If you are at all familiar with our show, then you probably know that Keith works for Trader Joe’s. If you are at all familiar with Trader Joe’s, then you probably know that they have several products that have fervent, dare we say, cult-like followings. One of the products that has been high on the list of “must haves” (or at the very least “must tries) since its inception several years ago is Cookie Butter, which is a spread made from crushed spice cookies, among other things. Cookie butter has found its way into numerous other products such as cheesecake and ice cream, much to the delight of its fans. A few months back, Andrew mentioned to Keith that he had heard that a cookie butter beer was going to be released soon and that once it was available we had to try it for one of our shows. There were some delays in the beer actually getting to Arizona and once it did the quantities were limited, but we are happy to be able to have one that we are sharing with you. On this episode we will try the Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Beer, which is an imperial ale. This beer has been in development for quite some time and initially was going to be a porter or stout, but ultimately it was decided that this style would be a better platform to showcase the flavor profile of cookie butter. Brewed in Richmond, Virginia by Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, it checks in at 9.5% ABV. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

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Give It A Shot - Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter Imperial Ale

This is the week we finish what we started last week as we complete our pumpkin beer journey for 2020. This week we move to the darker side in search of seasonally inspired beer deliciousness. For this episode we will be trying the Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter and Clown Shoes Brewing Gordo Imperial Pumpkin Stout aged in Whistle Pig Rye Whiskey Barrels. Based on the descriptions and what we know about these breweries, we are hoping we saved the best for last. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Four Peaks Brewing Pumpkin Porter and Clown Shoes Brewing Gordo Imperial Pumpkin Stout Aged in WhistlePig Rye Whiskey Barrels

In our part of the country it certainly doesn’t feel like it, but when we look at the calendar we are reminded that it is fall. Leaves are beginning to change, the days are getting shorter, and of course, pumpkins are everywhere. In the beverage world that means pumpkin beer is everywhere. Over the years we have tried several of these seasonally inspired offerings, even dedicating entire shows to our pursuit of crowning a favorite for that particular year. While we haven't done that for a few years, pumpkin beer is still very much a part of our show during the fall. Over the next two episodes we will share four pumpkin beers with you. We kick things off with the Howling Gourds Pumpkin Ale from Trader Joe’s and O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Trader Joe's Howling Gourds Pumpkin Ale and O'Fallon Pumpkin Beer

Humbled by Humboldt. Those three words sum up quite succinctly the primary emotion of the many emotions we are feeling this week. To help you understand why we feel this way, let us back up a few weeks. Completely out of the blue, we received an email from someone who was representing Humboldt Distillery based in Fortuna, California. They wanted to gauge our interest in trying either of their vodkas and possibly even virtually hosting their founder and Master Distiller, Abe Stephens on one of our shows. We were surprised, and of course, extremely flattered. If you are at all familiar with our show then you know that vodka is something we have yet to develop a full appreciation for. We have sampled at least nine of them over the years with the most recent being within the past few months. We feel that a good vodka should most definitely be present in your home bar, but we are usually looking for our spirits to have more of a flavor profile. We wanted to be completely honest with Humboldt Distillery about our feelings on vodka and shared that with them in our response email. It turns out they had done their homework and were already aware of how we felt, which is the reason they reached out to us. They generously offered to send us a bottle of each of their vodkas and that is what we will be sharing with you on this episode. That is why we say we are humbled. We think that is so cool and can’t thank them enough! On this show we will be trying the Humboldt Organic Vodka and the Humboldt's Finest Hemp Infused Vodka. They are both made in small batches, slow carbon filtered at sea level and made from a sugar cane base. The Humboldt’s Finest is made with locally grown hemp and is THC and CBD free. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Humboldt Distillery Organic Vodka & Humboldt's Finest Hemp Infused Vodka

It seems that recently we have been in the mood for Sauvignon Blanc. Perhaps it is the fact that we live in a part of the country where the thermometer can still be found north of 95 degrees. Another possibility is that there are many delicious expressions of this grape to be found all over the world. Whatever the reason (and there doesn’t have to be a reason, anyway), we found ourselves creating a listener poll with the choices being two Sauvignon blancs from South Africa. This episode features the winner, the House of Mandela Thembu Tribute Sauvignon Blanc. The intention of the House of Mandela is to showcase the best of what South Africa has to offer. Their wines are separated into three categories and they have wines made from other varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Chenin Blanc. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - House of Mandela Thembu Tribute Sauvignon Blanc 2019

There are a few new things related to our website that we are really excited about lately. One of them is the fact that we now have our very own Merch Store! As of now we offer shirts, tank tops, mouse pads and coffee cups. There will be more styles and items as they are made available by the site we are working with. Another thing we have really been enjoying lately is putting up a poll on Sunday with two beverages for you to chose from. You pick the one that you would like us to try the following Thursday and we will podcast on the beverage that receives the most votes.This episode features the winner between two ciders from Tieton Cider Works: Bourbon Barrel Peach Cider and Hazy Strawberry. After all of the votes were tallied, the winner was the Hazy Strawberry. Even though we like ciders, we don’t feature them too often on our show. We would have been happy to try either one, but the hazy and strawberry aspects in a cider really intrigued us. Tieton Cider Works is located in Washington state and this one comes in at 6.9% abv. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Tieton Cider Works Hazy Strawberry Hard Cider

When we think of beers from Canada, the first few that come to mind are ones that have been around for years like Labatts, Molson, and Moosehead. While we have never done a podcast on any of those, we must admit to back in the day enjoying cold refreshing Labatts Blue and Moosehead on more than one occasion. Another well known brewery based in Canada is Unibroue, which makes the La Fin du Monde (as well as many others) and also makes Trader Joe’s seasonal release Vintage Ale. We have done a podcast on that one and it is available in the archives at AboutBeverages.com. This is all relevant because for the first time in years we will be trying a beer from Canada and sharing it with you. The beverage we have for this episode is the Ta Meilleure from Lagabiere Brasserie Artisanale. This beer is a Northeast IPA and comes in at 7% ABV. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Lagabiere Ta Meilleure Hazy IPA

The last few months have seen us continue to push our beverage boundaries in our ongoing efforts to keep up with the ever expanding world of liquid refreshment. While we are not able to try something from a new category every time, we are always happy to find new variations within old favorites. This week we will take it to the limit at least one more time as we go where we have not gone before to try a whiskey. We have had whiskey from many different places around the world, but this particular country is a first for us. For this episode we will be trying the Kikori Whiskey from Japan. It is distilled in Japan and made from 100% locally grown rice. It is aged for a minimum of three years in French oak, American oak, and sherry casks. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Kikori Japanese Whiskey

When you stop and think about it, the amount of options we have in the beverage world is overwhelming, to say the least. For example, the distillery that makes the bourbon we are trying for this episode makes ten different bourbons, all with distinct recipes. Today we will be trying the Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon. The recipe is hand selected and features a higher percentage of rye in the mashbill than most bourbon, which provides more spice and body. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon

At About Beverages, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that the concept upon which we created this site is that we are excited to try beverages of all kinds. We tend to focus more on our favorites (beer, whiskey, wine, soda, etc), so we are happy when inspiration strikes in the form of a current trend and also when that trend features something we have yet to try. With that in mind, we have decided to try a hard seltzer, a beverage category that has been trending upward the past few years. For this episode we have both the pomegranate and lime flavors of the Shell House hard seltzer from Trader Joe’s. Also known as “spiked seltzer,” they usually get their alcohol from fermented cane sugar and also come in around 5% ABV. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Trader Joe's Shell House Hard Seltzers Pomegranate & Lime

Collaborations are a frequent occurrence in the craft beer world, and with good reason. Most of the time when two or more breweries get together to brew up a beer, the end result is deliciousness. With the beverage we have for you this week, we have a brewery and a bottle shop putting their talents together, again! For this episode we will be trying the Passenger Side hazy double IPA, which comes to us from the creative minds of the folks at Tombstone Brewing Company and Tap and Bottle. Last year they got together and came up with Here Comes a Regular, which was a Hazy IPA that commemorated the 6th anniversary of their downtown location. While the release of this new beer does coincide with the 3rd anniversary of their north side location, it was not brewed specifically for that occasion. Once again named after a song, due to the current situation we find ourselves in as a country, the collaborating for this beer was done via email, according to Scott. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Passenger Side Hazy Double IPA Collaboration from Tombstone Beer and Tap & Bottle

During the last several months, there have been numerous challenges that have presented themselves to humankind. From new strains of viruses, to economic downturn, to centuries old hatred born of fear once again reminding us all we still have work to do, on the surface 2020 has not been one of the years we will look back on fondly. However, if we look a little deeper we do see that good things are still happening everywhere. We are all realizing that while we can’t do everything the way we used to, that isn’t always a bad thing. Creativity born out of necessity can be seen everywhere as we figure out how to best thrive in this new reality. Hopefully, we can continue to get closer to realizing that even though we all don’t agree on everything, we can agree on the fact that we need each other. Fortunately for all of us who enjoy craft beer, there are still plenty of amazing breweries that are still supplying our demand, with creativity continuing to be one of their driving principles. The beverage we will be featuring on this episode falls into that category and was crafted as part of an effort to raise awareness and money for a great cause, Black Lives Matter. We will be trying the Black is Beautiful Imperial Black IPA from Pueblo Vida Brewing Company. It was brewed in conjunction with nearly 1000 breweries across the country and proceeds from the sales of this beer will be donated to the Tucson Chapter of the NAACP. Coming in at 10% ABV, this is a style that we don’t see too much anymore, but has long been one of our favorites. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Black is Beautiful Imperial Black IPA from Pueblo Vida

Sauvignon blanc is a very versatile grape grown in many areas around the world. New Zealand, Chile, South Africa and the United States all produce quite a bit of the grape, but the number one producer by far is France, with most of it being grown in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. The wines from the Loire Valley, specifically the Sancerre region, usually carry higher price tags. Recently one of the Sancerre wines carried at Trader Joe’s received a price reduction which caught Keith’s attention. Since we have never done a show on a French Sauvignon blanc we decided this was the perfect opportunity. For this episode we will be trying the Domaine de la Vauvise Les Trois Terroirs Sancerre. Typically, the Sauvignon blancs from France are known for their Stone fruit and minerality, but since we do not have a lot of experience with wines from this area, we are really looking forward to trying this wine. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Trader Joe's Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2015

This week's episode represents a first for us at About Beverages. A little while back, we put up a poll on Twitter and asked for you to vote on which one of two beers you would like us to try for one of our shows. The options were Fvck Covid, a hazy pale ale and a Cherry Limeade Sour. You cast your votes and the winner of the first Viewers Choice podcast was Cherry Limeade Sour from Abnormal Beer Company out of San Diego. It is an Imperial Berliner Weisse (also another first for us) which still puts it at only 6.2% ABV. The can certainly looks cool and representative of the flavors we hope to find contained within. Thanks again for your participation in the poll and we will be doing more of these in the future. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Abnormal Beer Co. Cherry Limeade Imperial Berliner Weisse

If you have followed or listened to us for any length of time, then you know that About Beverages would probably not exist if it weren’t for coffee. We know that many of you out there probably feel like you don’t exist until that first cup in the morning, and while we tend to agree, that is not what we are referencing. Both of us spent 10 years working together at Arbuckle Coffee Roasters and after Keith moved on to Trader Joe’s, Andrew was there for another 14-plus years. Our time there cultivated a love and appreciation of tasting not only coffee, but beverages of all kinds and how they pair with food. This tasting and discovery of libations of all kinds always leads to great conversation. It is the passion to share those discussions with as many people as possible that ultimately created About Beverages. This brief story of our evolution is relevant because for this episode we will be trying a coffee blend, the Cohhilition Blend from King’s Coast Coffee. We have featured King’s Coast Coffee on our show before, and this one is the newest in their Bespoke Reserve collection. It is an alliance with CohhCarange who is a full time Twitch.tv streamer. The bio on his Twitch page reads “Happy, helpful, and respectful people welcome.” We couldn’t agree more! Cohhilition is a blend of Guatemala Huehuetenango and Nicaragua Segovia coffee beans which have long been among our favorites. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Kings Coast Coffee Cohhilition Blend

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