Sebago Bourbon Barrel Aged Lake Trout Stout

This is a rather interesting product; it’s a beer I’ve tried before but has now gone through an evolution. I enjoy their original Lake Trout Stout however; Sebago Brewing Company has experimented with a small batch of Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels and this is a homerun. I sure hope they make this a standard in their lineup because…

The appearance of this brew is obviously a stout, opaque with a creamy head. After pouring this delicious beer, I start to use my other sense’s, the head has fantastic hints of barley, chocolate and vanilla, not too sharp but with a ‘rounded bourbon-esque’ power. Once the beer enters your mouth the specialty malts assert themselves, the special cask ageing shows its effect with an overtone of chocolate, coffee, and undertone of vanilla. The cask aging then plays through showing great hint’s of Bourbon.

I haven’t hesitated to give this an A (excellent) due to the symmetry and collaboration of the barrel aging with the stout. Anybody who enjoys a good stout will be enchanted by this. So grab it if you see it, you won’t regret it.

Santa Carolina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc '09

With the warm and humid weather it was time for a light crisp wine. After a quick vote from who knew wine, sauvignon blanc beat pinot grigio. Picking the label was left completely to me though. I'm a fan of Chilean cabernets, so I decided to explore the opposite end of the grape spectrum. Santa Carolina's Reserva is up.

As I soon found the green hue in the wine might've been real. The nose displayed a mineral note with the expected citrus fruit such as grapefruit. After a sip lime took the scene for the rest of the experience. The dry crisp parallels lime-juice, but it's not overly puckering somehow. In an long aftertaste the grapefruit tone comes back a little.

This sauvignon blanc is exactly what's needed on a muggy day. Based on its taste I think it would go excellent with a caesar salad too. I don't have a preference for sauvignon blanc but this one is getting a B (good) for its balance in strong but easily bearable citrus dry.

Twinings Prince of Wales

It's tea time and I'm introducing my first Twinings product, the Prince of Wales. Twinings is an older company than any other tea company I've reviewed, but I've noticed that the loose options of some of there teas are a newer choice. Twinings is catching on to the popularity of the whole leaf, lets see if they have a competitive product:

The tin claims it's "a smooth and mild taste with a well-rounded character". The nose has a calm robustness somewhat like a breakfast tea, but once in the mouth the container proves its point. It reminds me of some Darjeeling tea but with a bigger body and more placid palate. There's a light aftertaste as well that's just a faint note of the Chinese black tea.

Prince of Wales is appropriately named because this tea would fit perfectly in a tea party. It goes well with cream and sugar if desired and it's taste parallel's the amiable setting. I'm leaving it with a C (decent) because it doesn't have higher levels of taste.