So here's an ale with a label that makes it look like the skunkiest of homebrew and a flavor that, particularly for the price, is very good.
Give it a pour and the jet black color should immediately catch your eye. The head is close to two fingers, lightly tan, and laces the glass nicely.
A quick whiff reveals malts and fruits; very pleasant. Give it another smell and you'll notice coffee in the backdrop.
For being so faint, the coffee actually hits the mouth harder than what I had expected. It's like the malts and coffee partakes in a game of volleyball on the tip of your tongue, slowly waltzing down your mouth to a gentle embrace of the tastebuds. As the beer warms up a bit, you'll also find a berry-like flavor joining in on the fun.
Flavors are, in other words, good. The mouthfeel is just a bit on the thin side, which becomes more apparent as the bottle starts warming up.
By all means, though, I'd recommend Troll Porter. It might not sit up there with the true classics, but it's close, and at a reasonable price too -- cheaper than Stone's offerings even. Give it a shot.
There are many social networks out there, and, let's be honest, most of them are pretty awful. I mean, really, what has Facebook done for you lately? Preciously little, or so I assume.
A trend among newer social networks is to be more specialized in certain interests, and this is probably why we like Untappd. Here's a social network where you simply post what beer you're currently drinking. You can add a score, location, and a comment to the "check in", which is a good way to keep track of what you like and what you dislike.
This is, of course, a social service, so you can add friends to learn what they're drinking and even comment on it. That's a good way to discover new libations, particularly when you start finding Better Tasters who you don't know personally, but who you share tastes in beer with.
In that sense we'd say Untappd is edutainment! (We're bringing the word back.)
Check out Untappd if only to become a social-ish drinker. It's available for iOS and Android devices, and also on the web.
We were told by theKeaton Violet that Heart is a great coffee roastery for anyone who enjoys Wendelboe's beans. This might be because, from what we were told, one of the roasters are Swedish and thus have at least part of that Scandinavian sensibility we all love.
Anyway!
As we're getting ready to open sign-up for our AeroPress contest, SpoTOAST, we felt a Kenyan coffee, the Kenya Karinga, would be an appropriate choice.
And good lord does this AeroPress nicely.
The beans have a strong sweet scent of fruits, something that follows over to the flavor. You can easily pick up strawberry here, and the mouthfeel makes it feel like you've put cream in to the mix.
I can't remember many cups of coffee I've had that have been flavor bombs like this. That's what it is, however, a very very good and sweet flavor bomb.
Heart is based in Portland, but they ship vacuum sealed bags of freshly roasted coffee on Tuesdays and Fridays. Shipping is $5. Run over to their website and order some coffee now. It's good for you.
There's just something about a good mac & cheese, isn't there? The dish is, at its most basic level, about the simplest one out there -- Kraft has based a business around it -- yet when you find one that's really good, it is one highly satisfying eat.
That might have been why we found this Facebook -- people apparently still use it -- update intriguing.
$100 you say?
We were intrigued enough to head down to Saranac and try it out ourselves, and we will agree -- this was a good mac & cheese. But is it the best in Spokane?
Therefore we decided to extend Patrick's -- you know him and love him from Spiceavore -- $100 Mac & Cheese Challenge to you: Find a better mac & cheese than the one Saranac serves and Patrick will (or won't) give you $100.
How will these mac & cheeses be vetted? Simply e-mail team@spocool.com or tweet @spocool with your favorite spot, and we'll forward them on to Patrick, and probably check them out for ourselves.
Hey, if nothing else, we can find the area's best mac & cheese. Let the great experiment begin!
There are many social networks out there, and, let's be honest, most of them are pretty awful. I mean, really, what has Facebook done for you lately? Preciously little, or so I assume.
