Sorry that it’s been a minute since my last post. I’ve been doing a lot of traveling with my good friend Tom Cruise (He’s great to travel with…he gets everything half-off!). But I have many stories and lots of  new things to share with you.

The Jim Beam distillery just celebrated a birthday. I wasn’t invited after last years party! Starting out at a party without your pants on seems to be frowned upon at most establishments. It doesn’t matter…

Beam Global Spirits & Wine, the premium spirits business of Fortune Brands and maker of the world’s number one-selling Bourbon whiskey Jim Beam, today celebrated the 75th anniversary of its historic Clermont, Ky., facility. Together with seventh generation Jim Beam family distiller Frederick “Fred” Booker Noe III and more than 500 employees, the company recognized the site’s important link to the past and its vital connection to the future.

“For 75 years, the Jim Beam Clermont Distillery has stood strong amidst the Kentucky landscape,” said Jeff Conder, Vice President, Americas Operations, Beam Global Spirits & Wine. “Today we celebrate the role the Distillery has played in shaping Jim Beam Bourbon into the world’s number one-selling bourbon and its continued significant contribution to Kentucky Tourism through our commitment to a multi-million dollar tourism development project.”

As the first stop from Louisville on the west side of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Jim Beam Clermont facility employs more than 300 people and welcomes more than 80,000 visitors annually. The Jim beam tourism development project, which is scheduled for completion fall 2012, will further enhance visitors’ experience with Jim Beam and celebrate the history and heritage of the historic Clermont plant. A new state-of-the-art Welcome Center complex will be able to accommodate approximately 200,000 visitors annually. Guests will become a part of the Jim Beam family by taking an up-close and personal look at the family’s business in the bourbon industry.

The Distillery History

The property originally was the site of the Murphy Barber Distillery and sat adjacent to a rock quarry owned by the legendary bourbon distiller, Jim Beam. Beam purchased the defunct distillery in 1920, just as Prohibition was going into effect.

After Prohibition, Jim, his son Jeremiah, and his nephew Carl Beam renovated and rebuilt the plant in a mere 120 days, razing most of the old Murphy Barber buildings and constructing new ones.

On an early spring day in 1935, the Beams proudly hosted an open house for the local community; after a 17-year break, they were back in the bourbon business.

“My family had been making bourbon for more than 100 years before the distillery opened,” said Fred Noe. “Prior to the Clermont location, we had distilleries in Bardstown and before that, in Washington County. This one was the special one though because this is where we got back to work.”

The Distillery Today

The Distillery today produces a number of leading bourbon brands including, most notably, Jim Beam Bourbon. In addition, Jim Beam Black® and the ultra premium Small Batch Bourbons, Basil Hayden®, Knob Creek®, Baker’s® and Booker’s®, are also distilled there today.

More than 600,000 barrels of bourbon are aged in the 27 rack houses on the distillery grounds. In addition, approximately 90 million bottles of spirits are bottled here annually and shipped to more than 200 countries worldwide.

“Technology has obviously helped our production capacity,” says Noe. “We produce a lot more whiskey than we did back in 1935. But the formula of our family bourbon has stayed true. It’s been a standard since 1795.”

Visitors to the distillery can tour the T. Jeremiah Beam Master Distiller’s Home on top of Beam Hill and see where a number of Beam family distillers lived. Gifts, souvenirs and samplings of bourbon are available in the adjacent American Outpost Bourbon Tasting and Retail Shop. And a self-guided walking tour offering background on the century-old distilling process is also available to the public.

Happy 75th Birthday Mr. Jimmy Beam distillery. We like our bourbon’s a little older and more mature!

The fall season is upon us. The air begins to feel crisp, the leaves begin to change and the seasonal beers begin to flow out of every brewery.

Everyone has their own little rituals they start to follow. My family and I like to put out all of our Halloween themed items. Candles that smell like nutmeg and vanilla start getting lit. My friend Tom Cruise likes to break out his garden gnome costume. Last year we both dressed up like gnomes and stood in my neighbors yard. They figured me out after the first day. Tom stood there for 3 weeks before they noticed him (they caught him peeing on their rose bushes).

I like the thought of seasonal beers, but unfortunately they rarely live up to expectations. How do you capture the essence of a season and put it in a bottle?  I am determined to find a seasonal beer that is worthy of the term “seasonal”.

After much research and debate I have put 3 beers to the challenge:

Saranac Pumpkin Ale

Shipyard Brewing Co. Pumpkinhead

America’s Original Pumpkin Ale courtesy of Buffalo Bill’s Brewery

All of these beers had very original and distinct flavors. I honestly thought, “They’re all gonna taste like pumpkin!”

I was wrong.

The Shipyard Pumpkinhead had the strongest pumpkin flavor out of all of them. It’s finish was confusing. Full of pumpkinny goodness, but with a very light finish. This is one the  non-beer drinkers will like and still be able to talk “beer” with the  cool kids. Light beer fans should put this on their “must try” list.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale was exactly what I wanted it to be. This isn’t a bad thing! Pumpkin, nutmeg and hints of vanilla. Very smooth, very drinkable and very reminiscent of the season. It’s a little stronger in its finish and damned tasty.

Finally, America’s Original Pumpkin Ale. I didn’t like this beer after my first sip. After a couple of minutes I still had the hint of pumpkin on my tongue. I went back  for a second sip, even more flavor started showing up. This bottle didn’t last long in my house. Don’t make the mistake of chugging this beer. Put a beer mug in the freezer for a couple of hours. Open the beer bottle, then put it back in the fridge for 15 minutes. Pour the beer into the glass and just…enjoy!

I’m not familiar with Buffalo Bill’s Brewery, but they know what they’re doing. This beer is complex, friendly, engaging and damn near perfect. They truly caught the fall season in a bottle and did it justice! After drinking this beer I had a pumpkin smile on my face (Ben Affleck said it best…”Look at the smile on my face. Ear to Ear Baby!!!).

Make sure this fall season you go out a pick up some of these great beers. Maybe one of them will become a staple in your house (If not, I can send over Tom Cruise in the gnome costume!). Remember, it’s never too late to start a holiday tradition.

This summer I was again caught up in one of my favorite TV shows, HBO’s Entourage. The adventures of Vince, Ari and the rest of the gang has been a staple in my house since the very first episode.

This season had the guys moving in different directions, doing that growing up thing we are all forced to do (that’s why my wife makes me wear pants around the house..really…pants around the house is a prerequisite for growing up? Growing up sucks!) One story line had Turtle looking for a business opportunity that would help him strike out on his own…enter Avion Tequila.

While watching Entourage, the characters are doing shots of Avion, talking about how much they loved Avion. I started saying to myself, “Damn, I want some Avion”. But you can’t drink a tequila that only exists on TV. WRONG!! Avion is real! Not only is it real…it’s real good. I had the pleasure of sampling the Avion Reposado and it blew me away! It is very rare that a tequila is smooth enough to be enjoyed just on the rocks, so I put Avion to the test. Nailed It!!  Smooth doesn’t begin to explain it. There’s not much I would mix with this tequila. If you are going to make margaritas…fresh squeezed lime juice only! If you want to top it off with a little O.J…less is more with this tequila.

I read the article in the New York Post of how Avion got into the storyline of Entourage…very cool! I actually have seen how agave is grown, my friend Tom Cruise grows it. Watching him walk through his garden, is like watching a scene  from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”. He should remake that movie, they would save a ton of money by not using CGI effects.

One downside to Avion, it’s only available in LA and New York City. Just go on their website and they will let you know how to get it. I want to send a big shout out to Avion Tequila for sending me a bottle on their dime!  Don’t hesitate to send another bottle- nudge nudge, wink wink.

So if you want to party like a movie star, albeit a fake one, pick up some Avion. You’ll toast me later.

The Sarasota Beer Fest has come and gone, but I’ve still got some of the beers rolling around in my brain. The 2nd great beer I had was…wait for it… Phin and Matt’s Extraordinary Ale.

This is a product of  the Southern Tier Brewing Company. They use North American Barley, whole hops and crystal filtered artesian water. It’s an American style pale ale that goes down ridiculously smooth. Most beer snobs would probably say that this is just okay, but for us common folk… it’s perfect! Easy to drink, nice amount of flavor and very versatile. Are you watching the big game with the buddies your wife hates, but you still like them because they’re the only people on the planet who still refer to you as…”Boomer”?! Bring it over! Got a boss who says,” I only drink good beer” (i.e. I really prefer sparkling water, but I don’t want to look like a total wuss!) It’s a perfect Birthday present! I took some over to my friend Tom Cruise’s house (his compound is a perfect replica of the smurf village…blue is his color!).

Give it a try…Phin and Matt might become two of your best buddies.

As most of you well know, flavored vodkas are INSANELY popular in the world of booze. Soon after they began to flood the market, flavored rums began to enter the market as well. So you know it was only a matter of time before the brown liquors were going to follow suit. Anyone for acai flavored Johnnie Walker…umm sounds delish!

I have been a bourbon drinker for some years now and I have very fond memories of sitting on my Uncle Tom’s back porch sipping green label Jack Daniels. It was a right of passage for me and it taught me to “respect the bourbon”. So when I found out Jim Beam was coming out with a black cherry flavored bourbon… I was a little hesitant. “You’re trying to tell me, Mr. Jimmy Beam is up in Kentucky harvesting black cherries?”, I said to myself. “Well I’ll bet my left black cherry, that he’s not!” (Partially that line is courtesy of Dennis Leary…LOVE HIM!)

Jim Beam Red Stag really kinda blew my mind! I have to apologize to Mr. J.B., this is a very versatile spirit. It’s very rare when you can mix a brown liquor with a myriad of juices, sodas, teas or just on the rocks. The black cherry flavor isn’t overwhelming…it’s just right. You still get the nice bourbon flavor that Jim Beam is known for, but there is no bite on the back end. Usually this “bite” is what attracts you or repels you from a nice bourbon. Red Stag really is a product I think anyone, bourbon drinker or not, will really enjoy.

Play with some recipes, see what your crazy little mind can come up with. I’m letting you know now R.O.T.R. readers, I wanted to “mount up”  and put the Red Stag in my cross hairs (I even took my good friend Tom Cruise hunting with me…he looked adorable riding his Shetland pony!). But I have to tell you, I think the Red Stag shot me…and it felt good!

Here’s a recipe to get you started. ENJOY!

O Deer Me

1 1/4oz Jim Beam Red Stag

1/2 oz chambord

2oz orange juice

2oz lemonade

Shake, strain over ice

Top with Sprite

As promised I’m going to start posting what I felt were the beer highlights at the 1st Annual Sarasota Beer Festival. Can you hear that?! It’s my good friend Tom Cruise giving me a drum roll on his tiny snare drum.The best beer I had at this years Sarasota Beer Fest is… Amadeus!

It’s kind of funny but I seem to have an affection for french beer. I”m also a fan of Kronenbourg 1664 which is also french. Actually come to think of it, I like a lot of french things. French fries, french bread, french dressing and the french foreign exchange student from the 80′s classic “Better Off Dead” (I’m sorry your mom blew up Ricky). Amadeus is indeed imported from France and is an unfiltered wheat beer. I went back for MANY samples of this beer. It is crisp, well balanced and could really be paired with almost any meal or occasion. You can find this tasty beer at your local Total Wine (God’s gift to us all). It is a little pricey, but well worth every penny. Keep an eye out for it R.O.T.R readers and as always you’ll toast me later!

This past Saturday I attended the 1st Annual Sarasota Beer Festival. Let me tell you R.O.T.R. readers, I was so excited I damn near stormed the entrance of Robards Arena “William Wallace” style. Nothing does my heart better than good beer and LOTS of it! That being said…do you want the good news or the bad news?

Bad news first it is! This place was one hot mess when I showed up. There was one line over here. There was one line over there. Not one sign was up letting you know where to get tickets,where to go if you had tickets… Most people in line started getting real frustrated (pissed!). When I finally got in I was almost immediately met by my good friend, Don Juan Gian Luca. The first words out of the Don’s mouth was, “This place sucks!”. There were no instructions on where things were, beer and food vendors were all kind of jumbled together. Without a good map or layout of a venue ,  it doesn’t allow the patron to form a good plan of attack. It was like teasing a bunch of caged rabid Peruvian spider monkeys and then letting them out of the cage. Let the ultra violence begin!

Now the good news. They were presenting some fantastic beer! Here are my top five in no particular order.

1. Amadeus

2. Phin and Matt’s Extraordinary Ale

3.  Jomo Lager

4. Wacko Summer Seasonal

5. Stockholm Premium Lager

All of these beers are fantastic! We’ll get a little deeper into flavor profiles and what breweries they are all represented by in some upcoming posts. I was also impressed by some of the food being passed out. I had never eaten a beer battered hot dog before, who knew?!  I now realize this ridiculous treasure is something I won’t be able to live without for the rest of my life. Those dogs were courtesy of my good friends at The Old Salty Dog.

All in all I had a great time. The beer was good, there was plenty of it. Once everyone got settled there was a great vibe in the air. Even Don Jun Gian Luca ended up having a good time.  This was more evident later on in the night when his smedium shirt came off and was being twirled over his head. The Don and my good friend, Tom Cruise, love the smedium size shirts. They purchase these at Gap Kids. That way they can get some shopping done and hit on all the hot moms!

Don Juan Gian Luca and his girlfriend...

Next year, if you get the chance swing by the 2nd Annual Sarasota Beer Festival. I’m sure they’ll have all the kinks worked out. The food was good, the beer selection was great and the people are real down to earth. Make sure you put it on your 2011 calender and as always… you’ll toast me later!

One of biggest trends in the world of liquor for the past ten years has been flavored vodkas. Vodka itself is  the top selling liquor on a worldwide level. There is a flavored vodka for just about everyone. Pomegranate, apple, acai berry and even bubble gum. That’s right bubble gum. Somewhere tonight a drunk sorority girl will let out a technicolor yawn into her best friends toilet and its gonna smell like juicy fruit!

A big trend in the flavored vodka market as of late has been sweet tea vodka. Now, I’m not a fan of sweet tea. In fact my very southern mom has considered me a bit of a disappointment because of this. When I was a kid the rational went as follows… tea rhymes with pee and anything that rhymes with pee can’t taste good! But lately I’ve been feeling like a bit of an outsider. Every bar I go to this stuff is selling like crazy. So I took it upon myself to sample a few.

I gotta be honest R.O.T.R. readers,  I didn’t care for most of them, but then I tried Original Mothers Sweet Tea Vodka. This stuff is good! Very smooth, very crisp and very mixable. The only thing I can come up with is that because Mothers is 60 proof instead of 70 or 80 it just goes down better. You can mix this with darn near anything or just sip it on the rocks. My friend Tom Cruise puts it in a tiny thimble and gets his party on (Tom Cruise short jokes just keep flowing out of me!).

I’m gonna throw you a quick recipe, but definitely go pick yourself up some Mothers…you’ll be toasting me later.

Southern Hospitality:

1 part Original Mothers Sweet Tea Vodka

2 parts Lemonade

Splash of Soda Water or sparkling water

Put it over ice and enjoy!

I recently purchased a Miller Lite Home Draft Keg from my local Total Wine (Total Wine is one of the best concepts man has ever created). I have to say I was a little leery of the promise of draft beer taste from what is primarily an over sized plastic beer bottle.

The instructions on the front, although not dummy proof, are fairly easy to follow. You have a carb and a pour spout on the front of a plastic shell that holds 5.7 liters of beer. When you are ready to pour you simply turn the carb to the left until you hear it start to click. Once it clicks, twist it just a few inches more and you should be ready for business.

R.O.T.R. readers , I have to give it to the people at Miller Lite, this is a great product. Not only is it designed to fit comfortably in a fridge, you can lug this bad boy anywhere. Tailgating, trips to the beach. that uncomfortable family get together we all have to attend at least once a year. It retails for about $18.99 and you get a nice amount of beer for your money. The only category where this product comes up a little short, much like my good friend Tom Cruise (Tom Cruise short joke #4…they just keep on coming!) is the claim of 30 days of freshness. I wouldn’t let it sit for 30 days, but that’s just me.

If your looking for a way to light up a gathering or you just have a long day of football ahead of you, pick up some Miller Lite Home Draft. You won’t be disappointed, you might get a healthy buzz, but definitely not disappointed.

I’m too old for keg stands.

About this time every year I start to get very excited. My family notices the extra spring in my step and there is a twinkle in my eye rivaling the one Tom Cruise gets when he gets new lifts for his big boy shoes (Tom Cruise short joke #3…ehh thank you very much).

The Epcot Food and Wine Festival is one month away… hallelujah…holy mouse!!! This will be my families 4th year going and I am ret-to-go! My wife first introduced me to the festival and I gotta be honest, I thought it was going to be LAME. “Seriously, a wine festival at Disney World is not my idea of a good time.”, I said. My wife assured me it was fantastic and wasn’t at all what I was expecting it to be. Now I have to be honest, I had never been to Epcot, so I had no basis for my bias. All the years playing in punk bands made me very  anti-corporate and tend to make you feel a lot cooler than you really are. I’m here to tell you eager readers  the Epcot Food and Wine festival ROCKS YOUR LAME BUTT!

Every country has a sampling of wine and food specific to the region. The cheese booth is really cool because you can go grab yourself a nice wine and pair it with a good cheese ( It’s clearly brie time baby! ). Now I know you beer fans are like, “what about us?”, brew guys and gals you are totally covered. They have beer tents that can cater to your every need. You want a beer from India? Done. Some suds from Norway? Drink up. Now, the common practice is to drink your way through every country. You buy a bracelet drink card, power it up with however much you would like to spend and set out to drink yourself around the world. That being said, nobody likes a drunk guy in pair of Mickey ears puking next to his kid. Don’t be that guy! Take a couple days and really take it all in.

There are some amazing restaurants in Epcot, in fact, I’ve yet to go to one that wasn’t good. There is nothing better than taking the day and really soaking up the culture around you and then ending up at the Biergarten in Germany, downing 1 litre of the Deutschland’s finest ale and tearing into some schnitzel and kraut. Its damn near heaven!

Obviously it’s at Epcot, so it is kid-friendly and you can also catch some pretty good deals with Disney on-site hotel rooms. The best thing about staying on Disney property is you don’t have to drive anywhere. So if you get the chance, put the Epcot Food and Wine festival on your “to-do list” this fall. You’ll be thanking me later.