one, the "Yellow Bird." It's a longdrink, which means it has substantial volume with a large amount of non-spirit mixer. This is a contrast to a "short drink", which is one or two ounces of distilled spirit served in a glass. "Highballs", or drinks with a base spirit and then a mixer, are considered longdrinks as well (think Tom Collins, whiskey soda, Dark & Stormy, etc.)

To make a "Yellow Bird", you'll need:

• 2.5oz white rum (I use Cardinal Spirits' "Tiki Rum")
• 1.25oz Galliano L'Autentico liqueur
• 1.25oz Cointreau
• 1.25oz lime juice
• Club soda, to taste

Build the cocktail in a highball glass in this order: rum, lime juice, Galliano, Cointreau, topped with club soda (at least 5oz). Served stirred, over ice. You could also have fun and riff on the base spirit by using aguardiente or charanda blanco. Top with a sliced lemon for even more flavor. 

Dogfish Head - 2000 "Olde School" barleywine

Due to the pandemic, my shop is no longer doing draft beer to go except for occasional pre-fills from kegs we already have. In clearing out our stock, we came across some pretty vintage beers which impressed even I: a sixtel (15.5gal) of Goose Island's 2014 Bourbon County stout; and two kegs of Dogfish Head's "Olde School" barleywines...one from 2009 and the other from the year 2000. Yes, Y2K. Twenty-one years ago. 

These are the last of the kegs, and after these are gone, we're taking out the draft system. So only one thing to do - fire up our Gruber growler filler, load in some fresh jugs, and release the beer made when Bill Clinton was president.

I'm not going to review all three, but will spotlight the 2000-vintage: Pours lazily from the growler, with absolutely no head or carbonation, even when agitated. 

Look at that deep, subtle, beautiful color. The tasteful hue.

"Oh my God, it even has a watermark."

I'm really surprised. This is probably the best we could have hoped for - a malt bomb, thick as a cookie, all while still retaining some of the original flavors. It's definitely past its prime, make no mistake, but the win here is that it's not skunked or sour or stale. The alcohol sweetness that come with most barleywines are still present, yet muted, and the "core" barleywine flavors have rounded out to a smooth, soft, boozy brew. The texture is a bit off since there's no carbonation, but it's still recognizable as a barleywine. Very neat.  

The rule typically is don't age beers, even the ones you're supposed to, beyond 5 years. We're just really lucky this one wasn't gunky, sour trash. 

Monte Xanic Bodega Vinícola - 2019 white blend and 2018 "Calixa" Chardonnay

Today's wines are a first for me - hecho en México! A few weeks ago, I was meeting with a sales representative for a wine merchant and in his brand book were a half-dozen Mexican wineries. You don't hear much about winemaking in Mexico, as tequila, mezcal, and light beer dominate public perception of Mexican alcohol exports. However, the first vineyards in North America were planted in Mexico by the Spanish in the 1500s. According to WineFolly.com, there are over 170 wineries in our southern neighbor, with the majority located in the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California, where Monte Xanic Bodega Vinícola is located. While it's not California alta in terms of production, a confluence of environmental factors make the inland climate of Valle de Guadalupe similar to the Mediterranean, which obviously is great for growing grapes. 

So this 12.00% ABV white blend is comprised of 98% Chenin Blanc and 2% French Colombard. I've had Chenin Blanc extensively (we had a great South African expression in the bin deals at D'Vines for years) but never Colombard. According to my research, Colombard is a genetic descendant of Chenin Blanc and another grape, Gouais blanc. Colombard hails from the Charente department of southwest France, also home of the city of Cognac and the famous eponymous beverage. I really enjoyed the South African Chenin we had, but since terroir varies even from town to town, this Mexican variant is all new to me. Let's dive in. 

There's not much aroma in the glass, but as it warms up, it projects a bit of...lime? Hold the Corona jokes, please.

I think this will be one of my new favorite still white wines. It combines the crispness of Chenin Blanc (makes sense as that's 98% of this blend) with a very pleasing salinity - ocean spray, with attendant notes of pears, minerals, and earth. But here's where it gets fun and funky - on the finish, it has a surge of that mallow flavor you get with a buttery California chardonnay. The butter finish is totally unexpected, and really fun. 

Overall, a lovely bottle of wine, and one that I will be ordering in my professional capacity as a buyer for the store. It's reasonably priced, as well - $13.99 - and is a nice "in-between" that would pair nicely with chicken dishes, alfredo, and the like. 

Monte Xanic also does a Chardonnay, which I noticed in the brand book. Hey, you know what? Let's do the Chardonnay too. I special-ordered a bottle in the next shipment, and here we go:

Ok, there's a little barnyard element to the nose - a little sour. Reminds me a bit of something made with Brettanomyces. Way different than the blend.

Well, the flavor of the wine isn't barnyard at all.  It's much fuller in body than the other wine, and brings a pleasing tang, buttery texture, and flavor notes of peaches and nectarines. It lacks the flinty, mineral nature of the white blend, but makes up for it by adding a substantial body. Fans of California oaked Chardonnays would like this for a slightly lighter option, and at $15.99, it's a good buy.