Slashfood

• What Was Your First Beer of 2009?
  

  Filed under: Beer, New Year's

  
  The first Monday of 2009 is upon us: The first day reality sets in.
  
  Was it just me or did the holidays fall in a very precarious position this year? Both Christmas and New Year's landed on Thursdays, leaving their respective Eves to precede on Wednesdays, resulting in anemic two-day work weeks barely worth thinking about, causing almost an entire 16 day period to be a wash, thus making getting back to any sort of actual life that much more difficult.
  
  But here I am. My point: None.
  
  However, I am building to a larger sentiment that New Year's...
  



• January Resolution - Ban the House Wine
  

  Filed under: Wine, Beer, Champagne, Comfort Food, Spirits, New Year's

  Confession time: what's the wine you buy on autopilot, the wine you know inside and out like a wife of many years, the one that's reliable, trustworthy, and has stood by you through thick and thin?
  
  A recent Nielsen survey commissioned by Constellation Brands divides wine consumers into six broad categories. Fourteen percent are Satisfied Sippers, who tend to always buy the same brand, and twenty-three percent (the largest category) are Overwhelmed, staring down the endless wine aisles and not knowing what to get. It's easy to draw the...
  



• Eight Different Opinions On Top Christmas Beers - Slashfood Ate (8)
  

  Filed under: Beer, Slashfood Ate, Holidays, Hanukkah, Christmas

  How do you keep that Christmas spirit going after today is done? Easy. Tomorrow your local beer seller will be back open for business. You run out, grab some Christmas beers, and keep that X-mas flavor going beer-sippin' style all the way to New Years.
  
  Yes, Christmas beers do exist (regardless of how you think Jesus might feel about such a product). Some, like, say, Sly Fox Christmas Ale are a bit more explicit about their affiliations than others, but any winter seasonal can double as a great Christmas drink, and even old cold weather...
  



• What's On Tap, Phoenix / Scottsdale / Glendale - Yard House
  

  Filed under: Beer, Lists, What's On Tap?

  
  A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.
  
  I'm spending the holidays in Phoenix, Arizona. One thing I immediately noticed is Phoenix has quite an affection for big box retailers and massive restaurant chain locations. Lots of land out here I guess. Fitting then that many of the city's "top beer bars" as determined by sites such as this one are nationwide brewpubs like Rock Bottom or BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse. And though I'm sure a number of great independent beer bars exist in the Phoenix metropolitan area of which I'm guessing savvy and...
  



• A Celebratory Alternative
  

  Filed under: Parties, Wine, Beer, Champagne, Celebrations, Holidays, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, Winter

  Champagne or another bubbly might possibly be my stuck-on-a-desert-island drink of choice, but not everyone feels the love. Monday I posted my top eight bubblies for the holidays, but if you just don't dig sparkling wine, what can you toast with instead? Here are a few ideas.
  
  Syrah/Shiraz from Washington state or Australia, which is big and voluptuous, smooth and silky all at once. Skip old world Syrah from the Northern Rhone, which, though it hails from the grape's...
  



• Inexpensive New Year's Eve Idea - Beer Swap Party
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Parties, Beer, Celebrations, Holidays, New Year's, Winter

  
  When I was young and thought I was cool, New Year's Eve used to mean big cover charges for overpriced open bars (the bars may have been open, but finding a space to get to a bartender wasn't) and overrated entertainment (am I supposed to be able to recognize the name of any DJ?).
  
  Now that I'm older, wiser, and so cool it's mind blowing, let me wax poetic on New Year's Eve for a moment and provide you with my three step plan for New Year's Eve 2009.
  
  First off,...
  



• BeerAdvocate's Consumer Opinion Poll - Let The Controversy Continue
  

  Filed under: Beer, Magazines, On the Blogs, Lists

  Like it or not, human nature prefers an expert opinion. Sure, we might glare with disdain at said experts towering over us with their puffed-out egos from atop their high-horses, but let's be honest, if we left every final opinion to all us plebes down below, many decisions would end up a mess. There's something to be said for someone with experience and knowledge navigating the way: Would you rather receive driving directions from a van full of people who "know North Jersey" or a GPS device?
  
  My point: This month's BeerAdvocate Magazine featured...
  



• Wishing You a Merry Christmas Beer
  

  Filed under: Beer, Books, Hanukkah, Christmas

  What comes to mind when you think Christmas Brew? For some, it's whatever bottle they happen to have in hand on Christmas. However, for most, it's the most special brew of the year, when the beer makers pull out all the stops and create unique holiday brews to thank their customers for a season's worth of patronage.
  
  Don Russell (also known in the Philadelphia area as Joe Sixpack) has written a book called Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, and Most Unusual Holiday Brews, that is a definitive guide to these most cheery...
  



• Beer Glasses, Part Three - Slashfood's Glassware Guide
  

  Filed under: Beer, Stores & Shopping

  
  Tulip Glass
  
  Like a Scotch glass that employs the tulip shape for aroma, this glass works well for those wow-inducing aromatic beers and strong ales. This is the go-to glass for aroma-heavy Belgians, and on a budget, a brandy snifter is a perfectly reasonable substitute. But I wouldn't cradle the snifter if you're filling it with beer.
  
  
  
  
  
  Stange
  
  A stange is much like a Tom Collins glass, but holds a bit less - it's tall and thin with very little flair. These glasses work for delicate beers like light ales, and...
  



• Beer Glasses, Part Two - Slashfood's Glassware Guide
  

  Filed under: Beer, Stores & Shopping

  
  Beer Chalice/Goblet
  
  Often a thicker-walled version of the red wine glass, chalices are stemmed glasses that are made to retain the head of the beer. Unlike the wine glass, however, the chalice does not narrow -- the wider mouth offers bigger, deeper sips.
  
  
  
  
  
  Beer Flute
  
  Like champagne, these flutes help to hold in the carbonation of the beer, while the narrow glass helps to showcase strong and immediate aromas that make it perfect for any aromatic brew.