Old Pavilion Pilsner- Marshall Brewing Company

When I first started to drink beers other than Miller High Life and Bud Light, I was twenty one and curious to try new things at bars. My favorite bar to go to back then, the Library of Norman, had brewhouse beers from Coaches on Main Street. Because they were cheaper than all the other options, especially happy hour, I started to explore the different flavors of the house beers.

 The first non-commercial beer I fell in love with was the brew house Pilz (a pilsner beer). So coming back to a pilsner beer seemed so exciting to me. I picked up a Pavilion Pilsner from Campus Liquors and here we go.

The thing I had noticed most about the Marshall Brews so far is the short head retention. The lace is not very intricate eithers. Not so much for an interesting Instragram picture. When it really comes down to it, taste trumps appearance. Though first impressions aren’t as promising.

The aroma of the beer smells like a pilsner but also a little more bitter than other pilsners I have had. The scent isn’t lingering and doesn’t feel heavy.

I took my first sip and just as I thought, bitter. I think that these Marshall Brews have a more bitter overall taste for their brews. I even noticed a hint of bitterness in the Sundown Wheat.

It was not my favorite beer, but if you love IPA’s or Irish style ales, then the pilsner might be a good change of pace.

Sundown Wheat – Marshall Brewing Company

As you readers should already know, I love wheat beers!

I was driving home from work thought it was about time to get some more new beers. I have actually begun to get a little nervous because the big Oklahoma craft beer names that come to mind: Mustang, Choc, COOP… I feared that I was going to run out of beers at the liquor stores.

Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but with graduation drawing ever so close, I inability to spend the time and money at the bar is placed on the backburner while I write my final papers and cram for the dreaded cumulative final.

I got into campus liquors and searched through the individual beers hoping to find something new. What I stumbled upon was the Marshall Brewing Company beers. There were three different types so I bought two of each. So out of them the first I chose was naturally, the Sundown Wheat.

The Sundown Wheat beer had a small head that quickly vanished. Maybe lasted only two to three minutes. The color is a darker goldenrod and is not transparent. The beer’s color and consistency almost directly correlates to the taste of the beer for me. Sundown was still light and crisp like all wheat beers, but it almost seemed heavy on my tongue. Not in a gross or painful way, but is a perplexing one.

The smell has a hint of citrus but realistically as a pretty natural wheat taste. I think that when it comes down to a refreshing wheat beer, Marshall’s Brewing Company hit the nail on the head with Sundown Wheat.

Mistletoe Sweet Red – Land Run Vineyard and Winery

I was meandering through Corkscrew Liquor in Norman looking to pick up some more ingredients for my “studies”. After making my way past the sales of McCormick Vodka and PBR, I found the Oklahoma wine and beer area. I had been drinking a lot of beer so I wanted to get some more wine.

The area of Oklahoma wine, while fairly small, was surprisingly diverse. I looked through the wine and noticed that Land Run Wines seemed to have very interesting titles to wines. I picked up Land Run Mistletoe. I wanted to expand to wines that I can drink alone. The Land Run Mistletoe is a sweet red that drank very well on its own. I didn’t pair it with anything. It is a good wine for new wine drinkers to start with. It is a mixed berry wine and reminds me of your basic mixed berry fruit juice. I think that this would be a great picnicking wine for when the weather gets a little warmer.

Thinking back to the liquor store and looking at wine, I remembered that there were many different fruity wines to choose from. Because of the natural sweetness of the different berries showcased in the Land Run wines, there are many different types of sweet wines. So if mixed berry isn’t your flavor then try a blackberry or white cranberry. Land Run winery offer red and whites that please anyone’s sweet tooth.

The prices of the wines range from $10.99 to $15.99 depending on the wine you pick. That’s not bad considering the taste of the two wines I have had so far. For people interested in pairing the Mistletoe Sweet Red, try it with Asian food, Cajun food, or a sweet desert.

Thus far, I have enjoyed both wines from the Land Run Winery. They have a large collection of wines and I hope to get another one to try pretty soon.

Black Gold Reserve – Land Run Vineyards and Winery

I am not really a wine connoisseur. If there is one thing I noticed about Oklahoma, it was that the abundance of wineries across the state. After my previous fiasco with the Canadian River Chocolate Merlot, I decided I needed to get more familiar with my wine does and don’ts.

First thing to consider when trying out a wine is to understand the pairings. I didn’t want to screw up twice in a row with wine so after googling around, I found this great online resource that helps you match food to wine or wine to food.

http://www.foodandwinepairing.org/

The website also offers some great idea for wine tasting and additional information.

I made spaghetti with hamburger so I searched and found that cabernet sauvignon works well with my meal. This can really make all the difference. What I have come to find with wine, taste can be great with some meal, while a wrong pair can make quite a mess. The Black Gold Reserve was great because it has a sweeter taste compared to other dry red table wines.

The BGR is a pretty dry wine, meaning there is around 4 grams of sugar per liter of wine. Compare that to the Chocolate Merlot that might have a g/l rating of 6.

The flavor is best described by the after taste. The black cherry aromas leave my mouth wanting just one more sip. The wine also had strong tannin characteristics that help to cleanse the palate.

The Black Gold Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is great with beef, but would also be a good choice with lamb or blackened meats.

Put a Cork in It Winery - OKC in Bricktown

Most of my buddies started consuming beer as their first type of alcohol. While I enjoy a refreshing pint or well concocted cocktail, I enjoy the romanticism of divulging in a delectable wine. The problem is that it is pretty hard to just jump into the wine world and know what to drink and what each type tastes like. It wasn’t until my girlfriend shared the spoils of a Groupon purchase that I found a solution for any Oklahoman in the metro area facing the issue of finding their favorite type of wine.

Put a Cork in It Winery in Bricktown of OKC has been a great experience for me and I think that many other aspiring wine enthusiasts would benefit from stopping by and giving the wine bar a chance to win over your heart.

Put a Cork in It Winery is a wine bar located under Hooters in Bricktown. The Winery offers over twelve different wines to taste and purchase. The ingredients are shipped in from California and is produced and bottled in Oklahoma. Put a Cork in It has free wine tasting for up to five different wines on their diverse list. If you want to get the full experience, I recommend spending the ten dollars and trying all the wines. An added bonus for the full list testing gets you walking away with a souvenir wine glass.

The experience was my favorite thus far in my Oklahoman beer and wine travels. The bartender sits you down and gets you started right away. They also give you a pamphlet you can fill out to rate and make notes for the wines you either like or dislike. It puts you in the seat of a wine reviewer and it fun. The pamphlet gives a description of each wine and the types of flavors in each one.

I think that this activity has great potential for special and the fact that you can rent out a room for gatherings makes it perfect for bridal showers, birthdays, or bachelorette parties. The party room will run you $15 per person which gets a full list taste and a souvenir glass. The winery allows for guests to bring their own hors d'oeuvres or Put a Cork in It can provide cheese trays for an additional $5 a person.

The wine list offers a wine for any type of seasoned wine enthusiast too. Maybe you feel like a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, their Skirt Alert is great. Not into white wines, no problem. Get a glass of Indian Paint Brush, their Oklahoman style Merlot. If you desire a specific wine, Put a Cork in It also sells individual glasses of all their wines with prices on the rating sheets.

Once you’ve given the wines a taste, get a bottle for the house and visit the gift shop for some fun and interesting boutique-esque gifts.

So if you want to broaden your horizons on wine tasting, or looking for a fun evening with a couple of close friends, give Put a Cork in It a visit and reward your palate. You’ll be happy you did.

The Onward Journey

I love beer. I love drinking beer. As a twenty two year old male, I could think of nothing better than tasting a new beer and telling anyone who would listen. I am a student at the University of Oklahoma, so I know a thing or two about pounding some cold ones before Anth 1113. But as I got older and drank copious amounts of beer, I wanted more. I wanted to venture past the Blue Mountains and get a different taste of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma had just passed laws to legalize home brewing in 2010. As time has passes, I hope that more microbreweries pop up, but for the time being, I hope to explore the world of Oklahoma breweries and brews. I also want to explore the many wineries throughout the state. I hope that through my exploration, people may learn alongside me about sampling beers and we might acquire some new favorites.

The first thing I had to do when sampling new beers was to learn some common terms and how to taste beers. For any new beer connoisseur, getting educated on the lingo is the first step in beginning to try new beers. A good source for getting into beer is the Beer Advocate Magazine. I’ll put a link at the bottom of my post. The four steps of their system will be used in all my beer tastings.

 You begin by looking at the beer. Also remember to agitate, swirl the beer, in order to pull out the smells and prepare for a better waft. The smelling of a beer is almost as important as the actual tasting. Because the nasal and oral senses are so closely related, the importance of preparation is crucial to the beer tasting experience. Drinking the beer is no race. Take time to sip the beer and allow for the taste to flood your taste buds.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/taste

Another important thing to understand when trying new beer is to understand terms. Here is a shorter list of terms that I have started to use when sampling new Oklahoman Beers.

Head- the foam after the initial pour.

Lace – the sideway view of the beer foam, specifically the pattern.

Agitation – the swirling of beer to release its flavors.

Hoppy – hops taste is strong.

Flat – carbonated beer that loses the effervescence

Dry – beer lacks sweetness

Mellow – A well rounded beer. Not too sweet, not too Bitter. Just right.

Smooth – soft beers that have a calm refreshing taste.

For the entire list, check out the link below to Brookston Beer Bulletin.

http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/beer-tasting-terms/