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Beer Basics
Beer is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from malted grains – most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), and rice are widely used. Most beer is flavored with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavorings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The basic ingredients of beer are water, malted barley, yeast and hops.
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India Pale Ale/IPA
History:
In the early 1700’s troops and British citizens living in India as part of the colonial rule did not have access to good British ale and any attempts to ship the malt British ales to them resulted in spoilage, due to the extreme temperatures and rolling of the seas. A brewer discovered that a high dose of hops and increased alcohol content preserved his ales and during the long voyage to India.
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Sauvignon Blanc
What is Sauvignon Blanc?
Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape varietal that is usually produced dry with a crisp acidity. Sauvignon blanc may have aromas of grass or hay (typical California style), grapefruit, green pepper, gooseberry (typical New Zealand style), minerality (French style and some South American styles), and sometimes even a little toast or smoke if it has been oak aged. Most Sauvignon blanc are all stainless steel fermented and never spend time in oak barrels. The wine should be served chilled.
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American Pale Ale
American pale ale
History/About:
This style is basically the American version of an English pale ale using American hops, malt, yeast and water as the ingredients.
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Vodka 101
What is Vodka?
Vodka is a clear liquid consisting of mostly water and ethanol purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as grain (rye or wheat), potatoes, corn, sugar beet molasses and even grapes. It has a high alcohol content that is usually around 80 proof (40%). The majority of vodkas produced for consumption in the United States and Western Europe are made from either wheat or rye. By law in these regions, vodka cannot have a distinctive color, smell, or flavor.
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Tequila 101
Tequila is exclusively a product of Mexico, and principally from its state of Jalisco and a few small, designated regions of the states of Guanajuato, Tamalpais, Michoacan, and Nayarit. It is a spirit made from the Blue agave plant. The Blue Agave plant is a dramatically beautiful plant of blue coloring, similar in look to a giant aloe. It can reach a height of six feet and although it looks like a Cactus, it is in fact a member of the Lily family.
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Pinot Grigio
First of all, Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are the same grape. Pinot Grigio is the name used in Italy where it translates as “gray pinot” and in France “gray pinot” is Pinot Gris. This comes from the color of the grape which has a grayish/brownish pink skin. This white grape is thought to be a mutant clone of the red pinot noir grape. The word “pinot” means “pine cone” in French and is believed to be used because the grapes grow in small pine cone shaped clusters. The grape originated in France and is known there as Pinot Gris. However, it thrives in the Alsace region of France where it is called Tokay. In the United States you will see the wines labeled as either Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris. With the popularity of the term Pinot Grigio, this is the primary name used. However, when produced in Oregon it will be called Pinot Gris most of the time.
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German Wine Laws
Ripeness Categories:
German Wines are categorized by the degree of ripeness measured in natural grape sugar upon harvest. These ripeness categories are determined by the sugar content in the grapes, which is measured in degree Oechsle. The Oechsle requirements for the respective categories vary by growing region. Riper grapes have more sugar but more importantly more extract and flavor in the grape, hence a more expressive wine. The higher the ripeness of the grapes used for the wine, the higher up in the pyramid the wine will be categorized.
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Chardonnay
Chardonnay- [shar-dun-NAY]
About:
Chardonnay is a dry style white wine. The Chardonnay grape is the most widely planted white wine grape in the world. Many times chardonnay is aged in oak barrels for a period of time before bottling, which will soften the wine and impart an oaky, buttery flavor in the wine depending on how long it is aged and if the barrels are new oak or slightly used. Some producers make unoaked versions of the wine where the wine is stainless steel fermented or aged in older oak barrels which impart very little oak character making the wine have more crisp acidity. Some producers may also put Chardonnay through a process called malolactic fermentation, a process which converts the tart malic acid to lactic acid, making the wine softer.
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Spanish Wine Varietals
Spain grows a large variety of grapes. Many Spanish wines label their wines using the region name and will not show the grape varietal. So we will give some of the prominent growing areas the following grapes are grown, in order for you learn what grapes could be in a bottle from that region. The following are some of the more prominent regional grapes found in Spanish wine.
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Merlot
MERLOT (murr-LOW or MARE-low)
About:
Merlot is a red grape varietal that produces wines with a dark ruby color, medium body and flavors of berry, plum, and currant. Merlot can be a stand-alone grape varietal producing 100% Merlot wines. It is also used many times as a blending grape comprising only a percentage of the overall makeup of a wine. The Merlot grape is relatively large in relation to their pips and thickness of the skins, making them a bit less tannic and easier to drink. When Merlot is blended with more tannic varieties like cabernet, it softens the overall makeup of the wine.
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Pinot Noir
PINOT NOIR (Red) [PEE-no NWA]
About:
Pinot Noir is a red grape varietal and is considered the classic grape of Burgundy France, however it is grown in areas all over the world. It is a difficult grape to grow and does best when grown in cooler, often fog prone regions. Pinot Noir is one of the varietals used to produce the great sparkling wines in Champagne France, as well as many other sparkling wines around the world. Pinot Noirs tend to be lighter in color and somewhat less tannic than most other red wines. Some can be a bit tannic when the vintner chooses to ferment the wine with some of its stems.
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Amber Ale
History/About:
Amber Ales were created by American craft beer brewers in the early 1980’s. They are known as Red Ales in some regions.
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Pursuing quality draft beer
Draft System Overview (Provided by Summit Brewing Company)
There are three main types of draft systems.
1. Direct Draw – Kegs are stored directly underneath the taps, not in a remote cooler. This system generally holds from 1 to 5 kegs and is easy to clean. Bar supplies should not be stored in the unit because the constant opening of the doors can warm the unit and cause excess foaming.
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Rum 101
What is Rum and how is it made?
Rum is made by distilling fermented sugar and water. When sugar cane juice or other sugar-based liquids are allowed to rest, a natural process of fermentation occurs where sugars are converted by yeast into alcohols, at approximately the strength of wines. This sugar comes from the sugar cane and is fermented from one of the following raw materials: 1) Fresh Cane juice, which is fermented immediately after being crushed. This raw sugar cane liquid contains 18 – 24 percent sugar in solution. Rums made from fresh sugar cane juice include Cachacas from Brazil. 2) Molasses -- a by product of the crystalline sugar making process. Molasses is over 50% sugar and is used in most of the rums produced in the world. 3) Cane Syrup – also called sugar cane honey or sweet table-grade molasses. Cane syrup may contain more than 90% sugar.
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American Whiskey
American Whiskey consist of Bourbon whiskey, Tennessee Whiskey, Rye whiskey and American Blended whiskey.
Bourbon Whiskey – Bourbon received its name from Bourbon County, Kentucky, although bourbon can be distilled anywhere in the United States. Bourbon must have a mashbill (the grain formula) of at least 51% corn, with other grain spirit comprising the rest, distilled at less than 160 proof, and be produced in the United States. When bourbon is placed into barrels for aging, it must be at least 80 proof but not higher than 125 proof. Bourbon must be aged a minimum of two years in new, charred oak barrels, although most straight whiskeys are aged for at least four years. No blending or additives (except water to reduce to bottling proof) is allowed.
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Organic Wine
This information provided by Paul Dolan and Parducci wineries
A rapidly growing number of ecologically aware consumers who value taste and quality are enthusiastically purchasing wines from vineyards and wineries that are certified Biodynamic, certified organic and utilize certified sustainable farming and business practices. What do these terms mean?
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Gin 101
What is Gin?
Gin and its Lowlands cousin Genever (Jenever in Belgium) are white spirits made from a grain mash of barley, corn or rye, that are flavored with juniper berries, which have a piney sweet/sharp taste and smell, and so-called botanicals (herbs, spices, roots, pits, peels, and other plant substances added for more complex flavor). Some commonly used botanicals besides juniper are: almonds, angelica, aniseed, caraway seed, cardamom pods, cassia, cinnamon, citrus peel (lemon, orange, and bitter orange), coriander seed, cubeb berries, cumin seed, fennel seed, ginger root, iris root, licorice root, nutmeg, paradise grain, savory, star anise, and violet root. Probably anything else you can imagine has been used as well. Gin and Genever makers have their own secret combination of botanicals, the number of which can range from as few as four to as many as 15 and some even more. Gin ranges from 80 – 94 proof. Gin is not aged.
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Zinfandel
Some may be confused to learn that Zinfandel is a dry red wine. Many know Zinfandel as White Zinfandel, the pink sweet wine that some may have entered into the wine world drinking. White Zinfandel and Red Zinfandel actually come from the same grape. The Zinfandel grape is a red grape varietal. As with most red grape varietals, when pressed the juice comes out clear in color and then in order to develop color and tannin the juice is left in contact with the skins for a period of time. To make white zinfandel the skins are pulled early when the juice is a blush color and then goes through the wine making process and made in a way where it retains some of the grapes residual sugar making the wine sweet. Red Zinfandel (labeled just Zinfandel) is produced leaving the skin in contact with the juice longer giving it a darker red color and more dry taste.
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Spanish Wine Regions
Wine is grown in many regions throughout Spain. For now we will just discuss some of the primary growing regions and the grape varietals they are known for.
Jumilla – Located in Southeast Spain. Primary grapes are Monastrell, Garnacha Tinta, and Cencibel (Tempranillo) for reds and Airén, Macabeo, Malvasia and Pedro Ximénez for white.
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Malbec
Malbec – Red (MAHL-beck)
About:
Malbec is a red grape that tends to produce wines with an inky dark color. It is one of the grapes allowed in the production of Bordeaux wines of France but is used very little in those wines today. In France it is the main grape in the appellation of Cahors, where it is called Côt. Malbec has grown successfully in Argentina and makes up a large portion of the red wine produced in that area. The climate and soil in Argentina seem to bring out the best in the Malbec grape.
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Basics of Ales
Beer styles are divided into the two main groups of Ales and Lagers. While there are many differences between the two, the most important distinction is the flavor. Generally ales have more fruity, robust flavors than lagers while lagers can be more crisp and subtle. Ales are often referred to as being "top fermented" by the way they stay on top of the beer during primary fermentation and Lagers are referred to as "bottom fermented" because lager yeast tends to settle to the bottom and ferment.
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German Wine 101
The German wine regions are some of the most northerly in the world. The main wine-producing climate lies below the 50th parallel, which runs through the regions Rheingau and Mosel. Above this line the climate becomes less conducive to wine production, but there are still some vineyards above this line. Most of Germany’s vineyards are planted on slopes or steep hills topped by protective forests that check the wind, and almost always near a sun-reflecting river – primarily the Rhine and its tributaries.
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Scotch Whiskey
The whisky (no “e”) must come from and matured in Scotland. Scotch has a distinct smoky flavor that comes from the use of peat fires to dry the malt. Scotch will be labeled as “single malt” or “blended”. The age statement on a blended Scotch will be that of the youngest whisky in the blend.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky – is produced by a single distillery and has not been blended with whisky from any other distillery. The ingredients used come from one of the few specific regions designated for Scoch production. The whisky must be distilled and matured for at least three years in Scotland in order to be named Scotch whisky. Some Single malt Scotch brands are: Balvenie, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Aberlour and Laphroaig.
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Cachaca
The following content provided by Leblon …
The ABCs of Brazil's National Spirit, Cachaça
What is Cachaca? How do you say it? How do you use it? And is it a Rum or not? As the fastest growing spirit in the United States, more and more Americans are discovering Cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil. Unique only to Brazil, Cachaça is pronounced ka-SHA-sa, with the emphasis on the ‘SHA.' Like Hefeweizen, Fahrvergnugen, and Pinot Grigio, Cachaça is a foreign word easy to mispronounce - at least initially. Cachaça's cocktail sidekick, the Caipirinha, is the national cocktail of Brazil (pronounced kai-pur-EEN-ya, with the emphasis on the third syllable).