Like wine, beer can be very complex with a variety of tastes and sensations. Indeed, in my humble opinion, beer is more interesting than wine because it has more variables. The taste of wine comes only from the grapes, and perhaps the aging barrels. Beer has hops, malt and yeast, all of which have almost […]
Posted on August 31st, 2008 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Beer, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Backstreet Brewery A few days after finishing our reviews of four other breweries, just when we were missing our weekly excuse to pub crawl, we came across the Backstreet Brewery in Irvine. There are eight of these breweries around Southern California, made a part of Lamppost Pizza joints. ST and I were immediately impressed with […]
Posted on August 20th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Beer, Micro-Breweries, Reviews | No Comments »
Beer has always been important to America. One of Thomas Jefferson’s first acts was to pass legislation to ensure a healthy beer industry in the United States. And although there were local craft beers in the early days, with the industrial age came the sort of tasteless, Budweiser-style beers that continued well in the 1970s. […]
Posted on August 19th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Beer, Beer History, Micro-Breweries | No Comments »
For tonight’s tasting in the parlor, I selected from the humidor a Macanudo Robust Portofino, and from my expansive beverage cooler (the refrigerator in the garage) I chose one of my favorites, an Alaskan Amber. Some combination I order from Thompson Cigars apparently includes the Macanudo Robust Portofino, because I’ve never specifically ordered them but I always […]
Posted on August 18th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
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I recently took the Can-Am Spyder for a spin and offer my impressions on this reverse trike. The cool-factor of this three-wheeler is unmistakable. You know you are going to have a fun ride, like climbing onto a snowmobile or WaveRunner. The ride is nothing like being on a motorcycle, and is far more like […]
Posted on August 15th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Motorcycles, Reviews | 4 Comments »
For tonight’s tasting on the Lido Deck, I selected a Chimay Ale Premier and a Hoyo de Monterrey Churchill. If you have never had a Chimay Ale, allow me to introduce you. You, Chimay; Chimay, you. These distinctive ales come in 750ml corked bottles, with a wire wrap holding the cork in place. (They are […]
Posted on August 15th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
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Tonight’s selections for a break on the veranda are a Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 and a Black Dog Ale. I thought the English Style Amber Ale would complement the light to medium cigar. The Black Dog Ale, brewed by Spanish Peaks Brewing Company in Denver, is dark amber colored. It has a distinctive nose consisting of […]
Posted on August 7th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
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BJ’S BREWHOUSE I was joined by Secret Reviewers ST , JB and JL for this night’s reviews of BJ’s Brewhouse (Irvine, California) and JT Schmids (Tustin, California). For the record, JL is a beer drinker, but she is a self-described “beer rookie” whose tastes have not yet matured to the level of heavy stouts. Her insights are useful as […]
Posted on August 7th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
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JT SCHMID’S JT Schmid’s is the new kid in Tustin, California. The chain has just two location; one in Anaheim, across from the Honda Center and the other in Tustin in The District at Tustin Legacy. JT Schmid’s sampler presentation is not impressive. True, the Tustin location is fairly new, but they have certainly had […]
Posted on August 7th, 2008 by Aaron Morris
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OGGI’S PIZZA & BREWING CO. Oggi’s does brew its own beer, but not all of the locations, including Tustin, have a brewery on site. So while this may be a technical violation in a micro brewery competition, after determining that overlooking this violation would permit us to drink more beer, it was not an issue. […]
Posted on August 2nd, 2008 by Aaron Morris
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