Beer Review - Boulevard Irish Red Ale

According to the BJCP 2004 Style Guidelines, Boulevard Irish Red Ale is a commercial example of category 9D, Irish Red Ales. Her are my thoughts on this fine beverage.

• Malty aroma. No hop or estery smells
• Deep copper/amber color
• Light tan head
• Medium light body with moderate carbonation
• Malty flavor, with a slight caramel taste.
• No hoop flavor, but some hop bitterness
• Slight alcohol warmth
• Very easy drinking beer

• Aroma 8 out of 12
• Appearance 3 out of 3
• Flavor 18 out of 20
• Mouthfeel 5 out of 5
• Overall Impression 8 out of 10
• Total score 42 - Excellent!

I had my fourth session on the uni this evening. My wife is afraid I am planning on joining the circus. Anyway, I made it nearly from my house to the end of the street, which is about 300 feet. I am tossing around the idea of taking the uni on the Mayor's Ride later on this spring.

Gotta get some fenders

I used to think fenders were dorky and wondered why anyone would want fenders on their bike. I remember when I was a kid, fender removal was one of the first modifications to a new Huffy. I never saw Greg LeMond, Davis Phinney or even Bobke ride a fender equipped on their Reynolds 853 Eddie Merckx. Andy Hampsten did have fenders when he rode to a Giro stage victory during a blizzard in the Gavia Pass.

However, as I have gotten older, and I would like to think, sometimes wiser, I realize that fenders scream hardcore. A bike with fenders is a bike that is all business. It's a bike that is about riding. It is not a bike where someone is trying to save half a gram (28.35 grams to an ounce, just in case you were wondering) with carbon valve stem cores. It is a bike that says that there is no honor having a wet, black stripe of road grime extending from the tail of your seat to the top of your jersey collar.

I've got to get some fenders. But first, I need to spray some shout on the back of my jersey.

The Thaw Begins

The mercury finally approached 40 degrees F and some of the snow finally began to melt. I pedaled the Monocog 29er to Denmans. I rode about 300 meters of Denmans before deciding it was too sloppy and deep. Perhaps I should have been there earlier.

Second unicycle session went much better than the first. I got some rides that were probably 20 feet. I've got a lot of work to do before I can ride it at the Monkey Pit.

Secondary Fermentation

My latest batch of brew is now in secondary fermentation. I hope to bottle it this weekend, and have it ready by mid December. It should be a pretty good beer. 11 lbs Marris Otter, 2 lbs Crystal, 3 oz Cascade, 3 oz Willamette, 1 oz Willamette in secondary. This ain't no Miller Lite.

Last night, I went to a CITA meeting at Rasmussen's. Both CITA and Rasmussen's are doing a lot of good things. CITA does maintenance and construction at the Science Center Trails and the new Banner Trails. They are working to get trails at White Rock and some urban trails in the smaller parks. There is a CITA work day at Banner this weekend, in case you are interested. Rasmussen's must sponsor every bike group in the Des Moines area. Greg and the rest of the gang at Rasmussen's have a real passion for cycling.

Jacked Up

I went east for Thanksgiving to visit the relatives and hoping to get in some mountain biking at Wakefield Park. I was a little disheartened, after finding out that the Thanksgiving temperature in the DC metro area was forecast to be lower than it would be in Iowa. Usually, I can count on warmer temperatures, but not this time. After catching the Yellow Line train, it began raining hard. After arriving at my destination, I learned that it was supposed to rain for the next day and a half. I guess mountain biking isn't in the cards for this trip. I wish I were able to do the Thanksgiving day ride on the Center Trails. Oh well. Maybe there will be a Christmas ride on the Center trails.

The Brett Clark Experience

Here is a beta mix of Key to the Highway, as performed by the Brett Clark Experience. Yours truly is the bass player on this track. Give it a listen.

Props to Rasmussens

A big thank you to Rasmussen’s Bike Shop for truing my wheels!!! Over the last month, I have dinged three separate wheels, one of which had a broken spoke. Greg and the guys at Rasmussen’s did a good job with a very quick turn around time.