Review: Samuel Adams Utopias (2017 Release)
The thing about Samuel Adams’ Utopias — the extreme barrel-aged beer that drinks more like a Port or sherry than a can of Boston Lager — is that although they constantly tweak the recipe, the beer itself never seems to change that much. Variations on a theme, really. 2017 marks the 10th release of Utopias…
Review: NV Dark Horse Double Down Red Blend
A ten-dollar, nonvintage red wine made from who-knows-what that’s called Double Down… Perhaps you can forgive my skepticism going into this one. Truth be told, Dark Horse’s lighter wines are not as terrible as their name, and this expression — technically a “limited release” — is far better than I was expecting. According to the…
Tasting Report: 2015 St. Emilion Bordeaux Wines
In 2014 we covered the wines of Bordeaux’s St. Emilion region, diving into the 2009 and 2010 vintages in earnest. Recently, Grand Cru producers from the area visited San Francisco to pour their 2015 bottlings, and each was invited to offer an older bottling by way of comparison. These ranged from 2010 to 2014 (though…
Bar Review: The Silver Dollar, Louisville
While you’ll find The Silver Dollar on many lists of the best whiskey bars in the country, the impressive brown water offerings at this funky and casual spot are not even mentioned in the “About” section of their website. The bar is a take on a 1950s Bakersfield, California honky-tonk, complete with rustic décor (exposed…
Review: Chicken Cock Straight Bourbon 8 Years Old
Listen, I came to Chicken Cock via its 2013 flavored whiskeys, which came packaged in aluminum cans. The brand is an ancient one dating to the 1850s — because otherwise no one is putting “cock” on their labels — but the whiskey being put out today really has no relationship to the old stuff. The original…
Review: 2016 Flint & Steel Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
Flint & Steel is a sublabel of Graton-based Purple Wine Company, with an unusual claim to fame: It makes only one wine, a 100% sauvignon blanc sourced from Napa Valley. It’s a traditional offering from this region — heavy with pineapple and lemon notes, but rounded out with some almond character that gives body to…
Review: Herb & Lou’s Infused Ice Cubes
High-end bartenders have a neat trick available to them: Rather than chilling a drink with frozen water, they put stuff in the ice, freeze it, then let that flavor your drink as it melts. It’s also a nifty trick for home bartenders who don’t want to bother with a bunch of mixing and shaking: Just…
Review: NV Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon California
There’s not that much to excite anyone about a 13 dollar, nonvintage California cab — but Chateau Souverain is doing one fun thing this year by offering custom labels with, well, anything printed on them. As you can see by the photo above, Chateau Souverain becomes Chateau Null, or Chateau Smith, or Chateau Whatever. The…
