Weekend Road Trip

It was a beautiful weekend for football and tailgating. We headed down to Blacksburg for the first Virginia Tech home football game of the season and had a wonderful time. We started our weekend at the new home of J. H. Bards Spirit Company. Their new, expanded tasting room is located in downtown Blacksburg. The new location has more seating, indoors and out, as well as nearby food options for carry-in or delivery. 

We enjoyed a couple of the house special Smoked Old Fashioneds, as well as some pasta and pizza ordered from Not Your Momma's Pasta. The food was delivered quickly and was quite tasty. J. H. Bard's is a fairly regular stop for us when in the area, and since it's no longer so far out of town, we'll probably stop by even more often.

Friday evening continued enjoying the pleasant weather on the outside patio of our hotel. I had brought along a travel flask of Michter's US*1 Small Batch Bourbon, as well as a selection of cigars to enjoy.

The Perdomo 10th Anniversary Sun Grown is a medium bodied cigar. The flavor kicks off with sweet caramel and cedar from the thick and copious smoke. As the cigar warms, caramel, molasses, and coffee join the mix. The dark fruit, vanilla, oak, and pepper notes of the bourbon pair nicely.

Saturday morning threatened some light rain, but that soon passed. We headed over to our tailgate space early, to enjoy the afternoon before the 4:30 PM kickoff. Colleen had prepared a selection of delicious "brunch" foods and we enjoyed a nice meal to start off the festivities. For me, the main tailgate event is relaxing with a nice cigar while enjoying conversation with family.

We had picked up some Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen to enjoy as well. I especially enjoy the selections of  malty Oktoberfest beers that hit the shelves this time of year, and the Paulaner is a classic, and one of my favorites. I selected a Veritas 412 to enjoy with the Märzen. This is a cigar that I find pairs nicely with a malty beer.

The Veritas 412 features a dark Pennsylvania Maduro wrapper, a San Andrés binder, and Nicaraguan Double Ligero and Pennsylvania fillers. It's a full flavored, yet smooth smoke with semi-sweet chocolate, black pepper, and roasted nuts in the profile. The Veritas 412 is bold and dark, but with a mild sweet toasted underpinning. The 6 x 54 Toro gave about an hour and 45 minutes of smoking pleasure.

Finally it was game time. And the Hokies win at home!

Cheers!

September 11: Some Have Forgotten

It's been twenty-three years. Memories fade for some. Some choose to forget. There's a whole generation that didn't experience the reality of that day and never learned history. The events of September 11, 2001 brought horrors to our shores that the world should never be permitted to forget. The same ideology that fomented the horrors of that morning continues to bring violence across Europe and throughout the world on a daily basis. It still brings evil to our shores regularly. Yet, so many remain complacent and blind. Appallingly, many in our own government continue to aid and placate those who threaten us.

We stand on a precipice. Remember what was done to us that sunny September day, and stand fast against it. The evil one and his minions have not given up. The threat remains. 

NEVER FORGET

St. Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God,

cast into hell Satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

International Buy a Priest a Beer Day

September 9 is "International Buy a Priest a Beer Day." This annual holiday serves to remind us that priests are real people who also enjoy a good beverage. This recognition is the brainchild of the folks over at The Catholic Gentlemen.

This festive holiday traces its origins back to the pious deed of St. Hopswald of Aleyard, the first man to buy his priest a beer. The legend goes that St. Hopswald, a master brewer by trade, was a Teutonic pagan who was converted and baptized by a zealous Catholic priest.

One day, St. Hopswald committed a grievous sin. Without wasting a moment, he ran quickly to his priest and confessed. Later that day, as he was particularly enjoying the peace of a clean conscience, St. Hopswald was so filled with gratitude for his priest’s sacramental ministry that he rushed to the rectory and offered to buy his priest a beer.

Okay, if you haven’t figured it out by now, St. Hopswald wasn’t real, but your priest is, and without priestly ministry, getting to heaven would be well nigh impossible!

Believe it or not, priests are real people, and they enjoy socializing over good food and drink as much as anyone. They also have a thankless and difficult job, a job that we couldn’t get to heaven without. Priests are the lifeblood of the Church, and they deserve some appreciation.

Even if you aren't able to buy a round or two for your favorite priest today, raise a pint today in honor of the men who devote their lives to the Church.

The late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI celebrates his 88th birthday.

Cheers! 

Wise Man Maduro With Bulleit 95 Rye

Bulleit Rye was one of the first ryes I drank regularly, so when I saw this Bullet 95 12 Year Rye on the shelf last spring, I grabbed it without hesitation. I enjoyed a pour early on, but then overlooked the bottle for a many months.

The 95% rye mash bill is aged for a long 12 years and bottled at 92 proof. Bulleit 95 has a spicy, dough-like aroma, that's surprisingly on the lighter side. There are notes of cinnamon and vanilla as well. Sipping brings sweet notes of toffee, vanilla, and brown sugar. The alcohol presence is more noticeable than in the aroma. There's a pleasing warmth that does not burn or overwhelm the flavor. A nice rye spice, along with oak, lingers in the finish. This is an enjoyable sipper. I'm somewhat tempted to try it in a cocktail, perhaps a Rye Old Fashioned.

I paired the rye with a newly redesigned Wise Man Maduro from Foundation Cigars. This cigar has been resting in my humidor for about four months. I smoked one previously upon delivery and found it to be quite spicy. I was interested to see how some age would affect the blend.

This Wise Man Maduro vitola is a  6 x 52 Toro. The dark red, Mexican San Andrés wrapper is smoothly applied over two Nicaraguan binders — from the Nicaragua Estelí and Jalapa regions — with a mix of fillers from Estelí, Condega and Jalapa.

The flavor started out in the medium range, but processed to a full bodied smoke by the second half. Bountiful notes of spice, toasted nuts, earth, and sweet chocolate made for a flavorful experience. The spice had a cedar aspect for most of the smoke, which progressed into the black pepper realm towards the last third, which predominated the profile for the rest of the smoking time. Smoke production was copious and the burn even and consistent.

The Bulleit 95 12 Year Rye is an exceptional pour for the $60 price tag. The spicy sweetness of the rye matched well with the similar spice and sweet profile of the Foundation Wise Man Maduro. Despite a warm nub, the cigar was smoked to the very end. A few extra sips of the rye topped off the enjoyable smoke.

Cheers!