Typically, I envision writing this column as an adherence to “newsy-er” beats with just a splash of strangeness. But there seems to be a plethora of oddness brewing in the beverage world these days, or at least, I’ve been digging up more of it of late, so this time around you’re about to be besieged with a healthy dose of [...]
Well, OJ is on trial again. Not that OJ… I’m talking about the citrus beverage I can’t start my day without. Serious Eats’ drink department has released the results of a blind taste test they performed on pulp-free orange juice brands. I can’t say they’re too far off from my personal preferences either: pulpy OJ is the preference, but if [...]
Not to still be quoting Christmas tunes, but baby it’s cold outside. The June-uary that was has now turned into full-blown winter with snowstorms hammering the country. I can tell the shift in the weather has affected more than just lift lines at resorts, because instead of the usual coffee or cognac offer at a local restaurant the other night [...]
1. Give this gift to someone who needs to cool it on the disposable plastic water bottles. Bobble Bottle, $10 2. Easier than using your teeth. Skeleton Key Bottle Opener, $32 3. Building block of a complete cocktail. Lego Minifigure Ice Cube Tray, $8 4. For those that dig Banksy and bourbon. Graffiti Martini Shaker, $23 5. Know someone who’s still using [...]
There seems to be an either/or problem with most music and beer festivals — either there’s great beer or great music, hardly ever both. I know I’ve been to my fair share of music festivals where I had to work my way through watery, overpriced, and often warm brews just to get a hint of a buzz. It’s not all [...]
Consider this: if you drink any espresso blend anywhere, whether in a cappuccino, latte, macchiatto, double-dip-half-caf-low-cal-easy-foam-extra-mocha-frappa-whatever, or as a straight shot from the portafilter’s cannon, you have better than a ninety-percent chance that at least some of the beans you imbibe are produced in Brazil. If you drink any major commercial coffee brand, including Illy, Maxwell House, or Folgers, you [...]
I woke up the other day and realized I missed the smell of pickling spice. It might have had something to do with the apple cider vinegar that has been fermenting in my cupboard for weeks, or maybe it was due to the changing seasons and the realization that the list of fresh produce in season is about to shrink, [...]
How do you remain unpretentious when you brew an imperial Russian-style stout and sell it in four-packs of 22-ounce bombers for $60 in severely limited quantities only to people willing to travel to your brewery once a year (and single bottles of which can resell on eBay for three figures)? How do you remain humble and accessible when amateur drinkers [...]
BOOM! Reports are trickling down that this year’s wine harvest in multiple growing regions, including Oregon (where as recently as last month there was speculation that an early frost could destroy the late grapes) and France, are bumper crops. This good news comes just in time for the holidays (although the savvy amongst you will likely not be imbibing too [...]
BOOM! Reports are trickling down that this year’s wine harvest in multiple growing regions, including Oregon (where as recently as last month there was speculation that an early frost could destroy the late grapes) and France, are bumper crops. This good news comes just in time for the holidays (although the savvy amongst you will likely not be imbibing too much [...]
