[Sweeter Beers]

Any of the big high ABV beers from The Bruery are sweet (White Chocolate, Chocolate Rain, Black Tuesday, Bois, Or Xata, etc). Actually that's a pretty good rule of thumb; the higher the abv, the sweeter it will be.

[Best Manhattan variations?]

I tried Adam's take on the Norman Conquest with a dash of Bénédictine rather than the barspoon of Drambuie (I'm out) and I enjoyed it. The Peychaud's is a nice touch with the apple spirit. I'll have to try it the right way sometime.

So basically a vieux carre with subbing of calvados for cognac? I could get on board with that

[Water Baths and Immersion Circulators]

Thanks for the tips. Do the insulated baths actually make that much of a difference? Is it really worth paying $1,000 more? Would wrapping it in a blanket and using ping pong balls be sufficient?

[Chamber Vacuum Sealers, 2011–2014]

Is the VacMaster VP215 or VP210 large enough to seal a whole brisket or prime rib? Are any other chamber vacuum sealers large enough to do it?

[Water Baths and Immersion Circulators]

I'm looking to buy my first Immersion Circulator and I'm leaning towards the Julabo brand right now over Polyscience but I'm having a hard time deciding if I should go with one of the newer consumer oriented models or one of the more lab/professional models. Here's sort of how I see them broken down:

Julabo Consumer:

fusionchef Pearl - $1,189/$1,444 for Pearl Z - 68F to 203F; .05F accuracy; up to 15.32 gallons; 3.7 gal/min; 1.2kW heating capacity

fusionchef Diamond - $2,500 - 68F to 203F; .01F accuracy; up to 15.32 gallons; 3.7 gal/min; 1.2kW heating capacity; programmable memory

Julabo Professional:

EH - $1,246 - 150F to 302F; .05F accuracy; up to 13.2 gallons; 4.0 gal/min; 1kW heating capacity

Polyscience Consumer:

Sous Vide Professional Chef - $800 - 59f to 212F; .07C accuracy; 8 gal capacity; 3.2 gal/min; 1.1kW heating

Sous Vide Professional Consumer - $500 - 59f to 210f; .1C accuracy; 5.3 gal capacity; 1.6 gal/min; 1.1kW heating capacity

Polyscience Professional:

Model 7306/Classic - $1,022 - ambient to 302F; .05C accuracy; 8 gal capacity; 1.3 gal/min; 1.1kW heating capacity

Nomiko:

$369 - up to 212F; 0.2C accuracy; 5 gal capacity; 2.6 gal/min; 750W heater

So right now I've more or less narrowed it to the fusionchef Pearl, Julabo EH, and Polyscience 7306 with leaning towards the 2 Julabo models. How often do you use it for heating anything beyond 203F? I was thinking about using it for homebrewing in the future which would require at least boiling of water, but I'm not entirely set on that.

[Fäviken Magasinet, Järpen, Sweden]

I'm hoping to make it to Faviken at some point next year and was wondering if anyone has any advice on the best time to visit. My schedule is pretty flexible and I'm sure the menu is very seasonal, so I'm really not sure when I should try and schedule it.

[Need recommendations for Pure Maple Syrup, Dark Amber]

I've never heard of "aging" maple syrup. What does that do to the product? Wouldn't the whiskey in the barrel "taint" the flavor of the syrup?

It changes the flavor sure but I wouldn't say "taint." I've bought bottles of BLiS' Bourbon Barrel Syrup (looks like they use Grade A) many times and it is damn good. Mikuni makes one too that's supposed to be good as well.

[Need recommendations for Pure Maple Syrup, Dark Amber]

I'm thinking about aging some maple syrup in a small bourbon barrel that I've been aging some white whiskey (originally anyway) in. What Grade of maple do you think I should use for this purpose? Any brands in particular?