Anxiously awaiting the Pontarlier-type #5!

I know Smutty is a BIG fan of the ET/HG... and now he's finally here to say so himself!

Alas my true unrequited love!

ET personally started the wine-base revolution thet we are enjoying today!

SMUTTY!!!!

Welcome home, Mr!

Feels good to be back!

Smutty, there were plently of HG'ers playing with wine and grape sprirt years before ET. I believe most home cookers spend some time in that arena before settling on what works best for them. I recall the wine spirit/grape spirit discussion pop up at least once a year... kinda the Jade- the only REAL Burnt™ absinthe of base alcohol.

Perhaps ET brought more public attention to what was actually used in the base alcohol, but ET was certainly not at the forefront of a revival...

I had a recent sample of the #5 that I don't really know anything about. It reminded me ALOT of UE 68, with a slightly thicker louche.

That sounds interesting...


Does Emile use wine/grape spirits?

I believe Peter mentioned at Kallisti's that the Pernots use sugar beet based spirits.

Well that's a new one for me...

Check out the Homemade Only the finest, thread at Madame K's

I really need to spend more time there... thanks fellow Kate Bush fiend... er, friend!

Yeah, me too. The time I spend here is about as much as I spend on the net.

I believe a lot of Euro absinthe makers use "beet" alcohol. It's not a bad thing, just whats available.

It's cheap.
Back in the Mitten, sugar beets are a large source
of revenue.

Kate Bush is HOT!!!

>I believe Peter mentioned at Kallisti's that the Pernots use sugar beet based spirits.

yes, they do.

>I believe a lot of Euro absinthe makers use "beet" alcohol. It's not a bad thing, just whats available.

no, there are other alcohols available, they just aren't as clean, or cost more than beets. beet alcohol has been developed in france since napoleon, when british blockades stopped shipments of wine and grapes to northern france and the distilling centers of holland. (beets were grown in the northern climates, like potatoes and apples, so alternatives to grapes were found). though it was sure in the 19th century, these beet and potato base alcohols were not very good and probably smelled pretty skanky until up to the end of the century, when the lack of grapes due to phyloxera from 1860-1900 really stepped up alternative development. quite frankly, the 19th century was quite a shitty time (with a few moments of glory) for the french wine industry.
today it is almost impossible to detect the difference in taste of a 96° (if that is what you use for base alcohol) beet, grape or grain alcohol.
virtually ALL cordial, aperitif, Filterated Czeckerland Xit(e), absenta, bitters, pastis, anise (arak being a notable exception and a few ouzos) makers in EuroFuckyLand (especially northern EuroFuckyLand) use beet alcohol.

let's not forget that almost all of the holy 'la bleue' of the val-de-travers is most likely made with a beet alcohol base, but nobody talks about that...

>It's cheap.

it not the main reason, but that helps. it's neutral. no taste, no smell (except alcohol) and the product is guaranteed to be the same everytime it is bought.
this is not the case for grape spirits (or any other) at 85° (and there's no point is paying more money for a 96° alcohol made from another source, when it all tastes the same), which is why historic pernod fils and i'm sure some others, selected their own and then blended it to a 'house' base alcohol. you need to buy a shit-load of alcohol to do that. the pernots cannot afford to stock large quantities of base alcohol or have inconsistant base materials. there are also separate regulations for buying base alcohol from grapes in france, because it is considered an 'alcohol de source'.

...

...

OK... see what happens?

This is supposed to be about ET/HG and look what happened...

So, back on topic.

ET/HG is very good!!!

ET/HG/KB .... it's all good.

DG

Not bad for 45 years old........(sigh)

And thanks to PaPaPeeVee for posting some knowledge amidst all the jerkin' off.

When I look at Kate Bush, You can call me PaPaPeePee (schwing!!!)

Yes, much like life, add a beautiful women into a conversation and it's easy to get sidetracked.

DG

That certainly puts things into perspective.

How's the batch coming along? We can't wait!!!

Guess I'll have to find out who Kate Bush is with all this mention of her.

Her eyes don't look like 40ish...

Air brush?

Keep running up that hill Gimpster.

I imagine she is just aging well (not every beautiful woman has to in her 20's)
Then again that damp foggy English climate might help.

Shee's got a 1000yard stare.

My kind of woman.

I created a Kate Bush thread ( In Tune Talk) where 1888 and I can post Kate Porn, and discuss her music.

Meet you there...

What a pleasant surprise I had this evening as my ET #5 (?) was waiting for me in my 'Room O' Absinthe Sin' otherwise know as the Computer Room.

Anyway, here is what my day was like prior to coming home tonight...


LOUSY!!!

Just got back from work- a nice 15 hour shift! Why 15 hours?!

BECAUSE, FREAKIN' PA DECIDED TO HAVE A MONSTER SNOWSTORM TODAY!!!

18" of snow expected in the Scranton / Wilkes Barre area by Saturday afternoon.

So anyway... my trip to Harrisburg was crap!

I did find out tonight that I don't have to work Saturday because of the storm but I'll have to work Sunday... so, hooray! It's off the wagon for a night!

So, I found my bottle of ET / HG #5 and here's what I thought...


"Woo-Hoo, something new to try tonight!"

No, it was more like this:

The first scent has the distinct wine base smell to it... not too overpowering but it's right there. My first glass I prepared at 3:1 which was a mistake.

At 3:1 it's got a bit of a bite to it though the lingering aftertaste is... oak?

I don't think TD is aging this in Oak but I could be mistaken. Perhaps it's something else that I taste that reminds me of Segarra's oaky-ness.

Anyway, at 4:1, it smoothens out quite a bit and is very refreshing... as I've come to expect from ET's HG.


Ah... now, to reflect on...

... THAT IDIOT THAT THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO DO 55 DOWN AN ICY / SNOW COVERED APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN ROAD!!!

Sorry.

Now to reflect on the wonderful memories of LF'03, which ET's stuff makes me think of.