Well now, that d o e s make a lot of sense.

Driving through Kentucky one day we came upon a sign by the road that said something about Makers Mark Distillery. Found the place and the lady host brought out a tray of the most unusual chocolate candy. Of course it was filled to the gills with none other than Makers Mark. On that hot summer day driving through the countryside I realized a person can get shnockered on candy. I wish now I took the opportunity to seal my very own bottle of Makers Mark in the tourist shop with that red wax.

i toured the Jack Daniels distillery in lynchburg, tennessee, several year ago. it was very cool. to see the process from water to whiskey is extremely interesting. we drank several 'lynchburg lemonades' in the gift shop, and they were very good. worst part of the tour was the 'mash' room. thats where the mixture sits in HUGE, 3 story vats, and ferments.... awful smell, but you cant deny the finished product!!

bigjohn

Sounds like the Lynchburg Lemonades have the same kick as the Makers Mark candy. At the Coors brewery in colorado they let you stay in the lounge after the tour and have fresh beer. Out east...I can't remember what state or brand of cigarette..They let you tour the actual factory where cigarettes are made and boy oh boy was that place clean. Wife and I were only ones on tour that day...at the end of the guided tour the host asked what kind of free pack of smokes we would like for visiting.... I don't know how about Marlboro. She said that is made by the OTHER company....oop's

I've got another awesome beer to recommend. Unibroue Terrible- A dark ale on Lees (whatever that means). It definitely shares some characteristics with other Unibroue brews (especially Maudite). It pours a very dark brown (almost black) with a tightly packed, fairly crisp head and just the slightest hint of carbonation. The taste is outstanding. Great body, slightly sweet and fruity (hints of apricot and raisin) but extremely well balanced with an extremely smooth and creamy finish. Probably the best dark beer I've ever had. And the most potent too at 10.5% alcohol. Needless to say I felt quite nice after finishing off the bottle. I highly recommend this one.

I also bought a Chimay Red to see what all the fuss is about, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow.

"A dark ale on Lees (whatever that means)."

It means the beer is bottle conditioned - naturally carbonated by yeast (which remain dormant at the bottom of the bottle with the beer "resting" on it). Champagne is said to be done in a similar fashion, but I've never seen the yeast at the bottom of the bottle. Maybe the "punt" at the bottom of the bottle is effective at trapping the yeast cells?

Speaking of champagne, I saw a little news bit on TV yesterday about where the bubbles come from. Yeah, yeah, you're all saying it comes from the carbonation. That's what I said, too, before I watched the segment.

The bubbles are a result of the carbonation, yes, but they couldn't form with the assistance of dust. Yup. Dust. In a completely dust-free environment, when poured into completely dust-free glasses, sparkling wine lies dormant and cannot form bubbles.

I thought it was an interesting tidbit.

I feel like I've walked into the latest episode of "Axiom Audio Presents: Is Peter Full of Crap?". Dust, eh?

I have always liked the Unibroue Terrible. Awesome beer. I enjoy it more than the Chimay, fwiw.

Orval for me last night. Bliss, I tell you. Happy New Year, my friends.

I can third the statement about "Terrible". Had a bottle a few months ago and really enjoyed it. It's odd for them to use the term "lees" when discussing a beer, generally that term is seen in conjunction wth wines. (When discussing a beer it is traditionally called "trub") But it does refer to the yeast sediment in the bottle, a sign of a bottle conditioned ale.

I agree with you Tom. I had the Chimay Premiere yesterday and much prefered the Unibroue.