A Starter and a Chaser Podcast

01/27/2024

A very good Maple barrel aged porter from JackieO's and a solid Pilsner from Market Garden Brewpub.
Check these out if you can!
Been a while since any updates/posts. Been slowly planning a return of sorts maybe this year. What would you like to see as far as content?

08/14/2021

Joe is enjoying an Imperial Stout from one of Ohio's top breweries!!! Also listening to some Crue!

06/22/2021

Aww, bummer. For those that don't know, this is the same Stranahan as the whiskey.

For three summers in the late 1950s, George Stranahan lived in a remote mountain valley near Aspen, Colorado, with his only professional tools a pencil and a piece of paper. He was a graduate stude…

06/18/2021

Welcome to our weekly Friday team up with our friends at House of Ferruzza Barber Shop and Cigar Lounge We choose the beverage, they choose the cigar. Let's see what we have in store for us this week!

ASAACP: Ezra Brooks Bourbon has brought out a brand new whiskey and its definitely getting some much deserved attention. Ezra Brooks 99 was intended to have a fuller taste with a mellow finish. Made with corn, rye, and barley, and charcoal filtered, this whiskey has an initial boldness and weight of a four grain whiskey, but then majorly mellows out on the finish. This one is definitely rye dominant but also has some great caramel notes. For the price, this stuff is golden!

HOF: With sixteen vitolas from which to choose, and excellent quality the Macanudo Ci**rs cafe is one cigar you don't want to pass on. The filler is a blend of select Piloto Cubano Dominican and Mexican to***cos, and the binder is a Mexican San Andrean leaf. Well constructed with no noticeable soft spots, smokers can expect a mild and relaxing smoke. It's no wonder why Macanudo is such a popular cigar.

#葉巻

06/11/2021

Welcome to our weekly Friday team up with our friends at House of Ferruzza Barber Shop and Cigar Lounge We choose the beverage, they choose the cigar. Let's see what we have in store for us this week!

ASAACP: Classic is Whiskey Del Bac unmequited single malt whiskey from Tuscon, Arizona! Earth, caramel, and baking spice are the first to hit your taste buds, showing that we're going to be in for a complex spirit! Clove and peppercorn upon the second sip along with notes of leather. This has a very old world feel to it. Killer pairing for a cigar!

HOF: The Regina Ci**rs Raphael features a chocolatey & rich flavor in a Maduro wrapper, this cigar is well balanced and excellently constructed. As you smoke this cigar you'll notice rich & sweet flavors with a pleasant earthiness and hints of chocolate & coffee throughout.
#葉巻

05/28/2021

Welcome to our weekly Friday team up with our friends at House of Ferruzza Barber Shop and Cigar Lounge We choose the beverage, they choose the cigar. Let's see what we have in store for us this week!

ASAACP: Mephistopheles from Avery Brewing Company has been sitting in wait for over 6 years and it is now time to summon him from the depths of the cellar. Mellow carbonation but heavy mouthfeel. For some reason, instead of mellowing, the roast has increased! This tastes exactly like a crispy chocolate chip cookie! At first the roast was majorly unbalanced but as it warmed in came more in line. Not sure if more time was needed on this particular batch but as it stands it was an interesting, albeit slightly rough imperial stout.

HOF: Jake Wyatt Ci**rs Fourth Dimension is a Medium cigar featuring a pinstriped wrapper. Upon lighting up you'll notice hints of light warm bread, soft leather and floral tones. Those floral tones will begin to pick up as you progress through the cigar, as well as hints of peanuts and pepper. As you come to the finish you'll notice sweet cedar cutting to cinnamon for a good finish.
#葉巻

05/27/2021

Goodness gracious great peaches of fire!!

Peach inferno is from DRNXMYTH and Tom Sandoval. This time they formulated the ready to drink cocktail from Vodka with Jalapeno Syrup, Fresh Peach Juice, Fresh Grapefruit and Lime Juices. Will it shake my nerves and rattle my brain? Let's find out with a little twist, shake and pour.

Initial slight syrupy sweetness appears on the front end and then the peach really comes into view. Upon further sips the Jalapeno becomes a supporting role in a cast that is otherwise dominated by stone fruit. The Vodka, like the Dude's rug, really ties everything together while the grapefruit and lime bowls its way into the finish. As the drink opens up in my glass after a few minutes, the grapefruit really becomes more present, so much so that it quickly overpowers the peach.

Surprisingly bright, fresh, and light! This drink is going to be the perfect sipper for sitting poolside in the summer!

05/24/2021

Final Episode? Have we reached the end? IS this IT?!?!? Watch and find out in what may be our final episode.....ever!

Final Episode? Have we reached the end? IS this IT?!?!? Watch and find out in what may be our final episode.....ever!

05/23/2021

Anyone else feeling tropical with all this warm weather we're having?

Well, let's scratch that itch by taking a trip to Island Jims place! That's right, we're cracking open an Island Jim cigar which is named after Jim Robinson of Leaf and Bean Strip in Pittsburgh and is rolled by Oscar Valladares To***co & Co.. We're a huge fan of the Leaf series he and Oscar Valladares brought out so we're definitely interested to try his latest creation.

The cigar has a medium flavor and body to the smoke. Notes of earthy, leather, dusty book, tea, and chocolate. There is a hint of sweetness from the wrapper but it's very subtle. Ash holds on for a very long time and this cigar was good until the last draw! WOW!

This isn't the first time we've smoked this stick and it has held up very well! Definitely something we're going to keep a small supply of for when the mood strikes!

05/21/2021

Welcome to our weekly Friday team up with our friends at House of Ferruzza Barber Shop and Cigar Lounge We choose the beverage, they choose the cigar. Let's see what we have in store for us this week!

ASAACP: How do you like your tea? We like it in Gin! COIT Spirits Earl Grey Gin is a tea infused gin and boy is it unique! Anise like sweetness up front brings along an oily, creamy mouthfeel. The second sip truly brings the Earl Grey out to play. Bergamot, black tea, earth, and a hint of pipe to***co. For a gin, this is crazy complex! Perfect pairing for a cigar. Speaking of which.....

HOF: The Agingroom Ci**rs Quattro Nicaragua features an aroma off the foot of the cigar that is earthy with a touch of cedar. Once the cigar is lit, notes of pepper fill the air creating a spicy aroma. Notes of chocolate envelope the palate along with almonds and espresso. As you approach the end of the first third the sweetness disappears as espresso becomes the dominant profile with a touch of earth on the finish. The retrohale enhances the almonds but also adds a touch cedar and pepper to the mix. As you start the second third cedar begins to increase before falling back off around the halfway point. Notes of earth and nuts are dominant with a finish that is moderate in length. The retrohale offers up some continued nuttiness and a touch of caramel sweetness. The last third of the cigar sees cedar become the main profile of the cigar with growing pepper on the aroma and retrohale of the cigar. There is some subtle nuttiness on the finish along with hints of dark chocolate.
#葉巻

05/21/2021

Where's the best maple syrup made in your opinion? Ohio? Vermont? Canada?

What about Los Angeles? Well, ok, so Los Angeles doesn't actually have maple syrup farms but it does have DRNXMYTH and their new ready to drink cocktail has maple syrup in it! Maple Apple Toddy is a toddy cocktail with a unique twist thanks to recipe creator Cocktailsbyings. This is made up of rye whiskey with fresh apple and lemon juices, cinnamon tea, and maple-vanilla syrup. Let's give this a twist, shake, and drink!

The apple and lemon juices jump right out at you and the two acids compliment each other very well. Tart red apple with a hint of lemon call forth the old gods of fall as the cinnamon tea is summoned from its slumber. Seriously this is fall in a glass!

The rye whiskey slowly follows the autumn flavors while the maple-vanilla really blossoms long into the finish. Upon first sips this comes across as just a little boozy but as the ice melts in your glass that lessens over time.

This may become my regular fall cocktail once the season arrives. Another home run from Drnxmyth!

05/19/2021

What are your thoughts on Indian Whiskey? Love it? Hate it? Sound off and let us know because today we're reviewing TWO whiskies from an Indian Distillery.

That's right! Paul John Whisky Classic and Peated SELECT CASKS go under the microscope on today's episode of our YouTube podcast!

Paul John Select Casks Reviewed....but which ones?!?▶DON'T CLICK THIS! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3l3lW4LfXI8wR8NYLr_D7A?sub_confirmation=1Help Suppor...