Hennessy Privilége VSOP

Cognac is a stupendously delicious spirit that is vastly misunderstood by many people in the United States. The word Cognac is a geographical product indicator and a legal certification. It itself is not a spirit. It's used to identify a specific wine growing region of France and specific laws regulating the ingredients, production, labeling, and ageing of brandy made in the region. The French call this certification Appellation d'origine contrôlée (ah-pel-lay-syawn duw-ree-jeen kon-tro-ley) or AOC. It's the same certification granted to sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France called, you guessed it, Champagne. The AOC certification is important because you can't label just any brandy a Cognac or sparkling wine a Champagne. Aside from actually having to be from the region, there is an incredibly long list of strict guidelines that must be followed in order for a bottle to adorn the name Cognac or Champagne. These guidelines insure that all AOC certified bottles meet minimum quality standards and present the consumer with a quality product.


Like many fine antique spirits, Cognac's appeal used to be very limited. Only the highest skilled of companies were able to sell their products to the snobbiest of drinkers. However, in the late 90's that completely changed. Cognac's popularity would skyrocket in the U.S. when  mention of it began popping up on rap and hip-hop albums. This caused a major shift in the way Americans both viewed and purchased Cognac. While taking it away from the stuffy smoking rooms of the elite and putting into the dining rooms of regular citizenry was a good thing, there was a slightly negative side effect to this sudden stardom. Alcohol popularity favors big companies.   


Nearly all of the Cognac sold in the U.S. is produced by four big companies: Rémy Martin, Courvoisier, Martell, and Hennessy. Each of these is in turn owned by even bigger conglomerates. This limited pool of popular brands limits flavor possibilities and variety. But, keep in mind the AOC regulations on Cognac. The "worst" Cognac on its roughest day is still damn good brandy. They are all subject to the strict AOC quality standards insuring the reputation of the region stays intact. Like I said, slightly negative. The quality is thorough, there's just limited availability of easy to obtain, reasonably priced "variety" Cognacs.


So it's clear, the only thing i'm familiar with when it comes to Cognac is the technicalities. The only tasting experience I've had before this bottle was with Courvoisier.  I'm no expert but I've had a few glass of brandy and know the basic ins and outs of the spirit.

This beauty was a birthday gift from my favorite person in the world, my totally awesome wife. I am truly in awe at her incredible level of class and her ability to catch me off guard with the perfect gift. If everyone had a mate like her there would be no sadness. C'est magnifique sweetheart. 


Hennessy, one of the worlds oldest Cognac houses, has a funny twist in its origin story that made me smile. It was started in 1765 by an Irishman named Richard Hennessy. By offering an extremely wide range of products Hennessy has become the largest Cognac producer in the world. With offerings from their simple yet enjoyable $25 VS (Very Special) to the absolutely ridiculous $200,000 Baccarat crystal bottle of Beauté du Siécle that is hand delivered in a glass chest by member of the board of directors. 


The VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) I was privileged to  is a beautiful example of a quality brandy. Opens with a nice oak wood presence on the nose with a sweet fruit overtone and a hint of clove. Light mineral presence with slight earthy vine background. The sweet almost syrupy (good) is the first flavor. Grapes and dark fruit hit the tip of the tongue while the nice spice bouquet of clove and distant cinnamon give way to oak mid palate. Gentle but firmly medium mouth feel. The wood finishes it out with very little burn. Very pleasurable to drink. A delicious faint apple lingers as you savor. 72 unpronounceable words out of 40. I can only hope one day I will have the money keep tasty things like this close at hand.


santé

Smithwick's

I'll never forget my dad's favorite belt buckle. It was a large metal oval with an American flag and and an Irish flag crisscrossed and the words "American by birth" above the flags and "Irish by the grace of God" below.  Understood by him not as nationalism, but as as a special reverence for his grandparents culture and his personal link to something greater. Most specifically, (and of course stereotypically) the alcohol that is produced in Ireland. A link I was lucky enough to soak up from him.

The sweet aroma, mellow taste, and velvety smoothness of Irish whiskeys and the tender malty goodness of Irish beers are often copied, but never duplicated. Those relatively gentle and mild flavors that Irish alcohols have has caused their current popularity explosion the U.S. For the masses they are easy drinking, generally inexpensive, and it's fun to sound cool when know how to properly enunciate the booze you are ordering. For the appreciators they are ancient creations that provide a refreshing change of pace and offer subtle expressions of alcohol made with quality ingredients.There are two Irish beers that combine both mass appeal and aficionado snobbery, Guinness and Smithwsick's (both made by Guinness). It's summer so I picked up the lighter Smithwick's Irish Red.

Irish reds are supposed to be easy drinking flavorful ales. They should have a toasted malt charter with a very mild bittering hop. Smithwick's does just that with perfection. Oh, and it's pronounced smidth-iks not smith-wicks just in case your getting one at the pub (bar). The rusty red amber burps up a very nice thick tan head. The toasted malt appears on nose with a just a touch of  caramel malt and a hint of yeast. Very light nose. The taste closely follows the nose. The toasted malt gives the wondrously thick mouthfeel something to play with while the mild caramel malt sweetens things briefly. A very light yeast gives the malt some fruity depth. Quick light balancing hops mid palate. Very straight forward.  A quick metallic whiff before the mildly bitter mostly dry distant hop finish.17 tickets to Dublin out of 10. Let this warm for a slightly more flavorful experience. An absolutely wonderful beer for the summer. Some fried chicken or beer battered fish are absolutely perfect with this beer.

slainte

Kellerweis Hefeweizen

Since the mid 1980's microbreweries have become increasingly more popular in the U.S. Producing vast amounts of interesting and unique beers, microbreweries have rejuvenated the post prohibition beer market in the U.S. The wild individual spirit and spunky quirkiness that modern microbreweries have injected back into the brewing profession has forever changed the way Americans look at beer makers. It's all thanks to a select few brave souls who decided to challenge the beer status quo in the late 1970's. One of the most influential of these people was Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada.

Using only the finest ingredients and classic brewing methods, Sierra Nevada has become a poster child for the modern microbrewing age. Producing some the best and most critically acclaimed beers in America, Sierra Nevada has built legions of die hard fans. Lucky for those fans Sierra Nevada's success was not met with the typical "decline in quality to make more money" corporate response. They did it right. They were somehow able to drastically increase production and distribution without sacrificing the quality of their beer. A quantitative and qualitative economic relationship few in the brewing industry are able to successfully pair.

Sierra Nevada, like many American microbreweries, is traditionally known for their copious use of hops in ales. However, unlike other microbreweries Sierra Nevada is huge. There are few microbreweries that can put up the variation and quality found in their collection. The detail they are able to give to each and every one of their releases is magnificent. While I thoroughly enjoy their hoppy delights I have found a gem of a wheat in Sierra Nevada's lineup. The Kellerwies Hefeweizen. Made using the laborious and traditional Bavarian style open fermentation using only  malt (wheat and barley) yeast and water. It's the equivalent of a home run ball hit so hard it flies past the cheap seats over the wall into the parking lot and through a car window.

The Hefe in Hefeweizen means "with yeast", and the Keller in Kellerwies means cellar. So what does Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen mean? Sofa king delicious. The bottle tells you to pour 2/3 , mix sediment yeast with remaining 1/3, finish pour. If you don't do this you will not receive the proper flavor. The yeast is one of the defining traits of this beer. The beautiful murky yellow orange brings forth a perfect thick white foamy head. Sweet clove and banana give a strong presence with a solid wheaty malt and some brisk citrus to back it all up. Amazingly complex nose. The initial taste of sweet bubblegum leads to a bright glazed ham kind of clove. Banana follows mid palate paired with the meaty wheat malt and a light citrus. Finishes simply with nice dry yeasty finish. Simply delicious with an outstandingly smooth and creamy mouth feel. Very refreshing. This is textbook Hefe. 10 times over the 4 lines of instructions with a highlighter. There are very few beers that can combine this level of flavor complexity with quenching refreshment. It is a perfect summertime delight.

cheers

Sunshine Wheat

Variety is one of the many things that make beer such an awesome drink. Pale lager may be the de facto beer of summer, it's not the only brew that should find its way into your mouth. A few select dark lagers and lighter ales have the capability to bring the flavor with minimal heft to help you enjoy the summer season. One of the absolute best at combining robust flavors with light beer characteristics is wheat beer.

Most wheat beers are either German or Belgian in origin and use top fermenting yeasts. Anything that has "weiss" in its name is likely of German stock (Weizn is German for wheat). Weissbier, Kristalweizen, Hefeweizen, Weizenbock are all examples of German wheat beer. Belgian wheat is a little trickier to spot. Witbier or beers mentioning "white", Lambic, and Gueuze are all made with wheat malt.

American breweries have had great success copying these European styles. So much so that even the macro-breweries are cashing in on wheat brews. Some look to recreate the traditional styles while others merely use them for inspiration. I thought I would kick off my wheat beers with something a little different. A modern take on Belgian spiced ale. The light and enjoyable Sunshine Wheat from New Belgium.

Congrats to New Belgium for celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Keep up the good work. Back to the beer. It is absolutely crucial that you pour this beer into a glass. The flavors and aromas will stay trapped in the bottle creating a not as enjoyable experience. It's a filtered wheat with no sediment yeast so no need to "mix it". The clear Post-it yellow pour grows a fluffy off white head. Lots of bubbles! The orange peel and citrus combine with the spicy light wheat and tender biscuity malts. Little coriander on the nose. The 50/50 combo of barley and wheat give this beer a lot of character. Its like a fresh spiced dinner roll. Smooth honey hits the tongue first. Not too sweet with the careful balance of spicy malts and citrus. Coriander picks up nicely in the middle. Very light and refreshing. Very light hop in the finish with a mellow mix of spice and malt. 24 hay bales out of 16. A very interesting take on a Belgian Witbier classic.

cheers