Deerhammer Down Time: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

Deerhammer Down Time

Deerhammer, an artisan distillery in Buena Vista, Colorado, produces a single malt whiskey called Down Time.  The whiskey is sort of a cross between a bourbon and a Scotch.  It uses entirely barley in the grain bill, like all single malt Scotch, but it uses yeast that is more popular with bourbon distillers and is aged in a freshly charred new American white oak barrel, exactly like bourbon.  The result is interesting for sure.  The oak comes through on the nose as well as the noticeable barley grain bill and absence of corn sweetness.  Lots of wood, caramel, and toffee line the palate.  Some herbal qualities and spice arise at the finish and then are drowned out by the oak and a bitterness like swig of black coffee.  The whiskey is significantly complex as the grains, yeast, and barrel are all providing different flavors to create a unique whiskey.

Dearhammer Down Time

Average Score 61.5

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Eric Ducote, Brenton Day, and Charles Pierce. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Bite and Booze Radio Show: Kolache Kitchen

On this week's episode of the Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket, I interview Will Edwards, owner of the Kolache Kitchen on Nicholson Dr. in Baton Rouge.  We are also joined by Jeff "The Dude" Dowd to discuss the Louisiana International Film Festival and Mentorship Program.

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The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

Bugs & Brew for Drew Crawfish Cook-off and Beer Festival

Now this is a Bite and Booze event that is not to be missed!

The Drew Rodrigue Foundation will be hosting the fourth annual Bugs & Brew for Drew Crawfish Cook-off and Beer Festival, which will take place at a new location on the banks of the Mississippi River at River City Plaza at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans on April 20, 2013 from 11:00 a.m–5:00 p.m. Featuring a crawfish competition, Louisiana beer garden, local music, and children’s entertainment, this family-friendly festival will benefit the Drew Rodrigue Foundation, a local non-profit which celebrates heroes in the face of adversity, in honor of Drew Rodrigue, a local football coach who battled against cancer.

“My husband Drew embraced life and believed that cancer would not win each day,” said Mary Kathryn Rodrigue, Chairman of the Board of the Drew Rodrigue Foundation. “This event is in homage to that passion for life, an opportunity for us to change the lives of others, while celebrating moments with friends and family.”

Proceeds from this event will support the Foundation’s many charitable projects. The Foundation’s mission is to change the lives of individuals who have stared their adversities in the face and have bravely decided to suit up and march onto the playing field of life and show others that giving up is not an option.

Growing rapidly in its first few years, the event will move from its original location at Jesuit High School
to the River City Plaza at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, where over fifty teams from around the region will compete for the titles of “Best Crawfish” and “Best Lagniappe.” The festival will also feature local craft beer and a cask-aged beer garden, hosted by the recently formed Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild, with participation from all seven of Louisiana’s breweries: Abita, Bayou Teche, Chafunkta, Covington, NOLA, Parish, and Tin Roof. “The Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild is honored to be a part of Bugs & Brew in our inaugural year,” said Conrad Rolling, Executive Director of the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild. “It’s a fantastic chance to celebrate the exceptional craft beer that Louisiana breweries are producing, while supporting a great cause.”

In addition to the crawfish boil-off and beer garden, Bugs & Brew will feature the musical talents of Papa Grows Funk, Honey Island Swamp Band, Johnny Sketch, and Stone Rabbits. Kids can enjoy face painting, and there will also be a raffle, with the opportunity to take home gift certificates to local restaurants, local artwork, vacation packages at hotels along the Gulf Coast, and more. Admission to the festival is FREE. Advance VIP tickets can be purchased online for $50 until April 15 at www.bugsandbrew.com, or after April 16, for $60. Also known as the Cajun Pass, this ticket allows you to eat and drink all day. Separate drink and food tickets will also be sold at the event. Enthusiast Members of the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild receive a $10 discount.

Prichard's Double Chocolate Bourbon Whiskey: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

A bourbon from Tennessee?  Why, yes.  We've seen Prichard's before on Whisk(e)y Wednesday.  Both their Double Barreled Bourbon and Lincoln County Lightning have graced the blog, but this time we take a sip of the Double Chocolate Bourbon!  The scent of bitter chocolate graces the nostrils at first whiff, followed by a pleasant aroma of whiskey.  The bourbon hides the chocolate more on the taste than the nose.  It is noticeable  but subtle.  The chocolate flavor is more that of cocoa powder than a candy bar.  It is different, unique, and worth a try.  While it is a bit weird, it gets bonus points for the effort to do something different.  Prichard's Double Chocolate Bourbon Whiskey loses a bit of pizzazz on the finish, and the balance is peculiar, but don't say no if you see a bottle.  Give it a try and see what happens!

Prichard's Double Chocolate Bourbon

Average Score 63.75

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. WW is created and rated by the hosts of Raise a Glass. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own propriatary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.

Bite and Booze Radio Show: Out Da Bayou

This week's episode of the Bite and Booze Radio Show features John Jackson, host and producer of Out Da Bayou, a new local television program bringing Louisiana fare out da bayou and onto the dinner table.  Also joining us is Jeff "The Dude" Dowd to speak about the Louisiana International Film Festival and Mentorship Program.

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The Bite and Booze Radio Show presented by Calandro's Supermarket airs on Saturdays at 5 PM on Talk 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge.  It is also available on iTunes.  The show's sponsors include Calandro's Supermarket, Visit Baton Rouge, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning, Louisiana Cookin' Magazine, Juban's Restaurant, the Tin Roof Brewing Company, and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.