A beer, a bourbon and a band

So one thing I am planning on doing is periodically having a recommendations blog. It will start with me giving a few various recommendations and then (hopefully) follow with commenters giving recs.

A beer: Mc Chouffe

Somewhere between your typical British brown ale and your typical belgian lies Mc Chouffe (Chouffe being the name of the brewery and Mc indicating the newcastle type influence, clever, eh?).

Cons: it costs between 8 and 12 dollars
you shouldn't drive after one (its about a pint and a half and 8% alcohol)
its hard to find (luckily I found it at my local harris teeter)

Pros: a very unique blend that is smooth, spicy and just plain tasty. (i'll leave out all the beer aficianado descriptions, but if you want more, you can find it here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/321/1581/ )
You will have a nice buzz after just one (see cons)
One of the coolest bottles around

A bourbon: (or more precisely a bourbon drink): Ma Maker



This is a simple little drink that I concocted during my bartending days that was very popular amongst bourbon drinkers. Somewhat similar to a bourbon equivalent of a rusty nail, without being as thick and sugary. The Gran Marnier really brings out the frutier aspects of the bourbon without overpowering it. Some days you want your bourbon to take you away, some you just want it to take the edge off, this is for the days when you just want to take the edge off.

Rocks glass
ice (preferably three medium sized cubes)
2 shots Maker's Mark (the maker)
Splash of Gran Marnier (the ma)
garnish with a cherry

A Band: The Raconteurs

Normally the band rec would be a little more obscure (sure, why dont you just go ahead and recomend us that we listen to the beatles), but the new album just came out and from what I've heard of it, it easily surpasses the debut. I'll give a fuller review of the album when I have more time to let it soak in. Right now, it would likely just consist of "this song is awesome, these guys totally rock!"

If they keep this up, the White Stripes will become just Jack's little side experiment. Not having a bassist is fine and all, but it really does have its limitations. Its hard for Jack to really freak out when he constantly has to think about holding down the bottom end. Its also nice to see some other creative forces intertwine with Jack's. Lennon-McCartney they ain't but White-Benson are a very able songwriting pair and its great to see how Jack interacts as opposed to dictates in a different setting.