Wild Turkey 101 Rye.

The resident expert at the store told me rye whiskey is a different animal. My friend said it was "disgusting!" I picked it up anyway because I didn't want to gamble on the Bluecoat gin which sounded uneventful from the other resident expert's description (though after reading about it, I might try it eventually anyway).

Potent rye, spicy, I get kind of blown out by the 101. The finish has a weird bready taste. It's different, and I like the change of pace, but it's not something I'd reach for regularly. There doesn't seem to be many rye whiskey drinks, but I might have to try a rye and ginger soon.

Ham and Pineapple Melt.

Of all the food blogs I read, Kevin is probably the most ambitious in creativity. I don't appreciate the way he appropriates Korean food sometimes, but you got to give the guy credit for trying crazy stuff.

This is a really good grilled cheese sandwich. I only wish I had used a thicker, larger slice of cheese. Because the only way to make a grilled cheese is with too much cheese. But my guilty conscience won't let me do things like that.

Spanakorizo.

Another one from Kevin. A solid rice dish with onions and spinach, sprinkled with feta. I made mine with brown rice because I like the extra chewiness.

Chicken Souvlaki.

It's not really chicken souvlaki. But I tried. Maybe I'll try it again when I'm grilling sometime. It was still pretty good though. Used some fresh fino verde in the tzatziki since I didn't have any dill.

Cabbage, Carrot, Potato Muffins.

From Chaya, who seems to specialize in gluten-free food. It is basically a potato pancake with that other stuff and then baked in a muffin tin instead of fried in the pan. It's a convenient way to use up some vegetables, but it'll need some serious spicing up to suit me. I ate them for breakfast so it's pretty versatile.

Cocoa Brownies.

From everybodylikessandwiches. I'm not sure why this is seriously intense? Because of the cocoa? I don't know what kind of brownie you would make without cocoa. That's standard for me. I couldn't find cocoa nibs, so I just doubled the amount of baking chocolate (100%). I guess the nibs were supposed to make it intense. Or seriously intense. Whatever. Shit's intense.

I think I also put baking powder in the last batch of brownies I made. I'm not sure why.

Goose Island Nightstalker Imperial Stout.

First, let me say I fucking love Goose Island. You can move "fucking" to any point in the prior sentence, and it will still hold true.

I saw this at the store. Never heard of it. Single month release, part of the limited release line.

This is, hands down, the heaviest, literally, beer I have ever had. It pours like motor oil, no splash, dark as its namesake. I get all coffee in the nose, a bit of charred oak. Thin, tight head that fades. No lacing. Tastes fresh and noticeably hopped. Will bottle-condition for five years.

Goose Island is going lead me to financial ruin. Wait for it.

Stone Old Guardian.

This is the 2009 release. Rich, thick, amber color. Slick mouthfeel, finishes a little sticky. Not as sweet as I like my barley wines but comes off a bit more bittersweet and kind of hoppy. Thin head, no lacing.

I don't know. I'm kind of disappointed. At 11.3%ABV, it's leaning towards the higher end. I guess that's cool? I probably wouldn't buy it again unless it were on sale.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.

Billed on BA as an American strong ale, I was under the impression that this was going to be a pale, though having seen the pour, I feel like I've seen "black IPA" associated with it as well. I've had black IPAs before, which is blasphemy, but this is not a black IPA. Strong ale is kind of a cop out really, since anything that's not distinctly in a style and weighs in at +8%ABV gets called a strong ale. This one is 8.7%ABV.

Mostly malty, kind of hard to find the hops. Nice, but generic dark taste. It's a good session beer in that "I'm going to get drunk"-session-beer kind of way.

Ursa Vineyards Petite Sirah 2005.

Third bottle of a set from Ursa. This one is from Paso Robles (the other from the Sierra Foothills and a vineyard blend). Characteristic. Finally got some nice astringent tannins in this one, though a bit mild, after the last few disappointments. Really big berries. Mellows out and softens a bit too much with some aeration, but it does get jammy.

Reuben Quesadiila.

I guess this is a sandwich. Sort of. Sourced from Kevin. I didn't have Swiss or even provolone, ended up using mozzarella which wasn't bad, though I forgot to add cheese to both tortillas. If done right, I think it'd be really good. But why not just have a reuben?

Pork Ribs and Sauerkraut.

Sourced from Elise. I used boneless country ribs instead of spareribs. The canned sauerkraut didn't carry the same punch I was hoping for even though I included the entire contents. Maybe I used too much water. Instead of white wine, I used half a bottle of Ephemere which was a good move.

Need to get some caraway seeds and try this.

Picadillo.

Sourced from Kevin. It's kind of like chili, but thicker and done finely enough that it's like a sauce of sorts. Unlike chili, it's sweeter, more savory and should have a more complex heat. I didn't have good peppers to use, so I ended up just using chopped jalapenos and cayenne, but roasted chiles would be really good here. I should really get some chipotle chiles.

Doritos Fiery Habanero.

For some reason, I put off trying this for a really long time. I guess because I've been so disappointed by jalapeno chips in the past. Turns out this is actually pretty fucking awesome. It has a nice flavorful heat without coming off as too "fake meaty" savoriness.

I actually haven't bought it again since I tried it. I guess I forgot I liked it? Which is exactly why I have to write down things like that here.

Evan Williams Honey Reserve.

Randomly read about its release and looked around and found it here. Normally priced at around $12 (half the price of American Honey), Evan Williams has a rebate going to help move and establish its product. After rebate, a 750mL bottle comes to $3. Hot.

And the thing is, Honey Reserve is just as good as American Honey. It's a little less viscous, a touch lower ABV, and little generically sweeter, but I can't justify paying the retail for American Honey when there's such a comparable product at half the price.

Unibroue Ephemere.

I had a taste of this at a brewfest, and while it's not something I'd necessarily buy, it was on sale for a good price. Fruit-based beers are always a gamble with a high variance in payoff. Unibroue is pretty well-respected by myself and abroad, so I would expect nothing less from them. And this one nails it pretty well. I'm kind of curious about how it does after some cellaring. But I don't really have the motivation for that with this. Maybe if the price is still good.