This item is for discussing alcoholic beverages.  What do you like?  
Wine, beer, liquor?  What do you hate?  Ever make your own?

74 responses total.

I am a light drinker.  Normally a beer in the evening is enough for 
me.  Two makes me unfit to drive, three is more than I'm likely to have 
under normal circumstances.

Tonight I stopped by the Merchant of Vino, and, on a whim, browsing the 
beer, when an employee asked if he could help me, I asked if they carry 
mead.  I'm reading The Hobbit to my son for the second time, and mead 
is mentioned several times.

In college, I had a professor of literature from whom I took a couple 
of Arthurian Romance classes.  She told one of my classes that a group 
of her classmates had ordered mead, imported from England, in order to 
try it.  She said it tasted like what it is, spoiled honey.  She said 
it was awful.

The Merchant of Vino carries several brands of mead.  I picked what 
they recommended, Chaucer's.  It was $12 for the bottle.  When I got 
hmoe, I slipped it into the freezer for a couple of hours, making sure 
it was cold, before opening it.  While I was paying for it, another 
customer told me to open it when I and my friends could drink it all, 
as it wouldn't keep well. I will see about that.

I've waited for 20 years to try mead, so I decided, while reading to my 
son before his bedtime, that that was long enough to wait.  Anyway, 
whom would I ask to join me?  So I opened it, and poured a little for 
John, and, expecting the worst, sat down to read to him, and drink some 
mead.

It's very sweet, but only tasted a little like honey; more in the 
aftertaste than the flavor when I drank it.  It wasn't awful at all.  
Clearly I didn't get what my professor had tried.  I wouldn't probably 
pick anything tasting that sweet if I were choosing to drink wine.  
(I'm not much of a wine drinker, but that's not what I'd probably 
pick.)  I was very pleasantly surprised; I half expected to have to 
spit it out when I took my first taste.

I drank about half the bottle by the time I read my son his 10 pages of 
The Hobbit.  He took a couple of sips, too, and liked it all right, but 
he didn't want more than that.  I finished his off, too.

After half the bottle, and an hour after I stopped, I'm still tipsy, 
and still wouldn't drive.  I'm a prudent drunk, I guess.

I'm going to try some of the other meads at Merchant of Vino in 
upcoming weeks.  Once I finish off what I already got.  I sealed it 
with a Baggie and a rubber band.  If anyone is really anxious to try 
mead, and can make it to Tecumseh, let me know and we'll arrange 
something.

I brew my own beer, which gives a bit of a variety.

What kind(s) do you brew, Scott?  Is it difficult to get started doing 
that?

I love mead and only drink it a glass at a time.  I have kept it, capped, in
the refrigerator for a few months without noticable degredation.  Chaucer's
is good.  My prefered brand is made by a member of the SCA.  Unfortunately
he moved from Ann Arbor and I lost touch.  Commerical brands, I prefer a
Polish mead.  I forget the name and brand, but it comes in a distinctive red
glazed clay sort of bulb shaped bottle.  I haven't seen it in a few years so
get Chaucer's when the mood strikes.

I can't drink beer, am allergic to brewer's yeast.  I like some mixed drinks
and most wines with Margaritas being the favorite.  I don't drink very often.
Being part Native American and knowing that I have an addictive personality
I keep a very close watch on where, when and how much.  

Got tipsy once on purpose in a family setting to see how I handled it.  Didn't
like it, did it again to see how much it would take - more than I am willing
to drink in one sitting.  The only other time I came close tipped me off that
I was pregnant with Damon.  Got tipsy on the Margarita at Chi Chi's, never
had before.

A dozen years ago I knew someone who brewed his own beer.  He got me to 
switch from Budweiser to other beers, and turned me onto Bass & C Pale 
Ale.  Nowadays it's found in grocery stores, but then I had to look 
around to find a party store in my area that carried it.

Around that time, I visited Rochester and spent some time in a brew 
pub.  I became fond of a beer they called "bitters".  It was 
wonderful.  I went for years before I found anything like it.

The Merchant of Vino has several ESB beers, that's "extra special 
bitters".  I guess advertising beer as "bitters" isn't very effective.  
I went there tonight to get some ESB beer; that's when it occurred to 
me that'd be the place to ask about mead.

Tonight the ESBs I got were Belks and Red Hook.  I've also tried 
Arcadian ESB (Arcadia ESB?), which is made in Michigan.  They might 
have one other I've gotten before.  I'll never be a connoisseur as I 
can't remember which I've had.  It's too long between six-packs anyway; 
I might drink one in a week or two and take two or three months for the 
next.  I keep trying what I think are different ones, and I like them 
very much, but they're new every time.

re #4: Can you recommend any mead which isn't so sweet?  I've just been 
browsing WWW sites, and some of them mention that mead can be either 
dry or sweet.  They say a lot of the commercial ones are so sweet 
they're cloying (with which assessment I agree, about Chaucer's anyway).

Also, have you any idea what my professor tried, or what kind she 
tried?  Maybe I should try to remember her name and find out her e-mail 
address, and ask her.

The Polish that I like isn't as sweet as Chaucer's.  I wish I could remember
the brand name.  I quit buying it when I was getting it from my friend and
haven't seen it since he moved.  I don't drink mead often, a bottle every year
or three so haven't tried any of the others.  I'll check Merchant of Vino and
Big Ten Party Store to see if either of them have it.

I joined a brewing coop, http://www.northstatebrewers.org , and we do some
interesting stuff.  It's not that hard to get started; I've been playing
around with one gallon recipes which don't require much in the way of
equipment.

It's a nice way to get good beer quite cheaply.

re #7: Thanks!  If you find out the name, I'll probably try it some day.

re #8: Do you make beer from a kit or package, or do you add your own 
hops, malt, etc.?  How long does it take to make beer?  How many 
different kinds have you made?

Jep, I could show you some time.  You might do a web search on homebrewing
to get basic data.  

I myself use packaged malt (syrup or dried) and then add hops to fit my own
preferences.

I've read some WWW pages, but they tend to be written by and for
hard-core enthusiasts for whom brewing is their lifestyle.  I might try 
home brewing myself some day but I'd be doing it in a very casual way.  
It sounds like what you're doing.  That's where my interest comes from 
in what you're doing.

What would beer taste like if it didnt have hops. I have always 
wondered that. 

Anyhow, I like all of the usual drinks. I dont drink much but I am 
obsessive about keeping alcohol in my house. I always make sure I have 
the following in my liquor cabinet: 

Vodka
Gin
Bourbon
Tequila
Rum
Kahlua
Bailey's
Dry Vermouth
Sweet Vermouth
Bloody Mary mix
Marguarita Mix
Can of pineapple juice
Bottle of Cranberry juice
Sour Mix
olives
cherries


I replace the vodka and the tequila most often. (I think I went through 
two bottles of tequila in the last 18 months and one bottle of vodka). 
I have all kinds of other bottles of weird things that I have received 
as gifts. Lots of different kinds of coffee liqueurs, some 180 proof 
rum and a few other things I just havent gotten around to trying. 

I dont really know why I like to keep so much booze around but it does 
come in handy when people drop by unexpectedly because I can offer them 
a drink.

I used to like gin and tonics.  I also used to like Scotch and soda 
which I drank from a Florence flask.  It's been a long time since I've 
had either, and I haven't missed them all that much.

I also make some Irish coffee occasionally (about annually).  

Oh wow. I havent had a gin a tonic in a long time. I should stop at the 
store and get some tonic because I have a friend coming from California 
who likes gin and tonics. 

A gin and tonic does sound kind of good to me right now.

I'm going to be responsible if we all turn into alcoholics as a result 
of this item.

haha. I dont think I am in any danger of that. Which is weird because I 
do have an addictive personality. I am currently addicted to: Sugar, 
Nicotine, and Caffeine. 

But for some reason that I dont understand, I have always had a big 
take it or leave it attitude towards alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, 
opiates, lcd, Rx painkillers etc. I have tried all of those things and 
even used LCD somewhat regularly in my early 20s but I never had any 
trouble giving them up. In fact, I never did give them up. It just 
became too much of a bother to get them. *shrug* Well, I still drink 
once in a while but I wouldnt if it were illegal and hard to get. 

If it's beer, my tastes generally oppose anything that's "big commercial
American" and most everything else.  I'd drink up to a couple six-packs
a month when Brewbaker's was open in Kerrytown - i liked like their stuff
overall better than any other beer brand i've had, i like buying from 
little local merchants, and i could buy mixed 6-packs (6 different kinds)
from them, so i couldn't get bored or annoyed with the kinds that i didn't
like as well.  Since then...hmmm...i enjoyed all six bottles (over a week)
of a Bell's Stout 6-pack once, but they aren't cheap or local, and deposit
bottles are a bother.

Most days i'll drink a single glass (~5 oz.) of econo-brand red wine.  It
jazzes up my fairly-monotonous eat-at-home diet a bit and is supposedly a
bit good for my heart.

I really didn't drink at all until i was well into my 30's.  This makes
me some sort of freak by most American's standards, but supposedly not
drinking until after 30 massively reduces the risk of alcoholism.

I can't imagine you as a beer drinker, Walt.  Of cousre it's been 
something like 12 years since I saw you.  I couldn't imagine me as a 
divorcee, either.

Tonight I tried Belk's ESB.  This is definitely the most bitter of the 
bitters beers I've tried.  I didn't like it that much; it was too 
bitter.  I'll try it again in a few days, I suppose; maybe I'll have a 
different impression then.

I've always liked gin.  I think it's because I've got very pleasant
associations with the smell of juniper.  It grows wild all over the place up
in Ontario where my family goes on vacation each year.  

resp:12  probably more sour than bitter.  Hops are added as a 
preservative.  The ones we grow here in the Yakima Valley (in 
Toppenish) are alpha hops, as I've read, and are especially bitter, 
more so than European hops, which are mellower.

Hops are a natural sedative, which is why I suppose some folks drink a 
couple of beers as a "nightcap."  However, alcohol interferes with 
profound sleep, so despite the sedative, the quality of sleep isn't as 
good.  You get better results brewing hops into a tea, but I 
understand that stuff is NASTY.

I don't drink for religious dietary reasons and because when I 
started, I drank so excessively I feared alcoholism wasn't far away.
But-- when I did, I found cocktails were really my thing.  So as far 
as resp:12, I've had most all of those, although some were part of a 
mixed drink.

Bailey's is as smooth as a baby's bottom.  Boy, did I start getting 
snockered quick when I drank some of that!
Rum.. must be the pirate in me.
Sweet Vermouth: not bad, but I wasn't particularly enjoying it.  But 
then again, it was after about 10 cocktails, and I was drinking part 
of a bottle after polishing off another.  Yep, near falling down 
drunk, puked, everything.  Had to get Julie from work, too.  Not a 
good memory.
Bloody Mary: ugh-- what I had must have been spiced too heavy.  I'd 
rather stick to V-8's with Tabasco.
Margarita: never had one.
Vodka, Gin, Bourbon, Kahula: all part of mixed drinks
Wine Coolers: Why the hell do they call 'em 'wine' coolers?  They're 
malt beverages.  Not my fave.
Jack Daniel's: yum.  I don't care if people say it tastes like cough 
syrup.  But then, I like both NyQuil and green Chloroseptic.
as far as beer: yep, most macrobrews taste bad.  I'm sure micro or 
homebrew is better.  Can't remember which ale I tried that I liked.

Mead still intrigues me, but honestly, because I promised my wife, I 
don't think I'll care to drink again.  I mean, I was sipping through 
itty-bitty straws to get drunk faster. 

I think wine coolers originally were made with wine. Basically wine 
mixed with fruit juices. Then someone figured out that you can make a 
malt beverage cheaper that tastes about the same. End of wine coolers. 
For some though, the name still stuck but you wont find the word "wine" 
on the label of those malt beverages. 

Hey, what about cooking with alcohol?  Yeah, it evaporates the actual 
alcohol off, but the remaining flavor can be great..

Besides wine, many spirits are used for cooking.  I've had chicken 
cooked in Jack Daniels, in some sort of a sauce.  I also enjoy 
Johnsonville's Beer and Bratwurst brats, and I've had burgers 
barbequed in beer.  I've also seen many mustards and a few BBQ sauces 
that use ale or JD.

Re: #18
By any decent definition of "beer drinker" that i can think up, i've
never been one.  How do you define it?

Do be careful about mixing alcohol, depression, and meds for the latter
together, jep.  Lots of people have gotten fried that way.

Re: #20
Macrobrews taste bad?  They mix 1-2 oz. of something that might be called
"real beer" if it was higher quality, 9-10 oz. of carbonated water, and 
1 oz. of the cheapest flavorless vodka that money can buy, stir, and call
the mix "beer".  It doesn't have enough taste to be qualify for either
"good" or "bad".  If you want taste, drink *anything* else; if you want 
to pee, drink tap water; if you want to get drunk cheap, get BargainBox
wine or (better) help for your alcoholism.  

re #23: I checked with my psychiatrist, after not having any beer for 
about 3 months; he assured me that it's fine to have a beer or glass of 
wine in the evening with the meds I'm taking.  He advised me not to 
have 6 every night.

A "beer drinker" is "one who enjoys drinking beer".  I just have 
trouble picturing you with a beer in your hand.

BargainBox wine?  hmmm.. interesting.  Well, I know of folks that 
swear by Thunderbird.. and then Mad Dog 20/20 (ugh!)

Hmmm...if "beer drinker" is "someone who's had a beer & enjoyed it some
time in his/her life", i guess i am one.  But so are load of other folks
who haven't touched it in decades, drink something else 99% of the time,
etc.  The definition seems too broad to be useful and contradicts how i
think most everyone uses the phrase.

I read somewhere that "alcohol evaporates when you cook with it" is more
popular than true.  Sure, some evaporates when it's hot, and long, hot
baking of stuff that ends up with a dinky fraction of its original water
content (popovers, etc.) will remove virtually all of it, but there's
usually far more left in the food than people believe.

BargainBox wine - 5 liters of ~24 proof for $8; that's as much alcohol
as in 1.5 liters of 80 proof.  Physically far more convenient that beer
or wine bottles.  Unfamiliar to your friends behind the dumpster so you
don't have to share so much.  The box & inner bag can be used to patch
up your "house" or raincoat when you're done.

I guess if you bring it down to it's basics, a "beer drinker" is "one 
who drinks beer".  I would have classified myself as a beer drinker 
even during the three or so months when I didn't have a single beer for 
the reasons mentioned in #23.  "Beer drinker" implies some sort of past 
and likely future drinking of beer.

I didn't mean to imply you're the sort of person who always has beer in 
his hand, if that's what you were thinking.  I think you told me when 
we worked together that you'd never had a beer, so it surprised me to 
hear you describe yourself drinking beer.

I had a Red Hook ESB a few days ago; it was smoother than the Belk's.  
Then I had a plain old Labatt's at the ballpark last night.  I may have 
enjoyed that more than either of the ESBs.  Heh.

I also tried the mead again (on a different night than when I was 
having beer), and was less overwhelmed by sweetness.  Actually it 
tasted pretty good.  I'm not at all sure this is the same as the mead 
drunk by the dwarves in The Hobbit.  Has anyone ever had "authentic" 
mead?  Maybe they have it at the Renaissance Festival.  I'll have to go 
there and find out.

I have.  The friend I mentioned I know from the SCA.  He makes his mead from
an old medieval recipe.  Wonderful stuff.  Better than any of the commercial
brands available.

Hmmm.  Somebody said something about cooking with alcohol.  I like the
flavor of some things cooked with wine, but I don't like to keep wine in
my home.  Anybody know any good substitutes for alcohol in recipes that
call for it?

There are some commercial flavorings available: Rum, sherry, ameretto,
eggnog, brandy, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, Irish creme, and bourbon.  I can
give you the source if you like.

   Hmmm.  What are the flavorings made of?

Where wines are called for, there are some really quite good non-alcoholic
wines that do the job nicely.

Would grape juice not be similar in flavor?

It was my understanding that "wine" originally referred to any grape 
juice, fermented or not.  I could be wrong.  Generally, I would 
suppose wine today is just any fermented grape juice, but I could be 
wrong there, too.

I do know that that certain varieties of grapes are grown with 
winemaking in mind, and not juice.

I'm definitely not a cooking expert, but I've heard several different
places that alcohol releases flavors from certain foods (like tomatoes)
that can't be gotten any other way.  Wine's used because it has a good
flavor for the food it's used in.  If this is the case, there wouldn't
be a non-alcoholic substitute that would serve the same purpose.

If it's just for flavor, than lots of grape juices would be close, I'd
guess.

A quick peek in the dictionary at hand give no support for unfermented
grape juice being called wine (unless one was somehow referring to its
color).

Grape juice is nearly-worthless substitute for anything but a miserably
low-quality, sweetened wine.  What makes decent wines decent is all the 
non-grape-juice flavor molecules created in the process of yeast 
fermenting & oaking & aging.  Think of substituting bargain-basement
cottage cheese on a cheese tray that had a bunch of nice bleu, gorgonzola,
etc. fancy cheeses on it. 

Most wine starts going bad fast once you've opened the bottle, making it
a difficult cooking ingredient unless you're drinking the rest or cooking
with it on a very large scale. 

I believe that alcohol acts as a solvent for many flavor molecules, thus
letting 'em get out and/or move around when they otherwise could not.  In
some cases you can get the same effect with oils/fats.  In others, you 
can make sure the alcohol is effectively cooked out.  Any alcohol can do
this, not just wine. 

I've got a cookie recipe that uses 1 T of a very expensive, nasty-tasting
hard liquor...it yields 48 pretty-big, thin cookies after cooking at 400.
I can't imagine being tempted to dring the liquor, or any human being able
to eat enough of the cookies to get a noticable effect from the alcohol,
but that 1 T lends a subtle, wonderful flavor to the cookies.

(What liquor, out of curiosity?)

Red wine vinegar might be a little better than grape juice.  Still not the
same, but less of a bad approximation.

I think that would depend entirely on the recipe.  For a meat dish, a very
small amount of wine vinegar might work, but for a dessert, it would be
disasterous.

It would depend, too, on the reason for avoiding the wine.  If it's to avoid
the alcohol, either vinegar or grape juice would work, but if it's because
of allergy, both would be a disaster.

unless one was substituting cider vinegar or apple juice for the grape 
based item if one was allergic to grapes. 

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