Weekend Beers and a Bottle of Bourbon

Weekend beverages.  I really love sour and funky beers and decided to crack a couple from my cellar this weekend.  Bottleworks XII is a sour imperial wit, with raspberries, vintage 2013.  Pretty strong funk and sour character and the raspberries are very prevalent.  I can't say I enjoy the wheat aspect of the beer, but it adds a unique character.

Yazoo's Embrace the Funk is not the most widely acclaimed sour, heck its practically unknown.  However, it is absolutely delicious.  Very complex and tart golden sour beer.  More substantial than some offerings, but had a lot of depth.  Won in a BIF, so I doubt I will acquire more, but really darn good stuff.

My parents came to my new apartment to visit, and I offered to open a bottle of wine or split an interesting beer, but my father only drinks American adjunct lagers and my mother didn't want to crack a bottle of wine at 3PM.  He indicated that he would love a glass of whiskey if I had it, but unfortunately, I had not replenished my holdings in quite some time.  I had cleaned out a bunch of recyclable bottles and cans into my car over the weekend in a clean up effort, and decided to use those proceeds to cover 10% of this bottle of bourbon.  A single barrel, barrel strength offering from Four Roses in their OBSO recipe, selected by Table & Vine, a Western Massachusetts alcohol institution.  I love that place, best natural wine selection for the price in MA, bar none.  Anyhow, looking forward to trying this soon, and will share with my pops the next time we hang out.

Nike Metcon Crossfit Shoe - New Colors including CAMO!

Nike has recently released it's Crossfit sneaker to compete with the Reebok Nano.  It is titled the Metcon 1 and features a ton of great details that will perfectly suit a Crossfit athlete.

The MetCon 1 (short for “metabolic conditioning”) is Nike’s ultimate, all-purpose men’s cross-training shoe. From the flat firm heel to the grooved forefoot design, MetCons are built to provide stability on heavy lifts, flexibility on sprints and climbs, and optimal comfort for distance runs and day-to-day abuse.

It’s the small details that help set the Nike® MetCon 1 apart. A rubber padding on the midsole reduces friction during rope climbs. An extra-durable mesh lining offers much-needed breathability. And Nike’s lightweight Flywire cables help maintain a strong support structure without the bulkiness of some other leading cross-trainers. MetCons also deliver dependable traction that performs on the gym floor, the track, and training grounds far off the beaten path.

Nike® MetCon 1 Specifications:

• Men’s Cross-Training Shoe
• Weight: 11.2 oz
• Heel to Toe Drop: 4mm
• Flat, max-support heel for weightlifting
• Drop-in midsole & forefoot grooves for greater flexibility
• Breathable, abrasion-resistant mesh
• Lightweight Vectran filaments (Flywire) for optimal structure and support

The shoe has already come out in a number of great colors, but here are my favorites.

Thrift Haul

Those of you who appreciate thrifting for clothes will enjoy this haul!

Washed it down with a Tyranena Carnal Knowledge in the Wood - a double oatmeal stout aged in rye barrels.  Pretty fantastic stuff as winter begins to wind down.

Drie Fonteinen Brewery: Oude Kriek

Drie Fonteinen is one of the traditional lambic brewers/blenders out of Belgium.  They are located near Brussels in Beersel, BE.  Gueuze is produced by blending aged and young lambic.  Kriek is similar, except that cherries are included.  This 375ml beauty is incredibly tart and sour, while still being drinkable and interesting!  I love this beer and always buy it when I see it on the shelves, even though it is not a cheap purchase.

Hill Farmstead Brewery: Society & Solitude #4

Hill Farmstead is one of my favorite breweries in the world.  They make amazing ales in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a bucolic region of Vermont, populated equally by cows and humans.  They don't specialize in a single variety of beer, but produce many different styles.  Notably hoppy beers like IPAs and Pale Ales, Farmhouse Saisons/Wild Ales, and Stouts.  Beer geeks around the world covet their beer, as it is not distributed and sold in a normal retail environment, you must travel to the brewery and purchase it directly at the source.  None of the hoppy beers, that are meant to be consumed fresh, are sold from the brewery in a standard bottle, instead they are sold in 750ml or 2L growlers.  Bottles are sold regularly and include a regular rotating cast of beers named after the brewer's ancestors, as well as several other series named primarily based on philosophical texts.

The beer today is called Society & Solitude #4.  This series, named after the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson's text is an exploration of experimental Double IPAs.  The #4 is a combination of Double Citra and Double Galaxy.  These two beers are fantastic, featuring juicy hops, and the combined concoction is pure hop nirvana.  This beer packs quite a punch at 8%, so the 750ml growler was just enough for me.  A friend of mine picked this growler up for me while traveling in Vermont.  I intend to repay the favor when I am back in April.

Recent Acquisition: Jordan IV Oreo "Black/Tech Gray"

This is a Jordan that I have been anticipating all year, and I was lucky enough to acquire several days after release at the FootLocker in the mall.  The Jordan IV is one of my favorite silhouettes and the black/tech gray "Oreo" colorway is an awesome expression of the shoe.  There is a bit of urban swagger being a mostly black colorway, but it is extremely versatile.  I have already worn with both Tech Fleece Nike Joggers and some Polo khakis.  Drake was recently spotted wearing the shoes front court at an NBA game.  My pics above, Nike below.

Nike Cortez "Forrest Gump" QS

Nike has decided to re-release the classic original colorway of the Cortez, immortalized in the famous film Forrest Gump.  Very nice shoe, classic colorway.  Unfortunately like most of the recent releases from Nike, it was sold out instantly and is basically only available on eBay now.