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Distilling at the Beachwood Brewing location in Bixby Knolls is coming soon. As I have posted about earlier, the former Liberation Brewing space is to be the distilling HQ for Beachwood and a recent social media post had this to say…
“Get ready for specialty cocktails with Beachwood’s house-distilled gin, vodka, and rum, plus new delicious bites! And yes, we’re still pouring our award-winning craft beer.”
Usually my collaboration talk is between 2 breweries but today we are going to talk about 2 Towns Ciderhouse and their international cider collaboration with Japan’s Son of the Smith cidery.
Son of The Smith in Nagano is headed by Kota Ozawa, Takuro Ikeuchi, and Nobumitsu Miyajima and they “provided a unique yeast strain cultivated from raw Japanese maple sap and honey. This yeast was propagated in 2 Towns’ lab and used to ferment fresh-pressed Pacific Northwest apple juice in mead barrels selected by Ikeuchi. One barrel utilized the Japanese wild yeast, while the other employed a distinctive Brett strain from Takush’s favorite home brew originating in Alaska. The result is a blend of these two fermentations, creating a cider with complex, layered flavors.”
The cider is named Twin Peaks and it “is a bone-dry, unfiltered farmhouse-style cider with an ABV of 7.3%. Crafted from a blend of Pacific Northwest apples, this cider features an expressive apple-forward profile with delicate notes of stone fruit and floral character from the Japanese yeast. The Brett strain adds a mild Brett finish, enhancing the cider’s overall complexity.”
It was inevitable. If there was a special Deadpool Aviation Gin bottle then there was going to be a Wolverine one as well. This will probably be hard to find and harder to find both.
Now, where is the Wrexham bottle?
I love hidden stories of history being brought back into the light and Love & Whiskey by Fawn Weaver does that while also showing how Uncle Nearest Whiskey came to life.
It is quite a tale. A distiller lost to history who is rediscovered and in a very short amount of time becomes the namesake for a new whiskey from people who would normally not be in the whiskey business.
After finishing the book, my first thought was how did Weaver have the energy and time to do all this? She read about Nathan “Nearest” Green then flew to Tennessee and from there Uncle Nearest was born. First as a book idea and then as a whiskey. She and her husband then had to learn the place and the people and create something that was a true value add to the community. All the while getting the needed funding and being very careful to not step on the toes of Jack Daniels and the behemoth Brown Forman too much.
This book easily straddles the past and future. It is a propulsive read with short chapters that keep you reading just one more. What struck me was how well Weaver built cultural capital with the people of Lynchburg and how quick she was to make decisions on creating a scholarship fund and creating a tourist attraction distillery.
I also came away real hungry for food from some of the restaurants in town. With an Uncle Nearest Cocktail as well.
and maybe there will be another chapter…
So, yes, this is not beer related or cider or spirits. In fact it is my fourth pick of alcohol but the really short video does show how one little thing can be done that really changes the flavor of your favorite drink. Plus the name is real cool too.
Time to check out a new to me, bartender focused canned cocktail brand, LiveWire.
I started with Golden God who looks like a Doctor Who villain and has apricot, green tea and elderflower on top of Rye Whiskey and Brandy. GG pours white with a hint of taupe to it. Sweetened green tea hits the nose first. Both sweet and tart in flavor. Apricot reigns supreme here which leads me to believe that the brandy is a bigger player than rye. The brandy does show up after the apricot plays out. Not bad if a touch too sweet.
Tropipop is big, big on that candied coconut flavor. The pineapple comes in behind but is a clear second fiddle to the coconut. Coming in third is the rum. Which makes sense when you find out that Casa Magdelena from Guatemala is a blanco / light rum. I might have added a third flavor to tone down the coconut.
The winner is Golden God but both were a little too light on the abv and too sweet overall.
I have never been one of those Christmas in July people or Christmas in November person either. But this Anchor adjacent 12-year California Whiskey has certainly turned my head based just on that nostalgic Our Special Ale style label. Bet it tastes good to if the quality is near their gin.
Well, I will need to try this during the summer….
A few years back, I was instructing at a summer school on the culinary history of the Caribbean. During the interactive workshop, students devised food rituals, summoned significant food memories, and crafted a Caribbean cocktail. They chose to make a Guinness Punch—a favorite on several British-colonized islands. This mixture of strong stout beer, creamy, sweet condensed milk, and a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg is a delightful fusion of flavors.
Guinness was known to me through both sides of my family. The Irish connection was apparent since Guinness was founded in Dublin, but why was it also known from the Caribbean side? As it turns out, in the seventeenth century, the Irish were engaged as contract laborers on plantations in the Caribbean. Due to their substantial presence in the area, Guinness decided to export beer there—with more alcohol and hops, ensuring it stayed good during the transatlantic journey. When I learned this, I felt a strong sense of connection: the unlikely merging of two clashing cultures had given rise to something beautiful and tasty and no, I’m not referring to myself!
Ingredients
Instructions
Heard this on the Good Food podcast. Which I highly suggest listening to.
I have never been a “shots” type of drinker. I prefer to analyze and enjoy the first few sips of beer or a spirit before then relaxing into it. The whole down the gullet thing never appealed. Candy-fying it with jello seems even weirder still but for those that love their gelatin and alcohol mixed, there is…..THIS.
I will be heading north to Portland in July and one spot that is on the must stop list is the new Portland location of Salem-based craft cider producer La Familia Cider Company The Hawthorne location, formerly the Portland Cider House, opened on June 5th.
There will be 29 taps that will pour 15 ciders from La Familia and other producers, and the remaining 14 taps will serve craft beers. There will also be Cider cocktails plus a small menu featuring Mexican food made from locally sourced ingredients.