Wino Wednesday...

Gab:  This Wednesday I'd like to tell you about my very favorite red wine -

Agua de Piedra Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina 13.4% ABV):

The label reads: “Agua de Piedra is the nickname for our vineyards. Situated at the foot hills of the Andes the soil is so stony that we wonder how the vines find the water to survive.” Reading this made me love this wine before it even touched my lips. This struggle against adversity yields a most excellent result. Not only is it an exceptional wine, but when you hold the bottle of thick-walled glass, you will swear to yourself that it bears the heft of a $30+ bottle of wine.

Spiced red plum flavors combined with silky-smooth texture. Delicious. Ideal for sitting around the fire-pit out back with your favorite people. I enjoy a glass (or two) while I’m cooking and listening to my Buena Vista Social Club station on Pandora. The price point is CRAZY for the value here! You can grab this for $9.99 at Wegmans (for local peeps), $12.99 most everywhere else. If you love big reds, please try this, and then tell me how much you love it.

Kath: For my pick on Wino Wednesday is my favorite decadent red wine. 

 Chocolate Shop - (12.5% ABV)  

Since I do not drink red wine I was a little hesitant to try this but my lovely neighbor came over with a bottle and now I am HOOKED!!!!! It is like licking a candy bar and getting a buzz!!! You really can not go wrong!

I have seen this bottle of goodness in most local liquor stores at a sweet price of $9.99-$10.99. 

The label reads: "Chocolate Shop, the ultimate "Chocolate Lover's Wine" is a deep, ruby red wine blended with rich, velvety chocolate. Inviting aromas of black cherry and dark chocolate combine in the glass and continue on the palate surrounded by hints of cocoa powder. Nuances of sweet red wine lingers on the smooth finish. Chocolate Shop provides you with an indulgent wine experience like no other."

I know, the label is like a dreamy love letter!  It had me at rich velvety chocolate! Blah ha ha ha!!! Maybe the label will have you too!  Give me your opinion when you take the plunge!

Cheers!

K&G

Sea Dog Blue Paw Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale

To celebrate the first warm day in a while, we cracked open a couple of bottles of this light, refreshing wheat ale from Sea Dog. At 4.7% APV, it is light in every sense of the word. With a hint of Maine's wild blueberries, it is a perfect beer for Summer.

Gab:  I did enjoy the first several sips, but I think I would prefer an ale with less blueberry. Like, maybe zero. I DO however think this beer is a must for barbeques and parties. Every crowd contains a few Hop Haters, and they will love this beer. Crisp, smooth, and easy to drink. My GBF (Gab Buzz Factor, in case you forgot...) is a 0. I only had one, though!

Kath: Since I AM a Hop Hater I did enjoy this beer!  It was light, crisp, and I did not think the blueberry was overwhelming.  I could sit and sip this all day long while taking in the summer sun. 

Southern Tier Choklat

This bottle of pure bliss has to be my (Kath) favorite - so far - of the chocolate stouts. The Imperial Choklat Stout - which is in the Black Water Series- is rich in color, body, and just the right balance of chocolate. Maybe it is because it is made with bittersweet Belgian chocolate and chocolate malt so it has a perfect finish. Not sure what it is, but what I do know...is that I love it! 

This is a stout to be sipped and savoured because it does pack a punch!  It is at 11% ABV. 

If you do end up giving this stout a whirl let me know what you think!

(Even though it is a seasonal release I am still finding it on a few local shelves.)

Tootles!

Kath

Wino Wednesday...

This week's Wino Wednesday selection is my (Gab) new personal favorite, Chateau Montet's 2010 Bordeax Sauvignon,  12% ABV. It is light, crisp, and dry, exactly what I like to drink in the spring and summer. And at 12% ABV, you can have a few glasses while entertaining and not get comepletely schnockered. (Uh yeah, it is a word, just ask my college friends...)

The price tag is not too shabby, either. It goes for $8.99 at my local wine store, and every time I approach the register with it, I receive kudos from the front-end clerk on my fine selection. Bang for your buck here!

Enjoy, winos! If you have a current fave, please let me know in the comments!!

XOXO

Gab

Blue Monkey Springfest 2011

Well, we made it! Ready for some highlights?

(Photo courtesy of Cory Dunsmuir)

We loved meeting the folks from Weyerbacher. Natalie DeChico was super-friendly and we both enjoyed tasting Verboten Belgian Pale Ale, 5.9% APV and 30 IBU. Gab likey'd, Kath - not so much.   BUT, my (Gab) favorite beer of the evening was Weyerbacher's Tiny, which I closely guarded and kept to myself. It is a Belgian inspired Imperial Stout weighing in at 11.8% - Not so TINY!!. You’ll find big chocolate and roasted notes, balanced with the Belgian flavors from the Abbey yeast strain. 

Nicole, Gab, and Kathleen

Brooklyn Brown Ale - 5.6% APV, was a fave of Kath's. Had a nutty, chocolate color, for what it's worth. Don't really know what color means for craft brews. Guess we have to drink some more to find out, huh?

Blue Point Blueberry Ale from Long Island was another fave of Kath's. Light on the APV (4.39%) with an equally low IBU, it smelled of blueberry lusciousness from the first sip. It is a nice, light, summer-drinking beer, perfect for outdoor parties.

Gab: Not my favorite, and an unexpected taste. I'm not a fan of mixing fruitiness and beer. I feel the same about wine, too! Give me pineapple in my vodka any day, though!!!

Mark Weinmann from Great Lakes Brewing Company was also extremely cordial and took time to talk to us as well. When he heard we were beer bloggers, he did not hesitate to top us off, blah ha ha! His lovely wife sent him to Springfest with wildflower seed packets, love it! Great Lakes Brewing Company is an environmentally-respectful and socially-conscious company. Their Edmund Fitzgerald Porter was another of our faves. Malty, Nutty, with a hint of coffee. 5.8% APV.

BOTTOM LINE: Our one overall favorite was Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale. Complete lusciousness! Described as "the original hybrid, a cross between a Scotch Ale, an India Pale Ale, and an American Brown. Our Indian Brown Ale is well-hopped and malty at the same time (magical)". 7.2% APV at a 50 IBU.  For me (Kath) I am so surprised I liked this beer.  I am a Hop-Hater from way back but I really liked this beer. I actually went out today to get a 6 pack. 

Gab: I LOVED Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale, but my #1 fave was Weyerbacher's Tiny. I was very privileged to have tasted it "under the table", I definitely owe my sister for not sharing. Thank you so very much, Natalie! 

One thing I was wondering about, though - where was Flying Fish???? I was so looking forward to sipping some Exit 9, and any Exit, for that matter!

What were your faves from Saturday night? Let us know in the comments, and tell us what you ran out to buy post-hangover on Monday!

Be back tomorrow for Wino Wednesday!

XOXO

K & G

Winter Wünder fail...

So it is Thursday and I (Kath) soooo should be cleaning or doing something productive but I ended up sitting here wanted to shed a little more light on who "we" are...well what we are about. Are ya picking up what I am laying down? If not, get to stepping!

First I so would like to tell ya a little about our banner. Cool huh? Yes we tried all those beers. And yes we did in one day. Oh and yes it was a good time!! Shazaam! I wish I could say we liked all the beers, but the one I will tell you about was terrible! Yeah, I said it - terrible. Ya ready to find out which one?

Winter Wünder by Philadelphia Brewing Co. From the label:

Winter Wünder is the perfect wassailing ale, brewed with a goodly amount of traditional holiday fare - plums, dates, cinnamon, allspice, clove, and a sprinkle of ginger all combine to lift your spirits and warm your demeanour... Winter Wünder is best enjoyed with the warmth of a good tavern, in the clutch of good friends new or old. Winter doesn't seem so long after all.

Sounds interesting right? NO WAY!!!! Notice I highlighted CLOVE. That is all we tasted. I was looking for a nice Winter Warmer and all I got a was a Winter Bummer! It is no WÜNDER they had a ton on the shelf too! I can not even give it a KBF! I did not finish the few onces I poured for myself. It was a sad day for me.

Gab: This was not one of my faves, either. Not even close! It would be the longest winter of my life if I was stuck with this chick! The label is deceiving, first of all. Everyone loves redheads, and this woman is lovely and beguiling. We popped the cap off of this sucker, took a sip, and immediately felt betrayed. This was a taste-and-tosser for me! In my opinion, spiciness should not overwhelm a beer. Back to the drawing board, Red!

Philadelphia Brewing Co. does have many fine beers that we will be reviewing in the weeks to come. Winter Wünder was unfortunately the first that we have sampled. We are also looking forward to meeting them and sampling their brews at Springfest 2011!

Hey, Guess What?

Hey guys, we are trying something new here. Well, not really, we've kind of been doing this for years already. You know, drinking and bitching and being us. A few months ago we figured you may as well benefit from our ridiculousness, so that brings us to our new endeavor: A blog about beer, booze, bitchiness and life as we all know it. You can visit us for beer reviews, Wino Wednesdays, and a few surprises in between. We guarantee it won't be boring. And we promise you'll never know what we'll try next. You will be hearing from both of us, Gab and Kath, as we give you our balls-to-the wall true opinion on what we sample and experience.

Without further ado, we'd like to tell you about Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter. Described as  "Dark, Malty and Mysterious", we do not exactly like-y this the same. With an alcohol content of 9.2% and an IBU of 85, it is not for everyone.

Gab: The first sip offered a good deal of bitterness and malt that mellowed after the third sip. I REALLY like this beer. Full-flavored and not too heavy, but I would not drink this with food. Maybe a nice, sharp cheddar. I would rate this a GBF (Gab Buzz Factor) of 7. It hit my head after the 2nd sip, happiness all around.

Kath: Yeah, I was not so tickled pink as Gab was over this beer. At first I was like uhhh...WTF. But after the second swig I was ok with the malt action.  I do not think it would be a beer I could drink all day but maybe a pint or 3 would be sufficient. My KBF (Kath Buzz Factor - in case you did not get Gab's explanation) it was like a 4.  Apparently my sister had a grape today and she got jacked up fast. NO COMMENT!

Gab rebuttal: Okay. This is like the 3rd beer we've sampled and I am ready to raid my fridge and make all kinds of mistakes! I'm a wino at heart, so if a beer hits me like a Sauv Blanc that walks in boots and is yummy, then I am happy. 'Nuff said.

That's all for today. What have you guys tried today? Let us know in the comments. And if you agree/disagree with our opinions of the Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, let us know, too! If you'd like us to try/review one of your faves, give us a hollah!