Review: Bear Republic Cafe Racer 15 (2014)
Bear Republic’s Racer 5 is one of the west coast’s most iconic IPAs. Cafe Racer 15 is its bigger, burlier, limited-edition brother, a monstrous Double IPA that fans of Racer 5 will definitely want to check out. Named after a type of motorcycle (and not speedy coffee), Cafe Racer 15 uses Citra, Amarillo, Cascade, and Chinook hops to…
Review: 2013 Merryvale Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
This is the way sauvignon blanc should be done. With this 2013 release Merryvale has perfectly balanced this simple but tricky grape. The nose and attack are floral and lightly sweet, hinting at white flowers and honeysuckle. As the body builds, there is more honey, tropical fruit, and a rich, creme brulee finish. Could use…
Review: BridgePort Brewing Trilogy 2 and Hop Czar Topaz Copper IPA
“Oregon’s Oldest Craft Brewery” is back with two new installments in its Trilogy and Hop Czar series of beers. (Find reviews of the first edition of each one here.) Trilogy is a series of three beers celebrating BridgePort’s 30 years in business. Hop Czar is a series of single-hop IPAs. Thoughts on both beers follow.…
Review: 2013 Hahn Pinot Gris and 2012 Chardonnay
Hahn’s Pinot Noir has a good reputation, but it also produces some very affordable whites, both sourced from the Monterey area. Thoughts follow. 2013 Hahn Winery Pinot Gris Monterey – Quite tropical on the nose, but the body is restrained, coming off with buttery notes up front and reserving its mango-pineapple character for the finish. Hints of…
Review: Whiskies of Lost Distillery – Auchnagie, Stratheden, and Gerston
This is one of the niftiest ideas to come out of the whisky world in years. As the Lost Distillery Company reminds us, some 100 Scottish distilleries were shut down or destroyed in the last century, which means most of us will never know what their spirits tasted like. Until now, as they say. What…
Review: Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2014 and 100% Islay Fourth Release
Islay-based Kilchoman may be one of the youngest distilleries in Scotland, but somehow it cranks out more different spirits than just about everyone else in the business. (Mainly because it’s presenting itself as a bit of a “work in progress,” so Kilchoman’s releases tend to be annual updates.) Today we consider two of the main…
Review: Innis & Gunn Original, Rum Aged, and Toasted Oak IPA
Founded in Scotland in 2002, Innis & Gunn has built a reputation around its Scottish Ale and a host of other beer expressions, all of which are aged in oak barrels. (It’s now the most popular British beer in Canada.) As the story goes, the company’s barrel-aged beers came about almost as an accident, when…
Review: 2011 Pina Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons and 2012 Chardonnay
Every year we anticipate a shipment of wines from Pina Napa Valley for review, and every year that shipment seems to get larger. For 2014 the winery has offered a whopping six wines for review — five from different regions of Napa — upon which we’re happily ready to offer our commentary. 2012 Pina Napa…
