Just A Taste

Last night, we had our good friends, The Hallions, over for drinks and dinner.  I wanted to try something different and thought that a beer tasting could be a great way to try some of the unique, seasonal beers that seem to pop up everywhere this time of year. Throughout the fall-winter months, you see a mass producing of seasonal beers, and while I always want to try them, I never know where to start.

For our beer tasting, we went to our local liquor store where you are able to purchase individual bottles of beer ($1-$3/beer).  If you want to recreate this at home, I suggest buying the beer this way, as buying 6-packs of several beers (some of which you might not like), will be costly.

We went with all pumpkin flavored beers because this is the closest thing I can think of to grown up Trick-Or-Treating, and I genuinely like anything pumpkin flavored this time of year. Other options could be Octoberfest or Christmas Ales (in month or so)...or you could always use only locally brewed beer, or beers by your favorite brewer. 

Here are the beers that we tasted (in no order):

• Smutty Nose Pumpkin Ale
• Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat
• Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
• Shipyard Pumpkin Ale
• Rivertown Pumpkin Ale

We agreed as a group that we had to vote on our favorites and rank them in order as went.  Things we were "tasting for": best pumpkin flavor, drinkability (could you have more than one), most unique taste, best smell. 

The results: 

Honestly, it was really fun. And engaging.  It was a great way to try new beers for little to no cost, and to hear what everyone looks for in their drink of choice. Plus, we had Cory's awesome guacamole to eat and Justin's enchiladas in the ovens (the boys really are the better cooks).  Overall it was something different to try and a fun way to enjoy staying in with friends. Now for the rankings...

1. Shipyard Pumpkin Ale (brewed in Portland, Maine)-- Best overall taste and drinkability, and the most creative bottle
2. Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat (brewed in St. Louis, Missouri)-- A very close second.  Probably the best pumpkin taste, but could be a little strong for some people
3. Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale (brewed in Golden, Colorado)-- Pretty similar to the traditional Blue Moon taste that people love, just with more spices
4. Smutty Nose Pumpkin Ale (brewed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire)-- Great smell, very drinkable, but slightly bitter
5. Rivertown Pumpkin Ale (brewed in Lockland, Ohio)-- Voted last by the group; this beer was still a good beer, but lacked the overall flavors that the others who topped it had

Cigar Bar

In the first of what I am calling the "Man Cave" posts, we are bringing you our review of one of our mutual loves, cigars.  I have no shame in admitting just how much I love cigars.  I especially love them in the summer and fall (perfect timing)...sitting outside, having a drink, cooking on the grill.  Perfection. Now we both know that cigars are not for everyone, so we completely understand if you skip this post all together.  But as we want to appeal to both male and female readers, hopefully there are a few of your out there who want to know more...

And now I turn it over to J (and by turn it over to J, I mean that I am still writing and he is answering, because as he put it "I can't just spit out a bunch of words on the spot":

What do you look for in a good cigar?
Handmade (hand rolled, not machine made),  Robusto size (length of cigar), and torpedo tip.  I also like full flavored cigars, and cigars that are typically about 45 minutes- 1 hour smoke, which is what the Robusto is (J then says, "Tell them I have ADD and can't do anything for more than an hour"...good point).

What brands do you recommend for the first time cigar smoker?
You can't go wrong with the name brands, for example Oliva, Macanudo, & Romeo and Juliet. Start with determining what your looking for, mild vs. strong, full flavored, sugar tipped, etc. Look for a price point of $8-$12.   You can generally get a good cigar for $6-$8 though, no need to spend a lot on your first purchases.

Also, J wanted to recommend good cigars for the gold course: Churchill (long and burns well, lasts through the round).  If your looking to smoke for the entire game, you are probably going to need 1 for each of the 9 holes.

What countries do you think make the best cigars?
Dominican Republic and Nicaragua (Cubans are overrated)

What is your favorite memory of smoking a cigar?
Being with friends and you (and he can include me here because as evident in the photos below, I clearly love a good stogie).

(From Top to Bottom: Me in Punta Cana on our Honeymoon; J and Me in Gatlinburg, Jr. year of college, baby days; J on our Honeymoon enjoying the Domincan cigars; Me and one of my best friends Kim at Margot's wedding; Me on the night we got engaged in Florida :); J's current cigar collection; J at the cigar factory in Punta Cana, learning how to roll)

And we will leave you with this quote..."This is either going to be a success or we're going to have a great story to tell." (TFM).

This was written on the humidor that Justin's groomsmen gave him on our wedding night.  Love the quote, love cigars, and love all the memories featured above!