[Bruno Moore]

Or, better yet, what counts as a bike lane to the SHA on MD-193 or (maybe even worse!) Riggs Road/MD-212. Not that I’m taking a picture of me or my bike in either case; getting out of the Lanes of Doom takes priority over even this contest.

[Bruno Moore]

I was thinking we just command-f the words “puppy” and “bike” next to each other.

[Bruno Moore]

Uh-huh. Probably made you eat that apple, too.

[Bruno Moore]

We’re back. Expect us.

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[Bruno Moore]

MOAR BEER!

Yes, it’s jongon’s birthday! Happy birthday, WABAMan!

Anyhow, beer. Right Proper beer. Beer from my favorite DC brewpub that I unfortunately haven’t had a chance to visit since, oh, the time they screened La Corse in July, I think. That’s too long!

I think half of Revolution #9 was there, and I’m not completely sure of their forumnames, so I’ll let them figure that out. I think half the Bike Ambassadors in Exile were there, but if they have forum names, I don’t know them, so if they’re around, I’ll let them figure that out. I know I was there, and, thorny and vexing philosophical issues relating to self-knowledge aside, I think I’ve figured that part out.

So beer!

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Right Proper Brewery: Really Rosie; *Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne; Nabi (not pictured); half growler of Rosie for jongon with a squirrel wielding a flamethrower on the bottle (sadly not yet pictured)

I don’t remember everything that went into Rosie—lingonberries, I think? It’s not listed on their website yet—but it was good (NOTE: checked their Instagram: rose hips, elderberries, hibiscus, and pink peppercorns. So Red Zinger tea with a bit of tartness and the aroma of your father). A nice tart sour, a bit thick, but not like a Flemish red. DFFC, however…wow. That one was awesome. I’ve yet to have anything bad made with Nelson Sauvin hops (this one’s dry hopped with them—they said they’re trying to emulate a brut Champagne, and NS hops are often noted for having a bit of a white wine flavor), and between the pleasant malt (I know they were going for brut, but it’s more dry Champagne), the tart, and the citrus/elderflower/NS dry hopping, it’s a winner.

Also a winner: that cheese. Oh Wow was that good cheese. Jasper Hill Winnimere, a raw milk P’tit Basque, a Dutch cheese that reminded me of a more balanced Beemster XO (one of my all-time faves), a raw milk sheep’s cheese that was a lot like a more flavorful Manchego, and a strong blue with a good cream flavor that did wonders next to some honey. Sorry I can’t give names for more of these—the only picture I have of a recent RP cheese menu got cut off right before most of the cheeses I ordered. Also got about half a cheese sandwich because, hey, may as well give it to the Cheesemonster.

Right Proper Cheese (and Beer): glad I’ll be back Wednesday.* See you all there.

*Bike & Brew, AKA “who wants to do goldsprints against Brünø?”

[Bruno Moore]

CaBi yearly membership (finally!) purchased. One more LSAT practice question problem set submitted, and I’ll have enough to (finally!) get my race license. I think there’s going to be only one proper way to combine these two things.

[Bruno Moore]

My Chinese housemate’s mother is visiting. I walk in the back door—and between my WABA bike cap and other gear, it’s pretty obvious I’ve just come in from a ride. Mind you, it’s 12º outside, and, in my house, you can feel the draft and hear the wind whenever it blows. When it’s cold, you KNOW it’s cold. So to see someone walk in from a bike ride…

There were some questions (housemate translating) about my sanity. I had to pull up the Buff and pull down the brim of my cap to show how I made it the mile or so back from Proteus in the cold—but, even then, there were comments about my red ears. I’m not sure how well Freezing Saddles translates into Chinese, but housemate sure gave it a good shot. Her mother seemed to…well, “understand” is a strong word, perhaps, but close enough.

[Bruno Moore]

College Park Trails:

The Trolley Trail from Rhode Island and Greenbelt to Calvert Hills is plowed and clear in segments—except at street crossings, where it’s unplowed and piled a bit higher, leaving things looking kinda like this. It’s 90% there, but it’s a really annoying 10% when you have to dismount every 30 seconds. Might be doable with CX tread, but not on standard commuter road tires. Between Lakeland Road and Paint Branch Parkway, including the cutoff onto Artimesia and the NE Branch, it’s unplowed and, for me at least, impassible. YMMV, and, for at least one Inquisitor, did.

Some parts of the Paint Branch Trail near the UMD campus have been shoveled. I doubt much north to Mezzerott from the apartments has been, though, and circumstantial evidence strongly suggests north by the golf course hasn’t been either.

[Bruno Moore]

It’s a Bad Sign™ when you look at the weather forecast, notice that there’s going to be about five minutes above freezing all week, and just decide that, screw it, if it’s not going to be warm enough to ride, may as well plan to ride when it’s coldest.

That promised -3º low on Thursday is already on my “to ride” radar. Now that I’ve said it, I guess I have no choice but to do it.

[Bruno Moore]

@dkel 108471 wrote:

Bluejacket’s 1812 Project blended porter. Sorry, Bluejacket, but this has been my least favorite beer of the challenge so far. Though an interesting concept (blending three of their other beers as a recreation of a 19th century porter from an old Washington brewery recipe), the astringency of the roasted malts wasn’t balanced enough by malt profile. Tasted a little hollow to me.

Which is odd; of the two I had (Mexican Radio on cask—a bit too strong with the higher alcohols—and the 1812), I LOVED the 1812. I mean, I adore sour beers and porters, and especially sour porters (sometimes Bardo will have a sour mash dark ale they’ll mix with a porter—heaven), so it kinda figures. However, there was just something dangerously drinkable about that beer. I was glad to find out that they’d accidentally poured an extra, and just happened to have a thirsty customer who might take it so they didn’t have to sink it…

Oh, and pictures/review, since apparently I’ve been just outside the rules previously:
Three Stars—Desolation Porter
This one’s an imperial porter aged on Qualia espresso beans. Specifically, Qualia’s rye aged espresso beans. I don’t know if any of you had any of that stuff while it was still around, but it tasted more like whiskey than coffee—kind of a weird thing to be drinking in the morning, no matter how very good.

And yes, it’s Qualia. “Very Good” is par for their course.

So I wasn’t passing this one up. Qualia, rye whiskey, and porter? Just what I need after a hot date with Miss LSAT. Can’t say I was even slightly disappointed. Like what I always want barrel aged imperial beers to be like—still some of the oak flavor, but not overwhelming; higher alcohols and sharpness, but still blended in with the malt sweetness, contrasting with the body of the beer rather than overwhelming. Yes, a pint was probably more than I needed of this monster $5 sipper, but I can only complain so much about too much beer.
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Hellbender—Red Line, Eft, *Ella, and Topaz
Had a flight of four (I’d already had the Kölsch before); the standout was the Ella Imperial (the glass that’s almost empty in the photo with the hellbender cast). Well-balanced, bright floral and fruit flavors from the New Zealand hops, and a thick, creamy mouthfeel. Worth ordering for sure.
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Franklin’s—*Cherry Picker and Oatmeal Stout with bikenurse
Last Tuesday was the PGCBAC Meeting, and, let me tell you, nothing makes you thirsty for beer like discussing protected bike lanes and why the SHA is evil. As luck would have it, one side of the table (me, WABA’s Greg, and CP City Councilman Patrick) ended up ordering one thing (Cherry Picker sour to start, and oatmeal stout for the second round), while the other side (bikenurse Laurie and WABA’s Garrett) stuck with the Top Brass double IPA (well, and Greenbelt’s Diet Coke). Once again, the sours win; Cherry Picker is a nice copper kettle color, a bit of well-laced foam (whipped cream with a cherry underneath?), and subtly sour and funky. So easy to drink. The oatmeal stout, was, well, a good and delicious oatmeal stout. What you want when you’re looking at a ride home in the wind and cold, with a good, full body and a bit of roasty bite.
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Bluejacket—Mexican Radio Stout and *1812 Project Porter with sarahybillington
Started with the Mexican Radio sweet stout on cask (love real ale, wish it weren’t such a big pretentious production number to get it, though); a bit too sweet, too much higher alcohol taste, lacking the subtlety I was hoping for. Got the 1812 Project Porter; HERE was the beer I rode through cold and frozen facemasks to drink! Okay, the beer, the Girl Scout cookies, and sharing chocolates with the waitstaff.
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And finally, let nobody say that the Unexpected Maryland Inquisition is beyond a bit of truth in advertising.
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[Bruno Moore]

The Maryland Inquisition (or the half of it that regularly attends/is in charge of Proteus Potluck) would probably prefer that it not be on a Thursday—and put me down as one who’d also prefer “not during Holy Week.”

[Bruno Moore]

There were more than a few of these that made me want an “all of the above” button.

[Bruno Moore]

Wait, paving equipment for the towpath? Like those dump trucks full of gravel you sometimes see along the way, trying their damnedest to keep a 200 year old, usually ill-maintained road built by the lowest bidder marginally passable?

[Bruno Moore]

This is all fairly interesting, since many City Beautiful era cemeteries were intended to be public parks, places of refuge and escape for city dwellers. Rock Creek Cemetery is a prime example of this, with its parklike layout and astonishingly good public art. Ditto Fort Lincoln, which is full of historical markers and plaques that only occasionally deal with the present cemetery, and more often with the Civil War fort, Commodore Barney’s positions during the Battle of Bladensburg, and one of the oldest buildings still standing in Maryland. Oh, and lest we forget, the Brompton Races in the Congressional Cemetery last year.

Most of the NE DC graveyards I bike to and through regularlyish (Fort Lincoln, Mt. Olivet, Rock Creek, Glenwood) have never had problems with me biking. Granted, some of these—especially Rock Creek—are used to a bit of tourist traffic, so that may explain some of that. Oak Hill, near Georgetown, is pretty explicit about banning bikes once you’re past the front gates, but its layout and terrain (narrow footpaths, stairs, steep grades) do a better job discouraging cyclists visiting Mr. Corcoran than any sign ever could. And, of course, there are a few neglected little pocket graveyards scattered throughout the city on odd hilltops where an actual person would attract more notice than the bike they were riding.

I don’t know if that explains my better luck in cycling in cities of the dead—picking my places wisely—but I’ve never had problems, despite being a graveyard fan.

[Bruno Moore]

And, just because I’m a hopeless beer geek and can’t just let this one go…

Pilsner malt is one of your standard issue base malts for brewing. It’s a nice pale barley malt, has a good malty flavor, provides a nice backdrop and counterpoint to the wild yeast flavors of a saison. You can use it for most everything—I remember a Trappist quad I brewed in my college days with my then-girlfriend that used Pilsner as its base, despite being about as far from a nice Pils as you could get—but, for whatever reason, I associate it as much with Belgian styles as much as Pilsners. Something about the malt sweetness going with the yeast funk, I guess.

TL:DR—just because it’s made with Pilsner malt doesn’t mean it’s a Pilsner.

[Author]

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