The Bar - Beer, Wine & Spirits.

[kokakolia]

Hey, are there any mixologists out there!?

 

This will be a rant on the classic cocktail called the Negroni. 

 

The drink has 3 ingredients: 1 part gin, 1 part fortified wine (usually red) and 1 part Campari. Add a zest of orange in the end. 

 

You’d think that you’d taste the 3 ingredients in the cocktail and that somehow the flavours would mingle. For example, the sweetness of the fortified wine *should theoretically* counteract the bitterness of the Campari. But no. All you taste is Campari. You can mix Campari with anything, and all you’re gonna be left with is Campari. And Campari just tastes like bitter berries with a dash of artificial cherry flavour (think cough syrup).

 

It’s like whenever I make a Negroni, I wonder why I shouldn’t just be drinking Campari straight out of the bottle. What’s the point of mixing anything with Campari!? Heck, you could piss into a Campari cocktail and you’d still only taste Campari.

 

/rant

[Virus__]

On 29/03/2018 at 12:00 PM, kokakolia said:

Hey, are there any mixologists out there!?

 

This will be a rant on the classic cocktail called the Negroni. 

 

The drink has 3 ingredients: 1 part gin, 1 part fortified wine (usually red) and 1 part Campari. Add a zest of orange in the end. 

 

You’d think that you’d taste the 3 ingredients in the cocktail and that somehow the flavours would mingle. For example, the sweetness of the fortified wine *should theoretically* counteract the bitterness of the Campari. But no. All you taste is Campari. You can mix Campari with anything, and all you’re gonna be left with is Campari. And Campari just tastes like bitter berries with a dash of artificial cherry flavour (think cough syrup).

 

It’s like whenever I make a Negroni, I wonder why I shouldn’t just be drinking Campari straight out of the bottle. What’s the point of mixing anything with Campari!? Heck, you could piss into a Campari cocktail and you’d still only taste Campari.

 

/rant

Well at least you're not tasting the gin I guess

[Volbet]

A friend of mine came by yesterday with some rum:

 

The one on the left is a really nice mix of Spanish and Caribbean rum. Very deep oaky taste with a hint of sweet caramel. 

The right one is a 12 years aged Dominican rum. Unfortunatly, I haven't tasted it yet. According to my friend it's a lot sweeter than the other one and with less of an aged taste.  

[Virus__]

Ahh, so we finally got the local spiced rum in at work on Thursday! It's pretty expensive. But, it tastes pretty amazing (I had it that night at a mates bar). Might buy a bottle in the coming weeks I think.

[Virus__]

Found a liquor store selling the newest release from local brewers Balter, their Strong Pale Ale, which imo. Is going to be their best & will be a go to favourite over their XPA for me when I can find it on tap when out. Very similar to The Grunion Pale Ale by San Diego brewers Ballast Point, with that upfront maltiness, fruity middle & bitter finish. Very refreshing & very tasty, also highly aromatic!

 

I also decided to give the Imperial India Pale Ale by another local  brewer Fixation Brewing a bash, second time having an IIPA, this was rather nice. Very smooth, very floral/fruity due to the simcoe, citra & moasic hops used. Could easily have a few, but after a few I think i'd be done given they're 8.2% each ha.

[Virus__]

Sending a collection of awesome local beers to a friend in Newfoundland. It's so hard not to drink all of these because they're all too tasty damn it.

 

[Ithanul]

Hmmm, not really into beer (tried several and still can't find one I like - not into hops, so a lot of beer is a turn off for me).

Though, I do like Angry Orchard cider.  But, my most favorite drink is to take rum (usually the Kraken) and cranberry to mix in with some good Mexician coka-cola.

 

Also, I like vodka and tequila.  The smoother, the better.  Especially Mojitos.

I did come across a whiskey I like.  Can't remember the exact name, but is was a Canadian one.  Smooth, but still had slight burn.

 

Looks at all the posts on rum.....drools.  Darn it, now I want rum.

[Virus__]

1 hour ago, Ithanul said:

Hmmm, not really into beer (tried several and still can't find one I like - not into hops, so a lot of beer is a turn off for me).

Though, I do like Angry Orchard cider.  But, my most favorite drink is to take rum (usually the Kraken) and cranberry to mix in with some good Mexician coka-cola.

 

Also, I like vodka and tequila.  The smoother, the better.  Especially Mojitos.

I did come across a whiskey I like.  Can't remember the exact name, but is was a Canadian one.  Smooth, but still had slight burn.

 

Looks at all the posts on rum.....drools.  Darn it, now I want rum.

You want a beer that is dry hopped, hopped in the early stages with the wort, overly hopping beers in the wort stage usually leaves it bitter & not overly nice, but some are into that. But saying that dry hopping can also produce the same result, depends on the hops. Cascade hops are the trendy one last few years, leaving a passion fruit summery aroma & taste to the beer. But tbh, fruit infused beers might be your thing, there are some awesome cheat ales out there infused with the likes of cherries & lime.

 

The one in the glass bottle I posted above is an American style cherry wheat ale infused with local river mint & finger limes. It's so good. Reminds me of the Ballast Point Sea Rose, which is one of my faves.

[BirdyTheMighty]

the only thing i really drink is peroni, asahi black and corona, since of my lets say health condition i cant really drink too much, cant drink anything stronger then asahi black really soo... things like craft beer is out of the question.

[Ithanul]

16 hours ago, Virus__ said:

The one in the glass bottle I posted above is an American style cherry wheat ale infused with local river mint & finger limes. It's so good. Reminds me of the Ballast Point Sea Rose, which is one of my faves.

Hmmm, may give that one a go.  I do like mint and lime, reason I dig Mojitos.

So, the one stating Stone Wood on its front?  Is that a local one to Austrailia or one that can be found in the States?

[Virus__]

4 hours ago, Ithanul said:

Hmmm, may give that one a go.  I do like mint and lime, reason I dig Mojitos.

So, the one stating Stone Wood on its front?  Is that a local one to Austrailia or one that can be found in the States?

Most likely exclusive to Australia as they're an independent craft brewer, one of our larger ones however & sadly that one The Gatherer was a limited release, I can't find any more bottles for sale & I live about 20 minutes from their 2nd brewery

But Ballast Point out of San Diego have a really nice similar wheat ale with tart cherry & pomegranate. I really like that one, but I now can't get it in Australia since work has decided to stop selling it & importing it & we are the sole importers of Ballast Point here..

[Virus__]

20 hours ago, BirdyTheMighty said:

the only thing i really drink is peroni, asahi black and corona, since of my lets say health condition i cant really drink too much, cant drink anything stronger then asahi black really soo... things like craft beer is out of the question.

There are plenty of craft beers that are applicable! Basically the only things that won't be applicable are a lot of dark/stout-like beers, IPA, Double IPA & Strong Pale Ales, given Asahi Black is 5.5% ABV, you're pretty safe really when it comes to craft, craft is mostly about flavour, not high ABV, some of my more favourites are quite low in ABV, approaching 4% ABV. One of my current favourites is Coopers Session Ale (their newest addition to their classic line up) which is 4.2% and it's awesome, another is Ballast Point Sea Rose, an American Wheat Ale with Tart Cherry & Pomegranate & from memory it's only 4%, but is packed full of flavour & isn't watery like a lot of beers approaching 4% can be!

But honestly you have a lot of choice! I would highly recommend, a tropical/summer style pale ale though since it won't be too hard hitting in strong flavour & strength, but won't be watery, something like Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, Mountain Goat Summer Ale, Burleigh Brewing Tropical Pale Ale, Coopers Session Ale, James Squire Tropical Pale or Gage Roads Single Fin Summer Ale. They are all around 4.2-4.5% ABV, so similar to Corona in strength (4.5%). Though they aren't lagers like Peroni & Corona are, but they have that summery flavour that a lot of people like here in Australia. I think a good example is Stone & Wood Pacific Ale came in at #2 in the GABS hottest 100 craft beers for 2017 (#1 was taken out by Balter & their XPA) and in 2015/2016 Stone & Wood took out #1 & then 2011-2014 came in at #2. So that Pacific Ale style beer is probably a safe bet imo.

 

Also if you can't drink anything too strong for medical reasons & want to give IPA's a go, I highly recommend checking out the session versions that a lot of craft breweries now do of an IPA, Pirate Life Throwback IPA I think it's 3.8%, it has the flavour & body of their 6.8% IPA, but without the massive hit that their full strength brings, the same with Ballast Point Even Keel Session IPA. I also hear very good things about Bridge Roads Little Bling mid strength IPA.

 

Also there's other mids like Gage Roads 3.5 Pils or Little Creatures Rogers which is an amber ale.

 

There is plenty of choice out there if you want to try any of it! Also Corona are launching a mid strength beer, they've just launched it in Queensland as of a few weeks back. I'm amazed it took them this long to bring such to market in Australia, since this country LOVES its mid strength beers, XXXX Gold is probably my best seller with Carlton Mid, Great Northern Super Crisp & Iron Jack not far behind it.

[Ithanul]

11 hours ago, Virus__ said:

Most likely exclusive to Australia as they're an independent craft brewer, one of our larger ones however & sadly that one The Gatherer was a limited release, I can't find any more bottles for sale & I live about 20 minutes from their 2nd brewery

But Ballast Point out of San Diego have a really nice similar wheat ale with tart cherry & pomegranate. I really like that one, but I now can't get it in Australia since work has decided to stop selling it & importing it & we are the sole importers of Ballast Point here..

I may check on the base then.  They tend to sometimes import some brands that the local chains don't import into the States.  Or World Market, they sometimes got a few as well (still a bit piss they stop importing an Sweden cider I got hooked on when I was in Britain for a few weeks).

[Virus__]

26 minutes ago, Ithanul said:

I may check on the base then.  They tend to sometimes import some brands that the local chains don't import into the States.  Or World Market, they sometimes got a few as well (still a bit piss they stop importing an Sweden cider I got hooked on when I was in Britain for a few weeks).

Yeah that's the problem. I can't see why they wouldn't have an export market, given Stone & Wood is one of our larger independent craft brewers next to Gage Roads & Coopers.

[Dredgy]

Running out old wines at my restaurant to make way for a brand new wine list.

 

La Maschera Rose of Granaxia (Rose of Grenache). Vintage 2016, Barossa Valley, South Australia.

At a price point of sub $20 ($11 wholesale), this is a dry rose, delightful acidity. Tastes of strawberries and cream. Punches well above its weight.

 

Also it's been a big week, so I'm having it by the beer glass

[Virus__]

On 14/04/2018 at 10:15 PM, Dredgy said:

Running out old wines at my restaurant to make way for a brand new wine list.

 

La Maschera Rose of Granaxia (Rose of Grenache). Vintage 2016, Barossa Valley, South Australia.

At a price point of sub $20 ($11 wholesale), this is a dry rose, delightful acidity. Tastes of strawberries and cream. Punches well above its weight.

 

Also it's been a big week, so I'm having it by the beer glass

 

It looks like a nice dry rosé too. Sounds pretty good. I find it funny a lot of people think rosé's are this insanely sweet wine. Which it's usually not the case.

[Virus__]

Decided to mostly lay off drinking the last week (had a few ciders after work a few nights that was it). Similar story this week, but felt like a beer on my day off, so I popped into Dan Murphy's for one of their members specials & decided to grab their James Squire deal $13 for a 6 pack which is a bargain considering where I work the same 6 pack is $25, thanks Federal & State Government for the taxes, ya jerks.

 

But this is one of the nicer beers they do imo. I think the only beer of theirs I have not had is their porter, might try that next.

 

[Virus__]

We got this new line of cider in at work on Monday, decided I needed to give them a go, since I will try anything once. They're pretty damn good, and cheap $12 for the 4 pack at 8%, it tastes pretty good to be honest. You don't really taste the chilli, it's there but very subtly. I would recommend trying these. I hope we get the rest of this line at work, because the others sound just as good.

 

[Virus__]

Just saw this article this morning about craft beer taxes in Aus and how the federal gov't is going to axe them. About time.

 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/craft-beer-tax-axed-in-federal-budget

 

Quote

A bizarre beer tax that slugs craft brewers 40 per cent more for using smaller kegs will be axed in the federal budget.

A two-tier tax system means draught beer sold in 50 litre kegs are currently taxed at $34 a litre, but beers in kegs under 30 litres are slugged $49 a litre.

"This is unfair for smaller brewery businesses," Treasurer Scott Morrison said in a statement on Friday.

 

The federal budget will extend concessional draught beer excises to smaller kegs, and increase the amount beverage companies can claim back.

Alcohol manufacturers can currently claim a refund of 60 per cent in the excise duty paid on beer and spirits of up to $30,000 a year.

This will increase to $100,000 from July 1 next year, and apply to all brewers and distillers for the first time.

"This not only champions the craft brewers that we've all grown to love, it raises a very tantalising prospect for Australians: the likelihood of cheaper craft beer," Mr Morrison said.

 

"These brewers are predominantly small businesses and could benefit both from the increase to the excise refund cap and extended access to the concessional draught beer excise rate."

 

Opposition frontbencher Penny Wong said it was a grand idea, which the coalition pinched from her Labor colleague Anthony Albanese.

"I think it's a good idea, and it's Albo's idea," Senator Wong told the Nine Network.

Mr Albanese described the "common sense change" as a victory for people power.

"Craft brewers deserve to operate on a level playing field with the big multinational beer brands," he said.

"And beer drinkers should pay the same regardless of what brand of beer they enjoy."

There are about 380 craft brewers across Australia employing about 2400 people.

This won't mean cheaper craft beer I dare say, but it should mean these craft breweries will retain more profits which will allow them to invest more into their production lines & what beers they do, which honestly i'm fine with. Good beer here is just as expensive as mass produced commercial stuff for the most part really. So more power to the small guys.

 

Edit: I don't think that's the right info in the article stating $49/L on kegs <30L, more like $49 per keg <30L & $34 per 50L keg.

[DeLorian]

Are there fans of IPA's? I'm digging them.

[Alysism]

12 hours ago, DeLorian said:

Are there fans of IPA's? I'm digging them.

I've actually been going through a series of local IPAs around my area (Pacific Northwest) and man, they are pretty hit-or-miss for me.

It's usually "Wow, there is so much hops it hurts" or "Wow, this is so smooth I hardly taste the hops". There's a few stand-outs that are just a huge breath of flavour that I have to give them a tip of the cap.

Kappa IPA by Elysian Brewing is one of my summertime favourites. It tastes like how a freshwater river glistening in the sun looks. That's the only basis of comparison I have, but I like it.

 

I actually had a period of tasting various Porters and Stouts and a local taproom told us of a brewery that makes beers using Breakfast Cereal as yeasts and iut gives the beer crazy flavours. We had one that tatsed like Reese's Puffs. Go figure, they brewed it with Reese's Puffs.

[Virus__]

Ah, so my area manager dropped this off for me yesterday as a thank you for steeping up this last week at work when we had the very unexpected death of one of our managers. Was really nice of him to do that, even more so since it's easily my favourite IPA in our store and possibly one of my all time favourites!

 

[Guest]

 

Some Sixpoint brews I just picked up.

[Guest]

 

Recent haul.

[Zannah]

My favorite beer right now is Grasshopper from Big Rock Brewery. Otherwise I like my red wine or spiced rum and fireball in a glass of root beer.