Aug 01 2014

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

I’m worried about this post. Will I anger someone? What if this is their favorite beer? And, did I spell “Leinenkugel” correctly?

Well, I wouldn’t be a very good critic if I was worried about angering someone. In this case, it almost seems un-American to say something negative about what has become a staple of Midwestern Summer Beer. Leinenkugel Summer Shandy is, after all, advertised on the radio 24/7, and it’s available everywhere in bottles AND cans (clap your hands!).

But…dare I say…it’s incredibly…AVERAGE.

To the review.

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy Review

To answer the question above – yes, I spelled it right. “Leinenkugel.” And their Summer Shandy is supposed to make you think SUMMER immediately, including the ALL CAPS FEELING you get every SUMMER. Except for the summer here in Chicagoland, which is more worthy of lower-case “s” and maybe my sticking my tongue out at Mother Nature.

Taste

Lager beer with lemonade added. “An adventurous taste perfect for summertime fun.” There’s nothing crisp or refreshing, or even really tangy or anything else notable about this. I don’t think summertime fun. Apologies to Dorothy Parker, but, if this drink didn’t exist, you’d have a hard time imagining it.

Profile

Cluster hops. ABV of 4.2%. IBUs: 13.5.

Value

$14 or so for a 12 pack, or maybe it was $12 for a 12 pack. Who cares, I didn’t like it so much.

Metasip Grade: C+

I revisited my initial assessment: first I thought it was a “B-” but then I remembered that I hardly had much of it, because it frankly didn’t taste very good. So it gets a C+. I don’t get invited to the Lodge, I’m sure…maybe other stuff from Jake and Dick and Steve and Irv or whatever their names are will make me reconsider this brewery. We’ll see.

Jul 30 2014

Is Cooper’s Hawk Worth It?

It’s a really clever concept, when you think about it: a wine club wrapped around a restaurant. Or is it a restaurant wrapped around a wine club? Anyway, we aim to tackle these questions and more as we ask the age-old question: Is Cooper’s Hawk Worth It?

I can tell already: this is going to take a little finesse. Metasip, after all, is a site that is (1) just getting off the ground, (2) reviews alcohol, and (3) relies on affiliate relationships and sponsorship to pay the bills. Meanwhile, we need to be fair and balanced – not THAT fair and balanced – and ensure that we’re recommending the right experience for our readers.

Cooper's Hawk Barbera — Cooper’s Hawk Barbera

I’m choosing my words carefully when I really shouldn’t have to: we don’t have a relationship with Cooper’s Hawk, and they didn’t know we (or, more accurately, I) were coming to review the “experience.”

I’m babbling, so let’s cut to the chase.

Is Cooper’s Hawk Worth It?

What I’ve learned is this: one man’s fine dining is another man’s Ponderosa. One woman’s divine bottle of wine is another’s Boon’s Farm.

In my half-dozen years in the wine business, I have bumped into all types. I’ve met people shopping at Costco who need assistance because they want the $250 bottle that’s under glass. I’ve chatted with people in supermarkets who won’t spend more than $5 on a bottle of anything. And everyone in between.

I am trying to make this site – this Metasip Experience – something that provides a little bit for the expensive shopper, but mostly for the “value” shopper. So I’d say we’re somewhere in between the two examples above, because the value shopper hits Costco because they want to get the most bang for their buck.

Bringing us to Cooper’s Hawk – where, dare I say, you can find some value. But you’ve got to be smart about it.

Plus

Diners can get two “tastes” – I’m going to guess an ounce or two – per visit. This is smart – you don’t have to buy anything.

Minus

Take a look at the menu below. None of this, to me, says “value-priced.”

Cooper's Hawk Wine List — To be fair: restaurant pricing.

Plus

Wait a minute – you’ve got to look a little closer…actually, not pictured is the “Flight” option. $14.99 for a flight of reds – 3 ounces each (according to our server), four different wines. That’s a pretty good deal, actually.

Minus

“Sweet Red.” And a bunch of fruity-frou-frou wines. Stuff that, for the most part, the discerning palate ignores.

Plus

Shut up, Dave – this blog is supposed to be approachable. Remember that scene in the movie “Big Night” when that restaurateur said he was successful because he gave the customers what they wanted? THAT.

Enough Plus/Minus: How Was the Wine?

First, we tried the “Winemaker’s Blend.” Which they said was their proprietary Meritage and…it was good. It had a cab-meets-merlot character to it, not a ton of fruit, dry, quite a few tannins. (Metasip Grade: B. Better than average, not phenomenal.)

Next, the Barbera, which, after the taste sip thingy, we ordered a glass of. More to our liking and worthy of a higher grade – though not an A-level drink, a Metasip Grade of B+ is certainly respectable. I think the tannins they talk about on the menu really appealed to us. In fact, we ordered a burger and this struck us as something that would be a really good steak wine.

Now comes the bigger question…is the wine club worth it?

[EDITOR’S NOTE: We rely on affiliate links to help pay the bills…not to sound like a PBS pledge drive here, but we’d love it if you check out the Clubs over on that part of the site. Thanks. Back to the review.]

So here’s a link to the Cooper’s Hawk Wine Club pricing, and we’re at least a little confused. $80 for a one-bottle wine club shipped to you? I know shipping wine is complicated and expensive and the rules vary from state to state…but that seems a bit much.

However, and here’s where I think the real value is – and why we’d say that it’s a possible win:

If you live near one of their restaurants, the pick-up option makes total sense.

This is positioned as Premium wine, so $18 for a B+-rated or higher wine, per bottle, is a rather good deal. And, if you’re the kind of person who won’t spend more than $20 but also won’t spend less than $10, this is in that range. (Such an animal exists – actually, this was feedback I received over and over in my wine-selling days: under $10 is usually a gamble. More than $20 is a waste.)

What About the Food?

This isn’t a food blog, so I’m not going to do a restaurant review here. I had a burger, it had jalapeno cheese and bacon on it, I ordered it “medium” and it came…medium. It was tasty. The fries were good. Service was excellent and very attentive.

Overall?

I don’t think it’s fair to give the entire winery a grade based on sampling two different wines, so I’ll hold off on that. And, down the road, we’re eager to try a little more of their stuff.

However, the fact that I’m already plotting my next trip is, in my book, another thing in the “Plus” column for Cooper’s Hawk.

Jul 30 2014

George Dickel Rye Whiskey

Our resident Whiskey Guy is “Tampa Jim,” Jim Alexander, who tells me he can’t drink beer. Since Dave can’t drink whiskey (that often, at least), here’s Jim’s take on…George Dickel Rye Whiskey.

I have a big soft spot, going back a good 35+ years, for the products from the George Dickel distillery. Their #8 was, along with Jack Daniel’s Old Number 7 Black Label, seminal in my introduction to whiskeys as a young man. This rye whiskey is produced for George Dickel by MGPI in Indiana then sent back to Dickel to be run through their Lincoln County Process. This one is George Dickel Rye Whiskey, and let’s drink up!

George Dickel Rye Whiskey Review

Taste

As with many self respecting ryes, George Dickel Rye Whiskey starts off with a nice spicy nose. What follows though gets a bit muddled. There’s some maple but the heavy oak makes this rye pass across the tongue in rougher fashion (a tad thin I would add) than is desired but, it still manages to finish reasonably well. Something of a conundrum.

Profile

45%ABV, 90 Proof

Value

$26.95, 750ml

Metasip Grade: B

George Dickel Rye is a respectable whiskey and a heck of a good bargain. It is, for my tastes, better suited for use in cocktails than it is for the sittin’ and sippin’. Pretty good for daily spillage.

Jul 23 2014

3 Sheeps Really Cool Waterslides IPA

The name is a mouthful. So is the beer.

We mean that mouthful statement in a good way – 3 Sheeps, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA, does some nice work. Or so we had heard. So we picked up some of their Really Cool Waterslides IPA at the Piggly Wiggly and are just now getting around to the review.

N.B. Wisconsin Piggly Wiggly stores, along with a couple in Illinois, are part of a different conglomerate. Here’s a link to the Piggly Wiggly that’s predominant in the South.

Speaking of animals…Enough blah blah blah, here’s the review:

3 Sheeps Really Cool Waterslides IPA

Taste

Bitter, hoppy, IPA. It tastes like an IPA should. There’s nothing crazy about it – but nothing sub-standard either. Good mouthfeel. Drinkable – in the time it takes me to post this, I have mostly finished one. Either I write quickly, or I drink quickly, or both. But it works.

Profile

6.2% ABV. 60 IBUs.

Value

We were in Sheboygan, where the brewery is, so $6.99 for a six-pack was an expected value. It’s worth it even for a couple bucks more.

Metasip Grade: A-

I’d drive across the border for more…but I don’t have to as their “Locaaaator” (clever, no?) tells me Chicagoland has this stuff. Yeeha!

Jul 20 2014

Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale

I had the same feeling about this that I had about two gluten-free beers I reviewed: BEER! (Wait, it’s “sustainably brewed?” BONUS!)

Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale – I thought it got its name after the Green Line of the CTA – Chicago’s version of the Tube or the T or the Subway. Sorta, it did – but not really. It’s more about the fact it’s brewed using “green” methods. But I’m not going to talk about how wonderful it is that a beer is brewed using sustainable methods. I’ll let those sustainability blogs talk about it instead.

Here’s a little from a site called Beerpulse: Goose Island Sustainable Beer.

Here’s one from Huffington Post on the green beer movement in general: Huffington Post Sustainable Beer.

Wait, here’s one from the company itself! Goose Island Beer.

Enough about sustainability and the warm fuzzies you can get from saving the environment. What about the beer?

Goose Island Green Line Pale Ale Review

Taste

At a quintessential Chicago experience, the street festival, this one was just about perfect with the quintessential Chicago food – wait a minute, I had a Maple-glazed Pulled Pork Slider. Which I had never had before. Highly recommend, BTW. They were from Kinzie Chophouse.

I’m starting to say that I’m most partial to the pale ale, so I would be MAD if they messed this up. Quite the opposite – hoppy but not too much so, clean finish, slightly bitter but not overpowering. In other words, Pale Ale Done Right.

Profile

ABV: 5.0%. 30 IBUs. <– This combo is becoming my sweetspot.

Value

I was at a street festival, so I paid 6 tickets. Each ticket cost $1.00. So a beer set me back $6. (I’m good at math, no?)

What’s funny – a quick search of the web tells me little about the pricing at a store near you, or me; and I don’t recall ever seeing this in six-pack form at any liquor store. So I did a little research and…DUH…beer is expensive to bottle and transport, so you can only get this on draft in Chicago. Smart!

Metasip Grade: A

We try to grade holistically – see the other posts about Omission and Prairie Path. Those tasted like beer, and so does this one. I think it’s worthy of a solid “A” grade.

But…what do YOU think? Let us know in the comments!