Subject: Beverages

• Hello Budweiser American Ale

  October 24, 2008

• McCafe Latte at McDonald’s

  October 27, 2008

• Candidate Cocktails on Election Day 2008

  November 4, 2008

• Recession Thanksgiving Tip: Drink Beer Instead of Wine

  Airline travel is down, grocery stores are giving away free turkeys to get customers in the door, and everybody is looking for ways to economize this Thanksgiving. But before you decide to save money by buying a jug of Riunite instead of an expensive wine, consider serving your guests American craft beers with dinner this year. Most discerning food lovers are much happier drinking good beer than cheap wine anyway. And there are more great American beers to choose from the ever before.  J

  November 25, 2008

• What to Get a Texas Beer Lover for Christmas?

  The Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner celebrates its 100th birthday next year and while we'll have to wait until January for the anniversary beer to be released, a new book on the history of the brewery has already hit the bookstores--just in time for Christmas. The hefty coffee table book (beer table book?) is packed with archival photos, old Shiner beer advertising, and tales of Kosmos Spoetzl.

  December 2, 2008

• Congratulations: It's a Dopplebock!

  While it hasn't actually been announced yet, beer geeks report that Shiner 100, the beer that will mark Shiner's 100th anniversary, will be a dopplebock. The robust German-style beer will be labled Shiner Commemorator. Doppelbocks are traditionally darker and stronger than standard bocks. Shiner Commemorator will be 6.7% alcohol. It's an old German brewing tradition to give a starkbier, or doppelbock a name that ends in -ator. Paulaner Salvator was the original doppelbock, it was brewed by monk

  December 26, 2008

• I'll Have a Little Wine With That Peekytoe Crab

  Voice Restaurant in the Hotel Icon (220 Main Street) has come up with another special dinner, a five-course tasting menu and wine pairing for $75 a person on January 21. This time they are teaming up with Axel Schug of Schug Cameros Estate Winery in California. Here's the menu from Executive Chef Michael Kramer, Pastry Chef Charles Allen and Wine Director Todd Leveritt:

  January 16, 2009

• Wine Trends for 2009: Quality and Value

  The best wine bars, like the best restaurants, are always a reflection of the owner's vision and personality. 13 Celsius Win Bar in midtown Houston is no exception. On the bar side, proprietor Ian Rosenberg, an architect by profession and training, has transformed a circa-1927 Mediterannean-style building into one of the most elegant and sexy spaces for a wine bar in Houston. The building's redevelopment recently won an Honorable Mention in the Urban Land Institute's 2009 Development of Distinc

  February 5, 2009

• Aloha: The Beer I Had For Breakfast

  Kona Brewing Company's Pipeline Porter is "Made with 100% Hawaiian Kona Coffee" according to the label. It's a limited release winter beer and it goes down very smooth. There's none of the saccharine sweetness or ponderous malt you find in many stouts and porters. The taste is rich and creamy with lots of coffee flavor, yet the finish is dry. I highly recommend this as a breakfast beer with a loco moco. Sampling the local microbrewery beers is one of the joys of traveling. And the Big Island of

  March 2, 2009

• A Useful Idiot

  Photo courtesy of deep_schismic. Maynard James Keenan performing with Tool. Quality wine doesn't usually come from a vineyard named after a pubic wig (Merkin Vineyards) or a man called "Maynard" who happens to front one of the most popular metal bands in the world and who once carried business cards with "Jesus H. Christ" printed on them. But Caduceus Wines seems to be the exception to the rule. Notoriously eccentric entertainer Maynard James Keenan, lead singer for hardcore metal bands T

  March 24, 2009

• ANVIL BAR & REFUGE'S THE LAST WORD

  April 2, 2009

• COMMUNITY BAR'S F.M.B.

  March 12, 2009

• Eco-Friendly Wine

  Web exclusive!

  February 26, 2009

• BEDFORD'S AGAVE SOUR

  February 26, 2009

• American Homebrewers Association Rally

  Web exclusive!

  February 12, 2009

• Upcoming Events

  Big Bertha at Saint ArnoldThis weekend marks the end of the nearly week-long Wine and Food Week in The Woodlands. And since most people haven't been able to attend the events that took place during the week, it's a sure bet that the Waterway will be packed to the gills with food and wine connoisseurs from across the city. Although most of the seminars and classes are staggeringly expensive, here are your best choices for Saturday and Sunday: Kidz R Cooking - Free event with local chefs t

  May 29, 2009

• Reserve Champagne Tasting

  December 11, 2008

• Texas Beer

  October 30, 2008

• THE HARP'S LIQUID COCAINE

  October 16, 2008

• Texas Wants Beer: Five Places to Drink Beer in Houston

  October 16, 2008

• Texas Wants Beer: Change This Law!

  October 16, 2008

• Texas Wants Beer!

  October 16, 2008

• Breakfast With a Bourbon Expert

  Chris Morris is sipping coffee at the bar. It's dark and sleepy at 9:30 am inside the Downing Street Pub, a cigar-and-mustache type of place where an imposing rack of whiskey takes up most of the back wall.Morris jumps behind the bar like he owns it and grabs three bottles of bourbon, which he made himself: the regular Woodford Reserve and two bottled just for the pub.The master distiller at Woodford, Morris's liquor palate ranks among the best in the world. He is one of the few American judges

  May 15, 2009

• Veggie Heaven

  May 21, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Bluebonnet Wine Trail

  While in Navasota lovin' on some alpacas, Texas Traveler had a hankerin' thirst. So we got on our trusty iPhone and found the closest winery, a funky l'il shack called the Purple Possum Winery. While in the air-conditioned comfort of the Purple Possum's tasting room, we met a lovely couple we'd seen earlier that day at a local diner. "Are you on the Wine Trail too?" they asked us. The Texas Highway 105 corridor might not be as well-know for it's vineyards as, say, Napa Valley, but there are a

  May 25, 2009

• Upcoming Events

  Whether your beverage of choice is wine, coffee or beer, we've got you covered in this week's upcoming events. The French Open takes place this weekend, and if you're looking for a spot to watch, then Coffee Groundz is the place for you. The coffee shop-cum-gelateria in Midtown is offering specials all weekend, with viewing parties starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Befitting the French theme, all wine is $1 off each glass or 30 percent off each bottle, all French press coffee is $5, an

  June 5, 2009

• Diet Cola Goes Healthy

  Photo by Robb WalshZevia Natural Cola is the first of the new stevia-sweetened diet soft drinks I've tasted. There is also a Zevia diet root beer and a diet lemon-lime. No doubt you've heard of stevia, the newly approved natural sweetener that's 300 times sweeter than sugar, with no calories. Stevia isn't a chemical like aspartame, sucralose, and the rest. It comes from a plant that's also known as sweetleaf. The new sweetener takes some getting used to. The flavor of Zevia Natural Cola is pre

  June 9, 2009

• Saint Arnold's Celebrates Their 15th Anniversary With the First Annual Beer Olympics

  Photos by Jeff BalkeSunday's bracing heat and thick humidity didn't stop the hundreds of beer lovers who turned out to help local microbrewery Saint Arnold celebrate its 15th anniversary while feasting on barbecue and watching the spectacle that was the first annual Beer Olympics. Emcee Lennie AmbroseTemperatures inside the brewery itself were near-stifling, all the better to increase anticipation and excitement about the upcoming move to a restored building in the Warehouse District just outsi

  June 9, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Nuragus

  Photo by Robb WalshThe Nuragus grape is the most widely grown in Sardinia. Some experts believe that the grape was brought to the island more than 3,000 years ago by the Phoenicians. It is so prolific and adaptable, it has been called pagadeppidus ("pay-debts grape"), preni tineddus ("fill-up-vats grape") and ua de is paberus ("poorman's grapes"). Overproduction has made it so cheap that few wine experts take it seriously. A friend of mine found this bottle of Argiolas S'elegas made with 100 pe

  June 17, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Southern Star Brewery

  Photos by Brittanie SheyThe canning processUp until March of last year, there weren't a whole lot of good reasons to spend a Saturday afternoon in Conroe. But now there's a least one: The Southern Star Brewing Company. Southern Star celebrated their one-year anniversary this spring with the release of their second canned beer, Bombshell Blonde. Perhaps you've seen the pleasantly phallic logo in your local grocery store -- a royal blue can featuring a cowgirl pin-up riding an A-bomb Slim Pickens

  June 29, 2009

• Texas Traveler: Southern Star Brewery

  Photos by Brittanie SheyThe canning processUp until March of last year, there weren't a whole lot of good reasons to spend a Saturday afternoon in Conroe. But now there's a least one: The Southern Star Brewing Company. Southern Star celebrated their one-year anniversary this spring with the release of their second canned beer, Bombshell Blonde. Perhaps you've seen the pleasantly phallic logo in your local grocery store -- a royal blue can featuring a cowgirl pin-up riding an A-bomb Slim Pickens

  June 29, 2009

• Frozen Fast Food Frenzy

  I, for one, welcome our new McFlurry overlords.It's hot as balls in Houston. You can do your best to hurry from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned movie theater / bar / restaurant / etc., but at some point you're going to be forced to spend more than 30 seconds outside. Just last night, Eating Our Words got stuck at an outside table for three solid hours because our friends are smokers, and of course smokers would cut open your still-beating heart if they thoug

  June 30, 2009

• Late Night Scene: Teahouse

  Photo by Sarah RufkaEven 15 minutes before its midnight closing, Teahouse on Shepherd has nary an empty table. One would think a tired employee would grimace at anyone new walking in the door, but the guy on duty is surprisingly friendly. Someone uninitiated to the bubble tea scene could easily waste these last few minutes looking over the menu, which has more than 100 offerings, from lemon kumquat dried plum black tea (#151) to peppermint honey green tea (#66). Luckily, the top sellers are high

  July 6, 2009

• Japanese Chardonnay: The New Frontier?

  Photo by Katharine ShilcuttWhile in Chinatown browsing the aisles at Hong Kong City Mall's grocery store, Hong Kong Market, last weekend, I ran across something interesting among the hundreds of bottles of sake: Japanese Chardonnay and Merlot, made by Chateau Mercian. It's highly possible that I'm the last person on earth to know that Japan produces wines other than the traditional rice wine, but everyone I've talked to has seemed equally clueless. Wanting to try a bottle of Japanese

  July 7, 2009

• Top 5 Cold Drinks: Alcoholic Version

  A lovely, limey caipirinhaA while back we made a list of beverages that hit the spot in hot weather. But we didn't include anything with alcohol the first time. An ice-cold beer usually does the trick, but sometimes a balmy evening calls for a beverage with a muddled ingredient or cocktail umbrella. 5. Caipirinha. Yes, Brazilians look better in bikinis than we do, but at least now we can drink their booze. For a while cachaça, the main ingredient in a caipirinha, was not readily available, an

  July 8, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Cinsault

  Photo by Robb WalshRose de Ksara is a dry Lebanese rose made with grapes grown in the Bekaa Valley. It tasted pretty good with tabouli and olives. The wine is made with about one-third Cinsault grapes. Okay, so Cinsault isn't really all that obscure--it's the fourth most widely planted grape in France and a major varietal in Languedoc. But it is of particular interest to Texas. Cinsault thrives in hot weather, which is why the French introduced it to Lebanon, Algeria and its French colonies in A

  July 21, 2009

• Rising Star Barista at the Greenway Plaza Food Court

  Photos by Robb WalshDavid BuehrerThere were a couple of coffee connoisseurs sampling the espresso blends at Tuscany Coffee in the Greenway Plaza food court when I stopped by to check it out. "We come by to sample the espresso every day," they told me. And they aren't the only ones. Barista David Buehrer has developed quite a following lately. I tried two "guest espressos," coffee blends that Buehrer ships in from other outstanding espresso roasters around the state. The San Antonio blend was o

  July 22, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Carignan

  Photo by Robb Walsh​You know about Rhone and Rioja reds, but you may not have heard of the grapes that many of these wines are made with, Carignan, Mourvedre and Grenache. These grapes are seldom seen on wine labels, but they are all pretty common in the Rhone region of France as well as the rest of Europe. Mourvedre is also grown in Italy under the name Mataro, and Grenache is widely used in Spain, where its called Granacha. Carignan originated in Spain and was part of the Rioja blend. C

  July 28, 2009

• Washington Ave. Revisited

  July 30, 2009

• My Top 5 Summer Beers

  In the winter, a cold beer is a nice thing to drink with a sandwich. In the Texas summer, a cold beer is a necessity. It is a cure for the malaise brought on by too many days without a fucking break from this heat -- the short term solution to global warming. And here are my five top beers of the summer: Photos by Robb Walsh​5. Southern Star Bombshell Blonde Bombshell Blonde is an American blond ale that comes in a can. The new brewery is in nearby Conroe. The founders are testing the th

  July 30, 2009

• A Cuban Cortadita on a Dog Day Afternoon

  Photo by Robb Walsh​I stopped into a Cuban restaurant called Conga and ordered a café cortadita and a glass of ice water yesterday afternoon. Conga is located on Richmond in a shopping center with a bunch of Columbian restaurants including the very popular rotisserie chicken stand called Dodo. There is also a Cuban sandwich stand in the same center called Café Cubano which also serves café cortadita. The two restaurants are owned by the same folks. Conga is a white tablecloth joint and

  July 31, 2009

• A Chat with Reid McGraff of a bar and grille

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​Seeing Reid McGraff at the Alden-Houston's a bar and grille -- an affable and friendly bartender, but with a certain polished bearing -- you'd never guess he'd ever tended a less elegant bar. Asked about his past positions, he mentions Hotel ZaZa, House of Blues, Warren's Inn and City Streets. Wait, what? "You know where 610 and Richmond meet, right across the street from Best Buy? Back when I started about 20, 25 years ago there was a nightclub there called Cooter'

  August 21, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Touriga

  Photo by Robb Walsh​Touriga Nacional is an ancient Portuguese varietal that was probably introduced to the Iberian peninsula by the Phoenicians. It's a black grape that typically has high tannins and very concentrated fruit flavors. The grapes are most famously used in the highest quality ports. Touriga is also used to produce red wines in the Douro region of Portugal. Touriga was introduced to the Texas Hill Country some years ago. The grape is currently being used in some iconoclastic b

  August 21, 2009

• Artisan Teas from John Harney

  Photo by Robb Walsh​Whereas English Breakfast Tea is usually a blend of Assam and Ceylon, with a little Keemun added to the more expensive versions, Harney & Sons English Breakfast is made with all Keemun tea. The flavor is clean and bright, with a fruity aroma. What a treat this is in the morning. I ended up drinking the last of it without any milk. Harney & Sons is served at the St. Regis Hotel in Houston -- in fact, the St. Regis has its own blend. The Waldorf-Astoria in New York has

  August 26, 2009

• Anvil's 100 List: Cocktails To Try Before You Die

  Photos by Katharine Shilcutt Pimm's Cup, No. 68 on Anvil's 100 List​Although only one page long, the list is daunting. Satan's Whiskers, Monkey Gland, Blood & Sand, Corpse Reviver #2, Death in the Afternoon, Widow's Kiss, El Diablo: one could almost mistake the cocktail names for santería ingredients. And the sheer breadth of the different cocktails is mesmerizing; some with egg, some with absinthe, some with champagne, some with rum. And each of them a classic cocktail, in the tru

  August 31, 2009

• The Wine Conference: A Chat with Geri Druckman

  ​Next Saturday, Houston will be hosting a home-grown festival unlike any other the city has seen. The Wine Conference will bring together an assortment of food and wine personalities -- both national and local -- along with a high-tech twist that's due in large part to its founder, Geri Druckman. In addition to such widely known wine experts as Denman Moody and Guy Stout, Druckman has also brought in social media star Gary Vaynerchuk, host of the popular online Wine Library TV series, to

  September 18, 2009

• Bacon Bourbon: The Next Big Thing?

  Photos by Katharine ShilcuttThe winning cocktail​​If the results of Monday night's Manhattan Experience contest are anything to go by, the answer is yes. It appears -- for now, at least -- that bacon hasn't entirely jumped the shark. The winning entry in the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience at the Houston Museum of Natural Science featured a Manhattan augmented with maple syrup and candied bacon, a concoction devised by Derek Black, bartender at The Rockwood Room. The sm

  October 7, 2009

• Caffeine Deficiency? Call the Coffee Ambulance

  ​Katz Coffee Company just bought a new "Transit" van and outfitted it with flashing safety lights and a wacky paint job. They call this high-profile delivery vehicle "the coffee ambulance." Katz custom-roasts proprietary blends for some of Houston's top restaurants, including t'afia, benjy's and Empire Coffee. Its mellow, medium-dark espresso blend, which I discovered while reviewing Giacomo's, is one of my favorite espressos. I saw the coffee ambulance when I stopped by Katz's roasting

  October 16, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Mourvedre

  ​Mourvedre is a highly tannic red wine grape that is often blended with easy-drinking fruity Grenache. Two of my favorite French wines, Chateauneuf de Pape and Bandol, are made with blends that include this sturdy red wine grape. Mourvedre (pronounced something like moo-VAHD) is the French name for a grape called Mataro in Italy and Monastreli in Spain. The ancient grape was introduced to the Catalan by the Phoenicians long before the year zero. The grape was planted in Southern California

  October 21, 2009

• Steam Punks: Baristas Throw Down at Houston's First Latte Art Competition

  Photos by Katharine ShilcuttSilence Huang points out good and bad characteristics on a calibration cup of latte.​Judging a latte art competition is deceptively difficult, as we found out on Friday night. Silence Huang, one of our fellow judges and a master barista from Taiwan, drew careful diagrams on the back of our judging sheets, pointing out all the idiosyncrasies and aspects that we should watch for in each cup of latte that hit the table. "Which of these looks more balanced and symmetr

  November 2, 2009