Some of the best liqueurs, in my opinion, stem from old recipes that have been perfected over the years, and Branca Menta is no exception. This old family recipe is the result of the Branca family’s work from over a hundred years ago.

The recipe was developed in 1845 with the creation of Fernet Branca by Maria Scala. The family then used a similar base and spices to produce Branca Menta, their second product. Branca Menta is similar to Fernet Branca in that it is a dark, rich liqueur, but the Branca Menta has a strong mint flavor to accompany it.

Branca Menta can be used in a variety of cocktails or all by itself. I usually enjoy it chilled over some ice, or over vanilla ice cream. In a cocktail, it can be used to add a sweet, minty addition to any flavor profile. However, since it is almost summer, and I am in Texas, there is only one thing on my mind: a perfect mint julep. Using Branca Menta as a replacement for the mint flavor adds a more herbal touch to this traditional drink, but it still holds on to the cool, refreshing qualities that make the mint julep so wonderful for a hot Texas afternoon.

Explore the many ways that Branca Menta can be used in your cocktails, and if you have other recipes, share them here for others to try.

Welcome to Grown Men! My name is Darren Sharp, and I’ll be running our (hopefully) entertaining and (at least somewhat) informative new etiquette series. This column is meant to be a compass to help you through the dark annals of maturity and turn you into a capital ‘A’ Adult. I won’t pretend to be some sort of flawless spirit guide, but I’m here to take this long, scary journey with you. Today, we’ll be discussing the expansive world of Twitter.

The Basics:

A tweet is a 140 characters or less window into your soul. Anyone who comes across your Twitter profile, for professional reasons or otherwise, is going to judge you as a human being based on the first two or three things they see. If one of those things happens to say, “Got crunk last nite!” with an Instagram link to an image of your empty bottle of Grey Goose, you’re ruined, regardless of how classy you think you usually are.

The Advice:

Here are a few tips to keep in mind, using my past tweeting successes and failures as a benchmark.

1. Watch your potty mouth.
I’ve never met an F-bomb I didn’t like. Still, it’s important to keep an eye on how often you’re swearing on social media. The occasional profanity is fine, but this is unacceptable, even if that “bitch” was being a “dumb ho.”

My general rule is that swearing is allowed if the tweet would be less effective or wouldn’t make sense without it. Just think of swearing on Twitter as your favourite sweater: Put it on often enough that people appreciate it, but wear it sparingly enough that you don’t get called out for wearing it constantly. It’s all about moderation.

2. Construct tweets as if you’re at an appropriate reading level.
This is a tricky one, because there’s an art to forgoing proper sentence structure on Twitter that can be really clever when done effectively. However, usually I find that a tweet sounds smarter when everything’s grammatically correct, and that’s especially important if you’re trying to give off a certain grown up online aura. Don’t let the character limit intimidate you; you can craft a perfect tweet that still includes apostrophes, dashes, and the Oxford comma—if you’re into that sort of thing.

Spell checking is also extremely important. There’s nothing worse than realizing hours after-the-fact that you’ve tweeted a blatant, unforgivable spelling mistake.

“Ho’r dourves?” Really, Darren of 2009? Minus another ten points for the alcohol-related humblebrag.

3. Be funny, but don’t be a dick.
My favourite Twitter users are the ones who have turned the medium into a platform for incredible one-liners. You don’t have to be hilarious to gain followers, but it certainly helps. Problems occur when you fall on the wrong side of the thin line between being sarcastic and being a flat out jerk. No one likes a bully.

One of these tweets called a stranger a “bitch” and yelled at her in capital letters for her mundane fashion choices. The other made a relevant pop culture reference and was less mean-spirited, unless you’re particularly defensive about Michelle’s place in the Destiny’s Child hierarchy. Cleverness always wins over open, baseless hostility.

4. Learn how to properly employ hashtags.
There is nothing–and I mean NOTHING–worse than a Twitter user who misuses hashtags. You can use hashtags as a clever addendum to a tweet that needs a little extra sarcasm, but normally, they’re meant to allow people to follow conversations on certain topics that are important to them. Not enough of the world understands this.

There are two major faux pas in hashtag etiquette:

1. When someone hashtags random words within their tweet with zero rhyme or reason: Thankfully, I don’t have any examples of this from my own Twitter history, because even 2009 Darren picked up on this early. But usually it comes in the form of someone tweeting something like, “Good #morning, everyone!” Are other users really looking to follow the conversation on “morning?” Doubtful.

2. When someone uses excessively long hashtags: Thankfully, for teaching purposes, Darren of 2010 was a master at this one.

Bloody hell.

5. For the love of God, don’t tweet about how drunk you are/were/would like to be.
Exhibit A:

Just NO.

Has it really been another week already, lovelies? Well then, pour your day’s first mug of wine and let’s get down to it. As always, I have spent too much time on the Internet so you don’t have to! (We can all live in a co-dependent, Grey Gardens-esque shambles together when we’re old, I promise. Just you, me, and the Internet.)

Reasons to Drink (in case you do these things by occasion):

1. This Saturday, May 18th, is Armed Forces Day here in the US. Have a cold Minty Ginger Bourbon Cooler as a tribute to the hardworking men and women of all US military branches. Get drunk for America! There’s nothing more American than bourbon; you’re literally not allowed to make it anywhere else.

2. The latest incarnation of The Great Gatsby opened last weekend, and if you’d like to entirely miss the point of excess in the Jazz Age, consider it an excuse to invite friends over for a Boozy Book Club and serve a Gin Rickey. Dress vintage and vaguely recall the themes your high school English teacher taught you about Fitzgerald’s classic.

3. Graduation season is upon us! It is time for the bright young people of our nation to leave behind their most difficult binge drinking years for an uncertain and unsteady job market! Prepare them with mason jars wrapped with tassels and filled with Brazilian-style Key Limeade; spiking optional but probably necessary, especially if they have to start paying back student loans right away.

Around the Internet | Booze-related and otherwise

To read: How Social Media Created (And Destroyed) Tila Tequila. Fascinating and depressing. Possibly pair with actual tequila and several grains of salt.

To take: How Millennial Are You? Or are you Jazz Age at heart, old sport?

To put on your wall over the bar: The Cocktail Chart of Film & Literature. Includes Gatsby and more.

For perspective: The World as 100 People.

And last, but certainly not least, your weekly tip on How to Be a Man, From a Woman: Or in this case, a 10-year-old. He has better manners than most adult men I’ve met. Take heed, gentlemen. And ladies. We could all stand to be a little nicer to each other, really, because “we are all planet“. (That last link qualifies as the weirdest thing I found.)

Until next week. Bottoms up, wireless gateways on.

Photo Credit: NYPL Digital Gallery

Hi guys! Thanks for inviting me to The Boys Club to shake things up. I’m not sure about you guys, but I have thoughts of sand between my toes and pink umbrellas in my drinks; summer cannot get here quick enough. For me, nothing screams summertime more than a Piña Colada, and that is what I am serving up today.

Typically, I am not a frozen cocktail kind of gal, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found out the original Piña Colada was shaken instead of whirled in a blender. The Piña Colada has been around since 1954, when it got its start at the Caribe Hilton Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ramon Monchito Marrero was asked by the hotel to shake things up with a new cocktail that would please the highbrow crowd. It took three months of shaking, blending, and trying different flavors before he hit it on the “coconut” with the Piña Colada. I am thrilled that he did this service for us.

The Piña Colada has definitely evolved since 1954, and there are now many variations out there from the completely non-traditional such as the Chi Chi, which uses vodka, to the frozen drinks we are accustomed to finding in most bars. I am a traditionalist when it comes to cocktails, so as I mentioned before, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this beloved drink doesn’t have to be enjoyed frozen.

Another surprise was that the Piña Colada is made primarily with pineapple juice. There is just enough coconut cream to make it sinful. Be sure you’re not using coconut milk for this drink as it will not create the thick creamy texture you want. Always use coconut cream, which you will be able to find in the liquor store. In addition, I think what made this Piña Colada even more special for me was the rum, so be selective with that. Most recipes call for light rum, but I like to use Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum, as it adds that extra wow factor to the Piña Colada. Dark, sultry, and sappy is exactly what I expect for Girls Night.

Denise Woodward is the blogger/photographer behind Chez Us.

Here’s the Story:

Everyone needs at least one trained chef as a close friend. It’s even better if the chef is also a wine enthusiast. They help make lazy Sunday evenings an adventure instead of a bore and make last minute meals possible, palatable, and fun. Ben is my chef friend, and with him in the kitchen, the food will always be top-notch. He never disappoints, but that also means the wine has to be good as well.

So, one Sunday, Ben was in charge of food, I was in charge of wine, and our friend Ross (a visual media producer) was in charge of choosing the movie and keeping the conversation moving, which he does quite well.

My only qualification for the evening was this: “We will be drinking white Burgundy – four bottles of it.”

“I’m in,” Ben announced without hesitation. “Sounds great to me,” Ross agreed immediately. I decided to clarify. “We don’t actually have to down all four bottles tonight,” I said, a bit concerned about how I might feel in the morning. “And, the bottles have to cost less than $20 each.” My friends looked skeptical.

Now, I do not consider myself a wine expert. I just happen to drink a lot of wine. Much of my job is entertaining clients, so I experiment with wine as much as possible. The predominant white grape grown in Burgundy is chardonnay. In fact, all white Burgundy, by law, has to be 100% Chardonnay. And Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is where Chardonnay has its roots. The international phenomenon that is Chardonnay today got its start in Bourgogne, so if you are going to educate yourself on Chardonnay, you might as well start here.

However, a few years back, deciding what was and was not a French Chardonnay was more difficult. Unlike their American cousins, the French labels traditionally did not mention the grape or grapes used. You were pretty safe assuming that a white Burgundy was all or mostly Chardonnay and that a white Bordeaux was all or mostly Sauvignon Blanc, but you couldn’t be sure without a bit a research. With the overwhelming success of Chardonnay in the United States and around the world, and world markets having grown used to American labeling, many French vintners, especially of less expensive wines, recently started adding the grape types to the labels. So finding a French Chardonnay is not the daunting task it once was. Finding a white Burgundy for under $20, on the other hand, that would be challenging.

“I’m thinking something basic,” Ben said as we drove to Central Market. “Like a simply seasoned, oven roasted chicken, new potatoes with Brussels sprouts drizzled in honey, a baguette with a strong blue cheese, and sliced pears as an appetizer while we cook.”

“Glad you were thinking basic,” I teased.

He did not take the bait. “It’s the traditional Sunday evening meal in many French households. We’re drinking white Burgundy, so a customary French meal seems in order. And it’s relatively simple–salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme. Give the chicken a good rub of those spices in olive oil, and then cook at 400 degrees for one hour. It will be perfect,” he added with a satisfied grin.
I could not agree more, and since I wouldn’t actually have to do any of the cooking, I was happy leaving him completely in charge.

Central Market has an awesome, simply organized wine selection. I found the French row, then the Burgundy row, and finally the white Burgundies. I scoured the possible selections, blinked a few times, glanced left and right, blinked some more. This would be challenging. I saw the usual white Burgundy suspects including Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon-Villages, Montrachet, and Chablis, but they were each just out of our price range.

Our price range left us little option but to stick with mid-priced wines. With French wine labels, the more detailed and specific the geographical information about the grape, the more expensive the wine is likely to be, and you would hope the better. For instance, if the bottle has a regional reference but no district or village information, then it is likely a mix of grapes from different vineyards all over that region and not from one particular village or vineyard. As I stood there, assessing our options, I decided to limit our selection to bottles labeled Bourgogne Controlee, meaning all the Chardonnay grapes used came from somewhere in Burgundy, but none of the bottles gave more specific geographic information.

So, What Is Bourgogne Blanc?

Bourgogne Blanc is both a general description of white wine from Burgundy and a more specific description of the source of the grapes. If the bottle says Bourgogne Blanc or Appellation Bourgogne Contrôlée, then the grapes can come from anywhere in Burgundy.

What Wine Made it Home with Us?

1. Joseph Drouhin Laforêt Bourgogne Chardonnay 2011 (U.S. $17.00)

2. Louis Jadot Bourgogne 2011 (U.S. $20.00)

3. Burgandy Hills 2008 Bourgogne Blanc (U.S. $16.50)

4. Bouchard Pere & Fils Reserve Bougogne Blanc 2011 (U.S. $18.50)

Back to the Story:

As Ben started cooking, Ross chose Pitch Perfect as our entertainment, and I opened the bottles.
Almost all white Burgundy have a noticeable initial thrust of flint and iron, a minerality typical of a wine from that region. However, even when pronounced, these minerals can add intriguing depth to the white Burgundy, as with Montrachet. But sometimes it goes too far, bordering on a mouthful of crude oil. The trick is finding one that is balanced with some fruit and acidity to counter the minerals. One solid example of this balance is almost any Pouilly-Fuissé – a 100% Chardonnay from the Pouilly-Fuissé Appellation in southern Burgundy. These wines strike a near perfect agreement between fruit and mineral, but they are also District specific and were out of our price range.

Ben sliced the pears, and then plated them with the Fourme d’Ambert, a semi-hard, cow’s-milk blue cheese and a few crackers, and we tasted it with sips from each of the bottles. Two of the bottles, the Burgundy Hills 2008 and Joseph Drouhin Laforet 2011, coupled very well with the thick, pungent cheese. Both had a green apple finish that dulled the expected flinty edges and gave them a crisp, clean finish. But the Louis Jadot Bourgogne 2011 and Bouchard Pere & Fils Reserve Bougogne 2011, tasted like the inside of a well-used inner tube. That characteristic minerality can sometimes run amuck, leaving the bottle with a strong taste of 96% octane unleaded. And neither of those bottles got better with breathing or the main course.

The other two, however, held up well with the savory chicken and even complemented the potatoes and brussel sprouts. The Joseph Drouhin Laforet 2011, in fact, seemed to come to life with the combined saltiness of the chicken and the honeyed sweetness of the side dish. In addition to the apple and mineral, this wine had hints of roasted cashew and an earthy, rutabaga finish.
Our consensus choice, however, was the Burgundy Hills 2008 Chardonnay, with the Joseph Drouhin Laforet 2011 a close second. The Louis Jadot Bourgogne 2011 and Bouchard Pere & Fils Reserve Bougogne 2011 did not even make it to the finish line. Our winner had that initial characteristic flintiness, but it was quickly balanced by and incorporated into a smooth, elegant, tightly crafted wine that was refreshing and intriguing.

What’s The Verdict?

1. Burgundy Hills 2008 Bourgogne Blanc (U.S. $16.50)

• Light minerality, quickly replaced by a splash of green apple and peach, well balanced, layered, goes well with strong, fragrant cheese and roasted chicken

2. Joseph Drouhin, Laforêt Bourgogne Chardonnay 2011 (U.S. $17.00)

• Light flint, aromas of pear, finish of Granny Smith Apple, well balanced, goes well with roasted chicken

3. Bouchard Pere & Fils Reserve Bourgogne Blanc 2011 (U.S. $18.50)

• Heavy, iron, mineral, and flint that lingers a bit too long, with just a taste of crisp green apple and pear

4. Louis Jadot Bourgogne Blanc 2011 (U.S. $20.00)

• Heavy flint/iron, green berries, slight hint of apple

What’s the Takeaway?

Surprisingly, we only finished one bottle. Not surprisingly, it was the Burgundy Hills 2008 Bourgogne Blanc, with each of us demanding a third of the last two inches in the bottle. It was the perfect ending to a nice evening, and there was no headache in the morning. So, go buy this bottle. You won’t be disappointed!

Mouthfeel, in both food and drink, is an essential part of the gustatory experience. But when dealing with liquids (especially alcoholic), we are subject to more constraints. Thanks to the Modernist Cuisine movement, though, we now have new and very useful ingredients that can help us control fluid textures.

The Science:

In general, an increase in the density of a liquid means a thicker and richer mouthfeel. For example, let’s look at fruit juices with and without pulp, like mango juice. The remnants of the fruit cells, essentially consisting of pectin, create obstacles to the natural flow of water (like potholes are to a normally fluid traffic flow) and increase the perceived texture. It all boils down to adding extraneous particles into our otherwise pristine fluids. In our pantries, we have many of these compounds readily available, and they all belong to one of these categories:

• Oils
• Starches (typically derived from corn, potato, rice, etc.)
• Pectins (fruit and vegetable pulp)
• Food gums (guar, alginate, locust bean gum, xanthan, etc.)

When oils are emulsified in a liquid, they break up in little droplets, increasing the overall texture, but I will deal more specifically with emulsions in a future article.
Chemically, the compounds from the other three categories are all long carbohydrate molecules called polysaccharides. The most common polysaccharide molecule in our kitchen is regular table sugar or sucrose/saccharose (do you see the linguistic assonance?). The sucrose molecule is comprised of a glucose and a fructose molecule joined together, and these are known as simple sugars, or monosaccharides. Polysaccharides molecules, then, are simply the big brothers of our table sugar.

The Lesson:

What does this mean for us? Well, polysaccharides are long and often branched molecules that tend to create a network, interacting with each other when dispersed in a liquid. By doing this, they imprison the liquid, increasing its thickness. Naturally, the bigger the molecules, the smaller the amount we will need to achieve a certain level of thickening (this is why potato starch thickens so much more than cornstarch). Another major differentiation among these compounds is that many need heat to be activated. However, there are some that don’t need heat, and these are the ones I find really useful because of their versatility.

To summarize, polysaccharides help us increase a liquid thickness and enhance mouthfeel. There are many of these molecules in our pantries. Their size and how they interact with water/heat are the essential variables that should guide our choice when using them. In the following recipe, I use guar flour to create a virtually flavorless thickening slurry at room temperature. It’s a very useful ingredient to thicken any cocktail.

It occurred to me recently that, outside of the iconic square bottle with the black label marked “Old No. 7,” most people don’t know a lot about Jack Daniel. Like many other distillers, particularly those in the age before multi-billion dollar liquor conglomerates, Jack is a fascinating guy to learn about.

The Early Years:

Jasper Newton Daniel was born sometime in the mid-1800s. The courthouse that held his birth records burnt down, so there is no official date in the history books. He was the youngest of ten kids, and his mother died a few months after he was born. Either because he was unhappy with his dad’s parenting or his new stepmother’s intrusion, “Jack” decided it was time to move out at the age of six. He lived with neighbors for a year, and then he settled down at the home of Dan Call, a businessman who ran the local general store and distilled whiskey, which he sold for one dollar per gallon.

Mr. Call taught young Jack everything about making whiskey, and they even perfected the signature charcoal mellowing that Jack would eventually become famous for. Then, a few years later, some divine intervention turned Jack into a young entrepreneur.

A traveling Christian evangelist named Lady Love came to Lynchburg, Tennessee, and she convinced Dan Call that liquor was a sin. Dan asked Jack if he wanted to buy Dan’s distilling equipment, and so Jack did. Dan no longer allowed liquor sales at the general store, so Jack went on the road to sell his own whiskey.

Out on His Own:

A new business owner and a great salesman, thirteen-year-old Jack Daniel began selling his whiskey in larger and larger volumes. It was at this point that Jack developed his signature fashion style that included a knee-length frock coat, a bow tie, a silk shirt, and a white planter’s hat.

Now, I think we all know that success eventually came for Jack. At five foot five inches tall, Jack was a short-statured man, but he had a big temper, which ultimately killed him. Arriving at work early one morning, Jack could not get his safe open, so he kicked it, seriously injuring his toe. He died of related blood poisoning a few years later.

The Legend Lives on:

Jack never had a spouse, but he sure was a legendary ladies man. One rumor about the “No. 7” name for his whiskey (though no one knows the true origins of the number) is that Jack named his whiskey after his girlfriends at the time. With little family to speak of, Jack took a liking to his nephew Lem Motlow, and it was Lem who carried the family liquor tradition onward after Jack died. Lem’s name is also on the bottle of Jack in your home bar, but you have to look a little harder for it.

One of Mr. Motlow’s biggest contributions to the brand is what he didn’t do with whiskey. As prohibition swept across the United States, distillers had to employ some very creative business skills to survive. Lem became renowned as the best supplier of mules in the United States, allowing him to easily reboot the Jack Daniel distillery after Prohibition ended. More importantly, though, Lem was a smart Tennessee state senator at the time, and he was quick to push for Prohibition’s demise.

The Lesson:

What I find most fascinating here is that the legendary events in Jack’s life are unheard of today. Electronic storage prevents courthouse fires from being part of our legends. Traveling whiskey salesmen, particularly those who are a mere thirteen years old, are certainly a thing of the past. Could prohibition threaten the success of a business today? A businessman with a style and personality that stood double his stature, Jack Daniel is certainly fascinating and absolutely one-of-a-kind. Now, doesn’t that black-labeled whiskey taste even better now that you know the legend behind it?

Photo Credit: Jack Daniel Distillery

Welcome back, darlings. I am glad you have returned. As promised, I have spent too much time on the internet so that you don’t have to! Let’s depart on this week’s magical, somewhat booze-related, ride around the internet superhighway we have all developed an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship with.

Reasons to Drink (in case you do these things by occasion):

1. This weekend there is one great reason to drink: Sunday is Mother’s Day in the U.S., and you should do something nice for the mother figure in your life. (If you don’t live in the U.S., consider this an occasion to convince her you’re really thoughtful.)

Here are a few options to consider:

Make Lavender Lemonade from Thug Kitchen. Optional: spike it with her favorite liquor, like gin or vodka. Base amounts on the number of hours she spent in labor birthing you, or how much debt she accrued putting you through school.

Whip up a batch of Mom’s Sangria from Chow, and invite all of the influential ladies in your life over for an afternoon of drinks and tasty tidbits.

Or go more traditional with Fast Drink Recipes’ “Momosas” at brunch. Pair that with Boozy French Toast Cups from Betty Crocker if you were an exceptionally naughty toddler (or teenager, or both).

Get her the perfect Mother’s Day gift: an engraved decanter set. (Remember: you’re the reason she drinks!)

Related: This amazing photo project of grandmothers around the world with the signature dishes that they make from photographer Gabriele Galimberti is pretty neat.

Around the Internet | Booze-related and otherwise

To read: Wine tasting is bullshit. Here’s why. from the fine science minds at i09

To bookmark: Coffitivity, your virtual coffee shop to provide you with enough ambient noise to boost your creativity

Dangerous home-based, booze-related science: How to Make Cocktails With Your Keurig. We absolutely do not advise doing this. But if you do, please take pictures.

The weirdest thing I found: Teddy has an operation [VIDEO]

The most inexplicably hilarious thing I found (which is incidentally also the best use of Vine to date): Ryan Gosling won’t eat his cereal

That’s it for this week, darlings! I’ll see you all back here next week. Kisses.

Photo Credit: NYPL Digital Gallery

Everyone loves a good soft pretzel. These giant savory snacks remind us of our childhood and take us back to those excursions at the zoo, the circus, the amusement park, or even trips to New York, where they can be found on almost every street corner.

But, just when you thought they couldn’t get any better, we went ahead and added beer right into the dough. Talk about a recipe makeover! The subtle flavor that the addition of the brew adds to this snack transforms it into the perfect treat that you’ll want to serve for happy hour and everything else in between. Best served warm with a giant pitcher of beer, these pretzels are one snack that you won’t be able to get enough of.

You’ll find these pretzels to be the perfect combination of textures. They’re crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Sprinkle them with sesame seeds or coarse salt for that authentic look and taste, and dip them in spicy honey mustard sauce for an extra kick of flavor.

As spring slowly succumbs to summer, the hot and humid afternoons beckon for time on the front porch or back patio, which happen to be perfect spots to begin exploring the beautiful world of craft beer!

What is a craft beer exactly?

Well, that will vary depending on the person you ask, but the common thread with craft beers is the idea of independent and small production brewing that utilizes traditional methods. One notable trend within the industry is brewing with the essence and/or extract of sweet summer fruit, from the classics like strawberry, cherry, and raspberry to the more unusual and exotic like papaya, pineapple, and passion fruit. The variety used in craft brewing is endless (much like the selection of craft beer styles), and brewers are increasingly more creative with flavor combinations that yield delicious, refreshing, and often uncommon results.

Samuel Smith’s Organic Raspberry Ale

One such beer of notable mention that is consistently ranked at the top of the fruit beer list by craft beer connoisseurs is the Organic Raspberry Ale from Samuel Smith’s Brewery. This exquisite, ruby-hued brew offers a dramatic, mouth-watering fruit characteristic that’s derived from the natural acidity of tart organic raspberries. Despite a distant hint of malt in the aroma, it’s difficult to detect any wheat or hops, making it ideal for those weary about the pronounced flavors that are characteristic of craft beer. With intense jam-like notes, this brew is excellent with a robust, creamy cheese (like Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam) or a fresh spinach salad. It pairs equally well with roasted turkey, chicken, or pork. It’s also worth mentioning that its moderate carbonation and mildly crisp mouthfeel make it the perfect substitute for a mimosa or a glass of bubbly at brunch (in case you desire a beer prior to noon like I often do).

Spoetzl Brewery’s Ruby Redbird

Another standout is the Ruby Redbird from Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. Crafted with Texas Ruby Red grapefruit, and with a delicate balance of citrus, ginger, and a faint memory of bitter hops, the aroma of this beer is simply gorgeous. Light amber in color, it pours with a tiny head that almost instantly dissipates. Unlike the Raspberry Ale, there’s far more evidence of traditional beer flavors, but the unexpected combination of hops and grain with fruit and spice makes this one truly unique. Each sip has me dreaming of Pho, Pad Thai, and other spicy Asian dishes, though, I often find that I’ve finished the pack before deciding what to eat. The one downside to Ruby Redbird is that it’s seasonal (meaning limited availability). It’s typically only available from late spring through the end of summer. Better stock up!

Photo Credits: Samuel Smith’s Brewery, Spoetzl Brewery