Drinking Thread: Three Sheets To The Wind

[dxmnkd316]

Nursing a snifter of Sunnyside. A nice bite and low in VOCs.

Top five USCHO post ever.

[Kepler]

Slivovitz.

Jesus f-ck, I tried it. OK, so it isn't the worst thing I've ever had. That would be any whiskey I've ever had.

It is very, very warming. I can see why people from places with long, cold winters and no insulation drink it. It isn't hideous in flavor and it isn't war crime-level rough -- again, that would be any whiskey.

It is most definitely an alcohol which is used For Effect, not for flavor or ambience, unless by ambience you mean getting fished out of the Kosice drunk tank at 3 a.m. by your grand-babushka.

I give it a 3. I have had a lot worse in my life. Or it is just possible that the drink of my rock-eating Carpathian ancestors hooks on to some atavistic reactant in my brain and reminds me of old days nailing Slovak girls behind the pig sh-t pit.

[dxmnkd316]

I tried a Taiwanese sherried whiskey tonight (at the Fitz, eat it everyone who knows what this means)


It was decent. Aberlour was significantly better for the price.

[French Rage]

Zywiec Porter
Primator Dark Lager
Weihenstephaner Doppelbock
Flying House Lager
Fosters

Went international for today's game.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Some NA booze has gotten quite good, particularly N/A gin, a lot of N/A microbrews, and a few N/A wines, but except for beer they all tend come with a high price tag considering you can't get a buzz off them. The best N/A red blend (Luminara) and N/A sparkling wines (Noughty) will set you back $20-25/bottle and good N/A gin is more like $40. Also, some mixed drinks you just cannot replicate the experience of. N/A gin is pretty good with tonic, but none of them make a good martini.

Updates on adventures in N/A and dealcoholized adult beverages over this past winter:

'Clean R' N/A Rum - Thumbs up and definitely earns its competition gold medal. Drop a shot into some cola, squeeze in a wedge of lime, and it drinks like a regular Cuba Libre.

'Amethyst' N/A Botanical Spirit - A gin-like alternative with a focus on cucumber, lemon, and serrano pepper aromas and flavors instead of juniper. A bit sweet on its own, so I mixed with club soda instead of tonic and it was pretty nice.

'Sir James 101' N/A G&T - A ready-to-drink G&T alternative with a nice juniper aroma and flavor with a hint of lime. Plenty sweet enough with a fraction of the calories of a regular G&T at 95 cal/8 oz. bottle.

'Three Spirit' Nightcap - Intended to mimic a digestif or similar nightcap liqueur. Woody, peppery, citrusy, with hints of maple and vanilla. I enjoyed it, but definitely not for everyone.

'Noughty' Rogue- A deacl'd Syrah from South Africa. My current #1 red wine alternative, to go along with their already top notch sparkling brut and brut rose offerings.

'Busty Lush' Tropical Weisse - Essentially an N/A sour that isn't too sour; I see myself crushing a 4-pack of these in the summer when it's hot.

Also, as much as I hate to admit this because of some of Boston Beer Co.'s business practices, the new Sam Adams 'Just the Haze' N/A IPA is definitely a gold medal N/A beer if you don't mind some hops.


New Bottles Currently En Route:

'YOURS' N/A California Red Blend
'For Bitter or Worse' Smoky No. 56
'Wilfred's' Bittersweet Aperitif
'Clean T' N/A Tequila
'Clean G' N/A Gin
'Damrak' Virgin 0.0 (N/A version of the classic Dutch jenever)

[dxmnkd316]

Thanks for the reviews

any whiskey styles you've tried?

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

I've been hesitant to try an N/A whisk(e)y because I'm afraid that I will be bitterly disappointed. The Smoky No. 56 is supposed to have some scotch-like qualities, we'll see how that goes.

[dxmnkd316]

Fair enough. I have the same thoughts. With us looking to expand the family in the future, the question has come up. I tried a few of my in laws NA "spirits" and wasn't super impressed. They weren't bad but at the price point, they were pretty subpar.

I'll check that 56 out.

[dxmnkd316]

I love Houghton

[dxmnkd316]

I've been hesitant to try an N/A whisk(e)y because I'm afraid that I will be bitterly disappointed. The Smoky No. 56 is supposed to have some scotch-like qualities, we'll see how that goes.

Any follow up?

[dxmnkd316]

I had what might be one of the five best beers I've ever had.

I checked Untappd, I've had just short of 2,000 unique beers since joining and about 2,700 total check ins. Less than 86 have had a 5.0 rating. Half of those are from years ago when the latest crop of insane beers have really come to the forefront.

Double Barrel-Aged Deep Oblivion from Cerebral may have risen nearly to the top. Impeccably balanced to the point that brilliance must have gotten lucky and rolled a 20.

I will spend the rest of my life chasing this whale hoping to get that close to touching perfection one more time.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Any follow up?

Still haven't cracked it. Waiting for colder weather.

[MissThundercat]

Trying to come up with a mocktail for coffee and drawing a massive blank. Any ideas?

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Trying to come up with a mocktail for coffee and drawing a massive blank. Any ideas?

Espresso and tonic. It's not for everyone, but I think it is a surprisingly good, n/a brunch alternative to the classic G&T. It's also a highball, so really simple and easy to make.

I do want to try this though.

[MissThundercat]

A few months ago, Alt City opened up in Grand Rapids. It's an N/A spirit shop and I'm eager to get over there and check it out.

They're only open 4 days a week though.