Boise Brew Minute (episode 75) – Tim at Sockeye Brewing talks with us about their sour beer program. He explains why they kettle sour and what experiments they’re working on to explore barrel souring. We also discuss a gose-style beer they’re working on and why gose beer has a salty flavor.
Boise Brew Minute (episode 74) – Trent at Duel Brewing in Santa Fe, NM talks about why he started a Belgium brewery in the Southwest and what makes a beer “Belgium-styled”. We discuss what goes into brewing their Goya Imperial Stout at 14.9% ABV. He also explains that they’re experimenting with ways to take the ABV up to 20% and possibly even 30%.
Boise Brew Minute (episode 73) – We talk with Bob at Slanted Rock in Meridian about their new approach to making fruit beers. Rather than add fruit with the possibility of contamination, he’s working with a new local company that produces dehydrated fruit dust which is sterile and still contains the flavor and nutrients of the fruit. He’s used the dry peach powder to make their Peach Jalapeño Pale Ale.
Boise Brew Minute (episode 72) – Jake at The Ram talks about SMaSH ales, beers brewed with only a Single Malt and Single Hop. We discuss how this highlights individual ingredients and it also creates a challenge for brewers. The latest SMaSH he brewed is an all Idaho ale called the Bridge Smasher IPA in honor of the demolition of the Broadway Bridge happening just outside their doors.
Boise Brew Minute (episode 71) – Lance at Boise Brewing talks about different styles and varieties of hops. Which types should be used during specific times in the brewing process and which are more general use. We also discuss the new Idaho 7 hops and how they’re using it in Syringa Pale Ale, their current Community Supported Beer.
About two months ago, I talked about research related to foot strike and running injuries. That research mostly focused on what part of your foot hit the ground first. Now there’s new research out that examines how hard your feet hit the ground. It turns out (not surprisingly) the harder you strike the ground, the more likely you are to get injured.
The main take away from this research was:
“Runners should take out the earbuds and pay attention to the sound of their footsteps.”
When I was running cross country in high school, I remember one day when I was feeling tired, my coach commented on my feet slapping the ground that day. My run was very loud. At the time, I didn’t think of it much, but clearly it stuck with me.
Since then, I’ve been working to quiet my footfall. I wanted to do this because it’s more peaceful to run when each step makes almost no noise (plus it makes me feel more like a ninja, but that’s another story). The idea that you can reduce the likelihood of injury simply by listening to the sound of your feet hitting the ground, is a powerful concept. It doesn’t require other people or technology to help analyze your stride or the “right genes” for running or the latest model of running shoes.
Do you listen to your footfall? Has that changed how you run?
Boise Brew Minute (episode 70) – Shawn at 10 Barrel Boise talks about alternative hop schedules and why he puts hops in before the start of the boil. After researching, he decided to add some hops during the mash to increase the IBUs in their triple IPA. We also discuss some recipe details of that beer.
Boise Brew Minute (episode 69) – Steve, author of Idaho Beer: From Grain to Glass in the Gem State, talks about the history of beer in Idaho. We discuss pre-Prohibition lagers and the ideal growing condition Idaho has for beer ingredients.
Boise Brew Minute (episode 68) – Rob at Woodland Empire explains why and how they cultivate their own yeast. He walks us through the yeast life cycle and discusses their in-house blend of lactic acid producing bacteria used for Woodland’s sour ales.
Well, it’s time to start training for this year’s Birthday Bash. This will be the fourth year we’ve done this wonderful celebration. Each year Matty and I celebrate our birthdays (which are four days apart) by running our average age in miles through the foothills. We’ve started ramping up our miles for this year and now we’ve picked the route. This year will be two loops, both starting and ending in Camelsback. The first loop is 23.55 miles and the second is 11.81.
We’re planning to finish in under 6.5 hours. Hopefully we’ll both be healthy and ready for it this year. Anyone interested in joining us for one or both loops?
A Runner's Ramblings 