I’ve read the WSJ’s “Tastings” column on and off over the years and I’ve always enjoyed how matter-of-fact they are about what a wine tastes like even for bottles that were way out of my price range. The final column ran last week and I especially enjoyed this bit about what really makes a wine “great”:

It is all about you. By allowing other people to ridicule any wine you like or criticize the way you enjoy it, or by allowing others to decide for you what is and is not a fine wine, you are genuinely missing the point of wine, which is this: Your enjoyment of any wine is an extension of yourself, your emotions, your experiences and your circumstances when you drink it. A truly fine wine is like a truly fine poem: It’s not just about what the poet thought or felt when he or she wrote it, but what you thought or felt when you read it. Different people will experience the same exact wine differently, and vive la différence.

The poetry comparison is a bit much for me, but the sentiment is dead-on. When it comes to enjoying wine (or music or art) have the confidence to like what you like.

This is a reeeally nice summer beer. I approach seasonal beers cautiously because I find that brewers tend to get a little too experimental when they’re putting limited batches together. Summer beers usually end up too heavy on the wheat for my taste, but the Harpoon Summer Beer is just a clean, simple beer. I will have more of these.

This is a damn fine beer.

The Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA is like a hopped-up version of their regular Pale Ale but it doesn’t give your mouth the painful bitter taste you can get from other mega-hopped beers. I’m not usually the biggest fan of over-hopped beers but there is something in this one that makes it refreshingly drinkable. My guy at the beer shoppe explained that they use whole cone hops to add the extra hoppiness and that keeps it from getting too bitter while pulling in all of the flavor you expect from an Extra IPA. It’s got a little extra kick to it at 7.2%ABV but if you’re careful you should be fine.

I’m not over the QuadCamera effect yet. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too much longer.

Keeping in tune with my Get It Local mantra these days, i have become enamored with the beans from the good people at Blanchard’s Coffee Company. We are hooked on their Dark As Dark blend They have a stand set up at the Farmer’s Market we go to every Saturday so they save us a trip, too.

They have a couple of coupons there for online orders so if you should check them out if you’re interested.

I got blindsided by a cold over the weekend so I am pouring in as much gunpowder and Hojicha green teas as I can.

I hate having a cold.

Stone Brewing Beers are one of those brands that feel like I have seen forever but just never got around to drinking. Big mistake on my part. I had my first one a couple of weeks back when I was out in San Diego when I wanted to have something local. I had to “settle” for the Stones because that was all I could find from out there. I was very, very impressed with these Pale Ales. Mildly hoppy and bitter but not nearly so much as an India Pale Ale, this is a damn fine drinker. Highly recommended.

This is the first of a new feature called ‘What I’m Drinking”. I’m an equal opportunity consumer and I enjoy drinks across the whole spectrum of spirits. It’s beer intensive at Chez Flynn these days, what with the summertime sun and all, but I hope to remember to mention wines and booze we like as well. This might work out.

First up is Hitachino Nest Beer Japanese Classic Ale. This is a recent addition to our local beer shoppe and I’m glad for it. Tasty ale that’s fit for summertime drinking. 7% abv, so it packs a bit of a punch if you’re not paying attention.

I love that owl logo. Less love for the blindingly backlit photo. By the time I got around to uploading the photo all of the beer was gone so there were no do-overs. It will improve.