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#DrinkUpLinkUp — Rivertown Pumpkin Ale

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I’m doing my entry for #DrinkUpLinkUp a day late, because of Thanksgiving here in the US. My husband and I went to celebrate and eat a feast with friends yesterday. As we made our way through to say hello to everyone, a friend said, “Hey I brought some beers… they’re out on the deck. Help yourself!”

Beer? Help yourself? Uhm. OK!

So I went, opened the cooler and right on top, I knew I’d found my week’s review:

 Pumpkin Ale

 

I’d never heard of Rivertown Brewing Company, but I know I love pumpkin ales. So I grabbed it, popped the top and enjoyed. Nothing says Thanksgiving to me like pumpkin goodness!

Now, I drank it straight out of the bottle, so I can’t say anything about color, etc. I can say that I am certain it would have tasted more balanced had I grabbed a glass.

I liked it! It was actually perfect for what I had it as: a pre-dinner drink. It didn’t overwhelm my palette with spices, and at 5% ABV it had a little more kick than the beers I noticed others sipping (Michelob Ultra, Coors Light, etc.). It was certainly a pumpkin ale, which fit the mood of the day, but it wasn’t overtly so… which, as I said, it fit what I was drinking it as. If I’d been drinking it strictly for the beer angle, I’d have probably said, “Average.” But every beer has its place, and I think I had this beer at its perfect place and time.

As I said, I wish I’d grabbed a glass. As I got to the bottom of the bottle, the spices got stronger and I found myself swirling the bottle between drinks to help mix it all up. (Think like you’d pour a hefeweizen to get more of the yeast out of the bottom of the bottle.) Had I poured it into a glass, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

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#DrinkUpLinkUp — Crown Royal Maple

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Saturday night, I was presented the topic of today’s Drink Up Link Up when I learned the bar I work out now carries Crown Royal Maple.

Crown Royal Maple

“Crown Royal Maple!?” I said in shock. “What is THAT!?”

Crown is my go-to whisky. It’s one of my favorite “bar tricks” — the fact I can do a shot of it without a chaser and just keep on working. It’s smooth. It warms me up. But it doesn’t knock me down. Washington Apples are my go-to mixed drink when just nothing else sounds good. (More on those in awhile.)

So when Crown Royal Maple was introduced to me, I was intrigued. I was a tiny bit scared. I’ve had Crown Royal Black, but it doesn’t really fit my palate. Besides, why mess with something as good as Crown in the first place!?

A shot of Crown Royal Maple was presented to me and my husband that night. First, a sniff. It smells strongly like maple syrup. Enough that it can fool you into forgetting you’re about to drink whisky. Then, a sip. WOW there’s a lot going on here. There’s the smooth, clean taste of Crown, but a solid taste of maple as well. IT WORKS! And it leaves you wanting, well, bacon.

Last night, I had a Washington Apple shot made with Crown Royal Maple. A shot that got passed around and had different reactions from everyone.

First off, a Washington Apple is:

Crown Royal® – 1.25 oz
Apple Schnapps – .5 oz.
Cranberry Juice – 2-3 oz.

225: Bubbles and bokehs

You can have it as a drink as well, just a little more juice and put it over ice. I like lots of apple flavor so I tend to bump up the apple amount when I make them.

Anyway, for me… I loved it. It was distinctly like a caramel apple. Others who tried it said it was too sweet. Others said too tart. And others went, “I LIKE IT!” So, your mileage may vary.

I think it would be very good in a hot toddy or just added to your apple cider. I’m curious if anyone else has tried this, and if they can think of ways to mix it. (Not that its not delicious straight up! Because it is!) In the mean time, I’m going to try to figure out how I can carry strips of bacon in my purse to nibble on after I have some Crown Royal Maple.

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