Yellow Tail Fail Whale

We are about beer here at BeerPorn, but other libations are topics of interest to many of us as well. I am not as much of a wine aficionado as I would like to be, but I do like to be informed about who makes what I drink. This is my take on one winery that I'll not be buying from any more.
Yellow tail wine out of Australia has long been a "Go-To" wine for my wife and I. Their wines are reasonably priced and very tasty. I will however, not be purchasing any more of their products.
Yellow tail is now touting that on "February 4, 2010 – [yellow tail] wine announced a collaboration with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in support of the organization's mission to celebrate animals. As part of their "[tails] for tails" campaign, [yellow tail] will make use of social media and in-store advertising to spread the message that consumers can "pick up a bottle of [yellow tail] and help a tail-wagging friend."
The fact is, Yellow Tail wine has decided to support an extremest activist group that deceives it's supporters. The HSUS, (Humane Society of The United States) markets themselves as protecting animals. The fact is, they only support lobbyists and politicians. The HSUS has a huge budget and only aims to put animal agriculture out of business. They do close to NOTHING to help local animal shelters.
The Sportsman's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance has even asked the IRS to evaluate the Non Profit status of the HSUS. They believe that the organization has outgrown it's stated purpose of helping animals and taken on a bigger role in putting animal agriculture out of business.
There are plenty of other reasons NOT to support the HSUS. One example is the recent earthquake in Haiti. We all feel a responsibility to try and help. The HSUS has collected money to help with animal rescue there.The Center for Consumer Freedom has asked the HSUS to return all donations it received for Haiti relief. There are no animal rescue issues in Haiti they claim.
All of this to say that the HSUS has either fooled the folks at Yellow Tail into thinking that they actually help rescue animals, or the people at Yellow Tail did their research and decided to give $100,000 to support the destruction of Agriculture in America.
Either way, I'm not interested in being a part of that.
Further proof that Yellow Tail is not a company I can support, is on their facebook page. They received a barrage of negative comments about their donation to the HSUS, but initially deleted many of the comments. What kind of nonsense is that? They wanted publicity out of this thing...they got it. Twitter was blazing with comments about Yellow Tail wine and their donation on Thursday.
I encourage everyone to take steps to support animal rescue, but do it locally. Go to your local animal shelter and ask them how you can help. Your donation there will actually help an animal, not a radical activist group with a $100 million per year plus budget.
I for one will be concentrating my wine purchases on American wines from California and Colorado. I guess I should have known to Buy American anyway.

Chimay & Cheese at the Charleston Beer Exchange

Please join them in the shop tomorrow (Saturday January 23rd, 2010) from 5pm -7pm for a rare meet and greet with Chimay Brewery from Belgium!  They will be offering free samples of their own special Chimay cheese, filling growlers of Cinq Cents (Chimay White) and giving away tons of free Chimay goodies!  Beautiful Chimay goblets will be given out with any purchase of a Chimay growler fill or 3 Chimay bottles!  Free cheese and glassware!  Don't miss out on this special opportunity!

Cheers!

The Charleston Beer Exchange


14 Exchange Street


Charleston, SC 29401


(843) 577-5446


www.thecharlestonbeerexchange.com

Building yourself a "Christmas Present"

Patience isn't normally my strong point, but when it comes to waiting on fermented items...I'm in for the long haul. Mead is my favorite of all libations, and it takes a ton of time! So when I realized that I was too late to make a Christmas Ale for 2008, I figured I'd go for 2009!

This beer has had a bit of a story to tell before it ever made it to Christmas.
I entered it into the competition at the Colorado State Fair where both judges said it was very good but "Should be entered into the wood aged category". There is no oak...I swear!
It is as dark as night with a rocky head that fades to a nice thin layer of foam that lasts till the end. Initially, it strikes you as a strong coffee stout with a medium heavy mouthfeel. Then you start realizing that there is a spiciness behind the roasty malts and all of that coffee. There is something I just couldn't put my finger on...till I remembered the coffee I used. It was a Christmas Blend coffee. Those spices are nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon. They are just so far in the background that I didn't realize what they were.
The pound of lactose tames the tannins that managed their way in from the coffee! I cold brewed the coffee before addition to the beer, but it still managed to bring an acidic character that I actually think works very nicely against the subtle chocolaty character of the malts and adds to the lack of hop bitterness.
I'm not a good critic of beer. I figure I can almost always find something to enjoy about a beer. When judging other beer, I try to look for the good as much as the bad.
Judging your own beer is a tough thing to do! I normally pick my own beer apart to a point where you'd think it was undrinkable, but this one...I just really love. There are not really any faults, and I personally have had a great time watching it age and change. It hasn't really mellowed, but the coffee character and spices have changed a bit over the last year, and I'll wax a few bottles and see how they are for a few years to come.
So basically what I'm getting at here, is weather you are a home brewer or not, you can find a big 'ol beer to stash away for tasting this time next year. Think of it like you are building your own Christmas Present!

Charleston Beer Exchange News

Happy Thanksgiving!

We've got some exciting updates from The Charleston Beer Exchange! Please note: We will be open for normal hours all days before and after Thanksgiving Day and open from 10am to 1pm on Thanksgiving Day!

Rare Beer Tuesday (11/24)
As we do every Tuesday at 5pm, we'll be tapping an extra, extra special keg on the growler station for growler fills! This week our feature is the perfect kickoff to the holiday season: Sweetwater Festive Ale! This highly limited winter brew from Atlanta is only brewed one day a year. At 8.6% ABV and brewed with cinnamon and mace this one is true to its Winter Warmer style. This is one of the lowest priced "Rare Beer Tuesday" features yet so come get some- its perfect for Thanksgiving!

Holiday/Seasonal Beers
We have lots of great beers in stock for Thanksgiving pairings and the rest of the coming holidays! Popular picks are available like HighlandColdMountain (on the growler station now and in bottles) and Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (growlers) as well as many more esoteric delights from around the world. Stop by for a tour! Also, please keep The Charleston Beer Exchange in mind for your holiday gifts. Growlers, gift cards and we can even ship to many locations! Give us a call or stop by for more information.

New In Stock
RJ Rockers Black Perle
Highland Cold Mountain
Bells Two Hearted IPA

Cheers!

The Charleston Beer Exchange
14 Exchange St.
Charleston, SC 29401
843.577.5446
www.thecharlestonbeerexchange.com

Bottled Beers At The Charleston Beer Exchange

COAST Now Bottling!

That's right!  COAST is now starting to release bottles of their beer!  The 32/50 Kölsch, HopArt IPA, and Rye Knot Brown are available now at The Charleston Beer Exchange in 22oz bottles!  Come and get 'em!

New in Bottles/Back In Stock!

U.S.A.

Bell's Christmas Ale

Bell's Third Coast Old Ale

Bell's Expedition Stout

COAST 32/50 Kölsch

COAST HopArt IPA

COAST Rye Knot Brown

Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

Southampton Cuvée des Fleurs

Smuttynose Big A IPA

Stone Double Bastard 3L (with lock and key!)

Sugar Hill Golden Ale

Sweetwater Dank Tank Wet Dream Ale

Japan

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Belgium

St. Feuillien Cuvée De Noël 1.5L

St. Feuillien Triple 6L bottle!!!!!

Kwak Gift Pack w/ Glass

Chimay Gift Pack w/ Glass

Koningshoeven (La Trappe) Quadrupel

Koningshoeven (La Trappe) Isid'or

De Glazen Toren Ondineke  (Belgian Tripel)

De Glazen Toren Jan De Lichte  (Belgian Imperial Wit Beer)

Vapeur Saison de Pipaix  (Vintage 1995!)

Germany

Klosterbrauerei Ettal Curator

U.K.

J.W. Lees Harvest Ale Matured in Lagavulin Whisky Casks 2008

Italy

Birrificio Montegioco Quarta Runa  (Italian ale brewed with fresh peaches)

Birrificio Montegioco Draco  (Italian ale brewed with fresh blueberries)

Birrificio Montegioco Demon Hunter  (Italian dark ale)

Birrificio Montegioco Bran  (Italian strong brown ale)

Birrificio Baladin Nora "Sour Edition" 2005

Pausa Cafe Chicca  (Italian amber colored ale brewed with coffee from Guatemala!)

Pausa Cafe Taquamari  (Italian ale brewed with Tapioca, Quinoa, Amaranth, and Basmati Rice!)

Pausa Cafe Tosta  (Italian ale brewed with cacao from Costa Rica!)

Birrificio Del Borgo Genziana  (Italian saison brewed with gentian)

Birrificio Del Ducato  (Italian imperial stout brewed with hot chili!)

Birrificio Italiano Scires  (Italian sour brewed with black sweet cherries!)

Denmark

Thisted Bryghus Thisted Bryghus Limfjords Porter (Danish porter brewed with English licorice!)

And don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for up to the minute CBX news!

Cheers!

The Charleston Beer Exchange
14 Exchange St.
Charleston, SC 29401
843.577.5446
www.thecharlestonbeerexchange.com

Posted via web from Boozemania

Rock Stars Among Us

The complex simplicity of beer is something that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. Unfortunately, most of the people I know think "Good Beer" is Coors Banquet Beer.My Wife and I were that way onece, but good fortune has caused us both to grow and expand our pallets. You can imagine my excitement when SWMBO (@Kahunaschick) decided that the GABF was one of those things that we should do EVERY YEAR! She went last year, and put up with me and the other homebrewers that we met there, but I figured it was just her putting up with me. Come to find out...She really liked it. This year, she has found a taste for a few different kinds of beer, and is getting over the BMC that ruled our younger lives together. She is leaning toward Belgian and sour beers, with or without fruit.
We attended 2 of the sessions at the GABF in Denver this year. We were at the Friday night and Saturday Members sessions.
We had the privilege of being the first 2 people to get the PRO-AM entry from olllllo and Papago Brewing...Ladies First!

This thing was damn good! I hate farmhouse saison ales like I hate warm diet pepsi, so I had low expectations. The pear nose was phenomenal, and the clean crisp flavor really cleaned up my perception of a French Farmhouse! With ollllo being someone I know from Homebrewtalk.com and also follow on twitter (He is a blogger here too) It was cool as hell to be drinking his Pro-Am Beer...and to be the first 2 glasses poured, I was happy with that.
Awards and famous people are as abundant at the GABF as the beer flowing from 1200 taps. Successful brewers are adorned with attention and praise becoming of a rock star. The cool part, is most of them are still just beer guys at heart. There are a few that have a holier than though personality, but most of them will brew you a beer, pour you a beer, then drink one with you while you hang out. Most of the rock star brewers we met definitely remember when they were just like us, and are appreciative of our support for their beer.
So when I got a chance to get a picture of SWMBO at a tweetup at the GABF with Mr. Charlie Papazian, I took it. What an opportunity! I was actually star struck when we met Charlie...and that just doesn't happen to me! But this is the man that started it all! He is the reason we have a GABF to go to. And he is just as normal as can be.

We got a chance to spend some quiet time with a few friends (It still seems odd to me to call people I meet on the Internet and see once a year friends, but it's true!) we met with IronOrr and his wife for dinner with one of their friends and his wife. Then we met up with olllllo and his wife, and Don from Naked City Beer in Seattle. So here we are, having dinner and drinks with friends that are so close to the rock star brewer status that you about can't stand it...and they are just as cool as anyone you'll ever meet.
IronOrr, Brewtopia and I got our picture together while hanging out at the GABF after we all tried the samplings from Cascade Brewing. They had a total of 5 bottled sour ales available including a sour brewed with fresh pressed wine grapes and a Kirek that was perhaps the best tasting example I've ever had. The one picture that I missed, and will kick myself for a year for not taking...is the picture of our wives!
I did get a picture of my SWMBO with Blogger ChipperDave, olllllo, and Blogger Raiseyourpints at the tweetup.

So as I think back on the GABF and all of our friends we have met and talked with, I have to wonder which ones will be on stage next year! These people are truly Rock Stars Among Us!

Stone's Vertical Epic 09.09.09

Thanks to the tasting notes of Stone's head brewer Mitch Steele, the word on the street was that this was going to be more of a Belgian Porter than anything else. I love Belgian beer, I love Porter. On paper it seems like a no-brainer that I'll like it.

Leave it to Stone to challenge our taste buds every single time. It certain pours like a Porter, and smells uniquely like a Belgian Dubbel. But that's the end of normalcy for this beer. Once it's in your mouth, it's a whole new ball game.

It's sharp to the taste, and after about 10-15 small sips, and trying my absolute damnedest to analyze it in every Craft Beer Radio way I know how, all I can attribute the sharpness to is the hops. There's a slight coffee/burnt chocolate flavor there, but the bittering hops are definitely giving this thing an acrid punch that simply won't go away, no matter how long I let the beer sit and get up to (nearly) room temperature.

It seems to be playing every bit of it's nearly 9% ABV too, because the presence of alcohol did not leave me after I swallowed it. I swore after those first few sips that the alcohol on my breath was heavy enough to pull a Gene Simmons in my living room if I wanted to.

As I normally do with these Vertical Epics, I'm going to let this one cellar for a while - maybe until next year - before I try it again. It's definitely built to last, and will be interesting to see how this thing works it's way into the vertical tasting marathon session we'll have in 2012.