Food and Drink

Here in Colorado, we are somewhat spoilt for festivals. Between RMAF and GABF, most of the esoteric items in the world I would truly want access to are annually dropped on my doorstep for my consumption. So I'm going to attempt to give back, in an ever-so-slight kind of way. Take a look at this list here and tell me if there's anything you've always wanted to try, or wanted someone else to try and confirm your feelings, and I'll find it and drink it for you, with notes. My tastes are broad, and I've picked up a respectable amount of knowledge in a few years of attendance, so hopefully I can shed some light on something for you. Of course, if you simply have…

This Friday (9/25) I'll be attending an evening session of the Great American Beer Festival here in Denver. Much as I would like to sample all 1,800 beers, time is limited to 4.5 hours, and I can't drink one sample per 9 seconds for more than an hour or two. Therefore, I was hoping some of you brew aficionados (read: feckless drunks) might have some suggestions for me for a beer/brewery/style I should not miss.

Happy kimchi day! Yes, really.

Have you ever put butter on a pop tart? It's just like the family guy song says... It's so freaking good! I just tried it.

Anybody interested in sharing local beans, secret Santa style? I would love to share the amazing beans that are roasted here in Cincinnati.

Man, I am a roasting FOOL right now! I can't stop! Today I got my new roaster: It's a Behmor 1600. This thing rocks! It'll do up to a full #, and so far I have yet to see a single wisp of smoke! Of course I've only done 1/4 # batches so far, but still... It has 5 roast profiles built-in. So far I've only tried 2. It'll take me a while to try all five. I can't wait until tomorrow morning to get my first taste!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/stew/chi-hot-dougs-closing-20140506,0,7406836.story

So this is pretty much an open invitation for suggestions, as well as a vehicle to talk about my recent drinking binge. I tend to like porters and stouts, and surprisingly (because I don't drink coffee) java porters. I should also mention that I would prefer one of those larger corked bottles, so I can pour off a smaller portion for myself. Usually takes me over a week to finish one of them. I've been drinking a lot lately. Not a lot as in a lot, but as in a lot for me. I'll mention some recent favorites and some recent "meh": Bashah -- this one didn't really hit me upside the head as anything special, but for some reason, I kept coming back to it (maybe it was…

i've been thinking about fucking ramen all day. a nice tasty hot bowl of classic ramen and special pork. i must leave now. i must go here. will get the one pictured at the bottom.

Budget flexible, the more idiot-proof the better -- for obvious reasons. Pellet seems like the lazy fucker's way to go and MAK and Cookshack get good reps online. Opinions?

Shackelton's Antarctic whisky found: Shackleton's Antarctic whisky found - Boing Boing

The Burger Lab: The Ins-n-Outs of an In-N-Out Double-Double, Animal-Style | A Hamburger Today

A poster at HF noticed this interesting article on wine critics' scoring abilities. Why Wine Ratings Are Badly Flawed - WSJ.com

Just a friendly reminder - https://plus.google.com/events/chi786mll4pi8b25nfre1scakcs

My buddy turns 50 on Saturday and he really likes Irish whiskey. He usually drinks Jameson and doesn't spend exorbitant amounts per bottle. I'd like to get him something really special that's going to make an impression and that he's going to remember. I know Jameson makes some higher end bottles like 12/18 Limited Reserve and Rarest Reserve, but honestly, I just don't know. Do any of the Irish whiskey aficionados here have any experience or suggestions for me in the $200-$300 range, even if it's not Jameson.

There is an event that I'm checking out tomorrow called the joy of sake. There will be over 300 different Sake's to taste. hiccup Here is the site: http://www.joyofsake.com/

Friends and Mentors, I recently moved overseas to Moldova, a country where 70% of the population is economically dependent in some way on the wine industry. The wines themselves are not very well known internationally, but their primacy in their own country means that wine is consumed at virtually every meal and imported wine is essentially nonexistent. Domestic wine is both a huge business and a central part of culture here. One perk of my housing here is a 1000-bottle subterranean wine cellar, which currently sits empty. I am not well-versed in wine, but considering all the above and an average price of $6 a bottle on the local economy now seems like the p…

Not sure if anyone posted this here, saw it in another forum..... It's the World's Strongest, Most Expensive Beer -- Inside a Squirrel - Asylum.com Duggeh? Drink one for the team?

Which is your preference? I noticed most people fall one way or the other. I personally HATE beer. It's disgusting and flavorless IMO. I can tolerate DARK DARK beer, like Mackeson XXX and Gulden Draak, mainly because they're so damn dark...but otherwise, I pass on Bud, Miller and Heiny..blah. I personally prefer liqour... 4 Horsemen, Svedka on the rocks and mixed girly drinks hit the spot...

Not a gin connoisseur by any means, but I have recently been drinking it some with dinners. Usually with tonic and lime. Just went out to a nice place last night, and ordered Bombay Sapphire. Waitress, a gin lover herself (and dang cute!), recommended one I had only heard of but never learned about or tried: Hendricks of Scotland Distilled with flowers and cucumbers! I took her recommendation, though, and glad I did! Was a very smooth yet flavorful gin, with none of the pseudo-paint-thinner scent I've smelled before, even a bit on some of the best gins. Highly recommended....will likely get a bottle for myself, first hard alcohol I've bought since Absenth…

This is just a long shot idea that would take some serious work(sheep herding), planning, and cash, but I figure I would present it any way. We should make a Head-Case wine. I'm sure the serious wine-o's here know about www.crushpadwine.com but for those that don't, check out the website. We could have a mini meet around the production of the wine and possibly another around the bottling. It also helps that we have a somewhat large group of members in that area. Of course it would take a serious cash outlay for those involved for a wine of unknown quality but I still think it might be worth looking into. Discuss.

I’m going to abuse my powers as admin and sell some coffee: I have 40 lbs of coffee available to purchase. It’s a medium roast rwandan coffee that I taste blueberries in. It’s the first coffee I thought was worth selling under my brand. From the bean wholesaler: Rwanda Natural - Huye Mountain Sweet, black grape, blueberry, boysenberry, chocolate Huye Mountain Coffee is a private washing station established in 2011 to provide farmers in the region with access to international markets and buyers of specialty coffees. Around 1,330 producers deliver their freshly picked coffee cherries to 26 collecting stations around the Huyecommunity,…

The beloved Mattnog recipe and the various iterations made over the years are sprinkled around in various parts of HC. This year, I thought we should establish a thread to keep it handy, and to remind people to make their batches early. Matt made his at the end of August when he first posted it. I made mine today and I think that is plenty of lead time even though six weeks is the bare minimum I would suggest. Mattnog Recipe by Matt NightWoundsTime Dunlop: In a one gallon container or two half gallons, such as glass milk bottles. 14 egg yolks 1 cup cane sugar 6 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 1 750ml bottle of Rebel Yell bourbon (or …

A huge thanks again to Al and Claire for making such a great afternoon possible. What a double-whammy of cooking skills to boot! And thanks to everyone for coming and making it a night to remember. Claire's lovely blueberry pie cools near an open window Strip after strip of uncured applewood smoked bacon adorns the tenderloin Even more bacon hits the pan...destined for desert Grahame tucks the chocolatey bacon goodness into the deep freeze... ...and proceeds to reap the benefits of being the chocolatier Mikey's high-proof stash isn't taking prisoners Conversation heats up as the bacon cooks (…