Thursday, May 20, 2010

Release the Kraken.

I finished that bottle of Gosling's, and since I've had no luck on the Barritt's front, I've postponed getting another one. In the meantime, I opened my other bottle of black rum from the Kraken. I've had it with my Shurfine ginger ale and another bottle of the Cock 'n Bull. I think I like the Gosling's better with the ginger ale than the Kraken, but I might prefer the Kraken with the ginger beer, at least in the Cock 'n Bull iteration, I didn't get that bitterness I was complaining about with the Gosling's and Cock 'n Bull. I might have a side by side when I get Gosling's again.

This weekend I'm headed up to the Twin Cities for a cousin's wedding.

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At May 23, 2010 5:17 PM, Blogger CëRïSë said...

I just read that you were going to be in town, and you might already be gone. But you have my number if you have a minute to grab a drink or something!

 

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Friday, May 14, 2010

Nix.

I called Rocket Fizz to see if Barritt's came in, and the girl who answered the phone said their shipment comes in on Monday's now. The gentleman who seemed to be placing the order when I asked him for it over a week ago expected that it might be in Wednesday or Thursday, and for sure by Friday, so maybe they do have it, but I'm fine with a break.

In other news, I'm thinking about rebooting my word blog. Should I use Blogger or Wordpress? I know some of you have used each, or is there another option that is better than either of those?

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4 Comments:

At May 15, 2010 6:18 AM, Blogger Leah said...

I'd stick with blogger, personally. Wordpress is slick, but is pretty limited in terms of customization, unless you pay of course.

I've really enjoyed the ginger beer series, btw.

 
At May 15, 2010 6:40 AM, Blogger Daniel said...

Thanks. I've enjoyed your reading series too.

Customization isn't a big priority for me if I find a template I like, but it might also be convenient to have all my blogs on one system.

 
At May 15, 2010 10:05 AM, Blogger Ellen said...

I like wordpress' interface, but I found it to be so slow when you're doing simple things like writing a post or editing.

Maybe your word blog could be about the captcha words and your made up definitions for them.

 
At May 15, 2010 10:06 AM, Blogger Ellen said...

Like this one: phembra

 

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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Dark and Regatta



Another good one. Better than Cock 'n Bull, so it replaces that at number four. I'm still getting a bitterness. This one is better than Cock 'n Bull alone as well. I'm hopeful that it is a solid representation of what Bermuda produces and if they chose Barritt's over this one, then Barritt's should be better.

Next up: a new bottle of Gosling's and (fingers crossed) Barritt's the original and trademarked Dark 'n' Stormy!

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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Dark and Cock 'n Bull



This is another good one. Yes, I'm getting a bit tired of this drink. There is a bit more bitter than sweet/smooth than I would prefer. Let's put it at number four behind Squamscot, Buderim, and Maine Root.

Depending on who you believe, Cock 'n Bull was started by a guy trying to make vodka popular and a guy trying to get rid of his ginger beer and copper mugs, hence the Moscow Mule. I didn't really like the one Moscow Mule I've tried before. Cock 'n Bull has a recipe for the drink on the box and the bottle, more lime. That might be why it is more bitter. Regardless this is formulated for mixing, not drinking alone, and maybe for drinking only with vodka.

Up Next: Regatta Ginger Beer Authentic Bermuda Stone

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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Dark and Old Jamaican



Meh. So this bottle has more reading than is good for its 10.14 ounces. Naturally and Artificially Flavored Carbonated Beverage Ginger Beer TWIST. Looking at the ingredients the twist is lime and ginger. The ingredients are filtered water, sugar, concentrated lime juice, natural and artificial ginger and lime flavors, gum arabic, citric acid, sodium benzoate, and carbon dioxide. And get this, it is a product of Canada bottled for an address in Jamaica.

What I thought was an off taste was a bitterness from the lime. Fortunately, I got some Cock 'n Bull today, so I'm gonna throw out this tasting and substitute that one.

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At May 12, 2010 9:25 AM, Blogger Ellen said...

By now, are you getting tired of this drink?

 

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Monday, May 10, 2010

Theme Songs

Justified, Trueblood, The Life and Times of Tim, The Ricky Gervais Show. These are shows that I started watching this Spring whose theme songs I really enjoy. I've since stopped watching The Life and Times of Tim, but the others are good. I've linked to the songs in each title.

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Dark and Buderim



This is another good one. Must be something with calling it ginger "Brew" instead of ginger beer. It is a little lighter in hue than the Squamscot and a smidge stronger, but some time in the glass with melting ice cubes and a few more swirls mellows that.

Alone, it is very similar to the Squamscot, with more bite in the finish and sweeter. Again, it is another pure cane sugar soda. And on second thought, I think the sweetness is what helps it meld with the rum. You don't know if you're getting the sweetness from the rum or the ginger brew, and that's a good thing.

Up next is Old Jamaican Ginger Beer Twist with Natural and Artificial Flavorings.

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Sunday, May 09, 2010

Dark and Squamscot



We might have a leader in the clubhouse with this one. It has the slow peppery burn that I think should distinguish the dark and stormy from the ginger gale. It also succeeds where the previous two failed in becoming the sum of its parts. Flavor profile-wise, it is more subtle than the Maine Root Ginger Brew, and with a honey color it makes for a prettier drink, probably, than the greenish, cloudy Ginger Brew.

Drunk alone without the rum, I think the cane sugar instead of corn syrup serves the drink well. It has an effervescent and refreshing punch.

Next up: Buderim Ginger "Authentic Australian" Ginger Brew

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At May 10, 2010 8:55 AM, Blogger Ellen said...

You're working your way through that bottle of rum pretty quickly.


gesesses

 
At May 10, 2010 6:32 PM, Blogger Daniel said...

Yeah, I know. I hope I have enough to make it to Friday. Worst case scenario, I could use my Kraken black rum.

leodwar

 

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Dark and Saranac Ginger Beer



The Saranac is a delightful drink alone, but like Sioux City (though better executed), it seems to be a ginger flavored soda. As you can see from the picture, it is much fizzier with more head than the previous two (that's what she said). This one is closer in flavor to the ginger gale, but with more of the black rum present, the combination then tastes a bit--off.

I don't know what impact two fewer ice cubes had on this tasting, though I made sure to still use eight ounces of the ginger beer with two ounces of rum. Up next is Squamscot.

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Friday, May 07, 2010

Dark and Sioux City Ginger Beer




The first difference I noticed between this one and the Maine Root was the color. Maine was cloudy and slightly green, while Sioux City was clear and brown, like iced tea. Sioux City also paled in comparison when it came to flavor/taste. It didn't have the bite of the Maine Root, and while it has more punch than a ginger ale, it is a big meh on the ginger beer spectrum. Tasting it alone, without the rum, it reminds me of Sioux City's sarsaparilla with ginger added, and sort of an artificial flavor.

As for with the rum, it isn't any thing to write home about (though it is enough to blog about). I don't know what Barritt's is like or what the other five I have are, but this one seems to be sitting on the fence twixt ginger ale and ginger beer, so I'd rather have one of those two, than one that doesn't know what it wants to do.

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At May 08, 2010 1:41 PM, Blogger Randomness said...

yay for pictures!

 
At May 08, 2010 3:45 PM, Blogger Daniel said...

Thanks to you.

wershen (and hopen?)

 

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Thursday, May 06, 2010

Dark and Maine Root Ginger Brew



It begins! Initially (pre-stir) this had a lot of the bite of a ginger beer, that peppery, sorta harsh ginger with an inkling of fermented power. This was subdued with a stir but is still present with a scratchy ginger at the top of the throat. Definitely not the same drink as a Ginger Gale. With the Ginger Gale you don't have the taste of the ginger ale or the black rum, they blend to form a new happy libation. With this drink you have that punch of the ginger brew and a sweet shadow of the rum.

My method is six ice cubes of boiled Brita water (boiling and cooling before freezing makes for a clearer ice cube), two ounces of Gosling's Black Seal Rum, then filling the 12 ounce glass to the top with ginger beer (there were four ounces remaining in the bottle).

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At May 07, 2010 8:04 AM, Blogger Leah said...

I've never had ginger beer, but it sounds interesting. And I never knew that making ice was such a science these days. That sounds like a good trick to have up my sleeve.

 
At May 07, 2010 9:27 AM, Blogger Ellen said...

Both drinks sound wonderful and I'll be having them this weekend.

Note: we do not have a soda pop and candy store around here. Boo.


seuiter

 
At May 07, 2010 9:44 PM, Blogger Daniel said...

I'd only had ginger beer previously trying a friend's Moscow Mule (vodka and ginger beer in a copper mug).

I learned about boiling water before making ice cubes from the Food Science show, hosted by Ted Allen, on Food Network. Though that is my only take away from that show.

Trying to find a website for Rocket Fizz, I saw there are a bunch around the country.

 

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Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Operation Weekly

I found this blog mentioned in a beer blog I follow. Keith and Stephanie are doing one thing each day for a month. Last month was a different beer each day. This month they're doing this.

I've been drinking Ginger Gales the last two weeks, and they're really delicious. What I want to drink is a Dark 'n' Stormy, but I need Barritt's Ginger Beer in addition to the Gosling's Black Seal Rum that I already have been enjoying with my Ginger Gales. I requested it from Rocket Fizz, a soda and candy store in Lincoln. They have a pretty wide selection of brands (Boylan, Squamscot, AJ Stephans, Sioux City, and Faygo) and flavors within those brands.

Anyway, I have seven of their ginger beers, and my plan is to have one each night in the week leading up to Friday the 14th when Rocket Fizz should have Barritt's.

I should also have some pictures with the camera I got for my birthday.

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At May 20, 2010 7:33 AM, Anonymous Mark said...

Thanks for the link!

 
At May 20, 2010 8:44 PM, Blogger Daniel said...

You're welcome, thanks for the wonderful cocktail coverage.

 

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