Friday, April 29, 2011

Peak Organic Pomegranate Wheat Ale with Acai


You'd think pomegranate and acai berry would be put in a healthier product like tea!

*I pause for a moment to get your reaction*

If you agreed with that statement, then you need to be informed of the invisible health triangle that takes priority over the nutritional one. This one has to do with your mental health. Products like Peak Organic's Pomegranate Wheat Ale might not compliment your physical health even with acai berries and being organic, but what good is it to be physically healthy if mentally unhappy? Lets find out if such a brew would be a supplement for your triangle.

As the label would suggest, this is not your typical beer. It's not opaque like most other wheat ales, but you can make out a haze. The aroma given off could make some think it's a malt drink due to the sweetness, but it doesn't overpower the actual malt note. Once on your tongue more beer elements kick in. It has the crisp carbonation of a hefeweizen and a well rounded body for such a beer. Wheat was most noticeable on the back of the tongue and a little in your nose once swallowed. Of course pomegranate and acai was tasted as well, right on the center of the palate, but I was quite pleased to not be overwhelmed by it like many fruit beers and it worked with the wheat malts.

This beer is well off of the beaten path for my usual choices, but I'm not regretting a single drop to be put between my lips. Peak Organic's Pomegranate Wheat Ale with Acai is a B (good) to me and I'll be choosing it on warm nights with a salad for dinner. It supplements my conscious nutrition but perhaps a pomegranate tea would be better for me? Wait!... "Enjoy the drink, not the effect", even if it's a nutritional one.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Gaetano D'Aquino Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie '10

Did you ever notice that Easter is the spring version of Thanksgiving? Instead of turkey it's either ham or a rotisserie chicken with my family, and this year Gaetano D'Aquino was a good choice for a house wine with our chicken banquet. I think it would do even better with seafood though. Here's why:

Gaetano D'Aquino holds true to the Italian standards of pinot grigio, being crisp and brisk. The nose is fresh in a way that's less fruity and more 'herbal' than many other whites, but minty isn't the right verb. It has a moderate body and a taste that doesn't tang until you swallow it. Just like the smell the palate is light and acidic in a not so citrus way. This makes it well balanced with a meal and easy to drink while still being sharp and fresh.

I'll be keeping this one in stock due to the price at Trader Joe's (it's imported by D'Aquino Italian Importing Co.) but I won't choose this one when I want to just have a glass of wine without a dinner. I'm leaving it with a C (decent) when on its own, but please consider it when you have a nice dinner planned.