I know it has been a little while since a post has been up and would like to apologize. It has been a busy holiday season so far, with Thanksgiving just ending, the cookie swap wrapping up (I will get into that later), working two jobs each, it has been tough, and with all this going on, I am thankful that Leann and I have been able to actually spend time together. I had told Leann that I would start blogging about beer and spirits, and she certainly knows my love of good beer as she blessed me with a subscription to a beer enthusiast magazine. Great read, and some great ideas for food pairings, top places to eat and drink, best beers out and releasing soon, and just about everything else under the sun when it comes to beer.
Thank you once again baby.
Now off to the goods. It has been a family tradition near Christmas time to head off to actual cold areas where there is actual snow, and go skiing. All the work getting from Orlando to deep into the Rocky Mountains pays off that first time you get to the top of the mountain because you feel as if you are at the top of the world. This year is more special then previous years because I will get to share this with Leann. Now when I turned 21 just before a Colorado trip some 5ish years ago, I ordered a Bud Light at a Friday's, lol. Not craft beer at all, nowhere near it, and I did not know I was in one of the greatest places ever for craft beer. Great beer needs great ingredients, one of those being water. The Rockies are filled with fresh, clean water, which is why 100's maybe even 1000's of beers come from the rockies, and I am talking craft beers with amazing flavors and ingenious ingredients.
New Belgium Brewery is one of these Brewery's, and Fat Tire is the beer, and it just so happened to be the 2nd beer I had on that first trip out to Colorado when I turned 21.
It was the only beer on tap that wasn't one of the beers you see everywhere from a bowling ally to chucky cheeses. I immediately loved this beer, and have been drinking it every time I head out west since it cannot be obtained here in Florida. Fat Tire is a 5.2% ABV amber ale, perfectly balanced, and a tad on the bitter side, which makes it perfect for winter. Upon un capping, the beer has a hint of toasty, carmely, chocolatey, hops, that make you want dive right in. As I said earlier, the first sip may have a hint of bitterness, but then the flavor explodes. I love a good amber ale, and this one has a nice robust flavor matching all those, toasty, carmel, chocolate, hoppy scents. Now without a doubt this beer is best on tap in Colorado, where it was brewed a few days before you drink it. It was difficult to obtain this beer, and luckily my friend brought it down from a road trip, down to the final bottle, I knew it was time to blog. This is still an amber ale, and not a winter bitter, it is perfect for winter, and goes great with a hamburger or steak, or great for a dessert beer. I my self had a few for Thanksgiving lol. As I see this bottle coming to end, I bid Fat Tire a farewell, and hope to see it soon in Colorado.
Lets kick it up a notch. I must say that my favorite spirit is whisky, whiskey, scotch, bourbon, or any blended version of it. I started to take to Jack Daniels, but quickly began to hate the charcoal taste, and went form Crown Royal to Makers Mark for the price, strength, and taste. Recently, I was turned on to another one, enter
Rowans Creek Bourbon. 50.5% ABV, and as smooth as ever.
This is a "small batch" bourbon, which is becoming more and more popular at a decent price. This bourbon is made and bottled by hand, and called small batch because one batch is made, bottled, and shipped. Then the process starts over again. It gives the bourbon the attention that it needs, not being mass produced, but produced well and to the right specifications. If a batch does not meet standards, then it is dumped. Small batch distillers take time to put out a quality product that they can be proud of, and the people at Rowans Creek should be proud. As I mentioned earlier this bourbon is 100 proof at 50.5% ABV, which makes it above average in the strength category. Color is medium to medium dark. Taste is smooth, especially considering its proof, I drank it neat (no ice, room temp) First sip I immediately get honey and vanilla, with a nice after taste of fruit and spices. This was a gift from a friend and I was thankful to try something new, as this is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
I plan on posting more, and hopefully soon, I know I will be adding some comments in on Leanns post about our winter activities thus far, which have made this winter season a great one.
Na Zdrowie
("cheers", in polish)
After a great meal we headed out to see Shrek the Musical! What a fun show that was great for all ages!
