I was looking for somewhere to enjoy some good cocktails and the universal recommendation was Herbs and Rye, a small steakhouse and cocktail bar located well away from the Las Vegas Strip. It’s far enough that you’re not going to be able to walk to it, but the cab ride wasn’t horrible. Don’t let the outside fool you, it’s deliberately designed to look that way due to the 1920s speakeasy theme. Once you go inside, you’re in a dimly lit, red walled, vintage steakhouse. The lighting has the effect of turning each table in to its own island. They’re known for their extensive cocktail repertoire, to the point where the menu is pages of cocktails, broken down by era, and a half a page of food choices.

I was flying solo tonight, so I asked them if it’d be a problem to stuff me in a corner so that I could enjoy some food, cocktails, and read a book I’d brought along. They happily obliged, without any fuss. Amy, the hostess, was fantastic, as was Christian, my server. For starters, I asked him to bring me a Vieux Carré, which was delicious, as well as a 14 oz. New York Strip, butchered in-house, with a side of “Brussels Sprouts with Honey Swine”. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, seasoned with nothing more than a little salt and pepper. The side was also tasty, and should help convince people who aren’t too keen on Brussels sprouts that they can be done well. After dinner I asked the bartender to surprise me with something based on an Islay malt. It didn’t have a name, but was Laphroaig 10, Cherry Heering, orange and grapefruit juice, bitters, and an expressed and flamed lemon peel. Also incredibly delicious, and went well with some quiet reading time. When I finished up, they called me a cab and notified me, at my table, when it had arrived.

I had some free time today, because Heather was working late, so I grabbed a cab and headed down to Fremont Street to visit Banger Brewing for a tour and tasting. They’re a small brewery right on the old strip. It was interesting to see just how much they’re able to do in such a small space. They’re not distributed outside of the Las Vegas area, so if you’re out there, go check them out.

The first beer I had was the More Cal-Bel, their take on a Belgian IPA. It was delicious, with a great hop punch and good malt sweetness. It’s a little higher in ABV, so pace yourself.

Next up was the El Jeffe Jalapeño Wheat, a lighter wheat beer with the kick of jalapeño peppers. I’m not usually all that in to pepper beers, because while I like spicy foods, they seem to have the heat without the flavor. This was one of the exceptions, as the fruity flavors of the peppers shone through. Yes, there was heat, but it was a component of a well rounded beer.

I finished off the tasting with a Knight RYEder, their take on an imperial stout, made with some rye malt. Rye’s been making an appearance in more and more craft brews, bringing its spiciness and body to various styles. It worked really well in this beer, balancing out the roasted malts and alcohol. I’d love to try this one in a barrel aged version, I bet that would be really tasty…

I decided to leave a little early so that I could get out to Big Bend Brewing Company, over in Alpine, for their tour and tasting. Big Bend Brewing Company is currently the most remote brewery in the U.S., but has ties to Austin, where Steve Anderson brewed for Live Oak. I actually got there in time for the tour, about fifteen minutes early in fact.

Big Bend Brewing Company

The crew livened up the standard brewery tour by doing the tasting while we were touring, as well as discussing more of the brewery technology and processes than is typical. Usually you get some variation on “these are the ingredients, this is the process, let’s drink beer!”. We talked about the equipment, their expansion plans, the difficulties of getting ingredients on short notice due to the remoteness of the brewery, as well as the mentoring that’s being done to help make the next generation of brewers.

The first beer we tried was their Tejas Lager, a German Pilsner style lager that was light, crisp, and with just enough malty sweetness to offset the delicate hopping. I’m not a huge pilsner fan, but this is one I could definitely put in the rotation.

From there, we sampled the Terlingua Gold, a golden ale. It was hoppier than the pilsner, as expected, but still in balance for the style. This is a style I’m going to have to brew at home, because it’s one I can serve to people not that familiar with craft beers. In fact, if you can get it, this is definitely a good introductory beer for helping people move away from the fizzy yellow stuff.

Next up was the Big Bend Hefeweizen, which was a delicious example of a hefe. There are a lot of esters in this, lots of clove especially, that make it a wonderful beer for a warm summer day. This would pair well with some green chile enchiladas, some fajitas, or even fish tacos. And it’d be another good introductory beer for people looking to branch out.

And then we got to taste a real treat, the Pasión Peppermint Porter, a variation of their No. 22 Porter that they brewed for the Valentines in Valentine party that Big Bend Brewing Company puts on in Valentine, TX. I haven’t been a huge spiced beer fan, but beers like this are changing my mind. The peppermint wasn’t overpowering, but was definitely there, and went well with the chocolate notes from the roasted malts.

By this point, the tour was done and we were still tasting the rest of their offerings, including the La Frontera IPA, a bold, well hopped example of the style. Weighing in at 5 IBUs, it’s on the low end of the hop bomb trend, but it’s a delicious IPA that deserves a purchase every so often.

The final beer in the tasting series was their Winter Warmer, another spiced, higher ABV, ale. It was a treat to get to try two of their seasonal offerings, and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s a riff on a doppelbock, with some orange peel and coriander for additional flavor. This would definitely be nice with a big slice of mincemeat pie on a cold winter evening.

At the end of the tasting, we had the opportunity to fill our pint glass with any of the beers they had on tap. Sadly, I had to pass on that because I still had to drive to Balmorhea, about fifty miles away, so I did a little shopping before heading back in to town to pick up six packs of each of their beers to bring home with me.

It’s definitely a haul, but if you’re out in west Texas, you really should stop in and visit Big Bend Brewing Company. Trust me, they’ll make it worth your time.

I had some on-site meetings today that got me most of the way to the Sigel’s Elite, which made getting across town for the Laphroaig tasting much easier. It was no trouble to find, and there was plenty of parking.

I got in a few minutes after it started, and started off with the Triple Wood. I’ve had this one before, and it’s one of my favorite expressions. It goes really well with sour or tart foods, such as berry cobblers. The peat is definitely there, as it should be in an Islay malt, but with the time in sherry casks, it’s got a nice balance to it.

After that one, I played catch-up and sampled the Select expression that they’d started with. This is their attempt at recreating a pre-Prohibition whisky. It’s pretty darned good, with a much more forward oak flavor than I was expecting. I think this would pair really well with a nice bison ribeye.

Next up was the 18 Year Old, another one of my favorites. Being an older whisky, it’s definitely more mellow than its younger siblings, especially the peat. But that allows the other flavor notes to really shine. I’m not sure what I’d pair this with, because it’s one to be savored. I think that good friends and possibly a good cigar are the perfect accompaniment for a wee dram of this whisky.

Once we had finished that one, we got to taste the 2014 Cairdeas. I guess Simon was feeling the Christmas spirit, because this was completely unexpected. I’ve got a bottle of it at the house, but I haven’t opened it yet. It was definitely interesting, with a pronounced sherry note, along with some yeasty flavors. I’m not a huge fan of sherry finishes, but this one is an exception. I’m thinking it’d go well with a crème brûlée or maybe some sweet crepes.

And finally, we got a real Christmas treat as Simon opened up a bottle of the 25 year old. This is Laphroaig’s oldest normally available bottling, and one I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. It’s just been a little too expensive to buy a bottle on a whim, so this was definitely a treat. What can I say, it was fantastic. The peat’s hiding in the background, but there’s a flavor explosion going on with everything else that’s been hiding or developing over time.

Once the tasting was done, I spent a few minutes chatting with Simon before picking up a few bottles of the Select, and getting one signed. All in all, a great way to spend an evening.

Heather and I went down to Grapevine Craft Brewery to check them out and try some tasty brews. They’re still in their Farmer’s Branch location, but are expecting to be moved in to the Grapevine facility by April 2015. They do tastings on the first Saturday of the month, and this one happens to coincide with North Texas Beer Week, which meant that we got special pint glasses with our tickets. The tour is pretty standard for a craft brewery, with a discussion on how beer is made and what the equipment does. They jazzed it up a little with some trivia questions throughout the presentation. I happened to know the term for chilling beer to get the yeast to settle out: cold crashing. I shouted it out and won a gift certificate to Finley’s Barber Shop, who were there doing shaves for Movember.

The first beer I tried was Sir William’s English Brown Ale, which was the subject of some controversy earlier this year and has subsequently vindicated itself by winning a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. It’s a really nice brown ale, light and fruity with a good malt finish and a gentle hopping. Plus I got to hold the actual gold medal, which was pretty cool.

My second and final beer was the Bourbon Wood Aged Nightwatch Oatmeal Stout. I’m pretty picky when it comes to oaked or barrel aged beers, especially bourbon barrel aged beers because most of them just taste too unbalanced to me. This was one of the exceptions, and a delicious exception it was. The oak and bourbon balanced nicely with the oatmeal stout flavors to create a delicious beer.

We spent some time enjoying the beers, talking to the staff and the guys from Finley’s, and nosing around the brewery. I picked up a shirt, and we got a couple koozies as freebies, plus our pint glasses. After that, we headed out to finish our Saturday errands.