Poll of the Day > As a whisky drinker, who has only had mainstream beers and hated them...

(+) Yeah! (+)

adjl posted...

Tasting flight=/=tasting event. Many pubs with a decent selection of beers will offer the option to order several smaller glasses of different varieties, which is called a tasting flight. It's basically the same as ordering a pint, only instead of a pint of one beer, you get a selection. A craft cidery back home offered four 4 oz glasses of cider for $10 (canadian), which was fantastic for trying out their menu, especially where they rotated new varieties through on a regular basis. That's the sort of thing you're looking for, not a dedicated tasting event with a planned menu, and you should be able to find a pub that does that easily enough (especially if you get into craft brewpubs).

I'll look into those. Wouldnt be bad

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hypnox posted...

When I think of a beer tasting, all I can see is some hipster guy in a flannel shirt talking about hippie stuff.

Eh, that's a played out stereotype. Chicago has a bitching brewery scene that attracts all walks of life. Sure, the industry has its "hazy IPA" bro stereotype but it also has lots of creative, passionate people who just want to share good beer.

Try new things, man. Don't limit yourself before you actually check it out.

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hypnox posted...

Probably from Austin which is a tumor of California in Texas.

Nope, way off. Really beginning to question the IQ of TC making two inaccurate assumptions.

Well sir, have a fun day continuing to be wrong. I am out.

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looking up some stuff., i think I would be more down for Ales. thoughts on some good ones?

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hypnox posted...

looking up some stuff., i think I would be more down for Ales. thoughts on some good ones?

Stouts are ales.

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Got Blue Moon Belgian white. It has that "beer" taste. I dont like that taste at all.


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There are some really good barrel aged stouts out there that might scratch a similar itch for you that whiskey does.

DeathMagnetic80 posted...

There are some really good barrel aged stouts out there that might scratch a similar itch for you that whiskey does.

Care to name a few?

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hypnox posted...

looking up some stuff., i think I would be more down for Ales. thoughts on some good ones?

There are all kinds of ales...pale, wheat, brown, amber... Gotta narrow down.

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>Complains about mainstream beer
>drinks a blue moon

Facepalm.jpg

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Reminds me of when I tried to get into beer as an undergrad. Tried Heineken and Yuengling, lol.

But then I studied abroad in the Netherlands and could try all the beers I wanted!

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hypnox posted...

Got Blue Moon Belgian white. It has that "beer" taste. I dont like that taste at all.

that stuff is made by Coors

you need to look into your local craft beer scene. Pretty much every area in the US has great craft beer nowadays

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hypnox posted...

Care to name a few?

You might have to look it up, a lot of the ones I come across are from local breweries. I dunno what the craft beer scene is like where you're at.

hypnox posted...

Psh, mixing whisky is for Californians

I'd fit right in then. Spirit and mixer is always good for me. Although so is lager so.

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I'm not really a beer fan, but I am a whisk-howeveryouwannaspellit fan.

I have no real insight other than blue moon is pretty tasty, though I recognize its a Coors product and there are likely better options made by better brewers in the same style.

One I had last night was Founders Breakfast Stout. That was tasty.

wwinterj25 posted...

I'd fit right in then. Spirit and mixer is always good for me. Although so is lager so.

You should only mix whiskey if it's cheap whiskey

OhhhJa posted...

You should only mix whiskey if it's cheap whiskey

Why "should" I when I like mixing better?

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wwinterj25 posted...

Why "should" I when I like mixing better?

Because a whiskey that's "good" has completely undiscernable notes when mixed with water but the general whiskey taste is the same.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Because a whiskey that's "good" has completely undiscernable notes when mixed with water but the general whiskey taste is the same.

That doesn't change what I like the most though so logic would suggest I should drink what I like over what someone tells me I "should" drink.

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wwinterj25 posted...

That doesn't change what I like the most though so logic would suggest I should drink what I like over what someone tells me I "should" drink.

If you mix good whiskey you're defeating the purpose of good whiskey. You're just going to look stupid spending money on expensive whiskey to mix it with Coke or Ginger ale lol but you do you

OhhhJa posted...

If you mix good whiskey you're defeating the purpose of good whiskey.

I drink stuff because I enjoy the drink and as far as I'm concerned that's it's purpose.

You're just going to look stupid spending money on expensive whiskey to mix it with Coke or Ginger

In that case I best stop doing that. I don't want to look stupid when drinking alcohol and what others think about my choice of beverage really effects me.

you do you

I always do.

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wwinterj25 posted...

In that case I best stop doing that. I don't want to look stupid when drinking alcohol and what others think about my choice of beverage really effects me.

Like I said, you do you, but yes the bartender is going to think you're stupid because you're basically just wasting money when you could just do well whiskey and not taste much of a difference at all

OhhhJa posted...

but yes the bartender is going to think you're stupid

Yes. How dare I buy alcoholic drinks in a bar!
PS: You can't know much bartenders if any if you think they give a shit about what you drink.

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Kyuubi4269 posted...

Because a whiskey that's "good" has completely undiscernable notes when mixed with water but the general whiskey taste is the same.

Uhh, good whiskey also has flavours that only come through when you dilute it a bit. Especially for stuff that's bottled closer to cask strength (60% or so), adding the water helps to redistribute the ethanol in the solution, bringing the alcohol-soluble phenolic compounds that are responsible for a lot of whiskey's unique flavours closer to the air-drink interface and allowing them to be more readily smelled and tasted. Depending on the whiskey in question, it can change the flavour quite dramatically, and often for the better.

That's not to say drowning the whiskey in water is reasonable, since then you do dilute it too much to taste anything more subtle, but you should always try a few different levels of dilution whenever you try a new whiskey to figure out what works best for your personal tastes. Suggesting that dilution is unilaterally bad is just plain wrong.

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adjl posted...

Uhh, good whiskey also has flavours that only come through when you dilute it a bit. Especially for stuff that's bottled closer to cask strength (60% or so), adding the water helps to redistribute the ethanol in the solution, bringing the alcohol-soluble phenolic compounds that are responsible for a lot of whiskey's unique flavours closer to the air-drink interface and allowing them to be more readily smelled and tasted. Depending on the whiskey in question, it can change the flavour quite dramatically, and often for the better.

That's not to say drowning the whiskey in water is reasonable, since then you do dilute it too much to taste anything more subtle, but you should always try a few different levels of dilution whenever you try a new whiskey to figure out what works best for your personal tastes. Suggesting that dilution is unilaterally bad is just plain wrong.

Make any argument you want but if you buy an expensive bottle of whiskey and proceed to mix it with anything you're a moron and you are wasting your money and any avid whiskey drinker would agree with me

If you've got a ton of money to blow and want to do that then more power to you but it's really stupid to get anything more than well whiskey if you're mixing it with anything

I'm no whisky connoisseur but I would definitely question someone mixing a Glenlivet. Never seen it happen

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Ive always said that using a more expensive liquor to mix with is kinda weird but thats because the flavor generally should be good enough to be drank straight up or maybe with a splash of water. However, while I don't do mixed drinks often, I'd imagine a more expensive whiskey would make for a better manhattan or something. Though I think if you're mixing it with coke in a drink that really has added in stuff to mask the whiskey's flavor it likely doesnt matter much, but I still think better liquor would still make that a little better.

argonautweakend posted...

Ive always said that using a more expensive liquor to mix with is kinda weird but thats because the flavor generally should be good enough to be drank straight up or maybe with a splash of water. However, while I don't do mixed drinks often, I'd imagine a more expensive whiskey would make for a better manhattan or something. Though I think if you're mixing it with coke in a drink that really has added in stuff to mask the whiskey's flavor it likely doesnt matter much, but I still think better liquor would still make that a little better.

I'll concede on this but well over 90% of mixed drinks aren't that fancy

OhhhJa posted...

Make any argument you want but if you buy an expensive bottle of whiskey and proceed to mix it with anything you're a moron and you are wasting your money and any avid whiskey drinker would agree with me

Wrong.

it's really stupid

What's really stupid is getting on your high horse on what others prefer to drink.

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wwinterj25 posted...

Wrong.

What's really stupid is getting on your high horse on what others prefer to drink.

It's not a high horse. It's a reality. I'm not even a huge whiskey drinker but if you buy a $200 bottle of whiskey and you aren't drinking it straight then you either have a lot of money to blow or you are doing it completely wrong.

The only time I see people mixing expensive liquors is when they're at a bar that's really nice that offers a good cocktail list

OhhhJa posted...

It's not a high horse. It's a reality.

It's a high horse. Your opinion on alcoholic beverages isn't factual as you know people have different tastes.

doing it completely wrong.

https://i.imgur.com/yB7A0.gif


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OhhhJa posted...

Make any argument you want but if you buy an expensive bottle of whiskey and proceed to mix it with anything you're a moron and you are wasting your money and any avid whiskey drinker would agree with me

Using expensive stuff for making mixed drinks is indeed pretty questionable, unless it's done by somebody who really knows how to complement the flavours that make the whiskey expensive (which will almost certainly not involve coke in any way), but the distinction between using whiskey to make a mixed drink and diluting whiskey with a bit of water is an important one to make. The former is using whiskey as a flavour, the latter is essential to access to full flavour profile of many whiskeys.

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adjl posted...

Using expensive stuff for making mixed drinks is indeed pretty questionable, unless it's done by somebody who really knows how to complement the flavours that make the whiskey expensive (which will almost certainly not involve coke in any way), but the distinction between using whiskey to make a mixed drink and diluting whiskey with a bit of water is an important one to make. The former is using whiskey as a flavour, the latter is essential to access to full flavour profile of many whiskeys.

Agreed all the way. Which is why I was saying before that you'll see it it nice bars with a cocktail list. Even then it's probably not gonna be something that's super top tier.

Also, in my limited bartending experience, anyone who orders whiskey and water is generally just trying to get drunk on cheap whiskey but can't handle the taste of it straight, or want to catch a good buzz while sipping on something

OhhhJa posted...

Also, in my limited bartending experience, anyone who orders whiskey and water is generally just trying to get drunk on cheap whiskey but can't handle the taste of it straight, or want to catch a good buzz while sipping on something

I can believe that. If nothing else, anyone who's actually looking to optimize their whiskey should order the water on the side, to add in the quantities they desire. Letting somebody else mix it is just asking for a suboptimal drink.

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You might like some ambers

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This thread went sideways, but yeah, in general using expensive spirits of any kind to mix is generally a waste, because at that point yeah, you can just mix with the well stuff and it's gonna taste the same. Like if I drink tequila, I use cheap stuff for margaritas, but I'm I'm drinking it straight, it's usually Patron or better.

That said, if you do find that mixing expensive stuff tastes better than mixing cheaper stuff and can be reasonably certain that's not just confirmation bias talking (try letting a friend order the drinks some time so you can do a blind taste test, if you really want to be sure), there's no reason not to mix the expensive stuff. As much as enthusiasts will balk at "wasting" the good liquor, if you enjoy your drink more for using it, it's not wasted. It's just very often going to be the case that there's little discernible difference between expensive and cheap stuff if you mix, so it's generally better not to waste the money.

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DeathMagnetic80 posted...

This thread went sideways, but yeah, in general using expensive spirits of any kind to mix is generally a waste, because at that point yeah, you can just mix with the well stuff and it's gonna taste the same. Like if I drink tequila, I use cheap stuff for margaritas, but I'm I'm drinking it straight, it's usually Patron or better.

patron margaritas are sooo good though

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I'd rather have a medium quality tequila in my margaritas over well, especially if it is trying to be a well crafted beverage.

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Some places use Margaritaville, Tortilla, and regular Jose Cuervo as their well tequila.

Those aren't even 100% agave, so you do not want to go too cheap or always trust the well.

Given your attitude about beverages I assume you drink shit Whisky so are not worth the time to help.

Mead posted...

patron margaritas are sooo good though

No it really isn't. Get a good tequila for half the price.

Lil69Leo posted...

No it really isn't. Get a good tequila for half the price.

maybe you cant taste the difference, but I can

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Mead posted...

maybe you cant taste the difference, but I can

Because you buy crap tequila and are only tasting Jose or Patron. Of course there is a difference. One is garbage mixto and the other is high end. There are plenty of good tequilas that don't cost patron levels.

Lil69Leo posted...

Because you buy crap tequila

I only buy patron dude. Not saying its the best tequila available but it isnt poor quality and its not uncommon to see it as a top shelf tequila in a lot of bars

stop trying to pull information out of your ass, and go wash your hands

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How do you feel about 1800, Mead?

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RCtheWSBC posted...

How do you feel about 1800, Mead?

hell of a year

dont think Ive tried the tequila though

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Mead posted...

I only buy patron dude. Not saying its the best tequila available but it isnt poor quality and its not uncommon to see it as a top shelf tequila in a lot of bars

stop trying to pull information out of your ass, and go wash your hands

I literally work in the alcohol industry. Patron is mid shelf at top shelf prices. You are served Jose at every bar/restaurant unless you make it at home. That's where you taste the difference from. Compared to other quality 100% blue agave tequila you won't notice a difference, the fact you don't even know 1800 tequila shows you know nothing.

I just want to say that buying an expensive bottle of anything to mix with is really dumb, end of discussion.

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Lil69Leo posted...

You are served Jose at every bar/restaurant unless you make it at home.

I dont order drinks at bars or restaurants

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