Rogue bacon beer

Well my friend at willow park wines and spirits put this aside for me to try. It's by Rogue ales in Oregon. Im a big fan of their dead guy ale and yellow snow IPA. This beer is pure smoke, when you wake up and smell bacon and syrup, thats what they bottle. Put maple syrup, bacon and a little beer in your mouth and thats what you get. It's a nice beer but I could only have about 1 a week. I recommend this beer for breakfast if your into the hair of the dog treatment. 3/5. I only dock points because it's called a beer but does not resemble one.

BACK

Well its been a while (summer) but im back in action. I want to say it was a super busy summer full of fun and craziness, so much so that i had no time to post. This is not the case alas. It was busy and fun and full of craziness but im back in school and time/energy eludes me. With winter coming up i now have time (lack of biking) to start back up and review beer and gear!! I did massive amount of biking this summer, allover alberta and BC, got a new bike (Norco shore 2, 2008) and new beers as well. So keep an eye on this blog for upcoming beer and gear reviews!

SRRY

So, just wanted to say SRRY for the lack of activity/reviews, its raining in Calgary area right now, in fact there is a rain fall warning in effect... and I also have a cold (its going around so watch out) so I'm utterly useless, more so than usual.

More beer more cheer eh!

Leffe Blonde – Belgium 6.6% alc./vol.  $2.79

Serving Format: 330ml to pint glass.

About: This is a mass produced wanna-be “abbey beer” (trying to be trappist beer) not much else to it?

Appearance: Thick head, massive bubbles, dark to light golden colour.

Smell: metallic honey?

Taste:  Vanilla, soft round hop, with a velvet creamy finish. A note of maple syrup throughout.

Mouth feel: Soft and full bodied, smooth.                                                                        

Overall: Wow, not gonna lie, haven’t had allot of mass produced blonde’s and really didn’t know what to expect, This is a tight beer with some nice components, I think would go very well with salmon. 5/5

Lasko Club – Slovenia 4.9%alc./vol.  $2.49

Serving Format: 500ml can to pint glass.

About: Brewing since 1825, that stoped for two years due to a bomb in World War II, it was ment for a near by bridge but alas... shit happens.

Appearance: Head made like Houdini and disappeared asap. No bubbles & particulate noted.

Smell: sweet citrus.

Taste: Citrus with some bread/grain character, not much on the finish but a bit of lingering bitter.

Mouth feel: Fuzzy, light.

Overall: Tell truth... I bought this because it had a picture of a goat on it, also it said below the goat “Traditionally brewed with love since 1825” Hahahaha anyways... This was a good try; it’s crisp and refreshing like a beer should be. I would get it again for novelty sake; nothing is coming to mind about food to pair with it. 3/5

And next up we have a review on the world renowned Kyle Strait 661 Knee Pads!! this will be a good one trust me!!

Lid & New Powdaaaa

Okey Dokey, if that is a word. I have come back from the dead with a new review, Giro Indicator Helmet AND (because it is so mind blowing) my new pre workout - workout drink!!!!! As you can tell I'm really into this stuff, its amazing, but first the helmet...

Giro Indicator Helmet

This is a wham bam thank you mam kind of deal, Its light/holy/and affordable. I picked up this bad boy for around 49 clams. This lid in my opinion is for your general trail rider or spandex sportin rodie... I have seen quite a few of them out in the parks. One size fits all with the one hand fit dial in the back (love that) comes with various thickness foam to stick in it and customize. It boasts 20 vents and a slick low-pro design w/ the "snap fit visor" they say it can be removed but i have no idea how unless i rip it off??? This helmet is following the more aggo side of design (more hex and xen than rodie) Like mentioned the 20 vents keep you damn cool, no lie, it flows really well even on the hottest day i never noticed it. Also mentioned was the weight, well i cant find an actual claimed weight (and my guess is useless as i am anti-wight weeny so i have no experience) I can say that when i wear it, i forget about it (good sign). One last note: I have faith in Giro and most helmets for that matter, I mid-air-endo'ed last year breaking 3 ribs, separated 1 AC, and 1 good ol' concussion. This spill left the helmet in 3 pieces...(it was a Torrent) They do work, so for your mothers sake wear the damn things!
Vega SPORT Performance Optimizer

Holy crap, we have a winner... Enter back story---->
Now this is a bit random but i just started using it and i just neeeeded to review it. I have been biking for a while and most bikers will add bars/shakes/powders etc. to get more out of their activities. I love a boost before a ride, it just helps me get into the zone, be less of a trail asshole and so on. So in the place of an energy drink or almost worse...Gatorade's pre/during/post workout "drink" (all three are just coloured corn starch...google corn starch and how good it is for you) anyhew... I was at a natural food store and was meandering down the supplement isle when i happened on this little ditty. I picked it up and read what it was for but not only that i noticed it was an energy booster. After reading the ingredients i thought to myself "jeez could a natural energy booster exist let alone work"??? Its a whole lot of money (around 40 some bucks for the 30 serving tub) to be throwing down on an unknown. "F&%* it, life is for the living" i thought and went up the the cashier to pay. Well that was one of the best gambles i have ever made ill tell you what. The preceding day i made a glass before i went out and this is where the review starts...
I got the lemon lime flavor, its a dull green powder, when mixed looks like old pea soup. Powder mixes very well with nothing left over, it goes down smooth with no chalky taste. Its not the best tasting BUT considering what it is...I am very pleased. I took it about 20 min before activity, but its effects are noticeable about 3-5 min after drinking? (not sure why but its very consistent in that aspect) After arriving in the park and getting my trusty steed together i took off like a bat out of hell. A 2 hour 55min bike ride consisting of steep ups and gnarly downs ensued, and this is where the review might get hoakey but i swear to god its the truth, I felt a consistent and lasting energy through the whole ride, i recovered from climbs faster than before, and just all around had what felt like an unlimited energy source... It was insane. And just to test the effects i started using it every ride, 4 days in a row 3h or more, and on the 5th day I'm usually beat but i felt like by the 4th i was just getting started. Now it sounds like a miracle but i swear by this stuff, AND the good thing for you guys is they sell it in individual packs so you can try it out for 3$ and see what you think, most deff worth a try! I comes in the individual, and 30 servings. Flavors are Lemon Lime and Acai-berry available at most if not all natural food stores in Calgary.

Stiegl & Boris Bold

Euro beer time.

Salzburger Stiegl – Austria 4.9% alc./vol.   $2.90

Serving Format: 500ml can to clean pint glass.

About: In 1650 Stiegl became the biggest brewery in Salzburg, and it’s more than likely that Mozart enjoyed this beer around the year 1780.

Appearance: Straw yellow. Quickly receding head.

Smell: Like a lager?

Taste: smooth sweet and puffy on the pallet, some steel hop on the end with a nice lingering finish.

Mouth feel: Bubbly but not over carbonated.

Overall: A damn fine beer, would go with an assortment of strong food (try the beers local cuisine bratwurst) Could see myself pounding a few of these on a patio overlooking downtown Calgary on a hot day. 4/5

Boris Bold – France  8.6% alc./vol.   $ 2.60

Serving Format: 500ml can to clean pint glass.

About: Not allot to be found on this little ditty.

Appearance: Dark amber with fine foam.

Smell: Malty.

Taste: melon, thick (like a strong beer is) sweet malt liquor finish and hot on the back end.

Mouth feel: Thick, “full bodied” not allot of carbonation.

Overall: Reminds me of my younger days drinking OE but more grown up, Like GG Allin going to law school. Not bad for a high octane beer, not in my top picks but if you need to getter done than this would do it. I’ve had once before in mini bottles, I remember it being better. 3/5

Next review - Giro Indicator Helmet. Cause its embarrassing to spill your brain in front of people, they will all laugh at you.

Dakine Drafter Pack

Dakine Drafter 3L Hydration Pack -

Aaaaaaah Dakine…. Arguably one of the best producers of backpacks, clothing, and accessories around. Dakine has a massive following with all my peeps, not just biking or sporting for that matter. They make quality gear at killer prices AND it inspires allot of buyer confidence.

  

We have here a Drafter 3L Pack, its part of their xc/all mountain pack line. The Drafter comes with all the essential bells and whistles like tonnes of helmet/armour straps, pockets, adjustment points and a 3L reservoir. Since this pack has so many pockets and straps not to mention the insane amount of room, I figured I would label them and give a brief description.

 

A- Big fleece pocket for mp3 player (or cd player…) I keep my wallet and phone there.

B- For your Tube Pump

C- Deep mesh pocket, good for keeping spare tubes in.

D/E- Two big mesh pockets, E for medical supplies, D for chain tool,hex keys,bottle opener etc.

F- Behind F is a small zip pocket that’s tarp-lined, good for gel packs in case they explode.

G- Fleece lined pocket for sunglasses, I prefer to wear mine so i keep an inhaler in there.

There is more than enough room for ANYTHING you want to bring along, the only problem being a weight penalty.

Now the bad news, the reservoir and tube that come with it are great quality but quite frankly they taste like plastic and there is nothing you can do to change it (Trust me). But that’s an easy/cheap switch-out.

The Drafter is great on long rides; it had ventilated foam shoulder straps and back piece. All the ventilation keeps ya cool and ready to rage. The back flap is also made of impact resistant fabric and can take a hit well, although not recommended. This is a spiffy pack that does its job well, just switch out the reservoir and your set!

Next up on the review we try Boris Bold & Stiegl beers, and find out if they are quality grog or Indy trash.