Ways to Celebrate getting Dumped

How do you celebrate getting dumped? I prefer the old fashion method of killing brain cells in a social situation with something delicious in a cup. The drink of choice yesterday evening was the ever loved Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey.

It has come up before, and it will come up again on this blog, since Fireball, AKA time machine, is one of my top hall of fame, best loved hard liquors. Originally "discovered" or at least the first time i tried it was on a mythical shenanigans weekend to Nashville. Later nick-named timemachine for its ability to transport you magically into the future, and somehow never with pants on. This drink makes its way to most social events and celebrations. Even for breakups. 

A bottle of fireball costs between 16-19 dollars at your local liquor store. It tastes just like the candy but packs a punch. You can drink it straight failure easily (that was the poison method last night at least) or you can mix it. My preference is in coke, mmm.... Its a 5/5 for awesomely yummy, and a 4/5 for value. Sadly, I have to shell out almost 20 bucks to enjoy the stuff. Worth it every time, though.

The photo below is odd and old, but I think it describes how awesome fireball is. 

Cheers! 

Take a moment to enjoy the times. And the cider.

I might be slightly behind in my blogging due to the wondrous stresses of graduate school and life in general (i'm talking about you! stupid, broken, car!). Anyways, a few weeks back, in celebration of the pre leaving event for one of the Denver-bound hero's, Derrick picked up a 6 pack of the not terribly overpriced angry  orchard cider. I've blogged about this brand before, when i picked up a 6 pack of the ginger apple cider. I might not be sure about whether or not I liked that flavor, but when it comes to plain old cider, i'm a fan. This was the Crisp variety, as opposed to the dry or ginger. Along the lines of a Woodchuck cider, this was sweet, almost soda sweet, bubbly and delicious. Nothing too classy, but its a good pick for some weekday drinking.
Also, their website (angryorchard.com) is mildly entertaining and has a long list of cocktails you can make using their cider. Mmmmm sounds like something i might have to try this fall. I only lament that to get local cider I have to drive all the way down to Indianapolis. Booo.
Tonight: Strong possibility of picking up a growler from Peoples brewing company!

Presents! :D

While I'm not usually a "buy me that! I need this! *tears off wrapping paper in a flurry of excitement" this wine could make me a convert. Stomps foot, demands more presents.
Mike brought back a bottle as an "I got to go to Italy nanananapoopoo" gift. We opened it up the other night while noshing on some awesome popovers for dinner.
He did good.
:).

This blended Italian Red wine is sweet without being overbearing or desert-like. For about 6 euro's in Italy, or 12 dollars online stateside you an enjoy this rather complex 2010 vintage. I would give it a 4.7/5 for taste. It came off a little bit on the sweet side on my first taste, but I warmed up to it after a glass, and 4/5 for value. It tastes much more expensive than it is. Always a plus!

Cleaning out the fridge Saturdays

What better way to spend a lazy saturday than helping "clean" out a friends beer fridge? After a nice, short, hot weather run, Mike and I returned and enjoyed a taste of his roomate, Nick's, Delirium Tremens. This belgian beer was unlike anything else I have ever tried. It was lightly malty, almost fruity, aromatic, and fairly high in alcohol at 8.5 percent. I'm no beer critic, but this was an experience. I'd recommend it, even though it is above the usual price range for my general consumption. I'm not sure exactly how much a 22? ounce bottle of this stuff runs, but its safe to say as it is Nick's, that its above 10 dollars. As a side note, this beer does not pour well at all. Each glass was over half head and took a while to settle down. Worth the wait at least, as this beer has been labeled the best beer in the world.

Next up was something that almost had me jumping up and down with excitement; Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu. I've been waiting to try this since I read about it a few years ago. Based on an archaeological evidence of an ancient beer from China, brewers at Dogfish head tried to recreate beer history for everyone to enjoy! Its my two favorite things rolled up into one potable masterpiece; beer and nerdiness! I was not disappointed with the beer after years of hype, either. Chateau Jiahu is light, fruity, complex and sweet. Not a normal everyday beer, more of a fruity meade or beer wine combo. At 15 a bottle, this was not a great deal. It is novel and contains 10 ABV, so I'd be willing to give it another chance.

Later on in the evening we headed out to the local mosey down mainstreet. (Why yes, it was a long day.)  I enjoyed one of the few local Indiana ciders; Oliver Beanblossom. This is pretty much Oliver Winery's basic cider. Strangely, its cheaper to buy this bottle out at the bars than at the supermarket where they sell for about 5 dollars a pop. This one was only 3.75 cold and waiting for me at Chumley's. Not as good as Magner's or Woodchuck, this cider is still sweet and delicious. There is also a nice variety of different options available from Oliver. I know of the strawberry cider and blueberry. There may be a few others i'm missing, but try them! Better yet, go to the Winery and check out the tasting room. It comes highly recommended. If you go, try the blackberry wine! 

Overall, cleaning the fridge makes for a long, enjoyable day. Not for the faint of heart, however. Thanks Nick! I hope the fridge has been cleaned enough for you, at least for a while. I'm out, lots of back blogging to get to at some point, but happy Sunday in the meantime!

Value or Greed

 

Is it the love of finding a good value or my greediness that makes me buy a GIANT bottle of wine when i'm at trader joe's? Either way, this impulse buy worked out very well. Liberty Creek Cabernet savignon was a delightfully drinkable wine. It was pleasant without being too sweet or very dry at all. For 7 dollars, I didn't expect a complex wine and I didn't get one. This TJ's find paired well with an awesome spaghetti dinner and some burnt garlic bread (my contribution). Best served among friends :). 4/5 for flavor and 5/5 for value! Also, as a side note, this wine comes in an ENORMOUS liter and a half bottle (or thereabouts).

Grilled Pizza and Chilled Pinot

 What better way is there to cheer up a sad face than by stuffing some pizza in it? Last week fancy dinner night included grilled pizza, which was actually really easy and delicious! I'm not sure what the correct pairing would be for a pizza without red sauce, but that night was Pinot Grigio from Trader Joe's. Its name is on the bottle, but basically it was an italian import Pinot Grigio. Not too complex, but decently dry and fairly tasty. I'd rate it about 3/5 for taste, and 4/5 for value. Trader Joe's does have wine for good value.
The pizza on the other hand was AWESOME! Try it the next time you can. I cannot wait to try it again.
Alright, BBQ time here again.

Things I am good at

Since grad school's got me down (don't ask, its not worth it, all that matters is i'll be blogging about beer for at least another semester) I've got to get back to my blogging! A cheer up is in order.

In the last few weeks there have been a few occasions of delicious alcohol based encounters, as well as the first rerack of the wine! And it tastes good!
Of course the following is all with a big thanks to TJ's for having the best priced, most delicious, cheer up beers available in the great crossroads state of Indiana. At least in my opinion. To the left you will find two great 22 ounce ( I think) beers Mike and I picked up last weekend after a trip to the New and IMPROVED Hoosier Heights Indy. The first is the Boatswait American IPA. This well balanced IPA was 2 dollars and well worth it. I enjoyed its complex and hoppy flavor without feeling like it was overbearly bitter. YUM! Another perk of this beer was its high alcohol content, at over 7 percent.
The Chocolate Stout bellow was lower in alcohol at just above 6 percent, but that's still higher than your average undrinkable beer. This stout was rich and dark with coffee and chocolate overtones. Too heavy to go with dinner, it made a great dessert. I'd recommend both these beers to any beer snob I find, and for 2 dollars a pop, they are well worth it. Although as a beer snob its their job to find something wrong with them.
More beer to come!