Rogue's Oregon Single Malt Whiskey (website here) -- I saw this on the shelves at Binny's and figured I'd give it a shot. Their Dead Guy Whiskey was not good at all, I thought, but their Pink Gin is easily one of my favorite gins available. Why not see what happens the third time around?

It's an interesting whiskey. It runs a little fruity and doesn't quite have the backbone I was expecting. Then again, when I think single malt, I think something like Highland Park. Rogue's single malt runs a little closer to a lowland malt, but with even less smoke flavor. It's aged, but barely, in my opinion -- 3 months in oak. It's very light tasting and went well with some water (and ice -- had to sample it twice, of course) and I won't mind finishing the bottle. At $45, it wasn't an inexpensive experiment and while I won't be buying it again, I will continue to seek out future spirits from Rogue.

the wimperoo wrote:

MBK wrote:has anyone tried the Edelweiss Weissbier? i'm looking for a lighter brew to enjoy and this was "beer of the month" in today's Good Eating

This one? http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/84/249
Haven't had it, but for cheaper and more likely to be fresh hefeweizen I like to go with Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. One of the best American hefe's out there imo.

per your recommendation i picked up a 6 pack of the Kellerweise. very good for a hefe--great nose, good finish, nice and light. i can't seem to strike out w/ any of the recommendations given in this thread

danimalarkey wrote:I will continue to seek out future spirits from Rogue.

It's probably not entirely the right forum for this, but I have to mention that I've been boycotting Rogue since their heavy handed approach to a legal dust up with a couple New Orleans bartenders who dared to publish an outstanding pamphlet of "rule-breaking" drink recipes called Rogue Cocktails.

MBK wrote:

the wimperoo wrote:

MBK wrote:has anyone tried the Edelweiss Weissbier? i'm looking for a lighter brew to enjoy and this was "beer of the month" in today's Good Eating

This one? http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/84/249
Haven't had it, but for cheaper and more likely to be fresh hefeweizen I like to go with Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. One of the best American hefe's out there imo.

per your recommendation i picked up a 6 pack of the Kellerweise. very good for a hefe--great nose, good finish, nice and light. i can't seem to strike out w/ any of the recommendations given in this thread

Glad you are enjoying it.

Currently drinking an '08 Hoppin' Frog BORIS the Crusher. Very nice coffee, chocolate, dark fruits flavors. Smooth mouthfeel, but a little thin in body.

kl1191 wrote:

danimalarkey wrote:I will continue to seek out future spirits from Rogue.

It's probably not entirely the right forum for this, but I have to mention that I've been boycotting Rogue since their heavy handed approach to a legal dust up with a couple New Orleans bartenders who dared to publish an outstanding pamphlet of "rule-breaking" drink recipes called Rogue Cocktails.

A fantastic book and I agree with the sentiment.

=R=

I had a 1999 Bonnes Mares, Chambertin Clos de Beze and Clos de Vougeot from Drouhin Laroze. The Clos de Vougeot was corked but the other two provided a great deal of drinking enjoyment. We also had a 2004 Terre de Noel from Jean Milan. It was lighter than air. The burgs were fine, save the Clos de Vougeot which was sadly corked.

Dinner at Ruxbin? JOK. Cheers, Doug.

The wine rocked.

Founders Breakfast Stout from last year. A lot of the coffee has dropped out of this and gets me pretty excited about the new batch that should be out in the next couple of weeks.

the wimperoo wrote:Founders Breakfast Stout from last year. A lot of the coffee has dropped out of this and gets me pretty excited about the new batch that should be out in the next couple of weeks.

i'm in for the Breakfast Stout this year--went the Twitter route and started following them for an annoucement per lessons learned from the twitter Dark Lord Day fiasco of this year

MBK wrote:

the wimperoo wrote:Founders Breakfast Stout from last year. A lot of the coffee has dropped out of this and gets me pretty excited about the new batch that should be out in the next couple of weeks.

i'm in for the Breakfast Stout this year--went the Twitter route and started following them for an annoucement per lessons learned from the twitter Dark Lord Day fiasco of this year

Breakfast Stout is usually in big supply. It shouldn't be any problem getting some.

It's also just about to be the start of hop harvest season, which is an excellent time of the year. Two Brothers started brewing Heavy Handed this week. Founders Harvest Ale is another favorite.

Took my own advice and bought a sixer of Sierra Nevada Kellerweis.

mtgl wrote:Allagash makes a nice Tripel, too, that's quite reasonable.

At Lillie’s Q last night, I’d been drinking moonshine cocktails (the Bloody Mary with house-made mixers was very good, with a “slim jim” that added an additional spicy element to the moonshine which, because it’s unaged, lacks some of the dimension we expect with other distilled corn products). The real eye-opener was the dessert beer we had with our banana pudding.



Having beer for dessert is, indeed, curious (at least for me), but this beer (which I could easily see enjoying before, during, or anytime around dinner) was truly memorable. It’s a Belgian-style (Tripel), and it spends a little quality time in a Jim Beam barrel, so in addition to the hoppy bitterness that contrasts with dessert and it has a sweetness that connects and complements the dessert.

Gary Valentine, who handles beer at Lillie’s, is trying to get more of this outstanding stuff, but I guess it’s kind of rare (limited bottling, I believe).

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

David Hammond wrote:

mtgl wrote:Allagash makes a nice Tripel, too, that's quite reasonable.

At Lillie’s Q last night, I’d been drinking moonshine cocktails (the Bloody Mary with house-made mixers was very good, with a “slim jim” that added an additional spicy element to the moonshine which, because it’s unaged, lacks some of the dimension we expect with other distilled corn products). The real eye-opener was the dessert beer we had with our banana pudding.



Having beer for dessert is, indeed, curious (at least for me), but this beer (which I could easily see enjoying before, during, or anytime around dinner) was truly memorable. It’s a Belgian-style (Tripel), and it spends a little quality time in a Jim Beam barrel, so in addition to the hoppy bitterness that contrasts with dessert and it has a sweetness that connects and complements the dessert.

Gary Valentine, who handles beer at Lillie’s, is trying to get more of this outstanding stuff, but I guess it’s kind of rare (limited bottling, I believe).

FYI: The will be on draft starting Friday when Lillie's Q expands its tap system from six to ten beers.

New Glarus Unplugged Old English Porter. A beautiful beer that harks back to a historical style. It's like thin balsamic vinegar backed up by a oak-y, toasty flavors.

Tried that on Saturday. Was initially surprised by the sourness, then I read up on what they were trying to do with it and appreciated it more. I do like a sour beer, it just took me by surprise a little.

Tip I never realized when making Old Fashioneds: muddle the orange peel with the simple or demerara syrup you're using. Before I'd just spritzed a little peel on top of the glass, but this really makes a difference.

Starting in March 2011 I'll be drinking SQN (just got on the list after 6 or 7 years on the wait list)

This Labor day week-end I will be drinking lots of good Côtes du Rhône and Rhone Valley wines red and rosé. They are very good companions to grilled or barbecued meats, sausages, summer vegetables, and even chicken spiced-up with garlic powder, cayenne peper or Dijon mustard.
Besides we can now find a very wide panel of very good CDR in wine stores all over Chicagoland, including Binny`s and Whole Foods. I tried a bout 25 of them over the last 3 months. Not a single one disappointed me.
You can find a list of some of my favorites on my blog French Virtual Cafe. Most of them are priced between 13 and 20 dollars.

Sticky Fat from Half acre
YUM!

got off early & got to drinking, Jim Beam, and Leinenkugels Honey Weiss.

Moved onto Miller High Life tall boy cans for the portion of the all night smoke I will be awake for.

Opened Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails to a random page and found the "Hanky Panky" cocktail. It's supposed to be equal parts gin/sweet vermouth with a dash or two of Fernet. Now, I like Fernet quite a bit more than your average drinker, so my cocktail ended up something like this:

2 oz Tanqueray #10 (Seems like I have to use more of this than other gins to taste it in the finished product.)
1 oz Cinzano Rosso (Dialed this back because I wanted to taste the Fernet.)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca

Mouth full of pine and menthol, with some sweetness poking through. Not bad at all.

mhill95149 wrote:Sticky Fat from Half acre
YUM!

looks phenomenal, well done mr. hill... how is it?

took a page out of jimswside and gwiv's book and will be enjoying Cazadores Reposado shortly

Tyranena Devil Over a Barrel. This is about 2 and a half years old at this point and probably past it's prime by 6-12 months. Bourbon is almost all the way faded. Mouthfeel has really thinned out.

It's a bit darker and richer then I normally drink but I do like it just fine.
I can't say it is too hoppy at all, actually kind of mellower then many of the
super-hopped beers I've had...

Tyranena The Devil Made Me Do It

this is way more in my wheelhouse!

very nice... i want one

Just finished the night at the Violet Hour with a Mint Julep made with the Big Star labeled single-barrel bottling of Buffalo Trace. It's one of the most drinkable bourbons I've ever tasted.

After reading all the posts entered on on this thread for the last 30 days, I'm more puzzled than ever by the question that has been haunting me for quite a while: Do more than 90% of the readers and contributors really drink nothing but beer and cocktails?
If such is the case may I suggest to the LTH administrators that they create a new subtopic to "What are you drinking?" that may be called "What wine are you drinking" where the members of the wine-drinking minority where I belong would feel less isolated when we want to share our own discoveries and preferences?

alain40 wrote:After reading all the posts entered on on this thread for the last 30 days, I'm more puzzled than ever by the question that has been haunting me for quite a while: Do more than 90% of the readers and contributors really drink nothing but beer and cocktails?
If such is the case may I suggest to the LTH administrators that they create a new subtopic to "What are you drinking?" that may be called "What wine are you drinking" where the members of the wine-drinking minority where I belong would feel less isolated when we want to share our own discoveries and preferences?

Sounds like a great idea for a thread. Feel free to start it up if you like.

=R=
for the moderators