I received two bottles of new Sam Adams craft beers to try out for its Beer Lover’s Choice contest. One was the Blackberry Witbier, and the other was the Coffee Stout. Beer drinkers can go online and vote for their favorite of the two, and the winner will be added to the 12-pack Brewmaster’s Collection. (Have you tasted the Irish Red Ale? That was last year’s winner.)
I tried Sample A, the witbier. I immediately noticed the aroma. For a second, I thought I was about to drink a wine! I could definitely notice the berry scents that came from my glass. I liked it, and I looked forward to the taste.
Unfortunately, when I did take my first sip, I felt the taste did not match the scent. I barely noticed a hint of berries; in fact, it tasted very plain to me. I drank a few more sips and decided I couldn’t finish the rest. However, my tasting partner didn’t mind it and finished it all.
I was on to Sample B, the coffee stout. I have to admit right off the bat that I am not a coffee drinker. I kept an open mind, though, as I went in for the taste. The aroma wasn’t as strong as Sample A’s, but it was noticeably a coffee drink! It even looked like coffee — it was almost pitch black.
But as I went in for the taste, it was just too much. It was so rich, a little too rich. It basically tasted like coffee that had been sitting around all day and someone poured in a little beer. One sip of this was enough for me; the same went for my friend!
So unfortunately, neither of these beers was a hit with me. (Am I allowed to vote for that Irish Red Ale? A six-pack of that in my fridge went pretty quickly this winter!) I was disappointed, as Sam Summer has been my drink of choice at the bar lately. Maybe next time the Beer Lover’s Choice contest will include something I’d want to drink more regularly!
Want to try out these beers? Check out the Sam Adams Web site in the coming weeks to see when tasting events are taking place.
Just like every other female on the planet, when I heard the Sex and the City movie was finally hitting the big screen I made plans with some of my closest girlfriends to celebrate by dressing up, drinking martinis and heading to the theater.
The biggest problem was finding the correct drink. Do you choose cosmos because they were made mainstream by the show or do you go for more edge?
I think it was summed up perfectly in the movie when Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are sitting in the bar cosmos in hand. One of them says, “These are good. Why did we ever stop drinking them.” And another responds, “Because everyone else started.”
I’m glad we had already decided at home to go the trendier route with an apple-thyme martini. It sounds strange but tastes refreshing.
(Me and the roomies with the martinis)
They were a hit with everyone and the smell of the thyme reminded me of fresh baked pizza. A weird thought when you’re drinking something.
Here’s the recipe from the Food Network:
Ice 10 ounces vodka 6 ounces apple juice 1/4 cup thyme syrup, recipe follows 1 large apple, peeled 4 fresh thyme sprigs
Special equipment: melon baller
Chill the martini glasses.
Fill the shaker with ice. Combine the vodka, apple juice, and thyme syrup in a martini shaker. Shake for about 10 seconds. Divide between the 4 chilled martini glasses.
Use the melon baller to scoop out small balls of apple. Place 3 balls of apple and 1 sprig of thyme in each glass for garnish. Serve immediately.
Thyme Simple Syrup: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 5 large sprigs fresh thyme
In a saucepan combine sugar, water, and thyme over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
An annual part of moving from spring to summer for me is the ritual transition from the beloved warm amber of the single-malt Scotch to the icy clear shimmer of the gin martini, up, dry, with a twist of lime. Which is not to say that I’d decline a Scotch June, July or August, or a martini at Christmas time … any more than I’d refrain from red wine with fish if that’s what I was in the mood for; sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. But generally speaking, I do martinis in the summer.
Which made New Hampshire Business Review’s most recent Top Shelf Tasting event a perfect compliment for the season– a gin tasting on a warm June evening at Cotton (www.cottonfood.com/) , along the banks of the Merrimack River in Manchester’s historic Millyard.
We sat on an outdoor patio beneath a vine covered arbor, while Mike Somers from Southern Wine and Spirits of New Hampshire guided us through tasting seven gins (Boodles, Plymouth, Beefeater, Tanqueray Rangpur, Hendricks, No. 10 By Tanqueray, and Whitney Neill London Dry Gin) and several gin cocktails. The tasting was accompanied by a great selection of bold flavors created by Chef/Owner Jeff Paige’s team at Cotton.
Gin was created in Holland, in the 16th century, and originated as a medicinal product (which I think helps to explain my continued robust constitution despite years of wild youth-, then work-, then baby-induced sleep deprivation). It is made of neutral spirits infused with botanicals, the principle of which is the juniper berry. Many cultures have used juniper berries as medicine – from the treatment of everything from diabetes to urinary tract infections. The name “gin” itself is derived from the Dutch word for juniper, genever. Other botanicals in gin are specific to the maker, and often secret, but can include things such as lemon or lime, anisette, cinnamon, coriander and orris root. In the case of Whitney Neill London Dry Gin, which is not yet for sale in New Hampshire but hopefully will be soon, the botanicals even include the fruit of the African Boabab tree.
As is so often the case with human nature, the one gin you can’t buy right now in New Hampshire, the Whitney Neill, struck me as being one I’d love to use in martinis, at least on special occasions. It’s a got a big flavor, like Beefeater, that can stand up to chilling and to the dry vermouth, but is more complex and diplomatic than the Beefeater.
There are several different types of gin and they have wildly different characters. English (London) Dry gin is the most popular. There is also Dutch/Sweet/Holland gin, with a much more intense flavor often created by the immersion of the botanicals into the grain mash before distillation. This type is not typically used to make mixed drinks. There’s also American Dry gin, which is lower in proof than the others, and Sloe gin, which is not a real gin but a sweet, gin-based liqueur.
Reviewing my tasting notes a few days after the event (is it my imagination or does one’s handwriting change slightly as the tasting event proceeds?) I’ll sum up the gins this way:
• Boodles – a baseline gin, fairly neutral, not offensive but it doesn’t thrill you either. A nice mixer.
• Plymouth – this was a bit too smooth, too neutral, too gentle for my taste. It would mix well, though. And others at my table felt differently; some liked this best of all in fact. If it Plymouth were a person, you wouldn’t hesitate to seat it next to your mother at a dinner party.
• Beefeater – this is what I have a typical, non-special occasion martini. It’s a big, brawny liquor with just enough sophistication to be dangerous and if it were a person you’d seat it next to your brother-in-law at the dinner party, and they’d swap stories about big game hunting in Africa, playing rugby in college and how they prefer the old Dutch Masters to modern abstract artists.
• Tanqueray Rangpur – smooth and sleek, with a potent lime essence that drapes itself over the juniper and becomes the primary flavor. Very nice to sip.
• Hendricks – complicated, evocative gin. Rub a bit between your palms and smell and you pick up hints of cucumber and rose petals. It’s not just a tasty gin – it’s a facial!
• No. Ten By Tanqueray – This tastes like another great martini gin to me – complex with enough liveliness to stand up to the vermouth. Some people would argue that while it’s a lovely gin, it’s too heavy on the citrus to make a good traditional martini. But I like mine with a twist instead of an olive anyway… so take it for what it’s worth.
As we drank and talked, we worked our way through a menu as rich in big, complex flavors as the gin: wood-grilled, balsamic-marinated zucchini and summer squash, chilled and topped with sliced fresh mozzarella and balsamic-garlic-marinated tomatoes and drizzled with sweet basil aioli. Then a couple of big plates of boneless chicken tenders tossed in a sesame honey hoisin sauce and boneless chicken tenders tossed in garlic butter and hot cherry pepper. Shrimp cocktail with Bloody Mary cocktail sauce. And a plate of cheeses.
And all the while, the river rolled by and brought a warm breeze to play with the vines in the arbor and glasses clinked on table tops and ice rattled in shakers … and despite the fact there were a few days left to go on the calendar, it sure felt like summer to me.
New Hampshire Business Review (nhbr.com) sponsors Top Shelf Tastings about six times a year around the state, featuring various beverages, from wines to high-end tequilas paired with foods from a variety of New Hampshire restaurants.
At a recent wedding I attended for a then-future brother-in-law, I wanted to find a nice, good quality champagne to celebrate the occasion. I’ve tried Moet and Chandon’s White Star champagne, which is always delicious and I would never refuse the opportunity to drink it. But I wanted to try something new.
I bought a half-bottle of Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin-Brut Yellow Label, which retails for about $30 on wine.com. This is a non-vintage type of champagne; a lesser quality, but also, a bit more affordable.
Veuve Clicquot is a champagne house in Reims, France, founded in 1772. The Wine for Dummies book I recently bought is a good primer on wines in general, but it also has a section on Champagnes. One basic rule– Only sparkling wines from the Champagne region in France can be called Champagne, and everything else is called sparkling wine, so don’t be fooled if something happens to say champagne, check the label to see where it was made. The Veuve Cliquot Web site lists the general variety of grapes that are in Yellow Label. It is:
50 to 55% Pinot Noir
15 to 20% Pinot Meunier
28 to 33% Chardonnay
But let’s ignore the numbers- back to finally sipping the champagne! It was bubbly, dry, had some fruit taste at the beginning and the different layers of flavor vanish quickly. It was refreshing, light. It had some oakey flavor and was very smooth. It was a fine taste, and worth the extra price to celebrate a happy event. We enjoyed it while getting dolled up for the evening wedding. Since we only got the smaller bottle it was good for just two glasses, but it was great to taste a good champagne.
Later, at the reception, during the toast, I had a sip of champagne from the head table, and I could automatically taste the difference between the VC and whatever was in the glass at the wedding; I’m guessing it was Korbel or something of that caliber. (I would not expect a high-quality champagne to be served at a wedding with 200 people.) The taste was pretty one-dimensional, just bubbly and sweet, but an almost sickly-sweet ending taste.
In contrast, the Veuve had layers of taste and texture in it, very satisfying. The rest of the night was basic– beers were $2.50, so that was the drink of choice for the rest of the night, with a couple of screwdrivers along the way. But was most memorable was the VC. It’s always fun to have a bit taste of the good life!
Next up- Cristal! (just kidding, but that would be nice…)
True to Magic Hat Brewing Company’s playful comical side, they’ve come out with a “Summer Variety Show” 12-pack, which includes the No. 9, (always a hit), Circus Boy, (a hefeweizen), Hocus Pocus and the Summer Odd Notion. No. 9 and Circus Boy are both year-round beers. The 12-pack is marketed as a magic show not be missed.True, the two beers I sampled, Hocus Pocus and Notion, made me call for an encore.
First up is Hocus Pocus- a combination of some bitter taste, yet springy and hoppy. It tastes like it has some coriander. It’s crisp but certainly leaves no bad aftertaste. I taste a bit of citrusy lemon towards the middle, and then it’s hoppy at the end. It’s a good summer beer, suitable for a refreshing cool-down on a hot day, or for just chilling out on a lazy afternoon and it’s definitely drinkable. It smells fresh and inviting.
Delicious!
Even though it has a bitter aftertaste, it’s not as heavy as I would have expected. It’s a good competitor against Sam Adams’ Summer Ale, also an excellent beer.
The second beer is Odd Notion.I’m not a fan of bitter beers, but this one goes down quite easily and isn’t all that bitter.
Odd Notion has a definite caramel taste through the middle and end, and it stays on the palette. It’s not as dark a beer as I thought it would be (it’s described as an English Dark Mild Ale and has a dark red color). The press release also says it has a brown sugar finish, but I don’t really taste that unless I concentrate really hard. It’s certainly smoother and a lot more mellow than Hocus Pocus, and not as crisp. It stays much longer on the palette. Makes me think of a coffee taste as well.
It’s a bit more one-dimensional than the Hocus Pocus, but that doesn’t make it bad. I was pleasantly surprised that I like it! I would get it again, as well as the Hocus Pocus. The caramel is what stands out for me. This could work as a light winter ale as well. I’m thinking it could be good with some caramel/chocolate ice cream concoction. Yum!
So check out this 12-pack from Magic Hat, it will be a summer evening of spills and thrills!
In case you missed it last summer, Red Sox wine is back!
Hannaford has just announced that it is carrying three more types of these BoSox fundraising wines. This year, there are:
- David Ortiz’ Vintage Papi, a 2006 Cabernet/merlot blend.
- Kevin Youkilis’ Sauvignyoouuk Blanc, a 2006 Sauvignon Blanc.
- Jason Varitek’s Captain’s Cabernet, a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.
These are made in very small amounts, and people will buy more bottles of these as a souvenir and for presents. (Hello, Fathers’ Day!) Last year, when there were Schilling, Ramirez and Wakefield wines, I managed to only snag a couple Wakefields. (One went to my brother-in-law, who loves to cook and who I tried to do a food Red Sox present for last Christmas, and I ended up pairing it with a bottle of Youkilis hot sauce. I kept the other Wakefield and have yet to open it.) Check out eBay and other auction sites to see how much these $12.99 bottles are going for now!
I’ll probably be buying two of each wine this week, that way I can try one right away and keep another for a while as collecters’ items.
