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Bar Question:  Steering for Reds, Frankfort, KY

Steering for Reds:  can you recommend a good red wine? I’m having a get together with some friends and I just recently got my hands on some fresh 100% organic grass feed steaks and I am stumped over finding the right kind of red to compliment. What do you suggest?  Steering for Reds, Frankfort, KY

Steering for Reds: 
People write books about how to do this, but I'll give it a go in a short format.  If really want to highlight your steaks, first consider what cut of steak they are and how robust the flavors you're going to present are going to be.  Since it's beef, we're 90% sure that there's going to be a red wine involved.  If we're talking sirloin or ribeye or other relatively robust cuts, think about more robust wines along the lines of cab/merlot/syrah or their international counterparts Bordeaux- and Rhone-style wines. If it's going to be rubbed or marinated with something that's going to carry a strong flavor, then start thinking about something bigger and jammier like a nice big California Cab.  If you're going with a milder seasoning, or have a more delicate cut (like a filet mignon), then opt for something with a little more acidity like a pinot noir/Burgundy.  Not knowing what cut or preparation you're getting, I'll shoot in the dark and say that Meiomi Pinot Noir is generally a pleasing accompaniment that's pretty darn hefty for pinot, and so it hits a culinary middle ground between your heavier and lighter preparations.

Bar Question: Planning for an invasion, Knox,OH

IM FREAKING OUT OVER HERE MAN! My girlfriend wants me to meet her father and he’s flying in from Germany. This guy (from the stories I hear) is pretty menacing and loves his little girl. The only way into a good grace and not cross hairs is his love of beer. I don’t know if I should go with something from Deutschland or try and make him happy with something American. What can I pop the top on that’s going to show some class and difference at the same time?
Planning for an invasion, Knox,OH


Planning for the Invasion:
Pleasing someone from an international origin is always a toss-up.  If they're a more conservative personality and enjoy the comforts of home, then you can try to please them with something they're going to be familiar with.  Since we don't know where in Germany he's from, we'll just say that he'll probably either drink a dark or a light style of German beer, and getting a Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen (wheat beer that is characteristically clean, a little fruity, and light) and a Warsteiner Dunkel (a dark lager with lots of geist).  Otherwise, try a mixture of American beers from a local place: Ohio is ripe with descendants of German émigrés, so there's a good chance you've got a brewery in your backyard, you lucky duck.  Check it: http://www.ohiocraftbeer.com/breweries/brewerymap.cfm

Bar Question: Waiting for Pollen, Bedford, VA

Hey Grayhame! When spring finally decides to get here what do you usually get started on drinking?
Waiting for Pollen, Bedford, VA

Waiting for Pollen:
Seasonal drinking!  My favorite past-time, right after regular drinking.  Spring is when you should be planning outings and enjoying the outdoors again, so we're starting to get back into white wine and white liquor season.  Go look for some gin and make some Gin & Tonic, but consider adding a little spice, since a lot of that fresh stuff is now available.  A dash of anise, cardamom, or lavender on top of your G&T's will give it some Spring-y action.  If you're feeling particularly excitable, make Pink Gin by adding a dash or three of your favored bitters and a wedge of lemon.

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