Difficulty to brew
The True Brew Belgian Ale was a lot of fun to brew.  The kit comes with everything you need to make a batch of beer.  It even comes with bottle caps!  That was a huge plus, we didn’t have to make an extra trip out to get some caps. All you need for the True Brew Beer Kits is your brewing equipment and bottles to put the beer in once it is done.  As mentioned above, the kits are bit more extensive than the Coopers home brewing kits, because you are putting more than just the liquid malt extract and sugar into a pot of boiling water.  This kit comes with a couple different kinds of malt extract, grain, rock sugar, and hops, all which need to be boiled for specific times. Although there is a little bit more to manage, this kit is not difficult to complete. The True Brew Instructions are perfect and easy to follow. This is the perfect type of home brewing kit, because is fun to do and it is not too easy, so it feels more authentic and satisfying when completed.

Taste and Outcome
The beer only needed to stay in the fermenter for a week, and when we bottled it, it looked and smelled great.  We took the reading after primary fermentation and the alcohol level was perfect (just under 6%).  So we bottled the beer and let it sit for another 10 days.

The first pour looked great.  The beer was perfectly carbonated, and had a great head on it. The color of the beer resembles a Hefenweizen.  It had that yellowish-wheat color and was a bit cloudy, unable to see through.

The taste lived up to everything else in this kit.  As described by True Brew, this kit is “a strong and spicy golden ale made with real Belgian Candy Sugar, balanced with Czech and Slovenian hops.”  The beer has some amazing spice flavors in it, coupled with a slight citrus flavor.  If we were to compare the True Brew Belgian Ale to a beer it resembles a Duvel, with a slight Blue Moon flavoring and look.

Conclusion
Everything about this Kit was great and just what you want in a Home Brewing Kit.  The kit was fun to do because it was a little challenging with all the ingredients you need to add, but it was still easy to manage because the instructions are easy to follow.  The taste and quality of the beer was great and we will be drinking and making the the True Brew Belgian Ale Kit again very soon!  Highly recommended kit for fans of Belgian Ales, this kit offers an authentic taste and look of a true Belgian Ale.

Stay tuned, we will be brewing more True Brew Beer kits and posting reviews for them.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey

Appearance: Light bronze in color, with hints of golden/red.

Scent: After pouring a shot of the buffalo trace bourbon into an old-fashioned glass, I could immediately smell the great aroma of the bourbon. It wasn’t overpowering like some of the cheap bourbons that most of us are used to drinking, but it definitely had a presence. The first scent that you will most likely pick up on is the sweet smell of vanilla, that comes from the rye and corn. Then it its followed by a bit of a spicy/peppered scent, from the oak barrels. Overall, the scent is exactly what you would be looking for in a bourbon.

Taste: The first sip will warm the mouth gently, but doesn’t burn. The sweetness of the the vanilla stands out immediately, with a taste of honey.  The oak offers a perfect amount of spice to the bourbon. The body also shows hints of oranges, tobacco, mint, and a bit of smokiness. Although you most bourbons don’t have much of a smokey flavor, I think it really compliments the overall taste of the bourbon. It finished very smooth, with aftertastes of vanilla and fruit, while it warms your throat as it goes down, without burning.

Overall Impression: Buffalo Trace is an amazing Bourbon Whiskey, with smooth aroma and taste.  I wouldn’t expect anything less from a company that has won so many Distillery of the year awards! We highly recommend trying Buffalo Trace Bourbon Whiskey if you haven’t yet.  The price for a bottle of Buffalo Trace Bourbon is very fair for the quality you get, even though you might have to spend a couple more bucks than what you are used to.  Trust us its worth it!

Try one of these recipes next time you pick up a bottle of Buffalo Trace Bourbon -

All-American Buffalo
1 oz Buffalo Trace bourbon
2 oz cola

Combine in a high ball glass filled with ice. Adjust the amount of cola to taste. A classic drink that you will never get sick of!

The Buffalo Julep
1 bottle Buffalo Trace
1 bag mint (about 100 mint leaves with stalks)
5 oz simple syrup

Break up mint and add to big jar. Add remaining ingredients, give a good stir and then place lid on jar and store for ~4 hours. To serve, pack julep cups with crushed ice, pour julep mixture in and churn. Garnish with individual julep cups with sprigs of mint. Great for those hot summer days!

For more Great Buffalo Trace Bourbon recipes, games, and entertainment, check out the Buffalo Trace Saloon!

In come THC (The Hangover Cure). With THC, you simply mix up (it’s like powdered gatorade) a glass of this tropical drink before bed and let your worries melt away. Unless you’re not good with tropical flavors, if that’s the case, then you might want to stick with bread before bed. This tropical flavored drink contains a blend of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, anti-oxidants, amino acids.

If you’re planning on a night or hard partying, you might want to try to pickup some THC. It just might be “The Hangover Cure” that you’re looking for.

www.drinkthc.com

I will admit that there were a couple times that I found myself chuckling at antics that were being described in the book, specifically the Shit Grenade story. I think I found this story funny because I could relate to it… I went to a college that was on the beach so I was able to put myself into the story and that made the story so much better. If all of the stories where written a bit differently to give the reader a better sense of the scene, and make the reader feel like they where actually there, I think the book would be a much easier read, and probably a lot funnier too. That was the beauty of I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max. He did a great job with all the little details and the stories made you feel like you were there with him.

All in all, the book was okay. I’d give it 2.5 out of 5 on our beer bottle rating system. Maybe even bump it up to 3 out of 5 since I got a free copy. Despite the low rating, I think the book actually has A LOT of potential if rewritten with more detail. I’m curious to hear what other readers think. If you haven’t read the book, or bought the book yet, Colin was nice enough to share a few of the stories on his website, you can read them here. If you’re a current college student, I’d say, go ahead and pick up a copy of What the Fuck Happened Last Night.

How to Drink Sweet Tea Vodka:
After testing a few different mixed drinks with the different flavors of sweet tea vodkas, we found our favorites. Mixing any of the Firefly Sweet tea vodkas (Especially the original) with lemonade, just like making and Arnold Palmer, is amazing. You don’t taste the vodka at all! This is a very smooth drink, amazing for a hot summers day.

Our next favorite way to drink Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka is just by pouring it straight on the rocks. Everyone of the flavors they offer are great to do this with. They are not too overpowering in their in the additional flavoring. They are smooth and easy to sip on. We like to pour the sweet tea vodka straight on the rocks and add a splash of water to it. They are pretty sweet, so diluting it a little helps you bring out the flavors of the Sweet Teas a little more and lets you savor it just a little bit longer.

So go out and pick some Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka up this weekend and test it out. You won’t be disappointed. We don’t care for the flavor of vodka too much, but when we tasted these we were fans immediately. So if you aren’t a vodka drinker, just give it a shot. We did and loved it!