Closing Ceremonies

I believe i am the only wine blogger in the world with a PE degree, and as someone with such a degree it should be no surprise that i love the Olympic games. The final three days were awesome but also a bit sad –  in an “all good things must come to an end” kinda way.  So to celebrate – a form of “three cheers to the Olympics” I opened a Sour a day for the last three days, cleverly combining my University degree with my latest hobby – collecting Sours.  Here’s how the last three days played out.

Wellington Brewery’s Prismastic Golden Sour – chosen for it’s rather mild sourness and complexity gained from being aged for one year in Cabernet Franc barrels with a mix of wild yeast and sour bacteria. Golden because i drank it during the Gold Medal men’s volleyball match between Brasil and Italy.

Wellington Brewery’s Against the Currant – a Blackcurrant kettle sour – made in much less time than the Prismatic and soured in a kettle by creating lactic acid through some magic that i don’t really understand totally.  I would like to say that i watched this during the kayak races, but truthfully i had it during the 4×100 m relay when Canada has to wait 15 minutes to discover they actually won a bronze.

Royal City Brewing’s Berliner Weiss was Friday’s edition of the “three cheers for sours” weekend.  Honestly, i don’t recall what i watched because i started into a string of Wikipedia pages on John F Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” quote which kept me amused for over an hour reading about East Germany, the cold war, Berlin, and the complexities of the German language.  Did you know some people think that the translation of that was “I am a donut”?  Thanks for trying to rewrite history whatever idiot added that to the highly reputable and accurate Wikipedia site.

 

3 Things I Learned in America

I visited the United States of ‘Merica this weekend.  Also, i avoided talking politics with everyone! Weeeeeeee.

I learned three important things in my casual quest for knowledge. I think I learned more than that but I don’t focus very well in the summer and i wasn’t really searching for more knowledge.

1. BBQ peaches and bourbon are brilliant – i macerated this perfectly ripe fruit with bourbon [america’s vodka], brown sugar, and vanilla then grilled them and served them with ice-cream.
2. You can’t get a pint of high alcohol beer!   Anything around 7% ABV and you get a stemmed “snifter” with less ounces than a pint. As i pointed out to the owner of the bar, “We don’t put up with stuff like that in Canada”.  However, as i get older and more understanding i think i know why they do this –  but you’d lose an election in Canada  with laws like that.
3. Mars, PA – where my wife is from [no really, that’s not a joke], population 1,699, has a fantastic tavern/gastropub. Breakneck Tavern has exceptional food and an extensive craft beer list. It’s worth the detour off I-79 and i’ve no doubt that Guy Fieri will appear there soon, so you should get there before he does.
4. There’s a really good winery halfway between Cleveland and Youngstown Ohio. No that’s not a typo and i haven’t been drinking – today – yet. Uncle “Jim” [that’s his real name minus the quotation marks] had a party and his friend Rich showed up with 4 very good wines from his winery, Laleure Vineyards, in Parkman, Ohio  – a white blend, two vintages of Chardonnay, and a Cabernet Franc that made me especially happy.  One impromptu wine tasting later and i became a believer that at least one talented winemaker lives in “Merica’s Midwest. Good party Uncle “Jim” – well played.  Great food and beautiful house Aunt “B”.