ABV 110

Dessert wine tasting at Carol & Jim Braziel's house Thursday May 30, 2024 at 2pm.

Our next tasting will be dessert wines. Port, Madeira, Sherry, and
late-harvest wines are traditional dessert wines with more than
15% alcohol by volume (ABV).
The tentative plan is to waive tasting fees for anyone who brings
their favorite dessert wine.
A nominal fee will be required if you choose not to provide wine.
Once again, the adventure will be held at Carol and Jim Braziel's
home or in "the barn".

For more Information contact Don Alger.

Wine/Beer/Cider/Pizza tasting at The Commons Social Empourium April 25, 2024.

The April tasting was at the Commons Social Empourium.
Social: an informal gathering often organized by a group sharing a common ground.
Empourium: an establishment that specializes in selling a wide variety
of beers and wine. (often used for humorously formal effect).
The commons are the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society.
This includes natural materials such as air, water and the habitable earth.
These resources are held in common, we share them and they are not to be owned privately.
The Commons is a taproom where the patron pours their own beverage.
It is a social gathering space with over 20 beers on tap and a small selection of wine.
At The Commons you are in control of your own pour.
Whether it's a taster, a half glass or a full pint it's easy to find your favorite beer.
Each tap has a screen describing what you'll be tasting.

Don our host socializing with the happy tasters.

Happy tasters enjoying the wine, beer or cider.

More happy tasters. A good time was had by all.

A merry prankster searching for the Pizza.

More of the happy tasters group.

ABV110 tasters enjoying the ambience.

Wine tasting at Carol & Jim Braziel's house Thursday March 28, 2024.

The eager wine samplers awaiting the first pour.

Happy samplers enjoying the wine and snacks.

More happy samplers enjoying the wine and weather.

Don, our co-host, expounding on box wines. Where's Waldo?

The mystery wines revealed.

A merry prankster searching for Waldo.

Cider tasting at Lassen Cidery Thursday January 25, 2024.

Lassen Traditional Cider was founded by Ben Nielsen. Ben's love of fermentation began when he started brewing beer in college. After brewing extensively for his adult life, around 2005 he began delving into cider in an effort to use the free fruit from a neighbor's backyard apples trees in Corvallis, OR. After a couple years, this morphed into an annual cider pressing party where all his friends would bring apples to press or just help out. So of course, the neighbor's apples weren't enough after a while. Unused trees in yards all over town, unseen apple trees in the ditch on the side of a country road, and long forgotten pioneer orchards were all sought out and utilized. A major revelation occurred when a batch of cider was produced from crab apples, and it ended up being the best he'd ever made. So, some apples that were so astringent as to be seemingly inedible actually made delicious cider. After this, an effort was undertaken to seek out varieties of apples that were good for cider instead of scavenging whatever was available. Finding Nick Botner's orchard in Yoncalla, OR, with over 4,000 apple varieties, was a godsend, allowing Ben to experiment with single varietal ciders made from unusual apples, from European bittersharps and bittersweets to an array of American heirlooms. Around 2012, when the cider craze was beginning to kick into high gear and Ben's satisfaction with his engineering job was waning in the opposite direction, he began to give more thought to starting his own cidery. A timely layoff in 2014 pushed him further in that direction. After spending a winter skiing and soul searching, the decision was solidified and the plan was put in place in mid 2015. Most of a year was spent finding a location and undertaking the permit process. Although he's still learning how to be an entrepreneur, he has a lot of pride in his cider, with a firm desire to make high quality, traditional-style cider. Now here we are ready for you to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Our host, Ben Nielsen introducing the next sample with the tasters enjoying the cider.

Ben Nielsen expounding on the source of the apples and the various flavors from different varieties.

Ben explaining the washing process and preparation of the apples.

Ben explaining the pressing process of the apples.

The many barrels of cider waiting their turn to be bottled while tasters listen attentively to our host.

Ben explaining the fermentation process. Note: The merry prankster didn't show up for the cider tasting.

Beer tasting at Sierra Nevada Brewery Thursday October 26, 2023.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was founded in 1979, with founders Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi expanding their homebrewing hobby into a brewery in Chico, California. Along with the brewery's location, Grossman claims the company's name comes from his love of hiking in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. With $50,000 in loans from friends and family, Grossman and Camusi rented a 3,000 sq. ft. warehouse and pieced together discarded dairy equipment and scrapyard metal to create their brewing equipment. They later were able to acquire second-hand copper brewing kettles from Germany before moving to their larger, current brewing facility in 1989.

Our tour guide Anna explaining the growing and use of the different hops.

A bale of hops in the hop storage room.

Tasters examining one of the brew tanks.

Anna explaining the use of the mash tank.

Tasters examining a copper brewing tank.

Anna explaining some of the brewing process.

Wine Tasting at the Braziel's Domicile, Thursday September 28, 2023.

Our host, Jim Braziel explaining the current wine sample.

Wine tasters comfortably waiting for the next sample.

Wine tasters enjoying the snacks & wine.

The snack layout with plenty for everyone.

Our host with Dave Jones our assistant pourer dishing out the samples.

A merry prankster rushing to get another wine sample.

Beer Tasting at the Secret Trail Brewery in Chico, Thursday June 29, 2023.

Secret Trail is the dream of Charlie and Michelle Barrett.
Charlie had been an avid home-brewer since the early 1990s, with
the intention of opening his own brewery one day. With the love,
help, and support of his amazing wife, a few investors, and plenty
of hard work, Charlie finally achieved this dream when Secret
Trail Brewing Company opened to a thirsty public in November
of 2017. The beers and good times have been flowing ever since!