What's red and white and yummy all over?

Dogfish Head's Red & White, that's what! We scored a bottle when Bello Vino folded but just now got around to popping it open. We were a little apprehensive- I mean, the label lists coriander, orange peel and pinor noir juice, for pete's sake! But it sounded like a good match for dinner (Red Pepper & Pork Hash), so we gave it a shot. I'm so happy we did!

The "sediment" that was suspended in my glass was a little weird, but the color, oh the color... a gorgeous burnt orangey blend of a Wit and pinot. Lovely. And the flavor is like nothing I could have dreamed up... I'm drinking in small sips so I can savor it! Who'da thunk to put Wit beer and pinot together? They are like chocolate and peanut butter! Seriously!

If you get a chance to try this, by all means, DO. I'm sure it won't spark everyone's fancy, but I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

BTW... Michigan Winter Beer Festival was last weekend... any reports???

A2's loss, BeerChick's gain

Got the sad news over the weekend that Bello Vino, an outstanding purveyor of beer and wine in Ann Arbor, is closing on January 15. They are liquidating (pun intended) their inventory, so as soon as M and I returned to A2 from the Christmas holiday, we had to go pay our respects. And how. We managed to spend a completely ridiculous amount of money on beer, 6 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of champagne, some cheese, chorizo, chocolate, and yogurt. I definitely have enough beer for a month of posts!

Before we break into that stash however, I have a few beers to share!

First, my hometown has a drive thru convenience store. (welcome to Indiana) They recently expanded to include a small cafe and pub, and my friend Scott suggested we check it out as they claim to have 10 beers on tap (believe me- in a small town, that is a big deal). We stopped in for lunch and tried the Bell's Christmas Ale (sadly, I didn't see it listed on the Bell's website!), which the menu said was a "classic Scotch ale". While it was a crisp, easy drinking beer, it wasn't nearly "heavy" enough to meet that definition. The "Christmas baked goods" finish was nice, but I wish it would have had a longer finish.

Two Great Things that Go Great Together

For many of us, this is a big weekend. Notre Dame is playing their home opener as we speak (vs. San Diego State- I'm giving M grief since he has degrees from both), and my beloved Colts open tomorrow night against my other favorite team, da Bears.

On top of all THAT, today is our first "game day" in Ann Arbor. We can hear the PA announcer from our house and many of our neighbors have lawns covered with parked cars. Driving to the Kerrytown Farmer's Market this morning, we got to observe UM students at their finest. If by finest you mean jaywalking, playing beer pong, and funneling beer down from the roofs of their porches. :-)

It also means an excuse for us to break out the beer a bit earlier in the day than usual, so we're trying beer #2 of our Bello Vino haul: Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale, from Southern Tier Brewing Company. It's an American Pale Ale, and while it smells nice, it's missing something. I'm wondering if it's the artesian water, as to me it tastes almost "too pure". M thinks it's like a bunny rabbit with one leg: no hop. Don't get me wrong, I'll finish my beer, but I don't think we'll be buying this one again. Sorry, guys.

Aloha!

Before I get back to my Bello Vino stash, I wanted to write about the beers of Hawaii. Well, two breweries, anyway: Mehana and Kona, as they were the ones we tried on our trip to the Big Island for my brother's wedding. I also got a book for our wedding anniversary (the 1st one is paper) that may make it into a future post: The Hawaii Beer Book. :-)

After visiting the spot where Kilauea's lava is currently flowing into the ocean (pretty spectacular), we stopped in Hilo for dinner at Hilo Bay Cafe (YUMMM). They had Mehana Humpback Blue on tap, and since I'd never heard of Mehana Brewing, it was a must try. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed. While it was better with food than standalone, it leaned too far toward sweet for me. M liked it a lot, so maybe it was my tastebuds or something.

Our last day we made the trip over to Kilauea-Kona to check out Kona Brewing. While we didn't have time to stick around for one of the two daily tours, we did have lunch and sample quite a few of their beers. I had only tried Longboard Lager before our visit (many of them consumed at the wedding reception), and was pleasantly surprised to find QUITE a selection at the brewery. In addition to the ten beers listed on the menu, they had four seasonals available. We tasted 8 of the 14: Mac Nut Brown, Dry Side Stout, Pipeline Porter, Fire Rock Pale Ale, Lavaman Red Ale, Castaway IPA, Duke's Blonde Ale, and Black Sand Porter. M liked (in order) Black Sand, Mac Nut, and Pipeline. I enjoyed the Fire Rock, but REALLY liked both the Mac Nut and the Lavaman. Of course, I had already ordered a pint of Lavaman (who can resist a pint of paradise?) before the sampler with the Mac Nut came out, but live and learn. Both were really great beers!!

P.S. Back to the Bello Vino- I made it out there before we left to snag a sixer of the Breckenridge IPA, only to find that it was $13.99 for a 6-pack! Yowza! I hope that is just because it is a limited release, and not an indicator of future beer prices...