Does Highland Gaelic Ale taste better in Asheville?

I was recently in Asheville, N.C., but my stay wasn't long enough to join the next tour of Highland Brewing Co.'s facilities. Damn!

On my way out of town, I went to Sunny Point Cafe in West Asheville for an outstanding late lunch.

I ordered a Highland Gaelic Ale in the bottle, wondering if it would taste any better than the Highland Gaelic Ale I find in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area.

And it was pretty much the same, with the exception of maybe a little crisper carbonation, but that's to be expected.

It's a wonderful beer, as the rest of Highland's brews are, and I hope to make the brewery tour next time.

http://www.sunnypointcafe.com
http://www.highlandbrewing.com

Silver Coast's outstanding 2005 Touriga

I toured Silver Coast Winery in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., today.

I was stuck babysitting my two-year-old daughter and a friend's 18-month-old girl, so what else would I do?

I strapped them into car seats, then drove to the Piggly Wiggly in Sunset Beach, N.C., to purchase Three Philosophers and Duvel beers, which as far as I know are still unavailable in the greater Myrtle Beach area, despite a recent law that will allow a higher alcohol content in beers sold in South Carolina.

After Piggly Wiggly, tour a winery, of course.

I did a flight of five Silver Coast reds, and each was good, but the Cape Fear Blood Wine, a 2005 Touriga, transcended the rest. Full-flavored and complex, with fruit and other flavors colliding, this should be the first choice from Silver Coast Winery.

Check out http://www.silvercoastwinery.com to learn more about this winery.

Those samples were just little tastes, for the record. The children were safe at all times.

As safe as they can be with a male babysitter, considering my propensity to flip out when a child fills a diaper with manure while riding in a Piggly Wiggly shopping cart.

-Colin Burch