A picturesque trek down Carmel Valley Road leads you to the gates of Boekenoogen Vineyard and Winery (24 West Carmel Valley Rd), a family-owned, 2500-3500 cases per year winery. The tasting room has a rustic, cozy ambience that’s uniquely ideal for a tasting atmosphere. The counters, or bars, are discrete in their presence, but still quite inviting. I was helped by Holly Boekenoogen, owner John Boekenoogen’s daughter, and Director of Marketing. She told me about the winery’s history, how John, in 1998, converted the family ranch at the peak of the Santa Lucia Highlands into a vineyard, and opened the tasting facility in 2008. The rest, yes, is history. Continue Reading »

Typically, when a product fermented from grapes goes “white” (i.e.: white zinfandel), it isn’t a good thing. This is not the case with Rémy Martin V (pronounced “vee”) — the first clear spirit from the House of Rémy Martin.

“The new spirit masterfully blends the savoir faire and the aromatic richness of the Rémy Martin House with the smoothness and mixability of a clear spirit. The finest grapes found in the heart of Rémy Martin’s vineyard are hand-selected and harvested only once a year, at the beginning of each fall. Small batches are slowly distilled in traditional copper pot stills throughout the winter, then ice-cold filtered. The eaux-de-vie is left to rest all spring in order to bring out full aromas and flavors. The finished product, the exclusively crafted Rémy Martin V, is not a cognac. Rather than aged in oak barrels – the final step in the cognac making process – the liquid goes through a proprietary 14F (-10C) ice cold filtration process, giving it is brilliant transparent color, unique aroma and subtle taste with hints of pear and fresh mint.” Continue Reading »

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Willoughby, OH: Troegs Beer Party

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The September/October issue of Mutineer Magazine is now on newsstands. Just in time for the Great American Beer Festival, the largest beer event in the country, Issue #13 is loaded with craft beer epicness.

Stories in the new issue include:

Mutineer Interview: James Watt of Brewdog

Woodland creatures. Nuclear penguins. Trashy blondes. An in-depth look into the brilliant mind behind Brewdog‘s revolutionary brand and eccentric beers.

Special Report: Tales of the Cocktail

Bartending feats of Olympic proportions, pool parties with bathrobes, bar room brawls, and five days of endless parties, seminars and tastings — things got epic at Tales of the Cocktail. Mutineer presents its report of this year’s legendary event in New Orleans, LA.

Of Vines and Violence: Israel’s Rise to the Top

Mutineer Magazine traveled to Israel to get an inside look at one of the fastest growing regions in the wine industry. “Vines, when stressed, produce their best efforts, and it seems that the same can be said of Israel, a country that has flourish under inhospitable circumstances and remains under siege.”

Wayne B. Wheeler’s War

The controversial story about how one of the most masterful and influential men in U.S. history used his power to ignite and fuel the Prohibition.

Mutineer Collaboration Series: Mutinous Battle Chai Ale

An intimate look into the recipe development and brewing process of Mutineer’s first collaboration beer, featuring New Holland Brewing Company.
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The mission of Mutineer Monday is to advocate and promote the fine beverage industry by challenging the masses to “Join The Mutiny” and raise a glass (whether it be alcohol or non) to igniting and inspiring a fine beverage revolution!

Each week, we reach out to our readers, our Twitter followers, our Facebook fans, our contributors, our favorite bloggers and writers, and even our own team — asking everyone to share how they will be partaking in Mutineer Monday. To participate, all one needs to do is indulge in a delicious fine beverage (or two or three) and leave a comment on our blog, on our Facebook wall, or give a shout-out on Twitter using the hashtag #MutineerMonday (and #JoinTheMutiny if you have enough characters). And if are feeling particularly ambitious, feel free to do all three!

Each Monday, Mutineer salutes some of our fellow fine beverage revolutionaries who have joined the mutiny. Raise a glass (and a fist) in the air and toast them with us! Viva La Fine Beverage! Continue Reading »

PubCakes is a new baking venture in San Diego, CA that combines two of the world’s greatest ingredients: beer and cupcakes.

“I am often asked how I came up with the idea to combine beer and cupcakes. PubCakes started with a love of beer and a desire to share it with others. Chocolate stout cakes have been around for a while, but I couldn’t find mention of any other beers being used for baking cakes. So to fill a semester off of school, I spent my free time playing in the kitchen with cupcakes and beer. Amazingly, it worked! I would bring them out to my friends at different bars, until I became known as the cupcake girl.” — Misty Birchall, PubCakes founder. Continue Reading »

When thinking of craft beer in Delaware, probably your first and only thought is Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Rehoboth Beach and Milton. After opening its doors in 1995, making “off-centered beers for off-centered people”, Dogfish Head has blazed a trail throughout the industry, pushing the envelope with original brews — everything from IPAs, to the uber unique Midas Touch, crafted from a recipe found in the dna scrapings from earthenware found in King Midas’ crypt. Each year, they take it further with collaborations and new experimental recipes.

Recently, there have been a number of up-start breweries and brewpubs making some noise in America’s first state. Some of these brewers have been putting out beers since 1995 as well. Continue Reading »

The Charleston Tea Plantation, located on Wadmalaw Island in the lowcountry of South Carolina, is the only working tea plantation in the United States. Growing over 320 varieties of the Camellia Sinensis plant (originally brought over from China in the 1700′s), the tea garden produces both black and green teas.

Despite their deliciously libacious start in China, the plants didn’t successfully produce tea here until 1888, when Dr. Charles Shepard founded the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville, South Carolina. But when Shepard died in 1915, his formerly award-winning tea bushes grew wild. It wasn’t until 1968 that the bushes were transplanted and took hold on a former potato farm on Wadmalaw Island, transforming the land into a place for experimental tea research. In 1987, a third-generation tea taster named William Barclay Hall purchased the land and converted it from a research and development property into a commercial business. The Charleston Tea Plantation was born. Continue Reading »