2 New Beer Releases and 2 Tatuaje Cigar Reviews

Full Sail Brewing - Spring Has Sprung

(Hood River, OR) – Spring has sprung in the Northwest as the time to revel over winter beers, deep powder lines, and warm fires transitions into time to plant seeds, play with the kids in the yard, bike, hike, and enjoy the rapidly lengthening days. What better way to celebrate this change than to drink a beer that quenches your thirst and revives your soul… just like the spring time sun. To commemorate the coming of spring and Earth Month, Full Sail will release a new beer in their Brewer’s Share line up, called “Spring Has Sprung,” crafted by brewer Josh Pfriem. Josh’s brew is a Cascadian Blonde Ale that’s like springtime in a glass. With its refreshing citrus blast in the nose, silky light body, and crisp bitter finish, at 6.3% it will hold up well on cool, crisp spring evenings. Josh’s hope is that his beer inspires you to grow a garden, hike in the mountains and barbeque with friends and family in the sun!

 Spring Has Sprung was brewed with regionally-grown organic Pilsner malt, Pale malt and was hopped with Cascade and Amarillo hops (ABV 6.3% IBU 50). “One of the great things about brewing beer in Oregon is our ingredients are close at hand. About 95% of what we use to brew our beer comes from local sources, and Josh’s beer is no exception; the hops and barley came from Pacific Northwest farms, the yeast was propagated right here in the Hood River Valley, and the water comes right from Mt. Hood. It’s a great place to live and make beer,” said Jamie Emmerson, Full Sail’s Executive Brewmaster.

Full Sail has scheduled two “Meet the Brewer and the Beer” events to showcase this new beer. The first Meet Brewer and the Beer event will be at Full Sail at Riverplace in Portland, Tuesday, April 19th, from 5:00 – 6:30PM. The second is at the Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, on Thursday, April 21st from 5:00 to 6:30PM. Join the Full Sail crew to celebrate and toast a pint of this new brew.

With each Brewer’s Share series beer, Full Sail picks a local charity to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the beer. Josh has chosen to support the Gorge Grown Food Network. Every keg of Spring Has Sprung benefits this network of citizens and farmers working to build a regional food system in the rural Columbia River Gorge region of Oregon and Washington. The network is devoted to connecting and supporting local farmers and ensuring access to good food for everyone.

The Brewer’s Share series is a lineup of small batch draft beers where each Full Sailor takes a turn hand-crafting their own single batch recipe and a portion of the proceeds benefit a local charity of their choosing. Full Sail’s Brewer’s Share beers will only be available on tap at Full Sail’s Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, Oregon, and at Full Sail’s Brewery at Riverplace, in Portland, Oregon. Growlers to go are available. The next Brewer’s Share will be brewed by Brewer Dan Peterson and is expected in late May.

About Full Sail Brewing Company: The independent and employee-owned Full Sail Brewery is perched on a bluff in Hood River, Oregon, overlooking the most epic wind and kite surfing spot in the world. At this very moment 47 specialists in the liquid refreshment arts are crafting barley and hops into your next beer. Among the company’s most popular brews are Full Sail Amber, IPA, Pale, LTD, Session and Session Black Premium lager. Founded in 1987, the Full Sail crew has been fermenting godlike nectar for 24 years. Committed to brewing great beer and sustainable practices their award winning brews are now available in 27 states. The Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub is open seven days a week. Swing by for a pint, grab a bite, tour the brewery, or just soak up the view. The Brewery Website:  http://www.fullsailbrewing.com.

Diamond Knot Brewing Co. - Blonde Ale 

(Mukilteo, WA) – For only the third time in Diamond Knot Brewing Co’s sixteen year history, they are bottling their summer seasonal Blonde Ale. Starting in April 2011, this summer seasonal beer will be available in 22-oz bottles at retailers in throughout Washington, Oregon and through Total Wine & More. 

“We have a huge potential fan base that may not able to experience our beers on draft, so bottling our most popular beers allows us to reach out to them. Bottling the Blonde Ale is a natural fit to our seasonal selections.” said Brewmaster Pat Ringe. 

Their Blonde Ale is based on a pre-Prohibition lager recipe and is a perfect summer session beer. It is a clean, crisp beer that you can take along no matter your summer plans. Its complex flavors perfectly complement any seafood dish, salad, or just a classic hamburger or hotdog. It truly is an excellent ale that compliments all occasions.

Diamond Knot bottles several other styles year around, including IPA, Industrial IPA and Brown Ale. Additionally they offer four seasonal beers in bottles: Slane’s Irish-style Red Ale, Blonde Ale, Vienna Ale and Industrial Ho! Ho! Winter Ale.

About Diamond Knot Brewing Co: Founded in 1994, Diamond Knot Brewing Company, Inc. is a privately held company and Snohomish County’s oldest continuously operating brewery. Hand-crafted Diamond Knot ales can be found in multiple States, both in bottles and on draft. Additionally, Diamond Knot operates three full-service restaurants; two in Mukilteo, WA and one on Camano Island, WA. The Camano Island location and the original alehouse offer a unique, interactive dining experience with StonegrillTM, in which customers are able to cook their meal right at their table. Diamond Knot prides itself in providing all their customers with the finest foods and beers, all while being integral, productive and charitable members of the communities in which they operate.

Cigar Reviews

Just a little something before you read on. Tatuaje cigars are amazing, some are harder to find than others, you'll, find many cigar shops get limited quantities while others will carry many varieties. Another problem is, most people can’t even say the name correctly...Tah-To-Ah-Hey. Tatoowhatee?  However you pronounce it, it's basically Spanish for "tattoo". What ever tattoos and the cigar world have in common.....your guess is as good as mine. 

I suggest you visit El Humidor in Wilkes-Barre. Pa, they carry many varieties of the brand as well as on-line at   Cigars International and buy a few you WON'T be disappointed!

Tatuaje - Ambos Mundos – Grande #2 Sumatra 

The term “Ambos Mundos means “Both Worlds”. 

Cigars are rolled in classis Cuban tradition in Nicaragua, headed by Maestro Tobaquero Jose Garcia.
The cigars are rolled with a Cuban triple cap and are Medium to Mild in flavor. This cigar tastes amazing and is on the low end of the Tatuaje family, but don’t let the price fool you this is a quality smoke.
This cigar offers smooth, complex flavors with notes of pepper, cedar and cocoa.
http://www.tatuajecigars.com 

Cigar Specs: Wrapper: Sumatra or Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5 1/2”
Ring Size: 56
Packaging: Singles, 5 packs and boxes of 25.
Average cost per cigar: Singe $6.25, 5 Pack $29.00 and Boxes $139.00

Tatuaje - Miami Line

The Miami line is the most popular release from Tatuaje and owes its success to its striking similarity to some of the most popular Cuban cigars made today. This full-bodied line of cigars is completely made by hand in Miami's famous Calle Ocho neighborhood, which is also dubbed "Little Havana." With the help of cigar master Pepin Garcia, the cigars are carefully rolled and made in extremely sparing numbers. Fewer than 300,000 cigars are rolled in this line each year, making them both expensive and at times, very difficult to find. The Nicaraguan tobacco and rolling process used lends to this blends unique aroma that is only matched by tobacco grown in fertile Cuban soil. Tatuaje Miami was one of the first blends made at the factory and gained worldwide recognition for its flavor and body, which industry insiders are comparing to famous brands such as Fuente OpusX.

The Gran Cojonu was the cigar I personally purchased from this line. It was simply AMAZING! At 6 1/2” x 60 it was worth every second of the 2 hours it took to finish this monster! This was a very kick-ass smoke. The initial lighting gave me strong peppery blast and the subsided, draw was very loose and smooth the flavors that developed were of leather, coffee and cocoa. This is one of my top 10 cigars and there are 2 aging in the humidor for special occasions. If I find more it will be a MUST purchase. Take my advice..get yourself one or 12 of theses…
http://www.tatuajecigars.com 

Cigar Specs: Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: Varies from 5” to 7 5/8”
Ring Size: Varies from 42 to 60
Packaging: Singles, 5 packs and boxes.

Average cost per cigar: Check your local shop….Quanties are limited and are higher priced. +$10.00 per stick and as high as $250 per box of 25. My purchase price was $16.00.