Zigbeenuthouse Beer, Wine, Liquor thread

[maize]

Thanks for the advice Neal. Expensive wine doesn't do much for me, same thing with expensive cigars. I used to put creamer in my coffee... then they had that stupid powder creamer at work which is nasty. I said screw it and started drinking it black so it always tasted the same/similar. I rarely drink coffee/pop/caffeine... I want the rush/up when it's needed. Not the I need to drink half a pot of coffee to get going.

[NealBeforeMe]

Thanks for the advice Neal. Expensive wine doesn't do much for me, same thing with expensive cigars. I used to put creamer in my coffee... then they had that stupid powder creamer at work which is nasty. I said screw it and started drinking it black so it always tasted the same/similar. I rarely drink coffee/pop/caffeine... I want the rush/up when it's needed. Not the I need to drink half a pot of coffee to get going.

My friend was/is a big cigar fan. Never tried one.
He'd be like "This cigar was $20!"
I'm like "Great, it smells terrible and it's cold outside...finish that ***** up ASAP!"

Reminds me of this article (hat-tip to calling cigars "***** candles"):
https://jezebel.com/cigars-are-puke-1766816269

[zigbee]

Thanks for the wine posts Neal.

What's everyone having this evening?  I'm having a nice Eliot Ness before finishing my last Uncle Rusty Imperial Ale from Columbus Brewery.  Nightcap will be Sierra Nevada Torpedo EXTRA IPA.

[Hightop77]

I'm off tonight but will be going out tomorrow night to do a little beer drinking.  There is an Upland Brewing tap take over nearby and I might do that.  But some Fullers ESB is sounding good so I might hit my Irish pub instead.  Too many choices around here.

[NealBeforeMe]

As I look over the Wine Spectator ratings, there are a lot of good values to be had in the Cosco label "Kirkland Signature."
I'm not a member at Cosco, but I'll lift a few WS ratings for your review.
P.S. I'm really curious where they get their juices from...but, I'm sure that's a secret (that somebody knows.)
KIRKLAND SIGNATURE
Malbec Mendoza 2017

---

Score: 89
Release Price $7
Country Argentina
Region Mendoza
Issue Nov 30, 2018
Designation Best Values
Tasting Note
Vibrant floral notes accent the lithe raspberry and cherry flavors. Fresh acidity powers the minerally finish, which feature hints of white pepper. Drink now through 2021. 225,000 cases made.
–KM
KIRKLAND SIGNATURE
Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2017

---

Score: 88
Release Price $13
Country California
Region Sonoma
Issue Feb 28, 2019
Tasting Note
Offers a rich, floral aroma, with notes of savory spice to the fresh and crunchy red fruit flavors. Beef bouillon details show on the finish. Drink now through 2022. 23,686 cases made.
–KM

[NealBeforeMe]

A beefiness to a pinot noir's finish is quite unusual from my experience... but, I'd try it (if I was a Costco member.)
I previously liked being a guest of a Costco member for their cheap and delicious hot dogs!
Now, I'd make a beeline for their 2017 vintages of pinot noir, malbec and their rose (review not listed, 87pts.)

[cincydawg]

I hate wine ratings, hate'em. Drink what you like, not what someone else may have liked, depending on his palate.

If you don't like wine much, don't drink it (much). It's no mark of culture or superiority to enjoy wine. I almost never drink what I don't taste first, though that has changed a bit since the move because i don't go to the tasting every Friday night like I used to. Fortunately, wine prices here are around 60% of what they were in Cincy.

I opened a bottle last night of Regusci merlot 2015 that I got at the winery (they don't retail any more). We had filet mignon and it seemed like a time to step it up a bit. I enjoy the Stag's Leap style a lot from American wines. It was good, the wife liked it a lot. She tends to like American wines more than French wines, but doesn't know that much about them because the way the French talk about wine is so different from us.

She trusts me though. I am having pretty good luck with Kirkland brand wines, they offer a slew of them now, and I'd say 80% are quite good for the money, but if you find one you like it may not be there next visit. These are largely overruns.

[Hightop77]

Great night at my local sports pub drinking too much beer and watching basketball.  Nothing new to report.  Drank nothing tonight but that great locally brewed Monnick IPA I mentioned before.  Unfortunately you have no access to it unless you live here.  Thank God its only a half mile home.  Life is good.  

[zigbee]

Great night at my local sports pub drinking too much beer and watching basketball.  Nothing new to report.  Drank nothing tonight but that great locally brewed Monnick IPA I mentioned before.  Unfortunately you have no access to it unless you live here.  Thank God its only a half mile home.  Life is good.  

[BWT30]

I have a stupid question to ask, just don't jump on me. When they brew beer, do they use corn syrup?

The reason I'm asking is that Bud Light recent commercial said that they don't use corn syrup, almost "implying" that Miller Lite does as well as everyone else without actually saying it.
If it true, I didn't know that, if not, very clever way to get at your competition.

[unc4corners]

Have a friend that yesterday drove from here in NC to Kentucky and back to NC in a day to go and pick up something he found on MarketPlace. 6am - 10pm on the road.

[cincydawg]

Fermentation obviously requires sugar, so using HFCS is a way to add sugar to your malt at very low cost.

It's not a big deal really.

Wine makers will at times add sugar to their fermentation vats if the grapes did not get sufficiently ripe. Chaptalization.

[cincydawg]

We were walking on the Beltline when we had that 80°F day and walked further than we usually do and came across New Realm Brewery, which had a large outdoor seating area overlooking the Beltline. We had lunch and a flight of beers.

The beers were fine but I get a feeling breweries are "tapped out" when it comes to making really good basic beer and now try and get fancy with other additives.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/new-realm-brewing-atlanta-3

The food was fine, nothing extraordinary or unusual. The venue was perfect for a nice day. There is another restaurant in the same building that for some reason was not serving lunch out doors. It looked to be a bit upscale relatively speaking, will try it sometime.

https://beltline.org/

The Beltline is a fantastic concept, old railroads converted into walking paths and eventually light rail. It has sparked a boom in new apartment buildings that advertise being on it.

https://www.atlanta.net/things-to-do/outdoors/beltline/

[Erhino]

Fermentation obviously requires sugar, so using HFCS is a way to add sugar to your malt at very low cost.

It's not a big deal really.

Wine makers will at times add sugar to their fermentation vats if the grapes did not get sufficiently ripe.  Chaptalization.

The don't use HFCS, just corn syrup. I started to read a bit on the difference then realized I don't give a *****. 

Sugar is a cheap way to bump up the alcohol in beer. The one we use most is turbinado. One brew the recipe already accounted for a double batch but we mistakenly doubled the sugar and ended up about 2% higher At 11.2%. Stongest beer we ever made...Nicknamed the Turbinator. Tasted boozy, but if your goal was drunk it did the trick.

[cincydawg]

The term "dry wine" is oft misused, it just means all (nearly) of the sugar was fermented into alcohol. A fruity wine can be dry. Folks confuse the term with wines that are more astringent and less fruity, which is a result usually of high residual tannin levels.

European wines are more often chaptalized, fermented with added sugar, because France, for example, is so far north. The grapes tend not to get as ripe as they do here. Napa is about the same latitude as Spain and Italy.

A truly sweet wine, non-dry, will typically be about 8% alcohol. Anything over 12% is likely to be dry. Some zinfandels I've seen exceed 16% but that is a bit excessive (to me). Above that level and most yeasts die anyway, so it's about the limit of normally fermented beverages. There are some select yeasts that survive higher levels.

Adding sugar to beer is really a nothing, a whatever. Bud is obviously trying to imply it's a something, but if you like Miller lite or whatever, it doesn't matter.

Ports and similar beverages are sweet and high in alcohol because they start fermentation and then add alcohol to stop it and end up with a somewhat sweet tasting 18-21% beverage. These can generate some bad hangovers.

Beer commercials way back were often pretty funny, especially the Bud Lite commercials. Some now are mildly amusing but not as funny to me as once they were.