Tasting Notes: Hangar 24 Gordgeous

Appearance: Pours a dark, opaque brown, with a thin, mocha colored head which disappears rather quickly, but does leave some decent lacing on the glass.

Aroma:  Smells like when you lick the knife (am I the only one that does this) after cutting the first slice of a pumpkin pie.  A hint of pumpkin, a lot of fall spices, and even a little bit of graham cracker which reminds me of the crust.  Also do get a whiff of the alcohol on this one, which comes in at 8.5% ABV.

Mouthfeel:  Surprisingly light on the palate for me.  Goes right down, with no viscosity.

Flavors:  The alcohol is the first thing I taste on this one, then it goes into some nice, roasty, coffee flavors very quickly.  I get a lot of the pumpkin pie flavors again in the finish, which lingers for some time.  It is more of the spices than the actual pumpkin.  I get a lot of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and clove, with just a hint of pumpkin.

Overall: I'm not normally a pumpkin beer fan, and I love this one.  The combination of the high alcohol and the porter base beer mean there's a lot of strong flavors going on in this beer even without the pumpkin.  The flavors are all strong, clean, and pleasant.  The alcohol hits hard at first, but doesn't burn or come with cloying sweetness.  The beer then moves cleanly into a classic, roasty, almost bitter coffee/porter flavor.  It finishes with a wonderful pumpkin pie, fall spiciness.  The flavors are different enough that none become overpowering, but because they seem to progress in order, they also never clash.  This is definitely one of my fall favorites!

Tasting Notes: 2012 Sutter Home Pink Pinot Grigio

Appearance: Pours an almost transparent peachy pink.  After swirling, you get a film which seems to pool down the glass, rather than legs that run.

Aroma:  Slight peach and stone fruit, with a sharp acidity (lemon and grapefruit).

Mouthfeel:  Light on the tongue, although a little bit of a syrupy feel after it goes down.

Flavors:  Definitely heavy on the peach.  Also get a little bit of melon, kiwi, and a touch of strawberry.  The citrus notes from the nose are absent, although it finishes with an acidity which leaves the mouth watering.  A lingering finish of peach, and the strawberry becomes more prominent in the finish than it was on the palate.

Overall:  This is, I guess, what you would expect from a pink wine from Sutter Home.  Like other low-end pink pinot grigios I've tried, it is interesting how different it is from a traditional pinot grigio.  The flavors and the mouth feel both have a definite sweetness to them which white pinot grigios lack.  While hardly complex or refined, the flavors are pleasant, and I would consider drinking this again on a hot summer day, as it is a refreshing, easy drinking wine.

Tasting Notes: Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Appearance: Pours a thick, dark brown, almost black, and almost entirely opaque.  Has a nice, frothy caramel colored head to it, which has a good hold and some pretty nice lacing after it settles.  When poured, the head develops almost as if the beer were on nitro (will have to look into this actually), kind of cascading up the beer to the top of the glass.

Aroma:  Strong coffee with a hint of chocolate as well.  The aroma is more like coffee beans than already-brewed coffee.

Mouthfeel:  Flows pretty freely over the palate for coming in at over 9% ABV, although it does coat the tongue toward the finish, and the astringency dries the palate for the finish as well.

Flavors:  Initial flavors are strong on coffee, like a fresh brewed, black coffee.  Very strong coffee flavor, and none of the chocolate I picked up in the nose.  As the beer rests, the bitterness changes from a coffee bitterness to a hoppy astringency.  Finishes with just a touch of heat from the relatively high ABV, and a dry, astringent pucker from the hops.

Overall:  Not an easy-drinking stout for sure.  At almost 10% ABV, and with a healthy dose of both coffee and hop bitterness, this one is probably better served in a snifter than a pint glass, but hey, I'm at home and not driving anywhere, right?  Definitely not a smooth transition from someone whose only exposure to stouts is Guinness or something similar.  A serious beer with a lot of complementary flavors.  The bitterness is prominent, but not overpowering, and the interplay between the hops, the dark malt, and the coffee is fun.  The bitterness never goes away, but it does morph as the beer sits on your palate, which makes it a little intriguing and more interesting than some other stouts, or some other "bitter" beers.  Probably not an everyday choice for me, but definitely a great beer for a fall night.

Is it whiskey or whisky?

A quick and short post today.  This is a common question people have, and everyone seems to think they're right about it.  Well, in this particular case, everyone is actually right.

The dark, distilled-from-grain alcoholic beverage can be spelled either way.

In Scotland, Japan, and Canada, it is most commonly spelled whisky.

In Ireland and the United States, it is generally spelled whiskey.

A seemingly ridiculous, but useful way of remembering that is that, at least as far as the 5 major whiskey producing countries go, if there is an "e" in the country, there is an "e" in the whiskey.  If there's no "e" in the country, there's no "e" in the whisky either.

This question is further complicated by the locavore and craft spirits movements, particularly in the United States.  In particular, there are some whisky producers who produce Scotch or Canadian style whiskies (heavy on the rye or the malted barley), who choose to spell the word without an "e," to reflect the style of the whiskey.

But long story short, both whisky and whiskey are correct spellings for the word.