Untied Brewing Company Broken Spaces India Pale Ale
Another new IPA that my local favorite brewery, Untied Brewing Company, released recently: Broken Spaces 6.8% vol. This is also a New England style IPA, as most of the IPAs that Untied releases are (New England types of IPAs are a more fruity type compared to « regular » IPAs in general).
Untied Brewing Company Broken Spaces India Pale Ale
Pale yellow, cloudy, with medium white foam.
Nose : fruity, tropical fruit and some herbal notes in the background.
A different Californian wine region this time, Paso Robles (new to me, I had never had wine from this area before). Paso Robles is a wine area in Central Coast California, located in the San Luis Obispo County. The main varieties one can expect from there, are Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon and they also make Rhone style wines.
This wine is readily available in all the wine stores in New Jersey, as well as other wines from Josh Cellars in general. I bought this bottle for $17, from my usual wine store, Stirling Fine Wines in Stirling, NJ.
Josh Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
This wine is part of the Josh Reserve series, California, Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% vol, under cork, vintage 2020. I tasted it in my Karen McNeil « Bold and Powerful » glasses, as I was expecting it to be like so.
Josh Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Deep dark red with bright red hues, wide bright red rim, very short and sparse legs at first, then after a while they became very regular and very long legs.
Nose : wood tannins, caramel vanilla, cooked red and black fruits as in a jam.
In mouth : red and black fruits, vanilla, caramel and coffee notes. Tannins are very present but melted together and well rounded with some wood and vanilla notes. Some peppercorn in the middle and after mouth. This is a bold and yet smooth and soft on the palate, delicious wine. A first for me in the Paso Robles wine region. I had read about it on one of the wine blogs I follow (I don’t remember where, I didn’t write it down unfortunately).
Middle mouth of red and black fruits cooked in preserve or jam and some raspberry more precisely.
An after mouth of creamy black coffee (as in an espresso) with a slight bitterness and some more bitter caramel notes. Bold and smooth at the same time.
This wine can become a classic for me furthermore when it’s readily available and the price is good. This is an excellent wine and will become a wine that I will have at the ready in my wine rack
After tasting I paired it with (DeLallo) gnocchi with tomato and basil sauce and Parmesan cheese, cooked in the oven.
Two new IPAs that my local favorite brewery, Untied Brewing Company, released in the past weeks: Skipping Stones and Somewhere Nowhere. Skipping Stones is 6.8% vol. Somewhere Nowhere is also 6.8% vol. Both are New England style IPAs, as most of the IPAs that Untied releases are (New England types of IPAs are a more fruity type compared to « regular » IPAs in general).
Skipping Stones IPA
Skipping Stones
Deep yellow and very cloudy, with medium white foam.
Nose : very fruity and flowery.
In mouth : more bitterness than their other New England IPAs, fruits, apricot and tropical fruits and also some caramel. Another Untied IPA that is extremely pleasant.
Somewhere Nowhere IPA
Somewhere Nowhere
Dark yellow, cloudy with medium white foam.
Nose : fruits, yellow fruits, peach and apricot, tropical fruits.
In mouth : this one also has more bitterness than their usual IPA offering, some apricot and peach, and some earth and pine and pine resin notes that linger in the after mouth
at the local craft brewery in Golfe-Juan, French Riviera
I am all in favor of supporting small local businesses and among them, my local wine store which is not a chain and is family owned and operated, my local brewery (where my son also works his student job now, another way to support hey…) and other local small businesses wherever I go. When the two are combined, even better : a local small craft brewery in my parent’s little town in the French Riviera.
at the local craft brewery in Golfe-Juan, French Rivieraat the local craft brewery in Golfe-Juan, French Rivieramakeshift growler with beer from the local craft brewery in Golfe-Juan, French Riviera
Back last fall (2022), that was my first trip in France to visit my parents and my elder son in almost 3 years. During my stay my son and I paid a visit to the local craft brewery in my parents hometown, that had just recently opened. Craft breweries are only starting in France as opposed to say the US, where they are very popular and blooming. I have my own favorite one (where my other son also works now, like I mentioned) in my next door town here in New Jersey. So I wanted to check out absolutely this one in my parents’ town, Golfe-Juan in the French Riviera. A couple of months later, during my recent spring trip (2023) back to the French Riviera, I went again with my father and my sister this time, in order to support small and local businesses, furthermore when they have a very good quality offering. Here is the video, that I published on my YouTube channel https://youtube.com/@positiveattitudebymichusa
At the local brewery with my son in Golfe-Juan, French Riviera :
Here are my other articles on supporting local businesses :
Untied Brewing Company Volunteer as Tribute, American India Pale Ale 2023 version
This is the 2023 iteration of the Volunteer as Tribute series, which was labeled as a West Coast style IPA originally in 2020. This newest version is labeled as American IPA, like the past 2 years. This iteration is yet another variation that has been hopped differently than the 2 previous ones : this 2023 has been hopped with Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado hops. You can read my reviews of the previous ones here : https://wineinamerica.wordpress.com/?s=volunteer
Untied Brewing Company Volunteer as Tribute, American India Pale Ale 2023 version
American India Pale Ale 7.1% vol.
Dark golden yellow leaning towards orange, see through not cloudy at all, with very thick white foam.
Nose : hoppy and flowery
In mouth : some fine bitterness, very different from the New England style IPAs, it’s less fruity than those and more on the flowery side. Some caramel and toasted notes, cereals and malt.
This is another excellent IPA beer while being very different. Nevertheless absolutely excellent (I am going back to stock up).
The after mouth is definitely toasted, cereals, malt and caramel. I love it (my son too).
Beaumes de Venise Chateau La Croix des Pins Red 2020
The full name of this Rhone Valley wine from the Beaumes de Venise appellation is Chateau La Croix des Pins Les Contreforts de Montmirail. This one is a red wine with a hefty 15% vol, not surprising for a Rhone Valley wine.
It’s also another incursion in my parents’ wine rack when I went to visit this spring 2023. Another wine chosen and bought by my late mother, a wine from the Rhone Valley region, another wine region she used to enjoy along with Bordeaux. The Beaumes de Venise appellation is a new comer in the AOC (controlled origine appellation) under this name at least: it used to be under the wider and more generic Côtes du Rhone Village appellation. It turned into its own appellation as a « cru » in 2005, a higher end of the Rhone Valley appellations. This one is located in the southeastern flank of the Dentelles de Montmirail (famous and stunning rocky landmark and mountain range), thus the full name of Les Contreforts de Montmirail. Not as prestigious of course as the Chateauneuf du Pape wines of the Rhone Valley. Only red wines are made under that Beaumes de Venise appellation, apart from the Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, which is a sweet and stronger wine (a fortified wine) mostly consumed for « aperitif ».
Beaumes de Venise Chateau La Croix des Pins Red 2020
This post is about the red wine from Beaumes de Venise. The vines for this particular wine are located on a vineyard in the heart of the mountain range of the Dentelles de Montmirail. It’s a blend of Grenache and Syrah. 15% vol. 2020 vintage.
Dark red with purple rim, no legs.
Nose : the nose is powerful, a very powerful scent from the glass indeed, of black and red fruits, blackcurrant.
In mouth : blackcurrant, very fruity with red and black fruits and very robust (15% vol ! ) The tannins are melted and rounded, this wine is absolutely excellent ! No wonder that my mother loved it so much, I remember her talking about it. I am glad I got to taste it also, though unfortunately not with her.
The melted and rounded tannins linger in the mouth, then a hint of chocolate in the after mouth. Highly recommended !
Beaumes de Venise Chateau La Croix des Pins Red 2020Beaumes de Venise Chateau La Croix des Pins Red 2020
Wine in America 