Five O'Clock Friday: B.B.King - Let the Good Times Roll

It's the weekend.

Cheers!

Weekend Trio: Knuckle Sandwich Cigar, Elijah Craig Bourbon, and Joe Bonamassa’s Breakthrough

I kicked off the weekend with a trio of new delights, combining three of my favorite pastimes — bourbon, cigars, and music.

First up was the Espinosa Knuckle Sandwich Chef Special 2025. This cigar comes from chef Guy Fieri’s collaboration with Erik Espinosa and is released annually as a limited edition. The 2025 version features a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. After a month of resting in my humidor, I finally gave in and lit one up.

Cutting the cap on the 6 x 55 box-pressed Toro revealed an open draw, surprisingly effortless given the cigar’s heft. Once lit, the draw was spot-on, and the cigar burned evenly, producing generous amounts of flavorful smoke. Fieri reportedly aimed for a ramped-up robustness with the 2025 release, and I’d say he nailed it.

The first puffs delivered a powerful punch of earthy spice and espresso, enough to make my eyes squint from the intensity. As the cigar developed, it revealed layers of dark chocolate and dark fruit, balanced by a touch of sweetness. It quickly settled into a rich, well-balanced, and satisfying smoke.

Next came the liquid pairing — an Elijah Craig Single Barrel from Wegmans, labeled “Caramel Apple”. I picked this bottle up during a recent trip.

Wegmans, a grocery chain we occasionally visit locally, surprised me on a trip to New Jersey. Unlike in Virginia, their stores there sell spirits — and not just a few. They carry large selection including a wide range of store picks. I managed to restrain myself to just two: a Woodford Reserve Double Oaked store pick and this Elijah Craig.

The Elijah Craig Wegmans Caramel Apple Single Barrel sports a 10 year age statement and a 118.6 proof. The Caramel Apple pick carries a 10-year age statement and clocks in at 118.6 proof. Its sweet, fruity aroma is surprisingly mild, but the flavor really shines when sipping. A bold sweetness up front evolves into notes of candied fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, and oak, with an overall impression of cinnamon-laced dessert pastry.

The pairing of the Knuckle Sandwich and Elijah Craig was superb. Both brought richness, depth, and a shared sweetness that made for a robust and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Rounding out the evening was the just-released album from blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Breakthrough. It’s packed with great music, though my only regret is that it’s a 45-minute studio album rather than one of his longer live performances. I’m looking forward to hearing some of these tracks in person the next time we catch him in concert. Still, the timing was perfect — the cigar lasted through two full plays of the album.

Cheers!

Five O'Clock Friday: I'm Just Drinkin'

Some music from the great Albert Collins to kick off the weekend.

Cheers!

Porch Reflections: With Rocky Patel A.L.R. 2 and Green River Bourbon

Memorial Day weekend, despite marking the traditional start of summer, so often arrives cloaked in cool and rainy weather. At least, that seems to be the pattern around here. When our son was in high school, he worked as a lifeguard at the local pool and eagerly anticipated the start of swim season — mainly for the money-making opportunities. Yet, more often than not, it was too cold or stormy for the pool to open, much to his disappointment.

This year’s holiday brought another drop in temperature, with the thermometer dipping into the 60s. At least the rain held off. To kick off the weekend, I settled onto the porch to relax and enjoy a few of my favorite pastimes — cigars, bourbon, and music.

For the evening, I chose my last Rocky Patel A.L.R. Second Edition Bala. The A.L.R. Second Edition is one of my all-time favorite smokes. This particular cigar, an approximately 5 3/4 x 58 Perfecto, was the last of the stash I picked up at the Rocky Patel event held at Hogshead Cigar Lounge in November 2022 — where I was thrilled to meet both Rocky and Nish Patel.

The Bala vitola features a mostly closed foot and narrows towards the cap. After removing the slightly yellowed cello, I used my PerfecPunch to open the cap. Even after the foot burned open, the draw remained a bit tight, so I followed up with a straight cut. That did the trick — smoke production became copious and flavorful.

The blend is the signature A.L.R. Second Edition combination: a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Honduran binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua. The cigar delivers well-integrated notes of coffee and espresso, with pepper and cedar spice, all underpinned by a dark fruit sweetness. The A.L.R. Second Edition consistently provides a flavorful and satisfying experience. Although this was my last Bala, I typically keep Robusto or Toro sizes in my humidor.

To complement the cigar, I poured the last bit from my bottle of Green River Kentucky Bourbon. Well, truth be told, it made for two good pours.

Green River offers a classic, easy-sipping bourbon profile: caramel, oak, and a touch of brown sugar, all well-balanced. There’s a hint of spice on the palate that fades quickly. At under $40, it’s a great value for a 90-proof bourbon aged over five years. With this bottle now empty, I’ll likely be picking up a replacement soon.

Despite a constant cool breeze drifting through the porch, the 90-minute session was quite pleasant. I had a Joe Bonamassa blues album blaring through the outdoor speaker, adding to the evening’s atmosphere. I spent much of the time reflecting on this time last year — when I was approaching my final week of work. It doesn’t feel like that long ago, and yet so much has happened since — adjusting to retirement and recovering from back issues.

With the bulk of that now behind me, I have a good feeling about the summer ahead.

Cheers!

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After the Roar: A Porch, a Pour, and a Cigar

We did something a bit out of the ordinary this week: we traveled to Blacksburg, VA, to take in the historic Metallica concert at Lane Stadium. I’m not a huge fan of heavy metal, but I enjoyed the energy and sheer scale of the event. After a busy yet fun week, I looked forward to a quiet evening on the porch with a bourbon, a cigar, and some good ol’ blues music.

I poured a glass of Horse Soldier Reserve Barrel Strength Bourbon and lit up a Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20. The pairing was intentional. I wanted a long, satisfying smoke, and the 124-proof bourbon would be perfect to chase away the springtime chill.

The 6 x 54 box-pressed Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 had been resting in my humidor for just shy of a year. This Nicaraguan puro features a dark, chocolate-hued Corojo Oscuro wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and fillers aged for over five years.

Medium to full-bodied, the smoke opens with notes of cedar, espresso, and roasted nuts, finishing with a warm white pepper spice. The profile is smooth and balanced, with no harshness, and the spice gently lingers on the tongue. The flavor held consistent throughout the experience, which, as predicted, lasted just about two hours.

The Horse Soldier Reserve Barrel Strength is a wheated bourbon, with proof varying between 110 and 124.6 depending on the batch. My bottle comes in at 124 proof. It opens with a mouthwatering aroma of butterscotch, maple, and honey. On the palate, it reveals notes of charred oak, dark cherry, plum, molasses, and cinnamon. The finish is long and warm, with a lingering heat balanced by rich, dark sweetness. It’s a bold, full-flavored pour ideal for slow sipping.

Together, the Horse Soldier Reserve Barrel Strength Bourbon and the Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Gran Reserva GT20 created an exceptionally satisfying flavor pairing. Each offered lingering spice and depth, with just enough body to complement and stand up to the other.

The couple of hours spent on the quiet porch, with classic blues playing in the background, offered a stark contrast to the energy and chaos of the Metallica show. Whether it’s the roar of a packed stadium or the hush of a spring evening, memorable moments can be found in both. Adding a good cigar and a strong bourbon to the setting makes it even more pleasurable.

Cheers!

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Friday Evening - A Cigar, A Rye, and New Music

I'd been looking forward to revisiting the Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye, and finally did pull it down from the shelf on Friday evening. I also grabbed a Rocky Patel The Edge 20th Anniversary to smoke along with the rye on a pleasantly warm and low humidity evening. This sort of weather doesn't last long in Virginia.

Batch 2 of Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye was released in the fall of 2022. The mash bill is 95 percent rye and 5 percent malted barley and bottled at moderate 105 proof. The #1 char barrels used for the cigar blend were smoked over tobacco leaves.

The aroma is light in the rocks glass, but a rye spice and a hint smoke come through. The rye spiciness is forward in the sip. Tobacco and citrus notes come through after the initial spice. A caramel and tobacco smoke presence coats the palate in a lingering finish. Taking a sip of water clears the spice and helps the tobacco smoke come through. I enjoyed the Buzzard's Roost Cigar Rye. It's not the typical cognac - port - wine finish of other "cigar blends" but makes a quite pleasant pairing for the cigar.

The Rocky Patel Edge 20th Anniversary is a smoke I've enjoyed often. This particular 5 1/2" X 50 Robusto has been resting in the humidor for a year. The 20th Anniversary was introduced by Rocky Patel in 2022 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Edge series. The stick has a 10 year aged Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, a Honduran Broadleaf binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras and Panama. The chocolate brown, silky wrapper gives evokes a classic HERSHEY'S Chocolate Bar. The medium bodied smoke delights with rich notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and nuts. The flavor was consistent throughout the smoke, which was just fine with me as it was pairing with the rye most beautifully.

The Friday evening was made even more enjoyable with some new music from a favorite artist. I'd been looking forward to Joanne Shaw Taylor's new blues album to be released. As Friday was the release date, it got a couple play throughs in the course of this evening.

Cheers!

Five O'Clock Friday: Hey, Bartender There's A Big Bug In My Beer

Some music to kick off the weekend.

 May your glass have only beer this weekend.

Cheers!

Weekend Smokes and Other Small Pleasures

After starting the weekend with the excitement of an IDPA match, it was time to slow down and relax during the evening. A couple of drinks on the deck with Colleen, along with a good cigar made a fine finish to the day. 

The Old Fashioned was made with Four Roses Small Batch bourbon and the smoke was the CAO Mx2. The Mx2 is a full-bodied smoke producing strong notes of coffee and earth with spicy and sweet notes coming through as well. The pairing made for a flavorful and refreshing repast as we enjoyed the cooling evening air.

On Sunday, after a hearty breakfast of omelets and homemade cinnamon raisin bread, we headed to a nearby Civil War battlefield for a short hike. We hit this same trail regularly, it's a pleasant shaded walk in the woods and is a nice change from our daily "exercise" walks in the neighborhood.

After freshening up it was time to head over to one of our favorite Sunday afternoon haunts, 1781 Brewing, for some good beer, music and a cigar. The afternoon performer was "Hokie Joe" who plays an entertaining mix of Blues, Rock, and Country. It was a fun mix of music that could be enjoyed while carrying on a conversation. My beer selection for this afternoon was Sea Monkey IPA. It doesn't seem to me that 1781 offers many IPA style beers, so I was looking forward to seeing what they did with this one.

The beer is easy drinking and quite flavorful. Rich, juicy citrus notes of pineapple and mango treated the nose and the palate. The finish is clean and refreshing with very little bitterness. I believe the ABV was listed around 6.5%

The chosen smoke was Fratello D.M.V. This limited production cigar was released last fall in four vitolas designated as Delaware, Virginia, District of Columbia, and Maryland. I picked up some of each during a release party at my local cigar shop in December. The cigar seems to have sold out at most places fairly quickly. I selected a "District of Columbia" Toro for this pairing. The cigars are medium plus bodied with flavors of coffee and spice. The finish is creamy and lingers for some time. The beer and the smoke meshed quite well. I quickly needed a refill on my beer as I enjoyed the 90 minute smoke.

This would have been the last of my supply of the D.M.V. in this vitola. Fortunately, I spotted a few more recently during a trip, and bought the last of the stock at the shop. I'm looking forward to enjoying them in the future. Maybe with an IPA again.

Monday Morning Music

Not much in the way of blog-worthy events of late. So we'll just enjoy some Monday blues...

At least we're counting down to a three day weekend!

Test Chicken

Sacrificing the proverbial chicken to test the domain name changes.

Five O'Clock Friday: Beer Bottle Boogie

Some mood music from Koko Taylor to kick off the weekend.

Five O'Clock Friday: Hey Bartender

Here's a little mood music to kick off the weekend.

Cheers!

In Lieu of a Football Post

A musical message.

And another year of not watching the felons and ingrates toss a ball around...

Christmas Songs With Black Rifle Coffee Company

It's that joyous time of the year when we start hearing Christmas music played everywhere. When the music is being played on steel, with guns, it adds to the fun.

It looks like the folks at Black Rifle Coffee Company had a blast putting together their own renditions of Christmas favorites. They even posted the bloopers for our enjoyment.

Celebrating 33 Years

For my wonderful wife and best friend on this special day as we mark 33 years of marriage. Colleen, I give thanks to God every day for putting you in my life. I look forward to 33 more years!

And now a musical interlude to help celebrate...

Happy Anniversary to a beautiful, loving, and patient, lady. I am blessed.

Because We Could Use A Smile Today

Until there's relevant content, enjoy this clown singing Pinball Wizard to the tune of Folsom Prison Blues...

Making Music With Guns

This guy has fun combining his love of firearms and music.

I really need to work on my strong hand and weak hand only shooting.

Sunday Humor - Atheists Don't Have No Songs

A musical interlude before we "dress up for Mass."

Happy Sunday.

St. Wenceslaus, Patron Saint of Brewers

Reposted from September 28, 2012.

Today is the feast day of St. Wenceslaus, who is regarded as a patron Saint of Czech brewers.

St. Wenceslaus, duke of Bohemia, was born about the year 907 at Prague, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). His father was killed in battle when he was young, leaving the kingdom to be ruled by his pagan mother. Wenceslaus was educated by his grandmother, Ludmilla, also a saint. She taught him to be a Christian and to be a good king. She was killed by pagan nobles before she saw him king, but she left him with a deep committment to the Christian faith. 

Throughout his life he preserved his virginity unblemished. As duke he was a father to his subjects, generous toward orphans, widows, and the poor. On his own shoulders he frequently carried wood to the houses of the needy. He often attended the funerals of the poor, ransomed captives, and visited those suffering in prison. He was filled with a deep reverence toward the clergy; with his own hands he sowed the wheat for making altar breads and pressed the grapes for the wine used in the Mass. During winter he would visit the churches barefoot through snow and ice, frequently leaving behind bloody footprints. 

Wenceslaus was eighteen years old when he succeeded his father to the throne. Without regard for the opposition, he worked in close cooperation with the Church to convert his pagan country. He ended the persecution of Christians, built churches and brought back exiled priests. As king he gave an example of a devout life and of great Christian charity, with his people calling him "Good King" of Bohemia. 

His brother Boleslaus, however, turned to paganism. One day he invited Wenceslaus to his house for a banquet. The next morning, on September 28, 929, as Wenceslaus was on the way to Mass, Boleslaus struck him down at the door of the church. Before he died, Wenceslaus forgave his brother and asked God's mercy for his soul. Although he was killed for political reasons, he is listed as a martyr since the dispute arose over his faith. This king, martyred at the age of twenty-two, is the national hero and patron of the Czech Republic. He is the first Slav to be canonized.

According to BeerHistory.com, the Saint's protection of local hops earned him much regard.

Because Bohemian hops were so valued, Wenceslas ordered the death penalty for anyone caught exporting the cuttings and obviously endeared himself to the local hop growers and brewers. He became the patron saint of Bohemia and Czechoslovakia and his crown became the symbol of nationalism for the Czechs. By extension he became a patron saint of Czech brewers.

King Wenceslaus is the inspiration for the Christmas carol, Good King Wenceslas.

So let's raise a glass of fine beer to the Good King, Saint Wenceslaus.

Merle Haggard - "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink"

Poet of the common man, R.I.P.