Joseph Handler Sweet Red Dornfelder Wine

On a recent trip to Trader Joe's the other day to purchase "2 Buck Chuck", we decided to try a wine that was being sampled. The wine we sampled was Joseph Handler Sweet Red Dornfelder grown in the region of Rheinhessen, Germany. I have to admit that when I first saw this wine, I immediately decided I didn't want to taste it just because it said sweet red. But after I asked the server about the wine, he informed me that it was not as sweet as the label would have you think. The label had listed a alcohol content of 9%, I assumed it was going to taste extremely sweet. But to my amazement, it was not that sweet. It has a slightly sweet, fruit taste with a hint of dryness. It pairs well with everything and also great for just drinking by itself. In one word, I would have to say this wine is AWESOME!! I would definitely recommend this wine to anyone who enjoys a good glass or three. I haven't seen it anywhere else, so if you are ever in Trader Joe's be sure to pick a bottle of this awesomely delicious wine and at $5.49 you won't regret it!!

Vitamin Water

I saw vitamin water in the grocery store recently and my first thought was oh boy, another water!! Don't get me wrong, I drink alot of water. I never was too much into the flavored waters though, I'm more of a plain, unflavored water drinker until I broke down and gave the vitamin water a whirl. I usually prefer beverages that are unsweetened. But this one really surprised me. I had the vitamin water XXX with acai, blueberry and pomegranate. It was very refreshing and not overpowering sweet. It was a real thirst quencher. I also liked that it was naturally sweetened and didn't contain artificial sweeteners which I personally do not care for. I'm looking forward to trying a few more flavors that they offer. Both reasonably priced and refreshing!!

Carolina Blonde Beer

On vacation I was searching for a new beer to try and come across Caroline Blonde. Made by Carolina Beer Company located in Mooresville, NC just north of Charlotte. Carolina Blonde is a full-bodied golden ale that's smooth and refreshing with a hint of fruitiness and its not heavy at all. I really enjoyed drinking this beer at the lake on my vacation. I look forward to having this beer again and would like to try other varieties that they offer.

Beers of Mexica Fiesta Pack

So I was shopping in Sam's Club the other day and come across a the Beers of Mexico Fiesta pack and just had to try it. There were four Mexican beer varieties included in the box: Dos Equis Amber, Dos Equis Lager, Tecate and Sol.


Per my previous post on Dos Equis Amber, it has a very smooth, rich flavor that is not a all heavy - it's GREAT, Love it!! It definitely ranks as one of my favorites. Dos Equis Lager on the other hand has a milder flavor and not as bold. I prefer the darker amber to the pale lager version.

Tecate was not a bold as Dos Equis Amber but was crisp with a slightly bitter aftertaste. A good tasting beer that I would definitely drink again.

Lastly, I tried the Sol. It wasn't too bad. It very light tasting and reminded me of Corona. But it's not one I would rush out to buy, but would drink if it were included in a variety pack such as this one.

So if you are ever in the market for a fiesta pack of beer, I highly recommend you give this one a try. Overall I enjoyed all the beers in this pack and was not at all disappointed. It's always fun to try new beers, you never know what you might discover and it always help if the pack has one of your favorites included!!

Franzia - Wine in a Box

Yes, you did read the title correct. Franzia wine in a box - wow - I didn't think I would ever try that one. But, I finally broke down and picked up a box of wine. After several trips to the store looking at wines, I purchased the Franzia Sunset Blush. To my amazement, it was actually very good. I think just the thought of drinking wine from a box made me a bit skeptical. But I have to admit, I'm actually looking forward to trying the other varieties! The wine was very refreshing, has a light strawberry flavor and very easy to drink. It was as equally good as more expensive brands in a bottle if not better than some others I have tried in the past.


The box is an added benefit, it stays fresher than a bottle once opened. Now, I have to admit I usually don't have open bottles of wine just sitting around, once they are opened, they are usually finished off!! But there are rare occasions when you may want just one glass and don't want to open a bottle, in that case this box is PERFECT! I had my box open for quite a while and I have to say each glass tastes just as good as the first one.

So if you are a little hesitant because of the box issue, I say, go for it and give it a whirl..you won't regret, it's well worth trying!!

Cinco De Mayo

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I felt the need to write a post about my two favorite mexican beverages to celebrate the day. On the beer side, I would have to say you must have a Dos Equis Amber or two to celebrate cinco de mayo. It has a very smooth, rich flavor that's not at all heavy. Although I prefer it on draught, it's one of the few beers that taste equally as good from the bottle.

On the other hand, I would also have to recommend the original margarita. Another one of my personal favorites. I recently started using a new recipe that does not contain store bought mixer. Now, I know I've been making them wrong all these years!! Just a simple recipe of equal parts, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and finish it with simple syrup to taste. Put those ingredients in shaker along with ice and serve. Marvelous to say the least!! I'm sure it's equally delicious served frozen as well but I prefer on the rocks. Hope you have a wonder Cinco De Mayo!

Arizona Green Tea with Red Apple

I know I'm going a little off subject here but I just had to share this and this blog is dedicated the 'all' things liquid! I was out running errands all day a few days ago and was extremely parched and had to stop to get a beverage. I initially intended to purchase an Arizona Green Tea with honey and ginseng but wouldn't you know it, they were sold out! My reaction of course was, that's just great!!

Since I'm not a soda drinker or someone that particularly likes artificial sweeteners, I figured I was going to have to settle for water again! But after searching the empty rack where the tea should have been, I found another variety that I wasn't aware of. It was Green Tea with red apple. My first thought was it would be too sweet since it had apple juice in it. But since I had my mind set on Arizona green tea, I bit the bullet and tried it.

To my surprise, it was awesome!! It was even better than the one with honey. It never crossed my mind to use apple juice to sweeten tea. It was just lightly sweet and extremely refreshing! Not at all overpowering, just a hint of apple flavor. If you are a green tea drinker, I highly recommend you give it a try!!

Menage a Trois Wine

I've found a wonderful wine with a racey name! Menage a Trois is a brand of wine made by Folie a Deux Winery in Napa Valley, California. I stumbled upon this wine while grocery shopping one day and found it rather intriguing. Each variety is a blend of three different wines in one bottle.

There is the White, which is a three grape blend of Moscato, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. I haven't been able to find this particular one to try it yet, but am still looking. I'm not a big fan of white wine so far but I hoping this one will change my mind!

They have Rose, which is a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Gewurztraminer. I think this one has to be another one of my favorites. It's light bodied as are most rose wines. Slightly sweet with tastes of raspberries and strawberries, very refreshing.

And they also have Red, which is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet. It's slightly dry, rich and fruity. This is one red that I was able to drink alone, it wasn't too dry. This trio has to be one the best red's I've tried yet.

The Kegerator, Keg Refrigerator

The kegerator is a definite must have for the 'draught' beer lover. I purchased a kegerator for my husband for a birthday present. I'm sure now he's rethinking his idea of getting me to like beer, because now he has to share the kegerator!

It's been about 2 years ago now and the thing has not had a break! We recently changed the tap tower from single to dual. We wanted to be able to have 2 different beers available at a time. Okay, let me rephase that, I wanted to have a choice of beer!! We've found that our particular model will hold a slim 1/4 barrel keg and a 1/6 barrel keg at the same time or of course the obvious 1/2 barrel keg by itself.

The only problem I've found so far is the regular short 1/4 barrel keg, you can only have one in the kegerator. And unfortunately, Bud and Bud Light only come in the short 1/4..I just can't figure that one out..They have the other size kegs but don't know why they don't put Bud/Bud Light in them? Go Figure!

I've been forced to buy Miller Lite in the 1/4 barrel keg, which in all fairness is not too bad but I prefer Bud Light. You think Anheuser Busch would realize this and change it..after all, they are losing money to Miller. I've inquired about this at the place I purchase our kegs and I found out I'm not the only person that does this! Come on Anheuser Busch - Get with the program!!

Enough ranting...Anywhoo, not only is having a kegerator convienent, its alot cheaper. 1/2 barrel keg holds 161 servings and costs about $89, 1/4 slim barrel keg holds 80 servings and costs about $49 and 1/6 barrel keg holds 53 servings and costs about $35. By far, the 1/2 is the best way to go but does take a while to finish unless you're a heck of beer drinker or having a party.

The only draw back I can find is, you're more likely to consume more beer than you usually would. I mean, it's a lot easier to grab a frosty mug and hit the tap than to dig around in the fridge looking for a bottle or can! Not to mention easier to lose track of what you had!! But it's fun getting there!

Keg beer or bottle beer?

The big debate..which tastes better, keg or bottle beer? Until recently, I didn't even think there was any difference in taste between keg beer and bottle beer. I guess that was before I really started liking beer. My husband had tried telling me for years that keg beer tastes different than the same bottled beer..I always thought he was just crazy..Why would the same beer taste different out of a keg than in a bottle! Well, I know now!

After comparing the same beers from a keg/bottle, I do actually taste the difference. Now I prefer keg beer over bottle beer! Now, whenever we go out to a restaurant or bar, the first thing I ask is 'What's on TAP'! And I've even been guilty of picking a place to go based on what they have on tap - I know, it's sad when the only reason you go out is to get a good BEER! Who cares about the food! Well, that's not totally true..the food is somewhat important!

So if you haven't already tried keg beer, give it a whirl..you just might find it to be tastier than the bottle! Once you get hooked like I did, you may even buy yourself a Kegerator -- a MUST have for the keg beer lover! To be continued...

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a green beer!

In honor of St. Paddy's Day I thought I would share a quick recipe for green beer. All you do is, take a yellow beer and add blue food coloring...the lighter the beer the less food coloring you will need. It's just that simple! If you are the type of person who cringes at the idea of tampering with already perfect beer, just grab a nice Irish Guinness or just a beer that comes in a green bottle and celebrate the day!

Time for wine

Since I've already posted a beer review, I thought it only fitting to write my first wine post. And for my first, I thought what better wine to write about other those from Hazlitt Vinyeards. If I hadn't asked for a recommendation in the local wine store a few years ago, I would have been missing out all these years.

First and foremost, there is the one, the only Hazlitt Red Cat. It's a semi-sweet, fruity red wine that goes well with just about everything in my opinion. As you can probably tell it's a favorite of mine. If you've ever seen the bottle, the label says it all - a cat sitting in a hot tub drinking a glass of wine -what more could you want from a bottle of wine!

Next would be Hazlitt's Cabin Fever. It's a semi-sweet blush table wine similar to white zinfandel. It's not as sweet as the Red Cat but very good. It also goes well with just about everything. I've also tried Hazlitt's White Cat - a semi-sweet white wine that has a ripe grape taste. Out of the three, Red Cat and Cabin Fever are two of my favorites. I haven't quite found a white wine that I really enjoy yet. But I'm still tasting to find it because I know it's out there.

My thoughts on pomegranate raspberry beer

Okay, here goes my first real post! So last night I tried a Michelob Ultra Pomegranate Raspberry beer. Well, all I can say its not for me. I'm not sure if it even had any beer in it at all. Granted, I didn't have the entire bottle, I just had a sample but that was enough for me. On a previous occasion I had tried the lime cactus flavor and I should have known from that experience that this one would probably strike me the same way. I guess they are okay if you are looking for something with little, to no beer taste and prefer a fruity tasting beverage. Maybe I'll give it another try but this time, frozen on a hot summer day or maybe try to make my own version.

Welcome

Welcome to Stem & Stein, my very first blog. I started this blog to celebrate my enjoyment of wine and beer. I know it's sad isn't it! But seriously, I needed a subject I knew a little bit about and that was the first thing that came to mind! I'm by no means an expert on this subject, considering I just recently starting trying wine and have not been a beer person for that long. But the more varieties I try the more I find I like. I'm not quite sure how all this works, so I guess I'll be learning as I go. Along with the obvious wine and beer talk, I'll probably include some cooking stuff also. So bear with me as I learn how to do this and hopefully it will be fun, entertaining and maybe even a little informational!