This post will start short but is likely to grow long over time. Very long. We will try to show the enormous range of foodstuffs from which wine is produced. With each post we will add to the list, and I predict it will grow way past 50 60 70. Today we add Honeydew wine to the list.

1. Agave wine
2. Apple wine
3. Apricot wine
4. Aronia berry wine
5. Avocado wine
6. Banana wine
7. Blackberry wine
8. Blueberry wine
9. Buffaloberry wine
10. Cantaloupe wine
11. Cherry wine
12. Cranberry wine
13. Dandelion wine
14. Elderberry wine
15. Elder flower wine
16. Fig wine
17. Garlic wine
18. Gooseberry wine
19. Grape wine
20. Hibiscus wine
21. Honeydew wine. Made by Long Trout Winery of Auburn, Pennsylvania.
22. Huckleberry wine
23. Jasmine fruit wine
24. Kiwi wine
25. Linden flower wine
26. Lingonberry
27. Lychee wine
28. Maple Wine
29. Mango wine
30. Mangosteen wine
31. Marionberry wine
32. Onion wine
33. Peach wine
34. Pear wine
35. Pepper wine
36. Persimmon wine
37. Pineapple wine
38. Pomegranate wine
39. Rhubarb wine
40. Strawberry wine
41. Tomato wine
42. Watermelon wine

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As this blog enters its fifth (gulp, yes, fifth) calendar year, it has covered many bacon-related concoctions. There was of course this bacon flavored vodka in 2009 and this bacon flavored beer in 2010.

Although it’s not clear that any of the earlier-featured bacon-related products contained actual bacon, it was only a matter of time until something like Bacon Brown Ale came along. It is Ale Brewed with Buckwheat and Bacon, made by Uncommon Brewers, of Santa Cruz, California. The brewer explains:

We’re not faking our flavor with smoked malts, Bac-O Bits or other tricks that some breweries are using to create their bacon beers … . There’s real cured pork in that beer.

Even though the government would probably not allow anything resembling a health claim regarding normal beer, wine or spirits — whether tongue in cheek or not — everyone seems to have a soft spot for bacon. The TTB-approved label does indeed proclaim that “bacon makes everything better.”

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I do believe this Olde Bay Saison label raises at least a few legal issues. First of all, I sure hope the brewer had permission to use this famous branding. McCormick owns the Old Bay seasoning brand and probably would not have a sense of humor about any unauthorized uses. Even if the beer is loaded up with the same seasoning, and even if the reference tends to be flattering. I can not imagine that changing one letter (from Old to Olde) is likely to help any more. The total production for this ale with spices seems to have been tiny, so that may help somewhat more to avoid problems.

A second legal issue is that, such a beer needs formula approval, before label approval and production. To get formula approval, it is usually necessary to provide a detailed ingredient list to TTB. It can be very difficult for anyone to get ingredient details (beyond what FDA typically requires on a food label’s ingredient list) about famous and protected products like Coca-Cola, Angostura Bitters, or Old Bay. TTB typically needs to check for artificial flavors, allergens, colors, and use-rate limitations, and this can be very difficult to do without a complete ingredient list of the sort that McCormick would be unlikely to provide to the brewer here (The D.O.G. Beverage Co. of Westminster, Maryland). So this raises the question of whether this beer actually contains Old Bay seasoning, or TTB did not require details about all 18 ingredients, or D.O.G. somehow got hold of the ingredient list.

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I was driving along and heard perhaps the perfect confluence of beer, TTB, fruit, and a multimedia extravaganza (plus history, my sister in law, etc.).

NPR ran a story about The Pawpaw: Foraging For America’s Forgotten Fruit on September 29, 2011. The pawpaw is a creamy, mango-like fruit that grows along the banks of the Potomac River. Experts say the pawpaw is “every bit the rival of a perfect peach or apple. And these fruits have had thousands of years of breeding to make them taste good.” So good that a pawpaw newbie exclaims (at about 3:50): “Mmm, very good. Wonderful flavor. On my tongue, it says this is something new and wonderful and that I should continue it.”

It did not take long for a beer company to grab onto the pawpaw fervor. In discussing how the fruit plays into locavore trends and does not travel well, NPR’s Allison Aubrey talks with Garin Wright of Buckeye Brewing (at about 6:10):

AUBREY: But at a pawpaw festival earlier this month in Ohio, people were showing off, at least one way of extending the pawpaw season. They make pulp from the fruit that can be canned and frozen. And even use it to make beer. Garin Wright of the Buckeye Brewing Company in Cleveland wasn’t convinced the taste of the pawpaw would come through in his brew, but it did.

GARIN WRIGHT: I really think that I got freshness out of that pulp that you can really smell and taste in the beer I made, so it’s awesome.

Garin’s label is here. I say extravaganza because the blog post is here, the audio is here, the video is here, 163 comments are here, recipes are here, the transcript is here, and so on. I say sister in law because my kids started calling Aunt Paula “pawpaw” from their earliest months. I say TTB because NPR’s street interviews (on the video) are 100 feet from the old TTB building (across the street from the current NPR building). Finally, I say history because Lewis & Clark, and Thomas Jefferson, were apparently big pawpaw fans according to NPR.

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There is no shortage of things to be learned from wine labels. I must admit that, before seeing Moo Clu, I was without a clue about clurichauns, let alone how to party like one. The label and this site explains that clurichauns are like leprechauns but far more mischievous.

If you treat them well they will protect your wine cellar, however, if mistreated, they will wreak havoc on a home and spoil the wine stock. Occasionally [they] can be heard singing Irish folk songs in the wine cellars. The clurichaun is great to have around the house because he also protects your home from vandals and thieves. … They are impeccably dressed and well-groomed. … Except for a pink tinge about the nose, they perfectly resemble leprechauns in all their physical characteristics, but they never wear an apron or carry a hammer, nor do they have any desire to work.

Moo Clu is honey wine fermented with lactose, hops and natural flavors. Sometimes, it is a fine line among beer, wine and other beverages (such as kombucha, barleywine, etc.). Just as there can be a fine line amongst the various Celtic Fairies.

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Made with beer? Check. Tastes like eggs? Check. Artificial sweetener and colors? Yes. And more alcohol than Pabst Blast. This is the Egg Nog Beer experience.

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This post will start short but is likely to grow long over time. Very long. We will try to show the enormous range of foodstuffs from which wine is produced. With each post we will add to the list, and I predict it will grow way past 50 60. Today we add Garlic wine to the list.

1. Agave wine
2. Apple wine
3. Apricot wine
4. Aronia berry wine
5. Avocado wine
6. Banana wine
7. Blackberry wine
8. Blueberry wine
9. Buffaloberry wine
10. Cantaloupe wine
11. Cherry wine
12. Cranberry wine
13. Dandelion wine
14. Elderberry wine
15. Elder flower wine
16. Fig wine
17. Garlic wine. Made by Long Trout Winery of Auburn, Pennsylvania. The second example is garlic cooking wine.
18. Gooseberry wine
19. Grape wine
20. Hibiscus wine
21. Huckleberry wine
22. Jasmine fruit wine
23. Kiwi wine
24. Linden flower wine
25. Lingonberry
26. Lychee wine
27. Maple Wine
28. Mango wine
29. Mangosteen wine
30. Marionberry wine
31. Onion wine
32. Peach wine
33. Pear wine
34. Pepper wine
35. Persimmon wine
36. Pineapple wine
37. Pomegranate wine
38. Rhubarb wine
39. Strawberry wine
40. Tomato wine
41. Watermelon wine

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I bet more than 95% of vodka (consumed in the US) is distilled from grain. After all, the big ones like Stolichnaya, Absolut, Smirnoff, and Grey Goose all seem to be distilled from grain. Here is a notable exception, however. This vodka, made by Island Distillers, of Honolulu, Hawaii, is distilled from sugar cane. Another exception, cutting against the grain, is Glacier vodka, distilled from potatoes.

Does the commodity matter much? After all, vodka is supposed to be “neutral.” The rule says: “‘Vodka’ is neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.”

It is amazing that the regulations insist upon fastidious disclosure as to the commodity from which distilled when it’s not clear that it has any impact on the taste or quality. Possibly, it’s crucial to put it on the label because it’s not otherwise discernible. In any event, there is probably no doubt that it costs many times more to make neutral spirits from cane, potatoes or just about anything else compared to a tanker full of grain neutral spirits.

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This post will start short but is likely to grow long over time. Very long. We will try to show the enormous range of foodstuffs from which wine is produced. With each post we will add to the list, and I predict it will grow way past 50 60. Today we add Maple wine to the list.

1. Agave wine
2. Apple wine
3. Apricot wine
4. Aronia berry wine
5. Avocado wine
6. Banana wine
7. Blackberry wine
8. Blueberry wine
9. Buffaloberry wine
10. Cantaloupe wine
11. Cherry wine
12. Cranberry wine
13. Dandelion wine
14. Elderberry wine
15. Elder flower wine
16. Fig wine
17. Gooseberry wine
18. Grape wine
19. Hibiscus wine
20. Huckleberry wine
21. Jasmine fruit wine
22. Kiwi wine
23. Linden flower wine
24. Lingonberry
25. Lychee wine
26. Maple Wine. Made by Tree Spirits, of Oakland, Maine. Tree also makes spirits distilled from maple syrup.
27. Mango wine
28. Mangosteen wine
29. Marionberry wine
30. Onion wine
31. Peach wine
32. Pear wine
33. Pepper wine
34. Persimmon wine
35. Pineapple wine
36. Pomegranate wine
37. Rhubarb wine
38. Strawberry wine
39. Tomato wine
40. Watermelon wine

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We bring you this vodka for several reasons. According to the label it is “fair trade certified” and “sustainable.” But mostly because it highlights quinoa. The back label bills quinoa as “the mother of all grains, a superfood long worshipped by the Inca people. …”

Lo and behold, quinoa does in fact pop up at number five on WebMD’s list of top ten “superfoods.” Near yogurt, eggs, nuts, kiwi, and other leading superfoods, quinoa is described as:

one of the best whole grains you can eat. … “It is an ancient grain, easy to make, interesting, high in protein (8 grams in 1 cup cooked), fiber (5 grams per cup) and a naturally good source of iron,”… Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) also has plenty of zinc, vitamin E, and selenium to help control your weight and lower your risk for heart disease and diabetes. …

So far we see one other vodka distilled largely from quinoa, but very little in the way of quinoa beer, other than this one.

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