Tour de Fat DC: Tour de F#&K Yeah!

This past weekend I took the family to the much anticipated Tour de Fat at the Yards Park in DC and I must say that there was nothing lame anywhere to be found.
(Except the Yankees winning a block away)

There were sexy parade people...


There were lots of oversized board game classics...

There was lots of meandering...

There was a fake/real gameshow...



There were lots of chicks with drums, some say those are the best kind of chicks....

There was me on what I can easily say was the most fun "bike" type machine I've ever ridden. The concept of this amazing contraption was simple; make a bigwheel for grownups that power-slides every time you make the slightest turn. The best part was that if you turned too hard it would send you rolling off, combining my two favorite adrenaline boosting activities;  power-sliding and wrecking. Thank you New Belgium!
Here are some power-sliding action shots:

And here is a wrecking shot.

There were lots of other bike oddities to wreck on...

Yeah that's my voice talking to my 3.5 year old. Suck it.
I was unaware at the time but this video I captured Gwadzilla, (in the pink helmet) deftly outspinning his opponents who were flung far and wide and left hoist in their own petard. (0:45sec)

The event culminated in a ceremony honoring a DC citizen who traded her car in for a bike. Props.

So a damn good time was had and a bunch of money was raised. Cheers to New Belgium and WABA.

Pre Tour De Fat Party At The Pug

Last night I went with a buddy down to The Pug on H street for a New Belgium/WABA pre TDF party. There were lot's of Belgian style beer and bike people, which is always a good combination. There was a raffle to raise money for WABA and NB gave away hats, shirts, and a pretty sweet custom cruiser to this lucky gal.

I apologize for the crappy photos.

The place was filled with poorly lit blurry people. Gwadzilla is in there somewhere.

I had a nice chat with Katie, WABA's DC Bike Ambassador.

I tried the aptly named Tart Lychee, which was both tart and full of lychee. It was pretty damn good, however there is a time and a place and last night was neither. Maybe a hot summer day while grilling pork.

I picked up another piece of beeraphernalia for the LHT.

After having our fill of Belgian style beer, and being raffle loosers, we went next door  to Granville Moore's for some mussels, fries, and actual Belgian beer. I highly recommend the the braised lamb and Navigator mussels.

Over all it was a great night; we met cool folks, gave WABA some money, drank good beer, and ate great food.

Beer Bike Bling, Beer, Beer, Red Fang, and Beer

I know this product isn't anything new but I just picked up a YAWYD headset cap. It's small and cheap and makes me happy.

While were on the subject or beer and happy If you haven't tried the Prickly Passion Saison I highly recommend it.

While we're on the subject of saison and happy I thought I would mention To Øl Snowball Saison which I was lucky enough to try and Churchkey last month. It is perfect, If you can get some, get some.

While we're on the subject of beer, and happy, and naked, there's a new Red Fang video out.

via Stevil

While we're on the subject of beer, and happy, and Silver Spring Maryland, Fenwick has Fat Tire for $6.99 a sixer.

Friday you magnificent bastard.

Beer Review: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (My Wife's New Favorite)

Last weekend the family stopped into the Dogfish Head Brewpub in Rehoboth, Delaware. The place was packed, the food was decent, and the beer list was extensive.  I had the DFH Ale which was strong and hoppy as promised. My wife wanted to try something seasonal and was presented with the Punkin Ale of which she was instantly a fan; so much so I thought I had better pick up a four pack for further analysis.

Punkin Ale pours a beautiful orange color that is kind of well... pumpkiny. The spices: nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and brown sugar are all present but not overpowering. Some pumpkin ales seem to force the pumpkin flavor making the beer too sweet but not this one. This is also true of a lot of flavored beers. The actual pumpkin flavor is subtle and balances out the spices well giving the Punkin Ale a very smooth finish.

I can see why this is on the top of my wife's list. It is full-bodied (as the label states) but not gimmicky like some of the competition.

Bottom line: Highly Spouse Recommended.
Buy It if you love the flavor of beer in your flavored seasonal beer.
Don't Buy It if your looking for hints candy corn in your pumpkin ale.

Beer Review: Get Yourself A Little Sumpin' Sumpin'

As a birthday treat my wife stopped by the Whole Foods in Fairfax, which has a hefty beer selection, to pick me up a sixer. She told the ever capable beerman what I liked and he sent her home with a six pack of Lagunitas' "a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' ale" . Happy birthday indeed! God I love this beer...

This is a very hoppy wheat bear that pours out golden and lovely. With 50% wheat and tons of hops comes a very complex taste of citrus, pine, and apricots that is truly sumpin' sumpin'. What's even better is given the popularity of the seasonal release the brainiacs over at Lagunitas are moving it over to their regular offering.

Bottom line: Highly Recommended.
Buy It if you love flavor in your beer and hops without the bitter.
Don't Buy It if your looking for the "born on" date on the label.

Road Trip! And Pub Review

Over this past weekend I took the family up to the Cycle Jerk Family Fun Compound in Blah Blah, Michigan where there was lot's of swimming, feasting, and playing to do. I was looking forward to all of this but I was really wanted to get a ride in. If the opportunity presented itself  I would to tour through the rolling hills, beautiful farmland, and scenic lakes of Michigan with my uncle so I threw the LHT (yeah you know me) on the roof and hit the road. We ended up doing a short 25 mile romp which was refreshing, 25 miles and only a handful of cars on the road.  The bummer for you is that I forgot the camera.

On the way home we stopped in State College, PA to see the fireworks at Penn State which were bad ass. While there we hit Otto's Pub and Brewery for some much needed refreshments.

The beers made on site are very nice, I had the Slab Cabin which was a wonderfully hoppy IPA with very little bitterness at the finish.

After touring the facility and not finding any Belgian style beer aging in old whiskey barrels on the premises the little one got fussed and tried to pee on the floor.

 (beer snob)

The food was good and the atmosphere is standard brewery/restaurant decor. The thing that stood out for me was the hops growing up the facade of the building.

I also like my bike parking to be bike shaped. Well done.

For a one night stop over we had a great time. I'll definitely stop in again when I return to sample the epic single track I keep hearing about.

Happy Monday.

Tuesday Bouillabaisse

Blog post Bouillabaisse! When I see something cool that I think might be blog worthy I drop the link in a folder fro safe keeping or until I have nothing to say then need to post about something. for some reason I just need to post sometimes. So here are a few items and thoughts that I have been sitting on over the past week. 

I'll start with a piece of gear I thought was worth passing on. The BrentBasket by Faris Elmasu. At first glance it looks like another piece of Swedish mod garbage but then I saw how well it held a six pack. It seems pretty versatile and stylish, but those are two things that probably don't add up to longevity, but who knows.

Speaking of beer, I was at The Royal Mile in Wheaton on Saturday to watch soccer when I happened upon Loose Cannon. A hoppy beer with hoppy flavor what has a hoppy finish that leaves you feeling hoppy, but not too hoppy. Seriously though, this beer tastes great and has a citrusy herby flavor going that is quite good. 

"wonderfully  drinkable" indeed

Next up is Camp Bacon. I read about this in USA TODAY and was stunned...  and hungry.

Camp Bacon is located in Ann Arbor Michigan and boasts tons of bacon related activities and games for today's bacon lover, and yes, there's a video.

Thinking about camp always takes me back to those warm summer days, not a care in the world, sitting in my house watching Meatballs over and over again. Ah...  the good ole days.



Just to make this blog bouillabaisse complete, here's a video that I can't stop watching.

via stevil

mmm... that's does smell good.

Pub Review: In Philly Gettin' Silly

I was in Philadelphia on Saturday and happen to wander into The Standard Tap. An unflattering name for a pub in my opinion but none the less a very cool spot. The beer list was not huge but where it lacked in abundance it made up for in quality.  I didn't get a picture of the interior but just look at the photo above and imagine what you would expect the inside to look like and that's probably a pretty accurate picture. Lot's of worn in wood and brick, tattoos, beards, and the occasional chalk board adorned with food and beer lists. It's also pretty huge inside with two levels and a rooftop patio.

The food was good and the fact that most of it was local made it even better.

The folks inside seemed nice and the bar tenders were friendly. Let there be no doubt you'll be knee deep in hipsterland if you make it The Standard Tap. The tell tale signs were everywhere...

If the streets lined with fixed gears don't clue you in, the bike parking laced with a  freshly knitted cozy should be a dead giveaway.

Scratching your bike every time you lock it up does suck. I thought this was a very thoughtful gesture on the part of the neighborhood.

Bottom line: Highly Recommended.
Go there if you like good beer, good food, good people, and you give a damn about local food.
Don't Go there if there was too long of a wait at the Applebee's and you've got a hankerin' for a Wedge Salad.

More Bling For Silver Spring

For those of use who've lived in the area a long time it's well known that progress hasn't come easy to Silver Spring. Most of this struggle I blame on wretched architecture and the failed attempts at restoration and mimicry of said wretchedness.

The old Hecht Company building which was reborn into the Shitty Place (city place). A glowing beacon of wretchedness.

Happily that's all behind us. In the past decade Silver Spring has successfully been reborn into a very, very cool place to live, even more so now with an influx of new hip dining options.

Last night I tested the waters at Pacci's, an upscale Italian pizzeria and bar.

It was a very good evening, especially given that they just opened on Friday. There are still a few wrinkles to iron out but the pizzas were delicious. They were on par with Two Amys and slightly better than Mia's in Bethesda (which I love).  The crust is very good, the ingredients are fresh, and the Montepulciano goes perfectly.

Another recent opening is 8407 Kitchen Bar, opened by the owner of Mrs. K's and headed by Chef Pedro Matamoros (from Nicaro).

I freakin' love this place. Pedro has a great imagination and the menu reflects it. Lot's of exposed beams and brick make the interior very comfortable. I wouldn't have thought overlooking the metro construction would be a plus but I kind of like it.

Lastly, the Hook & Ladder Brewing Company  Fire Station 1 is turning the old fire station into a micro brewery cliché from the looks of the menu and poor website design... said to open in early 2010 and it looks like their well under way. We'll see.



Bling Blingy Silver Springy...

Thursday, you're just not Friday (unless I take tomorrow off).

Product Review: The Wisecracker

One of the many souvenirs I picked up for myself at NAHBS this year was a Wisecracker for the Rocky. It's a bottle opener which stealthily replaces a headset spacer. It weighs next to nothing, it has a fancy logo which nobody will ever see, and it comes in black and silver. That's pretty much it for the specs.

pardon the poor focus

The only thing I can say about the product itself is that the bottle opening action is superb. I thought it would be awkward to get the bottle under the stem at the right angle but it works smoothly.

I paid $10 for it which is silly but I thought it would be funny and I could write it off as a blogging expense. I would like to get one for the LHT (yeah you know me) but it would get in the way to the iBert.

Bottom line: Highly Recommended.
Buy it if you like bikes and beer and you like crackin' wise.
Don't buy it if none of the above apply to you.


Also, while posting this on the Youtubes I saw this and then this. I think maybe every video on Youtube is one related video away from some kind of pom pom girl.

Friday Beer Review: Anchor Porter

A few days ago a good friend reminded me that it's braising season. Time to get out the dutch oven and slow cook some goodness. I started off with a recipe from Cooking Light for beer braised beef stew since it covered the two major food groups in the title. It called for root veggies; carrots, onions, garlic, and turnips, some beef broth and 1 dark beer. I headed off to my LBS (local beer store) and was delighted to find Anchor's Porter. I hadn't tried their porter but I am a big fan of their seasonal Christmas Ale so I grabbed a sixer.

Let me say that I love a good dark beer. To make it creamy, rich, and thick while going down light and smooth is an art form. A good porter has that mix of hoppy bitter and chocolaty sweetness that makes you want to poor it on ice cream. I was not disappointed by the Anchor Porter, not overly sweet with just the right amount of hops made this a perfect beer for braising, and drinking for that matter.

As the weather turns cold grab some and drink it slowly, you won't regret it. It's even good at room temperature.

Bottom line: Highly Recommended.

Buy it if you like good beer with complexity and you have a bowl of stew in front of you.
Don't buy it if you don't like porter.