Tasting beer can be very rewarding. As you encounter new styles or brands it helps to know what to look for in a new beer as well as how to evaluate it. Take your time and work through the aspects of the brew one by one.

Here’s How:

1. Pouring the Beer - If you are pouring the beer yourself from a bottle gently run it down the side of the glass. Judge your pour speed based on the head that is forming. Aim to have about a two finger head when you’re done. Some beers contain visible yeast at the bottom of the bottle that is meant to be drunk with the beer. If this is the case, stop the pour with a bit of beer left in the bottle. Swirl the remaining liquid to lift the yeast sediment and pour it into your glass.
2. Appearance - Note whether the head is dense or thin. Heads are sometimes described as rocky if they are especially dense with dips and peaks forming as some of the bubbles pop. The color of the head is also worth noting and can range from pure white on Pilsners to light or medium brown on some stouts and porters.Examine the appearance of the beer itself. Hold the glass up to the light and note the color and whether it is cloudy or clear.
3. Aroma - Note whether it smells primarily of hops or malt. Generally speaking light colored beers will smell more of hops while darker beers tend to have a pronounced malt, roasted, chocolate or coffee aroma. Many ales have a hard to pin down spiciness or fruitiness from their yeasts.Take your time with the aroma. Try to take three good sniffs before your first sip. If you’re taking notes, stop to write your impressions before the first sip distracts you.
4. First Sip - When taking your first sip, try to note the initial sensation as the beer enters your mouth. Think about whether it is sweet, bitter or something else. Beer, especially ale, can be very complex. There can be quite a difference between the first taste and the finish.
5. Mouthfeel - This is the texture of the beer or how it physically feels in your mouth. Beer ranges from silky dry stouts, to thick and chewy Scotch ales to thin and fizzy Berliner weisses. This is an important characteristic of a beer.
6. Finish - Note the lingering flavors after you swallow the drink. Often it can be bitter from the hops or a lingering malty sweetness.Stop before your next drink and try to write down everything that you just detected. Try to confirm it all with your second drink or see if you need to rethink your conclusions.
7. Styles - section or another great resource for beer style information are the There is a lot of variation from one beer to the next with regards to what is “correct,” stylistically speaking. For information about style specific issues such as whether the yeast should be poured with the beer or left in the bottle, what color the head should be, whether the beer should appear clear or cloudy, and so on.

Tips:

1. Do not taste new beers with food or soon after eating. The lingering flavors from food can greatly affect your impression of the brew.
2. Cleanse your palate with water. Crackers or cheese are fine but you should remember that even these foods can affect the apparent flavors of the beer.
3. If you’re tasting a number of different beers, let the color be your guide. It is best to taste from light to dark.

We are crediting a contributers local site for this article but it may have come from somewhere else before there. Regardless, great article!

$3.50-4.50 range

Tobacco blend:

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Filler: Dominican, Honduran Blend

Context:

Most purest may think that doing a cigar review at a tailgate is a recipe for disaster. Well, most of the time it probably is but I think I pulled this one off alright. This cigar was the first item on my menu. It was not to hot or humid outside and there was a nice breeze.

Look and feel:

The wrapper color was light tan and the construction was solid and smooth.

Aroma and Taste:

It almost has a sweet smell before lighting but after it was close to the mildest and tasteless cigar I’ve ever had. I was dissapointed that it had so little flavor. I really don’t have much to add here as it was really just a very mild cigar that some people might think is a good beginner cigar.

Light, Cut & Draw:

• The light: a butane single jet and the light was even, no relighting needed.
• The cut: a guillotine straight cut.
• The Draw: an even draw with little effort.

RATING: 6.5 (on a scale of 1 to 10)

I am rating this one low because I didn’t really enoy this one but I’m not going to low because I can see that some people who really like mild cigars or new cigar smokers might want to try it out. However, in my opinion I don’t really like to waste the time with out having some flavor in return.

We aren’t artist so we can’t show our gallery but here are a few links to some great cigar art online.

• Classic Cigar Art
• Art of Smoking
• Cigar Posters
• Rare Cigar Art
• Cigar Box Art
• Cigar Label Art
• Vintage Cigar Labels

“I have made it a rule never to smoke more that one cigar at a time.”
Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)

“What this country needs is a good five cent cigar.”
Thomas R. Marshall (American Statesman, Vice President of the USA (1913-21). 1854-1925)

“When I have found intense pain relieved, a weary brain soothed,and calm refreshing sleep obtained by a cigar, I have felt grateful to God, and have blessed His name”
Charles H. Spurgeon (English preacher of 19th century 1834-1892)

1WineDude (a.k.a. Joe Roberts) provides an insider’s view of the strange and wonderful world of wine, told accessibly from an outsider’s viewpoint. Joe is a Certified Specialist of Wine, and has achieved the WSET’s Advanced Certificate in Wine & Spirits.

Anway, this was also my first experience with a “box pressed” stick. For some reason, I consider this “box press” as some sort of novelty, it just seems strange. After some brief, initial difficulty getting it lit, it proceeded to have a smooth draw. However, the burn was quite uneven and made enjoying it a bit more work, as I had to continue to work it even.

The flavor was smooth and mild, making it a good starter stick for the novice smoker.
The finish still mild but was some work, having to re-light a time or two.

I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

More Information on this Cigar:

J.L. SALAZAR y HERMANOS Reserva Especial Robusto is a typical Box-Pressed cigar.  The tobacco leaves in the cigars are aged for over three years and specially cured through four fermentations.

Size: 5.5 ” x 52

Jonathan

American Pale Ales (APAs) are among the most popular craft beers consumed in the United States. It seems Americans are always driven to do things bigger and better than they’re done in other parts of the world, and producing craft beer is no exception. So, while built upon the tradition of English Pale Ales, APAs are characterized by a more assertive hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. Most versions are made with distinctive American hops which tend to have a notable sharp citrus or piney character, such as Cascade, Amarillo, Centennial and Columbus hops (in contrast to English hops which tend to have a more subtle and subdued earthy and floral character in beer).

However, the relatively pronounced hop character of APAs is typically supported by a moderate yet clean malt backbone derived from indigenous North American 2-row pale barley (as opposed to the typical English pale malts which tend to have a bready, biscuity or toasty character). While the balance of an APA usually leans toward its hop character, the clean American malt character can be significant. Some APAs are now being made with a significant amount of rye malt, giving the beer a distinctive crisp and spicy rye bite.

In appearance, APAs are typically clear, though not usually crystal clear, with a golden copper color. Well made and properly poured APAs will have a large white to off-white creamy and persistent head.

The beer is typically served well carbonated and is best enjoyed at around 55 degrees in order to fully experience the APA’s flavor and aroma. It has a crisp finish and is a refreshing beer year-round.

If you’d like to enjoy a few APAs with a meal, remember that beers with assertive hop character can seem to deaden your taste buds. However, it is suggested by some that such beers go perfectly with smoked or fried seafood, as well as highly spiced cuisines.

Reprinted with permission from John Little of AuburnBrewClub.org

No man also having drunk old wine straight away desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. Luke 5:39

Even in ancient times, apparently, folks knew really good wine from the less desirable stuff. In today’s world, most people think cellaring wine is beyond their reach. I have to admit, the prospect of building a wine cellar does seem daunting. Luckily, there are experts right here in Lee County to take some of the guesswork out of it.

My first stop was Kroger Supermarket, where I talked to Andrew Clark a.k.a. Gus, the local Wine Guy. Having helped homeowners set up their own wine cellars in the past, he is a wealth of information. The first, and most important piece of advice, he says, is to make sure the cellar is located in a room or closet (if you don’t have a basement) away from windows and unwanted temperature fluctuations. It’s best to use an interior closet, if you can, he said. Asked about artificial cooling methods, he recommends equipment from International Wine Accessories, Inc. Their website is www.iwawine.com. On the website, there are lots of choices for racks, as well. Gus says to make sure the wine is well supported, cannot be jostled and the bottles are stored sideways. Once you have your cellar ready, what should you fill it with? It’s important to develop what’s called a palate profile of wines, advises Gus. An expert can help you fi nd a range of wines that suit your tastes. And make sure you insure them, he cautions.

In adding up the cost for a small closet-size cooling unit, basic pine racking and foil/foam insulation (available at Home Depot or Lowe’s), it comes to about $1,000.00. Not bad for a place to store and showcase an impressive wine collection. Suddenly, you might find a lot of your friends inviting themselves over every weekend.

Still, the question about home value is lingering in my mind. I’ve worn two hats in life; my old career encompassed all things relating to real estate, mortgages and the closing process. However, for the past six years or so (since culinary school) I’ve spent more time tasting wine (and food) and writing about it than valuing homes. So I decided to contact some appraisers to give me the skinny on how much a home wine cellar adds to residential real estate value.

What I have learned is there are two basic ways of valuing a home cellar. Some appraisers rely mostly on what’s called the cost approach to value. That is, how much would it cost me to build the cellar in today’s dollars? A handbook such as the Residential Cost Handbook from Marshall & Swift is generally used. The other approach is the Market Value approach that relies on comparable sales of homes with similar amenities. In this case, both approaches suggest a boost in value to an average price range residential home of around $1000.00 for the addition of a wine cellar that is about the size of a coat closet. Keep in mind that if you use your coat closet for a wine cellar, there might be a small reduction in value for not having a coat closet if most homes in your price range have one. This is called functional obsolescence.

Whew! It’s a lot to think about when all you wanted was a place to stash some wine, right? Here’s my best advice to you. If you like wine and want to build a little cellar as a project, do it. You’ll usually gain the cost back in the value of your home. And, although the price of a wine cellar might be $1000, the look on your guests faces when you crack open that 1997 bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet, for instance, is priceless.

Article Credit: Elizabeth Dougherty, a resident of Auburn, is a former Real Estate Broker and Mortage Broker. She can be reached at EADougherty1@aol.com