BEER REVIEW: Coastal Brewing Company - Defender's Choice

I was in my local favorite liquor store the other day looking for the latest craft beer to review when a six-pack carton caught my eye. It had a red, white, and blue stripe across it and the name Defender's Of Freedom Choice on the side. I had never heard of it before and there wasn't really any information about the beer itself on either the carton or the bottle; however, it did say that it was dedicated to our brave and heroic service men and women, and that a portion of the sales would be donated to the Fisher House, a private / public partnership that supports our military personnel in need (fisherhouse.org). Being a patriotic American and a veteran, naturally I had to give it a try, at least for the purpose of the charity.

Defender's Choice is made by Coastal Brewing Company of Dover, Delaware which I understand is owned by the partnership of Fordham Brewing Co. and Anheuser - Busch. Well as you know, I am NOT a fan of the mega-brewers but many people are so fair is fair. I really can't tell you anything about the malt, hops, or other additives it is made with, or what the ABV is because as I said, there wasn't any information on the packaging and there wasn't a web-site either.

The pour revealed pleasant, malty notes and a yellow-golden color which was slightly opaque. It didn't have much of a head and didn't leave very much lace behind either. The taste was also a little malty and it had a crisp mouth-feel that was refreshing with a nice finish. All-in-all, this beer was consistent with a lot of the mainstream American-style lagers but was a little more flavorful than the Buds and Coors. Not a bad warm-weather beer.

BEER REVIEW: Clipper City - Heavy Seas, The Big DIPA

Clipper City Brewing Company, right here in my home town of Baltimore, is releasing a Special Edition Series to their Heavy Seas line called the Mutiny Fleet, in 22 ounce bombers. The recipes, and even the label art, for the Mutiny Fleet are being created by the CC brewers themselves. I have looked at all the labels on the CCBC web site and must admit that the Pirate designs called to me.

The first release is The Big DIPA, which is a Double India Pale Ale style (hence the name Big DIPA). DIPAs are normally characterized by being a bit stronger than traditional IPAs (normally between 7% and 14% ABV) and heavier on the malt and hops. If you have ever had any of the Barleywine styles, DIPAs are often compared to them and sometimes even called American Barleywines.

The Big DIPA is a high gravity, bottle conditioned ale, made with five kinds of hops and 3 kinds of malts, and is hopped 3 times during the brewing process. It is 75.5 IBU and 10.6% ABV which will leave you with a peasant buzz if you haven't eaten first. Clipper City describes it as having an "earthy hop aroma", but I thought it had a strong grapefruit aroma. It had a nice golden-brown color, creamy head, and left nice lace as it went down. In my opinion, the flavor was totally dominated by grapefruit notes, which comes from the type and amount of hops used. While more dominant hops notes are customary with IPAs and DIPAs, at least to my pallet, this one was a bit overwhelming and could have used a tad more balance. How many times have you heard me say it though, "Taste Is Subjective!" It wasn't an unpleasant beer by any means, just not to my specific taste. My beautiful wife tends to think many of the beers that I really like are unpleasant to her taste.

The Mutiny Fleet - Special Edition Series is only going to be brewed in small batches for a limited time, so get your hands on some and try it yourselves. If you happen to be from Maryland (or "Merlin" as some of us say), buy some and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CRAFT BREWERY!

CIGAR REVIEW: Avo Uvezian - Companero L.E.

This past weekend, along with my friend John Vanore (Certified Retail Tobacconist), I smoked the new AVO UVEZIAN - Companero, Limited Edition. It is made with Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Mexican fillers; double Costa Rican and Columbian binders; and a Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper. The Toro vitola felt great in the hand and had a soft, oily, Colorado or slightly darker wrapper with a fantastic, sweet aroma which I spent several minutes enjoying. The firmness was just right, with no soft spots or visible flaws and a straight cut revealed an excellent draw. It lit easily and produced a thick blue / grey smoke and firm ash. It presented a very pleasant medium body, which began to develop slight strength and mild undertones as it reached the mid-way point. Once into the second half, it became more robust and got slightly stronger around the sides of the tongue. It maintained its medium body and excellent draw throughout, even as it developed into a mildly spicy finish.

Overall, the AVO Companero L.E. is a very pleasant, high quality cigar. I recommend it for relaxing alone or enhancing quality time with your mates. I look forward to smoking another one.

B&M REVIEW: Support Your Local Premium Tobacconist

Ladies and Gentlemen, our rights as Americans to enjoy luxury tobacco products have long been under attack. The Declaration of Independence promises us the Unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, yet our government continues to assail us with regulation and punitive taxation. If you want to continue the legal enjoyment of luxury tobacco, one of the things you have to do is support your local Premium Retail Tobacconist.

Luxury tobacco is about the mature enjoyment of life according to your individual tastes and having the right to do so. By patronizing Premium Brick & Mortar (B&M) Tobacconists, you are casting a vote to preserve those rights. Note the word Premium is italicized. That is because I am not talking about a cigarette retailer, a "smoke shop" that sells sub-standard products, or a "hookah club" filled with teen-aged and twenty-something, hippie wanna-bees that are really just a front for drug distribution and use (we have several of those where I am at). Your premium retailers work very hard to educate themselves on literally thousands of products and to bring you some of the best. All this while under constant pressure from government regulation and taxation, smokerism, and groups of people who actually think they not only know better, but ARE better than us and therefore are going to make us live the way they see fit, and lets not forget about Internet cigar retailers either. Keep in mind though, there is nothing inherently wrong with providing a product to consumers at a lower cost, that's just competition in a free market economy. Buyer beware though, you can't touch or smell or examine in any way that cheaper cigar you buy over the Internet, and there is no one to ask questions of or advice from either. To combat this, your Premium B&Ms have to do much more than just provide us with a product for purchase. They have to provide a great deal of expertise in a tobacco-friendly and welcoming environment that fosters camaraderie and relaxation.

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I don't just Talk The Talk, I Walk The Walk, so I am taking this opportunity to support a Premium B&M, with more reviews to come in the future. One of the finest I have ever patronized is THE HUMIDOUR, located at 10721 York Road, Cockeysville (Baltimore County), Maryland 21030. THE HUMIDOUR is entirely family owned and operated which is evident in the way they treat their customers. The first time I walked in the door they treated me like I had been coming there for years. The smiles, jokes, and good-natured ribbing flow freely from the staff and the clientele think of it more as a social club than a retailer. There is a distinct sense of community within those walls and many new friends have been made there. They are well known and highly respected within the luxury tobacco industry, as evidenced by their outstanding selection of high-end and hard to find products. They provide a comfortable lounge for their customers which boasts several flat screen TVs, computers, free Wi-Fi, coffee, and snacks. They also offer lockers and even a private club on the second floor known as CLUB ASHTON, which is of course sponsored by ASHTON Cigars. Additionally, they host several cigar events each month with some of the top names in the business and also sponsor one of the biggest annual luxury tobacco events in the region, "SMOKE ON THE WATER", the proceeds of which go to local charities. THE HUMIDOUR is also one of the most pro-active B&Ms in the region, fighting hard against the oppressive taxation and legislation that is pervasive in Maryland.

If you find yourself in the area, I invite you to come in and enjoy what THE HUMIDOUR has to offer. In the mean time, be sure to patronize the Premium B&Ms in your area and be proactive in your support and defense of your dwindling rights to enjoy luxury tobacco.

THE HUMIDOUR

10721 York Road

Cockeysville, Maryland 21030

410.666.3212

www.humidour.com

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

My fellow Americans, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe Independence Day.  The 4th of July isn't about cook-outs and long weekends; it's about a group of people who had the courage and wisdom to put their petty personal differences and interests aside and stand together for what was right at the risk of their very lives.  It's about a group of people who stood together and said, We Are Americans!  

Because of their courage and sacrifice, we get to enjoy our cook-outs and time with friends and family.  Unfortunately our society and our government has strayed from the morals and principals of the Founding Fathers.  This holiday weekend I ask you to exercise your right to enjoy a great cigar and an adult beverage of your choice and take a few moments to reflect on the true meaning of being an American.  I know I will.   

Coup d'etat in Honduras

This past weekend on Sunday 28 June 2009, the currently elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was taken into custody by Honduran soldiers and forced onto a plane and into exile.  He was replaced by congressional successor Roberto Micheletti.  According to news reports, President Zelaya is very unpopular among the Honduran people and is approaching the end of his elected term of office; however, the congress and courts allegedly couldn't wait and ordered his removal from office by force.  Can you imagine troops storming the gates of the White House?  Take a moment to be thankful for being an American.  Far to many people don't truly know or appreciate what that means.

Unfortunately, political and social stability have never been terms synonymous with Central America, although there hasn't been a successful coup in more than a decade and I think the last attempted (and unfortunately failed) one was against Hugo Chavez in 2002.  With a large quantity of the world's premium tobacco crop grown, and several makers in Honduras, I wonder what affect this may have on the availability and cost of cigars.  Additionally, the Obama administration has spoken out in protest of the coup which leads one to wonder whether economic sanctions may be imposed preventing the importation of Honduran products into the United States.  Lets hope things work out for the best, not only because of our love of premium cigars, but for the Honduran people who could use a break.

CIGAR REVIEW - NEW RELEASE: Xikar - HC Series, Habano Colorado

The third and final cigar in the HC Series is the Habano Colorado. It is made with a Habano-Colorado Jalapa Valley (Nicaragua) wrapper; an Estelli (Nicaragua) binder; and Costa Rican, Jalapa Nicaraguan, and Honduran fillers. The Wrapper was beautiful with a color I would describe as being between Colorado-Maduro and Maduro, with nice teeth and a silky feel. The pre-light aroma was excellent with obvious chocolate notes. I invested several minutes enjoying it. Again I made a straight cut with the scissors on my Xikar cigar multi-tool (which I recommend for any serious cigar aficionado, it is great). The head held together perfectly with no evidence of fraying or unravelling. The draw gave just the right amount of resistance and left only the slightest sweetness on the lips.

Yet again, it lit effortlessly and burned with consistency and evenness. From the first draw the body and strength were evident. Xikar describes it as being medium to full-bodied with moderate strength. I would have to agree, with my opinion being that it is a little more toward the full-bodied side. The spice left a light tingle on the front to middle tongue and the smoke had the same attractive grey-blue color as did the Connecticut Shade and Criollo. I have no doubts the ash would have held on like it did with the others except I accidentally bumped it and made a mess on my computer keyboard, Oh the humanity!

Overall, this cigar was consistent throughout and lost none of its fine qualities as it smoked. If you enjoy this style of cigar I recommend you try it.