Bikes, Beer, and Birds... In No Particular Order.

Just Riding Along… Picture ride.

codsow — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:59:40 +0000

Lately, I have been trying to hone my photography skills, and what better way to do it than by a bicycle? Last night brought on a quick ride through the local nature preserve at dusk.

Singletrack through the river bottom.

Watching the sun go down.

Take some time to slow down your riding, and just enjoy the scenery. You will be glad that you did…

Just keep spinning…

Tagged: just riding along, photography, pictures, sony, sony nex 3, sunset, surly, surly troll, valley view nature preserve

Beer:30… New Glarus Spotted Cow.

codsow — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:47:01 +0000

Sticking with the summer type, lawnmowing session style beers, here is a dandy imported all the way from Wisconsin. I will admit, beer is not the first thing that I think of when I think of the state of cheese. After drinking this guy, that might have to change though. Enter the Spotted Cow:

Yes, this beer is light. Somewhere around 4.8% ABV. Sometimes though, that is what the world call for, especially during this heat wave here in the Cincinnati metro area. Called a Farmhouse Ale, this beer fits right in with the heat, and is very refreshing after a long day out and about. The beer pours like a light lager, only a hazy golden yellow, with a bright white head. The nose is something a little different than you would expect, with sweet light malts, something a bit grassy, and I almost think I can pick up a slight smell of sweet corn. Maybe not though, could just be the Farmhouse Ale handle making me think that. Taste wise, very easy and the word smooth does not begin to describe it. Somewhat sweet, somewhat dry, crisp, and a tiny bit of fruit is how I would describe it. Very pleasant to drink, with a cream ale type feel to it. If you spot this cow, you should pick it up!

Be sure to check out their site here.

Well done New Glarus!

Cheers!

Tagged: beer, beer review, beer:30, cream ale, farmhouse ale, new glarus brewing, new glarus wisconsin, wisconsin

Just Riding Along… Wasson Way.

codsow — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:35 +0000

Lately in the Cincinnati area, lots of good things have been happening in regards to cycling. Some are small, some are a bigger deal, some are just bike lanes, and then there is the Wasson Way. This 6 mile stretch of forgotten rail line is a big deal, you just don’t know about it yet…

Operating from a group of volunteers, the Wasson Way Project wants to change that. They want to transform this overgrown stretch of rail into a multi-use path that connects to the Little Miami bike path, giving a huge chunk of Cincinnati the access to travel around the city by their own power. Imagine taking a break from your studies at Xavier and taking a bike ride all the way to John Bryan state park in Yellow Springs? Imagine riding your bike to work on a multi-use path, shielded away from traffic? Making the Wasson Way a reality could make those happen.

This evening, a friend and I attended a “guided hike” of the line, to see what it was all about. After the hike, we decided that this was a great way for the city to become more cycling friendly, and a very progressive way at that. Ideas like this do not come along that often that would serve a huge part of the city, and most would not do as well as the Wasson Way. And for the time being, light rail would not even serve the city this well. I say this mainly due to the fact that light rail is light years away from becoming a reality. Why wait around for something that may never happen, and leave this line unusable for 25-30 years?

Rails to trails, what a great idea. Want to check it out in person? They are doing another hike this coming Saturday, check out their website or their Facebook page for the details.

Just keep spinning…

Tagged: advocacy, bike paths, cincinnati, hyde park, little miami scenic path, mariemont, norwood, oakley, ohio, rails to trails, wasson way project, xavier university

Just Riding Along… Troll thoughts…

codsow — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:53:55 +0000

Lately, I have been spending a lot of time on the Troll, mostly on the road due to SW Ohio being underwater this past month. While out and about on the road, it frees up your mind to wander a bit, and figure out all of life’s problems. Or just what to do next when it comes to bicycles. Even though I just recently finished the Troll, I am bouncing ideas around as to what my next bike move will be. Here are a few things that I have been contemplating:

A new wheel-set keeps popping up on these rides. It would be nice to have a second wheel-set for the Troll so I do not have to wrestle tires on and off my Sun Ringle wheels. A second wheel-set, like the Mavics above, would be WAY cheaper than another bicycle and it would make the Troll even more versatile. One set with MTB tires, the other with my road tires. Makes sense right?

On the topic of a second wheelset, I have started to think of something like this:

A more specialized wheel-set, specifically a fat bike wheel-set, like the Surly Large Marge rims. This would enable me to have a larger footprint for off road excursions, with the rim being 65mm wide. That would stretch out my Maxxis Ardent 2.6s out quite a bit. This would essentially make the Troll a lite version of a fat bike. If I went this route, I would no doubt end up with a Surly fat front fork, giving me the option of running the much larger Surly Larry 26×3.8 front tire. But, why go through all of that trouble, when you can just get one of these:

A true fat bike. I have wanted one of these since the first moment I saw one. If I would go this route, which model would I go with? Of course the Surly would be on that list, but another company that is on my short list is 9 Zero 7. Look at this beauty from the great white north:

There are a few other ideas that keep bouncing around in my head, but to keep this somewhat focused I will save those for a later date. At this moment though, a fat bike is what I am shooting for in the near future.

Now I need to figure out how I can sell this idea to my wife…

Just keep spinning…

Tagged: 26x2.6, 26x3.8, 9 zero 7, bicycles, bike thoughts, fat bikes, mavic, mavic crossride, maxxis, maxxis ardent, sun ringle, surly, surly larry, surly pugsley, surly troll

Beer:30… Sierra Nevada Torpedo.

codsow — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:52:13 +0000

Sierra Nevada holds a special place in my beer loving heart, as they were my introduction to craft beers. Their pale ale was my first venture into the world of beers with real flavor, not a watery rice imitation beer. That was some time ago, but the feelings stick with you. You always remember your first, with beer it is no exception. Anyway, lots has changed with one of the original craft brewers over the years; A new brewery being built in North Carolina, new beers, and a canning line. Let’s take a look at their extra IPA, the Torpedo:

I love the idea of craft beer in a can. Zero light pollution. No skunky beer here. Plus, it makes it much easier to take a beer with you on outdoor adventures into remote areas. Sure you can take a bottle with you, but with a can it is lighter and takes up less space when bringing the trash home. What, you actually think I leave my empties out in the woods? Shame on you. Anyway, enough about the cans, let’s get to the tasting.

The beer pours perfectly out of said can, a beautiful dark orange/amber IPA with a decent off white head. Once the can is opened, the scent of pine hops clogs your airways. Very strong hops, mixed with a sweet grapefruit smell. I wish I could make this blog scented, so as you read this post you could smell the beer. Once you start drinking it, those flavors are at the front, overpowering anything else that might be in there. Just a tiny bit, if any malt taste is there, but you are hard pressed to find it under all of those hops. For the finish, it ends bitter and dry, or I would even say crisp. This is what an IPA should be.

Some might not care for this amount of hops, but seriously, if you do not like hops why buy an extra IPA? This is one of my favorites for a few reasons:

1. I get a sense of nostalgia when I drink a Sierra Nevada product, refer back to the first paragraph. 2. This has that West Coast style hop flavor, that I really enjoy.
3. You can find this beer almost anywhere.

If you like the above reasons, and just love the flavor of hops, this is a must try if you have not already. Well done Sierra Nevada!

Cheers!

Tagged: beer, beer review, beer:30, extra IPA, hops, india pale ale, IPA, sierra nevada brewing company, sierra nevada torpedo

Beer:30… Stone Brewing’s Old Guardian.

codsow — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:06:37 +0000

Barleywines are big beers, and in my household they are commonplace. There is nothing like settling down after a nice dinner with friends and enjoying one of these big beers over conversation. I feel that is what they are made for. Let’s take a look at Stone’s offering, and see how it stands up to some of the other brands. Enter the Old Guardian…

After warming the beer up for a bit, just during the course of dinner, it pours like a good barleywine should; a nice ruby coloration and sticky, foamy head that dissipates on it’s own time frame. The beer has a pleasant, faintly sweet aroma, which is also there in the taste. But that is not all. The beer has a great, familiar Stone hop flavor, mixed with some malt sweetness, and candy sugar flavors. Not over the top sweet like some barleywines, and also not over the top hoppy, this beer is a delight. The beer finishes up with a nice warm alcohol feel, that reminds you that this beer is big, 11% ABV big. Drink a few of these and you will feel like you have been banging your head against a tree, maybe like this guy:

Want to feel like a Piliated Woodpecker? Drink a few Old Guardians and see how you feel in the AM.

Again, barleywines are one of my favorite styles, and this beer ranks up with the best. I would put it, flavor-wise, in between Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot and Great Divide’s Old Ruffian. Definitely in the top tier of barleywines. This is a great beer that should be enjoyed slowly, or that 11% ABV will remind you that you are not a woodpecker, with their special adaptations to keep them from getting headaches. Regardless, well done Stone, always a pleasure!

Cheers!

Tagged: barleywine, beer, beer review, beer:30, birds, great divide brewing company, great divide old ruffian, old guardian, piliated woodpecker, sierra nevada bigfoot, sierra nevada brewing company, stone brewing company, stone brewing old guardian, woodpecker

Just Riding Along… Covered bridge ride.

codsow — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:56:28 +0000

Since I am a big fan of history, I decided to try and find the Stonelick covered bridge here in Clermont County Ohio. Covered bridges are pretty fascinating to me, so today was the day to find this bridge. Luckily, I knew the general area, so I thought I would just ride around in the vicinity until I found it. Luckily, it was extremely easy to find. Unfortunately though, it is under construction. Still a great ride today:

Random steel bridge in the area

The Stonelick covered bridge, with a Troll.

Great Blue Heron hanging out near the East Fork of the Little Miami.

Great ride to an interesting old bridge today. After searching a bit on the web for information on this bridge, I stumbled onto this. It seems that this old bridge is haunted. That might explain why there are surveillance cameras at the entrance?

Just keep spinning…

Tagged: birds, bridges, clermont county, covered bridges, east fork little miami river, great blue heron, milford, ohio, stonelick covered bridge, surly, surly troll

Beer:30… Rivertown Hop Baron.

codsow — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:16:33 +0000

As a craft beer fan, there is nothing better than enjoying a local craft brew. There is almost a sense of pride that comes with a local brewery, especially when they are turning out great beer. Here in the Cincinnati area, we have the luxury of sampling from a variety of local beers. Granted, it is nothing like some larger cities out west, but the beer that is coming out of this area is quite respectable. That said, let’s take a look at a beer that I have wanted to try for some time, Rivertown’s Hop Baron…

Since the beer is called the Hop Baron, I expected the hop bitterness to be off of the charts, especially since it clocked in at 103 IBUs, but not much is there for hop flavor. The familiar flavor of hops is in there, just not as much as you would expect. There is also a bit of sweet malt flavor, but nothing really jumps out at your taste buds. I also expected a slight burn of alcohol since the beer is 8.5% ABV, but no traces of alcohol are on the back end of this beer. I would not call this beer bland, but none of the expected flavors are there. It is easy to drink though, and with that high of an ABV you definitely feel the alcohol after just one. Since it is so easy to drink, I would suggest using this beer to introduce your less hop inclined friends to the style.

So would I buy this beer again? Probably not. Is it a bad beer? Not at all. This beer is very easy to drink, but for a double IPA I cannot justify the $11.99 price for a 4-pack. I would however, like to try this on tap to see if it is better, like with their imperial robust porter.

Overall, this is a decent beer to show your local pride. Check it out for an easy drinking introduction to double IPAs. Then you can move on to the real hop monsters.

Cheers!

Tagged: beer, beer review, beer:30, cincinnati, double down IPA, double IPA, hop baron, india pale ale, IPA, ohio, rivertown brewing company, rivertown hop baron

Bird is the Word… Kea!

codsow — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:06:51 +0000

Photo from Wikipedia commons.

Coming from the mountains of New Zealand, the Kea (Nestor notabilis) are one of the most interesting and most intelligent parrots in the world. Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, these birds have historically been persecuted for their intelligence and curiosity, especially by New Zealand sheep farmers. One look at this video and you can see why:

Luckily for us, Kea are actually omnivores. And luckily for the Kea they are protected, and interactions with hunters has declined since the bird became protected in 1986. Estimates for their total numbers now range between 1,000 to 5,000 in their natural habitat.

One of the Cincinnati Zoo’s Kea, during the Kea Encounter.

When it comes to finding Kea here in the United States, the Cincinnati area has it made. Most zoos, if they have them, only have a few, and sometimes not even on display. However, the Cincinnati Zoo has one of the largest colonies of Kea outside of New Zealand, which are on display during the colder months of the year in their Lorikeet Landing. Just this past year, a Kea Encounter was added, so zoo guests can interact with the colony and see firsthand how intelligent and amazing these parrots really are.

Another great interaction with Kea is happening everyday, this month during Zoo Babies. Every day at 11 AM, you can meet one of these guys inside the Wings of the World building:

Be sure to check these amazing birds out for Zoo Babies, and also be sure to check them out once the weather turns colder in Lorikeet Landing for the Kea Encounter. Definitely one of the most amazing birds that I have ever worked with!

Tagged: alpine parrot, aviculture, bird is the word, birds, cincinnati zoo and botanical garden, kea, kea encounter, lorikeet landing, Nestor notabilis, new zealand, parrot

Beer:30… Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy.

codsow — Sun, 06 May 2012 03:09:31 +0000

Beer mixed with lemonade? Heresy? Possibly. But with the warmer weather, that brings out the lighter flavor beers, or at least in my household. So let’s paint the picture: You are outside doing yardwork, it is a hot, humid day and it is finally time to sit back on the porch after taming the residential jungle known as your yard. Time for a refreshing drink, which might make you think along these lines:

Instead of either of those, this beer ends up in your hands. Yes, it is a beer. And yes, it is brewed with “natural lemon flavor.” I call that refreshing. Anyway, the beer pours a hazy yellow gold coloration like a bale of straw, and the smell that comes off of your glass is nothing but pure lemon flavoring. Once it is time to quench your thirst, the citrus lemon flavor takes over, with a familiar wheat beer taste. It is also a little watery, but that is what quenches your thirst so well. The beer finishes nice and dry, but almost too dry. Once you are finished, you will reach for another. This beer will not win any medals by any means, but it does it’s job on my porch after a long lawn session.

For some folks, this beer might be unremarkable. Hop heads take another path, this is not for you. But for some, this beer delivers. I would love to try it with “real” lemons added, instead of artificial flavorings. That just might put this beer over the top for some. I do like the fact though that it is a decent beer, at a decent price, that does it’s job. I will take this over a Bud Light any day.

Cheers!

Tagged: beer, beer review, beer:30, leinenkugel, light beer, summer shandy