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jrichstar

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  1. jrichstar
    Have to agree with everyone here. This is one delicious beer. It was so balanced with the tropical fruit flavor, just the right amount of bitterness and a touch of light funk that makes it "white." Loved the combo and will definitely look to be refreshed again on a future hot day.
  2. jrichstar
    This is a great beer for a summer evening--lemony, very slightly sour and of course, the peach flavor as the star. Nice amount of carbonation as well. This could go very well with seafood on which you'd normally squeeze some lemon.
  3. jrichstar
    Kind of amazed that Zaytinya has had only 4 posts in the last year! I've been at least 5 times over the years and it's amazing how the quality of food consistently is high with some dishes being more than special. Went last night---had 10-15 dishes for our family of 5. All good-to-great. The two that were extraordinary were the octopus santorini (expertly charred and mixed with grilled onions and capers over a bed of pea puree) and hunkar begendi (braised lamb shank over a bed of a delicious eggplant-cheese puree). I will no doubt order these two every time I eat here going forward. The space is large and airy, service relaxed yet crisp. It's a rare place that has excellent food like this where we can take our kids (ages 7-13) and everyone can have a good time. It seems that the Jose Andres restaurants don't change much and do things so well that there's not a lot new to say about them. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
  4. jrichstar
    Just had this with some salmon for dinner. It was a good match. The flavor is remarkable given the ABV. I'm amazed what breweries are doing now to achieve pretty much a full flavor profile with the lower alcohol. Good to help stay awake (I'm a sleepy "drunk") and for the waistline as well. Could not help to compare with the Boulevard IPA posted just before. The Founders had more pine and resin notes (i.e., bitter) while the Boulevard seemed more fruity. My personal taste favored the Boulevard, maybe because the fruit seems to smooth it out a bit. Big fan of Founders......they have a great portfolio and this beer is another feather in their cap.
  5. jrichstar
    I am honored to help VikingJew introduce beers to the VBT. I first became enamored with craft brews in the early 90's when living in Fort Collins, Colorado. Colorado may be the leading state for the craft revolution and I was lucky to live in a city with one of the foremost craft breweries, New Belgium (and Odell's is not bad either). Fat Tire was a revelation compared to the Michelob and Moosehead that I grew up with here in Montgomery County, MD. Though Fat Tire is legendary (at least in my mind), there are so many interesting brews and styles that have emerged, especially in the last 5-10 years, that it almost seems boring right now. I look forward to sharing many different beers and discussions with you in the future on the VBT. The beer this week is Dogfish Head's Festina Peche. I tried it the first time when introduced a few years back and was impressed---looking forward to trying it again as have not had it since. Seems like an appropriate brew as we approach another hot July 4th weekend in DC. ABV is 4.5%. Per the website: A refreshing neo-Berliner Weisse, Festina Peche is available in 4-packs and on draft during the sweaty months. Sadly, there are only a few breweries left in Berlin still brewing the Berliner Weisse style, which is characterized by its intense tartness (some say sour). There were once over 70 breweries in Berlin alone making this beer! In addition to fermentation with an ale yeast, Berliner Weisse is traditionally fermented with lactic cultures to produce its acidic (or green apple-like) character. Served as an apertif or summertime quencher, Festina is delicately hopped and has a pale straw color. To soften the intense sourness, Berliner Weisse is traditionally served with a dash of essence of woodruff or raspberry syrup. In Festina Peche, since the natural peach sugars are eaten by the yeast, the fruit complexity is woven into both the aroma and the taste of the beer so there is no need to doctor it with woodruff or raspberry syrup. Just open and enjoy! More on the style from Beeradvocate: Berliner Weisse is a top-fermented, bottle conditioned wheat beer made with both traditional warm-fermenting yeasts and lactobacillus culture. They have a rapidly vanishing head and a clear, pale golden straw-coloured appearance. The taste is refreshing, tart, sour and acidic, with a lemony-citric fruit sharpness and almost no hop bitterness. Served in wide bulbous stemmed glasses, tourists in Berlin will often order on as a "Berliner Weisse mit Schuss: Himbeere" or "Berliner Weisse mit Schuss: Waldmeister." These are syrups that are added to make the sourness more palatable. Himbeere is raspberry (red) and Waldmeister is woodruff (green). Cheers, Jeff
  6. jrichstar
    This was a really nice brew. I did not read VikingJew's description in detail before I drank.....its sharp bite and classic fruity profile seemed like a 7-8% ABV. Congrats to Boulevard for creating this snappy a brew at 5.7%. There was something that smoothed out the sharpness just enough to make it very drinkable. Maybe it's the combination of the six hops?! Bravo!
  7. jrichstar
    At first blush, this is a pretty average saison: has the funk, the lemon, the dry finish. Maybe a bit less funk and a bit thinner body than average but still quite good overall. What is remarkable is the beer achieves the status of a nice saison with a 4.5% ABV. Really makes the whole package better when taking this into consideration. I know the big trend lately is great taste with less alcohol and Swing Session is a great example of things to come.
  8. jrichstar
    I thought the Myanmar episode stacked up very well as compared to No Reservations. Pretty much the same ole Anthony. The news-to-food-and-travel ratio was a little higher on the news but I think it was more a function of the subject of Myanmar than being on CNN. Some of the No Reservation episodes were a little heavy on news like the US/Mexican Border episode and one of the Asian Stan's (Uzbekistan?). One thing that does not get talked about much is the cinematography/production quality. I think it is outstanding. Plus, ratings were up 32% as compared to last year's first episode on the Travel Channel, so CNN may have finally found something to turn around it's flailing ratings.
  9. jrichstar
    My experience was almost exactly like Viking's Jew's- refreshing, drinkable, interesting apple notes yet unremarkable.
  10. jrichstar
    Pretty much agree with the sentiment. I was a little put off when the label said "incredible lemon aroma" and I found it to be pretty minimal. Taste was pleasant and well balanced-- grapefruit and mango in there. While it was drinkable, and I prefer it to the hop bombs for a nightly brew, nothing special.
  11. jrichstar
    I think this is a very interesting beer and give credit to Sixpoint for trying something really different and, in general, succeeding IMO. First, the can design is really great as well as the "three bean" idea. I see it's classified on BA as a Baltic Porter. Though it seems more like a black IPA or Schwatzbier to me. Definitely not a stout as it's too thin in consistency. I agree that there's more coffee than chocolate in both the smell and taste. I found the third vegetal bean to help smooth out the overall profile, much the way a milk stout is not as bitter (which is more my taste). I did not find this beer bitter but balanced with the three beans interacting. The finish was long and I tasted that coffee-chocolate for awhile, in a good way.
  12. jrichstar
    Somehow this did not do it for me, but it's probably more the style than the beer. I had Ayinger Celebrator a month or so ago, #1 on BA for the style, and I remember it tasting much like this. A lot of malt but what is really memorable for me is the boozy, dark fruit smell and taste that lingers, Not a big fan of boozy in a beer. Since I rarely eat plums, figs or dates, I'm not really sure what that dark fruit taste is with the boozy, but it's one or some combination of those (and maybe raisins as well), More of a dessert drink of something to accompany hefty meats.
  13. jrichstar
    This is a fine beer but with cost not being an object, just don't feel it competes with Hopslam, which is the natural comparison and is all the talk on Beeradvocate. LS does impress with the extreme hoppiness and citrus packed into only a 7.85% ABV. But really, this is a hop bomb at its core with some citrus thrown in as the complement. It's a good beer when you're in the mood or perhaps have a certain food pairing in mind. With Hopslam, you get a balance with the honey that really does a great job to take the edge off the hops, making it a more enjoyable experience (though the 10% ABV really kicks your butt). For me, Sucks is a solid DIPA but Hopslam is a beer that should be savored to the last drop.
  14. jrichstar
    Not a big fan of stouts but really thought this was excellent. Like milk stouts better in general and this one fit the bill---smooth and less of a roasty edge. The taste was an excellent balance between coffee and chocolate with the chocolate slightly dominating. Very pleasant taste that lingered long. A smooth cafe latte describes it well, with just a hint of chocolate.
  15. jrichstar
    I'm definitely in for the beer tasting group! Thanks to Rocks for the idea and Eric for getting the group going.......I can likely pinch hit/back up when needed for a few weeks here and there. Leading tough in the near future.
  16. jrichstar
    Anyone buy a six-pack today (Saturday) somewhere? Would like to pick up but not into having to race the day it comes out. Thanks!
  17. jrichstar
    Advice needed: if going on a Saturday night, what time is the latest you can get on line to get in without a wait (party of 2)? Thanks!
  18. jrichstar
    I'm looking for a menu online to order some take out later this week. Does anyone know of a link....can't seem to locate? Or if not, maybe scan in a takeout menu? Many thanks!
  19. jrichstar
    Totally agree, Rocks, that McLean Total Wine has a fantastic beer selection. I've not seen a bigger one in town. My other go-to for selection is Chevy Chase Wine and Spirits, which has almost as good a selection. The advantage for Chevy Chase is the service: the beer guy there is really helpful with any questions you might have and reserving stuff. Forget that at Total Wine. Also need to mention Connecticut Avenue Wine and Liquors in Dupont. Not as big a selection but a very unique set of beers. Al somehow gets his hands on stuff like Cigar City and Russian River and brings them to DC.
  20. jrichstar
    I'm also very interested in a easy local source to buy hamachi.
  21. jrichstar
    Looking for a 6er of Hopslam. I realize that it's hot and there may not be much left but if anyone has recently seen a supply of some, would appreciate if you pass on where you saw it. Thanks!
  22. jrichstar
    This was a "one-of-a-kind" release given that it's the first time this top-10 worldwide beer was bottled. But I agree that long-term, best to have one thread per brewery. Just need to be consistent across the blog.
  23. jrichstar
    I read that Founders CBS is supposed to be released in bottles on October 3rd. Has anyone seen it on store shelves and if so, where?
  24. jrichstar
    thanks!
  25. jrichstar
    Looking for Castries Peanut Rum Creme and can't seem to find it where I've previously purchased. Any leads on where to find?
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