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.

Pilsner vs Pilsner: Trees, Spain and broken glasses!

Two beer winger Dinger, it was a fight to the end...

Ding Ding Ding

Here are the first two beers reviewed on this blog, Tree Brewing and Damm co. Its a Pilsner fight to the death and like Highlander, there can only be ONE! We start off with with Kelowna....

Kelowna Pilsner - Tree Brewing Co. 4.8% alc./vol.

Serving Format: 500ml can into clean pint glass.

About: Brewery started in 1996, Stefan Buhl brew master.

Appearance: Light amber, condensed head that recedes quickly, Normal bubble.

Smell: Malty, small amount of honey.

Taste: starts off round and creamy, dry mid pallet of straw/grassy hop, with a bitter medium long finish that creeps to the sides of your tongue. Vanilla and steely notes also appear as beer sits.

Mouth feel: Round and carbonated.

Overall: A pleasing pilsner with a ‘craft’ taste. Recommended with fries or chicken wings, a good way to relax and quench thirst on a hot day (post ride). Has the “tree brewery taste” to it, not sure if it’s the specific hop’s they use or what but I notice they all have a unique ‘taste’ to them. 4/5

Estrella Damm – Barcelona Spain 4.6% alc./vol.

About: Brewed since 1876, Flagship beer of S.A.Damm brewery.

Serving Format:  500ml can to -new- pint glass

Appearance: Pale honey coloured, pain to pour (lots of head) large bubble head.

Smell: Very fruity, smidge of hop.

Taste: Starts ~sweet, mid pallet of watery malt, round watery turning into orange zest on finish with small amount of carbonation. Sweetness follows start to finish.

Mouth feel: Small amount of carbonation, soft and smooth

Overall: I have been recommended this beer by many people, and can see the mass appeal as this beer is smooth and easy drinking. This beer is very palatable but I taste mass production? All in all a good beer if on the menu but if you’re seeking adventure you won’t find it here. 3/5

And the winner of this bout goes to -Kelowna Pilsner- It was a close one as I have been a fan of Estrella for a while now and had never had Kelowna Pil before. Both beers offered a great way to unwind after a hard days work on the trail, and both beers were very affordable (500ml Estrella @ 2.80 and Kelowna pil @ 2.60 local co-op LS) This concludes the Beer part of reviews, I just want to give a shout out at my fav. glass that got knocked off the table during this review R.I.P. buddy you zigged when you should've zagged! I'll post the next two contestants in the Gear review coming up near the end of this week, till then PEACE.

Race Face Respond -stem,post,bar.

Ok, as promised here are the reviews on Race Face's Respond kit, but before the review I wanted to throw in a little side note * These are AM/FR parts, and a keen rider would note that they are on a Trance X... This does not mean I am Freeriding with a trail bike! * I find that a shorter stem/wider bar is better for my riding style and I also switch these parts over to my Allmountain bike so I need the added strength.

With that said lets start with the -Race Face Respond Bar-

Now the Respond aluminum bar is 370g -1.5" rise, 335g -.5" rise. Rounded off by an attractive selling point ~50 bones in Calgary area. The bar is 28" and comes in bad ass black or whitemare colour schemes. When riding, the bar keeps your hands at a comfortable angle, whether your in the saddle or rippin it up down the trail. Off the bat I thought (being a more FR oriented part) that the bar would ride sluggish and not have allot in the way of supple feedback, after a good run through Fish creeks single track I was surprised to find that was not the case. Although its a little 'dull' in feedback compared to a XC bar, what it lacks in trail feel it more than makes up in strength and confidence boosting manoeuvrability. The bar would pull out of any slipped line or rut encountered. Plus the 28" width adds more power to your steering and more precision to your line choices.

Next is the -Race Face Respond Stem-

The stem is has a 10 degree rise and come in 45, or 60 mm lengths, weighing in  @ 195g 45mm / 215g 60mm. Comes in bad ass black or whitemare colour schemes ~50$. This little guy is a gem straight up. Easy to install and has all the torque info right by the bolts so you don’t have to dig up paperwork or surf the net. It has an interlocking bar clamp that is suppose to send more stress through the stem than the bolts which is a great thing (if you ever had bolts critically fail than you know this) It has a bigass faceplate too which looks cool. When riding this stem is damn snappy, especially if your used to a longer XC stem. The snappy-ness is great in those tight spots as long as you don’t over-compensate (learned the hard way). I would not recommend a narrow bar in combination with this stem unless you like stopping for a dirt and twig snack every 5 min. The only thing I can complain about is a squeak somewhere that I can’t find , its driving me nuts! (if you have any tips PLEASE tell me)

Last but not least -Race Face Respond Post-

This is a dual bolt, multi-adjustable, integrated god sent (for around 45$)! The one reason (other than matching parts) I switched my seat post from the Giant connect SL post was because -if your butt came down hard on the seat, the seat would point straight up. That was your last chance, the next time your ass came down that seat it would turn you into a "meat popsicle" if you catch my drift... So I needed a post that would keep my saddle 'ride able'. This post is around 300g with a 3/4" offset. The dual bolts keep a tight hold on the saddle and never come loose. Race Face shot peened the tube for high impact strength & fatigue resistance. It’s a great seat post not much more too it.

To sum up, Race Face's Respond parts are worth the money. They are light, strong and make every ride a rippin/huckin/jibbin good time. They preform exactly as advertised and wont let you down! (a great addition to anyones arsonal)

The next Gear Review will be on a DAKINE DRAFTER Pack (3L Bomber Hydration Pack) and DONT WORRY the beer review will be up in the next few days!! until then... drink, ride and be merry!

Longing for Spring

Alas, the snow is melting on the west side of this country. Thought i would get this blog 'rolling' seeing as spring is on its way and this winter was full of new gear buy's.  Reviews on some new tires, clothes, packs, shoes, AND beer's. The first (coming soon) being RaceFace Respond components = stem, bar, and post. Get stoked people, I encourage y'all to throw 2 cents in, feedback is great and opinions are needed!
Also coming soon , Estrella Damm, & Tree brewing's Kelowna Pilsner, mmmm good? or face palm Fail.