Wednesday, May 25, 2016

TropiCannon


I have discovered my new favorite summer beer.

It happened during a regularly scheduled wings and beer night. New on tap was TropiCannon. I'm always up for trying something new. A new Heavy Seas beer? Bring it!

The brew was brought forth. One whiff and I thought I died and went to heaven.

The aroma of this beer is so flippin' salivatory. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Loads and loads of tropical fruit and a smidge of tart grapefruit. The smell simply makes my salivary glands gush.










And the taste? OMG! Like IPA swimming in a sea of sweet juicy fruits  and snappy citrus.

I promptly went out and bought a case. Drank that case. Bought more. Repeat.

TropiCannon is awesome. Drink it.



Friday, May 20, 2016

Here’s to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.


I’ve been known to imbibe on occasion . . . sometimes more occasionally than others.  


When I’m drinking with someone else we always toast each other; even if it’s just to clink glasses.  I mindlessly touch my glass with the person I’m with and at the very least simply raise the glass to the other; symbolically clinking . . . after all, that IS what is done.  But why exactly do we perform that little ritual?  Does the toast only really matter if you actually touch glasses?  Does raising your glass and saying “clink” to the people you can’t reach count?



Russian tradition is that the only time you don’t clink glasses is when you’re drinking in honor of the dead.  Conversely, if you fail to clink when making a happy toast means that someone is going to die.  It seems a small thing to do to keep someone else (or yourself) from an untimely death, no?  Russian’s also believe that the toast only matters if you actually touch glasses.


Note to self - do not ever go vodka shot for vodka shot with a bunch of Ukranian dudes. It happened once. The result wasn't pretty.  :)






What could be worse than death?

It is a widespread European superstition that failure to make eye contact with your drinking companions as you clink results in a bad sex life for a year.  That sounds pretty risky to me.  

Apparently, it’s also pretty perilous to clink with an empty glass and clinking across someone else’s arm. Seriously bad luck!









Many believe that sounding the bell can help ward off evil spirits . . . the clinking of glasses after a toast was a way of getting rid of devils while drinking.

Another school of thought is that the point of striking glasses together was meant to be done so that some of the liquid from each glass would spill into the other . . . to deter someone from poisoning you.







Perhaps it is nothing more than a silly drinking game; happily clinking away as much as possible.

Whatever the reason, raising a glass and striking them together demonstrates harmony and friendship.  And is a nice exclamation to punctuate the toast.

Cheers!!! 

**clink**

Thursday, May 5, 2016

St. John Brewers revisited


A year ago I visited St. Thomas with family. During that trip we ventured to St. John for the day to experience the beautiful white sand beaches and clear blue waters. We ended up at the Tap Room in Mongoose Junction. It was here that I got a real taste for St. John Brewers beers.

















This year hubby and I decided to take a vacation to St. Thomas. For a day trip, we took the ferry to St. John. We drove the wicked windy roads, saw the sights, swam in the sea. All the typical touristy things.

Of course we stopped into the Tap Room for some cold brews and a meal. There were some beers on tap that I hadn't had before; that's always a good thing!




I started out with a Liquid Sunshine, a Belgian Blonde (5% ABV) which I'd seen listed on beer menus everywhere on St. Thomas but everyone seemed to be out of. It was light and delightful and I wish I could have had more of it.

Hubby got a Roundabout Coffee Stout; which he was sweet enough to share. Especially, since we both appreciate a good coffee stout. It was a good, smooth brew with just the right amount of coffee flavor.

This was followed up with a Hard Cider which was tasty and refreshing.








But, hands down, the best beer we had was Mongose. As the name might implies, it is a gose (5.1% ABV). I'm a fan of sours and more recently goses. My local brewery, Two Roads, makes a wicked good Gose that is a collaboration with Evil Twin. So, I was very interested in comparing and contrasting the two.

The Mongose is a richer, golden color. The taste is fuller and has a fruity character, mango perhaps, that is absent from  Geyser Gose. Similarly, it's mildly salty, as a gose should be. I asked the source of the salt; salt ponds was the reply; ew. Nonetheless, Mongose is a refreshing, delicious beer. Though quite different in flavor, Mongose and Geyser Gose are comparatively delicious. We had more than one. Yum!