I've had this before, but I didn't get around to writing it down before for some reason. I'm not really sure what breed of ale this is, but it's hoppy, creamy, slightly sweet, and finishes bitter. I'm a fan of it. We'll see how the Double Bastard Ale goes over.
Sourced from multiple places. The main thing I was looking for in recipes was the absence of ketchup. Because I hate ketchup. I wanted to use tomato paste/sauce and my own seasoning. Ketchup is not pre-seasoned tomato sauce. The consistency and taste is completely different.
Anyhow, I did some stuff and used garlic and onions, Worcestershire, brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, and I think that's it.
One place suggested topping with sour cream, which I felt didn't really make that big of a difference in satisfaction, and I added jalapenos to go with the sour cream, naturally.They were awesome.
Sourced from Elise. The outstanding addition in this is the mint mixed in with the meat, which was turkey. As always, I'm very hesitant with the salt so it ended up missing something. I also tried to reconstitute some tomato paste into tomato sauce but didn't use enough paste.
The best brown ale ever.
I also had a flight of their regular, on-tap beer, brewed in-house. I found most somewhat unremarkable, but I did like the Red Springs ale which is an English Bitter. English Bitters kind of remind me of IPAs but not as floral and with the body of a pilsner. I also had one of their seasonals, the Maris Otter, which, by their analogy, is a varietal wine of beers. I assume they mean it uses a single type of barley. I was rather undecided on whether or not I liked it at the time and still am so. I was reminded of Matilda's evocation of a dwindling campfire. This was more like the exhale of a cigarette, though whether that cigarette was cheap or not, I couldn't tell. If I had had a pint at the beginning of the night instead of the end, I might have had a finer palate.
I'm not sure what muscadine wine tastes like. But this tastes smoother than normal vodkas. Small hints of fruit. But not really sure what to do with it.
Firefly has a whole line of interesting infused vodkas. I want to try.
Probably the best gin I've had thus far. Remarkably smooth, both on the tongue and nose. Mixes very well with tonic and has a well-defined herbal and floral bouquet. Very pleasant all around.
Finally caught the Blue Moon Spring Seasonal. As expected, lackluster. But that's the whole line finally.
The other variety is this Late Night series from Doritos. I can't say I liked the Zesty Taco and Chipotle Ranch Collisions, primarily due to the taco flavor, so I don't really know why I bought this one. But I am a sucker for novelty snack foods (Hello Kitty everything). What can I say? It tastes like Mexican BO. I guess that's what they were going for?
The Late Night flavor I'd like to see: everything on an all-night diner menu.
I find it surprising that I didn't have this one while I was in Chicago last summer. But there you have it. It's good, an English Bitter. Compared to Blackstone's Red Springs Ale, I like this one better. It's like an IPA up front but sits in your mouth like a lager.
While it's still in mind, I also had the Maris Otter seasonal at Blackstone. For a moment, I was reminded of Matilda, but then it settled itself as an after-cigarette taste. Disappointing.
Alco-haul. Alcohol. Haul. Get it?
Spoils from my trip to the Midwest, home of Goose Island, Schlafly, Blackstone (not quite Midwest) and cheaper beer and liquor sold in the same store.
Hm. I had my hopes up for this one. I can't say that I wasn't a little let down. But I love IPAs. And I did like this one. It was just like a stronger, somewhat hoppier version of their IPA. The extra bitterness that lingers helps balance out the typically almost-too-sweet finish. But it's still sticky.
Would I try it again? Sure. But I wouldn't want to pay for it when I can get better ones at a comparable price.
ADDENDUM: It's much better from the tap.
