BEER (and apparently, WINE)

[Mock26]

half the reason I post these.  Not everyone likes to drink, but I have people telling me all the time that they don;t have ideas one what is good wine to try.  
and also becasue both pf my main gaming groups could be called wine-tasting sessions with some gaming thrown in...(well, not really, but it feels that way some times...)

Kind of like my D&D group.  We don't use miniatures when we play because my coffee table (we play in my living room) is almost always loaded up with food and drink.  The food almost always has artisan cheeses and various meats (I am lucky to live near a butcher shop with their own smoke house and they cure a lot of their own meats).  And there is almost always a bottle of wine, or I'll break out a new scotch.  When deserts are brought we sometimes break out a nice desert wine or maybe even a nice port.  In my group three of us are foodies and one of the foodies is also a trained chef.  Needless to say we love our food and we love to share what we like.

[Nomadic]

I am not a drinker (for several reasons) but from what I have heard microbrewery beer is very good. Where I live right now (central oregon) apparently has several extremely good microbreweries.

[LordVreeg]

Both of my live groups are very into Wine.  I think 4 of the PLayers and my self all have decent sized (100 bottles+) in the cellar, some a lot more.  

I do not mean to demean the gaming end of the experience at all, but as one's life grows busier, adding career (not work...there is a difference), property, and children to the mix, it becomes harder to maintain friends.  Gaming is the social outlet that has allowed me to stay in touch and actually keep getting together with my friends for decades.

Which is to say that the social experience of the game becomes just as important as the game: or that the game that was once at the heart of it is partially the excuse to get together.  The reason the computer can't take over for this is that at it's heart, gaming is a social phenomena.  An interactive, participatory, storytelling session.

So the wine is generally quite good for the sessions.  We had a 98' Pio Cesare and 00' Barolo (I don't remember which) last Miston session, and the Igbarians drank a 03' D'arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz and a 99' Cos D'estournel Bordeaux.
I also got dry-aged rib eye that I marinated in an 18 yr old balsamic vinegar and black volcanic salt, cooked on the grill with asparagus, also grilled.

[Mock26]

Both of my live groups are very into Wine.  I think 4 of the PLayers and my self all have decent sized (100 bottles+) in the cellar, some a lot more.  

I do not mean to demean the gaming end of the experience at all, but as one's life grows busier, adding career (not work...there is a difference), property, and children to the mix, it becomes harder to maintain friends.  Gaming is the social outlet that has allowed me to stay in touch and actually keep getting together with my friends for decades.

Which is to say that the social experience of the game becomes just as important as the game: or that the game that was once at the heart of it is partially the excuse to get together.  The reason the computer can't take over for this is that at it's heart, gaming is a social phenomena.  An interactive, participatory, storytelling session.

So the wine is generally quite good for the sessions.  We had a 98' Pio Cesare and 00' Barolo (I don't remember which) last Miston session, and the Igbarians drank a 03' D'arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz and a 99' Cos D'estournel Bordeaux.
I also got dry-aged rib eye that I marinated in an 18 yr old balsamic vinegar and black volcanic salt, cooked on the grill with asparagus, also grilled.

I feel the same way about my group.  We're all adults, two of them are over 40, 3 of us are in our late 30's, and one is fastly approaching 30.  We all work full time and one of my players is raising two kids on his own.  We schedule a game every other week but with life and all that we sometimes will go 6 weeks without playing.  So, when we get together we want to make sure it is a good time, and as we all love good food we make sure to eat lots of good food when we do meet.

Now, here's a question for you LordVreeg.  What wine goes good with a hard dungeon crawl that has hoards and hoards of crafty, mean, nasty kobolds slowing grinding down the characters?  

[LordVreeg]

Both of my live groups are very into Wine.  I think 4 of the PLayers and my self all have decent sized (100 bottles+) in the cellar, some a lot more.  

I do not mean to demean the gaming end of the experience at all, but as one's life grows busier, adding career (not work...there is a difference), property, and children to the mix, it becomes harder to maintain friends.  Gaming is the social outlet that has allowed me to stay in touch and actually keep getting together with my friends for decades.

Which is to say that the social experience of the game becomes just as important as the game: or that the game that was once at the heart of it is partially the excuse to get together.  The reason the computer can't take over for this is that at it's heart, gaming is a social phenomena.  An interactive, participatory, storytelling session.

So the wine is generally quite good for the sessions.  We had a 98' Pio Cesare and 00' Barolo (I don't remember which) last Miston session, and the Igbarians drank a 03' D'arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz and a 99' Cos D'estournel Bordeaux.
I also got dry-aged rib eye that I marinated in an 18 yr old balsamic vinegar and black volcanic salt, cooked on the grill with asparagus, also grilled.

I feel the same way about my group.  We're all adults, two of them are over 40, 3 of us are in our late 30's, and one is fastly approaching 30.  We all work full time and one of my players is raising two kids on his own.  We schedule a game every other week but with life and all that we sometimes will go 6 weeks without playing.  So, when we get together we want to make sure it is a good time, and as we all love good food we make sure to eat lots of good food when we do meet.

Now, here's a question for you LordVreeg.  What wine goes good with a hard dungeon crawl that has hoards and hoards of crafty, mean, nasty kobolds slowing grinding down the characters?  

As long as you keep some crafty kobolsd.  I give out no info for stupid Kobolds.

We drink almost everything, starting light and moving to dark, evil stuff later on.  I plan music based on the session, wine is based on food.  

(but for the situation you are discussing, I'd cook Chili, served with Châteauneuf-du-Pape)

[LordVreeg]

Best Wine Deal Ever.
Copertino Riserva 2001.

From Puglia, the heel of the boot of Italy.
I thought there was nothing good here, I genaerally drink Nebbiolos or Aglianicos, but this Negromaro has already aged well in 7 years, and has great flavor and finish.  Dark and Tannic, but with a hint of Vanilla and cedar at the end.  
Damn bottle cost me 15 bucks, I went back and bought a case for 12 bucks a bottle, as it tastes better than many 30 dollar bottles, and better than many more expensice wines that are not ready to drink yet.

Negromaro's generally don't age that well, but it might be the Malvasia Nera grapes that are fortifying it.




I drink some wine almost every night (hence my self-directed recenet damnation of wine-drinking elitists), and this was a real surprise.  This defines the proper aging of average wines making them very good versus drinking better wines that are not ready yet.

[LordVreeg]

Priorat wines from Spain, like many european wines, are the desgnation given to the region, not the grape being used in making the wine.
Priorat is one of 2 DOCG recognized regions in Spain, and they grow a prodigious variety of grapes.

Los800 2003 tonight, 50% grenache, 30% Carignan, 10% canb Sauv, and 10% syrah.  mellow, smooth, maybe a little simple, but good with pizza or light pasta.

[SDragon]

Does anybody know the rules on minibars in hotels? I'm planning a vacation, and while I won't serve any minors (<21), I do expect to have at least one visiting me in my room.

[LordVreeg]

whose name is the room uner?  That is all they need to know, unless someone does something completely idiotic.

[SDragon]

Oh, okay. Everything should be fine, then :)

[LordVreeg]

For the cookout after the baby shower, last Sunday, when I was officially as inebriated as I have been in years...
Sterling Reserve Cabernet SVR 1995---ready to drink and very dark.
Cos D'estournel 2000---A little young, but shows great promise.  Berry and a little fig note, and openned up well.  Stuck on the palate for over a minute.  
Beringer Reserve cab, 1998---Very jammy, heavy, and massive.

That's what I remember drinking.  It was nice and sunny, So there was also Gritty Mcduff's best brown ale, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Wachuset Bluebeerry ale as well.

Sarah Wendell brought Homemade Mead.

I drank all of this and more I don't remember.

[SDragon]

Sarah Wendell brought Homemade Mead.

I know this was homemade, and thus, we can't buy it in stores, but would you mind giving a review on it? If it sounds interesting enough, I might ask to see if you can get the recipe.

[LordVreeg]

Sarah's Mead I have ahd in many forms.
She made a Sassafrass mead that I cellared for 8 years before openning at our yearly Wassail party.  That was magnificent.

This was cinnamon mead, sweet and chilled a bit, with a very grassy, herbal overtone.  It was thinner (thus younger) than many of the others she has brewed, but that was good for the summer heat.

[snakefing]

I have a few bottles of the Cos D'Estournel 2000 in the cellar, now I don't have to open one up to see how it is progressing. Those 2000 Bordeaux have some years to go, I think. The one I opened up this summer had good promise, but still very tight.

Can't really get into mead that much. It seems to take a deft touch on the seasonings - unlike wine, honey doesn't seem develop much complexity on its own. So you have to manage the flavors very delicately, and in my limited experience I haven't been overly impressed.

[LordVreeg]

I knew I liked you...
I have a vertical of Cos stretching back to 1993.  Probably my favorite Bordeaux.  We must share more notes.....