Celebrator Doppelbock Rocks

I don't do a lot of reviews but I have to make an exception. This beer has been a favorite of mine for quite some time although it's been a while since I've actually had it, until last night. I went to an annual beer tasting last night with friends. It's informal and everyone just brings beer and we grab at will the ones that look interesting. Not all of my friends like great beer - my best friend thinks Corona is a treat. Don't get me started.

But Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock is quite simply amazing and even if my pale tasteless ale drinking friends don't see it, those of us who love beer (and yes, a few of my other friends actually do) couldn't get enough of this brew last night. There were only a couple bottles brought and we were treating them like gold. I am a true fan of Bocks - especially the Double Bocks. There were a couple of others brought and I also tasted a dark wheat beer which was intriguing.

But Celebrator is top notch. The beer has a beautiful clear hazelnut brown color and is oh so smooth with a thick and creamy head. Now imagine drinking a caramel iced coffee with a little bit of fruity chocolate. Add small bubbles that add to the silkiness of the brew and you've just described Celebrator. Shoot, even on Beer Advocate with over 1,700+ reviews it receives an A. Just go get yourself a bottle of this beer and keep some around for special occasions - you will be happy you did!

Top 100 Value Wines

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you'll know that 1. I'm not a huge 'follow the ratings' kind of drinker. Ratings are subjective and completely depend upon the palette of someone I don't know. In other words, I don't blindly buy a wine because it has 92 points. And 2. I'm cheap. I stand firmly in my belief that great wine doesn't have to be expensive.

So it's crazy that I'm personally so thrilled to see this list of wines. But I really feel that this list is a departure from most ratings and is truly more in alignment with today's wine drinker. We're a little more knowledgeable about wine in general, know that great wines come from some obscure places and want the best bang for our buck.

The official start to the list is "...Wine Enthusiast 100-point scale is high in relation to its price (a very precise formula we keep to ourselves, but 88-points and $10 are approximate yardsticks), it merits a Best Buy designation. Only about 5% of the wines we review annually merit this designation, and what you’re seeing on these next pages is a very elite grouping drawn from that already limited group. Enjoy, shop wisely, drink well, give thanks."

Brilliant! I glanced through the list and there were already a good dozen I want to buy right now. Don't take my word for it - go check it out for yourself here.

Beer, Graffiti and Brilliance

It's wonderful when businesses understand that they are responsible for their own community but it becomes Brilliant when they bribe their community to care. That's just what Rogue Ales is doing... they have adopted 2 city blocks in Portland and are hosting Thursday clean ups - and afterwards they'll give you free tastings and a tour. They are even stepping it up one more notch by hosting a Graffiti Cleanup After Dark - yep, complete with glow in the dark goodies and cleaning supplies. I love everything about these ideas.

Go to the Rogue's website to find out more details and to check out their beer (fab!!) here.