Welcome to the New Year’s edition of AJW’s Taproom. As I mentioned at the end of last week’s column, today we’ll look back at the Year in Beer. But, before we do that, I wanted to mention a few other things about the column as it has evolved:
First, I want to thank all of you for participating in the dialogue here over the past few months. When Bryon and I first hatched this idea we were hoping to provide a place where like-minded folks could come together to discuss ultramarathon running in ways that were both community-oriented, constructive, and timely. We also wanted to provide a forum for a bit more “Big Picture” thinking than has become the norm in many areas of the commentary on the sport as of late and to allow people, in a completely open forum, to weigh in on the issues important to them in our ever-evolving sport.
Second, over the past few months, we have welcomed your constructive criticism. I understand that the initial columns here in the Taproom had a decidedly male bias and after several conversations with several female readers and runners, and a particularly heated discussion with my wife, I have pledged to be more even-handed in the year ahead. Additionally, we know that there is a concern among our readership of a possible Western States bias, a Trail Ultra bias, and even, horror of horrors, an India Pale Ale bias. We will work, in the months ahead, to maintain a level playing field and we welcome and encourage your feedback. Which brings me to #3.
Starting with today’s column and with every column moving forward we are opening “AJW’s Taproom Suggestion Box.” This is, essentially, an email address devoted exclusively to AJW’s Taproom. Bryon and I will regularly manage the email traffic and we encourage you, the readers, to write us notes with your thoughts and suggestions about the column. If there is a topic you’d like to see discussed, drop us a note. If something said in the Taproom was offensive to you, let us know. The idea here is to provide a private forum to discuss the content of the Taproom in ways that readers might not be comfortable doing publicly in the comments section of the website. As for comments, we continue to encourage you to participate actively and constructively in the dialogue here at AJW’s Taproom as it is the commentary that ultimately provides the most stimulating discourse.
Now, as readers of this column undoubtedly have realized, I love beer. As a result, I wanted to have an opportunity, after the first few columns, to offer up a beer of the week to accompany each week’s column. So, below, is a summary of the first eight beers we introduced this fall/winter, and then a ninth, for this week:
For my first beer, to accompany the “Laying it All Out There” commentary I went with my favorite (although it is significantly out of my price range), West Coast IPA from the Green Flash Brewery in Southern California.
This smooth IPA features just the right blend of hops and spice providing the perfect recovery drink after a crisp autumnal trail run.
The next week, to run parallel with our discussion of “Supply and Demand at the Western States 100”, I chose to offer up, appropriately, Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest.
This smooth drinking ale is the original “harvest” ale from one of the finest breweries in the land. Perfect after a tempo or fartlek workout and best in a chilled glass.
In Week 3, I couldn’t help but suggest a robust brew to go along with the somewhat more esoteric discussion of “Temperament and Disposition”, Boneyard RPM IPA from a great craft brewery in Bend, OR.
A great brew for HopHeads like me and better when you have a rest day scheduled, Boneyard is a new-school brewery with an old-school attitude. As of this writing they only have a tasting room and growler fills but this stuff is the real deal and I’ll bet they’ll expand in the next year or so. Next time you’re in Bend, stop by (look for the BatMobile). It just might alter your disposition. :)
Since Course Records are typically as much about what’s inside as what’s outside I thought our discussion of “Course Records and Their Relative Difficulties” should be accompanied by a plug for Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale from Bell’s Brewery in Michigan.
This week’s beer of the week comes from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and pays tribute to Ernest Hemingway’s timeless classic, “Big Two-Hearted River.” Bell Beer’s Two Hearted Ale sports a nice crisp hoppy aroma with just the right amount of spice. In contrast to other IPA’s, the touch of sweetness in Two Hearted Ale softens the alcohol and brings out the beer flavor. Definitely a cool weather beer to have after a long run.
For our prize money discussion, coinciding with the North Face 50 Mile race in San Francisco, I gave a nod to a great, cozy Santa Cruz brewery and suggested India Pale Ale from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing in coastal California.
This beer of the week comes from a great little brewery in Santa Cruz, CA about 40 miles south of the Marin Headlands. Perhaps some of the athletes at The North Face race on Saturday will find their way down there after the event. It will be well worth the trip. Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing makes an excellent IPA that has just the right hoppiness if you’re having more than one.
With the Hardrock lottery lighting up the entire ultrarunning landscape I couldn’t help but commend to the readers a brew from Silverton Brewery.
Their Ice Pick Ale is simply extraordinary. Simple, harsh, complex, and unpredictable it is, indeed, like the mountains that surround the brewery. Not available outside of the immediate area, this is a beer that is worth the trip.
I deliberately chose the Week 7 beer for intensely personal reasons. You see, for the past five years I have enjoyed a wonderfully heated (and friendly) rivalry with my good friend Scott Jaime. Knowing that we’d be meeting again Silverton in 2012 I couldn’t help but recommend his favorite beer – Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits. And, I gotta say, it’s one of the best I’ve ever had (even if it is from Southern California :) ).
Go out and get one of these. Better on tap but good just about anywhere, anytime…
In the most recent column, as we explored the role of the brain in ultrarunning, I thought I’d recommend a more heady beer and went with a beer from one the East Coast’s great breweries, Dogfish Head. Where, a few times a year, they create the masterpiece that is 120 Minute IPA.
Not to be taken lightly, this brew is so high in alcohol one can scarcely call it beer. But, for hopheads, it is second to none. Next time they run a batch be sure to pick up a bottle or two to savor on a Saturday afternoon following a nice long run.
Which brings us to the last beer of 2011. As some readers of the column know, Bryon and I envisioned the idea for AJW’s Taproom over a couple beers at a great brewery in Central Virginia. So, appropriately, the last beer of the year comes from the Devil’s Backbone Brewery in Nellysford, VA. This is the place where AJW’s Taproom was born and in honor of that this week’s beer is Devil’s Backbone’s Cru Noir, a black lager with a great blend of smoothness and texture that happens to be one of Bryon’s preferred varietals.
Until the New Year, Bottoms Up!
Call for Comments (from Bryon)
- What’s been your favorite AJW’s Taproom column to date and why?
- Which of the above beers would you most want to drink?
- Care to join me in raising a pint to AJW for his contributions to iRunFar and the ultra world as we enter the new year?
