Posted in Wine Reviews, tagged 2012 A. Rafanelli Zinfandel, Beer, California, Dry Creek Valley, Rafanelli, Review, Sonoma County, wine, Zinfandel on February 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of smoke, Kirsch, black berries and soapstone. Flavors of plum, boysenberries and cherries. Medium acidity,medium tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold. I’d lean towards drink now. (93 points)
Posted from CellarTracker
Posted in Food Stuff, tagged BBQ, Beer, food, Georgia, Gerald's, Gerald's Pig & Shrimp, Restaurant, Review, Seafood, Tybee, Tybee Island on October 26, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Gerald’s Pig & Shrimp
1115 US-80
Tybee Island, GA 31328
Phone: (912) 786-4227
Gerald’s Pig & Shrimp
October 7, 2017
Gerald’s Pig & Shrimp is a funky little place located on the outskirts of Tybee Island. All outdoor seating next to a stationary food truck Gerald’s serves up a almost odd combination of Southern BBQ and fresh Atlantic seafood. Wash that all down with an ice cold brew and you have the makings for a relaxing, al fresco lunch just outside of the ordinary.
Be forwarned right up front that service is a bit helter skelter at Gerald’s. When we arrived and every person after us arrived all had a look of being lost upon arrival. Should I just sit down? Is that one lady running around like a chicken with her head cut off the waitress, hostess or both? Once you get over the initial lost feeling eventually that lady gets you seated and takes good care of you from that point forward. Don’t be intimidated. Stay for the food & atmosphere. It is worth it.
I ordered the special of the day, BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends ($9.75). You can order them as a plate or a sandwich. I chose the sandwich wanting a vessel for soaking up the yummy but bad for you fat and hot sauce. The burnt ends were good to really good, reminiscent of what you’d receive at any Kansas City BBQ restaurant worth it’s weight in rub. This dish is recommended.
As already mentioned service is a little helter skelter at times but they do get the job done and kitchen service is fast for a quick bite to eat. Major credit cards are accepted. Casual attire is the dress of the day here; feel free to pop in straight from the beach presuming you bothered to rinse off first. Parking is available in dirt lots, nooks and crannies surrounding the patio and food truck.
Conclusion: Gerald’s Pig & Shrimp is a fun, funky stop for an inexpensive bite of lunch.
Posted in Beer Reviews, tagged Ale, Beer, Belgium, Belgium Style, Dubbel, Lambic, Quad, Review, Saison, Sour, Tripel on April 11, 2017| 1 Comment »
Belgium & Belgium Style Tasting
April 10, 2017
Our Guys Night Out group took a break from tasting wine this month to have a Belgium & Belgium Style Beer Tasting. One of our members recently returned from Belgium with two bottles of Westvleteren XII or “The Best Beer in the World” in tow. Thus the impetus for the tasting. So we gathered together various Belgium beers from our beer caves and threw together a nice little tasting of the World of Belgium Beers. Below are pictures of each beer we sampled, roughly in my order of preference.
I easily found the Trappist Westvleteren XII or “Westy 12” to be my favorite beer of the evening. As one of my buddies said “it’s all about balance”. Balanced, smooth with full flavor. I can see why many consider it the best beer in the world.
After that my second favorite was the Westmalle Trappist Dubbel. Once again a very balanced beer, smooth with solid flavor that is dangerously easy to drink.
Third place for me this evening was the Trappistes Rochefort 10. Sounding like a broken record once again a well balanced, smooth with good flavoring beer that I would not hesitate to order time and again.
Honorable mention to the Orval Trappist Ale (right up there with the top three in my book but I had to pick three) Maredsous 5 Blond, St. Sebastiaan Dark and the Steenbrugge Tripel. All great beers in their own right and any of which I’d love to be aging in my beer cave.
Solid beers all evening, all of which I’d love to try individually again in the near future so I can properly sit and reflect upon what is in the glass. In the meantime enjoy the photos and “Prost” to my beer loving friends.
Posted in Food Stuff, tagged Beer, food, Growlers, Loggers, Oregon, Pizza, Restaurant, Review, Roseburg, Tap House on February 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Loggers Pizza & Growlers
1350 NE Stephens St #10
Roseburg, OR 97470
(541) 672-5234
Loggers Tap House
2060 NW Stewart Pkwy
Roseburg, OR 97471
(541) 671-2206
Loggers Hook Tender Pizza
February 20, 2017
Loggers is a local pizza operation comprised of two locations in tiny, small town Roseburg. The first is Loggers Pizza & Growlers. This smaller of the two locations seems focused more on pizza delivery & take out. There are dine in tables but the atmosphere is stark and dated, similar to a 1970’s Waffle House layout and decor. The other location is Loggers Tap House which is more in style with a sports bar atmosphere. Located across town near the shopping center Loggers Tap House provides more of a sit down and dine in atmosphere.
The pizza and beer theme is basically the same at both locations. There are several gourmet pizza options as well as the tried and true standards available at any pizza restaurant. The crust here is a little unique, made from a sourdough charger. This provides an added level of flavor to the pizza in addition to the toppings of your choosing. The Tap House location provides additional dishes beyond pizza such as burgers, sandwiches, baskets and additional appetizers not available at the Growler location. The Growler location has Growlers that are available for carry out so you can grab a pizza and growler to go.
I’ve eaten at both locations, the Tap House location back in October, the Growler location on this date and have to say the pizza is uniformly good at both locations. The chicken wing appetizer I had at the Tap House location previously was also quite tasty. The beer selection at both locations is quite good with plenty of local micro brew selections on tap and by the bottle.
On this occasion I ordered the Hook Tender 10 inch ($10.50) which is billed as a pepperoni Lovers pizza consisting of three types of pepperoni: Signature, Spicy & Cupping Pepperoni. The pepperoni combination was flavorful with a preferred slight crisp to it from the oven. Crust was firm and flavorful as well made from a sourdough charger. Previously I ordered the Create Your Own made with Pepperoni, Bacon & Jalapeno (PB&J) with similar results. Both pizzas are recommended.
Atmosphere at both locations is very much casual. Jeans or shorts get the job done at both locations. Parking is available at both locations in the lot fronting the locations. Major credit cards are accepted except for American Express.
Conclusion: Loggers is recommended for some of the best, casual pizza in Roseburg. If you dare order Dominoes your pizza ordering privileges should immediately be revoked.
Posted in Beer Reviews, tagged Ale, Beer, Brown Ale, Chocolate Stout, Cigar City, Helles, IPA, Pumpkin Ale, Red Ale, Review, White Ale on September 30, 2013| 2 Comments »
Cigar City Brewing Company
3924 W Spruce Street
Tampa, FL 33607
(813) 348-6363
http://www.cigarcitybrewing.com/
Cigar City Digital Beer Menu
September 7, 2013
If you happen to be a beer afficianado then whenever you’re in the Tampa area a visit to Cigar City Brewing Company is a must. Located in the Carver City-Lincoln Gardens neighborhood of Tampa Cigar City Brewing is quickly accessible from just about anyplace in the Tampa area. In addition to offering tours of the brewing facilities Cigar City Brewing’s Tasting Room offers up an impressive selection of beers to be sampled. During our visit and over the weekend via carry out I was able to sample the following beers:
I found all of their beers to be uniformly good quality with a few such as the Jai Alai and Maduro standing out above the rest.
Cigar City is open from 11AM until 11PM daily staying open until 1AM on Friday and Saturday. Attire is as casual as it gets. Just be sure and put on some clothes before showing up. Parking is free in the parking lot in front of the building. Don’t forget they offer tours on the half hour if your thing is to stare at large stainless steel tanks.
NOTE: Cigar City does not serve food but they will typically have a food truck parked in front of the brewery. Call ahead for details.
Cigar City Brewing Company: good for a couple of hour’s diversion
Posted in Beer Reviews, tagged Beer, Oktoberfest, Review, Schlafly on February 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I recently took a quick cruise through my beer cellar and stumbled across this accidentally forgotten bottle of Oktoberfest beer that a friend have me during a recent visit. Time to pop some caps.
Schlafly Oktoberfest
Schlafly Oktoberfest
Tasted February 3, 2013
Tasted non blind. Served from 12 oz bottle. Bottled September 10, 2012. ABV 5.5%. IBU 25.
Dark amber color with an orange twing, a tiny bit of cloudiness, both probably due to age. Nose of toast, malt and an unusual component I can’t quite identify. Flavors of lemon, malted meal and a bit of something else on the clipped finish. I don’t know if this is the normal profile for this beer or if it is over the hill and fading. Frankly, I think this beer is over the hill already. No rating as a result.
Posted in Beer Reviews, tagged Ale, Beer, Belgian, Review, Tripel on February 5, 2013| 1 Comment »
I have a friend (floydtp) who has been bitten by the home brewing bug. He recently brewed and bottled his first Belgian Triple Ale and he asked me to take it for a test drive and give him my unvarnished opinion. Here are the results.
floydtp Belgian Triple Ale
floydtp Belgiam Tripel Ale
Tasted February 3, 2013
Pours a deep golden to burnt orange color with a full and a pretty good, retentive head. Color is a bit darker than anticipated for a Belgian (should be more golden, less burnt orange) and is a bit cloudier than anticipated but a good visual appearance overall.
Throwing a decent amount of sediment which is contributing to the cloudiness of the ale. Needs to be stood beforehand and poured carefully as a result but it still came through. Maybe fine it a bit next time? For the record I did stand this and left a quarter inch in the bottle to minimize sediment.
Nose of malt, spice, mixed citrus fruits and a splash of ocean spray. Light yet attractive with aromas that are true to form.
Flavors of apricot, orange, lemon zest and malt. Light to medium bitters. Good flavor profile that is light to medium on the palate as anticipated. The only negative is there is a tiny bit of a bitter/earthy finish when I was anticipating instead a medium, pure and clean finish. Definitely not a detriment though.
Body is light to medium on the palate, fairly nimble and refreshing as anticipated. Just the tiny bit of bitterness on the finish is the only negative here.
Alcohol seems to be pretty in check, I’m guessing closer to the 7%-8 mark than the 9-10% mark. Seems within range. Tasted towards the lower end, feels towards the higher end if that makes sense. NOTE: floytp later told me it was about 8.4%.
Overall balance seems good and true to form for a Tripel Ale. Served double blind in a flight of Tripel Ales I’d likely say it was as solid effort that was within the profile and likely a lesser known Old World made Ale. It is a bit more nuanced than most up front, in your face American renditions.
Overall: Good job and a great first effort.
Posted in Beer Reviews, tagged 312, Beer, Goose Island, Review, U, Urban, Wheat on January 16, 2013| 2 Comments »
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale
Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale
January 13, 2013
Tasted non blind. Served from 12 oz bottle. No ABV or IBU on the bottle. Bottled 12/05/2012.
Light gold color in the glass, cloudy looking throughout with a short, slightly retentive head. Nose of wheat bread, lemon wedges and a bit of wet stones. Flavors of apricot core, lemon rind and a little wheat on the finish. Medium bodied with a medium finish. Good to very good. Let’s call this one three and a half stars out of five.
Posted in Beer Reviews, tagged Beer, coffee, Mother's, Review, Stout, Winter Grind on January 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Mothers Winter Grind
Mother’s Brewing Company Winter Grind Coffee Stout
January 12, 2013
Tasted non blind. Opened and served from 12 oz format. 6.0% ABV. 18 IBU.
Black color in the glass, opaque looking with a short, slightly retentive head. Nose of coffee, mocha and roasted malt. Flavors of coffee, bitter dark cooking chocolate and a creamy malt finish. Good weight on the palate, medium finish. Good to very good. Let’s call this one three to three and half stars out of five.
Posted in Beer Reviews, tagged Ale, Beer, Goose Island, Review on January 11, 2013| 2 Comments »
Goose Island Honker’s Ale
Goose Island Honkers Ale
January 10, 2013
Tasted non blind. Served from 12 oz bottle. No ABV on the bottle. Bottled 10/10/2012.
Amber color in the glass, clear looking throughout with a tiny, non-retentive head. Nose of orange peel, hops and and a hint of birch. Flavors of orange rind, light flavors of root beer and light malt balls. Good weight and presence on the palate. Medium finish. Good to very good. Let’s call this one three to perhaps three and half stars.
wineismylife 