Southend Brewery, Charleston

I visited Southend Brewery during a recent trip to Charleston to celebrate my brother Chris' marriage to Joelle!  What a lovely wedding weekend.

The stop-in at Southend was a pleasant bonus.  I tasted a few, and settled on their stout ... Pict's.  I typically prefer big-bodied beers with A LOT going on; Pict's was not that.  :)   It was quite good, though ...very typical English style stout;, all of the beers I tasted at Southend were English in style.  I really liked how the beers were unfiltered; less processing with a distinct, deliberate cloudiness.  Pict's was light-medium-bodied, with roasts malts, bit of chocolate, coffee, and chicory. The food at Southend was great, in my opinion. I had grilled salmon on a salad, which was cooked to perfection. Ryan's,burger was "the best he's had in a long time, close to Coco's (Philly) excellence". Well done, Southend.

We had a lovely stay in Charleston. Congrats Chris and Joelle! Glad we checked out Southend when we has the chance.

Merlot Randomness in Seattle

During our last visit to Seattle in January for Km's birthday extravaganza, we enjoyed plenty of delectable cuisines and libations. We also met a lot of pretty awesome friends of Km and Kendal's, including Sarah!

In an interesting series of events, Sarah acquired a bottle of 2004 Bruno Cellars Napa Merlot. To my delight, she brought it over to share on Km's birthday! Bruno Cellars is a small, family-owned winery, crafting wines with Italian influence stemming from the family's southern Italian roots.

There were 45 cases of 2004 Merlot produced at Bruno Cellars, then aged in French oak for 12 months. It was fruity...with plums and raspberries, and a bit of vanilla from the oak. What a delicious and unexpected treat!

Thanks for sharing, Sarah!

(Written January 7, 2013)

Scotland+North Carolina = Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale

Duck-Rabbit Brewery, located in Farmville, NC, specializes in dark, malty, flavorful beers ... right up my ally.

I had a draft of Wee Heavy Scotch Style Ale at Champs in State College, PA.  It was clear and amber-colored. It was smooth and lacy, like a sweet biscuit crossed with pumpernickel bread: medium-bodied, caramel, loads of molasses, dried fruits, and brown sugary malts.  This is totally an Americanized Scotch Ale ... higher ABV, tons of malt, bigger-bodied.  Love it.

In my opinion, Duck-Rabbit brews are underrated. Try a few today, especially while the weather is still cool, and dark beers are appealing

Half Price Bottle Night at Mario's: For the Love of Italian... Brunello and Dolcetto

A few weeks back, some friends, old and new, met for an amazing wine night (thanks for the invite, ST!). Half prices bottles of wine up to $100 at Mario's in State College, PA. With hundreds of bottles in stock, I soon realized it was an overwhelming adventure. A few of the most memorable selections of the evening were the 2007 Martoccia Brunello and the 2008 San Fereolo Dolcetto.

The 2007 Martoccia Brunello was a bright garnet color. It was medium-bodied, with a bit more acidity than I prefer, but good texture. Tobacco, currants and leathery favors...little pepper.

OK, so I officially adore Dolcetto! The 2008 San Fereolo Dolcetto was also medium-bodied, with red fruits and smoooooth. It was elegant, fresh, and a little anise. Mmm.

Both were even better with a little food, as is usual with Italian wines. I anticipate many more half-price bottle nights at Mario's.  Cheers!