Last of the Oaxacans

Mezcal Vago promo image

In the arid mountains of southern Oaxaca gently caressed between two rivers there exists a palenque that crafts some of the finest mezcals in all of Mexico.  Mezcal Vago is the culmination of 500 years of family tradition and distilling knowledge presented in six different styles: Espadin, Elote, Cuixe, Mexicano, Olla De Barro Tobala, and Olla De Barro Ensamble.

Espadin, Elote, Cuixe, and Mexicano are all crafted in the palenque of Aquilino Garcia Lopez where he takes extra care in growing, harvesting and distilling each agave into a unique flavorful mezcal. 

Brewgie Nights

In the light Disco Superfly looks more like a Belgian than a Pale Ale

It’s hot outside Evening Groggers and that tends to make us all a little sluggish when it comes to putting on our weekend dancing shoes.  Disco Superfly by Chicago’s Mikerphone Brewing will wet your whistle and loosen those hips just in time for Saturday night.

This groovy Double Pale Ale has a beautiful dark orange-gold color often seen in the pale ale family and when you put it up to a light source it turns a brilliant yellow that makes it look almost like a Belgian.  When you first pop the can you get a nice citrus aroma with a bit of a hoppy sting. With a whopping 7% ABV though this beer is not for suckas, though it is extremely palatable compared to its hoppy brothas.

Hairs of the Dog

HELLO EVENING GROG READERS!  I AM BACK!

It's been a while and I am sorry to all my readers for the long hiatus but I am here now and we're jumping straight into something completely different.  I wrote this article for the liquor store I work at for the 4th of July weekend but I didn't have time to repost it on my page.  Anyway I hope you all enjoy it, and pick up some White Dog for your cocktail needs.

The White Dog series from Buffalo Trace harkens back to the days of early America when freedom and its virtues were barely wetting the tongues of our founding fathers.  Buffalo Trace has introduced a fine line of three clear whiskeys that are sure to tantalize the sense: Mash #1, Wheated Mash, and Rye Mash.  Straight from the still to bottle these whiskeys have been used as the base for many other elite whiskeys including Pappy Van Winkle (Mash #1), Sazerac Rye (Rye Mash) and W.L. Weller Special Reserve (Wheated Mash).

Mash #1, the first of the White Dog lineup is sure to give you that sweet burn any seasoned American whisky drinker would love to feel.  With sweet but spicy aroma this whiskey will leave you with a light corn and vanilla taste on your tongue that’ll make you crave more.

Smokey Mountain Hop

Me enjoying enjoying some Cherokee Red Ale

This Thanksgiving I was worried I wouldn’t be able to savor my turkey dinner with a nice craft brew, but who would have thought that I would find a decent beer in the middle of whisky country?

Due to unexpected circumstances I was not able to purchase any beer before I left to Gatlinburg, Tenn. for Thanksgiving.  I was pretty bummed out but upon arriving I found out that Gatlinburg actually has a small brewery called Smokey Mountains Brewery.  Having never heard of this place I was a bit skeptical but I decided to go give them a try anyway.

Drinking by Design

Romero Ortiz double fisting Founders
Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

With so much variety in the world of craft beers going to the liquor store can at times be a little intimidating.  Beer is expensive and you don’t want to spend money on something you may not like, so why not try hosting a beer tasting?

“By having a tasting everyone brings a couple of bottles, everyone gets to try everyone else’s stock and it really doesn’t cost you more than a four pack.  Then you get to try all these different things so that when you go to the store you know exactly what you like.” says beer enthusiast Romero Ortiz.

Ortiz has hosted seven beer tastings, co-hosted another eight, and has attended approximately 50 in his years of legal drinking.  I had the chance to sit down and have a drink with Ortiz at Local Option, where he gave me rundown on hosting a successful beer tasting.

Beer Trip to Bangers & Lace! *Update*

For the Evening Grogs first ever Beer Trip I went to interview Nick Ostapczuk, manager of the craft beer bar Bangers & Lace.

This cozy Midwestern style bar, located in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, has excellent service, a wonderful beer selection and great food.  I would recommend the duck sausage.

I hope that you all enjoy going there as much as I did.

Cheers!

Halloween Hops

Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA
Made by Flying Dog Brewing. Frederick, MD

Last Thursday was Halloween night and like many college students I spent it drinking and stuffing my face. 

My Halloween night shenanigans took me to a nice little pub called the Tilted Kilt located in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.   In the company of new friends and in the spirit of the evening I sampled some of the quality beer selection the pub had to offer.  My favorite beer of the night was the Raging Bitch IPA, which had been previously recommended to me by a good friend.