Wine-o: American Microbreweries

The USA is the home to several microbreweries.  In New England I have noticed a pride in local microbrews that I didn't detect in Arkansas.    Breweries are very fun to visit, often with a dining room for sampling beer and basic pub fare.  And of course, a ton of retail items such as t-shirts, coolers, hats, dog leashes, etc.  Many breweries also offer guided tours.

The BF's favorite type of beer is IPA, and so this is more often than not the kind of beer in the fridge, and thus the kind that I try.  I am not a huge beer drinker, and my taste is narrow and specific, however I will rank beers on a 100 point scale.  I can detail the fun experiences at the breweries that we visit as well.

Printer Friendly Maps & Cheat Sheets:
New Hampshire
Vermont
Maine
Massachusetts
New York
Connecticut
Rhode Island

For more information about microbreweries, one can watch "Beer Wars" (available on Netflix Instant). This is a documentary about the market share struggle between the "big 3" and microbreweries across the country.  The narrator has a very clear opinion, but the documentary is informative.

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Wine-o: Fat Bastard Merlot

Fat Bastard 2010 Merlot, FRANCE
Alcohol 13.5%
Price $12

This is a great wine that I have enjoyed many a time.  It is an affordable wine and therefore a great hostess gift.  It is a soft and smooth merlot, with some tannins that give a sharp metallic kick of an aftertaste.

This wine pairs well with a variety of meats.  It goes wonderfully with venison steak as well as barbecue pork.  I've even enjoyed a Fat Bastard wine at Thanksgiving with stuffing and domestic turkey.

"I love a fat bastard!"

Freya's Score: 80
Mona's Value: 6.67


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Culture Bit: New Hampshire Blueberries

New Hampshire grows delicious blueberries.  I have become a huge fan since our move.  I have them with my morning cereal, dessert, sometimes alongside a lunch sandwich.  Delicious.  The BF and I decided to take advantage of a local farm that featured "Pick Your Own".  We found this handy information on the NH site: 

Super Acres - blueberries

722 River Road, Lyme, NH 03768. Phone: (603) 353-9807. Email us at:patrice.g.super@valley.net . Directions: Located just south of the covered bridge, or 4 miles north of the Thetford/Lyme Bridge. Click here for a map to our farm. We are open July, August. Our hours are: 8am-7pm daily during blueberry season. Late July through August. Pick Unsprayed blueberries in our 1,200 plant orchard near the Connecticut River and Clay Brook.

Onsite, they provided pints to take your berries home in, as well as picking buckets for customers to borrow.  They also had a handy sign to help us figure out what to do.

1.  Pick Blueberries

2.  Weigh blueberries (arrow pointing to scale right next to sign)

3.  Pay $2.50/pound

Simple, and a fun evening outing.  When we got home I spent an hour or so washing our 7 pounds of blueberries.  A kitchen sieve helped me pick through them, removing small bugs, leaves, twigs, and damaged berries.  Now I am onto the fun part: baking time.  I found two recipes to try:

Blueberry Gallettes from Haniela's blog

Blueberry Crisp from King Arthur Flour (another local feature!)

Wine-o: Marcus James Chardonnay

Marcus James Chardonnay, Eastern ARGENTINA
Alcohol 13.5%
Price: ~$11

Our move has been successful!  The art is up, and I am cleaning now because the dogs continue to shed, not for sanitization or moving reasons!  As the job search rages, I've converted momentarily to mondo sized wines, you know, the 1.5L steals that you can find for parties and whatnot.

If you know my current taste in white wine, you will know that I like buttery, full, Chardonnays, like Lucky Star's Chardonnay.  This is not buttery.  It is full, and the label says it all: "crisp fruity style with hints of apples and other orchard fruits..."  I really enjoy it.  It seems almost like a Sauvignon Blanc, but is drier as one would expect of a Chardonnay.  

All in all, it's great, it's large, and it's original looking. It goes well with appetizers such as tortilla chips with salsa or hummus, as well as roasted chicken.

Freya's Score: 70

Mona's Value: 6.4

Wine-o: Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Beaulieu Vineyard "BV" Coastal Estates 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, CA
Alcohol 13.5%

Price ~$11-

As I have had the pleasure to travel and visit with friends and family this summer, I thought that I would include various comments from our collective wine tastings.  I am often told that wine tastes differently to everyone, and that any review or observation is right!

"Fruity- good standard wine, great for chit chatting"

"Drinkable"

"soft, mmmm"

"smooth, no bite, not a lot of tannins"

Freya's Score: 77
Mona's Value: 7

Avocado Pit Project

Often I have wanted to grow an avocado plant from seed.  After many failed attempts, I had given up.  Until today!

While making guacamole I discovered that my avocados pits were beginning to sprout!  Now I know which end should go up in the water!  (The slightly more pointed end, the end with the round beige spot should go down and be submerged in water.)  And so it is currently living above my kitchen sink which gets some lovely southern sun.

My step-aunt lives in Southern California and has an avocado tree.  "How lucky you are!" I told her.  She then informed me that while she is able to gather 20 or so fruits not eaten by birds and squirrels, it also bears fruit once a year, about this time.  So if you're thinking ah-ha my avocado will quench my guacamole craving year round, that may not be the case...

Did I mention avocado pairs wonderfully with a Clos du Bois Chardonnay?

My Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients:

Avocados (enough for those in attendance)

Sea Salt to taste

Black Pepper

Cilantro (fresh is best, but dried will do)

minced onion (quarter of an onion for 1-2 avocados)

Chipotle Chili Pepper (note the Chipotle! can be bought at Walmart or your local superior grocery store)

Dash of lime juice

Cayenne Red Pepper (if you want to spice it up a bit)

Directions:

Mash avocados with fork, then add other ingredients and mix.  If keeping in the fridge a bit before serving, leave the pit in the bowl, it will help keep it from oxidizing.  If upon taste testing it doesn't taste right and you begin to panic, you can add some jarred salsa

Wine-o: Cellier du Rhone

Cellier du Rhone Cotes du Rhone 2009, FRANCE
Alcohol: 14%

When first opened, this wine was very acidic tasting.  However when one waits the recommended hour of airing, it was a beautiful flavor of berries.  Full bodied, I started describing it to the BF as "jammy" a flavor I am loving.

The bottle itself is beautiful green glass with a squared base (perhaps for easier storage?).  It would make a lovely candleholder, especially if you have a candelabra wine topper or lamp wick.

Vintage Notes

Price: ~$18 (estimated as this is hard to find)
Freya Score: 78
Mona Value: 4.4