Anyone up for a hike?

I have always wanted to visit Kentucky for many reasons, but I have to admit that being able to tour the Bourbon trail has to be at the top of this list. I have a fondness for this distilled spirit and I am always on the look out for new ones such as Buffalo Trace which I tried for the first time last July in Dallas, Texas. I liked it so much that when I got home I went to BevMo to get a bottle and was pleasantly surprised that it was only $22! Then after doing more research I found that the same distillery produces some of my other favorites like Eagle Rare and Sazerac Rye! Even more import was discovery of the Bourbon Trail hence giving me the inspiration for this blog. I look forward to someday visiting the State of Kentucky to see the Derby, eat Hot Browns and of course trek the trail.

Cheers,
G

http://www.buffalotrace.com/home2.html

The Best Brewery in America

For the past couple of weeks I have been asking my friends what they thought was the best brewery in America was. I didn't want to pick a brewery owned by a foreign country or a brewpub(I love them too) but a decent sized brewery. While trying to figure out which one I would choose, I kept leaning toward Northern California and for good reason. The list of fine breweries in Northern California is arguably as good if not better than any place in this Country, even Portland. With Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam, North Coast, Anderson Valley and Bear Republic (Racer 5 rocks!) as my main choices it was difficult to pick one singular one, but alas I have done just that. My pick, Sierra Nevada. I have always loved the Pale Ale (which tastes great in a Black & Tan by the way) and Celebration Ale but in the last year alone they have put out some really great beers. The Kellerweis is a great example of what a wheat beer should be, Their Estate Ale is fantastic (all of the products that went into brewing that beer came from their own well, Estate duh) the Anniversary Ale this year was amazing and I could go on and on. In addition to tasting great, their beers are very consistent which is no easy task. All of the above mentioned breweries could have easily been my pick and I encourage all of you to support all of these great breweries by buying their products. In addition I welcome your input on this topic and brewery suggestions.

Cheers,
G

http://www.sierranevada.com/index2.html