It’s impossible to ignore the meteoric rise of tequila within the world of craft spirits. Once derided as an inexpensive centerpiece for frat parties and bar crawls, Mexico’s most famous export is finally earning the respect its time-honored craftsmanship deserves. As well it should. Tequila is serious business, particularly in …
With alcohol, as with life itself, we enjoy a pronounced fondness for graceful aging. Women continue to fawn over Harrison Ford and Robert Redford as they approach their 80s. 55 year-old Kim Cattrall was continually portrayed as an object of desire for younger men in Sex In The City. Oenophiles, …
Bourbon is the most sought after whiskey in the world. And as demand grows, supply continues to dwindle. And while there are many uncertainties in life, one thing remains incontrovertible fact: Pappy Van Winkle reigns supreme. Made with more wheat instead of the traditional ingredients of corn, rye, and barley, …
Farm-to-table is a phrase uttered ad nauseam in contemporary dining; it is the guiding mantra of locavores everywhere. But as the culinary landscape focuses its sights on locally-sourced ingredients, innovative brewers have been quietly practicing farm-to-bottle for generations. Now, however, the time is ripe for them to step out from …
Wood’s is a family-run business out of central Vermont producing the state’s only bourbon-barrel-aged maple syrup. And they’re not just using any old barrels. The company sources their oak from New York’s award-winning Hudson Whiskey. One of the unique features of Hudson is the smaller casks they use for maturation, …
With a legendary reputation as one of San Francisco’s original gastropubs, Magnolia Brewing Company has withstood the test of time. Owner Dave McLean opened his brewery/eatery more than 15 years ago when IPAs and Imperial Stouts were foreign to the casual beer drinker. My, how things have changed. Yet Magnolia …
Although the full name of this annual small batch release is quite a mouthful, it is exquisitely light on the tongue. Beginning with her barrel-aged Reposado, Master Distiller Maria Theresa Lara utilizes wet Scotch casks to finish her tequila for the final two months of the aging process. What emerges …
The first full weekend of autumn in San Francisco kicked off in festive fashion, as the annual Craft Spirits Carnival returned to Fort Mason Park, with more than 100 spirits brands in participation. Distilled varieties ranging from smoky mescals to anise-laden absinthes flooded the 50,000 square foot Festival Pavilion back-dropped by the …
Touted as “a stout of great contention” Southern Tier Crème Brûlée Imperial Milk Stout hails from the brewery’s intriguing Blackwater Series. These seasonal, limited production Imperial Stouts boast special ingredients to nudge them over the edge of ordinary. What happens when you run hot wort through coffee beans? cocoa beans? vanilla beans? …
Great Divide Brewing Company’s Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout is one of the brewery’s seasonal offerings, though chances are, you can hear fans clamouring for it year round. The brewery affectionately refers to it as Yeti Imperial Stout’s sophisticated sibling: “they may be from the same clan, but they have entirely different personalities.” Oak …
While many of us struggle with our destined paths in life (and often drown those sorrows in craft beer) Captain Lawrence Brewing Company’s founder, Scott Vaccaro, knew his destiny before it was even legal to act on it. 100% certain of his passion for brewing at the ripe age of …
The Allagash Curieux, like many fascinating and delicious discoveries, was a serendipitous mistake. French for “curious,” Curieux came about when Allagash Brewing Company founder Rob Tod had to find a quick solution to avoid wasting a batch of Triple Ale when his order of Belgian bottles got held up in customs. All out of options, he …