In Whiskey, there is truth. In Beer, there is strength. In Water, there is bacteria. Just saying....

Groovin' in the Grove at Sprung!

2013-03-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

Sprung! The spring time beer Festival in Coconut Grove in Miami ended up being one of the better spring festivals that I have been to. Right on the water in Biscayne Bay, it was a great place for beer Festival. The weather was great, the temperature was just right, and the beer was flowing like a waterfall. There were beer pong games, cornhole games, and you can even ride a bull if you so desired. There were all of the usual breweries, and a few local ones that are just starting out.

I found this car sitting in he middle of the beer fest but you could not get a beer from it. Kind of a waste at a beer fest but you know InBev, anything for advertising. Then there were the people. Folks were just glad to be here in Miami and not up north somewhere freezing our asses off!

There were two Czech beers that caught my eye and some of the best Lagers that I have had in a long time. The first is Staropramen Beer. This beer has a great rich Lager flavor with just enough hops to balance it out. I can see myself having a few of these to wet my whistle.

The next is Czechvar Beer. This Lager is a bit bolder on the palate but with a creamy rich mouthfeel. This will pair well with meats and fowl dishes. You can take a look at both breweries by clicking on the names and it will take you to their websites.

Magic Hat came out with another addition to the Humdinger series called Burnpile. A smoked porter with bacon flavor and something else that I could not quite put my finger on. A great porter with awesome flavors that will age well if you let it. Me, I always get two, one to drink and one to age.

Then there was the Green Flash Brewery, Palate Wrecker. A super hoppy beer that will leave a hop taste in your mouth for a long time. Right up there with the top Hoppy beers that I have had. This is more like an Imperial IPA but with hops that will....... well, wreck your palate.

Of course, there were the participants of the event. It seemed like more women are attending these event than ever before. The guys were pouring and the women were drinking. What a concept. I'm looking forward to next years event to see if it is all women. There is one more Beer Festival this spring and that is the NewTimes Beer Fest in Ft. Lauderdale. Let's see if I make it through that one......

Where there is beer, there should be.......a bathroom.

2013-03-06T16:25:00.000-05:00

Last month at the Jupiter craft beer Festival, it was a great time had by all. A very good friend of mine Al Moyer accompanied me to the festival. This was the seventh year of this festival and was held at Roger Dean Stadium in Abacoa. There are over 50 craft brewers from all over the country and of course I have my favorites.

One of my favorite breweries, Green Man Brewery was there representing from Asheville, NC with another close favorite Highland Brewery. Asheville in the next few years will be a place you will want to visit if you are a craft beer geek.

Highland's Devil's Britches IPA was nice and hoppy with grass and floral flavors. The hops complemented the beer and did not over run it like some others that I have had.

I also had the pleasure of having some Stone Vertical Epic 11-11-11. I do believe that was the last of it but don't quote me on it. One of the finer robust stouts out there in my opinion.

Then there were these Guys from Cisco Brewery out of Nantucket serving beer out of a VW micro bus. Totally cool if you ask me. They had taps right out of the side and was using the pitcher to pour the brew. Rather tasty I might add so if you can get it, get yourself a growler or two before its gone.

Each year this festival just keeps getting better and better. In March, I will be heading down to Miami and Coconut Grove for the Sprung! Beer Festival. More pics and epic beers with friends......again. Hope to see you there!

What will happen with Parkerization?

2012-12-25T08:16:00.000-05:00

Robert Parker has decided to step down after three decades of service at Wine Advocate magazine. who will be the person to take his place, after all these years of service to the wine industry. I for one, look forward to seeing who will be the one that steps up, and becomes the leader in rating the world's finest wines. Parkerization is a term used of the influence that Robert Parker has had over Bordeaux wines. Robert Parker helped create 100 point rating scale that is used today to rate winds around the world. This scale, although slightly flawed, is used by all wine critics around the world. Major wine producers around the world, paying close attention to this rating scale, and try and craft their wines to reach the highest number they possibly can.

I don't want this to be about Robert Parker, I want this to be about who will be the next wine critic that stands out and helps influence the wine world. There are many wine critics out there today. Some are more influential than others. The jockeying to see who will be the front runner has begun. I for one, I'm going to sit back and watch how the game is played out. I will use the 100 point rating scale, for all the ones I taste from now on.

A Hiatus for gathering information... and that's my story.

2012-10-07T15:04:00.002-04:00

So, I know, it's been a while. But I needed to take a break and stockpile more information so I can continue on this journey of discovery. This time I will put snippets of video in with the blog (got a new go pro hero) to give it a more realistic point of view. Sort of like catching the drunk at a party doing something stupid and putting it on youtube. You know what I mean.

Retirement sucks
First thing I want to say about this is that I am way to young to retire. I need to be busy all day and there is so much golf you can play and so much beer you can brew to stay busy. So, I went back to work for a major liquor store chain and feel like I'm in my element. Plus, I know when all of the good shit is coming out and can be the first one to get it. My next batch of beer will be a Barleywine and I'll video the process to give you an idea on how the process works. So on to some pictures.

1st ANNUAL WEST PALM BEACH BEER FESTIVAL!

This is probably one of the best beer festivals I have been to in a long time. I am really looking forward to next year to see how they are going to top this pat one.Here's a few photos from the festival.

And this is how you serve beer to a crowd!

Due South Brewery

Tents, Tents and more tents full of beer and stuff!

In the VIP tent with Air Conditioning!

Here is a few of the Dogfish head beers that I tried along the way also.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Dogfish Head Burton Barton

This was a great time and an enormous amount of beers were served. Many of the local brewers were there and had a chance to strut their beers for the crowd. I encourage you to visit your local craft brewers to support them and get some of the best and the freshest beer around! Cheers and go have a beer!

So It's been a While....

2012-10-05T14:57:00.003-04:00

Well I know its been a while but there has been lots of things that has been going on. Back to work and brewing lots of beer. I have a crap load of reviews of Octoberfest and Pumpkin beers to review and look forward to the winter beers. And for my wine friends, I have been tasting the wines of the Rhone Valley and will post my favorites for you. For the Whiskey folks, there are a few new whiskies on the market and some old friends that will be revisited over the holidays so back to blogging and get some good stuff out there!

LIFE IS AWESOME!

Summer is Here!!!

2012-06-16T09:24:00.002-04:00

I think it's time to review the summer beer out there so you know what your choices are for the hot, sweaty, brutal summer. You need a beer thats not heavy, not filling and that will quench your thirst. So let's get started!

SHINER RUBY REDBIRD

This is a wonderful beer with ginger and ruby red grapefruit. It has a clean and crisp flavor that leaves you wanting more. Brewed by Shiner out of Texas, this is a great seasonal beer. When you are by the pool or at the beach, don't forget the Ruby Redbird in your cooler!

VICTORY SUMMER OF LOVE

This is a light crisp ale with a nice hoppy flavor to satisfy your thirst on a warm summer day. Great for picnics, Bar B Ques, and of course beach days! The hops are light and floral and just the right amount of bitterness to balance this ale.

BLUE POINT SUMMER ALE

Another fine brew from Blue Point which is a great ale that has a smooth flavor. They have added a bit of wheat to the mixture to give it that smooth flavor and I can tell you that it is a bit different that other summer ales. A six-pack or two on a summer day should do the trick!

SAMUEL ADAMS SUMMER ALE

This is a wheat ale with a hint of citrus and a light floral hop finish. I usually keep a six pack of this in the fridge just to break up the monotony of drinking the same beer. I like it because of the different flavor and I think it's because of the grains of paradise that they use. Keep this beer on hand for the guest thats not sure what they want to drink. Give them a Sam Adams!

LEFT HAND GOOD JUJU

Known for one of the finest milk stouts around, Left Hand now gives you one of the finest summer beers around. Good Juju is a fine malty pale ale with ginger added to smooth out and balance the hops. Grass and floral on the nose you can't help but taste the ginger in this beer. I put this on my summer list because it has that clean crisp flavor with that little something extra. I raise my left hand to the brewers on this one well basically because I'm left handed. The ladies will love this beer because of the ginger and the guys will love it because of the pale ale hops.

Well I have two or three more to review to round out my summer beer list. these are my "gotta have" beers for the summer. So it's back to the pool for me with beers in hand and I'll give you my tale on the next batch!

I CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND?!?!?!

2012-06-03T19:15:00.003-04:00

The dilemma that some of have is..... what do I want to drink? Wine, beer, whiskey, rum, vodka, bourbon? I know, it's a cross I must bear but sometimes it becomes a problem. It takes me longer to figure out what I want to drink than it does to know what I want to eat. After a couple of business trips in the past 6 weeks (in Las Vegas of course), I know I like food cooked at home but my taste for the right drink for the right food has become more refined. Refined means that I'm getting picky about what I want. So let's start with a few choices that I paired up with my food lately.

SILVER OAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006
Alexander Valley

I drank most of it myself...

I only paid 40 dollars for this bottle and let me tell you that it was worth a lot more than that. This wine has a bold elegant body with a velvety feel on the tongue with a nice tannin finish but not too much. The steak that I paired this with was a nice New York strip with broccoli and a salad (sorry no potato) and I left room for a chocolate dessert which, as all of the women that I know will tell you, Is the only thing you need with a big bold Cab. I would even pair this wine with lamb, beef bourguignon or a bold pasta dish with meat. Silver Oak is a fine winery that creates some of the finest American wine around. Have a bottle and you will not go wrong!

OMMEGANG HENNEPIN

This beer is bold enough to pair perfectly with this dish. This is from Sage in the Aria hotel in Las Vegas. It's Shelton's Farm organic chicken with farmhouse sausage, braised lentils and alfalfa hay smoke. Sounds like a lot but it's a very rich dish. They paired it with a Anchor Steam Breckle's brown ale. I thought it needed something a little more. I think that the Hennepin would work better with this dish. The sausage and braised lentils in the smoke reduction was rich in flavor and the beer would complement that. This would be the perfect dinner for me!

So for those of you that can't make up your mind on what you want with your meal, just remember that you can your cake and eat it too by having either a wonderful wine or an awesome beer that will complement your meal. I love both and cannot tell you which one to choose because I love the variety that this life gives! Cheers!

Hey Frenchie, got any wine?

2012-05-09T19:41:00.001-04:00

I now have a need to go back a visit some of my favorite french wines. If you are one of those folks that hate the French and will not drink their wines, I thank you. It leaves more for me. 2009 was a banner year for Bordeaux wines and it has rubbed of on the Rhone valley also. These are wonderful, complex, elegant wines that sometimes leave you speechless. But what you do not know is that some of these wines are at a very reasonable price. What is reasonable you say? Anywhere between 10 and 30 dollars will get you a fine wine. I have herd people tell me that I'm full of crap and a few other choice words but when I show them the bottles and they taste the wine, their hooked. So without further ado, I will give you my choices of French wines that will complement you cellar.

WHITES

CHATEAU GUIBON ENTRE-DEUX-MERS 2010

It goes great with chicken or fish!

This is a wonderful blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. The Entre Deux Mers region is located between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers in the southeastern area of France in Bordeaux Region. This is a dry white wine with a citrus, peach and mineral flavor that leaves you with a crisp clean taste and a slight grapefruit finish. I love this wine and I always have a bottle in my wine cooler ready to go when the mood strikes me.

LES MARTINIERES SPECIAL FRUITS DE MER 2010

This is a Muscadet wine from Loir et Cher the Loire Valley. A grapefruit flavor with a clean mineral taste (those little bubbles on the back of your tongue) and light body. A great summer wine between 7 and 12 dollars it's very affordable to keep a half a case on hand. Another great wine that goes with mussels, clams and oysters and will be a great compliment with a light bodied fish. I can't wait to visit France and have this wonderful wine at the wineries.

REDS

CHATEAU LOUISTEAUNEUF 2009

Chateau Louisteauneuf is from Mendoc of Bordeaux Region and has a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. A very elegant wine with a meld of complex flavors that work together. The tannins are not overbearing but gives it a wonderful finish. This wine will go with beef, lamb and a nice red pasta sauce. Don't be afraid of the prices of Bordeaux wines. Many of these prices are very reasonable under 30 dollars a bottle which is great for Bordeaux wines. You will just have to do a little shopping to find the one you want.

CHATEAU LANESSAN DELBOS BOUTEILLER 2000

Chateau Lanessan is in the Haut-Mendoc area of the Bordeaux Region. The wine is made up of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 percent Merlot, 4 percent Petit Verdot and 1 percent Cabernet Franc. This reticular wine is an awesome wine for right around 30 dollars. Not 50, not 100, and not 1000 dollars, 30 dollars. If you are having a special night, trying to impress someone and not wanting to break the bank or just wanting to have a great wine this is the one you want to buy. The elegant plum and black cherry flavor and a balanced tannin will make you sit back and go aaaaahhhhhhhh. A full bodied wine for those cab junkies this will give you that extra layer of velvet elegance to make you want more. Shop around a little for this wine and you might find it on sale for a great price.

To sum up, do not be afraid of French wines they might surprise you. And if you are a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon fan, give some of these wines a try and you might be surprised! Enjoy and let me know what you think.

It's a local thing....

2012-05-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

I love going to my local breweries. There is nothing better than having a fresh and crafted beer and a little conversation with the brewer. Not to mention the wonderful men and women that serve me the beer. (mostly the women)

TEQUESTA BREWING COMPANY

The first place that I love to go to is the Tequesta Brewing Company. It's located in Tequesta, FL which is right next to Jupiter, FL. I love the Gnarly Barley it's a great pale ale with the right

Awesome looking taps.

amount of hops to balance the flavor. They have several beers on tap and a couple of seasonals. They have a small cafe attached to the bar and a full restaurant with the brewery. The Corner Cafe has some great food and they pair the food with the beer. The Tequesta Brewing Company beer list has everything the beer nerd needs to quench their thirst. Just follow the link and you will not go wrong.

Haydee.

BB Kings Blues Brew

BB KINGS BLUES CLUB

If you have never been to BB kings then you don't know what you are missing. Most folks think that it's a great place for drinks and down home blues, but there is more to this club. BB Kings blues brew is a great pale ale that has a great flavor with a clean finish. Light on the hops but enough to balance the flavor to give you a nice flavor. Check out the bartender, Haydee when you get there (she is as nice as she is pretty) and tell her that Toby sent you..

GUANABANAS
This is one of my favorite places to go. It's right on the intercostal in Jupiter and has that funky island local hang out feel to it. Speaking of funky island local, St. John Brewers has a great ale called tropical mango. It's a light pale ale with a balance of malt and hops with a great mango flavor. A one of a kind ale that is a must very if you can get your hands on one. If you can't find one, just come on over to Guanabanas and get the tropical atmosphere with all of the mango ale you can drink. It's not a bad way to spend your Saturday afternoon.

St. John Brewers Tropical Mango Ale.

To sum up Support you local brewers and have a pint...or two... or three or whatever you feel like. Craft beer is here to stay and I for one am happy as all get out!

All bottled up and no place to go for two weeks!

2012-04-16T14:53:00.001-04:00

Sanitizing the bottles and filling
them with the elixir of life.

It's bottling time and I was more than ready to get this beer into bottles and then wait..........again. Sanitizing is the most important thing in brewing beer. If it ain't clean, it ain't good beer. I sanitized 48 bottles and had to sanitize two more at the end of the bottle filling because, there was more beer! As I was filling the bottles, I was capping them also. I did pretty good, only screwed up two of them. The extra two bottled were the ceramic flip top lids (you know the green bottle ones) so it was pretty hard to mess those up.

Sanitized caps on the bottles and ready for the capper.

Once all of the bottles were capped. I stored them away and cleaned all of my equipment. Cleaning the fermenter was a pain in the ass but it is one of the chores of brewing beer. So after everything was cleaned and put away, I had a beer to celebrate! My first batch in the bottle and on the path to conditioning and ready for drinking. Waiting two weeks to let the bottles condition allows the beer to settle and mature for the right taste. When moving the finished beer from the fermenter to the bottling container, a sugar water mixture was added to pressurize and add CO2 to the beer for the bubbles.

Capping the bottles.

I have a smashing pumpkin ale that will be my next batch and that I will let sit in bottles until October. Nothing like having a great pumpkin ale for the fall.

Hey Dude, I'm Making Beer!

2012-04-02T20:33:00.001-04:00

So I have ventured in to the world of home brewing. I figure if I can make it for .50 to .75 cents a bottle instead of going out and spending around 5 or 6 bucks for a bottle, I'll have enough money to buy a bar in about 30 or 40 years..... that's if everything works out of course.

So for those of you that don't know the process of making beer, I'll give you lesson in home brewing.

STEP ONE.

Get yourself a home brewers kit. There are several places on the internet to purchase such kit from several places. I will not recommend any at this point but the kits are basic and cost anywhere between 30 bucks to a couple of hundred dollars. Depending on what you want to brew, you may need a secondary brewing kit which includes a carboy (it looks like a 5 gallon water bottle that you get at the grocery store.). With your kit you need to order you beer recipe kit. These kits range from porters to ales to Belgian abbeys to lagers to wheat beers. It's just a preference on what you want to start with. I started with a red irish ale which I think is the best everyday drinking beer.....just me.

STEP TWO.
BREWING PROCESS.

Your kit will complete with malts, yeast, malt extract, hops and other ingredients that it takes to make the beer for the kit you ordered. I ordered the 5 gallon kit so you need a bigger pot to make the beer with. Preferably a 6 gallon pot to start the boil with. I added 2 1/2 gallons of water to the pot and started to soak my malts for 20 minutes. This is what gives the beer its color and flavor. My kit called to soak the malts for 20 minutes or to 170 degrees. I let it soak for a bit longer to give it a bit more flavor. After the soak time for the malts, I brought the water to a boil and was ready to add the malt extract. The extract is very thick and comes in a half gallon bottle. (for other kits it may be different) Once it was at a boil, I took the pot off the fire and added the extract stirring as I added it. Once the extract was added, I put the pot back on the burner to bring it to a boil. Depending on the recipe, you may add hops at this time. This is a low boil and will happen for about 60 minutes. during this time depending on the recipe, you may add different ingredients to the recipe according to what is needed.

I had to switch from inside to outside because I could not get a boil going so I switched to my gas grill with a side burner to finally get the boil going. IN THE MEAN TIME........
I decided to have an Old Pecilier to pass the time. It would be a good thing to set timers to add your ingredients at specific times. If you are like me, a person who drinks beer, you will need timers to let you know when you need to add ingredients. For us who have CRS syndrome (can't remember shit) a timer is the way to go.

STEP TWO.
SANITIZE.

It is a necessity to sanitize you equipment. It keeps the outside bacteria and wild yeast from fermenting your beer by mistake. It sucks when the beer taste like Natty light. So you must sanitize everything that comes into contact with the beer for at least 2 minutes in the sanitizer. DO NOT rinse the equipment out. Use it fresh from the sanitizer and go to the next step. SANITIZE EVERYTHING! NO QUESTIONS!

STEP THREE.
WORT.
The boil mix when you are finished is called wort or unfermented beer. This is a very critical stage in the life of beer because it is very vulnerable to outside influences. This is a very sterile mix and is ready for fermentation. You must cool the wort to between 100 and 76 degrees to add the brewers yeast to start the fermentation. I cooled mine with the lid on to about 78 degrees and added my yeast at that time. When the wort is cooled, it must be transferred to the fermentation container and water added to reach 5 gallons. REFERENCE: the cleaner the water, the better the beer. If your tap water taste like shit, so will your beer. Use filtered or spring water for your beer. It makes better beer.

STEP FOUR.
FERMENTATION.

When you fill the fermentation container with the wort and water to make 5 gallons, you roll the container to mix the water and wort. Allow to settle and add the yeast. I had a dry yeast and during my water and wort process I kept my container covered. I added the yeast, filled the air lock with sanitizer and sealed the fermentation container. DEEP BREATH. The major process is finished. Now it is time to let the yeast do all of the work and FERMENT THE DAMN BEER! Sorry, in a bit of a hurry. I'll get in line and let the mix do it's job. IDEA! I'll go and drink different kinds of beer, and get ideas on how to make better beer! Well, it was a good idea to begin with but going to World of Beer on a Friday night with a band was great for the moment, but I never remember what I did the next day. CRS Syndrome.

So I am now a week into my fermentation process and I used the beer thief ( check you kit for this item)
to check my hydrometer reading and taste the beer. Understand that the beer is flat and is incomplete in the process but I think that my beer has potential. Another week or so in fermentation and I'll be ready to bottle. So much for this step and I hope I have given you the idea that anybody can make their own beer.As one of the instructions told me, it's like making mac and cheese!. OKAY! I'll give you the bottling part next time!

For St. Paddy's Day I drank (fill in blank)

2012-03-22T17:13:00.000-04:00

MOST OF THE WAY THROUGH OUR PARTY

This is the result of our party half way through the night. We actually ended early because we were tired (yeah right). Cold libations were pouring for hours and a good time was had by all. The question that I'm asking is what did you drink? Beer? Wine? Whiskey? Vodka? what was your flavor of the day/evening and feel free to let me know if you mixed. I just hope someone else was driving. I had a designated driver and you should make that your rule rather than a guideline. The laws are getting stricter around the country and around the world. I'm looking forward to the feedback and I will let you know what I had also. I have been informed that I have neglecting rum from my reviews so I will start putting those in the mix as well. This will be a short post so I can get busy on the next post so let me know, what did you drink?

Whiskey and Beer update....

2012-03-11T11:26:00.000-04:00

RIP VAN WINKLE 12 YEAR OLD

I finally went back and tasted the Rip Van Winkle 12 year old that I picked up in Tennessee. I don't know about all of you out there but when I first taste a whiskey I have never had before, I don't use ice and I drink out of a nice sifter in order to get all of the aromas and flavors. Now to the whiskey. After a generous pour you get floral and wood aromas with a hint of vanilla. After the first sip there is a creamy vanilla and carmel on the tongue with a nice little spice on the end. Hints of oak round out the flavor of this Bourbon and gives this a well balanced flavor. I will definitely make sure that I have this Bourbon in my collection from now on.

INNIS AND GUNN IRISH WHISKY CASK

I had been waiting on this one because I have tried all of the others. This one has a light aroma of cocoa and chocolate which an irish whisky undertone. At first taste, you get the cocoa and light creamy malty body with that distinct irish whisky flavor. This beer is a great Scottish Stout that has been aged in irish whisky barrels for 60 days. This will be one of my go to stouts in the future!

DOGFISH HEAD WORLD WIDE STOUT

While I'm on stouts, I decided to go ahead and try the Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. It has aromas of cocoa and coffee and flavors of chocolate and cocoa. This is a full flavor stout with, as I quote " a ridiculous amount of barley" which is roasted to perfection. A tinge of vanilla on the palate with a very minor hop on the end makes this a must try for all stout lovers.

That's it for this week, in a couple of weeks when I get enough beer bottles I start my first batch of home brew. Going to start with an Irish Red Ale for which I will call "Lucy" for the most famous redhead in the world. Wish me luck and I hope I don't screw this up too bad.

Remember where you came from dude.

2012-03-01T06:44:00.000-05:00

I'm going to off track this week because I went back and re read an article I wrote 4 years ago about my wife. It will be 10 years since we met on the 13th of March and a lifetime of things have happen to us since then. But the most profound thing that happen it that she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She is cancer free now and has been for seven years. I married her in April of 2005 and it has been quite an adventure since then. We have been many places and have done many things together, but most of all I look forward to all of the things we will do and all of the places we will go to, together. My wife joined a Dragon Boat racing team comprised of all Breast Cancer Survivors ranging in age from late 30s to the 70s. It never ceases to amaze me the strength and fortitude that these women have and the un dying dedication they have to the sport. They also have a firm belief in helping other women with Breast Cancer who have no one to turn to. The group is called Save Our Sisters and they are but one of hundreds of dragon boat teams from around the world that are solely Breast Cancer Survivors. I'm going to repost my article from 4 years ago, (doesn't seem that long ago) so you can read how these women gained my utmost respect and will always have it.

I don't know if you have had a loved one who has had Breast Cancer or have known someone who lost their battle with Breast Cancer, but if you do know someone that is or has battled Breast Cancer suggest to them to go out and watch them practice and even talk with them and you will see the joy and happiness that the team brings them. I for one have been changed by these women and will always be. I will post a link to the Miami team but I know that there are many more around the world that you can be involved with. From Italy to Australia there is a global war on Breast Cancer and frankly, being a little selfish, I like Breast and I think they should stay where they belong. Please tell the woman you love to have an examination and even let her know that you will make the sacrifice and examine her yourself. And for goodness sakes have a mammogram done at the first sign of change in your Breast. My wife did. If she would not have had it done, I probably would be here by myself.

The Save Our Sisters website is http://www.teamsosmiami.com/Welcome.html

This past weekend my wife volunteered me to help with the Miami Dragon Boat race off of Brickell Avenue. At first I thought, " hey I can gain brownie points on this for a fishing trip in Key West!". So I woke up early on a Saturday morning, loaded everything up in the truck an drove into downtown. My wife was a giddy as a school girl because this was her first race with the team since she joined. The team is called Save Our Sisters, a group of breast cancer survivors. They formed a team about a year ago, and have been burning up the water ever since. This group is a part of a much larger group of breast cancer survivors that have teams all over the world.

What really struck me the most is these women were told not to over exert themselves especially with their upper body because of the surgeries and the lymph glands. One doctor came up with a theory that exercise and diet will strengthen the upper body and help women gain their strength back. It seems that he was right. The biggest lesson I learned being around these women that day is the love and support they have for each other. It also reminded me of how lucky I am to have my wife, who is my best friend, around with me because of one woman who told her five years ago to have a mammogram. If she would not have had that mammogram, I would have been a widower by now.

So I helped as much as I could that day, bringing them water, finding out when the race times were and taking pictures. I also held the tarp up when the rains came to try and keep them dry. And at the end of the day, the Brownie points did not matter anymore. What mattered to me most is that my wife is sitting next to me sore but healthy and cancer free. I still have my best friend, and probably gained a few more. These women give me inspiration to live life the fullest, because you never know when it might end.

Can you smell the Beer.. or Wine... or Whisky?

2012-02-26T16:41:00.000-05:00

After years of having nasal problems I decided to have surgery to "clean out" my sinuses. So as I am writing this I am 24 hours out of surgery and feeling pretty good thanks to a few beers. I forgot that 80 percent of your taste comes from smell so lately everything has been dull to the taste. I am looking forward to finally getting the nuances of beer, wine and whisky back and really able to enjoy what is out there. First, I will review some more bourbon and a few more beers and maybe a wine or two that I have had in the past before my smell went south, in a manner of speaking that is. I will be enjoying a Breckenridge Brewery Vanilla Porter as I write this (maybe two or three) to get me in the spirit of things.
Well to start, I had a snow day last Monday but left it outside to get cold. It was nice and chilled in about 15 minutes and it was ready to drink. So I left another one out there and drank that one too. Needless to say the six pack did not last long and it was inside for me. New Belgium has done a great job with this beer and if you have a chance to have a snow day like mine, take advantage of it. This winter ale has a great pale ale flavor with just a little extra hops to give it that wintery feel. If they made this a year round beer it would not be as special as it is. Get yours before the season is over.

So before the snow started to fall, I decided to visit the local ABC store and see what they had in stock. I do recommend that you visit the local liquor store when you travel because you never know what kind of deals you can get. I was shopping in the Bourbon section, (no surprise) and came across some Baker's 7 year old 107 proof. I have not tried it before but when I looked at the price, It was almost 10 dollars less than I could get it at my local store at home!

Needless to say, I grabbed a bottle and ran to the cash register to purchase the bottle and speed off down the highway before they realized that they drastically underpriced the bottle. This Bourbon was introduced by Jim Beam Distillery and is named after Baker Noe, grand nephew of Jim Beam. This Bourbon is hand bottled and uses a special strain of yeast that has been in the Beam family for over 60 years. This is a small batch Bourbon and has a wonderful smooth and creamy body with the taste of nutty vanilla and hints of fruit. With it's caramel color, wine shaped bottle and no frills label the Beam family put all it's efforts into the flavor of the Bourbon than fancy marketing. If you can buy this Bourbon for under 40 dollars, jump on it!

So now it was time to leave and we were flying out of Winston-Salem, Greensboro airport and it took us an hour and a half to drive there from our place in Virginia. We arrived around lunch time and my friend Kevin, said that there was a pub in the airport. Well by now you should know that the word "pub" has my complete interest so I suggested we go there. It was a place called Natty Greene's Brewing Company with the main brewery in downtown Greensboro. I had a buckshot amber ale and an appetizer. The ale tasted okay as it had a lighter than normal flavor and a mild hop taste. Maybe it would have tasted better if it was at the brewery. If you get a chance to go there let me know and I'll give it another try.

Hopefully I'll heal soon and i can get back to tasting and reviewing. I have some more Rhone and Loire Valley wines I want to taste so let's see how I am in a wee or so. Until then, Cheers!

Wine Time!!!

2012-02-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

So I have been neglecting my wine collection for a while and I decided to jump back in this week with some great red wines. Not to say that I won't go back to beer and whiskey, it's just you can't stay in one place or you get stagnant. You know what I mean. I'll stick with Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhone valley for this week and I might do a Bordeaux while I'm in there.

I went to a wine tasting the other night stuck with my theme of Cabernet Sauvignon and tried the Liberty School. It was a bit fruity and had cherry and plum flavors and was light on the tannins. For around 10 dollars it was not bad. My second was Il Pioggione Rosso di Montalcino 08. A well balanced medium body wine with cherry and currant on the nose. With the flavor of black cherry and plum, this wine will be on my "I need to buy this wine!" list.
Next, was Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon 08. With the flavor of cherry, black currant and plum this medium body wine had a good flavor with nice easy tannins. I ran into some of my wine friends and we exchanged pleasantries and talked about the wines at the tasting. One friend suggested the Diadem Cabernet Sauvignon. He said that this one was a large bodied wine and that I would love it! I walked over and held up my glass and asked for the Diadem.

This wine is from the Spring Mountain area of Napa Valley which has produced some great wines. It is aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months gives this wine a bold, rich and elegant flavor with hints of plum and currant. A very full bodied and luscious wine the price is not for the timid at 50 dollars a bottle. But if you wish to serve this wine with chocolates and flowers to impress that special lady, well this is the wine for you.
I strolled around some more and talked to a few more folks and found myself running out of time at the tasting. So I went to the last station for which there were wines that I have not tried. I saw a Rhone Valley wine there so I decided to try that one. Jean Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone red. I had been on a Rhone Valley kick lately so this was the last one I would try. This wine had a light cherry on the nose with flavors of plum and black currant. It had great structure with nice tannins on the end.

For around 10 dollars a bottle this is my best pick. You will not go wrong with this wine. You have a high price flavor with a conservative price. Look for it at your local wine dealer.

Now my Bordeaux pick is Chateau Ferrand 2005 Pomerol. This wine for the price is the best pick in Bordeaux. With flavors of plum and black cherry with a hint of currant creates a complex structure with an elegance on the tongue. A well balanced wine with just the right amount of tannins. It's 60 percent merlot 40 percent cabernet franc which gives it the right balance and flavors. Around 35 to 40 dollars a bottle this is a great wine for dinner parties. With the 2009 banner Bordeaux year I would get a couple of these bottles and let them sit for a couple of years and enjoy them then.

Well that's it for this week. I'll be on the road again next week and will have some new beer and wine picks then. I'll focus on Virginia wines and let you know what I come up with. Until then, Cheers!

Rip Van Winkle and his buddies.

2012-02-09T19:37:00.000-05:00

OLD RIP VAN WINKLE

In the 1870s, Julian P. "Pappy" Van Winkle Sr. and Alex Farnsley bought and merged two distillers together which became the Stizel-Weller Distillery. In 1935 Pappy opened a new Stizel-Weller Distillery in south Louisville and was hands on most of the operation until his death at age 91. His son Julian Jr. took over and in 1972 was forced by stockholders to sell the distillery. All of the labels went with the distillery or were sold to other distilleries. Julian Jr. decided to resurrect and old pre prohibition label which the family kept the rights to called Old Rip Van Winkle and used the stock from the old distillery to start the label. After Julian Jr. died in 1981, Julian III took over and carried on with the family business. Lately, Van Winkle has entered into a joint venture with Buffalo Trace to produce their bourbon at their distillery. We shall see how that turns out. In the meantime, we are still getting the bourbon from the old distillery and I must tell you it is outstanding!

The Old Rip Van Winkle 90 proof 10 year old Bourbon is a very smooth, very creamy bourbon with flavors of vanilla with a hint of carmel and a bit of spice on the end. The creaminess stays on the pallet for a good long time and the smooth creamy flavor comes from the wheat used instead of rye. The hint of caramel are what makes this bourbon candy on the tongue.

BELL'S BREWERY
CHERRY STOUT

Bell's Brewery started like most micro breweries with a 15 gallon pot and a desire for fine crafted beer in 1985. At first taste, you get that chocolate and coffee flavor with a tart twist. The tartness comes from cherries grown in the region. I found it interesting that this stout has a tart fruitiness which is, to me, unusual. At first smell you get the coffee and a bit of cherry. I was not sure how this would sit on my pallet until I finished the beer. For those that like a bit of tartness in their beer, this is for you. As you drink this beer the tartness is there throughout until you finish the beer. I, for one am not a fan of tart beers but I can appreciate the taste for those that are fans of tart beers. I would recommend this to those that enjoy a tart beer but it might not be for those that are stout fans.

UNIBROUE
TERRIBLE

In 1990, Unibroue was formed by Andre Dion and Serge Racine with the desire to carve a niche in the craft beer world. They became majority shareholders in La Brasserie Massawippi a financially strapped brewery. They began with Belgian Beers and created Blanche De Chambly, their first Belgian beer. In the years to follow the company brewed some fine belgians and also answered the call to brew lagers for which most Canadians are well versed in. In 2004 they were purchased by Sleeman Brewery which was interested in the modern brewery and efficient labor. They became Sleeman-Unibroue Brewery and created some of the finest Canadian Belgian style beers around. In 2006, The company was purchased by Sapporo International, Japan's older commercial brewer, and continued the tradition of brewing Belgian Style beers. Terrible, which is an Abbey Ale is rich in color and in taste has a classic Belgian flavor with notes of cherry and plum with the full rich and slightly creamy flavor. If you have not tried this one, you can add it to your list of Canadian ales but if you cannot find it don't go out of your way to get it. Wait for it to come to you. I have had several Abbey Ales that taste extremely similar to this and it's a good beer but not great.

That's my reviews for this week. Let me know what you think and I'll post your comment, good or bad on the next blog. Just remember folks, everyone's taste id different so get out there and support your local brewer!

The Super Bowl.....then whatever.

2012-02-05T18:40:00.001-05:00

With good friends and family we watch the biggest sporting event of the United States. How it became this way is still to be determined. My friend Rocco is laying in his dog bed while we sit on the couch consuming mass quantities of food and drink.
I always think about the troops overseas and what they are doing and if they have the opportunity to watch the game. I think of this because of my days overseas and the limited chances of watching major sporting events. I am so glad to see that things have changed over the years and that the support for our troops have become positive.
On a positive note, the Brooklyn Black Ops was a incredibly creamy stout with flavors of coffee and cappuccino. With an 8.5 ABV makes this a super bowl beer at any rate.
Good luck to both teams and to all, have a great time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Palmetto Club Dr,Miami,United States

Beer, Beer and more Beer....

2012-02-01T16:39:00.000-05:00

Well, this week I am reviewing four beers that are new to me but may not be new to you. Therefore, I shall tell you what I think of them and you let me know if you feel the same way. If you have not tried these before, then, try them and tell me what you think.

MOERLEIN CHRISTKINDL

WINTER WARMER ALE

This is a belgian strong ale brewed in Cincinnati, Ohio and has been there since 1853. Founded by Christian Moerlein, It was resurrected in 1981 and was one of the only American breweries to pass the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. In 2004 it was purchased by a native of Cincinnati named Gregory Hardman. This particular beer, has an up front creaminess and just enough hops to balance the flavor. Amber in color with a light creamy head this beer will be on you list for next Christmas. I for one, enjoyed this beer and will again!

INNIS and GUNN

RUM CASK

Innis and Gunn was born from an accidental tasting. Originally, it was meant to give Scotch a beer flavor. The beer was put into oak barrels and then (sadly) poured out. The workers thought it was a waste so they started drinking the beer and found it to be the best tasting around.

I was tasting the Rum Cask which was aged in rum barrels for 60 days. The minute you open the bottle you can smell the aroma of rum as you pour it into the glass. This is a creamy ale with rum flavor and hints of vanilla. Light on the hops but with a smooth clean finish. This year they will be coming out with a stout aged in irish whiskey barrels. This is the first stout for Innis and Gunn, and if history has proven itself, it should be a winner too!

OSKAR BLUES

OLD CHUB SCOTCH ALE

In November of 2002, Dale Katechis founded Oskar Blues Brewery and started his "canned beer apocalypse" on the craft beer world. His signature beer Dale's pale ale was a hit and started turning heads in the craft beer world. When old chub came out, people took them for real. This is a great scotch strong ale with flavors of coffee and chocolate and a slight smokiness to it. I can take this beer where I can't take others. Being a canned beer, it can always go where bottles cannot. This will be on my list of beers for camping, fishing and other activities where glass bottles just won't work. The bonus with this beer is the 8 percent ABV so I can forgo the case of beer for just a couple of 6 packs!

LEFT HAND BREWERY

BLACK JACK PORTER

22 years ago, Left Hand Brewery started out as a home brewing kit and a love for beer. Dick Doore and Eric Wallace founded the brewery and have not looked back since. The beer of choice this week is the Black Jack Porter. Chocolate and coffee in flavor with a medium body. A slight hop spice on the end but does not take away for the flavor or finish. For all of you dark beer fans, this is an easy drinking beer in the bottle or the pint.
I'm looking forward to the new milk stout nitro coming out this year. It will be debuted in Atlanta on March 1st and 2nd. I might have a trip to Atlanta on my horizon for the premier.

Try these beers and let me know what you think. I'm going to start paring beers with foods soon and let you know my take on what goes with what. Also, Super Bowl this weekend so go out and get your favorite craft brew and enjoy the game!

Overview: The Road Trip.

2012-01-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

After we left Kentucky, Benny and I headed to Asheville, North Carolina. On our way we decided to make a pit stop at the Liquor Barn in a little town called Caryville off I-75 in Tennessee.

We were looking for craft beers and hard to find bourbons, whiskies and any other rare liquors. I know, why look in the middle of nowhere? Read on and you will see the method in my madness. As we walk in there is a young girl (mid 20's) at the register. I asked her if they had any beer. She said no and the manager standing next to her said that they were not allowed by law in Tennessee to sell beer where they sold liquor. Benny and I looked at each other and said okay and decided to look around anyway. We walked over to the cooler and we saw a couple of bottles of Delirium Tremmes and Nocturum. I was puzzled. I took it as a fluke and decided to head to the bourbons. Benny asked the manager about the beers and he said "oh, that is over 6 percent and we can sell that here." We came to the conclusion that "beer" in Tennessee was Bud, Miller Lite, Busch and so on. I was looking around where the bourbons were and Benny under his breath called out "Uncle Toby!, Uncle Toby!". He was standing in front of a cooler on the other end of the store so I walked over and saw a whole section of craft beers! We looked at each other and he said " I guess in Tennessee this is not beer." I returned to the bourbon section after I gathered up my 2 6packs of New Belgium beer (Abbey Ale and Belgo IPA) and went to the register to pay. I was talking to the manager about bourbons and our personal preferences and I mentioned that we were at Buffalo Trace the other day and how much I liked the Antique Collection. He said, "ya know, I have 4 bottles of the 12 yr. old Van Winkle upstairs. Would you like a bottle?"

I was shocked, and in a calm voice I said "hell yes!" So back to the register I went and purchased the bottle. I thanked the Manager whose name will be a mystery to me and Benny and I loaded up our loot and headed for the car. After we packed our goodies in the trunk, we high fixed each other and complemented each other on the beer and bourbon finds.

So it was onward to Asheville! Driving through the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina is a wonder and a Glory if you have never taken the ride. After the Liquor Barn, we headed I-75 south to Knoxville and caught I-40 east to Asheville. I reserved a room at the 4 Points Sheraton in downtown Asheville on the assumption that we were walking and not driving (don't drink and drive) to all of the libation halls that were available to us. After storing the suitcases and such we proceeded downstairs to the bar to start our journey. I ordered a we-heav-ier ale and Benny followed suit. He never had one before so it was a treat to watch him enjoy his beer. We finished soon after and planned our tour of Asheville and proceeded to head to the first adult establishment.

THE THIRSTY MONK

They are located at 92 Patton Avenue in Asheville. With an upstairs and downstairs bar you have a wide variety of ales and such upstairs and Belgians downstairs. A wonderful gathering place for good times and libations.They have a full selection of local brews as well as

New Belgium, which brews Fat Tire, Avery, which brews their IPA and Out of Bounds Stout. After
conversations with the locals, we added two more beers to the list.I had a Monk's Cafe Sour Red Ale which has a sweet and sour sauce flavor with Belgian beer added. Very tangy and good in limited amounts. I also had an Ommegang Seduction on tap which I normally would only see in bottles. Way better on tap than the bottle.

JACK OF THE WOOD

Home of the Green Man Brewery, it's a celtic pub with live music and a great atmosphere. I ordered a Green Man Porter which has a smoky chocolate flavor with a slight hint of leather. One of the better porter in town. While being served, I was listening to a song that seemed very familiar. It turned out to be ACDC Back in Black bluegrass style! Who knew?

THE LOBSTER TRAP

This wonderful restaurant is home to the Oyster House Brewing Company and their signature beer is the Moonstone Stout brewed with oysters and shells. It is the finest Stout I have had and the oysters give it just the right flavor! Benny and I had baked oysters on the half shell with Swiss Chard and served with a remoulade sauce and topped with some crispy house bacon. We also had the crab dip which was served warm with Ashe County pimiento cheese and with sliced baguette. Benny enjoyed the Moonstone Stout and vowed to come back for more!

HANNAH FLANAGAN'S PUB AND EATERY

Our last pub for the evening was Hannah Flanagan's Pub and Eatery. A true irish pub with over 100 beers from around the world. The beers change frequently and I happen to notice that they had Old Speckled Hen on tap. Since I have only had it in bottles here in the states, I decided on having a pint. To my surprise, it had a bit more spice and a much creamier flavor. It kind of spoiled me on bottles from now on. We finished our pints and headed to the next establishment, The Mellow Mushroom. But, sadly they were closed. It was 11:30 pm so we headed back to the room for a nights sleep before the drive back to Jacksonville and eventually Miami.

If you ever decide to stop in Asheville, plan for a couple of days so you can visit all the fine drinking and eating establishments that the city has to offer. I know my next visit will be for at least 3 days.

Buffalo Trace

2012-01-19T11:37:00.000-05:00

So next on the list of distilleries is Buffalo Trace. Buffalo Trace makes several whiskies including Van Winkle, Eagle Rare and Barton's. The trip from Ft. Knox to Frankfort took about an hour and a half and we arrived just in time for the tour. We were told the tour would take about 45 minutes to an hour and we were game for that.

We started out side with the aging warehouses which were about 7 stories tall. Where the barrel was placed in the warehouse was what determined which bourbon it would be labeled with. Once the barrel was placed in the warehouse, it was not moved until it was ready to be bottled. All of the premium bourbons were from the middle floors of the warehouse which had the most temperature changes. Those were the bourbons with the most flavor from the barrels.

After the distilling process, the "white dog" (ever clear) was placed into the barrels and rolled to the warehouse through a series of tracks. These tracks led to an elevator which placed the barrels onto floors in the warehouse.

After that , we went into the bottling room where they hand bottled all of the premium bourbon. When we were there, they were bottling Barton's and Eagle Rare. The folks in the bottling room were fun and very informative. Our tour guide explained that the production bourbon was bottled in another area of the property and if you wanted to take that tour, it was later on in the day. We opted out of that tour and decided to go right to he tasting. we tasted the Buffalo Trace 9 yr. old and the Eagle Rare 10 yr. old. Buffalo Trace is a small batch bourbon which could use anywhere between 25 to 75 barrels to get the right taste. Eagle Rare is a single barrel bourbon which uses only one barrel and bottles from that barrel only. The Eagle Rare had a nice bold flavor with a spice finish that was pleasing to the palette. The Buffalo Trace had a smoother flavor and not quite the spice but with hints of vanilla and a slight creaminess to it.

All in all, some fine Bourbon from these folks. They also have an Antique Collection which consist of George T Stagg 15 yr old, Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old, Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old, William Larue Weller uncut and unfiltered and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac uncut and unfiltered. The Weller was bottled at 143 proof at the last bottling. The Antique Collection only comes out once a year in September and usually is gone before it is shipped. You can reserve it with your local liquor store so get on the list now.

Tennessee Mountians and everything else...

2012-01-17T22:52:00.001-05:00

Leaving Atlanta this morning and traveling through Tennessee to Kentucky. The Mountians of north Georgia and eastern Tennessee are a sight to behold. The difference today is that it was raining today which made it all that more alluring. Passing through Chattanooga and heading to Nashville at about mile marker 111, you see the detour to Jack Daniels Distillery and at mile marker 105 you see the detour to George Dickel distillery. Having been to Jack Daniels twice before, I decided to go and see the Dickel distillery. As usual, it was further off the highway than first expected, (15 miles) but I was pleasantly surprised at how authentic looking it was. Benny, my nephew has never been to a distillery before so this was fun for me to be with someone who's first time it was to tour a distillery and watch and comment on the process. We thought that the two of us were going to be the only folks on the tour until 10 minutes before the tour, a bus load of active senior citizens pulled up and unloaded. A delightful group, we started the tour and chatted it up with them and had a wonderful time. The tour lasted about 30 minutes and we headed back to the gift shop and found out that we were in a "dry county" and could not taste the whiskey. Oh well, I bought whiskey any way and said our goodbyes to the tour and headed on our way to Kentucky.
When we arrived at our destination (my son and daughter-in-laws home on Ft. Knox) I decided to taste the whiskey there. A glass of the #12 10 yr. old and a good cigar (a Cuban Churchill) was in order. I was awesomely surprised at the flavor of the whiskey, smooth and velvety body with a hint of vanilla and a slight spice but balanced finish.
When I arrived at my room later on, I opened the barrel select 12 yr. old and had a glass and it was greater surprise that his was even better than the #12.
If you have a chance to try these Whiskies I would recommend that you do and make sure you visit the distillery too.

On the road again...

2012-01-16T18:35:00.001-05:00

Well here I am on the road again. Stopping tonight between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Having a Sweetwater Georgia brown ale. Brought my nephew, Benny with me and we are going to see my son, Alex. He just got back from Afghanistan and unscathed. I'm glad to have him home. He doesn't know that Benny is coming along so this should be good. We are going to stay a few days then move on. Tomorrow on the way, we will try and make a stop at George Dickel distillery for some whiskey tasting.

Beer. Enough said.

2012-01-14T08:34:00.000-05:00

My adventures with beer these past couple of years have been, well just awesome! From the Three Philosophers, to Brooklyn #2, to Dogfish head IPA 120. I have tried a wide range of beers from stouts to pilsners and from lagers to pale ales and of course my favorite, Belgian ales. I have always, when on road trips, made it a point to stop at the local wineries for a little taste of the local juice. This year, I'll be doing the same but adding local micro breweries to my list. I might even make specific trips to selected breweries for first hand tasting and brewing techniques. And I just won't travel within the U.S., oh no boys and girls, I plan on making this a world wide adventure. Germany, the Czech Republic, South America, the Caribbean and many more places. Brewing beer is over 4000 years old and was used in the middle ages as the only source of drinkable liquid (except for wine). Water was polluted from human waste and to make beer it had to be boiled. When they finally came to America, the pilgrims still would not drink the water. Even though the water was pure they made beer. During the 1800's, British brewers found out that if you used an extra batch of hops when brewing, the beer would last much longer on the trips to India. Thus the IPA, Indian Pale Ale was born. Now, micro brewers all over the world are experimenting with back room recipes and creating some of the finest beers ever made. Beer lovers like me are in heaven and trying to keep up with all the new beers coming out it's almost too much. But, I will make it my best effort to try all of the beers that I can, even if it takes the rest of my life!

The final year? I doubt it.

2012-01-11T19:39:00.000-05:00

So here it is 2012 and the supposed end of the world in December and this is when I have decided to finally get serious about getting this blog on the right track. I have three things that I want to get out this year. One. Learn, drink and talk more about the wine I drink. Two. Learn, drink and talk more about the beer I drink. Three. Experiment, learn and share food dishes that I eat and cook myself with my loving wife, Debbie. I guess I can talk about her cooking too. I'll start by catching up on the beers and wines that I have already had (I have pictures) then I will move on to bigger and better things. I will be doing as much traveling as I can, in fact we have already started. Savannah, GA and the wonderful eateries and local breweries that we visited. Woolwine and Floyd , VA with the bed and breakfast and the wineries that I love. Asheville, NC the Mecca of micro breweries with some of the best beers I've had and the historic Biltmore Estate with their wonderful wines. Then on to Kentucky, home of some of the most famous Bourbon distilleries in the world. Later this year I will be going to the California wine country and if I can talk my wife into it, a trip to Europe.