On Women and Beer....

So out of the blue I get a message from an ex-girlfriend of mine tonight asking if she can come visit.  Aside from this being something I'm more than a little conflicted about in general, it was a bit of a surprise.  I can't say things ended well on either side, and while somewhat amicable, I wouldn't call it friendly either.  I went out to visit, and basically got to meet the new bf.

And hang out with them both.

For 3 days.

Somehow, I'm the guy to go visit for a, "sanity check," as she puts it.

Weird.

So why you ask, would I even contemplate it?  Beer.

Yeah, I said it.  Beer.

She's from Denver and can (and will) bring me Avery and Great Divide - two beers I can't get here.

So that part is a bit tempting...

On a side note, I got to sit in the Great Divide Tap Room and enjoy the relationship meltdown.  Fun times!

But I wouldn't have made it to Great Divide or Avery without the excuse to go see her...

Comments?  Thoughts?

Running and Beer - Day 2

Another one down, bit rough though. Nice weather but had to push through the run. Legs felt stiff throughout. Made it through with good time, but I felt every bit of it.

Endomondo Linkage....

Beer - more Foothills Oktoberfest...

Beer/Running Attempt 2/Day 1!:

We're gonna give this another shot.  Now I have a plan in place for rainy days ;)

12.61km/7.84mi - Cooler weather made this a pretty enjoyable run. Legs were a bit stiff to begin with but as the run went on they loosened up. Still prefer trails to running on the road. Oh well.

Endomondo Linkage....

Tonight I am enjoying a nice Foothills Oktoberfest.  I picked up a growler of this lovely little beer at Bearden Beer Market yesterday, so you'll likely see it for a day or two.

Review:  Pours a nice amber brown color with a creamy white head.  Sticks around nicely.  Aroma is malty and somewhat sweet.  Nice smooth malt character and the hops settle nicely into the background.  I pick up a nice chocolaty flavor from this one.  Nicely carbonated and smooth to drink.  A nice beer overall.

Beer And uh... yeah, no running...

So... it's been a heavy downpour all day.  Feck.  I'll run in a rainshower, but not a storm lol.

Beer tonight is a Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza.  Pours an amber/brown out of the bottle.  Big white head that sticks around.  Lacing is nice.  Lots of carb on the tongue.  Fruit and esters on the tongue. Mouthfeel is definitely peppy with all the carbonation.  Overall a nifty beer, though something I'll probably have one of and that's it.

Running and Beer - Day 5

It's days like today that really make this goal a bitch.  I worked a long damn day, short-handed, and got kicked in the teeth at dinner.  So when I finally get home, the beer part of this challenge, a nice hot shower, and a movie all sound pretty damn good.

Not to mention I have an email from Vinnie Cilurzo* sitting in my inbox that I'm nervous/excited about concerning an upcoming beer project.

Instead I have to sit here and wait for it to stop raining so I can go run.  *Then* I can have a beer.  And a shower.  And watch a movie.

Well, about midnight I finally decided to man up and go run in the rain.  As expected, the wondermutt enjoyed the heck out of it while I found it refreshing if a bit much towards the end.  Made it through though, and I have a feeling I had good lap times.  No GPS though since I didn't wanna destroy my rather not cheap cell phone...

12.5km/7.69km - Endomondo Linkage...

So, a nice PB&J with honey sandwich, and on to the beer of the evening!

Tonight's beer is a lovely Stone Belgo Anise Russian Imperial Stout.  Beer pours dark as night with a dark brown head that is only there for an instant before it fades to lacing around the glass.  I'm catching the anise right off the bat on the nose for this one - definitely a licorice component there.  The flavor is... interesting.  Licorice predominates, but the malt backbone is definitely there.  A little coffee, and I can somewhat see the cocoa others mention.  Mouthfeel is smooth and velvety.  It's an interesting take on the original for sure, though I think this is one I will remember vs. revisit.

* - Vinnie Cilurzo is the founder/owner/brewmaster of Russian River Brewing, located in Northern California.  He is known for creating the Double IPA style, being a hop guru, and a brewing wunderkind.  He's also a great supporter of home brewing and speaks regularly at the National Homebrewing Conference every year.  Getting a reply from him is like having Eric Clapton show up to teach you how to play your guitar.

Running and Beer - Day 4:

Well, today is kinda sorta my rest day.  2km/1.24mi run.  About a half sprint/half jog sort of thing.  Woohoo.  Surprisingly easy compared to my usual 12k runs.

Endomondo link...

Tonight I am having a beer I just got to try earlier this week.  Lovely stuff this one.  Mikkeller makes one heckuva nice IPA.  I wasn't too sure about this one when I went to try it the first time, as the Simcoe pine notes had me a little wary.  Long and short of things, I loved the hell out of this beer.  Not a West-coast IPA for sure, but a damn fine one regardless. Nice smooth hoppy flavor vs. jagged hop bite.  I'm a happy camper!

Mikkeller Green Gold

Beer and Running - Day 3:

Well, Day 3 is in the bag.  another 12.5km/7.77mi run and I can feel it.  Legs are not happy.  Oh well, gonna be a long time before they get a day off ;)  It was a bit hot and humid tonight, so I had to push a bit to make it through the run.  Otherwise, not too shabby.

As usual, some jackass honked at me over off Morrell.  No clue who or why, besides the fact that I was running without a shirt on.

Yes, I am that damn sexy. (sarcasm intended)

Endmondo link for run.

Tonight's beer is Arabier from De Dolle Brouwers of Belgium.  Personally, I love this brewery and all their tasty beers.  I haven't had this one in a while, so I am definitely looking forward to this one.

Apparently only getting about half a beer tonight.  Popped the top and beer went everywhere.  Evidently some serious bottle carbonation going on here.  Pours a dark brown with a nice huge head that went everywhere.  Head sticking around for a decent amount of time.  Nice and tasty aroma with sweetness and malt on the back end. Flavor is amlty but definitely noticeable alcohol on the end.  Color is fairly cloudy.  Great beer.

Beer and a Run #1

Well, gonna give this a shot.  Gonna try and run 2k everyday for a year, and have a beer after.  We'll see how it goes.

Tonight's run: 12.38km/7.69m - not too shabby if I do say so.
Link to Endomondo for proof and whatnot ;)

Tonight's beer is a Westmalle Tripel.  High gravity goodness from Belgium. Delicious and my favorite beer style, a Tripel.  Probably has most of the calories in it that I burned off running.  Oh well..

Lazy Day

So today is one of those rare days for me where I am exercise free as well as off work.

Kinda nice ;)  I'm thinking I will get some food (starving atm) and then head out for a movie and maybe a beer as well. 

Probably a healthy dose of reading as well.

Sierra Nevada

So there's a possibility that Sierra Nevada may be coming to Alcoa.  Considering that's right around the corner, and they're gonna need a lot of new folks to do the jobs... 

I may have a new dream job ;)  And one within reach...

Anyone know what ya need to do for an entry level Sierra Nevada job in the brewery?