This year we had our family reunion at my sister’s house. It was cool of her to give up her home for the weekend for all of us to trash. I brought my camper to help with the sleeping quarters and after I got it set up my nephew, Chris, met me with a cold Heineken Light. Now, I remember Heineken being one of my dad’s favorite beers and I will drink one on his birthday every year as a small memorial toast. But I have never tried the Light version, so when Chris offered it to me I just couldn’t resist.

It poured like I thought it would, a clear golden color with lots of bubbles and a thin white head. The aroma was a little skunky, just what you would expect in a beer from Holland. The taste surprised me. Heineken is a light tasting beer anyway and I figured the “Light” version would be less flavorful. Boy was I wrong. It tasted just like it’s full flavor conterpart. I could easily see this beer being passed around at a poker night with the guys. I usually don’t go for the “light” beers but I think Heineken has a winner with this one. Heineken Light will most assuredly find itself in my beer fridge in the future.

Thanks for sharing this beer with me Chris. And thank your mom for letting us tear your house up last weekend. “P-O-R-C-H” rating:   C

Posted by Mr. Porch

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The Padron is one of the sticks I picked up in my Powerhouse 16 sampler, and due to me having to leave for work in a couple of hours, I settled for an iced tea to drink with my cigar. I gathered all my equipment and headed to the tasting booth.

I went with the Padron today, because it was a bit shorter and since I have a lot to do before going to work, I didn’t have a lot of time.

During my pre-light inspection revealed a very small cap, and I was a little worried about it. The cigar seemed to be rolled quite loose, as it was very soft all the way down the barrel with no inconsistencies.

I cut the cigar and did a draw test, and decided this would probably be a quick smoke as easy as the draw was. At first I thought maybe it was too loose, but I later decided it was “just right”.

After lighting up, I was a bit surprised with the flavor. It was a bit stronger than I was expecting, and had a strong peppery aftertaste that hit about two seconds after releasing the smoke. I liked it. I have to wonder if the sweetness of the iced tea I was drinking enhanced this flavor.

The looseness of this cigar did not allow for big ash, if you’re into that sort of thing. After about 3/4″ the first ash dropped.

About halfway through the smoke, I noticed the wrapper had a developing issue near the cap, as shown in the picture. I was able to glue it down with saliva and didn’t have any issues with it.

After 50 minutes, the cigar was done and I dumped it. I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed this cigar, and of the Powerhouse 16 cigars I’ve tried so far, this is the best one. The wrapper issue kept this from being an A cigar, so I’m giving it a strong B+.

Posted by Sam

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My brother Fred and I went camping last week and on our way to the grocery we found a local liquor store that carried hundreds of different beers. We thought “man, this must be our lucky day!” We came across a section that had 3 or 4 different brews by the Mad Anthony brewing co. We each chose one six pack and Fred being a fan of Pale Ale’s and IPA’s, he chose their IPA.

The first thing we noticed was, it had a good looking label. But that was offset by the generic looking caps. They were orange. No writing, no logo, no anything. Just orange. How very dull. But don’t judge a beer by the cap. Turns out, this was a very good beer.  Fred thought it had a nice amber color. It was a little too cloudy for me. The head was a thick creamy white and it lasted for about half the beer and left rings with each drink. I think the pro’s call that “lacing”?????? Anyway, the aroma was very hoppy. Fred set his camera up on the picnic table at the next campsite and said he could smell the hops from there. (watch the big nose jokes, he’s kinda sensitive). When I took my first drink, the flavor seemed to explode on my taste buds. Very hoppy with a little sweetness at the end. I don’t know where the sweetness comes from but just when you think it’s more than you can take, it finishes with a little smoothness that invites the next drink. It has a good mix of spices, could almost be used as a winter beer around the holidays. You can really taste the citrus hops and caramel malts.

Overall this is a very good brew. With an ABV of 6.5%, it packs a little punch. Not sure it’s worth the premium pricing, $9.29 for a six pack, but you get what you pay for and you won’t get a six pack of beer this good and complex for $2.99. This would be a good beer with a steak dinner or as a night cap with pistachios. Would also be a good “winter night with a book by a crackling fire” beer.

P-O-R-C-H   scale rating: C

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I’m going to attempt something new here. Two reviews in one posting. Here’s why: A couple of weeks ago I came home from working the 3-11 shift and one of my best friends, “John” waited up to meet me because he had a surprise for me. A gentleman he does business with hooked him up with two different cigars and he wanted to share one of them with me. What a good friend!

“John’s” friend “Braden” gave us a Punch Rare Corojo and a Romeo y Julietta 1875 Habana Reserve. “John” smoked the Punch and I, the Romeo. First of all, let me say what a beautiful evening it was. Midnight, clear sky, 78 degrees, no humidity and in the company of a friend and a Killians. Throw in a couple of stogies and you know the night can’t turn out to be too bad.

First, the Punch rare corojo. “John” said it was the smoothest cigar he ever had. No bite, just plain smooth with a slow even burn. I notice that it wasn’t putting out a whole lot of smoke, but it never went out, he said it was not too smokey, it was just right. Plus it didn’t get hot toward the end. He was able to smoke it until it was simply too small to hold. He only had to de-ash it twice, and when he did the ashes seemed to want to cling to the cigar, but when they fell they hit the ash tray with a definite “thud”.

Now the Romeo y Julietta. It had a light colored wrapper and put out lots of white smoke with every draw. It had a certain “zing” when I blew it through my nose, kind of like burping champagne. The flavor was outstanding and consistant throughout. Some cigars change flavors halfway down, not this one. It was excellent from the first draw to the last.

Although I didn’t try the Punch rare corojo, I could tell by “Johns” reaction and my own experience with the RyJ, these two cigars are very enjoyable and I will seek them out to buy again. Oh, did I mention how long they lasted? Well, they both lasted almost two hours! Imagine, enjoying something other than a college hockey game for two hours. Man what a good time. A special thanks goes out to “Braden” for making this review possible. Although “John” kept yawning and I had to drip beer on his forhead a couple of times to keep waking him up, I think it was a success. Thanks.

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Tried this one on a camping trip while grilling out. It came in a brown bottle with a nice looking label. It poured a somewhat cloudy red amber with a nice head that dissapated somewhat quickly. It had a nice aroma and I couldn’t wait to taste it. This was one good looking beer! The flavor was not what I expected. A little bland, not very hoppy. My brother had a more positive opinion of it than I did and we couldn’t figure out why we were tasting two different things. As I finished my cigar (a Cusano Habano LXI) and put the butt into the fire ring, it occurred to us that this was my second cigar of the day and my third different beer. His palate was clear and mine wasn’t. So I decided to wait a day and give it another try.

Next day we had the remaining two of our six pack with lunch and what a difference. This was a smooth ale, again not too hoppy but better than the previous day. The flavor was good and the aroma of each drink made it all the better. I really enjoyed this one and wish I had another, but there is always the next time. I will buy this beer again, it would be a good afternoon/lunch beer with something light like shrimp or a salad.

Rating: “R+”

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I scored the Felipe Gregorio in my Powerhouse 16 purchase, and decided to fire it up while camping. I was sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing, drinking a Goose Island Honkers Ale when I broke this bad boy out.

This cigar comes with a double band, and is marketed as a Thompson Exclusive. The Connecticut wrapper appeared flawless, and looked like a quality cigar. Before I cut it, I did the standard “Squeeze Test”, this revealed no hard spots, and consistent give all throughout.

While I was smoking, I decided that this was indeed a great cigar. Perhaps my first impression impacted me, it is truly a beautiful cigar that packs a lot of flavor. Right now my humidor is a bit full, but would like to have a few more of these babies in the future.

Being marketed as a Thompson Exclusive, I’ll be waiting for these to come on sale then I’ll certainly purchase some. I’m giving this cigar a “B+” and highly recommend trying it.

Posted by Sam

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