THE BLOG HAS MOVED!
EXCLAMATION!

fermentationmastication.wordpress.com

And there you have it.

Sorry it took so long between posts.

I’ve been busy.



Drinking.




So sue me.



Nevertheless, I feel it necessary to chime in like pretty much every single other L.A. based drink blog about none other than The Beachwood BBQ Sour Fest.

Oh, yes. Sours. Deceptive, actually, as far as the beers are concerned. Sure, there are definitely a mouthpuckering few I’ve tasted, but honestly, the “Sour Fest” is more of a celebration of little critters: yeast and bacteria. Without these little guys, we wouldn’t be able to use such fun terms like… well. Just read below and you’ll get the picture.


[Kudos to my tasting team, Dr. Tedimus and Trentzors the Third.]


And now, let the funk begin. For the purposes of abbreviation, N = Nose, MF = Mouthfeel, P = Palate.

Lost Abbey Phunky Duck
N: Apple cider vinegar.
MF: Slick, oily.
P: Sweet and green. Apple cider vinegar is the backbone here, with light acidity and a wheated finish.

New Belgium Brewing Co. Le Terroir
N: Savory herbs, leafy, musty wine.
MF: Light effervescence.
P: Tartness, similar to a pamelo. Grassiness seems to shade the tartness underneath.

Lost Abbey Sangria
N: Fresh picked cherry, raspberries. Smells like Sangria!
MF: Slightest carbonation makes for a spritzy, refreshing beverage
P: Light cranberry bitterness gives way to freshly squeezed cranberry juices. Some sticks and other tannic elements to the back, with a finish of bright red fruits.

Notes: One of my favorites of the evening, LA Sangria offers a nice drinkability factor that many of these sours seems to overlook.

Bootlegger’s Kentucky Wild
-Sour beer aged in bourbon barrels for 15 months.
N: Oxidized malt, cardboard, vanilla cream.
MF: Slippery.
P: Brown suggah sweet, smoke, charred wood, toffee, browned butter. Less sour, erring more on the funky/earthy side.

Notes:  I expected to like this more, being a fan of anything bourbon related. A better concept than execution, the bourbon aging seemed to overpower the integrity of the beer before it went into barrel aging. An esoteric conversation piece, not necessarily one I’d be dying to revisit.

Green Flash Grand Mantis
-Grand Cru aged in Merlot barrels
N: DIRTY SNORKEL. Seriously, like smelling rubber that was in someone’s mouth, then left to air dry in a cool, damp area. Also accented with a whisper of pool residue mold.
MF: Medium light carbonation.
P: Oh, baby this shit is funky. The brettanomyces manifests itself in the form of old socks and sweet sweat. No real tartness here, and not really barnyard earthiness. Just dank and dirty, with a body of moldy rubber, sulfur, and a slight hop twang to the end.

Notes:  Um. Weird. I guess I like it. You know…because it’s weird. I guess. [Awkward pause.]

Valley Brewing Co. Chili Wonka
N: Pickled jalapenos!
MF: Light, crisp.
P: Again, pickled jalapenos, all derived from natural brewing processes with nothing added. Orange zest, dry finish. Has a hint of sweetness from those pickled spicy carrots you usually see in pickling jar with jalapenos.

New Belgium Tart Lychee
N: Dried mango. Unmistakable, and jumping out of the glass! Awesome.
MF: Champagne-like effervescence.
P: The Return of the Mango. Subdued tartness, stone fruits, earthy mid palate, mouthwatering and refreshingly crisp finish. A kiss of lemon-lime.

Notes:  My favorite of the evening. Drinkable? Oh yeah. Built with complexity, yet not too overpowering. Acidity more as an agent to aid in keeping it from being too fruity. Nice hints of earthiness mid-palate appease the funk-o-philes. Although some thought it was a bit flabby, I just sorta liked it. So there. Ye.

The Bruery Melange #4
-Served on cask
N: Unfermented wort – cereal, grainy, yeasty. Dark brown sugar and tropical fruit.
MF: Sticky, creamy.
P: Slight woody astringency, almost like black tea. Minimal tartness, more of that old brown sugar, slightly musty.

Brouwerij Verhaeghe Echt Kriekenbier
-Cellared for 3 years
N: Dirty, musty, fruit punch.
MF: Crisp then slick finish.
P: Mellow and released. Eucalyptus. Moldy cherries, unwashed fruit. Apple cider from Norway.

Bear Republic Cuvee du Bubba
-Soured blend of Bear Republic brews
N: Sour flatulence. Pine Sol.
MF: Lifelessly flat.
P: Green apple, raspberries. Um..tastes like soured Bear Republic beers..which it is.

Notes: Meh.

Lost Abbey Sinner’s Blend ‘09
N: Chocolate covered raspberries. Cherry pie.
MF: Rich, full, and engulfing.
P: Oooh baby. Jamminess of blackberries. Slightl leap mid palate with some tart red fruits. Leather. Slight hop bitterness manifesting itself as 80% dark cocoa. Finishes with a clean, toasty malt background.

Notes:  Ok, so maybe this ties for best of the evening. This is just a hugely complex beer. Similar to the another Lost Abbey beer, Ten Commandments (a ridiculously rich Belgian style Quadruppel), yet with a thin strata of sour complexity to give it structure, balance, and overall drinkability. Hells yeah.

The Bruery Sour in the Rye
N: Nutty, perfumed.
MF: A hair on the undercarbonated side.
P: Cheese-y. Well integrated tart nature, with an earthy finish of barnyard soil. Not too deep, with the fruit element feeling a bit short-lived.

New Belgium Eric’s Ale ‘08
N/MF/P: Sharp! Damn citrus-y, and astringently tart! ‘Nuff said! Excalmations!

Moonlight Brewing Sour Puss Black
-Soured version of one of my favorite black lagers, Death & Taxes.
N/P: Red cherry. Sharp upfront, then dark, soy sauce malt. Black fruit. Lingering acidity.


--//--

Ok, so I got a little lazy toward the end. What can I say? Your palate would be tired too after 14+ crazy beers.
After all that? I wished I had an Osker Blues Ten Fidy for dessert.

[Thanks again to Kyle, bartender supreme, and Gabe, Beachwood BBQ Beer Lord!]

At the Julio household, eating healthy is surprisingly easy. We always stock our fridge with are fresh greens from the farmers market: rapini, kale, Chinese broccoli, bok choy, collard greens, snow pea leaves/tendrils, etc.

Here’s a quick and healthy fridge stocking tip:
- Find one of the aforementioned greens at a local farmer’s market (a REAL farmer’s, ie Torrance Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, where you can find actual selection of fresh produce from ACTUAL farmers. This is opposed to the traveling food court disguised as a “farmer’s market” ala Culver City or El Segundo.)
- Heat some olive oil in a saucier pan, quickly dice and sauté one of the following: shallots, onion, garlic. (Stick with just one of these, simplicity is key.)
- Rinse, drain, roughly chop, then wilt down your newly acquired greenery in the pan with a pinch of kosher salt.

Enjoy!



Ok ok... Sounds “bland.” Well, try it first. I’m sure, nay, confident your body will be craving a hefty amount of greens every four days after.

Another great thing about this tip is that you can store these wilted greens for about a week or so, and since they’re already cooked down and slightly seasoned, they make for an easy addition to any recipe. Here’s a good example.

Frittata Experiment #7

Ingredients:
3-5 large eggs, beaten* (Depends how hungry you are.)
¼ cup Canadian bacon (Optional for you veggie folk.)
Small handful (½ cup ish) wilted kale/collard greens/both!
Small handful (½ cup ish) baby arugala
5-6 cherry tomatoes, diced
½ cup smoked gouda, grated**
¼ cup herbed manchego, grated**
½ small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
red pepper flakes

*Whenever you work with breakfast egg recipes (omelettes, frittatas, scrambles) place your eggs in a bowl with some warm/almost hot water from the faucet.  The room temperature eggs will cook more evenly than dealing with cold eggs.
**Grate cheese earlier so that they also have time to come up to room temp as well. If you can’t find manchego, any other aged cow’s milk cheese like Mimolette or Reggiano will work. I prefer herbed Manchego, specifically one with a rosemary crust, as the earthy yet floral nature compliments the kale nicely.

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the warm eggs, then mix in room temp Gouda.
- Get some fat in an oven safe pan, butter/olive oil/both, over medium heat.
- Saute in the following order the remainder of your fillings: onions till soft, Canadian bacon for a min or two, garlic for 30 sec., kale and arugala until wilted, diced tomatoes for 1-2 min, a pinch of red peper flakes.
- When the mixture is all heated through, pour in your egg/cheese mixture. Incorporate the eggs into all the nooks and crannys, but don’t fold! You want a frittata not a scramble. I find its best to move the pan more than the spatula, using the mixing tool only help fill the holes.
- Let sit for 1 min over the heat, clean up the edges/sides of the frittata-to-be, then sprinkle grated Manchego evenly across the top.
- Place pan in back of oven for roughly 10 min, or until the frittata is puffed, and the cheese is nicely melted.
- Let stand for 1 min before slicing.

Hells yeah.



Stay tuned...
Up next: Ryan Julius Julio's Birthday Booze Roundup!

As many of you out there may or may not be aware of, Ryan Julius Julio is a bit of a bubble boy.  Having been blessed with allergies to all nuts, all seafood, dogs, cats, birds, strong perfumes/odors, grass, dust, pollen, melons, etc, most people enquire, "Well...what are you not allergic to?"

Ha. Well, it could be worse.
A. I'm NOT allergic to alcohol (a common allergy, socially attributed to Asians, causing the characteristic "Asian Red Glow" from drinking. For more info, ask my dad and my sis.)
B. I'm definitely NOT lactose intolerant.

Which brings me to my main point.

I love Cheeeeese.

I've recently began to add to my tasting journal some of the new discoveries in flavorful curds which I've come across, some of which I've already shared (see L.A. Craft Beer Fest). Here's a couple more, and I intend to be more frequent in added some cheese tasting notes, now that LA has fully began embrace artisnal curd-age.

--//--

English Red Dragon



I stumbled upon this little hunk o' goodness at The Wine Country, a quirky little wine/spirits/beer/gift shop located across the street from the Long Beach Post Office on Redondo Ave.  When inquiring your local fromager, one should be aware that this cheese is named Red Dragon as a result of the red waxing encompassing the curds; if you find one with a golden/yellow wax, it will be called Y Fenni.  This cheese comes to us from a newer Welsh cheesemaker, yet another part of the wave of global artisnal cheesemaking which is finally permeating local markets with its goodness.  It is in the style of traditional Welsh flavored cheeses, this one being comprised of pasturized cow's milk, blended with whole grain mustard and brown ale. Yeah, I know, awesome, right? Well...how did it taste?

I will honestly say that on its own right, it wasn't immediately my favorite.  I love a good flavored cheese (my favorite will be mentioned momentarily), but my problem is when the imbued ingredients seem to overpower the curd, not enhance them.  Don't get me wrong, the Red Dragon is delicious - the brown ale in particular accents the piquant, tangy nature of the cow's milk.  I unfortunately found the mustard to be a hair overshadowing.  Its not that it overwhelms the flavors of the cheese, like in a poorly made Horseradish Cheddar, but rather, its just a bit too much like spreadable mustard, rather than cheese with mustard.  Eaten alone, I found it still overpowered the English Imperial Porter I tried to pair it with, and I began to get a little frazzled with the mustard seeds invading my dentata. 

When used in cooking, or in a larger picture with hearty foods, this dragon really begin to breath fire into every dish.  For example, if you were to grate said cheese, melt in between two heavily buttered slices of rye, maybe with a thin slice of uncured Black Forest Ham? Gorgeous.  Or perhaps if you were you pan sear a fully cooked link of say, knockwurst, placed said snausage into an oven-warmed french roll with some sauteed onions, melted some Red Dragon on top, and finished it with loads of homemade sauerkraut. Oh dear god...Flavor Country, population: 1.

--//--

Dill Havarti



I love this cheese. Although usually its found in your deli slicer, promoting its cheesy goodness in sammiches, I prefer it on its lonesome.  When done right, Havarti dill has a perfect balance of flavored cheese: the smoothness of Havarti, with its long silky finish and almost overly rich character, perfectly proportioned with dill's ability to freshen, lighten, with its unmistakably "creamy green" scent coming into play after the bite, but not before it.  Sure, its goes great in an omelette, crumbled with some diced tomatoes.  Sure you could finish a batch of Potatoes Anna with a hefty melting of the dill havarti. Sure.

But enjoyed solo with a glass of Txacoli, Albarino, Sancerre, or any light bodied, grassy/crisp white wine...Yeesh.



-RJJ of YM&I

Whoa. Tour. So that happened. See the front page for more details.

What I’m concerned about was finding some interesting tidbits amidst our travels. Tidbits were found, drams were sipped upon, merriment was shared.

Within two minutes after arriving at our final tour destination, Modesto, CA, Tony Benedetti spotted two very important words in his lexicon – Cigar & Lounge. Enter Che’Root, one of the very very few tobacconists in Califor-nye-yay which has a full liquor license to boot. Tony fired up a stogie, Ross and Tizoc enjoyed some nice pub ale, and Andrew and myself sipped up on a nice bit o’ Ardbeg. Here’s the gang after Tony kicked my ass in chess. Ryan Ross proceeded to dominate in chess, followed by Andrew taking the pot in our mini Hold ‘Em tourney.



Then we played a show.
Yada yada yada, we were then whisked away to some of the other “hot spots” of Modesto.

We were brought to Tresetti’s around the corner. Great liquor selection, interesting mix of beers (they still had Anderson Valley’s Winter Solstice. Weird). Then I spotted her. Hiding in the back, almost intentionally away from eyeshot, she gleamed at me. Who was this seductive, yet timid mistress of which I spake?

Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition, Single Islay Malt, Double Matured; Distilled 1991/Bottled 2007



Whoa. Seriously. Again, the word serendipitous comes to mind, especially that it was with mine comrades in arms that I happened upon this elusive bottle. Rarely seen in bars due to its smaller allocation and simply higher price, giddy does not begin to describe the emotions I felt. But enough about the emotions…taste, smell, and touch beg to be scrutinized.

An interesting drink, the Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition is double matured, finished in Pedro Ximenez barrels, an intensely dark, sweet sherry. This extra wood finishing sort of…tenderizes the scotch. If Lagavulin 16yr is a 16oz. New York Strip, the Distiller’s Edition would be Veal Carpaccio – rather than a thick cut, with fattiness and marbling, its tender and delicate, meant to be slowly savored, as opposed to sawed by a steak knife. Metaphors aside, this extra finish imbues much of the PX character to every aspect, mellowing the brass peatiness, enhancing a bit more towards the dessert side.

The color is beautiful, pouring a deep, glossy hazelnut tone. Nose? Quite understated – a whisper, rather than the shout of its 16yr. cousin. Despite the soft nose, there is complexity to be analyzed: brown sugar toasted on SunMaid Raisin bread...maybe pita bread, with hints of sweet pipe tobacco. On first Sip, gobs of richness envelop quite fully and steadily through mid palate, unveiling flavors of chocolate fondue, cream cheese danish, and big dollop of Clover Farms Freshly Churned Butter. The back palate then opens to raw sugar cane, English toffee, and more of that awesome salted butter richness. Finally, the finish has just enough spice to lift, leaving your mouth watering as if you had just finished a Werther’s Original Hard Caramel. What’s the one word I left out? Peat. Sure there is an undercurrent of smoke and char, but this puppy has no sharp edges, no smoke to get in the way of its opulence.

It was a pleasure sharing a dram o’ dis with my mates, and they all agreed – it was the well deserved icing on the cake of a tour well done.

[Thanks to Brook for taking care of us at Che’Root!]

I know, it happened, like, weeks ago. But then a little bird told me that several familiar faces were posted on laweekly.com, so I had to at least acknowledge it on my side.

What the heck am I talking about, you may be asking?

Well for those of you not in the know, Los Angeles had its first truly successful craft beer festival over at the ol’ Echoplex. ‘Twas a pretty damn good time, I must say. Major kudos go out to one Bob Kunz, fellow barkeep brethren at Father’s Office, and one of the major minds which put the whole shebang together. Cheers, Bob!

Basically, a plethora of craft beer, beer oriented snackythings, and music. For a pretty reasonable price! Yay!

Here’s some pics, unashamedly stolen from LA Weekly contributor Drew Tewksbury.



So good ol’ buddy Ryan Ross came along with me for the festivities. Here he is with some amazing cupcakes from Pure Luck. Oh, and they’re beer cupcakes, these ones using Heavenly Hefe, from Pasadena’s Craftsman brewing. I don’t usually like cupcakes, but these were soft, moist, and really just coagulated Hefeweisen with honey and cream cheese frosting on top. ‘Aint nothin wrong with that.



Ice Cream! Actually, I think they were sorbets. Maybe both! Scoops in LA brought us several different refreshing offerings, Guiness Chocoloate Ice Cream, Hefeweisen Banana Sorbet, and Ryan & Ryan’s favorite of the day, Pear Sorbet with Ommegang Ommegeddon (Beer with Brettanomyces). The mix was perfect: perfectly textured sorbet, not too creamy, not too icy. Candied pears acting as little nuggets of joy, amidst an earthy, nuttiness present from the farmhouse aspect of the beer. Delicious!



Oooooohhhh man.  Fromage. Queso. Moldy awesomeness.

Cheeeeeese.

Hot Knives brought four of the best cheeses I've probably ever had. Really. Like, ever. 

The blue on the bottom of the cutting board is Fourme D'ambert, a wine and mold injected blue cheese, made from cow's milk.  Rich and creamy, earthy, not too robust, and salty side that begs to be paired with a barrel aged stouts (see below.)  Next up on that cutting board is Chaubier, a washed rind semi-firm cow/goat blend from France.  Nutty rind, hint of smokiness, with a citrusy funk to it.  Ross's favorite was the Beamster X.O., next on up on that cutting board pic.  A three year aged cow's milk cheese from Holland, this one is like... cheddar on crack.  Nutty, semi-sharp, with a creamy butterscotch finish.  Lastly in that pic is my favorite, Cana de Oveja, a soft ripened Spanish sheep's milk cheese.  The rind is lemony, almost sour, the but the inside is silky smooth from aging, with a mellow, uber rich mouthfeel that makes you wanna swim in cheese.  Despite the small 2oz. portions they were cutting, I'd say Ross and I each had a chunk of cheese the size of a fist. And we loved it.



Finally, the Beers.  I found myself conflicted.  Each brewery sent 2-3 different selections, generously donated to the festival and its charitable causes. A great gesture indeed, yet most of the donated brew came in the form of overstocked strong ales leftover from the cold season.  Not an issue, usually, save for the fact that the 975+ attendants crammed into the underventilated Echoplex created a hot, balmy climate -  an environment which did not pair well with the likes of the richest and heaviest barleywines.  Nevertheless, there were some highlights which made it worth the heat.

Firestone Brewing’s Parabola

Some BA’s [Beer Advocates] and I heard an inside tip weeks before informing us there would be a small sampling of this rare California brew to revisit. Fast forward to the fest, every time the Firestone rep. circled the taps, a gaggle of conspicuously overly-knowledgeable beer geeks would bum rush the bar, hoping to get a taste of this tastiness. Our beer fishin’ paid off in the end, as one growler of this year’s Parabola was consumed in 3 minutes by 15 of LA’s finest beer snobs.

So how’d it taste? Oh, God. So good. Ridiculously complex. Parabola is a blend, a best of the best of barrel aged stouts. Clocking in at around 13% ABV, this puppy’s huge. Pours like used motor oil. The depth of the nose is amazing, with a boozy backbone of bourbon (here, I’d say Booker’s), complemented by black licorice, fig, vanilla extract, dark fruit and spice. With its sticky body coating every nook and cranny of the palate, it never got too cloying for it to be enjoyed. Chocolate (duh), bourbon, coffee ice cream, dates, more bourbon, baking spice, even more bourbon – yeesh. Freaking good.

The Bruery’s Cuvee Jeune

It truly warmed the cockles of my heart to see that across the board, this was one of the crowd favorites of the day. Remarkable really, considering that this little guy was the underdog – the lone sour/wild ale at the festival.

The best part about this brew was its dual nature: not too funky and mouth puckeringly tart for the uninitiated, yet complex enough to appease the true Gueuze-heads. Light and crisp bodied, with a hint of effervescent carbonation to make it refreshing. On the nose was the unmistakable aroma of Brettanomyces, funky and earthy. Behind that was the inviting notes of freshly grated lemon zest. On the palate, a wide variety of fruit tartness, from Albarino wine grapes,  to apricot and tropical fruit. Fresh cut grass and hay are on the back end to complement the fruit, finishing with a snappy citric tartness which can only be satiated with further sippage. Great stuff.


All in all, a good time was had by all. Hooray, Beer!



[Shout outs: Again, to Bob for being friggin' awesome and putting this thing together. Tewksbury - uh, I stole your pics. Sorry.  Angela for being unwittingly thrust into this pic with me.]

Took a “lil’ vay-kay” up to San Fran. & Napa/Rutherford/St. Helena this past weekend. Hopefully in the next couple of days (weeks, whatever) I’ll have a full write up, chronicling my exploits.

Here’s a quick sip to tide us over though…

--//--



I had a chance to check out Broken Record in the Outer Mission-ish area of SF. Or maybe we consider it Excelsior? I dunno, I’m from LA who gives a whatnot. Kickass place. Great food (homemade sausages made of boar, rabbit, duck, venison and pretty much anything else that Ted Nugent would bowhunt, with red beans & rice, homemade biscuits, cornbread topped mac & cheese), great layout (beer pong to accommodate cheap/free PBR, nice little outside patio, cozy middle dining area, and a streamlined divey bar design).

[+27pts to you Kate for being right. Again.]



Oh, yeah. Drinks. They have those, too.

I counted around 10 taps, all pouring great local brews, like Trumer, Drake’s, Lost Coast, etc. More importantly, a PHENOMENAL whisky list. Plenty to choose from, and very very very reasonably priced. Bartenders didn’t all have an in depth knowledge base, but did know a couple little gems, two of which I’m about to wax poetic about shortly. 

More importantly each bartender respected The Pour: checking the glass for cleanliness, slowly dispersing a generous dram, and offering a mini 4oz bottled water back when purchasing higher end goods.  This is an oft overlooked aspect of bartending which continues to elude the wasteland of crappy new upstart whisky bars - a sense of form, style, panache.  Just 'cause the place looks like a dive, doesn't mean they have to tend bar like a dive.  I've gotten worse service from the blokes at Seven Grand, despite having to pay exorbitant fees just to have some tool in a vest tell me Lagavulin's now $26. I digress.


High West Rendezvous Rye



High West is an upcoming new distillery based in Utah. Until I had gone to Broken Record, I’d never heard of them before; now I’m currently trying to track down their distributor down here so’s us SoCal folks can get a taste. This is their flagship spirit, blend of 6-year-old 95% rye and 16-year-old 80% rye. The combination definitely comes through on the palate, with big roasted, heated spice notes on the nose, with bits of mint and vanilla. The palate is large, yet evenly dispersed. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Whisky. And someone ashed into my cereal bowl. And I liked it.

Overall - big flavors, easy on the pocketbook, and probably the first thing I’ve ever liked from Utah.

--//--

High West Rocky Mountain Rye (Batch #2), 21 year old

After heeding the barkeep’s suggestion I tried this brand spakin’ new spirit from High West. So freaking new that I can’t seem to find a pic of the bottle online (I scoff at Google.)

Damn fine whisky we got here. Way approachable, with an integrated mix of the sweet sour spice that any nascent whisky appreciator can enjoy. The 21 years of age does the dram great justice, mellowing the soft grain to support a huge fruit palate, consisting of plum, dried cranberry, and glazed stone fruit. The second wave on the palate then reveals even more depth, with green tea, roasted nuts, kettle corn.  The prickly spices here are almost like whisky flavored Pop Rocks, robust and nuanced at the same time.

Extremely good rye, gentleman. Good form, good form. Dustin Hoffman’s Captain Hook would be proud (although I can’t think of why he’d be drinking whisky from U-tarrrggh.)

(Get it? HA. Ahem. N/m).

Its been a hell of day.  Here's the entirety of my tasting notes from 2pm to 2am.

Wine Tasting with Henry Wine Group (Thanks Aimee and Rebecca!)

- Pellegrini, '06 Sauvignon Blanc:  lemon peel, chalky toasted finish; not too fruit forward, with good acidity

- Mastroberardino, '07 Greco di Tuto, Sauvignon Blanc/Torrentes Blend:  no oak; nose of citrus, flora, lotion, lychee, perfume; lemon pith, hints of spice, surprisingly tannic with great acidity.  Took a while to open up, but changed in 45min. from a seemingly closed palate.

- Robert Oatley, '07 Chardonnay:  some tart fruit, but overall leafy, stemmy, with a pretty weird musty finish. Meh.

- Macrostie, '05 Pinot Noir, Wildcat Mountain Vineyards:  new release from great winemaker; silky mouthfeel, immense depth to nose.  Light body, hints of char, cigar box, dried blackberries, fertile earth.  Huge finish includes integrated tannins, gently/steady lingering acidity.  Utterly Fantastic.

- Le Corti, '05 Chianti Classico:  med body, high acid/tannin up front, but gently resolves to smooth berry finish; would be great with food

- Hill of Content, '04 90% Grenache, 10% Syrah:  nose is green, soft jam notes, flower undertone.  Surprising acid and mouthwatering tannins, bright strawberry/raspberry, hints of espresso beans.

Naja's Redondo Beach presents IPA FEST (Thanks Martin and Ted!)

- Marin IPA (On Cask):  Basically 100% ruby red grapefruit juice.  Soft and refreshing.

- Ballast Point Sculpin IPA:  Creamy mouthfeel, red sour pucker straws.

- Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA:  Almost too balanced for its own good, with rich mouthfeel, and amber undertones to balance pine/citrus. Genius.

- Bear Republic Apex IPA:  Take the Racer 5 and kick it up two notches.  Still just as balanced, just bigger.

- Rogue XS Imperial IPA:  Earthy, beet-like, tart, flabby. Meh.

- Port Brewing Hop 15:  Light & crisp; like drinking an alcoholic Sprite with a grapefruit squeeze.

- Port Brewing High Tide (2008 Vintage):  Soft mouthfeel, peach ice cream

- Sierra Nevada Chico IPA:  Meh. Flabby, jumbled palate, no real fruit/earth/pine/bitterness/finish/etc.

- Russian River Pliny the Younger Triple IPA:  Surprisingly sweet upfront, but softly finishes with earthy, resiny
bitterness.  Better than when I tried it 4mo. ago.

PERSONAL FAVORITES:
- Bear Republic Racer X (2008 Vintage):  Sweet floral, great balance of fruit, herbs, and nuttiness.  Extremely balanced.

- Bear Republic Racer X (2009 Vintage):  Take the above, but give a bigger kick in every direction.  Still balanced, and almost too drinkable.

Cocktails at The Griffin, Atwater Village (Happy Berfday, Chris!)

- Caol Ila 1991, Single Islay Malt, Signatory Unchilled Series:  The nose is cigarette smoke from a fashion student's Capri Lights.  Deceptive palate, with brown sugar sweet malt, currant, cocoa, and baking spice.  Lingering soft finish.

- Pappy Van Winkle 15yr. Single Barrel Bourbon:  Oh, so rich.  Gobs of unbaked chocolate chip cookie dough.  Maybe more like a dark chocolate Twix bar.  Only a hint of cinnamon/nutmeg on the finish to lift it off the tongue on its viciously viscous and decadent trail down the gullet. 

I know, its called fermentation and mastication.  Yes, I'll get to the whole chewing thing eventually.  I'm getting there, seriously.  I have this whole thing on favorite noodles, favorite ribs, etc., but I really just can't post it without pictures.  I mean really. I could write all day about how to make Pita Pit-style wraps at home, but its no fun without the step-by-step walkthrough with pictures.

Just, you know...sit tight, or something. 

Rhode Island is neither a road, nor an island. Discuss.

-RJJ of YM&I

2006 Meyer-Näkel Pfarr Wingert Spätburgunder



[Note: "Spätburgunder" is the German term for Pinor Noir.]

Oh yeah. That’s what I’m talkin bout.

This is a lean and mean little bottle of Pinot. The terroir truly determines everything in good wine, and this Northerly located German Pinot is a paradigm of that thought process. Taken from an advantageous micro-climate in Germany’s most northern region, Ahr, the soil is made up of greywacke & slate, partially decomposed to a sandstone-like state.

“So what does this mean for us wine noobs?”

Soft roasted aroma, with speckled flint barbs in the nose. A muscular, sinewy palate, consisting of black cherries, ripe raspberries and blueberries, with hidden violet notes. Lingering earthy notes of wet stone and lava rock. LONG, long, long finish with late tannins that seem to grip and release, grip and release. A fully integrated and balanced wine that doesn’t rely on flashiness, rather, utilizes the old world flavors to truly bring new meaning to that tired ol’ aphorism, “Less is more.”

I had the pleasure of tasting this alongside my boss, Mr. Sang Yoon. Getting better at tasting is like playing golf or tennis – you only get better if you play with a stronger player. Half the fun is you get to share some great vocabulary. In the end, isn’t using original adjectives the core of any great wine/spirit/beer “snobs”? Take for example some terms I heard whilst trying this wine: “transparent”, “austere”, and my favorite, “exoskeletal.”

Man, I love drinking alcohol. Yet I almost prefer to talking about it more.

Gesundheit!
[Health!]