Random Thread #1

[_DB_]

I thought I was behind after a couple weeks.

Sweede, I looked there and didn't find much.

 

Yeah....

It's just sad that a hobby that used to completely consume my life has been put on the back burner and forgotten about. I will return one day, so I hope.

 

Now it's just going to college and working a lame retail job.

[Richtee]

Maker's Mark, no contest. Jim is nice, but almost generic in comparison. If you have the money to spend, there's a few other single barrel and small batch bourbon's that would make a nice Christmas gift.

 

Well, yeah.. I like Maker's too. But I said "for the money" $20-ish a fifth. Maker's is in the $30 range. Well, round here anyway.

[rev.redneck]

Hmmm, I really like Segrams Whiskey, its so good. but im kinda cheap too!

[TheSidewinder]

Fine Bourbon?

 

Bookers, Bakers, and Knob Creek, according to my Dad, with Knob Creek being his top pick.

[Richtee]

Fine Bourbon?

 

Bookers, Bakers, and Knob Creek, according to my Dad, with Knob Creek being his top pick.

 

Surprisingly enough.. ALL manufactured by James. B. Beam, Inc.

[TheSidewinder]

Yup, that's how he "discovered" those three. He liked Beam, but it wasn't QUITE as good as he wanted, so long ago his favorite liquor outlet pointed him to those three, and he never looked at plain old JB again.

 

For a while, he was a member of Beam's "Bourbon Club" or whatever it was called. Several newsletters per year, plus invitations to go to local tastings.

 

Me? I can't stand the stuff.

[Richtee]

Me? I can't stand the stuff.

 

Well, it IS a man's drink

[FrankRizzo]

Maker's Mark, no contest. Jim is nice, but almost generic in comparison. If you have the money to spend, there's a few other single barrel and small batch bourbon's that would make a nice Christmas gift.

 

 

I used to *love* Makers Mark, but now find it too sweet. I'm a big Knob Creek fan now.

Edited December 20, 2008 by FrankRizzo

[Mumbles]

I had one bad experience with makers mark 3 years ago and haven't touched it since. I bought a liter of it for my first 21st birthday. Then the night Brett Favre announced he was coming back for one more season. Well, the first time, so in spring of 2006. This was before he retired and things got complicated. We decided to celebrate. Some time later I woke up in my bed with an empty bottle next to me, terribly hungover, with a story about utlizing the female restroom, and haven't touched it since. On the plus side I did meet a girl who didn't mind drinking straight bourbon, then she moved away a few weeks later. A sad time for all.

 

That being said, I'd have to cast my vote for makers mark value-wise. I believe it runs for around $24 or $25 a fifth around here. Though I found wild turkey rare breed to be quite good, although I cannot remember the cost. Woodford Reserve probably a second to makers mark only because of the increased cost. I find it a bit better tasting.. Knob creek also is nice. Generally when I am drinking whiskey I tend to Jameson. I often buy myself something nice for my birthday. Two years ago I got Jack Daniels Single barrel. I don't know if it was worth the price, but it was damn tasty.

 

In a related note, my roomate and I have been keeping whiskey collections since I first turned 21 for the first time. It's a bit depressing on how much money I've spent on it, but it reminds me of many good times.

[FrankRizzo]

Absolutely, Woodford Reserve is a great bourbon too and really not too much more than Knob. Jameson has a special place in my heart too....can't make a car bomb w/out it.

[TheSidewinder]

Well, it IS a man's drink

 

Smart arse.

[Swede]

Listen to me... I will teach you youngsters (there are many) how to drink, and what to drink.

 

When you're 21 to 24, and surrounded by friends, you drink "Men's Drinks", especially the vile scotch. Bourbon. Cheap tequila. Mescal. You shoot the crap and pretend to like it. Or you order "rocks" and pretend you're James Bond, and think you are just one amazing dude, and you laugh at the wheenies who like chardonnay or mixed drinks. Reality - you are a pathetic pretender, and all real men are laughing at you, because they can see you grimace with each sip, even though you think you're hiding it.

 

Then, sometime in your late 20's, you realize the stuff you've been pretending to like actually tastes like iquana vomit. You search for palatability, not image.

 

For hard liquor, no ice, no water, no mixing, NOTHING can touch these... bonus, they're still manly.

 

1) Zacapa aged Rum from Guatemala. Yes, Rum. Nectar of the gods. Rum #2, "One Barrel" from Belize. Hints of maple, you can taste the cane fields, and the fall smoke when they burn the remnants. If you can't find these, don't drink Captain Morgan and pretend. It's got to be one of the good ones.

 

2) Any of the several, high-quality 100% Agave tequilas. If the fifth doesn't cost at least $40, it's Margarita fodder. Otherwise, use a snifter, and inhale. Sip slowly. Smell and taste the world of the agave cactus. If you "shoot" a fine tequila, I will "shoot" you. Don't be a llama and play the stupid "shooter/salt/lime" game; it labels you as a college geek with no true understanding of life in general.

 

Non-distilled...

 

3) A quality red wine; they are legion. Also expensive. You lose no man-points drinking a good wine. You'll look better doing so than shooting Cuervo, and making a face.

 

4) A good top-fermenting ale or bitter. America is now making a few. The best is still made by the Belgian and French Trappist monks. Yes, there is sediment in the bottle. Don't be a dork and handle it roughly. Get it to the right temp (varies) and handle it like a newborn baby. England is full of yummy ales. Get a German or Czech pilsner if ale is not available.

 

There is nothing else. Don't bother looking. Or go buy some Southern Comfort, or Night Train.

[Mumbles]

Be careful there swede. With all the advice lately you'll turn us all into a bunch of well behaved, well mannered young gentlemen with girlfriends who we can't bitch about.

[Swede]

I'm sorry and embarrassed too, but since I have no advice to give on pyrotechnics outside of some really narrow areas, I have to give bad advice like that.

 

I hope everyone knows it's a total joke and tongue in cheek, although the drinks I mentioned are my favorites. My two friends down the street are retired Braniff mechanics, not too much money, and they drink gallons and gallons of bourbon... I think it's "Evans" or something like that. Really harsh stuff, but they like it.

 

Definitely (with wine, women, and pyro) to each his own!

[Richtee]

I'm sorry and embarrassed too, but since I have no advice to give on pyrotechnics outside of some really narrow areas, I have to give bad advice like that.

 

I, for one was thoroughly entertained with that discourse!

I DO maintain, however- should you persevere thru your 20's drinking- err "iquana vomit"- at some point you actually DO begin to like it!

As for the fruit of the vine, only a good port or sherry will do. Otherwise the "weenie quotient" runs parallel to the "french factor". Fully deserving of any character assassination forthcoming.

On Edit: If you ARE French, fine. You folk can pull it off. :{)

Edited December 22, 2008 by Richtee

[qwezxc12]

I'm sorry and embarrassed too, but since I have no advice to give on pyrotechnics outside of some really narrow areas, I have to give bad advice like that.

 

That's good advice for sure...

 

Me?, I'm a fan of El Tesoro Platinum, Casadores Blanco or Reposado, and Patron Platinum...all *excellent* tequilas worth sipping, not shooting.

 

And as for red wine, a mellow Rioja Reserva is hard to beat...current fav: 2002/2003 Marques de Riscal. Simply awesome. For white, I'm currently digging pretty any Spy Valley New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc I can toss in a glass.

 

I'm also lucky that I live about an hour away from the most excellent Brewery Ommegang, a real Belgian Abby brewery...it's great to be able to get their stuff in the local grocery store.

[mormanman]

I doubt I will ever drink but when and if I get rich I will by all those fine liquors and wines and for all my visitors that can handle them the will get them. I will also have a large collection of fine cigars and tobaccos.

[tentacles]

Swede: Have you tried Cazadores tequila? Both the anejo and the reposado have very good reviews - and I can second that opinion. It's $30/750ml. It's quite good without being absurdly priced. Also, have you tried the Sailor Jerry rum, it's pretty tasty for cheap stuff - you can taste the cane/molasses flavors and the spices are complementary instead of masking.

 

But in the end, there's nothing like a good beer. There are a LOT of good american brewed beers, but you really have to thresh for em - mostly because the good brews are obscured by the barley water they sell en masse. Belgian beers, now there's a whole category of spiritous brews all by itself. They really know a thing or two about a beer or two! Lambic beers are always a favorite, and Wit. The abbeys that brew beer in belgium are absolutely fanatical about their beer... FrankRizzo showed me a video on youtube about Chimay abbey - go search for it - and it's just awe-inspiring. Their strain of yeast was developed from a SINGLE yeast cell.

[Mumbles]

There is something to be said about drinking said "iguana vomit". If you've never had to suffer through the likes of Franzia, Milwaukee's Best Ice, Montezuma Tequilla, Roundy's Light vokda*, Old Thompson Whiskey, and Colt 45, it's hard to appreciate good alcohol. Through some means that shall not be mentioned my friends and I obtained a very nice bottle of whiskey in high school. We drank it, and it was good, but I wasn't able to properly appreciate it as I could do so better now.

 

This being said, everyone's tastes are different. It requires experimentation and experience to see what one likes or doesn't like. What some like, others do not. I am quite open to at least trying just about anything. There is one flavor present in some dark belgian beers that I just don't care for if the beer is a bit too sweet. A raison-y, dark fruit flavor. When combined with a bit too much sweetness it reminds me of my mom's holiday fruit balls, just one of those things I don't like. Probably ate too many as a kid. One of the reasons I tend to stay away from dubbels.

 

Wine, not so much my thing. I enjoy it, but couldn't tell a good one from a bad one. I've graduated beyond the jug and box at least. I can appreciate good rum, whiskey, and tequilla as well, but only have enough experience with whiskey to be able to make any sort of educated opinion on it. This is mostly from said collection, and knowing what good stuff ISNT supposed to taste like. Beer is more my thing. Weird I know with growing up in Wisconsin and all. Luckily I found good beer before my tastebuds were completely neutralized. It takes a while to refine one's palate to be able to pick out the intricacies of your alcohol of choice. Getting that head start at age 6 will do it, heh. There is just nothing like a good beer. Even the best beer is in the price range of just about anyone. There is just so much variety, it's nearly impossible to find someone who doesn't like beer in general.

 

Mormanman, it's an honorable endeavor. I can respect the decision not to drink/smoke but not attempt to force that choice on others. That being said, there is something about drinking with somebody that makes it more enjoyable. There is also something to be said about providing your alcohol of preference. It's more personal. You can tell a lot about a person by the kind of alcohol they offer you. I'm not trying to influence you to drink/smoke, but it's delicious and good for you

 

* - Yes, it exists. Less alcohol and you get a hangover before a buzz.

[Richtee]

I'm also lucky that I live about an hour away from the most excellent Brewery Ommegang, a real Belgian Abby brewery...it's great to be able to get their stuff in the local grocery store.

 

Wow..they even have a Quad! I am gonna look for some of this... thanks!

[Swede]

This is why the world of alcohol is so fascinating. There's a simple high school DNA demo, and dammit, I forget the chemical, maybe sodium benzoate, but something like 40% taste bitter, 60% taste nothing, and it's all DNA-dependent. My point is, some people truly find certain liquors to be tasty, which others cannot stand, at all.

 

Scotch is the one for me. I have several friends who are into Scotch varieties like many are into wine. I tried for YEARS to acquire the taste, but it never took, and gave up.

 

Beer - as a kid, you watch the adults drink beer in tall glasses at a 4th of July picnic, and it simply... looks... delicious. Then, when I was about 10, some friends and I found an intact 6-pack of some beer behind a local KFC. We think "This is it. AT LAST, we get to try beer!" I had never even sipped it before that. First sip of warm beer - gag reflex. Horrible. We ended up shaking the cans, then shooting them with a BB gun. Now, I love a good beer more than any other liquid. My beer epiphany came when our squadron deployed to England. You must remember, in the 1980's, it was all Bud, all the time. There really were NO American beers that were not 98% corn and rice.

 

I was handed a room temperature (!) ale; I don't remember the brand. Some local tap brew. First sip - I immediately understood the meaning of life, the atom, the universe, everything... except women. If Buddha had been given a good India pale ale, he wouldn't have had to sit for 20 years to find Nirvana.

 

Tentacles - Cazadores tequila, no I haven't, I'll look for it. $30 is about the lower limit for a decent tequila, but I trust your judgement. I'm fortunate, in my travels I get to buy duty-free liquors all over the world at low prices.

 

Cheap alcohol... as I mentioned, my friends down the street (We have a 5:00 "King of the Hill" session daily) are retirees, not doing well financially. They cannot afford the good stuff. I remember the bourbon now, "Evan Williams" green label, aged 4 years, fairly cheap, but they like it. They drink gallons of "ice cold Keystone Light". I once tried to stock their fridge with a better brew, but they were insulted - they have their pride. So I drink Keystone light when I'm with them, and stock it in my own shop, because they won't drink anything else. I think I have a blog picture with a can in the background!

 

Tobacco - yes, but God in Heaven don't become an addict. I dip Copenhagen and have for 25 years, ever since my Air Force days, when peer pressure was at an all-time high. If "Mongo" dips, and Mongo is chief of the weapons shop and the best fighter pilot I ever knew, well, that's all I needed to know. Started with Skoal bandits, graduated to fine cut, now it's Copenhagen or nothing. Nicotine will PERMANENTLY alter your brain chemistry; like meth but not so bad. Ask anyone who has quit... if they had 6 weeks to live, the first thing they'd do is go buy a pack of smokes. If you must smoke, do cigars or a pipe. The safest tobacco form is dip. It is the combustion of the tobacco that makes the nasties... nicotine by itself is not carcinogenic.

[_DB_]

Liquor wise, I've only experienced the cheap stuff. Tonight though, I'm going to a big Christmas reunion party with all my friends that split ways after high school graduation, so I plan on actually buying something good. Since it's going to be around 15 degrees Fahrenheit tonight, I don't think a cold beer will be pleasant. Think I'll pick up a bottle of Southern Comfort or Wild Turkey, not sure yet.

 

I've had some good beers after beginning on such garbage as "Natty Ice." A Samuel Adams Boston Lager is nice from time to time. I rarely drink though, unlike the typical college freshman. I got the partying out of my system last summer.

[Richtee]

Liquor wise, I've only experienced the cheap stuff. Tonight though, I'm going to a big Christmas reunion party with all my friends that split ways after high school graduation, so I plan on actually buying something good. Since it's going to be around 15 degrees Fahrenheit tonight, I don't think a cold beer will be pleasant. Think I'll pick up a bottle of Southern Comfort or Wild Turkey, not sure yet.

 

I've had some good beers after beginning on such garbage as "Natty Ice." A Samuel Adams Boston Lager is nice from time to time. I rarely drink though, unlike the typical college freshman. I got the partying out of my system last summer.

 

Word to the wise... careful with the likker! Puking on someone's shoes is rarely attractive... and if they think it is...RUN FORREST! LOL!

 

The S.C. is most likely to get me...too damm sweet. And talk about a nasty hangover! Bring some ice, and mix the Turkey with coke...excellent drink..has a bit of a ginger hint to it.

Edited December 22, 2008 by Richtee

[TheSidewinder]

Gads, what a bunch of uncouth drinkers.

 

Grand Marnier, B&B, Drambuie, or any decent Cognac (assuming you can overlook that it comes from France ) does the trick.

 

None of that lowbrow whiskey for me.

[Bonny]

Gads, what a bunch of uncouth drinkers.

 

and I was thinking that only my mother used the term "Gads"

 

Personally, I enjoy RYE whiskey (AKA Canadian whiskey I think to those further south) from time to time, Crown Royal, Wisers, Seagram's 83... but usually drink cheap beer or red wine (Shiraz or Merlot mostly).