Blood Root Cellars - 2018 pinot noir

Let's talk pinot! I had this recently and quite enjoyed it. In the US, Pinot Noir has found viable growing conditions in the cooler parts of California, including Carneros, the Russian River Valley, the Anderson  Valley, the Sonoma Coast, Monterey County, the Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara County, as well as in Oregon's Willamette Valley (where some of my favorites are made!)

Today's, from Blood Root Cellars, is an interesting example of a California pinot...or blend of pinots.  This 13.80% ABV red wine is a precise blend of grapes from twelve different vineyards; most of which are used to produce wines that generally cost quite a bit more that the $20 retail price this bottle would fetch. 

The twelve vineyards are from a variety of California counties, including Marin, where I've spent quite a bit of time over the years visiting family. I've never heard of any wines being sourced there, though. Certainly there are beers from Marin, as I encountered in my 2018 blockbuster trip out West, but wines not so much. Maybe Woodlands Market should start carrying this stuff! 

On the nose - quite earthy and a touch vegetal. Peat moss, graphite, and earth. Hmm, okay. I'm here for it. Nice blood red color in the glass.  

On the palate - fruity! Silky-smooth, full notes of cranberry, cherry skins, and a bit...botanical, like bergamot. Flavors develop quite quickly, and the wine leaves the mouth with a full presentation of juice and stonefruit.

This definitely punches above its weight -  it's aged just enough to make it slightly round but still retaining the liveliness you'd expect from a pinot. I'm actually quite impressed - one of the nicer California Pinot Noirs I've had lately - the coastal pinots before that lack the real aggressive weight that some hotter, drier wines present. I also like the herbal notes as the wine just starts to open - that bit of dried flowers adds a levity to a wine that otherwise would be a bit heavier.

Distributed by Salveto Imports, this wine retails for $20 so a great value in my opinion. I'm digging that this is a medium-bodied, softened, and well-refined red and great for Thanksgiving. 

Old Ox Brewery - "Deathspresso" imperial porter

So as the weather is a bit cooler today, I'm getting a start on some dark chocolaty coffee beers! I had a teeny sample of this at Old Ox's Middleburg location back in May, and wanted to investigate further, so here it is. This 9.10% ABV imperial porter is made with lactose, espresso beans from Winchester, VA's Lone Oak Coffee, and vanilla beans...the "Deathspresso." 

As you may know, lactose is now somewhat common in beers, making appearances in everything from sours to IPAs. Personally, I think lactose is most suited to darker beers as the flavors you usually find - roasted, malty, nutty, chocolaty. Plus, "dessert" flavors like vanilla, chocolate, marshmallow, and others benefit well from the creaminess. That's how a lot of beers that imitate stuff (like milkshakes or ice creams) achieve the desired effect. 

Cracks open and generates a thick, condensed, khaki head.

Yum! I'm liking that this beer is mild, mellow, and also a tad sweet. It's billed as an "affogato-inspired" porter, and I kinda get that. The lactose dilutes the roasted elements of the coffee and makes it creamier, almost as if you added a scoop of gelato. So mission accomplished there. It's medium-bodied and the vanilla makes an appearance (as does the coffee) but doesn't overpower, which is always a concern for me. There's a bit of lip-smacking sweetness on the back end, though, and be prepared for a mouth-coating aftertaste. 

This was a nice way to kick off dark beer season, and nicely priced at $17.99 for a 4pk of 16oz tallboys. 

Azores Wine Company - 2019 Branco Vulcanico

As you may have seen on this blog, wine is a worldwide commodity, produced in most corners of the globe. Wine can be made from grapes grown in a variety of climates, and sometimes in unexpected places. Today's wine is a white blend made in one such place, over a thousand miles in the Atlantic Ocean - the Azores. 

The Azores are are a volcanic archipelago first "settled" by European monks in the 15th century. Seems like a good place for a monastery, right? Well, as we know, monastics have long been the keepers of secrets when it comes to beer, wine, and spirits production, so it makes sense they'd make some wine out there to pass the time. 

Today's wine is from Azores Wine Company is and called "Branco Vulcanico", a blend of Arinto and Verdelho, the latter a common grape in Portuguese blends (like Nortico, a rose). With  less than 1000 cases made, today's wine ia limited run indeed. 

It's a deep golden color in the glass, quite handsome if I say so myself.

Nose is heather, dried flowers, and hay. Interesting.

OK, wow, very neat. The first thing I noticed is the texture - smooth and soft, like honey. The wine is full-bodied for a white, with a low acidity and a deep, unignorably-mellow palate. It's a touch...oily, if that makes sense, and secondary flavors are green apple skins, dried herbs, salinity, and some beach sand. Finish is pleasant and honeyed, with a little drying out but nothing resembling crisp or sharp. There's a soft warmth 

I think this wine might be a bit too much, actually, to pair with dinner - its complexity and silky texture seems to be closer to a dessert wine (although it isn't, to be clear.) I enjoyed having it on its own, and being able to focus on all the different things going on - the herbs, the hay, the fruit and apple skins, the coastline notes, and the smooth, soft texture. If I had to, I could see myself enjoying this with some stuffed dates, manchego, and stone-ground crackers.

This was certainly fun to try, and I believe AWC also makes a red blend, which would be interesting to investigate. Distributed by Salveto Imports, this wine retails between $32 and $40. 

Weekly Cocktail: "El Señor Rayón"

 In celebration of a recent birthday, here's a cocktail I put together in a snap. It combines delicious tequila, aged to perfection, with a locally-made cordial, a ton of fresh fruit, some cool garnish, and Casamigos riming salt for that south-of-the-border kick. To make this, you'll need:

• 2.5oz Tequila 123 "Numero Tres" añejo tequila
• 0.75oz McClintock Distilling Co. "Spiced Pear Cordial"
• 3 lime slices
• 3 lemon slices
• Star fruit (juicing and garnish)
• Dash of lemon seltzer
• Casamigos spicy chile rimming salt

First, muddle the fruit in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add tequila, juiced star fruit, cordial, and ice, and shake vigorously. Pour into a Tom Collins glass, top with club soda, and garnish with fresh lemon and star fruit. 

It's delicious! The tequila is mellow and the cordial / fruit really stands out. I love the spicy kick from the rimming salt. And before anyone says anything, yes, I know it's "añejo", and he's not old! ¡Feliz cumpleaños Héctor!

Les Costieres du Pomerol - 2020 Picpoul de Pinet

Warmer temps and lighter fare call for lighter wines, and over the last year or so I've become enamored with the Picpoul (or Piquepoul) grape. Sometimes known as the "Muscadet of the South", Picpoul is typically grown in clay and limestone soil in the Languedoc-Roussillon winemaking region of southern France. It has its own AOC, and is one of the only recognized wine regions in France to solely produce white grapes. 

You'll see this wine as Picpoul de Pinet, and is a the perfect wine for summer, in my humble opinion. Fans of vinho verde, and to an extent Sauvignon Blanc, will enjoy this as a nice alternative. For today's review, I chose Les Costieres du Pomerol's 2020 Picpoul, distributed by Kysela Per et Fils. 

Pale yellow in the glass, this wine's nose is fresh with a touch of honey and minerals. The palate is soft, light, citrusy, with just a touch of sweetness and a solid acidity that really stands out. It's not as sweet as Muscadet, nor is it super grassy or honeyed as some Sauvignon Blancs. I think the acidity really stands out here - and don't get me wrong, this wine isn't harsh by any stretch. Acidity in wine doesn't mean it's unpalatable, in fact, you want wine to be somewhat acidic to contribute to good structure. You want a clean, citrusy wine like this to have good acidity. 

You'll find Picpouls from $8.99 - $11.99 (I got this for $8.99 at Irving Wines and Spirits), so definitely a great value and and a perfect "everyday" wine, especially in the hot summer months. Pairs perfectly with oysters, clams, and other seafood. Why not throw one in the fridge?

Weekly Cocktail: "Johnny Gaucho"

Sometimes I decide to build a cocktail based on a spirit I purchased on a whim. Recently, I saw this neat corn/rye blend from Detroit's Two James Distillery, picked it up and enjoyed it. It's billed as an "East Meets West" kind of thing, an ode to the savory nature of Japanese ramen broth. It's tasty, and although the corn and rye really push through on the palate, it does have a bit of an unusual element. So like any spirit I purchase, I also wondered how it would be in a cocktail, therefore I whipped one up that showcases some of the umami, herbal elements of the base spirit. 

I chose a take on a Rob Roy / Manhattan, as the base spirit is the dominant ingredient. For the second part, I had this sample of Astobiza red vermouth from Pais Vasco in Spain, which is quite herbal and would go well. Rounding out the drink are some orange bitters, and instead of a garnish, I used Luxardo.

So here's "Johnny Gaucho" , and to make it you'll need:

• 2oz Two James "Johnny Smoking Gun" whiskey
• 1oz Astobiza red vermouth
• 3 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
• 2 dashes Luxardo cherry liqueur

Add all ingredients into a large mixing glass, add a handful of ice, and stir for 40 seconds. Strain through a Hawthorne strainer into coupes. 

I omitted the garnish (typically a cherry) but added a tiny dash of Luxardo, which was cool. Overall the cocktail was a touch bitter, with the vermouth really bringing strong notes of cola and root herbs. Definitely great for fans of darker, more aromatic cocktails. 

Weekly Cocktail: "Contessa d'Estate"

Here's my latest mixology creation - a take on an Aperol spritz, and great for sipping during the golden hour. I'm calling it "Contessa d'Estate," or "Countess of Summer", owing to the bright, light, and refreshing core spirit. 

To make each drink, you'll need:

• 1.5oz vodka (I use VDKA 6100, made from whey)
• 1 ounce Aperol 
• 3/4oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur 
• 2 ounces grapefruit juice 
• Tonic water, to taste (I use Fever Tree)
• 2 dashes Crude "Sycophant" bitters (orange & fig)

Put ice in a Boston shaker, then add all ingredients except tonic. Shake vigorously, then strain into flutes with a couple of fresh ice cubes inside. Top with tonic to your taste.

The grapefruit balances out the sweetness of the St. Germain and the Aperol, and the tonic floated on top gives it a bitter tang. This could be served with a grapefruit wedge, for garnish, and can also be pre-batched if you want to make it for a group. 

Cottrell Brewing Co. - "Stonington Glory" pilsner

 Well, here I am in Stonington, CT, on the Long Island Sound and only a hop, skip, and a jump from the Rhode Island border. I'm on a bit of a vacation this week, ahead of starting my new job on August 2nd. (So, yes, I'm actually stepping away from managing the wine and spirits store to focus on my main interest, public policy education.) But of course I am still blogging and will pick it back up in earnest, starting today!

I'm at Breakwater restaurant in Stonington, and saw this on the taplist. It's a 4.70% ABV Czech-style pilsner, made with Aromatic malt and Sterling hops, and named for the 1814 Battle of Stonington, in which the victorious Connecticut militia turned away a vastly-superior fleet of British ships during the War of 1812. Between August 9 and 12, 1814, British frigates and ships-of-the-line bombarded the town but failed to secure a victory. 

I grabbed a half-pour while waiting for our dockside table. It was pretty hot out, even with the sea breeze, so I wanted a lighter beverage. And I chose wisely, but...one thing that strikes me about this is that it's actually on the heavier end of pilsners. I was surprised at how thick and full-bodied it was. It's off-dry, with a heavy dash of honey which is quite welcome and gives substantial body to an otherwise-light style. I enjoy the traditional flavors as well, and am picking up the flaked-wheat and dry, salty texture. This would be a nice pairing with some seafood (not that I can eat most seafood due to an allergy) or lighter chicken dishes. Or perfect for a day on the pier!

Weekly Cocktail: "Yoru Desu"

A few weeks ago, I picked up Hendrick's "Lunar", the famed gin distiller's spring seasonal expression, so I wanted to see how it would do in a cocktail. The spirit itself has notes of allspice, cinnamon, flowers, and a touch of herbs to complement a relatively-low juniper flavor. I wanted to make a summery cocktail using it, so I chose yuzu, a fruit native to East Asia. In that vein, I've decided to call this "Yoru Desu", which can be translated from Japanese as "Nighttime." You know, because Lunar gin, too.

To make this, you'll need:

• 2oz Hendrick's Lunar gin
• 5oz yuzu juice 
• 4 dashes Fee Brothers plum bitters
• Ice cube
• Whole cardamom (to float as garnish)

Here, I placed the ice in the glass first, adding the cardamom and shooting the bitters over the ice. I followed up by adding the gin, then the yuzu juice, and stirred. I chose plum bitters because it toned down the sweetness of the yuzu and gave the cocktail some weight. Overall a tasty cocktail, and I'd be curious how this would be shaken with ice. 

Avery Brewing Co. - "Depuceleuse" barrel-aged wild ale (2010 vintage)

Here's another vintage beer, drawn from the bowels of the D'Vines storage unit - a 9.59% ABV wild ale brewed with sour cherries. Called "Depuceleuse", it's fermented using Brettanomyces yeast, malted barley, Rocky Mountain tapwater spring water, and finally aged in Zinfandel casks with production limited to 463 cases, or 5,556 12oz bottles. 

Oh, and it's also over a decade old, bottled in March 2010, BUT - unlike some vintage beers that I've tried, I'm a bit more optimistic for barrel-fermented wild ales. Why? Because to start, wild ales often have funky yeast strains, many of which are quite hardy and work their magic in the bottle. This is called bottle-conditioning, and while it doesn't explicitly say this beer is bottle-conditioned, it still stands to reason that beers like this may have ongoing processes that keep the juice inside fresh.

But there still is the chance it could be vinegar since I don't know other variables related to storage. 

Cracks open OK - good hiss from the bottle. I gently pour it, because old beer should be treated with care as to not disturb any sediment which has accumulated. 

Wow. It's bloody good. No joke, it's like a traditional, proper lambic. This ale is super soft with a moderate amount of gentle sourness, a definite funk (from the Brett) and a silky-smooth consistency. Flavor notes are predominately of dates, with some pungent spice, wood, raisin sweetness and a good dose of malts. Finish is somewhat short, with a tang. 

Damn, I'm impressed at how well this held up. Fans of lambics, true sours, and barrel-aged ales would rejoice at the taste of such nectar. I'd definitely have this again, and you can buy one for yourself at D'Vines for $17.99 per 12oz bottle. 

Weekly Cocktail: "Magicicada"

Inspired by the ruby-red eyes of our millions of insect visitors, and named for the genus of the 17- and 13-year cicadas, this is my (almost completely) local take on a Negroni. For each drink, you'll need:

• 1oz Campari
• 1oz sweet vermouth (I used Mt. Defiance's superlative sweet vermouth)
• 1oz gin (I used McClintock Distilling Co.'s "Gardeners Gin")
• 0.5oz Pratt & Standard Rosemary Ginger Syrup
• Ice

To make, put ice in a Cobbler shaker and add ingredients. Shake well, and use built-in strainer (or, use a Hawthorne strainer if you're using a Boston shaker) to strain into glasses. This delicious cocktail is a nice balance between bitter and sweet, with the rosemary and ginger giving it an herbal kick. I really wish I had some New Columbia Distillery Capitoline "Tiber" to use as a Campari substitute, and make all the ingredients local, but close enough.

Bonus cameo, below, by Lucy the doggy. 

Midleton Distillery - "Redbreast" 12yr Cask Strength Irish Whiskey

 Any fans of Irish pot-still whiskey will know the name Redbreast, a production of Midleton Distillery out of County Cork, Ireland. Midelton is one of the most prolific producers of Irish whiskey, with brands including Jameson, Powers (one of my favorites), and the Green / Yellow / Blue Spot series, among others (and formerly Tullamore DEW). Redbreast, the subject of today's review, was originally started by Gilbey's in Dublin at the turn of the 20th century. Gilbey's produced whiskey under the Redbreast marque until the mid 1980s, at which point it was sold to a conglomerate and relaunched in the mid 1990s. Today, Redbreast has a handful of varieties, all of which carry age statements between 12 and 27 years. 

A bit about distilling - just like with wine, and some beer, there are complex rules and regulations as to ingredients, production methods, aging requirements, and even the types of wood used in casks. There are two main types of stills in which whiskey can be made: a column, or continuous still, and a pot still. Irish whiskey can be made in either. Many Irish distillers use heated air to dry the malts (as opposed to peat, a classic Scotch technique) so the final product is somewhat lighter and cleaner.  

Today's spirit is triple-distilled in a single pot-still, one of those half-orb copper-looking doohickeys in a distillery. Midleton uses very large pot stills, which allows for distillation to occur almost continuously. "Single pot still" is sort of the equivalent, in terms of pedigree, to Scotch single malt (as opposed to "blended Scotch whisky.") Redbreast is one of the only Irish whiskies out there that can still be called "single pot still."

Anyways - the whiskey. As noted, this 56.7% ABV (113.4pf) mash of both unmalted and malted barley is aged in a combination of American bourbon barrels and Spanish Oloroso sherry butts. It's medium amber in color, with a piquant nose of dried fruit, alcohol, and some spice.

Taste: fans of sherry will definitely enjoy this as a lot of the flavor profile is derived from the Oloroso casks...I'm getting some decent vanilla from the wood, a bit of mustiness, and a dose of candied dates, and some slight hints of sweet & sour sauce and table salt. There's a longer finish of oak than I expected, and has a lip-smacking aftertaste. 

Interestingly, I tried this both neat and with several drops of cold, filtered water (as I usually do for cask-strength spirits) and I prefer it neat. I liked the fullness of flavor yet unlike high-proof bourbons, this whiskey didn't have an overpowering weight to it that necessitates some water. I got this for $89.99 at Metro Wine & Spirits on Columbia Road NW in DC. I think that's a fair price for a cask-strength Irish whiskey. Redbreast has a few other offerings, including a Lustau finish, for roughly the same price. A nice sipper and one for the top shelf of the bar for sure. 

3 Stars Brewing Co. - Italian Pilsner

Today's beer is a local DC variant of a trend that's become increasingly popular in the last year or so - the Italian pilsner. Italian-style pilsners are very similar in concept to German-style (aka the original pilsner) but instead of emphasizing the malts, the hops take center stage. This makes for a much drier, more aromatic beer. According to craftbeer.com, it was Firestone Walker Brewing Co. that kicked off the Italian pilsner trend with their "Pivo Pils", although more and more breweries seem to be trying their hand at the style.

The beer I'm having comes from DC's own 3 Stars Brewing Co., based in the Lamond Riggs neighborhood of far Northeast. It's  5.20% ABV and made with Pilsner and Carapils malts, and dry-hopped with Huell Melon with Tettnang hops. These aren't hops I've come across too much, so I'm eager to see how they do. 

Pours swiftly into my CBC 2017 commemorative tulip glass (I lack a "proper" pilsner glass, not that the size or shape of glassware makes a critical difference) and it generates a fluffy, lacy white head. 

Taste-wise, it's a clean, crisp pilsner that's quite dry, as expected. I'm getting a touch of green melon and some sea salt, and it finishes with that familiar malty goodness that pilsner-lovers will welcome. Fans of "regular" pilsners will definitely notice the dryness...sort of like a combination of a dry-hopped pale ale and a Pilsner Urquell. I find it quite refreshing, and although I'm not sure if this has been released to stores yet, but you can grab it for $18.99 / 4pk 16oz cans at the brewery, and I heartily recommend it. 

Weekly Cocktail: "Tuesday Urte"

I recently picked up some Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray celery soda, and although it's too sweet to drink on its own, I'm curious how it works in a cocktail. So therefore I present "Tuesday Urte", a mix of:

• 2oz New Columbia Distillery Green Hat "Ginavit XO" aquavit-style gin
• 4 dashes Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters
• 7oz Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray celery soda
• Ice

I kept this cocktail simple, using the bitterness from the Ginavit and the rhubarb to counter the sweetness of the soda. I built the drink by adding ice to an empty glass, dashing in the bitters, adding the gin, then topping with soda. It was super tasty and nice for a warm spring day!

Weekly Cocktail: "Terrazza"

What better way to enjoy an afternoon on the patio than a vodka cocktail! This simple riff on a Vodka Collins takes advantage of some fresh rosemary I bought for an unrelated recipe. I'm using my newest favorite vodka called "Bedlam", derived from rice. And since we are sitting outside, I figured I'd call this "Terrazza". 

You'll need:

• 2.5oz vodka (I used Greybeard Distilling "Bedlam")
• 1/3oz lemon juice (plus lemon slice for garnish)
• 1/2 oz Pratt & Standard Demerara syrup
• 1 sprig rosemary (plus extra for garnish)
• 2oz Perrier (plus additional to taste)
• Ice

Add the vodka, rosemary, ice, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a mixing glass and stir using a bar spoon. Add Perrier, then strain into a highball glass. Garnish with rosemary and fresh lemon slices. 

I wanted to see how it would be on it own before adding ice; when it gets hotter I may add ice and more spirit. 

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.

Red Bear Brewing - "Krampus Shuffle" quadrupel & "Scream Inside Your Heart" barrel-aged saison

A few days ago, I was in NoMa running some errands for a friend and found myself within one block of Red Bear Brewing, located in the U-Line Arena. Back when I worked at my old job, one of our buildings was a block away and we used to hang out after hours at Red Bear. Last May, I also did an in-depth interview with founders Simon Bee and Bryan van den Oever (along with a lot of beer!) Well, it has certainly been a minute since I went to a brewpub, and I had some time, so I figured I'd stop in and support our DC brewing community and see what they had on tap. 

The first thing that caught my eye on the tap list is "Krampus Shuffle", a 10.20% ABV Belgian-style quadrupel. Quads are not super common these days, it seems, and it's always interesting to see how brewers put their mark on an established style. I ordered a 10oz snifter (in a socially-distant way, using their no-contact method of ordering through an app.) 

I had my first experience with this style many years ago and have reviewed numerous quads on this blog, but none local. Most of the ones I've tried seem to be heavy, which is the archetype for this kind of beer. Red Bear's variant is much lighter, actually. It's super fresh, naturally, as I'm sipping it sitting only twenty feet from where it's made. I'm surprised by the light body and silkiness of the beer; in my experience a lot of this beers are big and boozy and therefore quite thick. True to style, there's pronounced malt and biscuit notes with a healthy dose of raisin, cloves, and caramel sweetness. The finish is a bit grainy with a dash of spice. Overall quite nice, and good to see this style being made locally. Another good one, along this same flavor profile and body, is "Silver Century" from Silver Spring, MD's Silver Branch Brewing Co.  

Rather than keep drinking on-site, I noticed they had a crowler machine as well as some special-release stuff for sale. I'm a big fan of "off season" beers, and so when I saw "Scream Inside Your Heart", a 6.60% ABV barrel-aged saison, I snapped it up and took it home. 

This saison is aged bourbon barrels from Republic Restoratives, a local DC distillery which makes fantastic stuff (their "Borough Bourbon", aged in Armagnac casks, is excellent.) I cracked open the 750mL of "Scream" and poured into a Belgian glass. It generates some funky, woody aromas, and I let it warm up for about five minutes. 

I really like this - it's super funky, thanks to a major dose of Brettanomyces yeast which gives that "barnyard" flavor. As the beer develops, there's also a crispness, when paired with the solid tang from the oak-aging, gives quite a punchy flavor. What's most interesting to me is the body of the beer - it's pretty serious and makes it one of the heavier saisons I've ever had. There's not much bourbon sweetness or spice, though, so good for folks who like bourbon-barrel beers but don't like the flavors that usually come from that. Overall, the beer is similar to Boulevard Brewing Co.'s "Saison Brett" (which has seemingly gone away), so this is a great replacement for that. In terms of food pairings, I matched this with homemade, oven-baked macaroni and cheese with mushrooms, gouda cheese, sundried tomatoes, and panko. The crispness and gentle spice of the beer formed a nice counter to the thick, cheesy dish.