First Cast from Elevation 20Dec14

Fooled y'all with the title! As I contemplated returning to the tying bench for winter work I stopped at Coaltrain to check the stash. I've enjoyed a couple special reserve bombers from Elevation (bourbon barrel aged Double IPA Fanboy and an Imperial IPA 7437). When I spied First Cast (by Elevation in the Blue Series), and knowing it was intended to aid my benchtop creativity, I had to partake. It's pretty hoppy at 70 IBUs with Summit hops (6.5% ABV) and is decent, but not killer... the name though is cool and it is served in pints.

Scourge Of The Dude 08Dec14

Visited Boulder for my dear friend Tom Wilke's 60th celebration. Kala & I figured prominent in the prep and festivities: we sang "Are You Aged" in round, the fab 6 band "The Taste Buds" performed "Atomic Tom," my words stuffed into a mashup of Old McDonald and Miss Atomic Bomb by the Killers, and I delivered "Thoughts on Tom's Aging" at the Boulderado. I tested the knee on a hike with Steve Gordon and Tom on Sunday. Then on Monday, while Tom headed to Florida for a conference, Leslie, Brian (behind the camera), the Gordons, and Kala & I headed for a private tour of Boulder Beer, my 60th birthday gift from Wilkes. It was a blast... the guide was exceptional, the tour was intimate and the lunch and beers were tasty. Boulder Beer is the oldest brewery licensed since prohibition (and 2nd oldest to Anchor Steam otherwise)... I did not know that - they have Colorado license #1. We tried several short run beers at lunch and the best was Scourge of the Dude. The story goes that "the Dude" is the warehouse guy and barrel aged stuff in the warehouse is a pain so all they make have "the Dude" in them... Pain of the Dude, Revenge of the Dude, and so on. Our bourbon barrel aged barleywine was excellent.