Ducati Monster Forum

There are about 11ty billion types of booze out there and, lets face it, not all of it is good. In the interest of keeping my fellow DMFers from having to quaff sub-par libations I've decided that we could use a thread specifically for the review of new and different types of beverages.

What prompted this? Simple. The local beer wholesaler was having a special on Hook & Ladder Brewing Co's Golden Ale, so I bought a case. Or 3. If you're from Maryland, where this stuff is brewed, it may be a local favorite, but up in Maine, I'd never seen the stuff. It would have been nice to hear about its qualities from someone besides their marketing department. With that in mind, here's my review:

Hook & Ladder Golden Ale   

www.hookandladderbeer.com (http://www.hookandladderbeer.com)

(http://www.hookandladderbeer.com/graphics/golden_ale_sm.jpg)

First impression: A decent, solid, American-style beer. Almost reminds me of a pale ale, ala Gritty McDuff's Pub Style or Boddingtons, but without the bitter notes. Not over-filling at all.

Imagine drinking a Budweiser that wasn't cut with rice. Thats kinda how I think this stuff goes down. Its got a great "beer" flavor, but it finishes clean. I could see myself drinking this all afternoon while watching MotoGP. Or hosting a beer pong tournament, it drinks that easy. I couldn't find an alcohol content listed, but it seems about average. I'm guessing 4.5%? Anybody know? Good amber color, a bit heavy on the carbonation, pours up quite a head in the ol' frosty mug.

Not an overly complex beer. Nothings going to jump out at you except the flavor of malted barley, which is fine, and they did a good job with it. I'd drink this at a bar or bring a sixer to share at a barbecue.

Rating: 3 cheersing smileys out of 4.  be:: be:: be::

*Interesting side note. Did some reading on their website and these guys donate a (small) portion of their proceeds to burn centers wherever their beer is sold. I just contributed to the Maine Medical Center Burn Center. Wonder if that's tax deductible?  ;D

I spent a year in Bawlimer.  Being from the PNW I found the local brews to be lacking and totally understood why PBR was alive and kicking back there (no offense to any loyalists).  Having said that- I never heard of no Hook and Ladder but that was oh... 8-9 years ago.  I'll keep an eye out for it in bottles now that I'm back home in the land of moss and mildew.

With summer coming on this is a great idea for a thread.  There seem to be more occassions to drink beer during summer and some tips on what's hot and what's not are always good.  I'd also like to see some ciders reviewed if anyone has any good ones in mind.  I've always loved a good cider and on my recent trip to Ireland I had some outstanding ciders but can't remember the names of them (there's a good reason for that). 

I tip my glass to you TT- Jack and Coke tonight.  Slainte! (<-favorite toast other than the french kind with bacon on the side)

Tortuga Rum


spectacular  wt:

I've been enjoying Lucid Absinthe lately. Not quite as good as some of the best French or Swiss absinthe, but the distiller is one of the better French absintheurs (Lucid is produced specifically for the US market). I don't have a fontaine yet, but do use absinthe spoons, sugar cubes, etc. I think a separatory funnel in a ring stand would probably be a cool stand-in for a fontaine and hope to try this soon.

Don't get all caught up either worrying about thujone or thinking that it will induce some sort of mental state unobtainable otherwise. If you want to see the effect of lots of thujone, eat a bunch of sage. See? Boring. Although it's the source of some controversy, there's decent evidence that historical absinthes had thujone levels comparable to current EU limits.

There's a kid down the street named 'Sage'.  I don't think he'd appreciate that experiment.   ;:|

I've always thought that absinthe was like some opium laced, liquid crack that Sherlock Holmes was addicted to allowing him to connect wildly impossible clues to seemingly obvious resolution of malignant happenstance.  Tell me more if you would please.  What's it look, smell, feel, sound(?), taste like?

If you enjoy a good rum (and who doesn't?) might I suggest:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Three_rums_jvp.jpg/616px-Three_rums_jvp.jpg)

I can't speak for the Ron Vicaro (yet), but both Sailor Jerry and Gosling's Black Seal are spectacular.

I recommend the Sailor for mixing and the Black Seal for when you want a bit of variety.

Absinthe is the biggest misconception.

There is no scientific evidence it produces any of those effects.

Straight up...........it tastes like shit.

You need the special spoon......coat it with sugar.......carmelize it with a lighter......poor the absinthe over it into a shot glass......and drink.


still isnt good, in my opinion

Think of green-tinted Ouzo. Then add some extra anise.

With enough sugar its not horrible. Its not what I'd call good, either.

And yeah, most of the really good side effects of anise came from the opiates that people added. Watch "From Hell" with Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.

I like the taste of absinthe.  Right now I am enjoying some Laphroaigh, nice and peaty.

I'm all about a high quality to low dollar ratio. In that vein, I have to recommend Kutskova vodka, and Cruzan 2-year old Estate Dark Rum. For about $12 a fifth, they're far better quality (esp. the Kutskova) than their price would indicate.

If splurging, I've developed tastes for Pyrat rum (good for mixed cocktails, like rum Cosmos - almost eveyone I've served them to loves em!), and Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon. The Pyrat is very complex, and almost smoky. Some have said they didn't appreciate their rum being so 'different', but it's definitely interesting in a good way, I think.

Andy.

Good to see you here.  be::

Oh, Zooom has to post the recipe for baby batter.  Soooo yummy.

Favorite beer is Leffe.

Tell me about this Leffe. What type of beer is it? Where does it come from? What does it pair well with?

Sorry, just trying to get the thread back into an objective/review mode.

Agreed. That's why I'm pleasantly surprised that the H&L is so drinkable.

Including deposit, they were about $0.60/bottle.

To those who enjoy a nice speyside single malt:

Glenrothes Select Reserve

Great price for the quality of product. Runs between $38-$48.

Taste: the label states- Ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla, hints of spice.
          Couldn't put it better myself. you really taste the vanilla side and it ends so smoothly

This is my favorite everyday scotch. I usually alternate between this and Johnny Walker Green Label. another really scotch

I like Luksusowa triple distilled Polish potato vodka. It's a great vodka and it wont cost an arm and a leg like overated Grey Goose.

Favorite beer: Arrogant Bastard.  http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/92/

Favorite Scotch: Balvenie Doublewood.  http://www.rateitall.com/i-26457-balvenie-doublewood-12-year.aspx

Favorite mixed: Margarita rocks, 1:1:1 (or 2:1:1 for good tequila) tequila:triple:fresh lime juice.  No blending allowed.

I'll have to try this out!  [thumbsup]

My personal fave is Macallan 25. Nice smoky flavor.

My personal favourate must be Klipdrift premuim Brandy mixed with Coca Cola. (South African Special) [laugh]

In the interest of making this thread a valuable resource rather than a list of people's favorites, I'm proposing a format.

Name of Booze
Where its from
Is it available everywhere, or is it a local thing?
What does it taste like? What can you compare it to, and how is it different? What would it pair well with?
Lastly, anything interesting about the brewery/distillery that you know of. For instance, "beers are aged in oak brandy casks" or "uses runoff from a certain mountain stream, down the hill from Farmer Bob's herd of incontinent sheep."

-Jameson 18 year distiller's blend
-$70 at the distillery in Middleton
-$175 at the store up the street
-Heaven....