In general, the "safest" type of brandy you can buy is a Cognac. Go with a VSOP or (even better) an XO and you will be fine. Sure, there are "generic" brandies that are equally good or even better than Cognacs, but to be the Cognac variety you need to go through strict controls and, of course, be from the Cognac region of France. With a Cognac you know what you get. With a "generic" brandy you don't.

There are, however, other varieties of brandy that are bound to regions and go through the same strict controls as the Cognac. In that sense they're equally "safe" to go with, if you like the varieties and if you can find them. Spokane isn't a brandy type of town, so at times the latter can be difficult.

A good Armagnac can easily be as good as a Cognac, and it also comes cheaper. This, I assume, is because it doesn't have the name recognition of the Cognac, even though Armagnac apparently was the first brandy producing region of France. Some will even claim that the Armagnac is better than the Cognac, but more about that in a bit.

Production of Armagnac and Cognac are similar, though the Armagnac is only distilled once as opposed to twice for the Cognac. While you would think this would make the Armagnac harsher, the aging process, which is similar to that used for the Cognac, mellows it and simply makes the flavors a bit different and, to some, more complexthan its more famous cousin.

Grading is nigh identical to Cognac:

• VS: Mix of Armagnacs that are at least two years old.
• VSOP: Aged for at least five years.
• XO: Aged for at least six years.
• Hors d'Age: Aged for at least ten years.

So why do some prefer the Armagnac to the Cognac? There are those who will claim the popularity of Cognac has sent it into a mass-production spiral which makes it dull and predictable. It is true that it is mass-produced, and production is probably modernized to a level an Armagnac producers can't (afford to) get to, but I am unsure if its quality has gone down. Possibly for a VS, but plenty of producers—including big names like Martell, Hennessy and Courvoisier, as well as boutique shops like Hardy and Larsen—make some amazing brandies if you go up to the VSOP and XO.

With that said, from a personal perspective, I can see why some prefer an Armagnac. The single distillation in oak barrels really does work to its benefit in terms of having somewhat more depth to the flavors. And note that a VSOP Cognac is aged for a minimum of four years; a VSOP Armagnac for five. That's a good bang for your bucks.

To add to that, the Armagnac is said to have great heart benefits. A study has shown the aging process of the product is the reason behind this, and the Armagnac region has the lowest amount of heart issues per capita anywhere in the world. True fact.

As for serving Armagnac, there is the age old argument with it as there is with Cognac: What's better, the snifter, the tulip glass or the Champagne flute? The answer is: The argument will keep going for an eternity, go with your personal preference. (I prefer a small snifter.)

Drink the Armagnac like you would a Cognac or any type of brandy. Small sips over a long time. Swirl the Armagnac around your mouth; it's quite pleasant.

Some like a small splash of water or an ice cube in the drink. Personally I prefer it neat, but hey, whatever floats your boat. In the warmth of summer I don't see the issue putting an ice cube in the drink.

There aren't many types to choose from in our caringly controlled Washington liquor stores, but the Leriche VSOP is a good and affordable starting point at around $30 per bottle. It's smooth and has a nice flavor.

Fun fact: When the Armagnac is bottled, it's bottled. Keeping it in the bottle for 15 years isn't going to improve its flavor; opening it isn't going to affect its taste anytime soon. Just drink the damn thing.

I usually go for cappuccinos or Americanos when I grab an espresso based drink, but that's not to say I'm a fascist purist in my coffee choices. As Black Tie often delivers blended drinks that aren't just syrupy messes, and as I've had some experience with things that are spicy before, I was intrigued by their Intense! menu, and decided to go a bit outside the same-ol'.

So I don't know, maybe I set myself up for a bad experience? I've had spicy coffee that was good before, but a Dark Chocolate Cherry Chipotle at the most intense spiciness—the Volcano -- could have gone either way. Long story short: This was not good. It could have been good. But it wasn't.

The main problem was that each sip felt like two drinks from two different cups: one cup of coffee and one cup of hot sauce. You taste the coffee up front, then the spiciness after you've swallowed. That is not a good thing. Had the spiciness been incorporated into the coffee I think it might have been OK, but a chaser of hot sauce after a rather sweet mocha… It sort of just confused the tastebuds.

On the upside, I will admit it was spicy at least, which is always a gamble.

I like Black Tie. They often make nice Americanos. The Intense! menu, though, I'm not so sure about. 

Another good, though not great, canned entry from Maui Brewing.

It poured a light golden color, with a pretty decent head. A quick whiff revealed a citric scent—think oranges and lemon; maybe something a bit sweeter like pineapple. There were hints of hops in the back.

This might have been the first sign of the slight disappointment I felt about the beer. Maui advertises no less than seven hop types used in the IPA. I had expected it to pull me by the nose down into the beer. It didn't.

In fact, a sip would quickly prove that this is more of a fruity ale with a delicate smooth hoppiness to it. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but the way it was advertised seemed to suggest a hop fest. Had it been a blind taste test, I would probably have guessed it was a pale.

So it is big and swell, but possibly not very IPA-y. Definitely recommended as a summer relaxer, but as far as hoppy ales go, it is kind of a letdown.

Here's another good entry from the Ponderay brewery. Rocket Dog Rye IPA has the creaminess of their Team SpoCOOL favorite, Cream Ale, and the hoppiness of a good IPA. It's a great combination, and one that makes for a good summer drink.

It pours a fairly cloudy orange color with a a thick creamy head. Quite a bit of lacing. The nose is fruity and hoppy; very refreshing.

The creaminess carries over to the mouthfeel. This is a very smooth beer, with nice fruit-like hoppy flavors and pale malts. The one issue I have is that I can't really taste the rye. It's there, sort of, but very much hidden away.

So it's a good beer, and one that is very drinkable over the next couple of months. I do think the "rye" label is a bit misleading, though, and that could be a disappointment to some.

Avery is a brewery most beer enthusiasts should be familiar with. I can't remember ever having a bad ale from them, and flavor kicks always sit in the front seat. 

The DuganA IPA is no different. It pours a deep gold color with a nice creamy head, almost two fingers. Excellent lacing. 

A quick whiff reveals that this is going to be hoppy. Very hoppy. Floral and citrus scents are also abound. Give it a sip and the hops kick right in. This is bitter stuff, and not for those who aren't into the super hoppy stuff. A few more sips also reveal a good deal more depth. Oranges and possibly toffee lingers once you get used to the bitterness.

At 8.5% ABV this is a pretty strong ale, but I didn't find it boozy at all. That's a good thing.

Highly recommended IPA.

When the summer hits—and I think it has, but I'm not about to let my guard down—you can't go far wrong with an IPA, at least if you're a hop kind of guy/gal.

With a name like Hop Czar I definitely had certain expectations of Bridgeport's ale. And it is certainly is a good beer, just not quite as hoppy as the name suggests.

It pours a nice copper color with about a finger of semi-creamy head. The glass is laced fairly well. Give it a whiff and it smells extremely florally. The hops are definitely there.

Sip it, and the floral impression carries over with a mild citric hoppy flavor. It's definitely good and refreshing, but nowhere as hoppy as I had expected from a beer called the Hop Czar. Imperial IPAs tend to have a bit more kick than this.

Still. It is what it is, and it tastes good. It's a good ale for the summertime. Recommended for your rotation.

I like Stone's ales. They keep the same quality as Deschutes, sometimes even exceeding the Oregon brewery, yet are a whole lot cheaper. Pick up a Stone reserve and it will run you half the price.

Oaked Arrogant Bastard is not a special reserve, but it's definitely special. In the way that it's good. It is, not surprisingly, similar to the regular Arrogant Bastard, but aged with oak chips. This gives it a bit deeper of a flavor.

It pours to a nice head that is slightly tanned, with a deep slightly amber color. The nose is pretty sweet, possibly with hints of brandy and citrus.

The flavor is kind of heavenly. This is an incredibly drinkable beer: The oak leaves hints of smokiness to the flavor, with a nice citric taste to it. It's hoppy, but not in a crazy manner, and incredibly refreshing. A nice bitterness lingers for a bit.

It's too high on alcohol to be a session beer—7.2% ABV—but grab a couple for sipping on the porch, and you'll have a good summer.

Make that score a bit lower if you're going for the food. Go for the beer selection, though, and Waddell's is pretty glorious.

I'm not too into strip mall eateries, but hat off to Waddell's for actually giving the feeling of being in a real sport bar with focus on ales. Basically this is what kicking boy Post St Ale House should be. More than 20 handles, often rotated, all pouring quality ales.

I tried Ninkasi's Believer—one of two Ninkasis available on tap at the time—and good it was during a World Cup game. And this is a good place to watch the World Cup. Waddell's feels like a mix of a British pub and American bar, and both come together well. Sit at the bar, a booth, or regular table, and you should always have one of their many widescreens in view. All while drinking good beer.

The food isn't quite as awesome. My spicy chicken sandwich wasn't particularly spicy and the pasta salad was drenched in its dressing. Not cool. I wouldn't go here for the food alone, though I'm sure the appetizers would go well with the ales.

Waddell's, then, is a great place for a beer. Go there for that.

Well, what do you know? A Redhook ale that doesn't suck? It has been a while, but here we go.

It pours a copper color with some head that's not particular thick. There is some lacing. A sniff reveals a pleasant sweet smell. 

The taste is quite good. If you don't like IPAs ou won't like this, and that's good as far as IPAs go. It's hoppy, not crazily so, but definitely a decent kick. There's also a mild citrus flavor which gives this a nice drinkability. At almost 9% ABV it's not a session beer, but it's a good outside sipping beer for the (alleged) summer. 

It's about friggin' time Redhook did something good again. I have taken their past few ales as personal insults. Here's hoping the Woodinville brewery will aim at making more beers like this, as opposed to their current dumbed down offerings.

(How's that for ending on a sour note?!)

Pretty much the worst label ever, but not a shabby summer ale at all.

I'm a fan of the Ponderay brewery's cream ale, and adding huckleberries to the mix seems like a pretty logical step to make it more summery.

The result is good. It pours with an extremely creamy head, and I can't recall an ale in recent memory  that has laced the glass quite as nicely as the Huckleberry Cream. The smell reveals, shockingly enough, cream and huckleberries. 

Flavor wise, though, the cream dominates. This isn't miles away from Laughing Dog's standard Cream Ale, just with a tart aftertaste. It could be argued that'd be enough, and it probably is, even though it's not extremely exciting.

With all that said, it's an extremely drinkable beer. It's also refreshing. So while the excitement level might be a bit muted, I definitely see this one as part of the summer rotation. Nice one.