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Author Topic: Whiskey  (Read 180547 times)

Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #915 on: March 22, 2018, 06:13:35 am »
Birthday is really tasty, but a PITA to find. I have only had it at a bar or restaurant. My favorite from them is the 1870. The recently released Stateman is ok, but not worth the price of admission.
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Offline yso191

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #916 on: March 22, 2018, 08:16:59 am »
I tried a new whiskey and I really like it!  Rogue Spirits, Dead Guy Whiskey.  They say it is distilled from the same malts as the Dead Guy Ale their brewery puts out.  Aged at least 2 years. 80 proof.

From the card hung on the bottle: "Double gold at San Francisco World Spirits Competition.  Masters medal at the American Whiskey Masters.  More than 45 medals in total."

I found it quite complex for the price point... as I recall somewhere in the $30-40 range.
Steve
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Offline ethinson

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #917 on: March 22, 2018, 02:53:17 pm »
I tried a new whiskey and I really like it!  Rogue Spirits, Dead Guy Whiskey.  They say it is distilled from the same malts as the Dead Guy Ale their brewery puts out.  Aged at least 2 years. 80 proof.

From the card hung on the bottle: "Double gold at San Francisco World Spirits Competition.  Masters medal at the American Whiskey Masters.  More than 45 medals in total."

I found it quite complex for the price point... as I recall somewhere in the $30-40 range.

I haven't had Rogue whiskey in a while, I should try it again.  They are moving away from vodka based spirits (flavored vodkas and gins) and getting more into whiskey.  They just released an Oregon Single Malt which I assume is made with Oregon grown grain (they grow a lot of their own stuff). 

One of the things that impresses me the most about Rogue is they have a cooperage and they make their own barrels.  The Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout that they release ever year is aged in barrels they made which held their own whiskey... pretty cool to keep it all in house.

The beer side could use some work (in my opinion) but they are doing really adventurous stuff on the distilling side.

I don't remember if it was the dead guy whiskey that sparked it or something else, but as I got into homebrewing and working in the beer industry it dawned at me at one point that Whiskey is distilled beer.  All the main grains in whiskey (wheat, barley malt, rye) are often used in beer.  The mash to extract the sugar is pretty much the same, just no hops (although some people now do make hopped spirits). McMenamins makes their whiskey wash in the brewery and then carts it over to the distillery.  No need for two mash tuns.
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Offline Robert

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #918 on: March 22, 2018, 04:05:11 pm »
Whiskey is distilled beer!  That's how it originated.  Crusaders learned how the Arabs were distilling date wine and palm wine to make araq,  and went back to Europe and distilled what they were already making at home: wine  and cider in France, and ale in Ireland (Scotland picked it up later.)  At some point the Irish dispensed with boiling with gruit or other flavorings as for ale, and just fermented and distilled the mash.
 Related:  Local microdistillery (connected to LHBS) makes a whisky (-ey?) from Maris Otter and Melanoidin, fermented with Abbey ale yeast, aged on charred American oak.  Yum.
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

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Offline tumarkin

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #919 on: March 22, 2018, 06:11:54 pm »
yes, the 'wash' from which whisky is distilled is (wait for it)...... beer. the way I like to look at it is whisky is beer that got too close to the fire.
Mark Tumarkin
Hogtown Brewers
Gainesville, FL

Offline Robert

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #920 on: March 22, 2018, 06:15:40 pm »
And by the fire is a fine place to be with a whisk(e)y.  It all comes together.
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

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Offline Phil_M

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #921 on: March 22, 2018, 06:27:12 pm »
What's really investing to me is that the wash is basically wild yeast run amok...or it least that's the impression I got from my tour of Copper Fox in Sperryville, VA.

Regardless of it I understood that right or not, "sour mash" whiskeys/bourbons are long-running yeast cakes, in a way...
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline Robert

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #922 on: March 22, 2018, 07:01:23 pm »
I may have misunderstood, or there may be variations, but:  I understand the portion of sour mash to be, just as in German brewing (except for its being carried forward), a pH control for the mash (added at the beginning of mashing,) which may then be fermented by a house culture yeast (some like Jack Daniel's call it jug yeast) which may in turn be recultured and  repitched.  So multiple levels of throughput.  I don't suppose you'll get the full story on anybody's tour! (Well, I've learned the secrets at the local guys, but they aren't too worried about espionage at their scale!)
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

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Offline Phil_M

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #923 on: March 23, 2018, 10:38:05 am »
That may be. To further clarify my "impression", sour mash is a portion of one mash that's allowed to continue and act as the "starter" on the next. Copper Fox fermented everything together, the grain is in there.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline Robert

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #924 on: March 23, 2018, 11:01:12 am »
I think it's most traditional to both ferment the whole mash and put the whole mash into the still.  Micros tend to separate the wort and ferment and distill that, probably because they use mash tuns and fermenters made for brewing.
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

I'd rather have questions I can't answer than answers I can't question.

Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #925 on: April 01, 2018, 05:43:22 pm »
Yet another bottle bit the dust. Kirkland Signature 18 Year Speyside Single Malt was the bottle I drained tonight. Aged in Bourbon barrels and finished for 6 months in Sherry barrels. Quite tasty and not ridiculously expensive at $55 or so a bottle, but just like Bourbon I found the flavor a little muted.
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Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #926 on: April 09, 2018, 06:01:11 pm »
Received a free airplane bottle of Bushmills Red Bush Irish Whiskey with another purchase. This one is not worth your money at the price I paid. Skip it.
It's not a popularity contest, it's beer!

Offline yso191

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #927 on: April 10, 2018, 01:08:25 pm »
My two favorite inexpensive whiskeys are Costco 12 year Scotch, and Wild Turkey 101.  How about you guys?
Steve
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“Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #928 on: April 10, 2018, 04:27:05 pm »
Costco 12 year half gallon and Buffalo Trace half gallon and I could get by for awhile... ;)
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Offline ethinson

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #929 on: April 11, 2018, 04:54:31 am »
Received a free airplane bottle of Bushmills Red Bush Irish Whiskey with another purchase. This one is not worth your money at the price I paid. Skip it.

That's a shame since the black bush is quite nice.  Bushmills 16 is pretty close to the top of my all time list, although it's out of my price range.

Had  some Canadian Club last night since I'm here in Canada.  It was ok.  First sip was pretty sweet (a common theme I'm noticing with Canadian whiskey) after that it smoothed out.  Decent sipper, likely more geared towards mixing.  I assume it was the standard Premium/6 year expression.  It was one of the cheaper things on the menu.

I plan on bringing a bottle of something home, but havent decided on what yet. 
SE Portland - AKA Beervana
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