California (que OC theme music)

So, I’m in California for the week.  And although this post isn’t about any one beverage in particular, I’m writing to announce that the next few posts I make will be (a) about California-based alcohol and (b) in quick succession of each other.  Hopefully at least two will come out of this week.

And I’m expanding to beer, which will happen with this blog occasionally, but not often.  I’m making my first exception for the Karl Strauss Brewing Company, based out of San Diego.

I just had their En Fuego Jalepnio Cheeseburger and three of their premium drafts in La Jolla– one of the pricier areas of the world– and it cost me $28.  Back in the low-income area of East Tennessee where I’m from, I could get a burger and three beers for $28, and it would be half the quality.

Oh, and on top of that, the Karl Strauss brews I had were 8.1% alcohol at least, with their Belgian-style seasonal ranking it at a full 10%.  This is over double what Tennessee state laws prohibit beer of being.

Screw this legalization of marijuana.  If I lived here amongst 10% alcoholic beer, I wouldn’t even think of weed.  You Californians don’t realize how great you have it.  But I support your self-parodying progressive liberal laws nonetheless.  Let’s see what other ridiculous shit we can pull off, Golden State!

More to come later.

Tilia Torrontes 08

I’m more of a red wine person than a white wine person.  I love some Sauv Blanc, but aside from that there’s not a white I’m fond of.

So I was more than eager to dive into a bottle of Tilia Torrontes, as I didn’t even know this varietal existed.

Chardonnay is too boring for me.  Even to this day I haven’t found one that I like.  They’re not bad, but they’re not good.  They’re like the Coldplay of wines– served to the masses and met with lukewarm responses, but no one ever turns it down, especially at wedding receptions.

Torrontes, as it turns out, is a common South American varietal, at least in the same sense that Malbecs are common.  They’ve been dropped by the wayside slightly, but are still popular in niche markets.

The taste is fruity, but wholly unlike any other kind of wine.  There’s (I swear) a cherry taste in it somewhere.  The citrusy fruits aren’t present at all, and what fruits are blended in can only be described as aromic.  I know it sounds disgusting, but it’s like drinking perfume if it were wine.  But it’s not sweet, tart, or sour.  It’s like the underlying tones of a fruity smell mixed into a wine.

There’s no way for me to describe it where it sounds appealing, but trust me, it’s worth a try.  It’s the most off-flavor wine I’ve had in a while.  But don’t think of it as a table wine, because it’s definitely not sweet.

It’s as if the fruits that usually don’t make it into a wine mixture were given a shot with this one.

At the very least, it’s an extremly interesting wine.

3.5 out of 5 strikes

Dyed in the Wool Sauvignon Blanc

Dyed in the Wool Sauv Blanc was my introduction to Sauv Blancs in general.  Much like how the Beatles were my introduction to music and the Ghostbusters my introduction to cinema, this brand has a special place in my heart.

I like sour beverages.  I always have.  In fact, my favorite non-alcoholic beverage is unsweetened grapefruit juice, which not a whole lot of people would say.

Dyed in the Wool tastes quite a bit like grapefruit juice.

This New Zealand brand packs multiple citrus fruits into the Sauv Blanc, with the sour ones shining through.  It’s crisp, clean, and doesn’t have an aftertaste to speak of.

With Sauv Blancs the main area for variation is exactly how sour they are and how much you can taste the alcohol.  With Dyed in the Wool, the sour factor is high, and the alcohol taste is minimal, making it all the more refreshing.

Like other Sauv Blancs, this one goes well with spicy food.  But it also serves as a pleasing beverage to sip on the porch on a warm evening.

4 out of 5 strikes