PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

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Odin
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by Odin »

Bigbob wrote:I take exception to this Cranky, since my avatar is me!
Chr*st BigBob, it is now that I saw you that I finally make sense of your avatar! You are giving us the "Marilyn Monroe" treatment, right!?

:)

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MichiganCornhusker
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

Odin wrote:You are giving us the "Marilyn Monroe" treatment, right!?
You just got Moonshined!
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by Jimbo »

MichiganCornhusker wrote:
Odin wrote:You are giving us the "Marilyn Monroe" treatment, right!?
You just got Moonshined!
:clap: :thumbup:
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bearriver
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by bearriver »

My computer busted, and I haven't read any replies yet. Please bear with me because I am using a tablet. These are some of my thoughts in no particular order.

Proof: What I detected as poorly cut spirits, Odin detected as spirits that were simply bottled too early. Some airing would likely improve what we sampled dramatically. I will say that it was not all bad. I was very pleased with one of the Absinthes, and a few flavored alcohols. There was a single malt peated whiskey that was very peaty. I thought that was good, as well as the whiskey at Bainbridge. I don't want to give the impression it was all bad, beacuse that's not the truth. There was occasional pleasent surprises in the crowd.

HDNB: I tried his Whiskey first. Its amazing, and he is great in conversation. It was funny when he approached us and said a few things outside the show because I did not know who he was. I thought it was weird until he introduced himself at Odin's booth inside when I realized he wasn't a stranger.

The Cranky's: These are amazing people. I can't say enough good things about them, but will hit a couple of their contributions. First of all, Mrs. Cranky makes my new favorite cake. It is literally like taking a slice from heaven. They both helped me tremendously with the hosting BBQ and presented me with an amazing surprise to share with everyone. However since it is still a surprise for everyone involved, I will let Cranky elaborate when he feels the time is right. Oh, and he supplied a few choice bottles to the BBQ. The unicorn sweat was a nice touch.

Woodshed: Without S3 I wouldn't have thought to do this. Woodshed really brought a lot of people together and I wanted to be a part of that. He sent us 2 bottles for the BBQ and a shirt for Odin. One bottle was from the S3 barrel before sealing it until next year, and to my understanding, is the only bottle in existence. The other botttle was his smoke shine, another fantastic product if you enjoy white whiskey. I am very lucky to have been able to have his spirits here with us.

Odin: It was surreal meeting him, being an opportunity I never thought I would get. The still not showing up wasn't much of a disappointment because we had the man himself instead to speak with. I learned many things from him in his short time here. He was brimming with knowledge and I found him to be very easy to understand. His English is excellent, which was a relief for me because I have some hearing loss. Before he left, he presented me with half a box of cigars from Holland. Those are a very special treat and I thought it was very thoughtful of him. My first opportunity to travel outside the states on pleasure will be to Holland, with a box of American cigars in my luggage.

GA Flatwoods: He could not attend, but Odin and Bushman shared stories of him and his whiskey which I enjoyed greatly. Ive never heard the song before then. Muckalee Creek and Blackbeard's treasure are in a class of their own. Muckalee Creek is my favorite of the two if I had to choose, but both are otherworldly delicious. They are liquid gold in a bottle. I would love to meet the man behind the magic someday.

Big Bob: I LIKE SWEETFEED! Seriously. He makes some fine SF. I am very impressed with his ability to make it from a 2.5 gallon pot still on a single run. It's wild. But, what he does best is ribs. His ribs blew our brisket out of the water. I got the opportunity to have some 1 on 1 with him when I drove to/from proof which was great. He's a laid back fella with a BIG personality. A good guy all around. Hopefully I will see him again at S316

Bushman: He had to DD on both days. That man deserves a medal! Great conversation and about what you would expect in person. He is well spoken and very tactful in his approach of a subject. He has been a forum member/moderator for so long that he has a unique perspective on the boards in general. It was great to learn some of the history behind the site from him, at least the stuff he could share anyways. He brought several great bottles, but I enjoyed his apple brandy the most. I detected a hint of cinnamon, and he said that it was tempered with apple juice. The sweetness was light and appropriate. Had to have 2 glasses at the BBQ just to be sure.

Red Rim: He's young and likes to have fun. I don't think that will ever change either. His spirits were unlike anything else there. My favorite of his was a UJ that had the thumper charged with grains. We're talking a HUGE grain profile. The glass smelled like an explosion of grain. Based on the overpowering smell I winced as I prepared myself. I expected a heady hot mess. What I got was smooth and delicious. It was strange as well, hard to put my finger on. Quite a drop.

Pyewacket: Him and his wife we're great guests at the BBQ. My wife really enjoyed the other women that attended. Pyewacket spoke of the guitar which was great, and shared 2 bottles of Odin's recipe for genever. It is mighty tasty. Unfortunately I did not get a lot of time to speak with him, and hopefully will get another chance in the future.

MedStiller: Nice selection from medstiller. Wish I could have met him. Maybe next time.

MCH: Froot Loops ain't subtle. The wives couldn't taste it. I figure their taste buds are buggered up. It screams FROOT LOOPS at the top of its lungs. Funny stuff. The walnut brandy is quite tasty, and I am looking forward to trying that recipe myself now. I enjoyed that alot.

Thank all of you for being involved and making this happen. Each one of you was a treat to have in our home. I hope see all of you again someday. I'm sure I left a typo or two but I'll check when I'm on a PC.
Last edited by bearriver on Tue Jul 14, 2015 12:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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cranky
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by cranky »

Wow, Bear great writeup.

I have been pondering things all day and once again failed to bring in a project so I wrote this while at work

Having read Bushman's comments this morning have been kind of eating at me. I may be Cranky but I don't like to short change people so I have been thinking things over.
Thinking about Heritage I can only reconfirm what I wrote the other day, the coffee infused Vodka was a let down and had coffee grounds in it. I don't blame a company for giving the public what they want and admit I am a distilling snob but when I went to their table I don't recall seeing anything but the flavored vodkas on the table but it was late and multiple people were crowding the table pointing at each and everything there with the basic intention of getting drunk and the guy behind the table was busy selling bottles so I may have missed it. All that said, the 2 samples I tried from Heritage did fail to impress. I feel there is no excuse for the coffee grounds. I knew all about Heritage, having read up on them when they first opened and again a few months ago. I am actually impressed that they offer the distilling course, I believe it is now called "my batch" but I remember it as "Distiller for a day" when they first opened and I have thought about going to see if there is something to learn but really feel that at this point in my life there is more to learn from progressing the way I have been, plus I'm cheap. As a business Heritage has a lot of good ideas that give customers a feeling of being part of the whole experience not just buying a bottle. I would like to give them another chance to impress perhaps in a smaller, better organized venue like the Gig harbor sip and stroll.

I went to Proof not knowing what to expect and as I have mentioned it was not well organized, the website was the first indication of this, but now that I have experienced an event such as this if I return I will have a better idea of how to approach it.

First definitely buy the tickets that get you in early

Second I would do ample research on the individual distilleries present to see what they offer and what I would like to taste.

Third I would bring a small notebook with a page or two dedicated to each of those distilleries and products so I could make notes for future reference.

This would make my whole experience more organized regardless of how well or poorly organized the event itself was.

Last, hopefully I would have all my notes and accomplished everything I wanted to by the time the venue became too overcrowded and loud to enjoy at which time I would leave.
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by Bigbob »

Jimbo wrote:
MichiganCornhusker wrote:
Odin wrote:You are giving us the "Marilyn Monroe" treatment, right!?
You just got Moonshined!
:clap: :thumbup:
Guilty as charged :moresarcasm:
Thanks for the kind words bear, appreciated your generosity in opening your home to us. Guys I really enjoyed meeting you all and hope that this becomes a yearly event. :wave: :thumbup:
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by Odin »

And thanks for the T-shirt, Wood! Much appreciated!

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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by HDNB »

and thank you Odin for the T-shirt! I'll make sure to wear it when i tour distilleries.

Bear, did you fire up that stick yet? The one i got was so huge i cut it in half and shared with my brother this afternoon, regaling him with tales of my adventure to your fine state. It was an awesome smoke, makes me long for the days when i had enough lung power for another one!

Big, i really missed the opportunity to sample your sweetfeed. we will have to work out a trade-zees when we are both flush with inventory.

I'm kicking my ass for not making the BBQ, but it wasn't in the stars this time... It would have been great to have more time to chat... descriptions of MSS Cranky's contribution makes me long for the lost day even more!

The kind words on my whiskey are overwhelming :oops: honestly, without the site... and the support of some great folks it would not have happened. Jed and moosemilk inspired, Jimbo and woodshed provided the recipes, and then coached me through the screw ups i made...mostly due to my own reading comprehension skills, since the info was all there. T-Pees aging+oaking info and so many others...I could go on like an Oscar speech since there are about 75 contributors here that had a hand in that bottle.... They were all patient with me nonetheless, and got me through...glad you all enjoyed it!

i think the little idea Cranky and Bear are cooking up will be well received, let me know if i can help out!
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cranky
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

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bearriver wrote: The Cranky's: These are amazing people. I can't say enough good things about them, but will hit a couple of their contributions. First of all, Mrs. Cranky makes my new favorite cake. It is literally like taking a slice from heaven. They both helped me tremendously with the hosting BBQ and presented me with an amazing surprise to share with everyone. However since it is still a surprise for everyone involved, I will let Cranky elaborate when he feels the time is right. Oh, and he supplied a few choice bottles to the BBQ. The unicorn sweat was a nice touch.
Thank you for that Bear, I don't know that we are amazing but it is very kind of you to say. I don't know if the cake was exactly as she used to make it because she hasn't made it for so long, well over 10 years, and she tweaked the original recipe a lot but never wrote down what she did and didn't remember. She actually made 3 cakes, the first one exactly as the recipe which wasn't right, The second one was closer, I just finished the last slice of that. I actually ate that for breakfast Sunday morning while she was making the 3rd one which was the one we brought along. I'm not sure I even tried that last one so I don't know how it compared. I do have a funny story to go along with that cake that I believe I told some people at the BBQ but I will retell it for the benafit of people who missed it.

A long time ago when Galliano was actually somewhat affordable my wife would make that cake frequently. Whenever there was a pot luck at my work she would send that cake and there would practically be fights over it because it wasn't large enough for everybody.

One of the guys I worked with asked her to make it for him which she agreed to if he bought the ingredients, which he gladly did. So the first time she made the cake for him I made the mistake of bringing it inside with me and setting it on his desk first thing in the morning and walked away.

Everybody I worked with saw me walk in with the cake and just helped themselves to it and within minutes the cake was gone, and the guy my wife made it for didn't even get a single bite. She had to make him another one that night and from then on whenever she made him one I had to keep the cake hidden in my car until after work when I could safely give it to him.

Of course like everything people have different tastes and some may not have liked it, but that's OK, I like it. I know the blueberry pie was a big hit, especially with the Bear cub. I have to say those blueberries from the park in Tacoma are much better tasting than anything I have ever bought in a store. That's one thing that keeps me going back. I just checked the deep freeze and there is still 2 gallons left from last year, I might actually be able to manage a blueberry Eau de Vie this year. :D

As far as what I brought to the table, I feel it was not very substantial, the help or the drinks. Now that I'm up and running again I am going to concentrate on laying some stock back and expanding into new areas. As I think I have mentioned, the unicorn sweat was a bit of a rush job and I probably went too far into the tails but when I blended I rather liked it. I can't for the life of me remember what it tastes like so I was about to go have a taste but I suddenly realized I may have made a mistake.

Saturday my sons room mate, who knows about my hobby but keeps my son in the dark about it, tagged along with us to proof. Well when I wasn't with him he bought a couple of those Time & Oak whiskey aging sticks. When we got back to my house he asked me if I had anything he could try them on. The only thing I had at the moment was what I thought was 3 bottles of the freshly run unicorn sweat, so I slapped a cork in one of the bottles and handed it to him. Another bottle I took to the BBQ to share because I'm very proud of my new flute. Tonight I went to try a sip from the 3rd bottle and realized, there isn't a 3rd bottle :( there were only the 2. However immediately after running off that batch I started jen 2 with a gallon of backset from jen 1. Today I stripped 10 gallons of birdwatchers which freed up some carboys so I transferred jen 2 into carboys and started jen 3. The good part of my little faux pas is that I will be able to see how those pricy aging sticks actually work compared to regular Jack Daniels staves which BR gave me the other day.
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by cranky »

Well, Hell...It looks like I have a confession to make. This morning when I put my shoes on to go to work I notice my VIP bag from proof sitting there. I realized I hadn't even looked in it so I did and there in the bag amongst all the stuff I didn't care about was a map of the whole dang thing. :oops: Damn that would have come in handy when I was there. Looking at it I see a lot of stuff I would have liked to have tried and missed. Would have been nice to see that in advance to map out a strategy. Out of 40 distilleries only one had a brandy and I missed it but I didn't remember Grapeworks distillery incorrectly, Their website says they make brandy but the only thing they brought was grape based vodkas which doesn't make any sense to be but I guess you have to give the people what you think they want or what you want to sell.

So note to self, Next time immediately sit down and go through the bag and see if there is a map, then map out a plan of attack before rushing headlong into the fray.
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

cranky wrote: I realized I hadn't even looked in it so I did and there in the bag amongst all the stuff I didn't care about was a map of the whole dang thing.
I like your style, Cranky, and I recognize it in myself. If I had tried to make it out to Proof, chances are 50/50 that I would have flown to the wrong damn city to begin with.
If that bag didn't have a label on it saying "map inside" I say it was defective.
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by cranky »

MichiganCornhusker wrote:
cranky wrote: I realized I hadn't even looked in it so I did and there in the bag amongst all the stuff I didn't care about was a map of the whole dang thing.
I like your style, Cranky, and I recognize it in myself. If I had tried to make it out to Proof, chances are 50/50 that I would have flown to the wrong damn city to begin with.
If that bag didn't have a label on it saying "map inside" I say it was defective.
If you ever decide to fly out this way I will make absolutely sure you make it to the right airport.
I showed the map to my wife who, when her knee and ankle began acting up spent pretty much the rest of the time in the lobby said "So that's what those things were they were handing to everybody when they started letting the general public in?" Would have been nice of them to at least say something when they handed us the bags and the website sure as hell didn't say anything about it.
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by bearriver »

HDNB wrote: Bear, did you fire up that stick yet? The one i got was so huge i cut it in half and shared with my brother this afternoon, regaling him with tales of my adventure to your fine state. It was an awesome smoke, makes me long for the days when i had enough lung power for another one!


i think the little idea Cranky and Bear are cooking up will be well received, let me know if i can help out!
Cranky needs your address. 8)

I am fondling that stick right now with a nip of your whiskey in the glass. I can't bring myself to fire it up, and will hold off until libations on Sunday. :mrgreen:
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by cranky »

I have HDNB and MCH's addresses so guys you can expect a package soon.
Now I would like to reference people over to a new thread I just started to let people make tasting notes from the BRBBQ and maybe other tastings as well. I think it would be nice to have notes on members products all on one dedicated thread.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =7&t=56815
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by BaxtersDad »

I'm late to this party but count on me for next year! I am PNW born and raised! My boating forum has regular get-togethers, and they have become some of my best friends, looking forward to becoming part of the S3 fraternity!
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Re: PNW Meetup 2015 (Proof)

Post by slowswim »

I recently moved to PDX and am looking for some locals to hook up with... Possibly as a mentor as I'm still new and getting back into things after a long hiatus. PM me if you'd like to give a novice a hand. Thanks.
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