BrewsLee.com

Surly LHT Build – Frame

May 132013

Over the years I’ve utilized my current bike, a 1991 Bridgestone RB-T, for it’s well designed purpose and then some. It’s proven to be extremely versatile and has performed admirably under most conditions. It is, however, considered a “light” touring bike and is somewhat limited when it comes to carrying stuff. Obviously, I’ve convinced myself that this minor shortcoming in an otherwise perfect bike is a great excuse to obtain yet another bike.

My intent is to build an affordable, nondescript and durable bicycle to be used primarily for camping, commuting and general grocery getting. I chose the Surly Long Haul Trucker frameset and am envisioning a fairly unspectacular yet functional bike. I’ll probably spend a little more on things I’ve come to value from my experience. But, in general, there won’t be a lot of expensive upgrades here if you’re into that sort of thing.

With all that said, several obvious questions may come to mind. First of all, why didn’t I just buy the Surly LHT complete? And, why did I spend $$ to powder coat an already neutral color frame? Those are good questions for which I don’t have good answers. Enjoy!

Original 56cm black frame

Surly Long Haul Trucker Powder Coated Frame

Powder coated frame – “P6 Iron Glimmer” from Tiger Drylac

With decals

I wasn’t sure about the “glimmer” after choosing the color. But it’s pretty subtle and looks great according to me.

Surly Long Haul Trucker Powder Coat Top Tube

I’ll probably remove the decals eventually. But they look nice for now.

Sam Adams Hopology

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May 032013

The Boston Beer Company is the nations largest craft brewer. I am someone who likes to try new and interesting beers. Given these two facts, you wouldn’t think Sam Adams would be part of my regular rotation. They are after all, mainstream. And most things that appeal to the masses don’t typically deviate from the norm and are by definition, uninteresting. Yet I find myself purchasing something from Samuel Adams just about as frequently as any other brand.

The key (I think) is variety and creativity. Their strategy to always offer fickle beer fans something new is apparently good for the company’s bottom line and is good for me. According to this Daily Finance article In 2011, the company brewed one hundred distinct styles of beer, serving 54 to its customers, 23 of which were brand new.

The Hopology variety pack is a good example of this approach. It’s got few things going for it. IPA’s are the most popular craft beer style and mix packs are always popular. In most scenarios, I wouldn’t buy Latitude 48 IPA by itself. It’s a decent IPA. But there are too many other comparable, and a few superior, options available. But when packaged in a variety pack I accept the beer as a part of an interesting ensemble. Another plus is the lure of tasting a few never before had brews. In this case this was the first time I’ve had Grumpy Monk and Dark Depths and they were my favorites.

Year Of Beers

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Apr 172013

To celebrate BrewsLee.com’s 1st anniversary, I’m displaying a year’s worth of beers. That is, all the distinct beers I’ve had during since April 2012. I made a late run for 365 and came up way, way short. I don’t consider this an embarrassingly huge failure. Instead you are looking at 216 small, yet satisfying achievements.

Surly Overrated

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Apr 152013

This beer is very good. Is it as good as Furious? No. Maybe that’s the whole point.

Winter Bike Commuting – Clothing

Bike No Responses »

Apr 112013

In case you’re reading this months from now and wondering why I’m blogging about winter biking in mid-April, the ground is currently covered with 3 inches of snow and there’s more on the way. The past 3 times I’ve biked to work, I’ve considered it my last commute in snow until next winter. Tomorrow I will be making another last commute in snow.

Four years ago I started riding my bike to work. Not every day. Just once or twice a week mainly as an alternative to my intense martial arts training and jumping rope. Biking was fun and there seemed to be no end in sight. Then winter rolled around and I hung my bike up in the garage and reverted to less interesting forms of exercise and eventually to none at all. The following winter I was determined to ride my bike throughout the season and did with some success. The winter after that I purchased a Surly Pugsley which allowed me to commute in more conditions and ultimately ride more frequently.

Along with choosing the right bike, my clothing choices have been extremely important – probably even more so than the bike itself. After my third season of cold weather commuting, I’ve learned that wearing the right gear can really make or break the experience. By far the biggest challenge was finding the right clothing combinations that allowed me to stay warm without overheating and arriving at work in a sweaty mess. I still don’t always get things completely right. But, on a good day, it’s 15°F outside and it feels like room temperature on the saddle.

Obviously, different people will have different preferences and needs. My clothing strategy has been largely influenced by the following factors – climate, terrain, budget and length of commute. The absence of a showering facility at my place of employment also plays a role. And you can’t forget personal style, or lack thereof.

Climate: Twin Cities, MN – Cold (0-35 degrees F) and usually some snow and ice to deal with.
Terrain: Over the Mississippi River – a good mix of downhill, uphill and flat terrain.
Budget: Not completely cheap. But not willing to buy high-end stuff either.
Length of commute: 11 miles
Showering facility at work: None
Personal style: None

The only noteworthy point on style is that I’ve always preferred buying multifunctional items that I can wear while not biking without looking like a misplaced cyclist. The bike helmet is fairly specific. But most of these items get used in other activities.

Head:
-Bell Slant helmet
-Scott goggles
-SmartWool beanie
-Seirus Neofleece face mask
-colder conditions: add Seirus balaclava as base layer
comments: Neoprene face masks are a great invention.

Torso:
-base layer: SmartWool or IceBreaker medium baselayer
-mid layer: old PolarTec-like pullover
-outer layer: Montane LiteSpeed jacket
-colder conditions: add more mid layers
comments: For me, light, wind resistant and breathable fabrics such as Pertex are the best value for an outer layer. Conventional rain-jackets don’t breathe well. Higher-end materials like Gore-Tex and eVent are great, but overkill in terms of cost for my needs. I haven’t tried a soft-shell for an outer layer, but I’ve heard good things.

Legs:
-base: SmartWool microweight long underwear
-pants: Prana Stretch Zion pants
-colder conditions: add Prana Stretch Zion shorts over pants
comments: I wear these pants for almost everything but rock climbing which they were apparently designed for.

Hands:
-cold conditions: Manzella softshell gloves (polyester/spandex)
-colder conditions: Continental Divide ski gloves (100 gram Thinsulate insulation)
-coldest conditions: colder gloves + generic liners
comments: These are all cheap gloves and work just fine. I’ve tried two different brands of lobster gloves and, while I see the appeal, I couldn’t get used to the feel of not having the use of all my fingers.

Feet:
-a variety of wool socks (light to mid-weight)
-cold conditions: North Face Iceflare Mid -20 boots
-colder conditions: North Face -40 boots
comments: The -20 boots have an ideally slim profile, but fairly deep tread lugs. The -40 boots are wider with a relatively flat tread profile. Both have pros and cons. While neither are perfect for biking, they’re both great all-purpose boots.

MOKA : Espresso.Coffee.Tea – Rochester, MN

Coffee No Responses »

Apr 022013

Moka has five locations across Rochester, MN, La Crosse, WI and Madison, WI. They’re your typical fast and friendly drive through coffee kiosk serving a variety of flavored latte, espresso and tea options. They also offer shakes, smoothies and hot chocolate. Their website menu lists a few food items as well.

Recently, I drove through the 1023 N Broadway location in Rochester and picked up a cup of plain, city roast coffee. For just over $2, I received a “medium” cup which is more like a large or XL at most coffee shops. While their sizes are similar to those at Super America, their coffee is a little bit better. I wouldn’t go out of my way for this stuff. But, if it’s on the way, Moka is a good option.

St. Patrick’s Day Retrospective

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Mar 212013

If you’re like me, every holiday season is associated with certain sights, sounds and even smells. For St. Patrick’s Day they include images of public drunkenness, the noises produced by public drunkenness and the stench of stale beer and urine. I’m not down on this holiday by any means. But I don’t share the passion of many.

To ramp up my holiday spirit, I decided to try a couple Irish Stout’s – Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout and O’Hara’s Irish Stout. To truly get into the spirit, I probably needed to try 7 to 10 more as well as attend a parade. But, this was a good start.

Color aside, both beers are light in every respect including flavor, calories and ABV. I prefer the bitterness and flavor of the O’Hara version. They fit the definition of a “session beer” and are a solid choice for a lengthy day or night of reveling – or a full day and a night and part of the next morning.

New Albion Ale

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Mar 152013

New Albion Ale is Sam Adam’s tribute to a craft beer pioneer. The beer is made using the original recipe containing the original yeast strain which has been preserved at the University of California since 1977. The packaging and labels are adorned with the same flagship artwork that was used 30 years ago.

In 1976, Jack McAuliffe, a former Naval officer and Silicon Valley optical engineer, started the New Albion Brewing Company. Several recent articles about this beer proclaim Jack as “the founding father” of the craft beer movement. This lofty title really depends on your defining criteria – first, best, most influential, etc. Names like Fritz Maytag, Ken Grossman and even Jim Koch also come to mind. Regardless, Jack McAuliffe was definitely one of the few to successfully introduce craft beer during an era dominated by macro-breweries.

This beer doesn’t look or taste like a Sam Adam’s. It has more of a throwback taste – light flavor profile, bready malts and subdued hop notes. It doesn’t have a ton of flavor, but is very drinkable. The taste and feel is more like that of a modern blonde ale or a pilsner.

Surly Pentagram

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Mar 072013

Kneel before Zod! After that, be sure to give Surly Pentagram a try. Like Zod, this brew will command your obedience and loyalty.

surly pentagram bottle

A beer like this is why I love trying new craft beers. Sour ales are not my favorite style by any means. Not by a long shot. But a good sour ale is a one of a kind experience and kind of a rare find. This is a good one and inspires me to keep on trying new styles, new breweries and new Surly offerings.

surly pentagram glass

Badger Hill Brewing

Beer No Responses »

Mar 042013

I’d like to welcome Badger Hill Brewing Company to my “Inner Circle” as well as to my “Ring of Honor”. In other words, I really like their beers.

Badger Hill Brewing Company is a brand new brewery based out of Minnetonka, Minnesota. They currently operate by renting space and equipment at the Lucid Brewing facility. This arrangement, known as an Alternating Proprietorship, or an AltProp, allows new entrants to the beer industry to start-up and operate without a large capital investment.

The Minnesota Special Bitter is the most surprising of the bunch. After drinking this beer I thought of two possibilities; either this is a great ESB or I’ve never really had a decent ESB to compare it with. Either way, it’s unexpectedly good. It seems to have some really nice and flavorful Belgian yeast qualities. But, apparently, there is no Belgian yeast in the beer.

…”not too schmaltzy, not too bitter” according to the description on Badger Hill’s website. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I think there’s actually more schamltz, more bitterness and more overall flavor than most Stout’s. I’ll have to compare it to a Deschutes Obsidian sometime.

My least favorite of the three, Three Tree American Rye is a spicy, hoppy, bitter and flavor-packed ale. Not bad for a 5.2% ABV beer. So, what’s the problem? I don’t know, I’m just not a big rye guy.

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