V3 Bitter

It's been a long time since I posted.  I only brewed twice in 2013, but I am looking to equal or better that in 2014.
This week I started a batch of what is one of my favorite styles, and something somewhat difficult to buy: an ordinary bitter.  This is an English ale, and my ideal has a nice caramel maltiness, a light kiss of hops, low carbonation, and low alcohol.  And yes, it is best drunk at cellar temperature, which means something like 55 degrees, not the 35 degrees of a refrigerator.
I've brewed this twice before, tweaking the recipe slightly each time.  I tasted the sample I pulled to take the IG of and this might be the one.  It was already pretty good.
6.5 lb Maris Otter
10 oz 45 Crystal
2 oz 120 Crystal
4 oz flaked wheat
White Labs 005
2/5/14- Mash at 150 with 12 qt water at 163 for 90 min.  Sparge with 5 gallons of 170 degree water.  Collected 5+ gallons of wort, added 2 gallons of water to evaporate during the 1 hour 15 min boil.
23 g Challenger pellet @ 60 min.
7 g Challenger pellet @ 15 min
14 g three year old Styrian Goldings pellet @ 15 min
21 g "                                                     " @ 2 min
Chilled by first placing in a snow pile for a few minutes and then used my immersion chiller to cool it down.  Initial Gravity was 1.034, which means I should end up right around 3% abv.  Yum yum!

Tons o'notes!

Well, I have just discovered I can publish my tasting notes via cellartracker to here.  Which will save me plenty of time since I won't have to type them twice.  Hopefully this will allow me to keep this blog more up to date and to not dump a bunch of notes here at once like this.
I have been going to a tasting/study group in Boulder weekly which is awesome- getting the chance to taste 6 or more different wines from one region in a single sitting is great, and I am learning alot. 
Without farther ado...

• 2010 Santi Apostoli Venezie IGT - Italy, Veneto, Venezie IGT (4/19/2012)
  
  nice acid and a decent wine on a hot day. of course not too much complexity or depth there. but it gets the job done. you may find better italian pg at the price, certainly could find worse. (84 points)



• 2008 Seven of Hearts Chardonnay Elvenglade - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton (4/13/2012)
  
  no formal notes but good drinking chard. nice acidity, light but present usage of oak. (88 points)



• 2009 Luminous Hills Pinot Noir Estate Grown - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton (4/13/2012)
  
  c- very light brick brown/red. a- alcohol, not much else. f- touch of cherries, burnt rubber, alcohol but again not much. the only thing this bottle does seem to have in fair amounts is alcohol at 15% abv. (84 points)



• 2010 Seven of Hearts Grenache Chatte d'Avignon - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (4/13/2012)
  
  no formal notes. I guess my biggest problem is that it doesn't taste like grenache at all. kind of smells like urinal cakes. (82 points)



• 2010 Seven of Hearts Viognier Ice Princess Rattlesnake Road - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley (4/13/2012)
  
  no formal notes. this seemed to have very little acid to it to balance the sweetness, though the winemaker insisted it had great acidity. one trick pony of peach and apricot, then its over. (82 points)



• 2009 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (4/13/2012)
  
  no formal notes. barely identifiable as pinot. very little aroma of any sort. palate is thin, short, short finish. smelled corked, tasted corked, but the winemaker himself served this after tasting it. (75 points)



• 2010 Trapiche Malbec Oak Cask - Argentina, Mendoza (4/8/2012)
  
  c- purple. a- blackberry, plum, tobacco, tea. f- much the same. more oak flavor in the mouth. not bad for the price, but i might spend five bucks more and get something nicer if i had someone to impress. or maybe not. (85 points)



• 2008 Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico (3/30/2012)
  
  sweet oak on the nose, a deeper, darker color than expected. cherry, berries, barnyard in the nose. bitter cherry palate, earth, acid. good depth of flavor. give it some air time when you open it. i have had this twice blind and gotten it wrong both times, the first with it being the only wine at the tasting i had before. i guess all that means is that i'll have to drink more chianti classico riserva! (89 points)



• 2010 Domaine de Montfaucon Viognier - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc (3/30/2012)
  
  no formal notes. gold color. rich, aromatic nose- flowers, stone fruit, mineral. carries to the mouth, full mouth for sure. med finish. good for the price. got it blind! (89 points)



• 2010 Rivera Castel del Monte Preludio No 1 - Italy, Puglia, Castel del Monte (3/30/2012)
  
  light, light yellow. nose of tree fruit, white flowers, touch of honey. continues to the mouth, with a rich, full mouth feel. some minerality, more in the nose than palate. no oak present. bottle says it is aged on lees. think this cost around ten bucks, good daily drinker at that price. (86 points)



• 2008 Mauritson Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County - USA, California, Sonoma County (3/26/2012)
  
  c- dark purple black,lighter rim. a- dry dusty earth. cassis, blackberry, light bell pepper. f- dusty tannins, darker fruits, good earthiness to it. m+ body, M+ finish (90 points)



• 2009 Domaine Spiropoulos Mantinia - Greece, Peloponnisos, Mantinia (3/26/2012)
  
  no formal notes. golden color. very interesting nose, kind of latex balloony. reminds me of a gueuze. pretty light, acid. richer mouth feel probably from lees contact. it is different and interesting. i like it. (89 points)



• 2010 Martin Arndorfer Grüner Veltliner Strasser Weinberge - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal (3/26/2012)
  
  no formal notes. (88 points)



• 2008 Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico (3/26/2012)
  
  c- purple, lighter rim. a- tart cherry, earth, barnyard. f- tart/bitter cherry, red fruit. (86 points)



• 2001 Maison Leroy Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (3/26/2012)
  
  think this is fading compared to the previous two. would recommend to drink soon. (85 points)



• 2003 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - France, Alsace, Ribeauvillé, Alsace AOC (3/19/2012)
  
  no formal notes, but a very good wine. (92 points)



• 2005 Dr. Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (3/19/2012)
  
  c- gold with green hints. a- peach melon, wet burlap, crushed rock, petrol. f- great acidity. peach, melon, depth. m body, m- finish (90 points)



• 2007 Venus La Universal Montsant Dido - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/19/2012)
  
  no formal notes. tasted blind. very interesting hot asphalt/tar in the nose. guessed sardinian cannonau. Guess not too far off really. (90 points)



• 2009 François Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Tradition - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (3/19/2012)
  
  c- gold. a- chalk/wet stone, pear, apple, wax. f- bright acid. pear, lanolin/heavy wax. honey. lightly goaty/ hay. earth. m+ body, m finish. good qpr. one of those interesting bottles that you come across on occasion. (90 points)



• NV Campbells Muscat Rutherglen - Australia, Victoria, North East, Rutherglen (3/19/2012)
  
  c- brown to tawny near rim. a- nut, apple, baked cake. f- almost pudding like. good acid, depth of nutty flavor. (90 points)



• 2005 Château La Tarcière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine (3/19/2012)
  
  c- gold, green hints. a- earth, white flowers, toasty, lemon. f- creamy lemon, mineral, zingy acid, white flowers. m- body, m- finish (89 points)



• 2009 Craggy Range Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard - New Zealand, North Island, Hawkes Bay, Gimblett Gravels (3/19/2012)
  
  no formal notes. tasted blind. guessed n. american bordeaux blend. far away geographically speaking, but got the grapes right! (89 points)



• 2009 Domaine Allimant-Laugner Muscat - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (3/19/2012)
  
  c- yellow green. a- granite, slight musk, floral, lemon. f- wow! very floral and fruity (lemon and exotics). you get some of that in the nose, but very different in palate. m body, m finish. (89 points)



• 2010 René Muré Pinot Gris Signature - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (3/19/2012)
  
  no formal notes. tasted blind. guessed chenin blanc from loire. (89 points)



• 2010 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Drachenstein Riesling Dragonstone - Germany, Rheingau (3/19/2012)
  
  no formal notes, but a good wine at a good price. (88 points)



• 2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (3/19/2012)
  
  no formal notes, but this was definitely not a 93 point wine. certainly not bad for what it was and what it cost though. (87 points)



• 2009 La Carraia Sangiovese Umbria IGT - Italy, Umbria, Umbria IGT (3/19/2012)
  
  i had a full on cold when i tasted this, but... c- deep purple. a- blackberry, cassis, bitter cherry. earthy crushed mineral. f- bitter cherry, mineralistic, slight barnyard. (87 points)



• 2009 Yalumba Y Series Shiraz/Viognier - Australia, South Australia (3/19/2012)
  
  no formal notes. open it a bit before you plan to serve it or decant. (86 points)



• 2010 Cline Cellars Zinfandel California - USA, California (3/19/2012)
  
  c- deep darkpurple. a- brambly woodsyness, darker fruits. f- dark fruits, brambles, dried herbs. m+ body, M+ finish (86 points)



• 2008 Domaine des Baumard Savennières - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières (3/7/2012)
  
  didn't take formal notes. definite goaty nose, with some lanolin, beeswax, wool, barnyard, hay showing more in mouth. add some tree fruits, a rich honey texture, and bright acid. good stuff. (91 points)



• 2010 Domaine Pierre de la Grange (Luneau-Papin) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Vieilles Vignes Sur Lie - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine (3/7/2012)
  
  didn't take formal notes, nice light easy drinker with good depth of flavor. acid, some salty earth, lemon, toasty brioche. (90 points)



• 2010 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Cot La Pépiè - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Vin de Pays du Jardin (3/7/2012)
  
  no formal notes, but a pretty interesting take on malbec. unmistakeable nose(and vibrant color) of carbonic maceration, making this a lighter, easy drinker. would be nice slightly chilled during the summer. (89 points)



• 2010 Domaine Fabrice Gasnier Chinon Les Graves - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (3/7/2012)
  
  didn't take formal notes, but some vegetal nose, with black and blue fruits there as well. good acid, dusty earth/tannins. good bottle. (89 points)



• 2009 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur Château Fouquet - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (3/7/2012)
  
  didn't take formal notes, but pretty interesting very animalistic barnyardy nose. good depth of flavor. would buy. (88 points)



• 2010 Jean Dumont Sancerre Les Monchottes - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre (3/7/2012)
  
  didn't take formal notes, but good bright acid and fruit with definitive minerality present. (88 points)



• 2005 Fattoria Rodáno Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico (1/22/2012)
  
  c- ruby to garnet. a- cherry, earth, barnyard. f- deep, dusty tannins, earthy funky cherry. pretty good. (90 points)



• 2007 Château Nozières Cahors Ambroise de l'Her - France, Southwest France, Cahors (1/22/2012)
  
  c- dark concentrated purple. a- animalistic funk, plum, black berry. f- deep. fruit there but less so than in nose. earth and some oak present. m+ body, m+ finish (87 points)



• 2010 Tilia - Argentina, Mendoza (1/22/2012)
  
  c- dark purple, concentrated, some sediment. a- oak, blackberry, cassis, plum. f- confirms more obviously fruity. some tannins. m+ body, m+ finish. certainly good value. (86 points)



• 2009 Clos La Coutale Cahors - France, Southwest France, Cahors (1/22/2012)
  
  c- dark purple. a- spicy. plum, blackberry, cassis, rustic. f- confirms. a little cheesy. m+ body M+ finish (85 points)



• 2009 Banfi Chianti Classico - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico (1/22/2012)
  
  c- purple. a- cherry, barnyard, funk. f-slightly sweet, cherry, earth. ok. (84 points)



• 2009 Querceto Chianti - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti (1/22/2012)
  
  c- dusty purple. a- tart cherry, barnyard, hay, raspberry. f- similar, light and drinkable but nothing amazing. (83 points)



• 2009 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti (1/22/2012)
  
  c- purple. a- cherry, barnyard funk. f- tart cherry, funk, but not much there. however, good basic wine for the money. (82 points)



• 1995 Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton-En Charlemagne Diamond Jubilee - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru (12/31/2011)
  
  still going strong. deep gold in color. deep aroma of hazelnuts, toasted almonds, white flowers, citrus. flavors of roasted crushed nuts, citrus, peach, melon. 93-94. plenty of life left. (93 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

Wychwood- Hobgoblin.

This beer pours with a dark amber color and little head. Roasty, slightly nutty and caramel aromas invite you in for a taste. This is a great beer. Light carbonation, rich full mouth feel. Slightly sweet and malty taste, with dark malts obviously in play. Flavors of caramel, nuts, light bitterness, lingering malt flavor.
Overall, pretty darn good. One of the better English or English style ales I have had in a while. Besides mine that is. Time to get brewin!

2010 Bodegas Obalo Rioja

• 2010 Bodegas Obalo Rioja - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (4/19/2012)
  
  c- see through purple, but at the same time pretty extracted- can see color in the legs. a- blackberry, raspberry, baking spice, some earthiness. f- pretty juicy fruit in the darker red vein. some baking spices and a touch of earth. good qpr, and most definitely a better than average everyday drinker at the price. i could see this being liked by fans of both new and old world wines. the up front fruit could appeal to the nwers and the touches of earth to the owers. seemed to improve/change with some air time, i have set the drinking window to indicate some of this development. (89 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

Domaine A et P de Villaine Bourgogne Blanc "Les Clous"

I bought eight bottles of this at auction for 15 each a little while ago. I intended on holding them a bit, but with money tight, I decided to tap into one of them this week.
The name on the bottle should be enough to cause the nether regions of any Burgundy lover to tremble, as this is the personal domaine of Aubert de Villaine, one of the coowners of Domaine Romanee-Conti, considered by many to be the finest wine producer in the whole of the Cote d'Or. DRC, whose bottles regularly sell for prices in the thousands, and up to five digits per bottle for older wines that have been properly stored. That is, if you can even find them. The relative scarcity of their wines doesn't help with the price at all.
But here is something you could have for a fraction of that, made by the same hands that make one of the wine worlds treasures...
2009 A. et P. de Villaine "Les Clous" 12.5% abv.
c- very light, close to water gold with green hints.
a- white flowers, mineral, lemon zest, orange zest, nut, vanilla.
f- smooth creamy mouthfeel. mineral, peach, lemon and lemon zest. light nut. light vanilla or marshmallow in finish. M+ mouth with m finish.
90
Pretty darn good. Even at a retail of 30 (suggested by winesearcher.com), I would buy this again. And yes, my nether regions are tingling.

Hennessy Cognac tasting.

I managed to secure myself an invite to a tasting and seminar hosted by Oak Restaurant in Boulder yesterday. Though I have walked by Oak lots of times (and it always looks busy), this was my first time inside and I must say I was pretty impressed. It has a neat look to it.
The seminar was conducted by Cyrille Gautier Auriol, a Global Brand Ambassador for Hennessy. He is 8th or 9th generation from a family that has been in Cognac since the 1800's.
We started with a sidecar made with VSOP. This is the first time and will not be the last time that I have had this cocktail. It was pretty tasty.
The tasting featured Hennessy XO, Paradis, and their top of the line Richard. He spoke for a good hour, telling us about the region, how and when the blenders taste, how they make the final blend, aging, grapes, and so on. In comparing the colors of the spirits I would say it was the Richard that was the darkest and had the most concentrated color to it, but it was only a slight difference between it and the XO. All displayed the neatly running legs I would expect to see in older spirits, with the Richard again looking almost like brush strokes dropped straight down. And eventually we did get to taste...
Hennessy XO.
Blended in production 2-3 times, taking 24 months to assemble the final blend. Oldest approximately 30 years, give or take. Comprised of up to 100 eaux-de-vies.
Peppery, baking spices (cinnamon, allspice, light vanilla, clove), candied fruit, caramelized sugar. A little firey in the mouth.
Hennseey Paradis.
The name comes from the cellar where Cognac producers store their oldest spirits, "paradise". This was first produced in 1979. Contains over 100 eaux-de-vies, oldest being from late 1800's. Made only from petit and grand champagne cognacs.
Silky smooth mouth, nuts, rancio, baking spices, some floral aroma and flavor, tobacco, long finish. I could taste this one for quite awhile despite several sips of water to prepare myself for the next one...
Hennessy Richard.
As I said, this is their top of the line stuff. I thought we would just get a tiny taste, but the pour was very generous- probably close to an ounce. At 2500-3000 dollars a bottle, that means I drank a hundred or more dollars. First produced in 1996. Contains spirits dating from 1830-60 and made from Folle Blanche (Ugni Blanc is now the main grape). Minimum age is 45 years, maximum 200.
This stuff was amazing. I don't think I will ever forget drinking this. Even smoother mouth feel, rancio, fruit, baking spices, sugar, earth, dried leaves, nut, citrus, tobacco. Incredibly complex and nuanced. Long long finish. I could taste this half an hour later. My coworker sitting next to me said she got a tear in her eye, and yes, I could see how this could move you to tears.
It was a very fun and interesting event, and a great opportunity to taste and increase my knowledge. Thanks again to Brian at Oak.

New year.

Here's what I've been up to lately...
2009 Roth Estate Pinot Noir 14.5%
c- less concentrated purple.
a- raspberry, cranberry, baked cherry.
f- above with tarry rubber and slight brambly earth. m body, m finish.
89-90
2002 Ridge Buchignani Ranch Carignane 13.7%
c- almost black center to garnet edges
a- tar/rubber, dark fruits - blackberry
f- plum, slight tar. nice acid, not much fruit. oak present. m+ body, m+ finish. past it's prime i would guess.
87
2007 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional 14.5%
c- dark very concentrated purple black to thinner rim.
a- oak, rich dark fruits, depth.
f- cedary oak, deep flavor, dark fruits. almost port like in some aspects (not surprising of course.) I wanted to try this one since it is made of one of the principal grapes used in port.
92
2004 Cabidos "Les Abesses" Petit Manseng 11%
c- bronze
a- apple, lemon, cantaloupe, earth or used oak
f- apple, citrus. sweet but with balancing acid. m+ body, m+ finish with caramel, oak, earth.
I got this because I hadn't heard of the varietal. I wish I had bought more!
91
2010 KWV Pinotage 14%
c- magenta
a- tar, earth, raspberry, strawberry.
f- manure, raspberry. m body, m finish.
85
2009 JJ Prum Riesling Kabinett 9%
c- light green, almost water.
a- peach, melon, stone/slate.
f- bright acid, lemon, peach, white flowers. lightly sweet, touch melon. m- body, m- finish
89
1992 Jadot Corton-Pougets Grand Cru 13.5%
c- garnet to brown
a- older pinot, earth, tart cherry,
f- really not much. past its prime. some acid and earth still.
80
2005 Jobard Meursault Blagny 1er cru
c- straw with green hints
a- crushed rock, white flowers, nut, peach, lemon
f- rich, round. mineral, nut, steel, opulent peach. wonderful. m+ finish, full body.
this was my last of 5 bottles, 3 of which were oxidized, 1 of which was ok, and this one was great.
92
2009 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc 13.5%
c- straw to water.
a- white flowers, melon, lemon, apricot.
f- good balancing acid, fruits confirm. marshmallowy, vanillay in the finish. m+ body, m finish.
86