Beer and Wine Journal

December 7th, 2001 I had a wonderful time at the MIS faculty dinner tonight. The presence of Prof. Davis ensured that there would be some great opportunities to experiment with new wines. The first wine that I tried was a Maxwell Semillon 1999, a very nice dry white. It was very fruity, almost tart, very nice. Later I had a Barbera d Abba Seghesio 1999, a young red that just blew me away. It had a large amount of segiment that you would not expect to find in a wine so young. I had a wonder sweet, fruity bouqet and felt very full bodied, subtle tannins. Overall it seemed like a much older wine. A pleasent surprise. It costs about $14, I will definitely have to look for this one. In between I had a sweet white wine from Austria that was very nice, and a rubust Zin with some great tannins from California. Overall a great experience.**** November 29, 2001 I've decided to start posting my own ads for brands I actively support on this page. Take that Yahoo! November 27, 2001 12:52 AM Drinking a bottle of Beck's now as I type. I have an interview tomorrow morning with the US Navy so I need to drink up and get ready. As my German friends always said, "Drink your beer, Drew, it is good for you." Ok, so here's the low-down on Beck's. It is a Pilsner beer from Northern Germany and has a nice bitter herbal flavor to it. The logo of the key on a red shield is actually the city seal of the of Bremen. The metro area's population is only about 300,000 or so, but it qualifies as one of Germany's 16 Federal States... well that would be 17 Federal Lands if you include the Spanish island of Mallorca, but that's a joke that most Americans won't get. Another thing, Beck's really is  not a German Company. It's a subsidiary of some firm based out of the Netherlands, so I guess it's actually not the the Best of what German's do Best!   November 24, 2001 Had a glass of Sancerre at dinner tonight. It was from a French producer, but I am uncertain of the name. Very oaky which I do not care for. The smell reminds me of rotting vegetables. Nick and Nina really went for it so I am sure it is a good wine, it just does not appeal to my pallet. It was better with my dinner, a nice Currie Sea-Food dish. I, however, would not try this wine again. Rating: *** November 22, 2001 Adler Fels Gewürztraminer: I done did my pallet proud when I picked this one out. I first tried it a couple of months ago when I hosted a dinner party for some friends. I quickly realized that I had found a winner. Professor Davis recommended it as a good complement to Turkey so I decided to go fetch a couple of bottles and make that my contribution to the Thanksgiving feast. When went out to get it I found that the price had jumped a couple of dollars and it was labeled as the most highly touted Gewürztraminer in California history. It has a fruity bouquet and a sweet but complex taste. I'm not sure if that comes from acidity or tartness. If it is acid it is probably not actually sweet, but only my perception from the fruity smell. I think I will have to have yet another glass to make sure if another bottle is to be had. There was only one left at Arrow Wine and Spirits after my last visit. Rating: **** June, 2001 Cellebrator Doppelbock: From the Franz Inselkammer brewery of Aying, Germany. It is what the natives call a "dunkles" beer, in that the hobs are roasted giving it its dark coloring. Despite its dark, foamy, heavy appearence the fluid is actually quite light and goes down easily. The taste is a mixture of bitter pilsner and fruity lambic beerm lending it a particularly original flavor. With an alcohol content of 6.7% one bottle was enough to give this hardy alcohol coinoisseur a pleasant (though short) little buz. Rating: ****