Records and Reviews

As most can tell, I am starting to discuss more running into this blog than I would actually like to.  I used to have a blog just about running and then I got bored with it and didn’t have much else to write about, so I quit.  I had a decent amount of followers, but I pretty much just abruptly ended it like a bad relationship with someone too clingy.  The blog just went out to the Internets pasture to fade away and die.  Well, for the first time in a while ,two years to be exact, its November and I’m still running.  And running strong.

If given the choice of being able to run (see also stay fit, eat what I want {to a degree}, blah blah blah ) or drink beer during the week, I’d probably choose running and indulge on the weekend.  Currently I do both, but my weekly beers have been minimal lately in an effort to cut back the calories and save a few dollars here or there.  Besides, I get awards and money for my running endeavors, beer just usually makes my money disappear.  Ahh, the slippery slope of life.

So Saturday, Ashley and I decided to get up early (cus that’s kinda the dumb stuff we runners do) and head over to Jefferson Memorial Forest for the Siltstone Trail Half Marathon.  For most, a half marathon is a feat in itself.  Trail half marathons are another beast.  Silstone is one of the hilliest, quad busting courses I’ve ever run on.  I find it kind of sad that Louisville has the largest urban municipal forest in the United States and most people either don’t know about it or under utilize it, but that’s a good thing sometimes.  As Frost can attest, taking the one less traveled makes all the difference sometimes.

I’ll fast forward to the good part and say I flat-out kicked ass on the trails on Saturday.  One of the better races I have run all year and I ran it completly by myself and scared I was going to blow up and get passed the whole time.  I kept looking over my shoulder like I was in a horror film.  That’s the uniqueness of trail running, you never know how far people are behind when you are feeling slow or decide to walk up a big hill.  I ended up finishing in 1:48:33 with a first place finish and a supposed course record and had 8 minutes over the next closest runner.  I found out later that this finish put me second overall in the trail race series and got me an addition $150 to the $100 I received for winning the race.  So making $250 on a morning run isn’t too shabby.  On the other side, my wife was the top female for the half, edging out her arch-nemesis for first overall in the trail series and a $300 payday.  So yea, running to me has more than it’s physical and emotional benefits…it helps pay the bills sometimes.

During the race, I took two pretty mean falls and came away with cuts, bruises, and blood.  No one saw me fall thankfully, but they were pretty comical I bet.  My legs are as sore as they’ve ever been, like they’ve been beat with baseball bats.  And yes, I run in short shorts, like so short from the right angle you can see things you don’t want to see.  Enough about running.  Afterward, I went home and switched my Christmas beer to the secondary and then cleaned the gutters for some damn reason.  We had arranged a later dinner at Harvest that night and my buddy Stephen came over to celebrate the double-win and crack some beer we’d been sitting on (figuratively).

Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout 10.6% ABV

One of the most sought after beers this year and we were able to get five all together.  Two for me, two for Steve, and one for my buddy Jay who was in town for Bourbon Chase.  The beer (not ours) immediately went on Ebay and other sites for about $60-100 bucks. That’s just plain stupid.  it’s a damn beer, not liquid gold.  Canadian Breakfast Stout is an imperial stout aged in Canadian maple barrels.  At first taste, notes of chocolate fill the mouth and once you start to swallow a hint of coffee kicks in. The beer has a nice balance of sweetness with small bits of maple, but not overbearing.  A lot less coffee flavor than their KBS or Breakfast Stout.  One of the more balanced Imperial Stouts I’ve drunk all year.  Chocolate or coffee doesn’t overpower each other very much.  I think I’ll age my two bottles for a while though.  Founders sets the bar high once again and gives me inspiration for a new beer.

Firestone Walker Parabola   12.5% ABV

My buddy in CO, had bought this for me awhile back and I brought it home from GABF.  Thankfully, Jay brought me one as well so I can age the other bottle.  To be honest, it was a good beer, but nothing really stood out in my mind.  A little thicker of a mouthfeel, good balance, and not an overpowering booziness.  What Firestone says…

“Parabola has been a major component of past anniversary blends and is one of our most aggressive offerings. This beer features bold bourbon and tobacco aromas and a rich dark chocolate, charred oak flavor. Parabola is best enjoyed in moderation and is a perfect beer to pair with those chocolate dessert favs.”

Uinta Labyrinth Black Ale   13.2% ABV

I first sampled this at GABF and immediately fell in love with their Crooked Series.  I managed to bring home this one, along with their Imperial Pumpkin, and a Cockeyed Cooper Barleywine.  All four which weighed down my bag pretty good at the airport…thank god for Southwest.  Labyrinth, which also bears the name of one of my favorite movies, is a black ale aged in rye whiskey barrels.  I was surprised at how big the ABV was on this beer because I had almost forgotten it was in the cellar.  I debated on aging it for longer, but my aging mentality goes to shit sometimes. It’s a beer, it’s meant to be drank.

The beer pours like a darker porter, almost borderline stout.  Although it says, black licorice on the label (which is my least favorite flavor of jellybean or anything in general), I didn’t taste it that much.  The taste was very sweet and filled with brown sugar and oak.  Stephen complained it was too sweet, but I thought it was fantastic.  I had a slight cold, so the nose of the beer was muffled by sniffles and the wood stove going in my living room.  For its high ABV, I felt it hid the booziness well, but it may need to sit a little longer for some other flavors to come out.  Good stuff though…I guess some good things do come from Utah.