Summer is over people.  We in Seattle got our first dose of cold, wet, and windy this week.  No more hot sunny days here.  Time to shelve the light refreshing drinks and stock up on the hearty stuff.

I have a few suggestions.  Let’s start with what you need when you wake up in the dark.  You need a hearty cup of coffee that grabs your attention and charges you up for the day ahead.  You need something as dark as the early morning sky and and as complex as the layer of compost you’ve spread over your dead vegetable garden.  You need a cup of Indonesian Gajah Aceh from the Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon.

They describe the coffee as:

Laden with aromas of blackberry compote and tamarind, this cup has flavors of plum, blackberry, toffee and earth, finishing sweetly with buttery caramel.

And when you arrive home from work after your long, dark commute and find yourself craving a cold one, you won’t be wanting a summer ale or IPA, you are going to want something thick and toasty.  May I suggest the 2009 edition of Deschutes Jubelale?

The world’s best brewery describes their beer as follows:

Jubelale.   Brewed with dark crystal malt creating a luscious holiday note with bountiful hops to excite your taste buds— it’s easy to see why Jubelale is the perfect complement to the season.

Get it while you can.

Not into beer?  How about a wine?  A really intense red wine?  The French do it best.  Go buy yourself some 2007 Domaine Des Hauts Chassis Crozes-Hermitage.

K&L Wine Merchants says:

The 2007 Hauts Chassis is elegant and refined, with violet, mocha and nutmeg spice aromatics, followed by supple and bright notes of black cherry, blackberry and savory notes.  Enjoy now and over the next 10 years with braised meats or a selection of cheeses.

You can buy it at Pike and Western Wine Shop in the Pike Place Market.  (Don’t buy all of it, because I need some more.)

Okay then there now… you’ve got your drinking orders, now go drink!

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