Delicious, delectable and so dark, these Belgian chocolate cups make my mouth water even as I’m writing about them! These are the perfect platform to entice your guests this holiday season with an easy to use cup for your confections.

I personally like cherries in chocolate in these cups, and I’m sure mousse would be amazing as well… what is your favorite dark-chocolate-and-something combo?

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TAGS [ CHOCOLATE DESSERT CUPS | DARK CHOCOLATE SHELLS | BELGIAN CHOCOLATE | BELGIAN CHOCOLATE DESSERT SHELLS ]

Any regular readers know that, besides being a Guinness lover, my liquor of choice is almost always whiskey. And although I love a great number of whiskeys out there, including Canadian and Irish, my true favorites are the bourbons. (Yes Maker’s Mark, you’ll always hold a spot in my heart, and in my Manhattan, perfect, on the rocks).

The question is though, what makes a straight bourbon whiskey? How is bourbon different from other whiskeys? Dave shot me a link to William Litton’s article today, which did a rather good job of explaining key factors.

As Mr. Litton explains, bourbon is a corn whiskey that is aged in charred white oak barrels. This aging process, in these specific barrels, is what gives bourbon its distinctive coloring and tasty notes of honey, spice and floral, earthy complexity. There is however, a bit more to it than that.

In order to be labeled as an official straight bourbon whiskey, according to US federal law (it’s that big) whiskey needs to meet all of the following requirements:

• It must be distilled within the United States
• It must be made of grain mixture that is at least 51% corn
• It cannot be altered in any artificial way; no coloring, flavoring or special filtering allowed
• It must be aged for at least two years in new, charred white oak barrels
• It must be distilled to no higher than 165 proof, and introduced into the barrel at no higher than 125 proof

Bourbon brands’ tastes are as varied as their names, from sweet to fiery and everything in between. My favorite, Maker’s Mark, tends to be on the sweeter side but still with enough fire to know you’re drinking bourbon. Basil Hayden’s is a bourbon that I liken more to candy than any other. If you’re looking for pure heat and the classic whiskey-face, try Knob Creek—it may be the tastiest fire water you’ve ever thrown back.

Looking for a classic bourbon cocktail recipe? The Manhattan or Old Fashioned always do me well, but here’s something we haven’t posted yet… the Kentucky B & B.

Kentucky B & B
2 oz bourbon
½ oz Benedictine

Pour bourbon and Benedictine into a snifter and stir. Drink and repeat.

TAGS [ BOURBON | WHISKEY | BOURBON WHISKEY | KENTUCKY B & B | KENTUCKY BOURBONS | COCKTAIL RECIPES ]

You’re hosting a summer gathering and you know you’ll be serving beer – but how? You could always pick up a case of Bud Light and throw it into the garage cooler but I’ve got a feeling you’re not that kind of host. So what IS the best way to serve beer when guests will be mingling outside?

Do you fill growlers at your local brewpub? Do you use a pump or picnic tap to serve a keg? Both options cut down on bottles and cans but the variety of beer for guests to choose from is lacking. Is it better to buy bottled sampler packs? What’s the most cost-effective way to serve great stuff and keep everyone happy?

I’m not sure there’s a definite answer here, to be honest. I have my own approach but others might have a better way. Personally, for smaller parties I like to combine the growler option and the sampler packs. I usually buy a sampler of something more standard—like Sam Adams—and then get some fun stuff in the growlers for the serious beer snobs. Throw in a case of something cheap for the people who don’t care and you’re all set.

When I’ve got a big group coming over however, I’ll grab a keg of something that most everyone would like. Yuengling always goes over well with my friends. Someday I’ll have an outdoor kegerator.

What’s your beer host game plan? Take the poll and leave some comments to let me know!

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TAGS [ BEER OUTDOORS | KEG BEER | GROWLERS | BEER SURVEY | BEER POLL | SUMMER PARTIES | LABOR DAY | BEER TIPS ]

Finally! We got a huge shipment of tap handles in and I’ve been drowning in them, piled all over my photo studio. Well, I’m finally done for at least a couple of days, when we should get more in again. I’m always surprised at all of the variations of tap handles that I come across; it must be a great time designing the handles, especially some of the microbrews. Here are a few that I let slip by without buying for myself.

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TAGS [ TAP HANDLES | FAUCET HANDLES | DRAFT BEER EQUIPMENT | BEER TAP | BEER TAPS | BEER TAP HANDLE | BEER TAP HANDLES ]

Ok, let’s talk about Gates, Crowley & Obama!

Naw, not the way you might be thinking. We are about beer here at KegWorks.

As everyone knows, our busy pres invited Skip Gates and Jim Crowley to the White House for a beer. Now is that cool or what? I mean the invite, not the why.

From what I’ve heard, the beers these guys quenched their thirst with are as far apart as their opinions. Gates enjoyed Sam Adams Light. Crowley drank Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat ale. Obama had Bud Light, the best selling beer in America.

Does the type of beer you drink say what type of person you are? I think how you act after you drink is a better reflection. What’s your thought?

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TAGS [ OBAMA | BEER POLL | BEER POLLS | BEER WITH OBAMA ]

Now you can get wasted at Starbucks….ish. "Stealth" Starbucks are transforming shop under a new name starting in one of Seattle’s most Seattle-like areas of town, Capitol Hill (think super skinny pants on dudes, tight tees, and an intense level of west-coast relaxation that morphs into pretention). Starbucks wants to come off as more of a neighborhood joint. Hmmm… Starbucks….I think these no-joke-coffee-ers are gonna notice!

So why should you, awesome KegWorks blog reader, care? Well – these stealth Starbucks are serving beer! Oh yeah! And wine too. Having lived in Seattle, I know that in Seattle (and my world too) there is nothing holier than good coffee than good beer (Well, maybe Trader Joes…moment of silence). I think that the concept could do well in a town where a crazy night out could quite possibly involve a coffee shop.

Read the whole story here.

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TAGS [ BEER AT STARBUCKS | BEER AND COFFEE | BEER IN COFFEE SHOPS ]

Alright kids, we’ve given you long enough to take our quiz (or look up answers on Google). Honestly, I’m surprised not more of you did look them up, since the majority of us were wrong on two of the five.

Here they are, answers in reddish (I lovingly refer to it as KegWorks Red) - remember them and impress your friends :)

Well, there you have ‘em. How did you score? Let us know!

TAGS [ BEER POP QUIZ | BEER QUIZ | BEER QUIZ ANSWERS ]