Quick notes on a cigar that I got to smoke last weekend. Sorry for the lack of picture. I liked this smoke but it was a bloody monster. I retired it a little early in order to make some dinner. Allot yourself a good hour and a half for something this size, and make sure you're smoking on a full stomach otherwise you might end up on your ass.
Perfect deep chocolate brown wrapper, no visible seams or veins. Nice even draw with minimal resistance. Cocoa, leather, allspice and black pepper notes. Slate colored ash with plumes of gray smoke. Hints of licorice and sherry as you progress. A little trouble keeping this lit, not sure why. Worked really well with my latte. Great construction and flavor, awesome value for money in this; don't think it was more than 8 bucks.
Good luck!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Latest 5
Five of the latest beers I have reviewed. A look at a few English and English style beers, a new lager from Flying Monkey's that was previously an ale, and an excellent Hopfenweisse from Quebec. Stout fans who find themselves the Fuller's Black Cab should give it a try, it's an exceptional beer and in shameless self promotion; on tap at BRU. The Tailset Ginger Beer was really well crafted, beautiful balance between spice and beer. The Shawinigan Handshake a great example of craft beer at it's finest, revolutionary style and superbly well built.
Fuller's Black Cab Stout
500 mL bottle. Pours opaque black with a thin beige cap, dissipates quickly with little lacing. Nose is largely roasted malt, coffee, cocoa, licorice, a touch of strawberry and woodiness. Crisp and dry with only slight carbonation. Finish is slightly bitter with hop and roasted malt, with lingering fruity esters in the English style. A real treat of a stout, full flavor and low alcohol and beautifully harmonious.
Flying Monkey's Antigravity Lager
335 mL bottle. The lager version of their old Antigravity Ale. Pours clear and light yellow with a fine white head. Aroma is minimal, a touch of Eastern European hops in a floral, herbal touch but not much else. A slight hint of cereal sweetness, but it would surprise me to find that this contains any adjuncts. Clean, crisp and refreshing with no aftertaste. Mild and light bodied with full carbonation. not a bad lager by any stretch, just bland.
Fuller's Organic Honey Dew
500 mL bottle. Pours clear golden with a thin white head. Aromas of honey, biscuit, apricot and a touch of herb. A hint of honey sweetness, but otherwise fairly dry with only a touch of bittering hop. Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Not great, but certainly not bad.
Grand River Tailset Ginger Beer
500 mL bottle. Pours bronze with a foamy white head. Aroma is packed with ginger, lemongrass, herb and bready caramel malt. Imagine a very clean brown ale infused with ginger. Slightly sweet, but well balanced with ginger. Not much hop presence here, medium carbonation and body. Really enjoyed this beer, everything is very harmonious.
Le Trou du Diable Shawinigan Handshake
600 mL bottle. Pours a very cloudy peach nectar color with a splotchy white head. Leaves some serious lacing. Aromas of apricot, banana, baking bread and piney hop. Bone dry with a hint of yeasty tartness, bright and fragrant; full carbonation and light to medium body. A lingering fruitiness and hop bite on the tongue. Very good, dangerously drinkable.
As per usual:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/
Fuller's Black Cab Stout
500 mL bottle. Pours opaque black with a thin beige cap, dissipates quickly with little lacing. Nose is largely roasted malt, coffee, cocoa, licorice, a touch of strawberry and woodiness. Crisp and dry with only slight carbonation. Finish is slightly bitter with hop and roasted malt, with lingering fruity esters in the English style. A real treat of a stout, full flavor and low alcohol and beautifully harmonious.
Flying Monkey's Antigravity Lager
335 mL bottle. The lager version of their old Antigravity Ale. Pours clear and light yellow with a fine white head. Aroma is minimal, a touch of Eastern European hops in a floral, herbal touch but not much else. A slight hint of cereal sweetness, but it would surprise me to find that this contains any adjuncts. Clean, crisp and refreshing with no aftertaste. Mild and light bodied with full carbonation. not a bad lager by any stretch, just bland.
Fuller's Organic Honey Dew
500 mL bottle. Pours clear golden with a thin white head. Aromas of honey, biscuit, apricot and a touch of herb. A hint of honey sweetness, but otherwise fairly dry with only a touch of bittering hop. Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Not great, but certainly not bad.
Grand River Tailset Ginger Beer
500 mL bottle. Pours bronze with a foamy white head. Aroma is packed with ginger, lemongrass, herb and bready caramel malt. Imagine a very clean brown ale infused with ginger. Slightly sweet, but well balanced with ginger. Not much hop presence here, medium carbonation and body. Really enjoyed this beer, everything is very harmonious.
Le Trou du Diable Shawinigan Handshake
600 mL bottle. Pours a very cloudy peach nectar color with a splotchy white head. Leaves some serious lacing. Aromas of apricot, banana, baking bread and piney hop. Bone dry with a hint of yeasty tartness, bright and fragrant; full carbonation and light to medium body. A lingering fruitiness and hop bite on the tongue. Very good, dangerously drinkable.
As per usual:
http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
WVRST
Toronto sometimes seems like an endless sprawl of ever changing restaurants. It can be tough for those who live outside the city to keep informed about the places that are currently trending downtown, let alone make it out to any of them. I try my damnedest to stay in the loop, but sometimes it takes months for me to make it to TO to head to a hot spot. Sunday gave us a great opportunity to head to WVRST, self described as a "sausage hall and other wonders". Inspired by German beer halls, WVRST features the staple communal tables and is modernized by 'order at the counter' style service and loft like decor.
.JPG)
Hopfenstark Saison Station 7
750 mL bottle. Pours golden with a thin white cap. Aromas of herb, tea, earthy minerality and yeasty spice. Mild and well balanced with old world hop bitterness. Medium bodied with full carbonation.
A great place to stop for a quick bite to eat, or an interesting destination for an afternoon of beer sampling!
Dinner for three with rare beer, draft cider and tip $130.
WVRST
wvrst.com
609 King St. W
Toronto
.JPG)
Take a walk up to the cashier in the far corner of the building to place your order. The menu is strikingly simple, in essence one has three choices; sausage, fries, sausage and fries. Tough choice, I know, but please don't feel limited! They have 16 varieties of sausage to choose from, including game meat, vegetarian and heritage breed pork. All of the meat options are gluten free. They serve your choice of sausage in one of two styles; on a bun (with 2 free condiments!) or 'currywurst' (over a slab of rough bread with curry sauce). Even the fries have options, select regular or duck fat fried, then plain or dirty. Dirty fries come smothered in fried peppers, caramelized onions and WVRST special sauce, while regular come with a complementary side of dip (of which there are over 10 types). For those of you keeping track, that's actually 165 menu items based on combinations of sausage servings, fry servings and sausage and fry servings alone, yet to mention the toppings and dips! All the sausages are made in house, meticulously seasoned and cooked to doneness, not dryness. My rabbit sausage was juicy and a touch spicy, the duck and foie gras juicy and aggressively foie flavored, and the Tamworth pig well seasoned if lacking a little bit of fat. The duck fat fries are exceptionally tasty, and stay crispy well beyond the length of time it takes you to finish your sausage.
WVRST also features a beer list that will make even connoisseurs happy. Rare and large bottle formats from Cantillon, Hopfenstark, La Trou du Diable, Panil and Bruton. Draft offerings from all the popular Ontario craft breweries, German staples, and more exclusive goodies like Bellwoods, House Ales, Dieu du Ciel and Urthel. We thoroughly enjoyed rare 100% Organic Geueze from Cantillon, and Hopfenstark Saison Station 7, but excuse my brief notes, it's hard to eat and record these things.
Cantillion 100% Organic Geueze
350 mL bottle. Aromas of chamomile, lemon zest, fresh cut grass and yeasty brett funk. Bone dry with plenty of sourness and a distinct barnyard aftertaste with a touch of hops. Complex and well built.Hopfenstark Saison Station 7
750 mL bottle. Pours golden with a thin white cap. Aromas of herb, tea, earthy minerality and yeasty spice. Mild and well balanced with old world hop bitterness. Medium bodied with full carbonation.
A great place to stop for a quick bite to eat, or an interesting destination for an afternoon of beer sampling!
Dinner for three with rare beer, draft cider and tip $130.
WVRST
wvrst.com
609 King St. W
Toronto
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)