Liquor and Wines

Today’s discussion: La Trappe Quadrupel Ale

I have mentioned before that I am not a beer or ale fan. Because I know beer and ale discussions are definitely lacking in the liquor and wine discussions on Coupons, Deals and More, I have tried to get Sonny-boy with his vast experience to do a monthly beer or ale review. That came to naught. So, when I tried the La Trappe Quadrupel Ale, I knew I would have to mention it!

La Trappe Quadrupel Ale is brewed by Beer Brewery de Koningshoeven – one of only seven Trappist breweries left worldwide, and the only one in the Netherlands. The beer can only be called a “Trappist beer” if it is brewed at a Trappist monastery under the supervision and responsibility of the monks. click here for more information.

Brewer Notes

A unique Trappist beer that is even put to rest sorted by year in the cellars of the abbey for further fermentation. The strongest beer of La Trappe with a beautiful amber colour. The warm taste is full and well-balanced. A little bit sweet and pleasantly bitter. La Trappe Quadruple is also fermented in oak barrels.

10% vol. alc., pouring temperature 10-14 ºC

My Notes

WOW! Was this good! Since it is oak aged each barrel has unique tendencies. The ale we tried was cherries and vanilla, with a hint of yeast and raisins. The color was a purplish-brown. It tasted like no ale I’d ever tried before, and I have a feeling the oak barrel aging appealed to my wine-taste-buds.

We will definitely be buying the La Trappe Quadrupel Ale again!

Have you tried the La Trappe Quadrupel Ale? What did you think?

As always, drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

For more Liquor and Wine tips, recipes and reviews, click here.

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Today’s discussion: Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Zinfandel

Vintner’s Note:

The Vintners Blend has a rich, somewhat soft, moderately complex, spicy, ripe, raspberry aroma. The flavors are those of black cherries, mint and vanilla with a sturdy, slightly astringent finish. The freshness and youth that we strive for in the Vintners Blend allows it to be released with slightly less barrel and bottle age. We pass our economic savings on to the consumer who will find these forceful but friendly wines to be a wonderful complement to pasta, poultry, red meats and other highly-flavored dishes.

My Notes

Well, I have had a difficult time finding an inexpensive red that would hold up well with beef. The Wines For Christmas Dinner list was a rude awakening to how deficient I have been in reviewing red, and finding decent ones for a reasonable cost.

All I can say after trying the Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Zinfandel – I finally found one!

I found the Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Zinfandel to be slightly sweet on the tongue. It was warm and peppery going down, making it a near-perfect pairing with my steak dinner. This wine had decent backbone, and no awful aftertaste. The nose was cherry, the color a dark purplish.

For the price? You can’t beat this warm and delicious red!

Have you tried the Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Zinfandel? What did you think?

As always, drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

For more Liquor and Wine tips, recipes and reviews, click here.

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Today’s discussion: Wild Pig Syrah

After I made the up the Wines For Christmas Dinner list, and saw just how light on decent red wine reviews I was, I have been making a concentrated effort to purchase and try more red wines. And besides, red wine is supposed to be good for you, right?

Well I don’t know if it is the price point or what, but I am having the darnedest time finding red wines I would recommend you all go out and purchase.

And today is no exception …

Vintner’s Notes:
A generous nose of berries and red fruits with a lively structure and firm finish.

My notes:
Hubby and I both gave this a go. I wanted his opinion because he has a better understanding of wines and what makes a wine very good, as well as what is missing.

The nose makes it seem like a big wine according to hubby – me? I got yeast. I was worried it was spoiled when I poured it – it smelled that funky. A deep purple-red, the color was the best thing about this wine. The Wild Pig Syrah was very smooth going down, but it lacks tannin and there really is no backbone. I also had a chalky aftertaste, and when I said something to hubby about it, he agreed.

Regardless of the price, this is definitely one to pass on.

Have you tried the Wild Pig Syrah? What did you think?

As always, drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

For more Liquor and Wine tips, recipes and reviews, click here.

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Today’s discussion: Peter Mertes Platinum Sweet Red

A German red is not something most people think of when considering a red wine. Germans do white wines, and they do it well. I picked this up because it was cheap, and the idea of a German red was intriguing.

This wine utilizes the Dornfelder grape whose characteristics are: dark-skinned, full-bodied, medium tannins and acidity, dark cherry, blackberry, elderberry, plums, slightly floral. This is grown in the Rheinhessen Region.

There are no vintner notes, so I will just give my impressions:

This is an extremely inexpensive wine selling for under $6 a bottle normally. The initial taste was not good – I swear I puckered up! On a sweet wine! The taste improved greatly with each sip. While a sweet red, it wasn’t a “fruity” sweet wine … more a blend of cherry, blackberry and yikes I hate to say it… wood. The nose is definitely a pleasant grape smell, the color a dark-purple.

While I didn’t dump it, I definitely would not purchase again. It was drinkable but no compelling reason to purchase again.

Have you tried the Peter Mertes Platinum Sweet Red? What did you think?

As always, drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

For more tips and reviews, click here.

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My good friend Tamona and I were chatting on skype last week about all the great drinks we’ve tried lately. I had just posted the Blue Dolphin, and she planned on trying it this past weekend. She then shared with me this drink called a Painkiller. It comes from Cheddars (which I had never heard of), and she said when you order, they have a strict limit of two per person.

Sounded right up my alley!

So, I changed the alcohol ingredient from dark rum to white rum and used this recipe:

Painkiller Alcoholic Beverage

2 oz white rum
1 oz cream of coconut
4 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice

Shake well, pour over ice in a tall glass.
Top with nutmeg

And WOW was Tamona right – this was excellent!

Thanks T!

As always, drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

For more tips and reviews, click here.

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While vacationing in Florida we went to a sport’s bar where I ordered a drink called a blue dolphin. Deciding I liked it, and it was in the upper 70s last weekend and a perfect time for a fun drink, I googled for a recipe. Well, there were a lot of different versions, some with ingredients I knew I did not like, so I took the basic recipe and created my own version!

This was very nice. I prefer diet pop to fully leaded, whereas you may not. Also, I really like coconut rum, so I went heavy on that.

Blue Dolphin Alcoholic Beverage

1 oz Malibu Coconut Rum (this one is mixed with coconut liqueur where most of the others are coconut flavoring)
1 oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1/2 oz Vodka
12 oz Sprite Zero
Dash of lime juice

Mix in a cocktail shaker, and pour over ice. Makes two drinks!

As always, drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

For more tips and reviews, click here.

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These wine reviews for store brand wines are hit or miss. I found Two Buck Chuck undrinkable, but thought Marc’s Matthew Fox Merlot to be a great buy for the low, low price!

So, how would Costco’s Kirkland Chardonnay make out?

Well, not very well.

I couldn’t find any vintner’s notes, so this is all me this time!

I found this to be pale in color, little nose. I thought it was acidic and did not get buttery at all. I would be surprised to find it is oak aged. I truly felt the wine was lacking in fruit or butter qualities. In other words: yuck.

The best thing going for the Costco’s Kirkland Chardonnay? It is cheap, and even then, not worth the seven bucks.

Have you tried the Costco’s Kirkland Chardonnay? What did you think?

As always, drink responsibly and please don’t drink and drive.

For more tips and reviews, click here.

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