Mountain Biking Facts

Happy St Patrick's Day

Just Some Beer "Facts"

Beers To Try Before you Die or the Beer Bucket 52 List 12 of 52 Boulevard Irish Ale

Well as we come into some seasonal beers tis the season to be a wee bit Irish! Although only a slight bit of Irish in my bloodlines as the saying goes on St Patricks Day we are all Irish!!! So I picked up some Irish Ale from Kansas City's very own  Boulevard Brewing Company. 

A nice Beer for a Sunday Afternoon watching some NASCAR. Kind of a roasted Malt flavor a solid Ale, my wife looks forward to this beer every year and watching me drink it this year she was a bit jealous as she is pregnant. But taking one for the team I had to delve into I believe my first Seasonal on the list this year. 
I really enjoyed the beer, can't believe I had never tried it in past years when my wife would purchase it. I would say as far as ratings go I want to give it a solid 3 beer rating. 

A very good medium bodied brew with a nice finish.

To view what all the ratings mean go to the 52 Beers to try Before You die Bucket list page

Disclaimer I am a beer drinker and a beginner home brewer the above is only my taste buds telling me what I enjoy, it is not the law or rule of the land, these would be the beers that I am grateful to have tried before the day comes when I pass on and meet my maker. 

Beers To Try Before you Die or the Beer Bucket 52 List 11 of 52 New Belgium Portage

I don't think there are many Porters or Stouts out there that I would not rate well, which means that soon I will have my own list just for some of my favorites in that category. But for now we will concentrate on Beer number 11 to make this years 52 Portage from New Belgium Brewing.  

While searching for a tasty beverage one Friday Afternoon, one of the employees at Randell's Wine and Spirits asked if he could help me. I was at a loss that day so I asked if he could suggest a good porter or stout, because I was in the mood for one (like I am never in the mood for one) He asked if I had tried one or two, which I had and then he asked if I had tried the Portage from New Belgium Brewing I said no and he walked me over to the beer which was on sale, double points.

I popped one open after diner that night and oh my goodness was it good. It was like a dark chocolate, coffee with a little vanilla mixed in. The beer itself was a dark beer but not a heavy beer, more to the medium side. All in all a very good brew. I tend to rank my stouts and porters high and I will do so again as I give this porter a 5 beer rating. Very good beer....

To view what all the ratings mean go to the 52 Beers to try Before You die Bucket list page

Disclaimer I am a beer drinker and a beginner home brewer the above is only my taste buds telling me what I enjoy, it is not the law or rule of the land, these would be the beers that I am grateful to have tried before the day comes when I pass on and meet my maker. 

Beers To Try Before you Die or the Beer Bucket 52 List A Few Honorable not my taste but worth a try rating

So as I have started this Journey of trying beers I have either A. Never had before or B. wanted to try again against the others I have never had before I am starting to come across beers that while are good and by other peoples taste may be great on their own list I am not sure what to do with. If you have followed you know I have this rating system of 1 to 6 beers 6 being a platinum rating at the top and 1 being kind of the Bronze (which is still a very very good beer, on a 1-10 scale 1 is more like a 6-7) and then I have the Skunky Beer rating which I never thought I would actually use till this one...The Biere De Maes French Style Stock Ale .   Nasty! Anyway I have hit a few beers that are not high enough by my taste to rank them with some on the list, but I do believe are worth a try, some just missing at least a 1 beer rating. So I have come up with a rating to include them, even though they may not be my taste. The Honorable not my taste but worth a try rating.

The first would be Dogfish Heads Namaste  

                             

Namaste is a Belgian Style White beer and is made with Orange slices, Lemongrass and Coriander. This would not be a go to choice it was not a bad beer by any means just very light for my taste. I would not post it along as a 52 you have to try before you die, but I am adding it to the in-between category for beers that are not bad but not rated high enough to make the list the honorable not my taste but worth a try rating. If you enjoy a summertime light beer with some taste grab a six pack.

The next is  Rouge Sriracha Hot Stout 

Now this is not a beer I would normally have bought as I am not too much into the hot or spicy. But I was in the supermarket where they had beer tasting and I figured I could grab a taste without spending the 13 or 14 bucks on a bottle (In the end I spent the money anyway as my Father in law loves spicy stuff so I grabbed a bottle for him, and although he is not a stout fan he liked it) anyway I grabbed the tiny cup and drank it. Overall a great taste, but then the Sriracha kicked in and it cleared my sinuses holy crap!!! Now keep ion mind I have a low tolerance for the spicy so don’t go by me. That is why I would give this a honorable not my taste but worth a try rating. If you enjoy Spicy you will like this beer, If you enjoy Stouts and spicy you will love this beer. SO if you fall into one of those categories go out and grab a bottle. If you are like me with the spicy is too hot for me taste buds, try and find a beer tasting, so you can at least say you tried it.

And to round up the latest group of honorable not my taste but worth a try rating Founders All Day IPA It is a middle of the road IPA not too hoppy not too light, an in between IPA for a barbecue, might be a good description. I have friends who love this beer so by all means give it a try, but again this is only my taste, it was just below the rating of 1 beer for me. 

To view what all the ratings mean go to the 52 Beers to try Before You die Bucket list page

Disclaimer I am a beer drinker and a beginner home brewer the above is only my taste buds telling me what I enjoy, it is not the law or rule of the land, these would be the beers that I am grateful to have tried before the day comes when I pass on and meet my maker. 

The "Almost" Daily Beer and Bike Log March 10, 2015 Finish What You Start

Have you ever quit anything? I have. Not a good feeling. In the area of life failing at anything is a downer, it sucks!  

 I have yet to ride a 100 mile MTB ride, hell a 30 mile bike MTB ride yet, I am still learning how to control my bike, shift when needed, take turns at higher speeds, just stay on the bike in situations where everything in your head says to ditch it. 

So I can’t yet speak on a ride where everything aches and I wanted to stop but pressed on to finish in a personal record time. But I can talk about not having quit in you.

What is funny is I really had to think about the times I did not quit but remember most of the times I did. 

High school I ran on the track team for all of a week. I thought well here is a sport I can play that only involves running. Being that I had not played a sport in a few years, and was out of shape running was a bitch. And although I somewhat enjoy a nice run these days it bored me to death. So I quit. My thought was I should only have to run while playing a sport that was not, well just about running.

Kickboxing/Karate, prior to and during my Air Force stint I worked hard in Martial Arts. I went through a lot of pain to be as quick and strong as I could be. At the my peak I was moving at a hundred miles an hour while it seemed everyone else I competed against was moving in slow motion. Till the dreaded injury. I had a hernia and was laid up for a few months not able to train or workout. Coming back I started to compete and it felt like I was moving in slow motion while everyone else was moving at a hundred miles an hour. Now this was not the end all be all or the biggest reason I stopped. The pain was what ultimately ended my martial arts career, I just could not fight through it. Very depressing. Should I have quit? No! I should have pushed at my limits and finished what I had started.

And that is what this post is about, it is not about quitting, it is about having the courage and strength to fight through those moments when you want to quit but coming out at the other end, win lose or tie you finished what you started.

One thing that stands out is my Military service. Yes there was Basic training when I got to San Antonio after being delayed in a snow storm getting gin at about 1 in the morning, getting screamed at, going to bed by 0300 (that's 3 am)  and getting up with yelling, trash cans and pounding two short hours later, to eat, get our heads shaved, get our uniforms, and thinking man I am starving it must be noon, only to find out during my first day it was only 0800 (that would be 8 am). I thought Oh my God I am never going to make it.  Well as the men and women who were weeks ahead told us, “It never gets easier you just get used to it.” Weeks later we were saying the same to the younger recruits coming into Basic Training.

Another day that comes to mind is while out on training exercises, while guarding the armory, in 110 degree weather (that was the humidity at night) with all my gear on, looking over my M-16 with mosquitos, biting the shit out of me, because the Bug repellent would come off due to the sweat, you could feel every second tick by just lying there watching for aggressors. The thoughts always creep in to just get up and lose it, scratch the hell out of your back and put more bug repellent on, but you have too many people depending on you to do your job. No technically this was not a combat situation, I am not even a combat vet (something I live with all the time and have had to get over) but that moment taught me a bunch about myself. Never quit! Finish what you started!

From then on I have used moments like that or thinking about my friends who were in combat zones and could not give up, to push me through so many different situations. 

I do not want to drone on about all the times I thought I may give up and move on, that would be boring. The most recent and the one that could sum up every other time was the Half Marathon I just ran last year.

I trained the best I could, with the time I had, things like life got in the way, but I still found time to push my 41 year old body from 4 miles to about 9 and a half prior to the race. That morning I started out great pushed myself at a very good pace through mile 8 then, the thoughts started to trickle in. “Fuck still 5 to go!” “Damn! Still 4 and half to go” Then I hit “The Hill” on mile 10 I was warned I should have known, and my only mistake was looking up when I was half way up the hill. I walked, caught my breath got some water and pressed on. My body hurt, my lungs at points were saying “fuck this” but I pressed on and when I hit that last length of road and saw the finish I pushed with my family cheering me on. 

My daughter Ali and me

I am not one for getting an award if you did not win, but in this case just finishing a Half is a win. It is a win over your body, your mind and I finished what I started. I hurt (for days my body hurt) I was tired and good lord I was hungry. But I accomplished something thinking back on those days on the high school track team I thought I never would. I ran 13.1 miles.

So the whole reason for writing this post (other than the fact I have not had much to write about other than beer lately) is to show when you focus and put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. My future goals may not include a 100 mile MTB race, but I know it will include smaller ones. I know in life I am going to face other things more important than races, and I will push through. I know I want to set the best example for my kids that when you start something, no matter what it may be. You finish what you start. So what does this all mean in the world of beer and Mountain biking? 

Not a fan of PBR but the picture worked

Well on the beer side finish what you start (unless it taste like puke then dump that shit see  I had to dump it) But more so in Mountain biking, weather you are pushing up that hill by yourself or riding with friends, in the words of Jim Valvano and his fight with Cancer (yes real life that has nothing to do with riding a bike up a hill) “Don’t ever give up!” or in my words Never quit! Finish what you started. (for you younger riders out there who do not know who Jimmy V was watch the speech)

Beers To Try Before you Die or the Beer Bucket 52 List 14 of 52 Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA (2015)

I am a little behind on my Beers to try before you die bucket list due to a cold that made everything taste like snot. So Here is my review from Stone Brewing's Collaboration series  Stone Brewery's Japanese Green Tea IPA

This was a very different IPA. If you like green tea and like IPAs this is a very good beer for you. The initial taste was absolutely a Green tea flavor but the back end or finish was for the IPA lovers out there. For me I am not a huge fan of either IPAs (although I am finding some I like and some I do not) and never a big fan of drinking Green tea, well back in the days when I smoked I thought this should balance out all the smoking, but never really enjoyed it.

But together they actually worked. I have to recommend this beer because I think people who enjoy a nice summer time IPA and also love both Green tea and IPAs with really enjoy this one. 

Myself I will give it a 1 Beer rating, 

only because it is not exactly my taste, but a good enough beer that I think this would rate higher on those individuals who enjoy IPAs and Green tea.

This is the Meaning of a One Beer

Okay this may be the lowest rating on this list but every beer here I guarantee is worth your time. What is one glass or bottle of beer going to cost you in the overall scheme of things? If you have drank anything below this level and if you have ever consumed a watered down impostor of a beer (See those B.M.C.big companies) then you have...Why not try one of these?

 Here is a Video from Stone explaining the Beer

To view what all the ratings mean go to the 52 Beers to try Before You die Bucket list page

Disclaimer I am a beer drinker and a beginner home brewer the above is only my taste buds telling me what I enjoy, it is not the law or rule of the land, these would be the beers that I am grateful to have tried before the day comes when I pass on and meet my maker. 

Beers To Try Before you Die or the Beer Bucket 52 Biere de Mars French Style Stock Ale Maybe an Acquired Taste But I had to Dump it

In my search for 52 Beers this year I have enjoyed all of them so far. I was thinking I am not a very good critic because I found even if the beer was not necessarily great it was still really good.

Okay! Just as I thought I would not find a beer that I would not like, I found one. Made by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales the Biere de Mars French Style Stock Ale aged in Oak Barrels was one I not only did not like I poured the rest out.  

I did not like it and I am sorry guys it tasted like vomit with a slight hint of citrus, I could not get the taste out of my mouth. 
                                       
Maybe this style is an acquired taste I don't know, I do know that evening I had three other people taste it and all dumped it. (keep in mind the other two people have different taste than I do they both lean towards IPA's while I enjoy Porters and Stouts more often than others)

This is not to say this beer is not for someone, and the artwork on the bottle was really cool. But unfortunately I am going to have to dump this into the Skunky Beer flavor category. 

Sorry guys Maybe there is another beer you make that will be more suited for my taste..This one was not it.

To view what all the ratings mean go to the 52 Beers to try Before You die Bucket list page

Disclaimer I am a beer drinker and a beginner home brewer the above is only my taste buds telling me what I enjoy, it is not the law or rule of the land, these would be the beers that I am grateful to have tried before the day comes when I pass on and meet my maker. 

Beers To Try Before you Die or the Beer Bucket 52 List 10 of 52 Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

Old Rasputin Imperial Stout 

 Was a beer of choice last weekend that I never got to post this past week.....

You would think it is a Russian beer, with the name and what not, but no it is from North Coast Brewing  in California.

This beer kind of reminds me of somewhere between the Smooth Sam Adams Cream Stout and a nice Bourbon Aged Stout. It has a nice rich flavor, actually full of flavor from sip one. It is a good in between for someone trying not Only Imperial Stouts but Stouts in general because you can go stronger toward the Bourbon aged types or a little smoother toward something like Sams Cream Stout. 

Overall a great tasting beer I really enjoyed.  A Solid 3 Beers and A shot (a 3 and a half) A 3 Beer rating is....This is still Silver and silver is still Silver!! Give these Beers a chance, not all will be your mug of Brew but you have to try them. Dick Punch No! A deadman's dick kick? Probably not! But someone may Slap your parents for raising you wrong. With a Shot (or a half) You just add a bit to the overall rating not a 4 but better than a 3

To view what all the ratings mean go to the 52 Beers to try Before You die Bucket list page

Disclaimer I am a beer drinker and a beginner home brewer the above is only my taste buds telling me what I enjoy, it is not the law or rule of the land, these would be the beers that I am grateful to have tried before the day comes when I pass on and meet my maker.