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Coincidentally, before leaving for Ireland, I ran across this in a freezer case…
Yup, Irish made ice cream from Emerald Isle and in two flavors that take advantage of Irish whiskey.
Of the pair, I preferred the Irish Whiskey as it has a clear note of Whiskey running through it in golden ribbons through the ice cream whereas the Irish coffee didn’t push much coffee or spirit. Both are very rich ice creams. They must have some happy cows in Ireland.
There is a reason that there are not a lot of tequila barrel-aged beers out there. Like gin, it is more subtle than bourbon or whiskey or brandy, thus making it trickier to age.Founded in 2023,
But All Things Agave is out to change that and has both tequila and beer covered distilling veteran Felipe Soto Mares and Master Brewer Colby Chandler of Home Brew Mart and Ballast Point Brewing fame.
From their social posting, “All Things Agave has been formulating agave beers over the past year and has partnered with Fall Brewing for initial production. Other agave beers will enter the market soon, as well as mezcal spirits products including Damn Right Cocktails, a mezcal-based RTD cocktail line launching in four bold and refreshing flavors, and our artisanal and ancestral spirit, Cinco Flacos Mezcal.”
Agave beer might be a new niche.
Breweries have been supplying mash to distilleries here and there and some have even tried to make special beer spirits using it. Now Lagunitas has teamed with local Petaluma distiller Griffo on a spirit sibling for famed Triple IPA, The Waldos’ Special Ale
Here are the details on how it is made, first a “Waldos mash using 100% malted barley. The unfermented mash takes a half block trip to Griffo later and Mike and his team are ready to take over. They ferment the mash and add the Waldos’ hops to the copper pot still before running it through the still two separate times. The spirit is then put into a large American Oak cask made by famed French cooperage Seguin Moreau. After several years aging, its proofed to 84 for a final ABV of 42.0% (whoa) and the spirit that is Still Waldos is ready….”
I will admit up front that I had to look at the bottle a few times before I could accept that this fish based Vermouth wasn’t really, yet another, weird ass vodka.
And of course, it sold out. The spirit was made with “Cantabrian Anchovies from Spain. Those were infused (alongside some carefully chosen botanicals) into this vermouth for one of the most unique flavor profiles you’ve probably ever tasted.”
Needed ? – I do like a solid and authentic oyster stout but tinned fish is not my thing and briny vs botanical does not sound like a battle that could be won.
I would be remiss in my pro- Los Angeles message if I did not mention that it isn’t all breweries on the We Love L.A. charity bandwagon, for example….
…Friendly Noise Wine up in Moorpark has a grenache that loves helping people rebuild too.
Epic Brewing has quite a stable of Brainless beers and now they may have one of their most unique yet, Brainless on Sake. It is a “Belgian-style ale is made with plum, black currant, & blackberries and aged in Sake barrels.”
I do not remember have a Sake barrel-aged beer before and it makes me wonder how easy that aging process is or if it requires extra special care.
Craft beer fans, especially FOMO hunters of yore, will have wandered into a new and maybe slightly sketchy liquor store looking for that elusive bottle or can but while there you saw weird neon drinks and spiked anything and everything.
Even now, there are weird Buzzballs and alcoholic dessert topping and jello shots of very doubtful provenance. Some look fun or strange enough to elicit mild interest but then the price tag intervenes as does common flavor sense. But you do wish you could sample.
Which is where this Instagram account (see below example) comes in. You don’t need to try alcoholic Sunny D because Jim at F’ed Up Shit Found at the Liquor Store probably has, mostly to his detriment.
Certain spirits have a spicy history but none come spicier than absinthe which so scared Parisians that they banned it and then were followed by practically every other country.
And now the drinks writer Evan Rail has detailed another chapter in the sordid history of the green fairy with The Absinthe Forger, “An astonishing true crime story about an eccentric grifter who blew up the lucrative black market for vintage bottles of the legendary drink of artistic renegades, absinthe . . .”
Today marks the really of a unique cider from Benny Boy Brewing and Cidery in East Los Angeles, and that is saying something since they are quite creative. Meet Me in the Woods is a spruce tip cider in collaboration with the band Lord Huron. It is a cool label design as well and good to see a large format bottle too.
This is a unique spin on whiskey from the Island state of Hawaii (courtesy of Richard Rosen), it is Distillers Reserve from 12th Hawaii Distillers on Kona.
It is a “spirit is distilled four times using pure Hawaiian honey before it rests in a charred oak barrel with Hawaiian Kiawe wood.”
It is crazy but there is certainly a smooth mouthfeel and Macadamia nut taste to this. There is a burn as well more in the nose than the taste and a nice full amount of sweetness here too. This is much more a near drink then others that are purely cocktail bound.