I’ve been slacking on my favored beverage lately and really haven’t had anything worth exploring. Beer is great, but the complexity of an exquisite wine is something to be savored.

I went to my local wine shop yesterday and started getting back into the exploration of better wines (plus they had a big sale and I couldn’t pass it up, Bordeaux marked down to 10 bucks a bottle, why not?).

I’m not a huge wine snob, but I do enjoy a decent vintage.

First just a bit about Bordeaux, its name has nothing to do with the grapes, (as many American wines are named by), but instead the region it’s grown is what it is named for. Common Bordeaux blends include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc for the delightfully complex taste and scent that they are known for.

This particular Bordeaux is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and if I had waited a bit longer for it to age, (it’s a 2005) the richer flavors would have been even more prominent.

Chateau La Croix des Lauriers was its name. A formidable opponent. Its rich European heritage called out to me and I had to answer its call. A nice complex Bordeaux. Let’s see what you’ve got, grapey beast!

When I began my ritual of smelling the drink, its alcohol content rushed out at me like a pack of dogs, and I hoped this would be an intriguing bottle. Upon swirling the glass however, more delicate scents began to emanate from the blend and my tension from expecting a less than stellar bottle, (it was $10, after all) was relieved.

Chewing the wine brought out notes of plum and black pepper. Hints of cinnamon danced along my tongue as the swirling libation slowly drained down my throat. A sip again revealed currants and even a bit of blackberry for the surprisingly robust wine that warmed my extremities and relaxed my neck muscles. A smooth mouthfeel combined with just a touch of terroir (an earthy flavor) to balance the fruit, make it a classic European wine. Fully inviting the sensations, flavors, and odors of this decent wine with good future potential is definitely a worth savoring now and later (especially for $10)!!!

TAGS [ WINE TASTING | BORDEAUX | BORDEAUX REVIEW ]

It would seem that questions like, "Is it 5 yet?" and "Is it Friday yet?" may have gotten some validation in the wake of recent tragedy. According to an article in Business Week posted this morning, NASA geophysicist Richard Gross asserts that the 8.8 shaker that razed thousands of structures in Chile a few days ago may have actually been strong enough to shorten the length of the day.

Gross was quoted as having said, "The length of the day should have gotten shorter by 1.26 microseconds (millionths of a second)." He also cited a reason for this miniscule shortening of time as, "The axis about which the Earth’s mass is balanced should have moved by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters or 3 inches)."

David Kerridge, the head of Earth hazards and systems at the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh, further expanded on the explanation of this phenomena, "It’s what we call the ice-skater effect," he explained. "As the ice skater puts when she’s going around in a circle, and she pulls her arms in, she gets faster and faster. It’s the same idea with the Earth going around if you change the distribution of mass, the rotation rate changes."

So, it looks like the day and the week is already shorter. I’ll drink to that!
We’re that much closer to 5 – and Friday. Hang in there, gang!

TAGS [ HAPPY HOUR | WEEKEND | EARTHQUAKE | EARTH SCIENCE ]

I’ve been following USA Beer Trends on Twitter (@USABeerTrends) for quite some time now. I’ve learned about beers I hadn’t yet heard of and am even in the middle of beer exchange with them, right now as we speak. In fact, my care package is scheduled to arrive here tomorrow!

Browsing the site today, I came across a near-complete list of American craft breweries and brewpubs, in alphabetical order, by state. The only one I found missing was Pearl Street, a brewpub here in Buffalo, but then I haven’t yet had time to scour the entire list.

Take a look next time you’re headed to a place other than home so you can find out which craft breweries and brewpubs are close by.

And to USA Beer Trends, I say THANK YOU for compiling such an extensive list.

Cheers!

TAGS [ CRAFT BREWERIES | CRAFT BEER | BREWPUBS | USA BEER TRENDS ]

If you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day like we do in Buffalo, then you’ll need some ways of bringing along your favorite beer, liquor or both. Here’s two of my very favorite items, perfectly suited for the parade and parties.

Disposable Flasks
These plastic flasks come in a set of 4 and are ready to party anywhere. They fit easily in a pocket or handbag and even come with little funnels so that you don’t spill your liquor everywhere while filling them. Grab 4 flasks for just $8.95.

KegWorks Beer Pouch Hoodie
I bought one of these the very day in arrived in our warehouse. I love my beer pouch hoodie. It’s wicked comfy and of course, there’s a place to keep my beer, leaving my hands free for… whatever. The pocket is lined so the hoodie doesn’t get wet and beer stays nice and cold. Beer pouch sweatshirts start at $35.95.

TAGS [ ST. PATRICKS DAY | PARADE | FLASKS | BEER POUCH HOODIE | BEER SWEATSHIRT ]

Just a quick CONGRATS! to the gang responsible for putting together the Powder Keg Festival’s Record-breaking maze!

TAGS [ ICE MAZE | GUINNESS WORLD RECORD | BUFFALO | POWDER KEG FESTIVAL ]

Tasting wine is a bit ritual and a bit science, so to get the maximum effect from your bottle, I’d like to share what has been passed down to me.

The first thing I do with a good red wine is to decant it. It exposes the wine to air and brings out more of the flavors. After a while (or until I can’t wait any longer), I pour it into a glass suited for that particular wine (or one that’s close enough and washed). There are a ton of different glasses out there, but typically if you’re starting out, you can get an all-purpose glass and be fine. If you’re looking for a bit more though, typically white wine glasses have a more narrow mouth than a red. Whites need to maintain their temperatures, while reds need air to warm and oxidize for a more robust flavor.

I then put my nose deep into the glass and take in the rich odors that emanate from it (this is the best part of certain wines) and then take a sip and "chew" the wine as if I were enjoying a steak. It really releases the flavors and helps you find the "notes of blackberry" and other weird taste combinations that you may find coming from a grape. After that, I put my glass down and, with my fingers at the base, I swirl the wine glass in a counterclockwise motion to let the air oxidize the wine further.

I then repeat the ritual of smelling and chewing and begin enjoying the different textures, flavors and odors that rush along though all of my senses and just sip the wine. Finding the hints of "cinnamon and plum" will come to you as you experience more and better wines.

Go on a tasting, tour a vineyard, don’t be intimidated by the rich history of wine, just embrace it like so many others have. It’s just important to realize that wine people are the same type of people that go to art shows. Some are pretentious and pretend to know what they are talking about, some remember every stat from every bottle on the planet, but most are just fun loving people looking to enjoy simple pleasures and sensations with other fun loving people. Enjoy!

TAGS [ WINE TASTING | WINE TASTINGS | HOW TO TASTE WINE ]

Today our IT department and Dave, KegWorks’ owner/chief buyer, are switching offices. This means that four men are completely displaced for the day, left only to wander aimlessly, at least for the time being.

Thanks to Ed, we get to share some photos of these men, out of their natural habitats, as well as the complete and utter disarray that is our office building.

And yes, what you see here is most definitely salt. Honestly, salt is the only reason John has a drawer at all.

Thanks for grabbing the pics, Ed!

TAGS [ KEGWORKS ]