Friday Night Pints
Sorry for the delay
Hello! If you are reading this, then you probably know that I also do a podcast on this same network (Is it a network? What is Substack? Who is Substack), and that has dominated my Fridays. However, I was recently told that I should keep the written portion of Friday Night Pints going by some very influential people, so going it shall keep! If you haven’t listened to the podcast, please give it a listen, but as you may or may not know, I started out as a writer and still very much enjoy it, so I’m going to make a conscious decision to get FNP out alongside the pod, so you can either listen to the pod and whatever amazing interview I have on there, or you can delve right into what I tried over the week and if it was any good. So, without further ado, Friday Night Pints.
Laissez Faire Red blend
We had Joe Schner on this week’s podcast and he came in with this nice little red. As our friend Stefon would say, this blend has it all. 36% Sangiovese, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Tempranillo, 14% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 3% Syrah. You get overripened fruit, think plum and cherry, on the nose with a touch of spice. As Joe talked about, the acidity of the wine makes it very drinkable and it pairs well with food. On the palate, you get that plum, cranberry, cherry, and a touch of pepper on the back end. What I love about it is that it isn’t complicated or heavy, but light and almost refreshing. You can find it pretty much anywhere for about $25 a bottle.
Split Rail Swamp Donkey
I need to get back into the swing of things, picture-wise. This pic was taken after a considerable background clean-up and the tortilla chips still made the shot, so I need to do some soul-searching.
Swamp Donkey is another red blend but is almost the complete opposite of the Laissez Faire in that this wine boasts some of those deep flavors we associate with big red wines while using a lot of the same grapes. Trying these two wines back to back is an amazing example of what can be done with Snake River Valley grapes in the hands of two completely different winemakers. This one has 60% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache, 10% Cabernet, 10% Petit Verdot. Split Rail describes it as a “doff of the hat to the cellar rats that lurk in the deep dark shadows of the barrel room.” In other words, this wine was made for the winemakers and you get that right away. Raspberries, black cherry, currents, and peppery spice come through nicely on the nose and in the flavor profile. The acidity isn’t as high as the Laissez Faire, but it drinks just as easily with all of those bright fruits. You can find this donkey in 12oz cans or in big bottles all around town.
Loose Screw Fresh Hop English IPA
I had a chance to go over to Loose Screw and tried a couple of their beers and I was very impressed with the fresh hop. A couple of weeks ago I talked about how fresh hop beers used to go one of two ways: either they were big, bright IPAs or they had a touch of color to them and drank more like harvest ales. This one falls into the latter category and I am here for it. The fresh hops, Crystal hops, are subtle but provide a lot of flavor. You get pine, citrus, and some graham crackers on the nose. This beer is crazy balanced with flavors of graham cracker, honey, pine, and grapefruit. It’s almost like a celebra … no, I won’t say that, but it’s at least a small party. 6.5% 45 IBU. On tap at Loose Screw.
Loose Screw Meridian Haze Hazy IPA
This beer immediately grabs your attention because of just how pretty it is in the glass. It literally looks like a sunset with beautiful colors of red, orange, and yellow with a thick white head. Brewer Jake used some fancy malts to get this bird to sing and sing it does. Diving in, you get lots of tropical notes of pineapple, passion fruit, strawberry, melon, and a touch of lemon rind on the nose. The pineapple comes through nicely on the palate, with just a touch of strawberry and melon and the finish brings in that lemon rind with a touch of that bitterness. A fun hazy from Loose Screw. 6.8% 40 IBU. Found on tap at Loose Screw