As I've said so many times before, Ballast Point makes some really bomb beer. Case in point- Victory at Sea.
Victory at Sea is one of Ballast's best and (sadly) another one of their seasonal beers. On a side note, Ballast recently decided to not only make their Sculpin IPA (one of my top 2 favorite beers ever) year-round but to also start bottling it in 6 packs. So...happy...
Victory at Sea is traditionally released in the late fall/early winter so I was really surprised (in the best way ever) to see it was on tap. So as soon as I was done with the San Salvador Saison, it was on to Victory at Sea.
The beer pours an absolute obsidian black with tiny tinges of brown and a slightly thin mocha head. The smell is coffee, coffee, and more coffee. It smells like the best freshly ground coffee you will ever smell.
The taste is smooth with lots of coffee tempered by the sweetness of the vanilla and roasted malts. The mouthfeel is absolutely perfectly smooth. While this beer ends on a bitter coffee note, the finish is smooth enough that it's not jarring at all. If you can find it, try this one. It's one of the best out there.
Final Grade: A+
Friday, July 30, 2010
Run 18
Yesterday, I decided that since my speed was picking up, it was time to focus on the area where I probably need the most work in my training- building up my mileage. So I went down to the PB boardwalk and decided to run for an hour and see how far I could get.
Since the weather still hasn't realized that it's summer yet, I didn't see the sun for the entire run, which was nice. For some reason, whenever I decide to run down there, the sun decides to come out right as I'm getting tired. It's crazy.
When I took off, I immediately felt like I was going too fast. Still, I was feeling good (maybe all the adrenaline left over from Tuesday's run) and so I decided to just keep it going as long as I could. As it turned out, the buzz lasted a lot longer than I thought it would.
About two minutes into the run, I saw my first roadkill victim in front of me- bingo! I took off and a few seconds later, I was on the board in the roadkill department. A few minutes later, I saw two more victims. By the time I reached the end of the boardwalk (5 minutes better than my previous best time! What is going on???) I had passed 12 people. Booyah.
On the way back, I didn't spot quite as many people but managed to catch a few. Then, I heard it. Footsteps behind me and they were getting closer. Bad news. Soon, I saw a younger shirtless dude slowly passing me on the left. As much as I didn't want it to happen, I didn't want to kill myself trying to beat this guy, so I let it happen and cried a little inside as my roadkill dropped from 18 to 17. A few minutes later, I saw him on the side of the path talking to a bunch of guys from his cross country team. Fair enough. If I'm gonna get passed by someone, I guess it might as well be someone like that.
I finished the first lap of the boardwalk and rested for a few minutes before heading out again. My time was only 38 minutes, so I still had a ways to go. I decided to head out for another 12 minutes and then head back. As it turned out, I made it another mile and half away and back meaning that I ended up running 8 miles- the farthest I've run so far. The best part about it was that it didn't feel half bad. I came out of it feeling tired, but a few minutes later, I was thinking about running again and planning out the next step in my training.
And I think that was when I realized it- I don't hate running anymore.
What...is...happening...to...me?
Since the weather still hasn't realized that it's summer yet, I didn't see the sun for the entire run, which was nice. For some reason, whenever I decide to run down there, the sun decides to come out right as I'm getting tired. It's crazy.
When I took off, I immediately felt like I was going too fast. Still, I was feeling good (maybe all the adrenaline left over from Tuesday's run) and so I decided to just keep it going as long as I could. As it turned out, the buzz lasted a lot longer than I thought it would.
About two minutes into the run, I saw my first roadkill victim in front of me- bingo! I took off and a few seconds later, I was on the board in the roadkill department. A few minutes later, I saw two more victims. By the time I reached the end of the boardwalk (5 minutes better than my previous best time! What is going on???) I had passed 12 people. Booyah.
On the way back, I didn't spot quite as many people but managed to catch a few. Then, I heard it. Footsteps behind me and they were getting closer. Bad news. Soon, I saw a younger shirtless dude slowly passing me on the left. As much as I didn't want it to happen, I didn't want to kill myself trying to beat this guy, so I let it happen and cried a little inside as my roadkill dropped from 18 to 17. A few minutes later, I saw him on the side of the path talking to a bunch of guys from his cross country team. Fair enough. If I'm gonna get passed by someone, I guess it might as well be someone like that.
I finished the first lap of the boardwalk and rested for a few minutes before heading out again. My time was only 38 minutes, so I still had a ways to go. I decided to head out for another 12 minutes and then head back. As it turned out, I made it another mile and half away and back meaning that I ended up running 8 miles- the farthest I've run so far. The best part about it was that it didn't feel half bad. I came out of it feeling tired, but a few minutes later, I was thinking about running again and planning out the next step in my training.
And I think that was when I realized it- I don't hate running anymore.
What...is...happening...to...me?
Ballast Point Brewing Company - San Salvador Saison
One of the things I love most about San Diego is having a great brewery like Ballast Point 15 minutes from my house. I wish everyone could be so lucky. This brewery continues to crank out amazing beer after amazing beer and it's rare that they miss. So when they released their newest beer yesterday (the San Salvador Saison), my coworker, Beau, and I knew we had to go.
Here's the press release on this beer:
"The idea started as a San Diego Farmhouse Ale using local ingredients. We wondered what the Kumeyaay Indian’s were eating when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo climbed out of his flagship boat, the San Salvador, and onto the shore of Ballast Point in 1542. Also, what might have Cabrillo stocked on his boat before he left Acapulco (then called Navidad) 3 1/2 months earlier? So with some research we tracked down a fun mix of ingredients for a Belgian inspired San Diego indigenous Ale.
With some help from our friends at The Linkery, North Park Native Plants and Wingshadow’s Farm we were able to track down ingredients like corn, pine nuts, agave, elder flower, white sage, manzanita berries, curacao and local sage honey. The malt bill consisted of Belgian pale malt, caramunich, biscuit, wheat and corn. The result is a 7.5% ABV, brown beer that really has to be tasted to be understood. It tastes like the San Diego countryside."
Seriously, what a great idea. One of the things I love most about Ballast is that they're never afraid to try new things. I mean, look at those ingredients. Have you ever seen anything like that in a beer before? Neither had I.
The beer surprised me when it was poured. I'm used to saisons having a huge head that foams up like a bubble bath the second it hits the glass. This one poured straight from the tap with no head whatsoever. The color is a clear amber with a slight light brown cap. Despite it's appearance, the San Salvador really smells like a saison. The first thing I smelled was that funk that I've come to love in saisons. But hidden in that funk is a combination of things that was hard to describe. I think "the San Diego countryside" would be a pretty good way of putting it.
The taste of the beer has none of the funk in it, but that really didn't phase me. Right off the bat, you get the sweetness of the malts and it's almost a syrupy kind of sweet. Then the flavor absolutely explodes and takes off in all kinds of directions. Beau was saying he wished we could have the list of ingredients next to us so we could have some idea what we were tasting and I had to agree with him. The only ones I could remember at the time were sage and honey and I could definitely pick those out but there was so much more to it. Really, this is a beer I could drink for a long time and never get sick of. I'm really hoping they decide to keep this one around because it's special. Can't wait to have it again.
Final Grade: A+
Here's the press release on this beer:
"The idea started as a San Diego Farmhouse Ale using local ingredients. We wondered what the Kumeyaay Indian’s were eating when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo climbed out of his flagship boat, the San Salvador, and onto the shore of Ballast Point in 1542. Also, what might have Cabrillo stocked on his boat before he left Acapulco (then called Navidad) 3 1/2 months earlier? So with some research we tracked down a fun mix of ingredients for a Belgian inspired San Diego indigenous Ale.
With some help from our friends at The Linkery, North Park Native Plants and Wingshadow’s Farm we were able to track down ingredients like corn, pine nuts, agave, elder flower, white sage, manzanita berries, curacao and local sage honey. The malt bill consisted of Belgian pale malt, caramunich, biscuit, wheat and corn. The result is a 7.5% ABV, brown beer that really has to be tasted to be understood. It tastes like the San Diego countryside."
Seriously, what a great idea. One of the things I love most about Ballast is that they're never afraid to try new things. I mean, look at those ingredients. Have you ever seen anything like that in a beer before? Neither had I.
The beer surprised me when it was poured. I'm used to saisons having a huge head that foams up like a bubble bath the second it hits the glass. This one poured straight from the tap with no head whatsoever. The color is a clear amber with a slight light brown cap. Despite it's appearance, the San Salvador really smells like a saison. The first thing I smelled was that funk that I've come to love in saisons. But hidden in that funk is a combination of things that was hard to describe. I think "the San Diego countryside" would be a pretty good way of putting it.
The taste of the beer has none of the funk in it, but that really didn't phase me. Right off the bat, you get the sweetness of the malts and it's almost a syrupy kind of sweet. Then the flavor absolutely explodes and takes off in all kinds of directions. Beau was saying he wished we could have the list of ingredients next to us so we could have some idea what we were tasting and I had to agree with him. The only ones I could remember at the time were sage and honey and I could definitely pick those out but there was so much more to it. Really, this is a beer I could drink for a long time and never get sick of. I'm really hoping they decide to keep this one around because it's special. Can't wait to have it again.
Final Grade: A+
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Run 17
For the last few weeks, I've been trying to work on dropping my times down a bit. It's not that my times have been terrible, but I still want to get to the point where I'm completely comfortable averaging about 20 seconds a mile faster than I did last year. That sounds like a lot, but after not training much last year, I think it's definitely doable.
As a team this year, we're trying to break the 24 hour mark for the race. Last year we finished at around 25 hours and we've lost a couple quick people since then. Still, while I think it would take a lot to do it, I'd say 24 hours is in reach. There's just one problem- as a team we need to average a 7:15 mile.
I figure I'm right around the middle of the pack on the team speed wise, so that means I should be right around that 7:15 mark if I'm going to hold up my end. Typically, I average around a 7:30 comfortably, so 7:15 isn't that big of a difference. So far in my training, I've been right around a 7:15 for the 3.25 mile loops, which isn't bad, but doesn't fill me with a ton of confidence. You see, I'm going to have to average a 7:15 mile for almost 7.5 miles and I don't think I can do that just yet.
So on Tuesday, I went out after work absolutely determined to smash that 7:15 minute per mile time. I don't know what came over me exactly, but from the moment I started running, everything was clicking. I've never made it up the first hill so fast in my life and the momentum carried on for nearly the entire run. I'm hoping that this was a result of all my training and not just a freak thing, but I can't remember really feeling tired the entire run. It was an amazing feeling. Despite all this, I doubted I was going to break my previous best time of 23:05. When I had run that a week earlier, I felt like I was really in the groove.
So when I finished the run and looked at my time, I was shocked- 22:03. I had beaten my best time by over a minute. Not only that, but my mile average was around 6:45. Ridiculous. I can't remember the last time I ran that fast. It felt pretty good once I recovered and I'm hoping that this run will be something I can build on.
As a team this year, we're trying to break the 24 hour mark for the race. Last year we finished at around 25 hours and we've lost a couple quick people since then. Still, while I think it would take a lot to do it, I'd say 24 hours is in reach. There's just one problem- as a team we need to average a 7:15 mile.
I figure I'm right around the middle of the pack on the team speed wise, so that means I should be right around that 7:15 mark if I'm going to hold up my end. Typically, I average around a 7:30 comfortably, so 7:15 isn't that big of a difference. So far in my training, I've been right around a 7:15 for the 3.25 mile loops, which isn't bad, but doesn't fill me with a ton of confidence. You see, I'm going to have to average a 7:15 mile for almost 7.5 miles and I don't think I can do that just yet.
So on Tuesday, I went out after work absolutely determined to smash that 7:15 minute per mile time. I don't know what came over me exactly, but from the moment I started running, everything was clicking. I've never made it up the first hill so fast in my life and the momentum carried on for nearly the entire run. I'm hoping that this was a result of all my training and not just a freak thing, but I can't remember really feeling tired the entire run. It was an amazing feeling. Despite all this, I doubted I was going to break my previous best time of 23:05. When I had run that a week earlier, I felt like I was really in the groove.
So when I finished the run and looked at my time, I was shocked- 22:03. I had beaten my best time by over a minute. Not only that, but my mile average was around 6:45. Ridiculous. I can't remember the last time I ran that fast. It felt pretty good once I recovered and I'm hoping that this run will be something I can build on.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Stone Brewing Company - Smoked Porter
I've had so much Stone beer lately that there was only one of their widely released beers left to try- the Smoked Porter. I hadn't heard much about this beer going in, but a few hours before I was going to drink it, my friend Brian told me that he had it a while back and it tasted like smoked meat. Great.
As it turns out, he wasn't far off. As soon as the beer is poured, a smoky smell erupts from the bottle. It's not completely overpowering and there was definitely something else in there, so I decided to try it.
The beer pours a heavy nearly black with hints of chestnut and ruby on the edges. The head is pretty decent and the retention was perfect. As the level in the glass got lower, the beer left behind a nice sticky lacing. So far so good.
The flavors in this beer definitely go beyond the smokiness I mentioned before. The taste starts off with a slight malty sweetness and then is completely overshadowed by bitter chocolate and coffee flavors. On the finish, there is a hint of hops and dark fruit. Oh, and smoke- lots of it. I saw a review of this beer that compared the taste to the smell of a campfire and I think this is a pretty good comparison. It reminded me of the way your hair smells the morning after you've spent an entire night around a fire. It's not a bad smoky flavor, it's just a little much.
Overall, this wasn't a bad beer. I liked the feel of it and I liked the look, I was just a little taken back by the smoke. So while I probably wouldn't go out of my way to try this beer again, it was a beer that was definitely worth a try.
Overall Grade: B+
As it turns out, he wasn't far off. As soon as the beer is poured, a smoky smell erupts from the bottle. It's not completely overpowering and there was definitely something else in there, so I decided to try it.
The beer pours a heavy nearly black with hints of chestnut and ruby on the edges. The head is pretty decent and the retention was perfect. As the level in the glass got lower, the beer left behind a nice sticky lacing. So far so good.
The flavors in this beer definitely go beyond the smokiness I mentioned before. The taste starts off with a slight malty sweetness and then is completely overshadowed by bitter chocolate and coffee flavors. On the finish, there is a hint of hops and dark fruit. Oh, and smoke- lots of it. I saw a review of this beer that compared the taste to the smell of a campfire and I think this is a pretty good comparison. It reminded me of the way your hair smells the morning after you've spent an entire night around a fire. It's not a bad smoky flavor, it's just a little much.
Overall, this wasn't a bad beer. I liked the feel of it and I liked the look, I was just a little taken back by the smoke. So while I probably wouldn't go out of my way to try this beer again, it was a beer that was definitely worth a try.
Overall Grade: B+
Run 16
I think the best thing about running outside as opposed to on a treadmill is that you never know what's going to be waiting for you. On a treadmill you might reduce your chance of being hit by a car or tripping over an uneven curb, but you pretty much know what you're going to get every time you go on one. When you're outside, you really have no idea what's in store for you.
I decided to run again after work yesterday. While the weather down here is somehow still stuck in "crap" mode, it decided to warm up right before I got off of work, so it was about as warm as it's been in a week down here during the run. Despite this, there was a enough of a breeze and shade throughout the route to keep me comfortable enough.
As I rounded to corner at the end of the first straightaway, I smelled something that was a little different. Up to this point, I hadn't seen anything too surprising on the run, but then I came around the corner and saw it. The Korean Barbecue Truck!
If you don't know what a Korean barbecue truck is, I'm sorry. Basically, here's how it works. A food truck with some of the best Korean food you will ever try goes around a neighborhood and uses twitter to let their fans know where they're going to be next. Usually, the trucks are on some kind of loop, but sometimes they'll mix up their locations. This phenomenon began up in LA, where three Korean fusion trucks run by the same company make loops around all of the city. My girlfriend and I were able to find one a few months back and it was delicious. Spurred by the success of the Korean truck, there are now tons of food trucks in LA and I've seen everything from a Vietnamese truck to a cupcake truck. Sadly, this craze has been a little slow catching on down here in San Diego. However, about a month ago, my girlfriend found out that there was a Korean food truck operating down here, we just hadn't been able to find it- until yesterday.
Up to the point I found the Korean barbecue truck, the run hadn't been going fantastic. My first mile wasn't completely sluggish, but it wasn't my best. But after seeing the truck, I was pumped. All I wanted to do was run home to get money and go straight to the truck. I don't know what my average mile time was after seeing the truck, but it was good. I finished the 3.25 mile run ten seconds faster than my previous best time and averaged a 7:06 mile. There's just one thing I need to remember for my next run- to bring money with me next time.
I decided to run again after work yesterday. While the weather down here is somehow still stuck in "crap" mode, it decided to warm up right before I got off of work, so it was about as warm as it's been in a week down here during the run. Despite this, there was a enough of a breeze and shade throughout the route to keep me comfortable enough.
As I rounded to corner at the end of the first straightaway, I smelled something that was a little different. Up to this point, I hadn't seen anything too surprising on the run, but then I came around the corner and saw it. The Korean Barbecue Truck!
If you don't know what a Korean barbecue truck is, I'm sorry. Basically, here's how it works. A food truck with some of the best Korean food you will ever try goes around a neighborhood and uses twitter to let their fans know where they're going to be next. Usually, the trucks are on some kind of loop, but sometimes they'll mix up their locations. This phenomenon began up in LA, where three Korean fusion trucks run by the same company make loops around all of the city. My girlfriend and I were able to find one a few months back and it was delicious. Spurred by the success of the Korean truck, there are now tons of food trucks in LA and I've seen everything from a Vietnamese truck to a cupcake truck. Sadly, this craze has been a little slow catching on down here in San Diego. However, about a month ago, my girlfriend found out that there was a Korean food truck operating down here, we just hadn't been able to find it- until yesterday.
Up to the point I found the Korean barbecue truck, the run hadn't been going fantastic. My first mile wasn't completely sluggish, but it wasn't my best. But after seeing the truck, I was pumped. All I wanted to do was run home to get money and go straight to the truck. I don't know what my average mile time was after seeing the truck, but it was good. I finished the 3.25 mile run ten seconds faster than my previous best time and averaged a 7:06 mile. There's just one thing I need to remember for my next run- to bring money with me next time.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Runs 14 & 15
This past week marked the first time I've run three days in a row. On Wednesday, I ran the 5 mile PB boardwalk again with Cesar and on Thursday, I ran the 3.25 mile loop around my house. In a way, this was a really good way to test where my training really was at.
Wednesday's run was as good as I think I've ever felt on the boardwalk. And while I was exhausted when the run was over, it was probably as easy as 5 miles has ever felt to my body. Again, it definitely helps a lot to have a buddy running with you. The weather was gloomy so the boardwalk was relatively quiet and this helped a lot as usually, you're spending more time sidestepping people than running in a straight line.
On Thursday, I was planning on running at the boardwalk again but didn't feel like driving down for it. As it turns out, that was probably a good thing. My legs were definitely feeling the beating I had put them through the previous two days. As it turned out. I finished the run a minute slower than I had run it on Tuesday. Not bad, considering that this was my third run in 48 hours.
So here's what I took from these runs. I felt pretty good throughout the three days of running but I know I'm going to have to do better. Not only am I going to have to be able to do three runs in half the time I did these, but almost all of the three runs I'm going to have to do are going to be longer than the runs I just did. I'm going to have to step it up but, with a month before the race officially starts, I'd say I'm right where I need to be.
Wednesday's run was as good as I think I've ever felt on the boardwalk. And while I was exhausted when the run was over, it was probably as easy as 5 miles has ever felt to my body. Again, it definitely helps a lot to have a buddy running with you. The weather was gloomy so the boardwalk was relatively quiet and this helped a lot as usually, you're spending more time sidestepping people than running in a straight line.
On Thursday, I was planning on running at the boardwalk again but didn't feel like driving down for it. As it turns out, that was probably a good thing. My legs were definitely feeling the beating I had put them through the previous two days. As it turned out. I finished the run a minute slower than I had run it on Tuesday. Not bad, considering that this was my third run in 48 hours.
So here's what I took from these runs. I felt pretty good throughout the three days of running but I know I'm going to have to do better. Not only am I going to have to be able to do three runs in half the time I did these, but almost all of the three runs I'm going to have to do are going to be longer than the runs I just did. I'm going to have to step it up but, with a month before the race officially starts, I'd say I'm right where I need to be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)