A Flowery Song

Background: This IPA from Bell’s runs 7% ABV and has a fish on the bottle.

Nose: Floral hoppy goodness. Bright notes of grapefruit and pine resin, biscuity malt low notes.

Taste: Peach fruit, biscuit malt, light caramel influence. Medium to high hop bitterness, lots of grapefruit and piny hop flavour. Finish is slightly astringent, long and resinous.

Overall: Beautifully balanced and eminently drinkable.

Background: The Budweiser brand’s attempt at breaking out of their line of pale lagers, light lagers, and pale light lagers and speaking to the Bud aficionados that have been considering trying different beer but didn’t want to stray outside their comfort zone of high-concept commercials. The preceding sentence has requested that it be taken out and shot as a service to the readers. This beer is the first ale to be included in the Budweiser lineup, and thank God they chose something other than a cream ale.

Nose: Caramel, grassy hops, and copper.

Taste: Light caramel sweetness, fruity esters, grainy malt, herbal hop flavour, light to medium hop bitterness.

Overall: Safe, solid amber. I’ve seen people blast it for not being hoppy enough—c’mon, it’s an amber ale not Imperial Hop Juice. It wouldn’t stand out among the offerings of most craft brewers, which in a way is damning with faint praise, but on the other hand it’s not supposed to be a blow-your-socks-off taste sensation and it succeeds at what it tries to do.

Background: Inexpensive white wine from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in northwestern Spain.

Nose: Apple and nectarine.

Taste: Crisp and cleanly fruity, with a rich mouthfeel and a mild acidic backbone.

Overall: Clean crisp wine for a cool crisp evening. Decent.

Background: The 26th entry in Harpoon’s 100 Barrel Series was guest brewed by Steve Stewart, head brewer and owner of Stewart Brewing in Scotland. Brewed with Scottish malts and American hops. Released February 11, 2008; 5.4% ABV.

Nose: Gentle caramel malt, light fruitiness, and not much else.

Taste: Cleanly malty, with moderate estery fruitiness and restrained hop bitterness. Some nutty, roasty, and herbal influences leading into a long, dry finish.

Overall: I quite like it. Very drinkable, full-flavoured but light-bodied.

Background: ’s cognac. Made from grapes, aged at least two years.

Nose: Sharply spiritous, violets, roses, and vanilla.

Taste: Bitter, and not in a good way. Very muddled, impressions of tobacco and vanilla toffee.

Overall: Missable. Neither refined nor easygoing, this sits squarely in the “do not buy” category for me.

Background: Dry white representative from St. Julian’s line of inexpensive wines; the “St. J” wines are generally priced in the $5-$8 range from the winery, slightly higher from a retailer (not that any of their wines are likely to break the bank). Fermentation in 80% stainless steel, 20% neutral oak; aged five months on the lees.

Nose: Musty nectarines and lemons.

Taste: Fruity and dry, with notes of tart green apple and cherry. Plenty of acidity.

Overall: Nothing outstanding; food-friendly and easygoing.

The Mission: “What’s your favorite beer cocktail (and yes, despite the title of this post, it can be a black & tan or a shandy)? Find a recipe for that or a new one, try it, and tell us why you did or didn’t like it–even if you think beer cocktails are nothing but a good way to waste a beer. Have fun and try something new!”

Well, that’s sure to prove an interesting topic and I’m looking forward to seeing what others have to say. While I haven’t gone as far as conducting a poll, the prevailing opinion among the beer lovers I talk to seems to be that beer cocktails are a waste of a good beer, or a waste of time which could be spent drinking a good beer if made with “bad” beer.

Personally, I’ve never given the matter much thought. I’m much too busy learning about unmixed drinks to delve deeply into the mixed side of things—I follow a few cocktail blogs and occasionally play around with a spirit that I’m trying (or trying to get rid of). I’m certainly aware of the existence of such things as the Black and Tan and shandy, but I’ve never actually had one.
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