Gin-Soaked Blog

**Beer Camp** The Witbier

In my early days of beer-drinking, I had only tasted lagers (Yuengling, Red Stripe) with an occasional IPA (Sierra Nevada) thrown in. Drinking beer was a soulless and tasteless endeavor and left me feeling full, drunk and not that satisfied. Because I was not yet indoctrinated into the magic of hops, I found IPAs to be bitter and unpleasant and lagers to be bland and gassy. Then I met the witbier and thus began my love affair with the malt, the yeast and the holy hops.

Exemplified by the ubiquitous Hoegaarden, this style of ale is very pale and cloudy. It is straw in color and often has a thick head with gads of heavenly lace. Because it is light and usually very refreshing, witbier (White Ale) was once found only in the spring and summer months. But brewery marketing teams caught on to its popularity with novice beer drinkers and ladies. Now it is common to find this style of ale during all seasons. Some American craft brewers have taken to brewing what they call ‘winter whites,” which I find basically indiscernible from regular whites, except they usually have snowy scenes on the beer labels. In order to amp it up a little bit and make this style attractive to the veterans, brewing companies have also taken to creating juiced up “Double Whites,” which pack more alcoholic punch than your average witbier.

Often beer snobs eschew what they call ‘yellow beer.’ What they are usually referring to is American macrobrew swill like Coors Light or Miller Light. These beers tend to be fairly low in both alcohol and flavor. They are lager styles, which are bottom-fermented at much cooler temperatures, and are often brewed at quick speeds with sugar to speed up the process. Not so of Witbier, which while it is definitely yellow in color, is a type of top-fermenting ale which, brewed at higher temperatures, often has layers of complexity and flavor. The typical witbier has a distinct citrus nose with a ‘wheaty’ body and spices like nutmeg, coriander and orange peel (sometimes they can be pimped out with florals and exotic spices).

10 Wits worth Trying

St. Bernadus Witbier, Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV, Belgium
Allagash White, Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, ME
Midnight Wit, Legacy Brewing Company, PA
Hoegaarden Grand Cru, Brouwerij van Hoegaarden, Belgium
Whirlwind Witbier, Victory Brewing Company, PA
Ommegang Whitte, Brewery Ommegang, NY
Red & White, Dogfish Head Brewery, DE
Little White Lie, Russian River Brewing Company, CA
Blanche de Brooklyn, Brooklyn Brewery, NY
Blanche de Chambly, Unibroue, Canada

To Wit or not to Wit

Southhampton Double White, Publick House, Southhampton, NY

As Americans we feel compelled to build everything bigger—cars, skyscrapers, burgers and, yes, beers. Remember that this is land that shoves so many hops in its beer an avid IPA drinker may get stopped by the five-oh for transporting dope (the two plants are closely related and smell alike). Welcome the Double Wit style. American craft-brewers are no longer happy with wimpy ABVs, even in beer that is not notoriously strong.

Weighing in at a modestly hefty 7.2, the Southhampton Double White Ale hides its alcohol content like a teenager sneaking home after a kegger. Lemony fresh on the nose, the palate resonates sunshine—mainly light citrus fruit with just a smidge of almond. Unlike some other American Whites I have had recently, the Southhampton Double does not feel in the mouth like a bowl of frosted mini-wheats. It’s less globby than some, but still has a nice powdered-sugary sweetness.

The finish is the kind of smooth and refreshing that hits the spot on a warm spring day. It gives me an idea for the slogan—Double Wheat is Double Sweet.

Cute Animals on Wine Labels

Papillon Pinot Noir (2004) Cherry Hill Winery, Oregon

Normally I go for reds with big, fat fruit like Zinfandels and Shiraz or a whole lot of structure like Cabs and Malbecs, but I must say I am a sucker for wine labels with cute animals. Give me a penguin or a puppy on the label and my decision is made. So it was that I bought the Papillon Pinot Noir from the 'last chance' discount rack even though the Pinot is not my favorite varietal. The funny looking little pooch did it for me.

The reason for my anti-Pinot sentiment is that I have often had inferior Pinot Noir. I have come to realize this and to try not to be varietally bigoted based on cheap bottles, particularly of a grape that is difficult to reign in. The whole Sideways frenzy also put me off the grape for awhile because the hype significantly hiked the cost of a bottle.

The Papillon was nicely paired with a grass-fed sirloin and Rochefort cheese mashed potatoes. Normally I would have gone with Alexander Valley Sin Zin for this meal, but I was not disappointed at all with the flavor marriage. A lot of red currents and cherries on the nose with just the faintest a trace whiff of star anise. On the palate, I was pleasantly surprised by the tannic structure, which is not something I have come to expect from Pinot Noir, but which really stood up to the flavorful foodsteaky goodness.

The linger was a slight licorice-vanilla.

Whiskey for Everyone

Jameson 18 Years Old Master Selection, Jameson Distillery, Ireland

The Philadelphia Whiskey festival, held annually in the Crystal tea-room is a funny little fest. Particularly if you don't talk overly-loud, slap your cronies on the back and have never voted for Bush. Not to mention, if you're not a dude.

I went with my bartender-buddies because we got free promotional tix (with its normal $100 price tag, who can say no?) Whiskey festivals can easily lead to debauchery, debasement and your out-of-character karaoke performances, but that's a story for another day. We were treated like rock stars by the vendors because we know how to act in public. And often they would keep the whiskey flowing long past the normal cutoff point. My favorite vendor was the adorable, Irish-brouged Jameson rep who let me keep refilling my snifter with nectary-goodness, particularly once I stumbled across the Jameson 18.

After the first half-ounce hit my tongue, I thought I'd found a corner of heaven just for me. (I'm not sure they allow whiskey in heaven -- well, not Protestant heaven, at least, but who knows what those crazy Catholics get up to up there). One thing is certain, Jameson 18 is really something spectacular. The nose is clean, with a hint of violet and wood. On the palate, it's like a sexy party in the mouth. Oh, and this romp takes place on an oaky, hard-wood floor, surrounded by luscious tropical flowers and everybody's rubbing sweet, musky bath oil on each other.

Well worth the price tag, which at $80 a 750ml is comparable to a high end single malt.

Love that Cactus

Casa Noble Single Barrel Anejo, Tequila, Guadalajara Mexico

Casa Noble Single Barrel Anejo, Tequila, Guadalajara Mexico My love affair with tequila is fairly recent. Like many others, I suffered the delusion that somehow agave turns me into a shrieking mental patient, tearing my clothes off and running into traffic. Fortunately (or unfortunately for people who like watching that sort of thing) this is not the case. It has a mildly stimulating effect that is much more natural and pleasant than downing a bottle of Sparks.

My introduction to the wily ways of the cactus came courtesy of Casa Noble Anejo. The uninitiated tequila drinker whose only experience with the liquor comes in the form of a shot of Cuervo chased with salted lime will be knocked off his barstool by this barrel aged beauty. Having spent a good five years of its life hanging out in White French Oak, it has a nature every bit as complex as a wine or scotch. On the palate, I noticed shards of chocolate and nutty caramel. It's not overly sweet, though, and is balanced skillfully by the sultry wood.

The finish cavorts like a tripped-out coyote, through a bonfire of agave and vanilla-tinged oak.

Lush Etiquette

For those of us who are connoisseurs of all things boozy the idea of acting like a rank amateur while drunk is repellant. Nobody wants to be that douchebag who makes a sloppy, unwanted move on someone clearly out of our league. I don’t think anybody really wakes up in the morning thinking, “Gee, wouldn’t it be great to pass out in a pool of my own vomit in a public bathroom tonight.” And it’s generally not a life-affirming decision to start a fight with some line-backer sized dude that one has no hope of winning.

Most importantly, my life’s rule has always been that I don’t want to ever do any inebriating substance to a degree that I am forced to go sober. I hope to never set foot in a meeting, a jail cell or fundamentalist church. I don’t want to look at myself in the mirror and see a haggard, dried up version of my formerly vivacious self. For that reason, it is important to drink well.

Drinking well is all about harnessing the Force, young Jedi.

Rule One: Don’t Drive Drunk. Duh. Any more than two drinks over a two hour period and you should call a cab or stay put.

Rule Two: Tip Your Bartender. Well. You will get better drinks, and more importantly you will not be referred to with derision upon your departure. It is not enough that you are a regular, if you tip below twenty percent you are a douche. Remember that happy-hour drinks while cheaper require just as much work as do non-happy hour drinks. Ditto with freebies.

Rule Three: Savor the Flavor. A certain bartender I know will put a straw in my beer if I take too long to drink it. I don’t care. As you know from reading this blog, I tend to drink things like Belgian Quadrupels, California Zins with devilish names and small-batch Irish whiskey. Not only are these things expensive but they are delicious and pack a hefty alcoholic punch. Sip, swish around the palate and savor. It will take longer to drink and thereby save you money and keep you from blacking out.

Rule Four: Shot Management. We social drinkers tend to have friends who like doing shots—whiskey, tequila, Tuaca, Grand Marnier…usually single alcohol shots and not those girly frou-frou ‘woo-woos’ or ‘red headed sluts.’ I’m not in the habit of dictating the ‘limits’ for everybody…it’s like the Supreme Court says about pornography, you’ll know it when you see it. Don’t let those drunk fools you call your friends macho you into another shot. They will just laugh at you when you fall off your barstool.

Rule Five: Take a Booze-free Vacation. Do your mind, your life and your liver a favor--take a break from drinking every once in a while. My bar-owning, Irish drinking guru takes a break every April in which nary a drop touches his lips. I think he’s pretty smart. Take up a martial art, read a book or go to the movies. Remember that there is a whole world out there in which there are no crappy jukebox songs, no untoward dudes creeping ever closer to you, no squishy hangover mornings and a whole lot more money in your wallet.