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).