Capt'n Eli's Ginger Beer

Capt'n Eli's Ginger Beer. A product of Maine from a brewery (Shipyard). But it's not a beer! It's a soda. Ginger beer has no alcohol to it, and should be viewed as an intense ginger ale. I've found that those that have tried it have polar opinions of it. They either love it or hate it. I'm a fan of it, but I've tried quite a few and can compare my other experiences. So lets see how it does.

Once opened and poured into a glass, it sizzles like a coke and can make you sneeze like on one of Coca-Cola's commercials. As you tip it towards you mouth you can tell it's not ginger ale. On my tongue I found it to be not as strong as other ginger beers I've tried, but still strong. The body was quite crisp though and tingled like sprite. It left you with the ginger in your mouth as an aftertaste.

I won't be giving this ginger beer a score as high as other's I've reviewed, but it can certainly be drank more often. B (good) If you want to explore ginger beer, start here. You wont be traumatized like others.

Adagio White Blueberry

Now I would think most would know if they’d want this tea from the title. Blueberry flavored white tea. But I’m going to review it anyways because many other things are rarely stated in a title. Outside of a palate tastes the intensity, body and aftertaste are unknown. Simply put; is it balanced an enjoyable? (Adagio)

The smell put off by the tea in my cup doesn’t have as much blueberry, it’s more like a sweet white tea. Once sipped blueberry took the back seat to the tea leaves again, but was still noticeable. Like many white teas it has a rather full body for a tea. I tried serving this as an iced tea and the blueberry became much more present. Both hot and cold had a blueberry aftertaste.

I’m going to leave this with a C (decent) because it’s just too simple and the blueberry flavor to it isn’t ‘natural’. It’s more like some sort of blueberry extract in my opinion.

Shipyard Old Thumper ESP

It may surprise some of you that this is a review of a Shipyard beer without their name on the label. Ringwood is a brewery out of the UK where Shipyard's master brewer learned, so they have rights to make it here in the US for us to enjoy. I'm certainly glad for this because I'm drinking one now and it's a fine.

From the glass this looks exactly like their Export Ale, but as soon as a sense beyond sight can notice this it's quite different. It smells similar to an IPA with a hint of sweet but not like thossuper hoppy ones. The oral experience gets bitter but includes the crisp of hops again. It has a smooth body however and a dry end.

This beer isn't for those accustomed to summer ales and lagers despite the light color and lack of IPA on the label. I like it quite a bit however and am leaving it with a B (good). As a mater of fact it's a house beer for me because I commonly get a twelve pack of it.

Peace Coffee Guatemalan

After a break from updating Luxurious Liquids due to many moves I felt it was imperative to start again with a fine choice. So I chose a coffee I found excellent from Peace Coffee that was just roasted lighter. So here are my thoughts on a freshly french-pressed Guatemalan bean from Peace Coffee:

Even before tasting it I could tell this wasn't a "light" roast, just lighter than the Guatemalan Dark Roast. It has a great balance of acidity with it strong enough to be noted but nowhere near the point where it can be a little disturbing such as some Columbian coffees. Nutty is the prime note here though. I can smell pecans and peanuts (along with some chocolaty notes like the dark roast), and taste hazelnut. Do NOT let that statement alarm you! It doesn't parallel the flavored 'coffees' labeled French Vanilla. You're left with the chocolate taste in the aftertaste.

"Aahhhhhhhhh" *sigh of pleasure* I give Peace Coffee's Guatemalan a B (good).

I'll be doing this more often now with an internet connection, all of my tea tins, coffee beans, bar-ware, wine rack, and fine liquors (nothing in plastic), unpacked. Beer will be involved as well because I'm in Portland, Maine now and as some of you may have noticed, there are many fine breweries around.

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.