So, thesis defense down does not equal slowing down. A week later, I was in Virginia. For the past few years, I have done the Muddy Buddy with a friend in the Richmond area. This spring would be my third. But, as always, visiting Virginia involved catching up with several friends... often over a beer or few.
Firestone Walker's Reserve Porter: From Taylor's fridge. It was nice and dark and heavy, with a strong coffee flavor.
On Friday evening, Taylor and I met up with Paul, Laura, Matt and others to go to Bier Baron, formerly known as Brickskeller. It's amazing to me how Bier Baron has scaled back the beer menu, and there are still over 500 options. This was a combination celebration of my successful defense, Matt's successful completion of his Masters work and a DBF staff meeting. Paul did try new beers. Maybe he'll even write about them. In the meantime, here's what I had--
Sam Adams Rustic Saison: I found this satisfying. Despite being see-through, I actually quite like the saison/ farmhouse style. They're refreshing. This was precisely that, a nice clean drink. This would be great on a hot day; that Friday was surprisingly cool out. This saison didn't have any particularly strong tastes to it, just a simple, refreshing beer.
Unibroue Maudite: A Quebecois beer that Paul and I both tried. "Strong dark Belgian ale" is not necessarily my favorite style. It kinda had a sweet fruity thing going on, but didn't taste like a particular kind of fruit to me. I don't know. My notes on this don't have much to say, and I don't remember much about it, and I think that sums this beer up just fine. It wasn't bad, just not really memorable or impressive.
Weyerbacher Heresy: Now we're talking. Russian Imperial Stout. This one tastes like a car bomb. It was nice and heavy and very smooth. Pleasant. I liked it. Not too sweet, not too strong or bitter. Good Imperial Stout.
After that, Paul ordered me a car bomb, and I'm still not sure why. It was delicious, but I can't drink fast enough to really enjoy these, although this time I managed to only leave a sip or two to curdle. It was great to see everyone, and really great to celebrate Matt's and my masters.
So, the Muddy Buddy is really awesome, but a nice perk at the end is the beer garden, sponsored by Red Hook. This year they served Copper Hook, a red/amber something. It was a bit hoppier than something like Killian's but really refreshing and crisp after the intense workout. Nothing fancy about it. It's very drinkable.
Sunday evening, after a long shower, Taylor and I met Justin and Deb to have dinner at Capital Alehouse in downtown Richmond. It was great to catch up with them since they were kind of busy the last time I saw them (at their wedding). Taylor ordered Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard for its name alone. While choosing beers for their funny names often leads to interesting discoveries, neither of us enjoyed this one (I finished it for him just so I could add it to the list). I mean, it was light and beery, but it had some kind of weird sweet funk to it, both in smell and taste. Kind of like how moldy fruit smells-- kind of sweet and kind of weird, and then you see the fuzz and realize "weird" is actually "gross". Yeah. Maybe it was a bad bottle, or maybe I wouldn't recommend this.
I got New Holland Golden Cap Saison. Another fresh tasting beer. Slight citrusy something going on, but just pleasant and refreshing.
As usual, if I go to Virginia, I stay there for a few extra days. On Tuesday, I met up with my good friend Becky for an afternoon stroll, and we along with her husband Dana met Taylor at Lost Dog Cafe, where the food is amazing. The unpregnant 3/4 of the group ordered DC Brau's Pale Ale, which was far hoppier than I expected... bitterness verging on IPA. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected.
My final beer for this jaunt to Virginia was Dogfish Head's Hellhound, kindly purchased for me by Becky and Dana, perhaps in celebration of my victory of the aforementioned thesis defense. Another beer in honor of an awesome musician? Ok! Dogfish Head again did not disappoint. While billed as excessively hoppy, I didn't think it was offensively so
Showing posts with label ESB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESB. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Road trip with a side of beer
So this post reviews my recent vacation, where Laura and I drove from southwest Colorado to Virginia. Our route took us to Mesa Verde, a small town called Dolores, CO, the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Dallas, New Orleans, and Atlanta. Admittedly, this was not the most direct route, but it was a blast. We drove 3,200 miles in eight days, and that includes one day of no driving at all! For Laura's thoughts on this trip, see her blog.
Upon my arrival in Colorado (we drove out a couple months ago and I flew back to DC), Laura and I went to Durango, CO for Mass (since it was Sunday), which was preceded by a cup of coffee at a local shop. Once we were done with Mass, she took me to an awesome brewpub in the town called Steamworks. If you know your beer history (or if you saw the movie I lasted posted about), you would know there was a time in this country when each town had its own brewery. At some point, we lost that trend. However, I am glad to report than in Colorado, it seems that the local brewpub is on the rise once again.
Steamworks Backside Stout: This beer won a gold medal and a silver medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. As an aside, I must go to the Great American Beer Festival one year. Despite the mediocre ratebeer ratings, I agree with the medal distinction. I thought this stout was amazing, well balanced, and full of flavor. It also was not that heavy. Tenured stout drinkers know that, believe it or not, Guinness comes across as light as water sometimes. This beer had a similar characteristic.
Steamworks Night Train: This was a dark lager than can be described as Yuengling on steroids. By that I mean, it was darker in color and heavier on flavor. It was a little hoppy, but I could otherwise drink a beer like this all night without getting tired of it.
We went to Mesa Verde National Park, which was beautiful. They are known for their 13th century cliff dwellings, some of which still stand today. We didn't stay for more than about 3 hours because the lack of sleep from an early morning flight and the altitude were getting to me. We stayed the night in the Rio Grande Southern Hotel. It's a pretty sweet, and might I add reasonably priced, bed and breakfast that is over 100 years old. Our room came with an awesome breakfast the next morning, and was cheaper than every macro chain hotel we stayed at the rest of the week. The best part about Dolores? They too had a local brewpub. The Dolores River Brewery was 1 block from the hotel, and was a sweet local place to eat. Their specialty is brick oven pizza, but they add pesto sauce which gives the pizza an interesting kick.
Dolores River Dry Stout: This beer was dry, yet well balanced. Experienced alcohol drinkers know the descriptor "dry." In a sense, it's that dryness that appears in your mouth after sipping a dry red wine. In no way was this similar to wine, but the same effect was there. This came across as well balanced and, despite the dry taste, as very drinkable.
Dolores River ESB: Their ESB (or pale ale) was hoppy, but not overwhelmingly. In other words, it fit its style very well. The hop (or bitter) flavor initially escalated during the sip, but trailed off into a malty flavor after the glass was pulled away. It went well with a slice of pizza.
Our next day took us to the Grand Canyon. While we stayed there, we found out that the grocery store at the south rim sells beer. There is a Grand Canyon brew. The part where Colleen pounds her fist into the desk? They let you buy individual bottles, so you can make your own six pack. Never fear dear beer friend, they only had three brews I could try anyway. The Grand Canyon was awesome. It rained while we were there, but it provided some really unique views of the canyon - we saw clouds/fog roll in and out as the weather changed, and the rain brought out a lot of color from the canyon walls.
Grand Canyon Pilsner: I thought this was a crisp, gold colored beer. For the most part, it fit the mold as an average pilsner. The unique part being the slight creamy flavor from the beer head. It didn't significantly improve the beer, but certainly made an impression.
Grand Canyon Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale: Pale Ales have more hops than malts, which give them a bitter flavor most of the time. It's important to note though, that hops are actually flowers. Therefore, hops can give a variety of different flavors to a beer. In this case, the floral aroma came across in the smell and taste.
Grand Canyon Sunset Amber Ale: The beer was below average. The amber did meet its style in the sense that it was mostly malty. Caramel malts were certainly used and they were present in the taste. Unfortunately, I thought the beer was too light in body for me to consider an above average amber ale.
On our way from the Grand Canyon to Santa Fe, we ran into some interesting weather outside of Flagstaff, AZ. While on I-40, we experienced hail (which accumulated), heavy winds, and sat in traffic due to many accidents. A tornado touched down and crossed the highway about 40 minutes before we got there. The storm system wasn't moving, so needless to say, we drove out of there as quickly and safely as possible. Upon our arrival in Santa Fe, we explored the city plaza and the Cathedral. For dinner we went to a place where I ate when I was there about 10 years ago, the Blue Corn Cafe. They had great food and their own beer. I highly recommend it if you are in that neck of the woods.
Blue Corn Cafe Oatmeal Stout: This was a gold medal winner at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival. With oatmeal stouts, you can definitely pick up the difference in flavor and body compared to a traditional stout. Both chocolate and coffee malts were used - with the coffee malt taking control as the majority influence on the taste. I liked this oatmeal stout.
Between Santa Fe and New Orleans, we drove through the long, dark of Texas. We stayed outside of Dallas, but about 11 hours of driving with maybe 20 minutes of stopping took its toll. We used the night to recharge for the next day's drive and the following night in New Orleans.
Our arrival in New Orleans was nice, we stayed in the French Quarter. This allowed us to see Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and Cafe Du Monde. We got drinks at a brewpub in New Orleans called Crescent City Brewing; I thought the beer was mediocre for the price. We ate at a really local hole in the wall called Coops. We got the tip to eat there by asking a local who worked in a gift shop where she liked to eat. We both had cups of Gumbo. Laura had seafood gumbo. I sincerely hope Colleen will still be friends with me after this, because I had rabbit and sausage gumbo - which had quite the kick.
Crescent City Black Forest: I thought this fell into the category of a traditional dark lager. By that I mean, it's a little more complex than Yuengling and has a darker color.
Crescent City Oktoberfest: Like its counterpart, this was a rather mediocre Oktoberfest. The dark color and malty flavor were there, but nothing else really distinguished it.
Abita Amber Lager: We had this beer at the hole-in-the-wall place. The beer definitely had a clean taste to it, and went well with my dinner. The bottle advertises that the beer is brewed with spring water. Other than that, I didn't think it was that special. Being that Abita is the signature brew of New Orleans, trying this was necessary.
We left New Orleans the next morning en route to the suburbs of Atlanta to stay with Laura's aunt for the final night. She was very hospitable despite her broken leg. We certainly hope she gets better soon. The key note of that day's drive was US-90 along the water in Mississippi which had amazing views of the Gulf of Mexico.
This last beer was in my fridge. It may have been part of my last custom six pack, but I am not entirely sure. It seems Colleen and I tend to drink a beer as we write posts, and today is no different.
Left Hand Oktoberfest: I definitely picked up the caramel malt in this beer, and it had a slight sweetness to it. The brewer says they upped the alcohol from last year. 6.6% alcohol is a little high for an Oktoberfest, so it may have led to a different tasting experience. I tend to like Left Hand's brews, but I thought this was average.
I really need to post more frequently, and review fewer beers. I get the feeling its grueling to read through and digest this many reviews. I also need to get ahead of Colleen.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 304
Paul - 300
Cheers,
Paul
Upon my arrival in Colorado (we drove out a couple months ago and I flew back to DC), Laura and I went to Durango, CO for Mass (since it was Sunday), which was preceded by a cup of coffee at a local shop. Once we were done with Mass, she took me to an awesome brewpub in the town called Steamworks. If you know your beer history (or if you saw the movie I lasted posted about), you would know there was a time in this country when each town had its own brewery. At some point, we lost that trend. However, I am glad to report than in Colorado, it seems that the local brewpub is on the rise once again.
Steamworks Backside Stout: This beer won a gold medal and a silver medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. As an aside, I must go to the Great American Beer Festival one year. Despite the mediocre ratebeer ratings, I agree with the medal distinction. I thought this stout was amazing, well balanced, and full of flavor. It also was not that heavy. Tenured stout drinkers know that, believe it or not, Guinness comes across as light as water sometimes. This beer had a similar characteristic.
Steamworks Night Train: This was a dark lager than can be described as Yuengling on steroids. By that I mean, it was darker in color and heavier on flavor. It was a little hoppy, but I could otherwise drink a beer like this all night without getting tired of it.
We went to Mesa Verde National Park, which was beautiful. They are known for their 13th century cliff dwellings, some of which still stand today. We didn't stay for more than about 3 hours because the lack of sleep from an early morning flight and the altitude were getting to me. We stayed the night in the Rio Grande Southern Hotel. It's a pretty sweet, and might I add reasonably priced, bed and breakfast that is over 100 years old. Our room came with an awesome breakfast the next morning, and was cheaper than every macro chain hotel we stayed at the rest of the week. The best part about Dolores? They too had a local brewpub. The Dolores River Brewery was 1 block from the hotel, and was a sweet local place to eat. Their specialty is brick oven pizza, but they add pesto sauce which gives the pizza an interesting kick.
Dolores River Dry Stout: This beer was dry, yet well balanced. Experienced alcohol drinkers know the descriptor "dry." In a sense, it's that dryness that appears in your mouth after sipping a dry red wine. In no way was this similar to wine, but the same effect was there. This came across as well balanced and, despite the dry taste, as very drinkable.
Dolores River ESB: Their ESB (or pale ale) was hoppy, but not overwhelmingly. In other words, it fit its style very well. The hop (or bitter) flavor initially escalated during the sip, but trailed off into a malty flavor after the glass was pulled away. It went well with a slice of pizza.
Our next day took us to the Grand Canyon. While we stayed there, we found out that the grocery store at the south rim sells beer. There is a Grand Canyon brew. The part where Colleen pounds her fist into the desk? They let you buy individual bottles, so you can make your own six pack. Never fear dear beer friend, they only had three brews I could try anyway. The Grand Canyon was awesome. It rained while we were there, but it provided some really unique views of the canyon - we saw clouds/fog roll in and out as the weather changed, and the rain brought out a lot of color from the canyon walls.
Grand Canyon Pilsner: I thought this was a crisp, gold colored beer. For the most part, it fit the mold as an average pilsner. The unique part being the slight creamy flavor from the beer head. It didn't significantly improve the beer, but certainly made an impression.
Grand Canyon Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale: Pale Ales have more hops than malts, which give them a bitter flavor most of the time. It's important to note though, that hops are actually flowers. Therefore, hops can give a variety of different flavors to a beer. In this case, the floral aroma came across in the smell and taste.
Grand Canyon Sunset Amber Ale: The beer was below average. The amber did meet its style in the sense that it was mostly malty. Caramel malts were certainly used and they were present in the taste. Unfortunately, I thought the beer was too light in body for me to consider an above average amber ale.
On our way from the Grand Canyon to Santa Fe, we ran into some interesting weather outside of Flagstaff, AZ. While on I-40, we experienced hail (which accumulated), heavy winds, and sat in traffic due to many accidents. A tornado touched down and crossed the highway about 40 minutes before we got there. The storm system wasn't moving, so needless to say, we drove out of there as quickly and safely as possible. Upon our arrival in Santa Fe, we explored the city plaza and the Cathedral. For dinner we went to a place where I ate when I was there about 10 years ago, the Blue Corn Cafe. They had great food and their own beer. I highly recommend it if you are in that neck of the woods.
Blue Corn Cafe Oatmeal Stout: This was a gold medal winner at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival. With oatmeal stouts, you can definitely pick up the difference in flavor and body compared to a traditional stout. Both chocolate and coffee malts were used - with the coffee malt taking control as the majority influence on the taste. I liked this oatmeal stout.
Between Santa Fe and New Orleans, we drove through the long, dark of Texas. We stayed outside of Dallas, but about 11 hours of driving with maybe 20 minutes of stopping took its toll. We used the night to recharge for the next day's drive and the following night in New Orleans.
Our arrival in New Orleans was nice, we stayed in the French Quarter. This allowed us to see Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and Cafe Du Monde. We got drinks at a brewpub in New Orleans called Crescent City Brewing; I thought the beer was mediocre for the price. We ate at a really local hole in the wall called Coops. We got the tip to eat there by asking a local who worked in a gift shop where she liked to eat. We both had cups of Gumbo. Laura had seafood gumbo. I sincerely hope Colleen will still be friends with me after this, because I had rabbit and sausage gumbo - which had quite the kick.
Crescent City Black Forest: I thought this fell into the category of a traditional dark lager. By that I mean, it's a little more complex than Yuengling and has a darker color.
Crescent City Oktoberfest: Like its counterpart, this was a rather mediocre Oktoberfest. The dark color and malty flavor were there, but nothing else really distinguished it.
Abita Amber Lager: We had this beer at the hole-in-the-wall place. The beer definitely had a clean taste to it, and went well with my dinner. The bottle advertises that the beer is brewed with spring water. Other than that, I didn't think it was that special. Being that Abita is the signature brew of New Orleans, trying this was necessary.
We left New Orleans the next morning en route to the suburbs of Atlanta to stay with Laura's aunt for the final night. She was very hospitable despite her broken leg. We certainly hope she gets better soon. The key note of that day's drive was US-90 along the water in Mississippi which had amazing views of the Gulf of Mexico.
This last beer was in my fridge. It may have been part of my last custom six pack, but I am not entirely sure. It seems Colleen and I tend to drink a beer as we write posts, and today is no different.
Left Hand Oktoberfest: I definitely picked up the caramel malt in this beer, and it had a slight sweetness to it. The brewer says they upped the alcohol from last year. 6.6% alcohol is a little high for an Oktoberfest, so it may have led to a different tasting experience. I tend to like Left Hand's brews, but I thought this was average.
I really need to post more frequently, and review fewer beers. I get the feeling its grueling to read through and digest this many reviews. I also need to get ahead of Colleen.
The scorecard:
Colleen - 304
Paul - 300
Cheers,
Paul
Monday, June 21, 2010
I've been pretty busy lately, but I did manage to finish off the last beer from my custom six pack. I also managed to get to Fireflies with my cousin Brendan last Friday to have some beers. We made nice with the bar manager there, which led to me trying perhaps the most interesting beer I've ever tried (see my last review). My family went back there on Father's Day for brunch (no new beers though). For Father's Day, I got dear old dad a custom six pack of IPAs.
Lion Stout: This was the last of my custom six pack. If you like stouts, you will like this. If you don't like stouts, I would avoid it. It's made in Sri Lanka, which I can't exactly say gave me high expectations - I hadn't really heard of a long and storied beer tradition from there. The beer was like any other stout, dark. It had a bit of ompf to the taste. Like I said, if stouts are your thing, this is the beer for you.
Leinenkugels Summer Shandy: This beer was so terrible, it practically made me weep. If you like fruity beers, then I guess there is a chance you will like this - but I tend to doubt it. It was basically a glass of lemonade mixed with beer. This is an insult to beer. Unfortunately, this is a sad strange trend for Leinenkugel.
Breckenridge Avalance Amber: I like amber ales. As far as an amber ales go, this was below average. However, you could argue I was biased against it, since it came in a can. It was poured out into a glass, but it wasn't anything special. In some ways, I thought it was lacking in character or watery.
Left Hand Sawtooth ESB: I thought this was a slightly above average pale ale. I generally thought it wasn't overwhelmingly hoppy, which is traditional for its style. I rushed through this one a bit, so I don't have the best descriptors for it.
Green Flash Le Freak: Perhaps the most interesting beer I've ever tried. This beer follows America's long, proud tradition of pissing on Europe's cannonical norms. This beer seemed like a blend between a Belgian Trippel and an American Pale Ale (which basically amounts to an IPA on the 'roids Barry Bonds took). The taste was very flavorful with a slight fruit characteristic during the sip, and as the glass was pulled away, the taste turned turned into full on hops. I can't say I loved it, but I can say it was interesting.
Note: I also discovered one of the vegetable drawers in my fridge is full of Yuengling and pork roll. I love my roommates.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 267
Paul: 249
Cheers,
Paul
Lion Stout: This was the last of my custom six pack. If you like stouts, you will like this. If you don't like stouts, I would avoid it. It's made in Sri Lanka, which I can't exactly say gave me high expectations - I hadn't really heard of a long and storied beer tradition from there. The beer was like any other stout, dark. It had a bit of ompf to the taste. Like I said, if stouts are your thing, this is the beer for you.
Leinenkugels Summer Shandy: This beer was so terrible, it practically made me weep. If you like fruity beers, then I guess there is a chance you will like this - but I tend to doubt it. It was basically a glass of lemonade mixed with beer. This is an insult to beer. Unfortunately, this is a sad strange trend for Leinenkugel.
Breckenridge Avalance Amber: I like amber ales. As far as an amber ales go, this was below average. However, you could argue I was biased against it, since it came in a can. It was poured out into a glass, but it wasn't anything special. In some ways, I thought it was lacking in character or watery.
Left Hand Sawtooth ESB: I thought this was a slightly above average pale ale. I generally thought it wasn't overwhelmingly hoppy, which is traditional for its style. I rushed through this one a bit, so I don't have the best descriptors for it.
Green Flash Le Freak: Perhaps the most interesting beer I've ever tried. This beer follows America's long, proud tradition of pissing on Europe's cannonical norms. This beer seemed like a blend between a Belgian Trippel and an American Pale Ale (which basically amounts to an IPA on the 'roids Barry Bonds took). The taste was very flavorful with a slight fruit characteristic during the sip, and as the glass was pulled away, the taste turned turned into full on hops. I can't say I loved it, but I can say it was interesting.
Note: I also discovered one of the vegetable drawers in my fridge is full of Yuengling and pork roll. I love my roommates.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 267
Paul: 249
Cheers,
Paul
Saturday, June 12, 2010
usa vs england
Today, I did some grilling and watched the USA vs England football game on TV. For those of you who don't know, my knowledge and passion for the world's game are only slightly better than this. That said, I enjoyed the game and hope the US can advance from our group this year. The group rankings could get interesting because it's 1 point for a tie and 3 points for a win - I guess we shall see how Slovenia and Algeria do. Without further ado, here are my recent tastings.
Yards Extra Special Ale: This is my second beer from Yards brewing, and I enjoyed it. This is in stark contrast to the previous beer I tried (Philadelphia Pale Ale). This was an English style pale ale, which was very characteristic of the style. If you want to get a sense of what hoppy beers might be like, just get a pale ale - this one wouldn't be a bad idea.
Sierra Nevada Extra IPA: I bought this beer to Laura's parents earlier in the week to have with dinner, since Laura likes IPAs. I thought it was very good, and was even a little interesting. The American hops had a slight sweetness to them, as opposed to a traditional bitterness that one finds with hops. I generally trust Sierra Nevada's beer, and look forward to giving this as a gift to the other hop-heads that I know.
New Holland Golden Cap: This is a wheat beer that is made with spelt, which is an acestor to wheat. From the taste, the beer seemed unfiltered. I thought the beer was pleasant when making burgers before the game. The fact that it was an American beer for such an occasion probably made it taste better.
New Holland Mad Hatter Ale: I'm not an expert on IPAs, but I thought this was an above average IPA. If you like that kind of beer, you'd probably enjoy this one as well. Unlike the aforementioned Sierra Nevada, this one tasted more cannonical to the style.
Lagunita's The Hairy Eyeball Ale: Sometimes I come across a beer that I truly find terrible, and I can't wait to finish the requisite four ounces before I can pawn it off on someone else in the room. This was one of those beers. I basically bought it for the name, since I would remember having a beer with that kind of name.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 261
Paul: 244
Cheers,
Paul
Yards Extra Special Ale: This is my second beer from Yards brewing, and I enjoyed it. This is in stark contrast to the previous beer I tried (Philadelphia Pale Ale). This was an English style pale ale, which was very characteristic of the style. If you want to get a sense of what hoppy beers might be like, just get a pale ale - this one wouldn't be a bad idea.
Sierra Nevada Extra IPA: I bought this beer to Laura's parents earlier in the week to have with dinner, since Laura likes IPAs. I thought it was very good, and was even a little interesting. The American hops had a slight sweetness to them, as opposed to a traditional bitterness that one finds with hops. I generally trust Sierra Nevada's beer, and look forward to giving this as a gift to the other hop-heads that I know.
New Holland Golden Cap: This is a wheat beer that is made with spelt, which is an acestor to wheat. From the taste, the beer seemed unfiltered. I thought the beer was pleasant when making burgers before the game. The fact that it was an American beer for such an occasion probably made it taste better.
New Holland Mad Hatter Ale: I'm not an expert on IPAs, but I thought this was an above average IPA. If you like that kind of beer, you'd probably enjoy this one as well. Unlike the aforementioned Sierra Nevada, this one tasted more cannonical to the style.
Lagunita's The Hairy Eyeball Ale: Sometimes I come across a beer that I truly find terrible, and I can't wait to finish the requisite four ounces before I can pawn it off on someone else in the room. This was one of those beers. I basically bought it for the name, since I would remember having a beer with that kind of name.
The scorecard:
Colleen: 261
Paul: 244
Cheers,
Paul
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
having beer with another buddy...
Don't worry Paul, you have not been replaced. You are my beer buddy, tried and true.
I'm talking about my Muddy Buddy!
This past weekend, I traveled to the Richmond region to visit with my friend Brian and his family and to take part in the Muddy Buddy, a partner 10k in which you kind of leapfrog each other, switching off biking and running, and concluding the race by crawling through a huge mud pit together. This is the second year I've done the event with Brian, and while not by any means a gifted athlete, I had such a blast both times.
muddy legs and feet that are happy to be liberated from wet, muddy socks and shoes
I unfortunately hadn't seen Brian and his wife and two super awesome children since last year's Muddy Buddy. We caught up over dinner at Capitol Alehouse, where I tried Starr Hill's Love Weiss, a really excellent Hefeweizen. It was just light feeling and super tasty and has a nice banana and clove hint about it. Because it's brewed with that stuff. I would do this again, very gladly! This might be a new favorite hefeweizen for me (sorry Sam).
The actual event was really fun. Last year I ran it after several months of recovering from a stress fracture and later, a car accident, and my first semester teaching. I've already admitted I'm not the most gifted athlete; I am grateful that Brian is not the least bit competitive, and only wants to finish the race. This year I was in slightly better shape and actually kept a more decent pace. Our time was still abysmal but we already have plans for next year, when I will be free of grad school and possibly able to keep a more regular exercise schedule? (Though Brian made a good point-- as a parent, how on earth does he do that himself?)
the mudpit and the finish line!
After the race, there was a beer garden sponsored by Red Hook. They gave out their ESB, which is not one of my favorite styles of beer-- come on, the "B" stands for "bitter". Regardless, it was nice to have a cold beer after an intense workout along the trails of Pocahontas State Park (and a swim through a stream with the bike on my shoulder!). Definitely more bitter than I'd prefer, but if you're into that, it might be tolerable. I get the sense that there's a decent something or other hiding under all the bitter. I won't go out of my way for this again any time soon, but I definitely appreciated the free beer at the end of a race. (To those who think that sounds crazy, two things: 1. I had plenty of water first and 2. See here, here and here.)
Many thanks to Brian and family for being amazing hosts and excellent friends!
Colleen: 239
Paul: 222
I'm talking about my Muddy Buddy!
This past weekend, I traveled to the Richmond region to visit with my friend Brian and his family and to take part in the Muddy Buddy, a partner 10k in which you kind of leapfrog each other, switching off biking and running, and concluding the race by crawling through a huge mud pit together. This is the second year I've done the event with Brian, and while not by any means a gifted athlete, I had such a blast both times.
muddy legs and feet that are happy to be liberated from wet, muddy socks and shoes
I unfortunately hadn't seen Brian and his wife and two super awesome children since last year's Muddy Buddy. We caught up over dinner at Capitol Alehouse, where I tried Starr Hill's Love Weiss, a really excellent Hefeweizen. It was just light feeling and super tasty and has a nice banana and clove hint about it. Because it's brewed with that stuff. I would do this again, very gladly! This might be a new favorite hefeweizen for me (sorry Sam).
The actual event was really fun. Last year I ran it after several months of recovering from a stress fracture and later, a car accident, and my first semester teaching. I've already admitted I'm not the most gifted athlete; I am grateful that Brian is not the least bit competitive, and only wants to finish the race. This year I was in slightly better shape and actually kept a more decent pace. Our time was still abysmal but we already have plans for next year, when I will be free of grad school and possibly able to keep a more regular exercise schedule? (Though Brian made a good point-- as a parent, how on earth does he do that himself?)
the mudpit and the finish line!
After the race, there was a beer garden sponsored by Red Hook. They gave out their ESB, which is not one of my favorite styles of beer-- come on, the "B" stands for "bitter". Regardless, it was nice to have a cold beer after an intense workout along the trails of Pocahontas State Park (and a swim through a stream with the bike on my shoulder!). Definitely more bitter than I'd prefer, but if you're into that, it might be tolerable. I get the sense that there's a decent something or other hiding under all the bitter. I won't go out of my way for this again any time soon, but I definitely appreciated the free beer at the end of a race. (To those who think that sounds crazy, two things: 1. I had plenty of water first and 2. See here, here and here.)
Many thanks to Brian and family for being amazing hosts and excellent friends!
Colleen: 239
Paul: 222
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