Review: OFallon Vanilla Pumpkin Beer
OFallon Vanilla Pumpkin Beer was just released. It joins a pumpkin beer lineup that already includes OFallon Imperial Pumpkin, and OFallon Pumpkin Beer. Each is brewed at their 40,000 square foot brewery in Maryland Heights Missouri. Last year OFallon Pumpkin Beer was one of my favorite pumpkin flavored beers. OFallon Vanilla Pumpkin is sold in 6 packs of 12 ounce bottles and is also featured in their Pumpkin Pack variety 12 pack. If you don’t think three pumpkin flavored beers is enough for one brewery to craft you will be happy to learn this twelve pack includes three bottles each of OFallon Vanilla Pumpkin, Pumpkin Peach, Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin, and Jack O Latte, their Pumpkin Cream Beer. Read more 
Review: Jumbie Coconut Splash
Jumbie Coconut Splash is made with a blend of barrel aged rum distilled in Panama, and a splash of natural coconut flavor. It is one of 4 flavor infused rums made by the Jumbie Trading Company as an homage to the spirit of the island of St Maarten. The other flavors include Pineapple, Vanilla, Mango. They also produce Rum Jumbie, a Caribbean Rum based liqueur infused with natural passion fruit flavor. Originally named Rum Jumbie Coconut Splash it has been rebranded without the Rum in the brands name. The name Jumbie comes from Caribbean lore. It was believed in the caves of a remote Caribbean Island was a well sought after rum recipe. It remained hidden for a long time as the natives feared entering the mysterious alcoves in the belief that Jumbies or spirits would possess anyone who found the recipe causing them to dance all night long. Jumbie Splash is a tribute to that rediscovered recipe. Read more
Review: McAles Hard Ginger Ale
McAles Hard Ginger Ale is one of four hard soda flavors produced by McAles Brewing Company in Los Angeles California. It is contract brewed in Lacrosse Wisconsin at the old G. Heileman Brewery that operated from 1858 to 1996 and was most famous for producing Old Style Beer. Their other hard soda flavors include Root Beer, Orange N Cream, and Cola. McAles Hard Ginger Ale is described as a smooth brewed old fashioned hard ginger ale made from a secret family recipe. McHales Hard Ginger Ale is a flavored malt liquor brewed with a complex natural blend of ginger spice. Read more
Review: Aeroplano Blanco Tequila
Aeroplano Blanco Tequila is made with 100% blue agave, estate grown for 8 to 10 years. Once extracted the agave is slow cooked in masonry ovens up to 48 hours. After the agave have cooled they are chopped and pressed to separate the juice from the fiber. The juice is fermented with 100% natural yeast for 24 to 72 hours. The tequila is double distilled in copper stills and then double filtered. As the story goes Aeroplano Tequila was named for pilot Anton Branif who was forced to land his plane near an agave field in a storm. It took days to fix his plane and while there he had the opportunity to taste the tequila the local hacienda was producing. He was so impressed he began regular flights to pick up cases of the tequila to sell to different parts of the US. Read more
Review: Henrys Hard Cherry Cola
Henrys Hard Cherry Cola was just introduced. This is the third hard soda produced by Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company, a division of Miller-Coors in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Henrys is named for Henry Weinhard who left Germany in 1856. By 1862 he purchased the Liberty Brewery in Portland Oregon. After merging with the Portland Brewing Company in 1928 the name was changed to Blitz-Weinhard. The brewery survived Prohibition by producing soda, syrup, and NA beer. Today four of those premium sodas, Henrys Weinhard Root Beer, Orange Cream, Vanilla Cream and Black Cherry Cream are still produced. Henrys Hard Cherry Cola is a malt beverage made with cane sugar and natural flavors. It is sold in 6 packs of 12 ounce bottles and 4 packs of 16 ounce cans. Read more
Best Tasting Hard Soda Part 1 Hard Root Beer
Sugar, Cold Water, Root Beer Extract, and Dry Ice. That’s all that’s needed to create a decent tasting home made root beer. The recipe can be found on the internet. Made with your dad the day of a family party makes it taste even better. Tim Kovacs at the suggestion of his son Jake spent 18 months perfecting first a 19.5%, and then a 10.7% hard root beer. By November 2012 Not Your Fathers Root Beer was also being brewed at 5.9%. Unable to keep up with demand, production and bottling was moved to the City Brewing Company in Lacrosse Wisconsin in late 2014. Six months later Not Your Fathers Root Beer was available nationwide and the Hard Soda revolution was well underway. By some reports six packs of Not Your Fathers Root Beer are now the number one selling craft brew sku. Other reports estimate hard soda sales now account for over 1% of total beer sales in the US. Samuel Adams, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, Seagrams, and several regional breweries have entered the hard soda market. As a lifelong soda drinker, and someone who has reviewed 41 hard soda varieties, I’m prepared to give you my opinion on which Hard Soda’s pop and which Hard Soda’s fizzle. Read more
Review: Kirkland Spiced Rum
Kirkland Spiced Rum is made with the first pressing of virgin sugar cane and it is distilled five times in St Croix at the Cruzan Rum Distillery. The rum is shipped to California where Levecke Corporation adds natural flavors and caramel color before bottling at 92 proof in a 1.75L bottle. As the name would imply this rum is only available at Costco. Read more
Review: Nauti Seltzer Cranberry
Nauti Seltzer Cranberry is one of four hard seltzer flavors recently released by the Craft Cocktails Company. The other flavors include Raspberry, Grapefruit, and Lemon Lime. This is one of two cranberry flavored hard seltzer I am aware of. Spiked Seltzer makes a Cape Cod Cranberry flavor. Unlike the other hard seltzers on the market today, Nauti Seltzer is made with a clear natural malt base at the Washusetts Brewing Company. Natural flavors are then added. While this is the same way Mikes Hard Lemonade is made, the Truly, Spiked, and White Claw hard seltzer brands, start with a base of alcohol made from cane sugar. Read more
Review: Old New Orleans Crystal Rum
Old New Orleans Crystal Rum was introduced in 1999. It was the first rum created by the Celebration Distillation Company at a former cotton warehouse. When the company received their distillers license in 1995 no one else in the continental US was making rum. The brand was started by artist James Michalopoulos who’s artwork appears through the back of each bottle. Old New Orleans Crystal rum is crafted with molasses sourced from Thibodaux Louisiana and is made from locally sourced Louisiana sugar cane. The rum is small batch distilled in 500 gallon batches in a combination pot and column still, and charcoal filtered before bottling unaged at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Nauti Seltzer Raspberry
Nauti Seltzer Raspberry is one of four hard seltzer flavors recently released by the Craft Cocktails Company. With hard soda now accounting for over 1% of beer sales, and flavored seltzer water sales growing double digits each year, it was only a mater or time before someone introduced a hard seltzer. By my count there are now four hard seltzer brands. While all four brands have a grapefruit flavor, and three offer a lime flavor, Nauti is currently the only one that offers a raspberry flavor. Nauti Seltzer is made with a clear neutral malt base and natural flavors are added. This is a similar process used by others to create brands like Mikes Hard Lemonade, and the Seagrams Escape line of malt beverages. Read more