Tastes from the weekend - 7/20 to 7/21

We had a few new tastes from our weekend, including a few wines from the regular Saturday tastings at Vintage Cellar, a bit of cheese from Kroger, and finally some beers we tried around the house.  First, the tastings at Vintage Cellar:

330. 2007 - Azienda Agricola Michele Laluce - Aglianico del Vulture Zimberno
331. 2012 - Fondo Antico - I Versi Rosso Sicilia IGT
332. 2012 - De Forville - Piemonte Chardonnay
333. 2012 - Fondo Antico - I Versi Bianco Sicilia IGT
334. NV - Jo Landron - Atmosphéres
335. Arentine Reggianito - from Argentina, salty with a mild bit of granularity, not as creamy as we'd like, slight crumbly texture

At Kroger, there were a number of new cheeses out that we hadn't tasted before.  

336. Kerrygold - Dubliner:  This is a cheddar cheese.  The flavors were nutty and creamy and very delicious, although we think many of the cheddars from Cabot were as good or better.
337. Mont Chevre - Blueberry Vanilla Goat Cheese:  Brett liked this a lot, but Megan doesn't like goat cheese so she wasn't so fond of it.  Brett thinks this would go great on a summer day with a slightly sweet and crisp wine and some crackers.
     
338. Yancey's Fancy - Smoked Gouda with Bacon:  Again, Brett likes smoked gouda more than Megan, so this is primarily based on his palate.  The smoke isn't overwhelming like in many smoked goudas, but the the bacon flavor and aroma is obvious, but not too in your face.  Brett would eat this until he couldn't eat anymore.
     

Last, but certainly not least, we tried two beers we had on hand at the house.  Brett managed to fix some bathroom plumbing in the master bathroom.   The poor sink hasn't drained in a long time like it should.  Brett assumed there was stuff caught on the drain plug, but that was clear.  While checking the u-trap, the j-shaped pipe broke off at the connection to the larger pipe.  Yaaaa for old cheap chromed pipe that easily corrodes.  After a fast trip to Lowe's, Brett was able to get new pieces to replace the entire sink drain!  Brett hates plumbing so in response to a successful plumbing venture (and our late lunch), we opened two new beers and popped some popcorn to relax for the remainder of the evening.

339. Brooklyn Brewery - Silver Anniversary Lager - this is a version of their original Vienna lager brewed in a more doppelbock style.  This is very good and probably in limited supply, so if you like a good doppelbock or are just a fan of Brooklyn Brewery, try to find one.  
340. Foothills Brewing - Strawberry Ale - this is a cream ale with addition of strawberry (flavor).  We're fairly convinced this was brewed with strawberry flavoring and not actual strawberries.  It eventually starts to taste like a diet soda or gum you've chewed too long.  We don't recommend this.  

That's it for the weekend - we'll hope to have some new tastes (recipes) later this week!  Woot - we're now over a 1/3 of the way there!

Whoops - we discovered we missed a beer taste from The Thirsty Monk in Asheville!

341. Brouwerij Van Steenberge - Gulden Draak 9000 Quadrupel -  this is obviously super-malty, and Megan surprisingly really liked this!  Definitely try this if you can find one!