Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Heroes on wheels


 
Not this guy.
 

 
We'll have to go back a bit; to direct drive, suit jackets and dirt roads.

 

Let's take a closer look at what these pioneers were doing on their Penny-farthings. 



 
 
 
 

From David Herlihy's Bicycle: The History, Yale University Press.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

What I've been drinking

First off, happy International Stout Day!

Here's what's been holding me over as we transition into a season of porters, stouts, dark ales, spiced beers, and imperial fill- in- the- blanks:


New Belgium's Trippel is a nice looking beer, and has the smooth mouthfeel of the style. It starts off sweet and fruity and has a spicy finish with a hint of hops. There is a bit of heat from the alcohol. Totally quaffable, but be careful. The 7.8 abv will catch up with you quickly.



New Belgium's Ranger IPA is good, but unremarkable. Plenty of citrus and pine flavors and light on the malt. Very drinkable; a perfect BBQ beer. It's a summer IPA, if that makes any sense.


And then there was Sam Adam's Octoberfest. Meh. It doesn't help that I've never been a huge fan of the style, but this brew was just a little too sweet even for a Marzen. It went down well enough with these sausages though.










Their Scwarzbier, on the other hand, is phenomenal. It has the flavors of a good porter without the heaviness of a porter. I will be picking this up again.










Finally, the Trois Pistoles Unibroue (Quebec). I'm crazy for Belgian beers these days, quite a change from where my tastes were just a year ago. This is a Beligian strong ale, and at 9% abv, its a sipper or you'll be sorry. We have an explosion of flavors here: cherry and other dark fruits, chocolate, cloves, roastiness. Warming alcohol underneath. Sweet as expected, but manages to stay crisp.





Cheers!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Turkey and Taturs

I spent a beautiful Sunday morning working the parking lot aid station at Turkey and Taturs; my first time watching a race unfold from the other side of the pretzels and gatorade. It actually was a pleasure to watch the race and talk to the runners passing through. Daniel Ellis killed it in the 50k race. He set a new course record at 4:15; very impressive to those who know the terrain.

Our spread

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Fire in the Osage Hills

When it comes to Fall foliage, you can't beat New England with its climatic peaks of fiery color.  And yet Eastern Oklahoma offers a certain charm in a unpredictable and haphazard way. You will be surprised by little pockets of bright color in a sea of lingering green and dead brown. Take two Cottonwoods by the Arkansas: one will be deep summer green while her sister turns to gold. From Tulsa, the oak covered Osage hills to the North appear to be a drab maroon, but ride up into them and you will find many of the hidden hollows covered in blood red, yellow and orange.