Thank You

To the men and women who have served in the armed forces, THANK YOU!

To the men and women partying it up at the lake or in the back yard, Be Careful!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Cheers

2013 Governor’s Cup

As you know, we here at BigKahunaBrew.com are big advocates of drinking local. That does not make us experts, but it certainly makes us enthusiasts. That is why we are so excited about the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (CWIDB), an agency of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, hosting the 3rd annual Governor’s Cup Wine Competition on April 27-28 at Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center.
 

Over 220 wines from 32 local wineries were judged by a panel of restaurateurs, sommeliers, chefs, writers and other wine experts from around the country.

It is worth noting that I was NOT invited to the event! (Smart move by the organizers)

“The judges repeatedly raved about the increased quality in the wines they reviewed over previous years.  They showed tremendous excitement over all the Bordeaux red grapes produced in Colorado, including Merlot,” said Doug Caskey, executive director of the CWIDB.

The 2013 Governor’s Cup was awarded to Creekside Cellars’ 2010 Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc is a red grape variety that originates from both the Bordeaux region and the Loire Valley of France. Cabernet Franc is actually the genetic parent of the more famous Cabernet Sauvignon.

Colorado Newspaper celebrates with Beer!

The Coloradoan, a Fort Collins Newspaper in Northern Colorado turns 140 this year. What better way to cellebrate than with Odell's Beer?
The folks at Editor & Publisher agree!

Raise a Pint: The Coloradoan Celebrates 140th Birthday with Anniversary Brew

by: Nu Yang / Editor & Publisher
To celebrate its 140th anniversary on April 26, The Coloradoan in Fort Collins, Colo., partnered with local business Odell Brewing Co. to brew a special anniversary beer called Press Pale Ale.  
After some beer tasting at the brewery, the diverse palates of the newspaper’s staffers selected the white coffee pale ale as the paper’s ambassador. The grog was poured at an anniversary party May 2, and guests received logo pint glasses as a gift.   

Colorado Beer Relief?

What do you think about Colorado Brewers getting a pass on excise taxes? 
Is this a great way to encourage Colorado Craft Beer?
Is there any reason to think that the savings will be passed onto the consumer? Meh... that part isn't likely.  It's pennies per serving, but it's a lot of money for the breweries every year! 
Comment.... I dare You!

KUSA - Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would reduce excise taxes for breweries, a measure he said is aimed at creating more brewery-based jobs.

"Colorado is one of the top beer-producing states in the country, and our innovative brewers have rightly earned Colorado as a reputation as the Napa Valley of beer," Udall said in a news release. "These aren't your dad's beers, and we shouldn't discourage brewers from growing their businesses with an outdated excise tax."

Happy Mothers Day!

To all the moms out there in Kahunaville, happy Mothers Day! 

We are all so thankful for all that you have done for us! 

Here us a rum Punch to help you celebrate! 

~Cheers! 

Wine Day

First-Ever Wine Tourism Day in North America to take place May 11

Colorado Wineries hosting a variety of wine events for Local Wine Consumers 

 The first-ever Wine Tourism Day in North America will take place on Saturday, May 11th, 2013, with wineries, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses offering a variety of events to the public throughout North America. Many Colorado wineries will be offering special events to mark this day locally.

“There are now over 7,500 wineries in 205 American Viticultural Areas, 38 authorized wine appellations in Canada, and another 40 appellations in Mexico,” says Allan Wright, president of Zephyr Adventures, the active wine tour company organizing Wine Tourism Day. “Most of these wine regions and many of these wineries are dependent on visitors who sleep in hotel beds, eat in restaurants, and buy wine from cellar doors. Wine tourism is very important to the success of many local economies and is a subject worth commemorating.”

In Colorado, Bookcliff Vineyards (Boulder), Stone Cottage Cellars (Paonia), Whitewater Hill Vineyards (Grand Junction), St. Kathryn Cellars, Meadery of the Rockies, Talon Winery (all three in Palisade), Liliputian Winery, Mesa Winds Winery and Leroux Creek Vineyards (all in Hotchkiss) are all offering special tastings and tours to celebrate Wine Tourism Day. Events range from unique wine and cheese pairings to a “wine and dine” weekend getaway.

“Colorado has more than 100 boutique, family-owned wineries,” says Doug Caskey, executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. “Most of our wineries are relatively unknown and Wine Tourism Day is a good way to introduce yourself to your local wineries.”

The idea for a Wine Tourism Day comes from Europe, where the European Day of Wine Tourism has been ongoing since 2009. Attendees of the 2012 Wine Tourism Conference, an annual gathering of the industry’s leaders, discussed bringing the concept to North America.

For more information and to find a list of events on Wine Tourism Day, please visit www.coloradowine.com or www.winetourismday.com for national events.

Morning Smoke

The Life of A Blogger.... What’s a man to do?

As a “Good Times” blogger, I am often charged with the duty of eating great meals, traveling to amazing destinations, drinking Craft Beer in the mornings and sharing my limited knowledge of rum with you. It’s a hard life, but I know that you are all waiting to see what’s next! You are my inspiration!

As much fun as that all is, I know that you all understand that I am also the guy that works in the fields, mends the fences, helps the wife with the real business that keeps us afloat and drives kids here and there, all while trying to have enough fun to share with you!

 Not much in this world grounds me the way a good cigar does. A simple stick of hand-rolled tobacco simply has a way of bringing me back to the important things in life, like not much else can.

When I set fire to the foot of  a quality, hand rolled imported cigar, I am taken back to a simpler time! It’s a strange thing to say, but my world almost becomes black and white. I can almost feel the Humphrey Bogart hat on my head, and I can honestly see the crappy old film grain through my sunglasses!  I feel like a combination of Ernest Hemingway and Fred Astaire. Life takes a step back and I take another puff!

I recently responded to a Facebook request from Thompson Cigar Company and found myself in possession of a Toro (6x50) Nicaraguan beauty called Magna Carta.

This is a long-filler, Habano wrapper, hand rolled cigar is manufactured exclusively for the Thompson Cigar Company.

It’s medium strength rating had me somewhat confused, as the wrapper looks pretty light to me.

As with anything that I want to get a truly accurate taste test on, I sparked this bad boy up first thing in the morning. Long before my Chili Dog and Malto-mints could destroy my palate for the day.

The first thing I noticed about this cigar was its construction. The overall appearance is flawless. The cigar is quite even from foot to head, and shows no signs of wrapper damage. There are no scrapes, scars, splits, dings or dents to detract from it’s beauty. It is evenly firm and exhibits a slightly oily sheen on the wrapper. So far so good!

Smelling this stick, fresh from it’s cellophane reminded me of my days sniffing out the best cigars during the 1990’s cigar craze.

A simple earthy, cedary aroma made me smile from ear to ear.

Once I set fire to this stick, I was surprised at how mild and clean it was. Earthy flavors sprinkled with a touch of black pepper keep me smiling, while the woody, outdoorsy character keept me intrigued for what is to come.

Becoming a touch stronger in the second half, the peppery notes crescendo just before giving way to a complex leather and wood character that is still ultimately mild and enjoyable.

Toward the end, I was delighted to find dark chocolate, vegetal fullness and perhaps a touch of coffee. Keeping in mind that I could have been craving coffee at 9 a.m. And this may be all my imagination.
This cigar left a great impression on me, and as luck would have it, served quite well as the first cigar of the day!

I would say that the strongest attribute to this cigar is it’s construction. It was able to hold a 3” ash and never threatened to make a mess of my shirt from dropping ashes. It is evenly constructed and beautiful to look at.

That said, the flavor and aroma compare well to cigars easily double the price, with three times the pedigree and 10 times the media hype!

I can very easily see this smoke making its way into my regular rotation.

Matter-of-fact... I may need to go order a few now!

Have a great rest of the week.... I hope you find something great to smoke!

~Cheers