What're you drinking right now?

velovampire · Post by **velovampire** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:57 am

Derek wrote:Nobel hops

What did they win the prize for?

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:11 am

velovampire wrote: What did they win the prize for?

Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.

The geekier answer...

They've been used for centuries for their superior aroma & flavour. Technically, their oil content has a high Humulene to Caryophyllene ratio. Spalt doesn't meet that criteria, but it does have a very low myrcene level, which is also a common characteristic.

The Hopsinjoor smells more like an Imperial Pilsner than an IPA... but it makes sense because those are the hops the Belgians typically use. Greatness.

mjohnston · Post by **mjohnston** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:31 am

Beer Geek's Breakfast, and then a Southern Tier Jah-Va, for breakfast

Jah-va wins.

velovampire · Post by **velovampire** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:43 am

Derek wrote:The Hopsinjoor smells more like an Imperial Pilsner than an IPA... but it makes sense because those are the hops the Belgians typically use. Greatness.

That actually sounds amazing. My friend has a few bottles, I need to bug him for one...

Bobsy · Post by **Bobsy** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:55 am

I went to Buffalo - Whiskey barrel aged Ten Fidy (lunchtime pint!), Victory Yakima Twilight, Pearl Street Sabre's Edge IIPA and Chokelette Delite.

The Ten Fidy was my first, and part of the Cole's very rare beer offering. Its a very decent beer - chocolate, coffee, bourbon. Not something I could drink often though. I feel the Yakima Twilight is a good beer, but a tad overated. I've had a couple other black IPAs and its not as good as either of them.

Pearl Street remains mediocre for beer and good for food.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 1:56 pm

Garrison Imperial Pale Ale. Just great. For the fun of it, I also opened a Southern Tier IPA and a DDC Corne de Diable for a side-by-side tasting. The Garrison was the clear winner for me, which I found surprising. Wish I could get more!

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 2:13 pm

I'm drinking a magnum of Baby Duck....at room temperature. I love these "canadian champagnes". The only thing I don't like is that they suck.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:11 pm

Torontoblue wrote:
Belgian wrote:Chateau de Gaudou CAHORS '05 - great but needs few years to relax the tannins & open the complex berry flavors. Like most Cahors this will rock, and is stupid cheap for $15
You want a good Malbec? Feb 14th is the release date for a huge 05 Malbec from Argentina. It's from Luigi Bosca. Pick some up quick as it sells out as soon as it hits the shelves...

I grabbed a few Luigi Bosca Reserva Malbec from Danforth/Greenwood ($18.95) and to me it's just not as preferable a wine as the Cahors. This Argentine red also four extra dollars over the Cahors one (beautiful tapered Bordeaux-style bottle though!!)

re: the Luigi Bosca - big frontal-attack fruit with a fair bit of ripeness and initial flavor density. definitely a crowd-pleaser Malbec for people who like big, soft Cabernets and Australian-style reds. Further into the glass I liked it a bit less. Seemed a bit short & simple in the complexity length and finish & the flavor has a raw gassy-yeasty roughness that seems like rushed mass-winemaking. Maybe aging would help this 2005. I'll give the Bosca Malbec a fair chance to open up with some more air but IMLE this isn't my type of thing.

I still recc the $14.95 Gaudou Cahors if you can still find any now it's been out a week.

Thee's no right or wrong here, just something for everyone's taste...

--

Later note - after giving it plenty of air the '05 Bosca did not lose the gassy raw edge (something I asociate with homebrew wine kits) but then this is probably not a wine style for me to get excited about aging five more years. It's still a quality wine many will like.

JesseM · Post by **JesseM** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:29 pm

Alrighty, well, I'm back from a hell of an intense weekend in Ottawa for our biggest swim meet, and I did in fact get to walk over the provincial border to grab some beer! Didn't get to Marche Jovi, but found the SAQ I was looking for (which had a pathetic beer selection, consisting of 3 products), and a Dep that had an awesome beer selection, in their sectioned off refridgerated beer area.

I was walking the whole trip and had financial/space constraints, but picked up:

750mL Unibroue Quatre-Centieme
and a mixed sixer from Brasseurs RJ

I also hit up the LCBO on Rideau and King Edward, procuring a couple 750's of Beau's Lugtread Lagered Ale (f'ing delicious beer). It was a very impressive store as well, as far as LCBO's go.

Tonight I've got some Chevalle Blanche and RJ Blonde D'Achouffe to enjoy. Thankfully I have no midterms this week and got all my homework done before I left last week so having a beer or two isn't going to get in the way right now

.

Bytowner · Post by **Bytowner** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:25 am

Glad you got across the river Jesse. Yeah the SAQ's relationship with beer is an odd one. That LCBO is very nice, usually has just about everything (the yuppies in the condos stick to the vintages downstairs and the winos stick to Bud).

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:43 am

I discovererd this surprisingly cheap Barbaresco ($23.95)
http://lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/ProductResultsController?ITEM_NAME=674044&ITEM_NUMBER=674044
...and I wasn't expecting much but it sure delivered - you should expect a startlingly racy, tart, dry and clear tannic red that displays mouth-watering tart berry, some mineral and some herbals. This is not a fat rich wine but one that really sings with complexity and defined layers, the tartness and tannins lending a nice intensity.

Plus this Nebbiolo held up for days in the fridge with total integrity. Chalk one up for the 'range' of old-world reds!

esprit · Post by **esprit** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:41 pm

again...winetowel, winetowel...get your own site as even as a consumer I don't care what wine you are buying and drinking...this thread has outlived it's usefulness and should be abandoned. I didn't drink last night...I pulled some pork...if you know what I mean..not that there is anything wrong with that but, IMHO this thread is getting tired and, frankly, I don't care what anyone drank last night unless they drank it with me. Cass/Greg can we stop this one as I hate to see it pop up everyday as having not been read.

matt7215 · Post by **matt7215** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:50 pm

esprit wrote:again...winetowel, winetowel...get your own site as even as a consumer I don't care what wine you are buying and drinking...this thread has outlived it's usefulness and should be abandoned. I didn't drink last night...I pulled some pork...if you know what I mean..not that there is anything wrong with that but, IMHO this thread is getting tired and, frankly, I don't care what anyone drank last night unless they drank it with me. Cass/Greg can we stop this one as I hate to see it pop up everyday as having not been read.

id love to post about all the Orval i drank last night but i cant seem to find any, when it gonna be in stores.....?

velovampire · Post by **velovampire** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:52 pm

esprit wrote:again...winetowel, winetowel...get your own site as even as a consumer I don't care what wine you are buying and drinking...this thread has outlived it's usefulness and should be abandoned. I didn't drink last night...I pulled some pork...if you know what I mean..not that there is anything wrong with that but, IMHO this thread is getting tired and, frankly, I don't care what anyone drank last night unless they drank it with me. Cass/Greg can we stop this one as I hate to see it pop up everyday as having not been read.

Perhaps it would be useful if a wine/spirits appreciation thread was started in the random talk section, which can be perused/ignored as desired. There definitely seems to be enough interest. Belgian? Steel? Torontoblue? Get it started...

dutchcanuck · Post by **dutchcanuck** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:02 pm

I tend to agree with Esprit, however, despite my love for beer I do find these discussions on wine interesting. It'll give me some ammo when I do buy the occasional bottle. So I second velovampire's idea of starting a winetowel or a 'corked' thread. Just my two cents