Oh, we'll drink, we'll drink, we'll drink

[maradydd]

Many yummy beverages in the last few days, enough to merit a post of their own.

First off, for several months now I have enjoyed, and have recently brought others into the knowledge and love of, Lindemans Framboise Lambic. This is a raspberry beer from Belgium which is so red that I've seen people mistake it for wine. They carry it at the pub-with-wifi where I periodically go to get work done, and over the weekend I discovered that I can buy it at the grocery store. (I also discovered, upon finding it at the store, that the pub isn't marking it up all that much. At $11 for a 750ml bottle, I've had reasonably good wines that were cheaper. Yeep.) If you like fruit but think you don't like beer, try this beer; it has brought at least one avowed non-beer-drinker of my acquaintance to agree that beer is indeed living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Following the raspberry trend, at lunch today I picked up a bottle of Reed's Ginger Brew. I like ginger ale a lot, and I like really gingery ginger ale even better, and raspberry provides a lovely counterpoint to the spiciness. (17 grams of fresh ginger to the bottle.) It went down so well with the tandoori chicken I had that I went back to the store and picked up a four-pack. At over a buck a bottle it isn't really economical for frequent consumption, but perhaps it can be acquired more cheaply elsewhere on teh intarweb. (But probably not here.)

Also, since yoctohedron asked and because I suspect others might want to know -- my brewer friend who isn't madandrew informs me that yes, there is such a thing as alcoholic ginger beer. It is called Carib Shandy, and is in fact why he got interested in brewing in the first place. (He also informs me that soon he will be brewing up a new batch of mead, which brings back memories of being fourteen and trying to brew mead in Coke bottles. They exploded. This should surprise approximately no one. But, mmm, mead is good.)

Comments

[ernunnos.livejournal.com]

The first time I had raspberry lambic, it was at the Prescott Brewing Co., alongside a slice of their flourless chocolate cake, which is one step removed from dark chocolate covered dark chocolate fudge. If you haven't had that particular combination, try it. It's been years, and I still haven't forgotten it.

[saoirse-kore.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness--that sounds wonderful!

And I like your icon. I just recently saw both those films.

[steer.livejournal.com]

Ah... I love the lindemans -- though I can't drink too much because it is a bit sweet for me. The kriek is also pretty good.

[saoirse-kore.livejournal.com]

You've spoken about two of my favorite things. I'm lucky enough to have found a source for the lambic for $7.99 a bottle here, but you might also try to get your hands on some Raspberry Tart from New Glarus brewery. (http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/) Same sort of thing, generally $7 a bottle. I'm planning on ordering part of a barrel of that for the wedding. Yee-um.

All the Reed Ginger Brews are good. They also make a chewy ginger candy that's delicious. Apparently you can make a non-alcoholic ginger beer like that quite easily as well, though I haven't tried that myself.

Mead. I've only had it once, but it was like bubbly golden honey sunshine, if I remember rightly.

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

Framboise is good, but I'm more of a hops man, which makes me the utter bitch of Stone Brewery.

Stone Imperial, and even more so, Double Bastard...

Unh.

-Ogre

[maradydd.livejournal.com]

There's a DOUBLE Bastard? Wow, and I thought Arrogant Bastard was intense. *swoon*

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's a seasonal. I have a 3 liter magnum of the stuff sitting on my desk that's been there for nearly a year. I bet it's mellowed a lot in that time.

*grin*

If y'all come visit during Christmas, that'd be the perfect opportunity for me to break it open...

After the traditional Christmas Morning Shoot, of course.

-Ogre

[maradydd.livejournal.com]

You're a bad man, tempting a girl while she's all emotional. ;) Even a bad day at the range with Emma is better than an average day anywhere else. (Well, almost anywhere else.) Christmas plus firearms plus Hoppy Beer O' Doom ... *swoon*

Now is kind of a bad time to be making schedules, as you might imagine, but yes, I'd be delighted if we could come visit sometime during break.

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

I'm a good man, fundamentally. And if you bring Emma and Predjudice, I promise to introduce you to Aleksandr, Ivan, Yeva, Thomas, Andrew, and Robert. :)

-Ogre

[enochsmiles.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a great way to ring in the New Year.

[ilcylic.livejournal.com]

My sister made a batch of exploding ginger beer, too. We had to pick glass shards out of the ceiling.

-Ogre