Blue Moon

The signs of fall: cooler nights, shorter days, school starting, leaves changing (well, not quite yet) and of course, fall seasonal beers appearing on shelves. However, this arrival also means the imminent departure of the summer beers. Seeing this, and realized that summer had really gotten away from me, I had to grab a Blue Moon Summer 12 pack before they disappeared for the year. The sampler pack has 4 each of Blue Moon, Honey Wheat, and Blue Moon's Belgian Pale Ale. I have had all of these numerous times before, so their taste was nothing new to me, but it still remains one of my all time favorites. There's not much wrong with this beer. One of my all time favorites, the beer requires some doctoring before that first sip. It is recommended to roll the beer gently on the table, or invert the bottle and gently rotate it, allowing the air bubble to disperse the sediment that settled on the bottom. Also, many add an orange slice to it foe a bit of extra flavor, while it is not necessary to enjoy the beer, it does add a nice touch that complements the beer very well. If you're like me and fresh fruit is at a premium in your house, a small splash of OJ has nearly the same effect. Blue moon has a nice smell to it that reflects the taste of the beer almost identically. The taste is very smooth, bitter on the back of the tongue and sweet on the front and a hint of orange (obviously). For some reason I cant have more than a couple though, as it starts to taste a little funky, maybe that's just me. That's besides the point as this isn't the kind beer you drink more than a few of, lets leave that to Busch Light... Anyway, one of my all time favorites, I highly recommend it.

Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon

There's nothing like starting your first year of law school to really make you appreciate a good glass of red wine on a Saturday night. A new wine and liquor store had opened up not too far from my house and had mailed out a sizable pack of coupons. No way I could pass up 2 dollars off of a 15 dollar bottle. Usually I look for bottles in the 10 dollars and under range, but this coupon allowed me to expand my horizons a bit. I had heard of Toasted Head before, but that's about it so I was looking forward to seeing what an extra 5 dollars does to a bottle of wine. Toasted Head boasts that their wine has a distinct flavor resulting from "toasting" the heads of the barrels in which the wine is aged, perhaps contributing to its deeper flavor outlined below. It is produced in eastern in California, where conditions are similiar but land is cheaper then neighboring Napa Valley, perhaps accounting for its relatively cheaper price and relatively high reviews. It certainty did not disappoint. It has a slightly lighter color than other reds but still has an intense purplish maroon. It has aromas typical of a Cabernet, with cherry predominating, but there's somethin else definitely there, but I cant quite put my finger (nose) on it, something sweeter, maybe overly ripe strawberries. It also has the typical Cabernet tastes of plumb and berries but it is here where the extra 5 dollars really becomes noticeable. The taste lasts much longer than a wine like Yellow tail and finishes with darker, deeper flavors reminiscent of smoky, dark chocolate with astonishingly smooth tannins. Definitely a good wine. Perfect for pasta with tons of mozzarella cheese and sauce loaded with peppers, spices and chicken sausage!

Miller Chill, Don't judge me

Here's one of those beers I would never buy on my own, but, a 6 pack of unknown origin has been sitting in my fridge for about a week, so I figured I'd give it a shot. In a clear bottle, this beer is a very light, gold color... big surprise there. I had had Bud Light Lime in the past and, considering the nature of the corporate beer world and their aversion to risk-taking, expected they would taste quite similiar and equally uninteresting. My expectations proved correct. Its very drinkable, however, mostly due to its almost entire lack of taste and high carbonation giving it a crispiness. The little taste that is present is dominated by lime and slightly bitter. Behind the lime is the typically weak Miller Light taste which has never appealed to me. Although of no interest to me, there may be a market segment attracted by the beers claim of having only 100 calories per bottle, even still, there's tasteless beers with less. All in all, its not an awful beer, but considering what else exists in the category of good summer beers, a seasonal craft beer or a corona with lime gets my vote every time.

Yellowtail Shiraz-Cabernet revisited

This past weekend, while shopping for a short camping excursion, my girlfriend and I were looking for a bottle of wine to drink in the tent. We were expecting rain that night, so a solid wine to drink while taking shelter in a cramped tent would be a integral part of our night. Anticipating drinking whatever wine we got out of plastic cups while snacking on potato chips and pretzels, we weren't looking for anything special. We were looking around for a while but, as has happened so many times before, we found ourselves in front of Yellowtail's Shiraz Cabernet blend. We got a bottle and headed off into the woods.

It is with the remains of that bottle that I finally actually sat down to really taste this wine.

The wine presents a deep purple color and has a somewhat sweet, fruity aroma. Its taste reveals bold elements of cherry and other fruit in the background. The wine is quite peppery as one would expect it to be as an 80 percent Shiraz blend. Its spiciness and fruit flavors mellow out fairly quickly revealing a dry, somewhat sweet finish.

This wine is one of my mainstays as an affordable, delicious wine. Great for casual drinking and as a table wine for everyday dinners. Not the most complex flavor but hey, what do ya expect?

Apothic Red Winemaker's Blend, 2009 California

Apothic Red first came to my attention after it was left at my house by dinner guests. My girlfriend recognized the wine as one she had recently bought and enjoyed. Considering that we have a very similiar taste in wines, including an affinity for red blends, I was excited to uncork this bottle.

Apothic Red is a blend of Zinfandel, Shiraz and Merlot.

The wine has a dark, deep red color in the glass. Reflecting its dark color are equally dark aromas created by the fusion of the flavors of each layer. Nevertheless, each individual wine's notes can still be detected. The pepper of the Shiraz and the fruitiness and freshness of the Merlot and Zinfandel. The taste is similiar to the aroma in that the elements of each wine come together but still maintain their unique personality. There is a prominent cherry flavor that combines with the other fruit notes and interestingly, is reminiscent of cherry cola, one of my favorite soft drinks. Coincidentally, The wine is sweeter then what I am used to, although not overpoweringly so as the initial taste fades to a rich, smooth vanilla finish that hangs around longer then the wine's pricetag would dictate.

Overall, if you are looking for a delicious, yet different red wine, this one is a great buy!

Yellowtail Wines

For my first post about wine I am going to cover a couple varieties of Yellowtail. Yellowtail is a fairly cheap Australian brand that produces most major types of red and white wine including some red blends. One of my favorites, their Cabernet Sauvignon displays the textbook flavors of a Cabernet with strong notes of blackberry, plumb and cherry and hints of chocolate and vanilla. Its flavor doesn't linger very long, but what can you expect from a cheaper, 2 year old wine. Yellowtail Cabernet is my go to wine for everyday occasions, a great value and good taste. 

They also make a Cabernet and Shiraz blend that is equally as tasty as the Cabernet. The addition of the shiraz adds a earthy cherry-like taste to the Cabernet flavors and the wine as a whole can even be described as somewhat peppery. Another great value.

Yellowtail wines run the gamut from their light, sweet Reisling to spicy, deep tastes of their shiraz. Although many would look down upon a mass produced wine, you really cant beat the price and this is a solid everyday wine. 

Raspberry Wheat 2.0

Having enjoyed Shock Tops take on Raspberry Wheat beer, while reaching for another 6pack to take up to the lakehouse for the weekend, my eyes happened to catch a glance of another Raspberry Wheat Beer, Southern Tier's. Always the adventurer, I ended up buying the Southern Tier for a dollar more than the Shock Top. Southern Tier is a regional brewery based out of Lakewood in Western NY. I have had Southern Tier beers before and remember enjoying them, so I had high hopes for this beer. That afternoon, as I grabbed a bottle, I noticed the shocking amount of light that could shine through the bottle, either this was really lightly colored glass (it wasn't) or this was quite a light beer. It smelled as expected, faintly hoppy with a hint of raspberry, pleasant, although nowhere near as bold as the Shock Top. Tasting the beer was a whole different story. It was light, so light in fact I had to sip it again register a taste. I was met with a highly carbonated, almost watery blend of raspberry with hints of honey and wheat. I was disappointed at first, looking forward to the thick, smooth taste of a wheat beer. However as I continued to drink it, it grew on me and even became somewhat enjoyable in the 85 and humid summer day. All in all, however, the shallow, sugary taste and lack of the typical wheat beer feel that makes the category one of my favorites really came around to hurt the beer. I could see it having good applications, like enjoying it with grilled chicken and corn on the cob, but I don't think its a beer I'll be buying consistently.

Summer, fruit and beer: Shock Top Raspberry Wheat

I have always been a fan of wheat beers usually trending to Blue Moon over other rivals like Shock Top. However, one late spring afternoon I stumbled across Shock Top Raspberry Wheat at a local gas station. Having never heard of it before I took a chance, grabbed a 6 pack and headed home. Like all wheat beers a decent amount of sediment collects on the bottom that the bottle suggests you disperse by pouring into a glass and swirling the contents. Considering clean glasses were at a premium in my college apartment, I opted for the tried and true method of rolling the closed bottle gently back and forth on a table before cracking it open and taking that first sip. The first sip had a bit of bitterness to it, and the alcohol was present despite its average 5.3% content. That initial shock quickly subsided to sweetness with a boldly present raspberry flavor with the ever-present orange peel and coriander hanging out in the background. It has an light but creamy texture and was quite refreshing, a great summer beer. My only qualm with this beer, although it may have been my fault, is that once, while enjoying bottle, the sediment at the bottom did not disperse as expected and detached as a giant clump. While nearing the end, I got a nice chunk of wheat and yeast sediment that sent that bottle off on a sour note. While it has not stopped me from buying this beer again and again, I always leave a solid half inch at the bottom of each bottle just to avoid the same mishap happening once again. All in all, Shock Top Raspberry Wheat is a great beer and a nice twist on the typical Belgian wheat ale. While it may be a little sweet, it is an ideal summer beer, especially when ice cold. I definitely recommend it.

The College Mainstay: Busch Light

I feel as though I am cheapening this blog by having my first post about Busch Light. However, it would be doing a disservice to this beverage to ignore its role in my life to this point. There is something about Busch Light that meshes perfectly with ping pong balls, recycled pop music and red plastic cups. Yes this takes me back to my college days (albeit this was only a month or so ago). Whether out of a keg or can, there is something about Busch Light that just seems colder and crisper then the other budget beers. This cold feeling is intensified by the bite of large carbon dioxide bubbles on the tongue, a direct contrast to the flat tasting, almost oily textured rival, Keystone Light. This exceptional drink-ability made it a breeze to throw back in copious amounts in whatever manner you see fit, a characteristic of utmost importance in the college environment. In other roles, however, Busch light is lacking when compared to mainstream and premium counterparts. While its refreshing drink-ability is a plus, its taste is lacking in complexity and boldness. While Busch Light would likely not earn a place amongst my most favorite beers, it will always hold a special place in my heart (and my stomach).