In this episode, Jeff tastes through three samples of fruit beers from the Traveler Beer Company…
Beer Tasted:
Illusive Traveler Grapefruit Ale, Currious Traveler Lemon Shandy, and Forbidden Traveler Apple Ale
Stay Rad,
Jeff
What’s your favorite fruit beer? Leave a comment, and let us know.
In this episode, Jeff spends a little time talking about this beer with wine tendencies…
Wine… I mean… Beer Tasted:
Sierra Nevada 2015 Idaho 7 Single Hop IPA
Stay Rad,
Jeff
Okay, wine people… What’s your favorite beer right now? Leave a comment, and let us know what you think.
Not so long ago, my wine-blogging buddy, Jeff Eckles, told me that he, along with Jim Myers (his partner at the Beer/Wine Blog “We Like Drinking”) and their friend John Ruyak, was starting up a podcast, and asked me if I would be willing to come along for the ride (in spite of my penchant for long pauses, the words “um” and “you know”, glitchy microphones, and run-on sentences).
I was like, “Sure!”
Well…
A few practice Google Hangouts later, our first episode of The We Like Drinking Podcast is live.
I like drinking too.
Maybe I’m a little biased, but I really enjoyed listening back to our first podcast. There is a lot you can learn from listening to a bunch of beer and wine drinkers goof around and talk about all things drinking.
You can stream the show at WeLikeDrinking.com or download it from iTunes right now, so please subscribe, give it a listen, and tell us what you think.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
I don’t know about you, but when it’s hot out, I don’t want to do much of anything.
In my neck of the woods, we’ve been in the triple digits for the last few days, and are looking at more of the same through most of next week.
Ugh!
It’s unbearable.
The only thing I’m liking about this weather is that the tomatoes that I’ve been growing in the back yard have finally ripened up.
Two Tomatoes. Two Pounds. Too Good.
On a hot day like this, tomatoes are the perfect food.
Cool.
Juicy.
Substantial… But not too filling.
So, here’s what I made for lunch…
Tomato Mozzarella Stack with Basil and a Balsamic Glaze Drizzle
Just add some Full Sail Lager, and hot ass days like these get hella cool.
Hella.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
What do you eat and drink on hot days like these? Leave a comment, and let us know.
While in Las Vegas for a wedding a few days back, we noticed that Gordon Ramsay had just opened up a new restaurant in the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino. Since we were staying there, we were all like, “What the heck? Let’s check it out!”
Gordon Ramsay BurGR
Our view from the table…
To start the meal off right, we ordered up some beer…
And BOY did they have a lot of it!
I got me a Stone Pale Ale
Here’s what we ate…
This Salt and Vinegar Hummus was out of this world…
The Truffle Parmesan Fries were legit…
But this Artisanal Burger with Shaved Prosciutto, Dried Salami, and Reclette Cheese is one of the best burgers I have ever tasted.
Everything about BurGR is fantastic.
The food.
The service.
Even the menu…
I mean… Come on… How cool is this?
Yesterday, we flew from Las Vegas to Reno, Nevada to visit my folks.
After picking us up from the airport, we headed out to dinner at Beaujolais Bistro.
Yes…
This French restaurant does serve Beaujolais, but I was in the mood for something different…
The Saint Cosme 2011 Coetes-du-Rhone is full of bright red fruit, but has a great herbacious, spicy, earthy sensibility. Highly recommended.
Here’s what we ate…
Olives. I love olives.
Mixed Lettuces with Blue Cheese, Walnuts, and a Creamy Lemon Dressing
The Muscovy Drake Duck Breast in Blood Orange Sauce was ridiculously juicy and flavorful. The richness of the duck was evened out by the tangy blood orange. The wine made this dish sing.
Oh man…
It’s not that often that one can tout having had two of the best meals of their life in the same week…
I can.
Stay Rad,
Jeff
In this episode, Jeff takes a break from wine to try some beers from the Kirkland variety pack.
Inspiration abounds when ground beef and Tecate Light are in the mix.
KaraIsRad, my wife, was to be back from the gym in about 15 minutes. The clock inside my brain told me it was time to start prepping.
80/20 ground beef? Check!
Veggie Patties (For her, dude!)? Check!
Grill on? Fa’ sho!
Tecate Light? No doubt!
Let it be said that I do love hoppy craft beers. Love ’em! Make them so hoppy it tastes like I just bit a rose bud off of a 5 year old bush. Flowers for days. Love me some micro-brew!
But…
When a grill is involved, you have to bring out the canned lager. The macro-brew, if you will. Something cold with a tinny (aluminum) kick.
I’m a Coors Lite fan. Not that I think it is any better than Bud or Pabst or Modelo. It’s not even different. I like the Coors Lite because of the can. There’s only one can that can tell you it’s cold using blue mountains. One! That’s the Silver Bullet, baby.
I had some Tecate Light on hand, because I’ve been on a taco kick lately. Again… there is no (okay… a little) difference in taste here. If you’re making tacos on the grill, however, your canned lager MUST be Mexican. I don’t make the rules, holmes. I just stick to ’em.
Now…
I was deep in it. Getting my mise en place for the ultimate Blue Cheese Burger w/ Garlic Dijon Aioli, when I thought to myself,
“You know what would go great with this burger? WINE!”
I dropped my Tecate Light like it was cold, and grabbed me this sucker…
The L'Authentique la Caumette NV and my dope ass Nokia (Phone Book) leaning against a turtle lamp.
When I picked up this $4.99 bottle of L’Authentique la Caumette NV Red Table Wine at Trader Joe’s, I swear the elderly stock clerk gave me the same look that Bastian got from that dude at the book store in Never Ending Story. His eyes said to me, “You can’t handle this!” I started to shake just before he ripped the bottle out of my hands…
I was shocked to hear him speak in such a calming tone “Nice. This is an EXCELLENT bottle of wine,” he told me in a gentle French accent. “This wine has good fruit, nice acidity, and for the price… it cannot be beat.”
This Non-Vintage French table wine does not list the grape varietals being used, but the word on the street is that it’s a blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre and carignan. The back label, showing a map of France with a little dot near the Southern Rhone, leads me to believe that the aforementioned blend is entirely possible.
I poured two glasses. One for me and one for KaraIsRad. Then, it was back to the barbecue…
Pre-Heat to Hell Fire... ALWAYS!
80/20 ground beef w/ egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and dill. Shape like a deformed heart, and lay it down!
Always oil up the grates to get sear marks. Only flip it once. Man Code!
Time to eat… I mean… taste the wine.
Blue Cheese Burger w/ Garlic Dijon Aioli, Arugula Salad w/ Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta (by KaraIsRad), and L'Authentique in a big glass. Not L'Fake!
Color: This wine is as red as red can get without being black. I’m talking BLACK! It’s what I would envision the back alley of Fangtasia from True Blood to look like.
Nose: My fist thought is of orange zest. Very ripe, but acidic in nature. There is a chalky feel to this nose. I love chalk. Throughout it all, there is a red raspberry fruit that balances everything out.
Hey…
The Bachelorette is on!
Told you!
Look… I’m not a huge fan of the show, but it is a great conversation starter:
“Who names their kid Constantine? Or West? Or Ames?”
“What’s up with that guy’s face?”
“Why does she wear so many belly shirts?”
“How come that dude is always squinting?”
“Is that dude missing his lower set of teeth?”
“That dude runs like a girl. What’s his problem?”
Oh yeah…
Back to the wine!
Taste: On the initial attack, there are these extremely dry, mouth-filling tannins. They are lasting 30+ seconds, easily. Dee-lish!
There is that same orange zest component that I smelled earlier, but it is rounded out with hints of lemon and lime. There is this not-so-ripe strawberry flavor that is really nice. Great acidity!
I just took my first bite of the burger…
"These burgers are crazy!" - The Moldy Peaches
It is F-ing Amazing!
The beefiness of the burger, paired with the lactic notes of the blue cheese and tanginess of the aioli bring out some chocolaty tones from the wine. It gives my entire mouth a rich milky feel.
KaraIsRad made a fresh arugula salad with sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and a red wine vinaigrette. This highlights the flavors of orange blossoms and chalk.
You have to respect this wine for what it is. A red table wine. What do we put on our tables?
Food.
By itself, the wine is a solid 88. With food? Give it a 90. This is the perfect wine for a weeknight meal with the wife. And a steal at 5 bucks.
Pair it with Pizza, Pasta, Burgers, the Bachelorette, and possibly the Bad Girls Club. This wine is THAT versatile!
Have you ever seen a wine bottle this full?
Stay Rad 