"Drinking Update" Update

It appears as though this blog has developed a bit of an international following! Thanks to Blogger's dashboards, I see that a particular post, "Drinking Update" has invited many comments, most of which I cannot read. Those that are in English seem to decry my stances on New Belgium brewery and certain trends in the micro breweries.

Two years, later, I'd like to revisit my drinking habits. In the intervening years I got a lucrative job then quit, so I'm in about the same financial position I was when I wrote the first drinking update - with limited cash flow. This fact, however, has not prevented me from nurturing my expensive tastes.

Still living in Wisconsin and the micro breweries continue to flourish. My excitement for Capital and New Glarus, however, has waned. There is a new favorite brewery in town, Lake Louie, from Arena, WI. Across the board, Lake Louie's beers are blowing the competition out of the water. Tommy's Porter, what I consider to be their flagship beer, is thick, rich and smooth; the best porter around.  Their other darker beers - Warp Speed Scotch Ale and the seasonal Mr. Mephisto's Imperial Stout - deserve mention and a try, if you can get them. Like many Wisconsin microbreweries, you can only find Lake Louie in Dairyland.  The last jewel in King Louie's crown in the Arena Premium, an American Pale ale whose combination of hoppiness and drinkability makes in stand out, albeit not in a crowded field.

Seriously, if you're coming anywhere near Wisconsin, the beer here is worth the detour. The drinking culture remains strong.

I've taken a liking to tequila. That is all I feel obligated to state.

Which brings me to my true love - whiskey. Bulleit Bourbon is still king around here. Honestly, for the price, I don't think there is a better bourbon around. The discovery of 1.75 liter bottles of Bulleit has been both a blessing and a curse - the saving over three handles equates to a free fifth. While a great whiskey, and value, Bulleit is not the smoothest of drinks. Since Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey is no longer available at bars, when I need to celebrate with a bourbon I'll upgrade to Booker's or Blanton's.

Beware: Bourbon is a gateway whiskey. That, and the fact that my buddy Snacky has gotten me to enjoy cigars, has led me to start drinking single malt scotch. After sampling whiskys from Laphroig 10 year, to the Macallan 12 year and Glenmorangie 10, I've settled on the Oban 14 to be my single malt of choice. When I make it back across the pond, I'm definitely going to Scotland. My friend Jamie has assured me that I would love Edinbourgh and I want to do a distillery tour very badly.

I have yet to do the Bourbon trail. My guess is that won't happen for a few years, which is unfortunate. I will, however, soon be going to California, and a day in Sonoma or Napa is definitely on the agenda. More on that in an upcoming post.

To the haters - New Belgium has grown on me with the introduction of the Ranger IPA (what? did I just admit to liking an "overly hopped" beer?) and my discover of their 1554. But I maintain that O'Dell is the better Fort Collins brewery. I'll also maintain that there are a lot of ho-hum micro breweries out there. I appreciate the experimental nature of them, but there is a new paradigm and making an array of beers that is than MGD 64 and its ilk isn't going to cut it anymore. And just because your beer is hoppy enough to make a lemon pucker doesn't necessarily make it good. Avery Brewing Company's Maharaja is a great example of what an Imperial IPA should be: bitter yet fluid, highly alcoholic without an overly warm mouth feel. As I'm going to tell my children and grandchildren: Nobody gives you a medal for drinking beer with a high IBU count.

Til next time, check out Three Sheets, a travel show about drinking customs around the world.

Cheers, na zdravi and salut!