Review - Blonde Guinness

I tried the Blonde Guinness and really liked it. Don't be disappointed, this beer is nothing like the traditional Irish Dry Stout. This is an American Pale Lager style beer. It's a light, smooth beer with a hoppy, citrus taste. It's brewed in Latrobe Brewing in Pennsylvania and a great addition to the Guinness family. I loved my Blonde Guinness paired with a well-done burger, it definitely complimented my food. But, I'm hoping to try a "Dirty Blonde" next time, that would be half Guinness Stout and half Guinness Blonde American Lager.

Review - Samuel Adams Cold Snap

Another great beer from Samuel Adam's. I instantly fell in love with Sam Adam's Cold Snap. This is a very complex beer with hints of orange peel, plum and coriander amongst other spices. It has a crisp taste and great after taste.

This is an Belgium style whit beer, which is probably why I like it so much. It's unfiltered and hazy. It's 5.3%ABV.

Recipe - Beer Bread

This was a great find at Aldi supermarkets for only $1. I have seen beer bread mixes selling elsewhere for $6+. I decided to try Sam Adams Cherry Wheat for my first bread.

The bread was surprisingly easy to make, just add one bottle of beer and stir. I really liked the way it turned out. It tasted great with a sweet cherry aftertaste. It's definitely one of those breads that have some what of a cake consistency.

I've read some blogs online that suggest making the beer bread and pairing it with cheese. That sounds great too, but I would recommend using a hearty tasting beer.

Review - Jelly Belly "Draft Beer" Jelly Beans

I came across a can of Jelly Belly "Draft Beer" jelly beans while shopping at It'SUGAR. The beans came in a cute little beer can and was reasonably priced at $4.99. The company pulled from it's German ancestry and created a Hefeweizen-inspired ale flavor.

At first taste, the beer flavoring is not that strong. However, there is definitely a draft beer aftertaste. After trying a couple I thought these beans would be really good for mixing. Jelly Belly has offered the below recipes. You could also try an internet search for jelly belly draft beer recipes and it looks as though the blogs/forums offer a wide array of combinations. The common trend being two draft jelly beans in each recipe.

Run the Vineyards

A Good Day For a Run has put together this great race series through vineyards in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area. Early bird pricing is generally around $40 with prices increasing closer to race day. You can also save money by registering for a season pass. Upcoming races include:
September 7 - Grapes & Peaches 10k @ Monroeville Winery, Monroeville, NJ
September 21- Down the Shore 5k @ Cape May Winery, Cape May, NJ
October 5- Wines & Vines 5k @ Penn Woods Winery, Chadds Ford, NJ
October 19 - Fall Trails @ Hawk Haven Vineyards, Rio Grande, NJ
November 9 - Valenzano 5K @ Valenzano Winery, Shamong, NJ

For more information and to register visit
http://gooddayforarun.com/run-the-vineyards-201-dates/

Event - To Be or Not To Be

Shakespeare is know to have said "For a quart of ale is a meal for a King" and "I will make it felony to drink small." It doesn't surprise me then that some beer themed Shakespeare events have started popping up around NYC. Currently there are two to choose from.

First Drunken Shakespeare offers a Shakespeare play in a bar atmosphere where the performers are also drinking. This makes for a fun, lively atmosphere.
 http://www.drunkshakespeare.com/welcome/
Secondly ShakesBEER 2014 is a pub crawl between four bars, with performers reciting Shakespeare through out the crawl.
http://shakespeareexchange.org/content/shakesbeer-2014

Both sound equally fun, it's going to be a hard choice so why not do both?

Website - Wine Country Gift Baskets

This happens to be my favorite website to buy Christmas gifts from. They offer a wide selection of wine gift baskets along with gourmet food, teas, chocolates, and fruit baskets. I have never had a problem with my orders or delivery and most items ship for free when you choose 5 day shipping.

The Steeplechase Vineyard Gift Basket 

The Talaria Vineyards Sonoma Gift Basket

The Francis Coppola Diamond Gift Basket

One of the huge pluses of using this website is you can sign up to receive catalogs in the mail or you will receive them after you order, which each have a discount code on the back cover. I've seen the discount range from 5% to 25%.

Follow this link to check out their online store

http://www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com/