What Are You Drinking?

[Stark]

Follow a nice meal with something like a Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout some time to see what I mean. I say that one because the chocoloate flavor is heavily present).

Oh man, you know what I love? A chocolate stout mixed with framboise beer.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Follow a nice meal with something like a Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout some time to see what I mean. I say that one because the chocoloate flavor is heavily present).

Oh man, you know what I love? A chocolate stout mixed with framboise beer.

Does that work?

Also, over the weekend, I had a Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy mixed witha shot of vodka. It was sublime.

[Ack]

Follow a nice meal with something like a Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout some time to see what I mean. I say that one because the chocoloate flavor is heavily present).

Oh man, you know what I love? A chocolate stout mixed with framboise beer.

Stark, I've never had a framboise. Actually come to think of it, I don't know if I've ever seen one offered in stores or bars around here, even the specialty bars. Sounds delicious though!

Kit, it depends on what you want. Sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, want heavy hints of chocolate, fruit, coffee, etc.? Personally I usually tell folks to start with a Sam Adams Boston Lager, since it's popular (and generally easy to find) and usually not too expensive. It's not too hoppy in my opinion, and it's a better tasting lager than most of the mass market types you find in the states. Now it's not the be all end all, and some of the guys here will probably yell at me for suggesting it as a starting point, but it's generally my go to cheap beer when I can't get anything better at a bar or restaurant. I also hold it in some esteem for being the first beer I ever found acceptable while warm (since in the US we tend to keep ours cold).

[Stark]

Follow a nice meal with something like a Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout some time to see what I mean. I say that one because the chocoloate flavor is heavily present).

Oh man, you know what I love? A chocolate stout mixed with framboise beer.

Does that work?

Also, over the weekend, I had a Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy mixed witha shot of vodka. It was sublime.

I love mixing beer with stuff. People here always make fun of me and then I tell them I learned it in Germany, so "nah-nah-nah." I've always been partial to a Radler myself (which is pilsner with a Sprite) or a Gespritztes which is with Fassbrause.

[Stark]

Stark, I've never had a framboise. Actually come to think of it, I don't know if I've ever seen one offered in stores or bars around here, even the specialty bars. Sounds delicious though!

Have you ever been to Yard House (http://www.yardhouse.com/GA/atlanta-restaurant/)? They should have a fram there.

[KitKatCara]

Also, over the weekend, I had a Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy mixed witha shot of vodka. It was sublime.

See, that's my problem right there. That shot will become a glass, then that glass will become a bottle. I've never drank with the intentions to just relax, I was aiming to get shit faced, which I achieved all three times. (excuse my language, but that is the most accurate description)

I've drank beer once, which was a Bud Light. I've tried Heineken (my dad swears by it) but it was too... empty tasting? From that I just went to hard liquor, JD, Bacardi, vodka, baileys, etc. and mixed it until I was drunk enough to down it straight from the bottle.

I do like coffee, chocolate, fruits, and stuff like that. Abita Beer has a Strawberry Ale that I heard was good, but I have no clue. Like Jinx said though, we only really drink once a year when we spend time with our families and friends. We don't even keep any alcohol in our apartment.

[Ack]

Stark, I've never had a framboise. Actually come to think of it, I don't know if I've ever seen one offered in stores or bars around here, even the specialty bars. Sounds delicious though!

Have you ever been to Yard House (http://www.yardhouse.com/GA/atlanta-restaurant/)? They should have a fram there.

I know of it, as I've been to the movie theater next to it a couple of times and had a pint of Guiness down the street, but I've never been inside. I'll check it out!

[prfsnl_gmr]

Also, over the weekend, I had a Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy mixed witha shot of vodka. It was sublime.

See, that's my problem right there. That shot will become a glass, then that glass will become a bottle. I've never drank with the intentions to just relax, I was aiming to get shit faced, which I achieved all three times. (excuse my language, but that is the most accurate description)

I've drank beer once, which was a Bud Light. I've tried Heineken (my dad swears by it) but it was too... empty tasting? From that I just went to hard liquor, JD, Bacardi, vodka, baileys, etc. and mixed it until I was drunk enough to down it straight from the bottle.

I do like coffee, chocolate, fruits, and stuff like that. Abita Beer has a Strawberry Ale that I heard was good, but I have no clue. Like Jinx said though, we only really drink once a year when we spend time with our families and friends. We don't even keep any alcohol in our apartment.

That is not a bad policy, but I think that you were drinking for the wrong reasons.

Now that I am bit older, I drink, primarily, to enhance a dining experience. That is, I very often have a glass of wine or a bottle of beer with dinner, and I sometimes have an aperitif or digestif before or after a meal. Good beer, wine, and alcohol is very enjoyable in these situations, and cultivating your taste in them can be a very fun and rewarding experience.

You might want to try this...pick a single bottle of beer or wine that someone has recommended to you. Taste it with your husband over dinner, discuss how it tastes in the most detailed way possible, and write down your thoughts on it. After a while, you will discover things that you like, and more importantly, you will know why you like them. You will then be able to pick more things that you like, and - if you do a little research - you will slowly but surely cultivate your palette.

(Also, as someone with small children, I can assure you that having a wine tasting night after the children are asleep is a fun, relatively inexpensive, stay-at-home "date". It will also, regardless of what you are drinking, make you feel incredibly sophisticated. )

EDIT: If you try this out, then try to pick beer or wine that compliments your food. For example, have an American beer with a burger, a mexican lager with tacos, a refeshing white wine with fish, red wine with chocolate, etc. Also, the proper tasting technique, for wine at least, is: (1) sip; (2) swish and breathe in; (3) swallow; and (4) exhale.

[Luke]

Also, the proper tasting technique, for wine at least, is: (1) sip; (2) swish and breathe in; (3) swallow; and (4) exhale.

Close

Stare (preferably in sunlight), swirl to see the legs, smell (nose in the glass), take a small sip and breathe in a mouthful of air. Swish it around a bit (my first sip sounds like a bong hit), move your tongue around the inside of your mouth, and then swallow.

And there is nothing wrong with rejecting a bottle of wine at a restaurant because you don't like it. They'll cork it and sell it to someone else. I've never turned down a wine, but I have seen it done dozens of times.

[Ack]

Also, the proper tasting technique, for wine at least, is: (1) sip; (2) swish and breathe in; (3) swallow; and (4) exhale.

Close

Stare (preferably in sunlight), swirl to see the legs, smell (nose in the glass), take a small sip and breathe in a mouthful of air. Swish it around a bit (my first sip sounds like a bong hit), move your tongue around the inside of your mouth, and then swallow.

For those of you unsure of what he means: Stare at the wine either in sunlight or with a light source behind it to examine the color, also for debris, etc. Swirl it around and see how it coats the glass and then examine the ring you've created: this is associated with judging both the amount of sugar and the alcohol content of a wine. Smell the aroma (but don't try snorting it. An aromatic wine should be easy to smell with your nose slightly raised over the glass). Take a small sip and then breath in air after you do so you can focus on that sip and all of its qualities. Swish around the sip of wine in your mouth and make sure to coat your tongue and mouth, so you can experience all of its flavors but also the feeling of it. Then swallow the wine. If you like it, you can keep it at the table. If not, turn it away.

Oh, and if you are at a wine tasting, you may be provided with something to spit the wine back into so you don't become intoxicated while checking everything.