Although I do not need a change in seasons to tempt me in the direction of rich alcoholic beverages, the recent snow here in Pennsylvania got me looking at the Port selection in the State Store yesterday. I don't know anything about port, except that my father drank it in the winter time. He bought the cheapest stuff available, and offered me a taste from time to time. So, of course, there is a certain nostalgia attached to it now. I still can't pick out the good from the bad, other than to buy in the mid price range, and look for a good balance of rich and not too sweet.
Brandy and Cognac is a different story. I favor Germain Robin when I can find it, but keep a bottle of St-Rémy Authentic on hand at all times. Marie Duffau Napoléon Armagnac is a favorite, but there are many VSOP's that also hit the joy buzzer better than most Cognac. Armagnac is greatly under-appreciated in the US. I appreciate it mostly having to do with memories of a ski trip, a hot tub, a new acquaintance and a life-long friendship that began late one night with this wondrous elixir.
Nowadays, a rich Balkan blend (Try 50% Anniversary Kake, 20% Prilep or P&C's Blended Turkish Ribbon and 30% Latakia) and a wide snifter of Armagnac in front of the fire is wonderful respite from the bite of Old Man Winter.
After a hard day in the wood lot, though, I prefer to sit around the burn barrel with a high-gravity beer, preferably with a lot of mouth-feel. I always have a few tucked in the wood pile. Free Will Brewery, located just south of me in Perkasie, PA offers a phenomenal "Hop Geek 2x IPA" that harkens back to my days as a whole-grain home brewer. I think that they are using the same Wyest strain that I was in love with back then, but either way, they are mashing geniuses, and know how to build a full-bodied brew that still has great hop balance.
What do you favor for the winter months?
Brandy and Cognac is a different story. I favor Germain Robin when I can find it, but keep a bottle of St-Rémy Authentic on hand at all times. Marie Duffau Napoléon Armagnac is a favorite, but there are many VSOP's that also hit the joy buzzer better than most Cognac. Armagnac is greatly under-appreciated in the US. I appreciate it mostly having to do with memories of a ski trip, a hot tub, a new acquaintance and a life-long friendship that began late one night with this wondrous elixir.
After a hard day in the wood lot, though, I prefer to sit around the burn barrel with a high-gravity beer, preferably with a lot of mouth-feel. I always have a few tucked in the wood pile. Free Will Brewery, located just south of me in Perkasie, PA offers a phenomenal "Hop Geek 2x IPA" that harkens back to my days as a whole-grain home brewer. I think that they are using the same Wyest strain that I was in love with back then, but either way, they are mashing geniuses, and know how to build a full-bodied brew that still has great hop balance.
What do you favor for the winter months?
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