Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo.....the last four of the challenge

Tonight is Halloween.  What a better way to spend the evening, passing out candy and drinking pumpkin beer while I eat pizza and watch Dracula--the one with Jack Palance.

The last four beers for the challenge are, Dundee Octoberfest, (also not really a pumpkin but very nice).  Jacque Au Lantern, Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash and the last, Cisco brewers Pumple Drumkin.  

First let us tackle the Dundee Octoberfest.  A rich hearty beer.  Tangy, light and crisp, very little after taste and no bitterness.  Ready to go and enjoy. 

Second, Jacques Au Lantern.  fuller and richer with a longer finish.  Malty with just the right amount of spice for the season.  I could enjoy this all year round.  

The third round tonight was the Pumple Drumkin by Cisco.  This has about the right amount of spice, pumpkin flavors and rich, creamy body.  Easy to drink and very enjoyable.   Like having pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top. 

The very last offering of the challenge goes to....Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash.  This stout is such a departure from the previous.  What can I say.  I was surprised and excited to have this.  The rich dark black liquid gives off such wonderful fragrances and such a light crisp flavor. full of dark chocolate and coffee with , is that cedar?  Not at all what I was expecting.  To top it off ....is that pulp in there.  Yes, I think it is, what an addition to the flavor.  A little extra protein to go with it.  Definitely the winner of the evening  Maybe not to every one's desire, but something I would like to try again.  Smash it up buddy..

Look at that rich dark color.  

Enjoy

Third time is the winner, or so they say.

So last night was the third round of my pumpkin beer challenge.  I was by myself  and it was late so I was only able to sample two.
I was not able to write about them last night as it was after midnight and I was very tired.  But here I am tonight, Halloween, with nothing better to do than watch old horror movies and drink and talk about beer.  Ha.

So to finish last night.   My two offerings were Harpoon Pumpkin Cider and Buffalo Bills Original Pumpkin Ale.
I enjoyed both of them but I must say the pumpkin cider was the surprise.
First lets talk about Buffalo Bills.  A fine example of pumpkin beer.  Smooth and easy, but with a tendency to the bitter side.  The pumpkin flavor was mild at best, especially after having some of the over spiced items from the first few nights. Still a very nice easy beer.
The second of the night was the Harpoon Apple cider.  Very nice surprise, but I have to admit not a pumpkin.  The flavor was so much of apple cider all of the correct spices.  A reminder that apple pie is also one of the top flavors of the season.  I would definitely enjoy this brew again.  Not really in a pumpkin challenge though.
Enjoy

a not so bad way to end an evening. 

Another round of trick or treating Pumpkin Beer round 2

Joy, Joy, Joy.  Tonight I had not 2 but 4 pumpkin beers.  Each of which were very different in character and a great divide from last night too.

The first one was Shipyard Pumpkin Head, then on to Dogfish head Punkin Ale.  That finished round 1, then on to round two.  Long Trail Pumpkin Punk'n .

The Shipyard was so soft and smooth, absolutely no bitterness at all.  Semi sweet with lots of pumpkin juice.  Very small hint of spice, not like last night which were total spice bombs. 

Dogfish had the least of the pumpkin flavor actually.  The flavor reminded me more of a pumpkin souffle not a pumpkin pie.  Lovely, light and soft.

The Longtrail offering was also lite and elegant. Just hints of spice, cinnamon, and brown sugar.  More hints of a brown sugar pop tart with hints of pumpkin. 

The Uinta pumpkin was also soft and elegant.  No bitterness and easy to drink. The beer had very small hints of pumpkin with just the right amount of spice.  Easy to drink with a rewarding mouth. 

Enjoy them all and let me know what you think.
By the way, my wife helped me drink through these tonight!  So if you were thinking I finished all four myself,  well.....

Dogfish Head

The Shipyard 

Longtrail and Uinta.

Its the Great Punkin Charlie Brown, Punkin Beer that is

My favorite time of year. The fall, all the leaves changing color, a little nip in the air.  All the fall seasonal beer comes out. The Pumpkin ones especially. Makes me all warm and fuzzy.  Pumpkin beer time is special.  This is the biggest season for specialty beer.  A few years ago, pumpkin beer was something extremely rare.  Very few had it and those that did, did not taut it so much.  Now, every one and their dog has a pumpkin beer.  Some are magnificent and some do not need to be mentioned.  

My Halloween this year will consist of handing candy to a bunch of youth as they migrate through the neighborhood -trick or treat.  I will of course be enjoying some of my favorite beer, pumpkin of course.  

So that brings me to the challenge, 12 beers to be consumed and discussed before Halloween.  I think I am up to the challenge, so follow along.  Maybe even tell me about some of your favorites. 

So now let's go.

The first beer tonight is Pumking by Southern Tier.   A well known and very well liked beer.  One of the best selling of all seasonal beers. 

The aroma is enticing to say the least. Spice hits you straight out.  Allspice that is.  Reminding me of the Thanksgiving pies and the pot-pouri that my wife sets on the stove every holiday.  The flavor is slightly sweet and again very all spicy, with hints of cinnamon.  A very delightful beer, easy to drink and enjoyable. Like drinking down the pumpkin pie.

The second beer tonight is the Pumpkick by New Belgium.  This is the first time I have tried this beer and what a nice addition to my repertoire.  Again, nice spices,cinnamon, nutmeg all the traditional holiday spices, the aroma reminds me again of pumpkin pie (I see a trend already starting).  This one though also adds a little zest, in the form of hints of citrus.  A nice addition.  The review suggests cranberry, I did not pick this up, so if it is there it is very slight, adding to the dimensions.  A nice kick in the pants to get the Halloween week started.  

Enjoy. 

The Pumpkick by New Belgium

Pumking by Southern tier

A quick look at the challenge.  

Damn Fine Wine

Yes I have written about #Chateau De Nage Buti Nage before. But damnit I can't help it this a a damn fine wine.  Winemaker and owner #Michele Gassier offers this opulent
Beauty.  Folks I can't tell you how fantastic this wine is.  Bountiful nose with floral notes, the mouth is fruit forward and soft. Hints of cherry, deep ripe red fruits, licorice and finished off with soft supple tannins. Just wonderful.
Enjoy one of my favorites and right at 10$ what a bargain.
Enjoy

CH Casyera 2008 Hot Damn I Hit the Hackpot

Baldacci IV Sons and the Outer Body Experience....

So continuing on this journey of higher end Cabernet, I have found the Baldacci IV Sons 2009. 

What an extraordinary wine.  The wine is actually a blend selected from the very best juice.  Baldacci winery is situated in the heart of Stags Leap, just to give you a reference and an idea of the quality we are talking about.  A small family owned winery producing high quality wines under the guidance of winemaker Rolando Herrera.  Yes that Rolando.  Owner of Mi Sueno winery and  well known in circles that follow Paul Hobbs.  I was lucky enough to visit the winery a couple of years ago and was given a barrel tasting of their much in demand cabernet. YUM.  Anyway, the IV sons does not disappoint on any level.  The rich aromas that rise from the glass, dark rich ripe fruits and a floral bouquet.  Cherry, and plum fill your senses.  When you fill your mouth with this liquid you think you have died and gone to heaven.  What a deep rich wine with so many levels.  Again, the deep red fruits, followed with hints of licorice, chocolate and then when you thought is was over...pop, slight hints of a garni bouqet. The wine just keeps on giving too.  The finish is long, but no undesireable vicious tannins to overtake.  This wine is made to enoy NOW, with or without protien to bind it.   What have I just done to myself, moved into another dimension of course.  This type of wine is only produced by a winemaker  who is reaches for the stars in the farthest galaxy and provides us a little pleasure as we enjoy the trip too.    At $45, not bad for this kind of experience.  The best ladies of Vegas cannot offer this much pleasure for the price.  Yep, I went there.   Oh my you must try this outer body experience.

Enjoy

Kapcsandy Endre Napa 2009

Can I tell you a story of one of the finest wines ever.  This is the "lower" end of the Kapscandy production.  At $70.00 what a low end.  The owner of the vineyard Lou Kapscandy is retired from NASA.  The great story goes that he and his wife upon retirement decided to fulfill a dream and open a winery.  Used to the best of Bordeaux they set about finding the winemaker that can make their dream come true.  First their friends at NASA helped them map their vineyards (yes NASA helped) so they could get the maximum amount of sun all year round.  Then finding one of the best winemakers, the legendary Helen Turley to make the first vintage.  An award winning wine.  The current winemaker has moved the wine itself into legendary status.  Denis Malbec , born and raised at Ch Latour, can you even imagine being born and rasied at Ch Latour, what an education.  The offspring of generations of winemakers at Ch Latour, he brought that knowledge with him.  The Kapscandy is a true domestic Bordeaux.  The wine has been consistent high scoring feature of the market.  

The wine offers so many depths.  The nose just blows you away with fragrance.  Cherry, spring flowers (violets), rounded out with a little earthiness.  The mouth gives you so much also.  Fruit intensity, cherry, strawberry, and then yes you get it, some spice and hints of what is that sage,  rosemary and thyme?  yes I think that's right.  Add to that some coffee notes and tobacco and you have one of the most complex wines created.  

At 70$ not an everyday wine but oh so worth the gift on a special occasion.  

Enjoy, I know I will. 

I have a crush, Dreaming Tree Crush

It is true I have a crush on this wine.  This is an exciting red blend from wine maker Steve Reeder, in conjunction with musician Dave Matthews.  I am loving red blends these days. Of course Bordeaux wines are the first red blends and this wine pays tribute to them.
The nose is just beautiful.  Lots of red fruit aromas waft into the nostril and titillate the senses.
The mouth is full and luscious.  The flavors of cherry, strawberry coat the tongue.  Dark rich ripe fruit encases your mouth with a lingering finish with a slight hint of smoky wood, just a hint.  A little spice adds to the depth and pushes the wine over the limit.
This wine just keeps your senses on edge waiting for the next surprise.  What can I say.  Dreaming Tree Crush delivers on every level.
Enjoy

Just a wonderful easy wine to fall in love with

My Hof ..Your Hof...Messina Hof

As most of you know I recently returned home to Texas for a week.  While I was there I picked up a few Texas wines.  Texas may not be known as the wine capital of the US, but really what goes better with a hearty Texas steak than a great bottle of wine.  And, a Texas wine is even better.  Let's face it, wine is not just grown on the west coast.  Great wines can come from just about anywhere.  Texas  has the advantage of the climate. Very similar to Spain, arid but with wet Springs.  The settlers of Texas came from all over Europe and brought with them their tastes in wine.  Some hearty dry reds and sweet whites.  Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Irish and French.  All influenced the culture and make up of Texas and part of that is of course the great food and wines that they cultivated.  Many people think of Texas as the home of BBQ and TEX-MEX, true but not all.  The coast shows off with seafood. The Texas longhorn fed beef to the country.  German food dominates in the hill country area, along with some great beer (Shiner). You can get fantastic Italian food and cajun/creole in east Texas.  Recent immigrants have shared the pleasures of Asian food.  All of this great food melds  together in Texas.  It is not uncommon to see a burrito stand that also serves schnitzel.  A true culture melting pot.  All of this food requires something to follow it off.  Tonight of course I am talking about wine.  More specifically Messina Hof Cabernet Barrel Reserve 2012.

Messina Hof winery is located in my home town of Bryan Texas.  

I have a special fondness for this winery.  The first wine I  ever drank (not counting Boone's Farm , which I promptly threw up after drinking the bottle), was Papa Paulo's port. And my desire for good wine was planted.  This cabernet is one of the finest domestic cabs around under 15.  The nose is bountiful with lots of fresh  fruit hitting the senses right off the bat.  None of that cooked fruit smell you get from some cabs.  The cherry, and strawberry fans your nose  and reminds you of a Spring morning in the garden.  Wow and the mouth just is robust and bountiful.  Full of fruit.  This wine is packin baby.  The rich dark fruits are splendid.  My mouth is still watering and begging for more.  My tongue is tingling with the sensation of tasting something special.  What can I say, this is damn good stuff.  The tannins are there but do not take over the wine, leaving you with a pleasing long finish.  

Tonight I paired this full bodied wine with .... what else, a spicy bean soup.  Cooked all day in a crock pot with salt, pepper,garlic, onion, bacon (again what are beans without bacon).  My addition is adobe powder and rotel tomatoes.  Spicy but really good.  Great with this cabernet. 

Enjoy

A little bit of spice on your life.

The 2012 Messina Hof Barrel reserve

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner,.....with a little torrontes to help out

Ahh, I do like chicken dinner.  Aided by some Phebus Torrontes To wash it down this makes for a fine evening of food and wine.  Tonight I just put together a very easy dinner.  Chicken tenders, grilled up in a pan, not fried (trying to be a little healthy).  I made sure to season them well with salt, pepper, garlic powder and juiced up with a little soy sauce.  Cook them over a medium heat so that they do not get dry and crisp on the outside.  The seasoning will add a coating over them that gives them a fried appeal without the calories.  Tonights sides are green beans and corn.  Easy enough..  Use frozen never canned. The canned veggies are just awful,  they become flat and soggy and the only flavor is salt.  Go with the fozen.  Green beans are easy enough, just add bacon, yes I said bacon, what kind of beans can you make without bacon I don't know.  Add a little salt and pepper and you are well on your way.  Corn is even easier,  just add butter, salt and pepper and you are ready to eat.  Simple enough.
With dinner tonight I am offering a Torrontes, the white wine from Argentina.  Phebus torrontes to be exact.  Now, a little information about torrontes.  Most people have never even heard of torrontes much less tried it. There are three distinct types of torrontes; riojano, sanjuanino, mendocino.  The wine can be highly acidic if not handled by an expert wine maker. It can produce many flavors usually tree fruit such as peach and pear.  It is very similar to muscat.
The Phebus Torrontes from the Bodega Fabre Montmayou,  This wine will not break the bank usually found under 10 dollars.  And well worth picking up several bottles.  the distinct golden color is remarkable. It is highly aromatic with strong notes of citrus, lemon, lime.  The taste is very fruity, peach is detected here also.  Crisp and dry.    The mouth is perfectly balanced.  A lingering but not long finish.  Easy to offer with chicken or seafood.  Just an enjoyable wine to serve.
Enjoy

Phebus Torrontes 2013

Look at that, anybody hungry?