Anyone drinking tonight... or, today??

Nice buddy!

cheers

watchu got goin on that charcoal bowl?
I’m also on the grill, natural gas Coleman

and of course, continuing the drinks w/ an ice cold banquet beer. Them good beers

 

cheers

 

I was getting ready to do burgers. They were good!

I love that you got your Crocs in the picture!

 

@Thatbassguy LOL buddy I’m all about the crocs now it’s hilarious. I wore them to the bar Thursday night

 

Biker Bar? Speaking of...saw "THE BIKERIDERS" last night at the movie theatre. Highly recommend it.

 

@NeverTooLate71
There often is bikers there yes haha little hole in the wall rock music dive bar

 

You wen't out in public with those things?

 

Hah
Indeed I did.
Heck they’re more expensive than some of the few shoes I own.
They were a thoughtful gift from my wife, they go with my array of clashing prints.
When you’re bald, rockin’ a long beard with hairy shoulders and back, and married with children - what’s a pair of Crocs to round out the look

 

5.5% Canadian classic Cariboo lager
Save the trees!

 

We updated the tequila wall a bit, 119 bottles, not including the random minis.

 

I'm very impressed!

 

A lot of things have been going on.

We are official partners of Mezcal Wednesday half priced pours.

 

Our June event was awesome. We were filled to capacity.

Control - Tequila Ocho Plata “San Jeronimo” Single Estate 40% ABV (80 Proof)
Every month we use this spirit to warm up our palates during the guided how-to-taste and it’s our consistent repeatable baseline that sets the bar for high quality agave spirits.

Pour 1 - Bañuelos Tequilana 40% ABV (80 Proof)
Tequila and Mezcal are both Denomination of Origin protected distillates. As we transition from Tequila into Mezcal this bottle is essentially tequila made in Zacatecas, which legally qualifies it as a mezcal. Production starts with blue weber agave that is steam cooked.

Pour 2 - La Luna Tequilana 48.51% ABV (97.02 Proof)
As we continue into mezcal, this is another bottle that aligns closely with tequila. We take another step away, by taking a step back in time. We’re still using blue weber agave, albeit Michoacan grown, but this time they are slow roasted in a conical earthen pit. Bring on the smoke! There are only a couple of tequilas in production today that still use this cooking method but it’s very common in mezcal.

Pour 3 - Rey Campero Espadin 48.5% ABV (97 Proof)
Now we’re getting into “classic” mezcal. We’ve left blue weber behind and we’re now using Espadin, blue weber’s genetic cousin, as the raw material paired with artesanal production methods - earthen pit cooked, tahona ground, wooden vat fermentation, and double distilled in copper alembic stills. This pour is smokey, high proof, and a lot more complex on the palate. This is what people tend to think of when they hear mezcal.

Pour 4 - Bozal Espadin, Barril, Mexicano Ensamble 47% ABV (94 Proof)
Continuing with artesanal production using Espadin, this bottle also adds in two additional varietals of agave - Barril and Mexicano for more character and complexity.

 

We had a distributor rep come by the house with the Cazcanes lineup to taste through.

 

We also hosted Maguey Malate to taste through batches and help determine which will be the next round of imports into the U.S.

 

On the Maguey Malate note, they are awesome.



Maguey Melate was founded on two ideas:
- Artisanal agave spirits are amazing and should be shared with the world.
- The faster, cheaper economy is a harmful force for people, the environment, and now agave spirits.

As mezcal is rapidly being discovered around the world, it’s very challenging for consumers to fully grasp exactly what it is, where it comes from, and how to fully enjoy the many nuances that make it so unique and exciting. This ultimately makes it harder to fully appreciate artisanal mezcal and easier for big business to exploit the opportunities offered by mass-produced industrialized mezcal. By raising consumer consciousness on the origins of mezcal and educating enthusiasts on matters of quality and character, informed people will be empowered to ensure the future of mezcal.

Maguey Malate is working to achieve this by offering an agave spirits box. They travel Mexico to find high-quality, super-small-batch distillates made by local producers. Every batch is different - different regions, different producers, different plants, different water sources, different still types, different fermentation vessels. This means Maguey Malate doesn’t have a particular taste profile and they are a lot of fun to taste through.

If you sign up the code “COagaveCollective” you save $20 on the first box and you can cancel anytime.

“Club” subscription - every two months you’ll receive (2) 375 ml bottles and (1) 100 ml bottle for $65/month billed every two months.

“Club Mini” subscription - every four months you’ll receive (6) 100 ml bottles of the same 6 spirits included in the club box during that time period for $29/month billed every four months.

Both offerings come with cards giving information about the producers and a small gift.

Check out https://www.magueymelate.com/subscriptions for the full details.

For what it’s worth, neither myself or Colorado Agave Collective gains anything from this. We’re just helping promote brands doing things the right way.

 

Tequila snobs? The two don't go together. "Oh, the bouquet!"

 

Anyone ever tried Sotol?

 

Old reliable tonight.

 

People who drink tequila are not snobs. We are enthusiasts.

 

Sotol?
If so, yes.

 

I have not. But, now I'm curious.

 

Flor Del Desierto is great, their whole line up is cool. In the US you can get a rattle snake meat pechuga but in Mexico you can get a rattle snake venom pechuga.

Sotol Parejo is fantastic across the board.

Quechol has one I really like as well, I can’t remember if it’s the pink or orange label.

 

I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for that. I might run to Total Wine tomorrow. That's probably my best chance of finding something rare.

 

We were on a trip recently south of Chihuahua Mexico at the Copper Canyon. We were introduced to Sotel. I understand it's made from the "Desert Spoon" plant? It's a succulent
The brand we had was served from a glass Skull Shaped dispenser. Really very good, tasty. Had a few shots in the bar of the Hotel Mirador overlooking the Copper Canyon.

 

What's with the microfiber towel?

 

Get a small bottle as your first experience. I've had some Sotel from diffferent sources that could pass for gasoline! The Sotel we had in the glass Skull was the best!

 

When I'm experimenting, I tend to favor spirits in plain bottles with simple labels. Novelty packaging seems to be a marketing ploy to sell overpriced, mediocre products more often than not.

 

The correct spelling is SOTOL