Travel

[gaseousclay]

I've rarely see anyone wearing selvedge denim in these parts so I reckon you'd be just fine

[scooter]

Jul 21, 2017 15:09:18 GMT -6 gaseousclay said:

I've rarely see anyone wearing selvedge denim in these parts so I reckon you'd be just fine

In all honesty, I was being facetious. You know, the XX-014 being purple, and all.

[gaseousclay]

Gotcha. You may get a Vikings fan or Prince fan comment on your jeans though

[nate001]

Jul 19, 2017 18:26:22 GMT -6 scooter said:

I'll be heading to Target Field to enjoy a Twins game, Saturday night. It's an annual event with friends from a fantasy baseball league I'm in. I may have time to stop at a store, or two, before and after our festivities. I've already ruled out MP3 and AF. Neither of them quite fit my interest. But, I will probably stop at BlackBlue on my way out of town, Sunday. Any of you Twin City Slickers ( gaseousclay , nate001 , Winterland ) have any other suggestions for me ?

Sorry I missed this. I was in the boundary waters with no internet/phone. Regarding above, there is no connection between surly bikes and beer. Just a coincidence, despite being in the same town. The brewery in Minneapolis is very close to where I live and has great food and beer. I like the hog frites and Todd the axe man in particular. If you are staying in Mpls, head east in 94, hit surly for lunch, then black blue, then keep heading east on 94 on your way to WI. MP3 is impressive for the size, but I think black blue might be more your speed based on what I have gleaned from you forum wise. Hope you see this before the trip is over! Let us know what you did and how you liked it. I like the ballpark quite a bit. Never been to Miller park though.

[bentin]

I was going to say a I had a Surly, but then remembered it was a Gunnar. Hated that bike, dead feeling and weird geometry. Taught me to stick to west coast geometry.

[nate001]

Hey scooter, how about a recap of your Twin Cities trip?

[scooter]

Aug 3, 2017 12:20:38 GMT -6 nate001 said:

Hey scooter , how about a recap of your Twin Cities trip?

 Unfortunately, it will be a fairly short recap... Just about the time I hit the Minnesota border, I received a call about an issue at home that would need my attention asap. I arrived at the hotel around 4pm, Saturday. Got to the stadium around 5. Returned to the hotel around 10. Socialized with the group for a couple of hours, whilst enjoying some adult beverages, of course. Caught a 4 hour nap. Hit the road back home around 6am, Sunday.

Outside of going to the game, and hanging with good friends, I got to do nothing else I had wanted to. As "they" say... Sh!t Happens. Though, on the way there, I was reminded of the beauty of the driftless region of western Wisconsin. I hadn't been that way in awhile. God willing, I'll be heading that way again, sooner than later. I'm already thinking about it, for my next layoff.

[matt]

I've got a few days planned up in Boulder/Denver. Going to hit up Truman Boot, Berkeley Supply and maybe a few other spots while in the area. Checking out a show at Red Rocks and a ballgame at Coors Field. As much as I'd love to get a demo mountain bike and hit up some of the trails, I may be opting for a weekend off and taking the craft beer route instead. I'm really looking to get a good vibe from the people and find some areas that would entice me enough to move.

[bentin]

Be sure to hit Avery, if'n you like beer.

Oops, my neighbor's kid works for Upslope. Go there too (or not.)

[nate001]

Aug 4, 2017 8:31:02 GMT -6 bentin said:

Be sure to hit Avery, if'n you like beer.

Oops, my neighbor's kid works for Upslope. Go there too (or not.)

Oof.  So many to chose from in CO.  Oskar Blues is my favorite Colorado beer (in Longmont, a short drive from Boulder), but Avery is also great.  I've had some profoundly weird beers from Funkwerks (some weird good, some just weird) in Fort Collins.  I have a friend who lives in Fort Collins and Left Hand is like in his backyard.  I'd be jealous, but you can't swing a dead cat in the Twin Cities without hitting a new brewery.  I can jump on my bike and be at 7 different breweries within 15 minutes and I don't even live in the brewpub epicenter of Northeast Minneapolis. 

[gaseousclay]

Aug 4, 2017 8:41:01 GMT -6 nate001 said:

I'd be jealous, but you can't swing a dead cat in the Twin Cities without hitting a new brewery.  I can jump on my bike and be at 7 different breweries within 15 minutes and I don't even live in the brewpub epicenter of Northeast Minneapolis. 

so true. ever since Surly got popular the local craft beer scene has been insane. nothing wrong with variety but I'd say that it's become so saturated that your choices are limitless

[nate001]

Aug 4, 2017 8:45:57 GMT -6 gaseousclay said:

Aug 4, 2017 8:41:01 GMT -6 nate001 said:

I'd be jealous, but you can't swing a dead cat in the Twin Cities without hitting a new brewery.  I can jump on my bike and be at 7 different breweries within 15 minutes and I don't even live in the brewpub epicenter of Northeast Minneapolis. 

so true. ever since Surly got popular the local craft beer scene has been insane. nothing wrong with variety but I'd say that it's become so saturated that your choices are limitless

I keep expecting a saturation point to be reached, but it doesn't seem to be happening so far.  I'm not aware of a brewery here closing in the past year or two.  I was at a fairly nondescript brewpub a few months ago (Able Brewing on Broadway in NE Mpls) on a random Saturday afternoon and it was standing room only.  There did not appear to be any special event happening.  I mean, the beer is fine, but nothing special and I had to wind my way through the crowd to leave.  It's crazy.  I'm beginning to think you have to be an idiot to NOT make money in the brewpub business.  You can sell a pint for $5 (or more) in your brewpub on probably <50 cents in ingredients, pay relatively little in payroll and rent for these warehouse spaces, and not have to worry about the extra hassle of food service (outsourced to food trucks).  At least until climate change makes it impossible to obtain hops. 

[bentin]

DFW has eleventy billion, shitty, forgettable breweries. I buy Guinness, Leffe and Unibroue out of spite. Stupid local beers are all $11+ and have dragged normal beer pricing up too. Bud Light was $9.99 a sixer last weekend. It's almost bad enough to make me start doing full mash again. Almost.

Instead I'm mostly converted to liquor. Gin, whisk(e)y and absinthe have largely replaced beer in my efforts to punish my liver.

[nate001]

Aug 4, 2017 9:07:04 GMT -6 bentin said:

DFW has eleventy billion, shitty, forgettable breweries. I buy Guinness, Leffe and Unibroue out of spite. Stupid local beers are all $11+ and have dragged normal beer pricing up too. Bud Light was $9.99 a sixer last weekend. It's almost bad enough to make me start doing full mash again. Almost.

Instead I'm mostly converted to liquor. Gin, whisk(e)y and absinthe have largely replaced beer in my efforts to punish my liver.

After reading this: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/07/10/americas-future-is-texas 

I'm beginning to wonder how any reasonable person can live in Texas.  Now you tell me there's no quality beer either?

After having kids I too moved away from homebrewing.  It's fun and all, but the idea of 5 gallons of boiling wort around my 5 year old is not enticing.  That, and I realized the pros can do it much better (and probably cheaper). 

[bentin]

Your link's toast. But it's stupid down here, our governor's are a special kind of stupid and our weather largely sucks. Would love to get the kid closer to either mountains or the ocean.

The easy answer for brewing and kids is to go full mash, just up your game to seven gallons, giving half your garage over to the whole thing and still having a good chance of ending up with bad beer! So fun! And you're right, even though full mash is slightly cheaper than buying extract, it's no cheaper than just buying beer at the store.

[nate001]

Aug 4, 2017 9:40:37 GMT -6 bentin said:

Your link's toast. But it's stupid down here, our governor's are a special kind of stupid and our weather largely sucks. Would love to get the kid closer to either mountains or the ocean.

The easy answer for brewing and kids is to go full mash, just up your game to seven gallons, giving half your garage over to the whole thing and still having a good chance of ending up with bad beer! So fun! And you're right, even though full mash is slightly cheaper than buying extract, it's no cheaper than just buying beer at the store.

I think I stopped brewing at just the right time, as the next logical step would have meant full mash, which, as you said, brings with it a ton of crap that ain't cheap.  Fortunately, once I stopped brewing, all I was left with was a few funnels, tubing, a stockpot and and a 5 gallon glass fermenter, most of which I could easily repurpose.  Even when you give a bunch away, you're still stuck with a couple gallons of the same beer, and frankly I got tired of it.  I don't even like to commit to a six pack anymore.  

[ncbluegrass]

Anyone have any experience or tips regarding Santa Fe, NM? Have been tinkering with the idea of flying into Denver for a few days and then renting a car and driving to Santa Fe for a few more.

[nate001]

Aug 4, 2017 11:22:18 GMT -6 ncbluegrass said:

Anyone have any experience or tips regarding Santa Fe, NM? Have been tinkering with the idea of flying into Denver for a few days and then renting a car and driving to Santa Fe for a few more.

Went to Santa Fe a few years ago.  Liked it OK.  A little too "new age-y".  No specific recs, just get food with green chiles.

[bentin]

Aug 4, 2017 11:22:18 GMT -6 ncbluegrass said:

Anyone have any experience or tips regarding Santa Fe, NM? Have been tinkering with the idea of flying into Denver for a few days and then renting a car and driving to Santa Fe for a few more.

My mom lives there. I've done an annual bike trip out there for the last twenty years or so. I'd strongly recommend an AirBnB or VRBO rental. Kokopelli Realty is also a good site for rentals.

Night life is oddly lame in a town so centered on tourism one of the reasons I recommend renting a house, just so you'll have a full sized fridge for beer and late night snacks.

Food is the best thing in Santa Fe, I can give recommendations for days on that. Hiking and biking are great, and you're close to Taos and Angel Fire too.

Whatcha wanta do? I can narrow things down for you.

[gaseousclay]

Aug 4, 2017 8:58:45 GMT -6 nate001 said:

Aug 4, 2017 8:45:57 GMT -6 gaseousclay said:

so true. ever since Surly got popular the local craft beer scene has been insane. nothing wrong with variety but I'd say that it's become so saturated that your choices are limitless

I keep expecting a saturation point to be reached, but it doesn't seem to be happening so far.  I'm not aware of a brewery here closing in the past year or two.  I was at a fairly nondescript brewpub a few months ago (Able Brewing on Broadway in NE Mpls) on a random Saturday afternoon and it was standing room only.  There did not appear to be any special event happening.  I mean, the beer is fine, but nothing special and I had to wind my way through the crowd to leave.  It's crazy.  I'm beginning to think you have to be an idiot to NOT make money in the brewpub business.  You can sell a pint for $5 (or more) in your brewpub on probably <50 cents in ingredients, pay relatively little in payroll and rent for these warehouse spaces, and not have to worry about the extra hassle of food service (outsourced to food trucks).  At least until climate change makes it impossible to obtain hops. 

I can't imagine it being too hard to start your own brewery if you've got a brew recipe that's good. If i'm not mistaken, the guys at Fulton got their start by subcontracting out the production of their beer to another brewery. I don't know how common this is but that seems to be the logical first step if you don't have a full blown bottling plant.

Doesn't matter though, i've all but quit drinking beer since I got divorced. Good thing too...I don't think i'd be able to squeeze my gut into any of my shirts if I was still drinking a 6 pk once a week

[matt]

So far I've been to Boulder, Morrison (Red Rocks), Arvada (western Denver) and the downtown Denver scene. Really liked the vine of 10 Barrel Brewing, LOVED the scene on Tellyson where Berkeley Supply is located - picked up the Rogue Territory nep Western for a sweet discount (thanks Mike) and a Tanner Goods card holder, and a bunch of random brew-related swag. I'm trying to be more local but blow my cover when I want souvenirs.

[ncbluegrass]

Aug 4, 2017 11:48:51 GMT -6 bentin said:

Aug 4, 2017 11:22:18 GMT -6 ncbluegrass said:

Anyone have any experience or tips regarding Santa Fe, NM? Have been tinkering with the idea of flying into Denver for a few days and then renting a car and driving to Santa Fe for a few more.

My mom lives there. I've done an annual bike trip out there for the last twenty years or so. I'd strongly recommend an AirBnB or VRBO rental. Kokopelli Realty is also a good site for rentals.

Night life is oddly lame in a town so centered on tourism one of the reasons I recommend renting a house, just so you'll have a full sized fridge for beer and late night snacks.

Food is the best thing in Santa Fe, I can give recommendations for days on that. Hiking and biking are great, and you're close to Taos and Angel Fire too.

Whatcha wanta do? I can narrow things down for you.

Food and outdoors is probably our top two.  My SO isn't much of a nightlife person. A quiet cocktail bar for a few drinks is probably all we'd be in search of.  Stopping in Taos is one of the reasons I wanted to start/end in Denver.  

are there any brick and mortar clothing stores worth putting on this list in either city?

[bentin]

Clothes, not really. Spirit Clothing on San Francisco just outside of the Plaza is amusing for the high prices. But you're unlikely to find a lick of work wear or selvedge in Santa Fe.

Food is why you should go. Just throwing out my favorites, ask if you've got somewhere else in mind or a particular type of food.

Pasquals, on the square, tiny, but has community seating, spends, but traditional New Mex food.

Geronimo, upscale American with a slant towards local game, still relatively casual, but less than anything else listed.

Jambo Cafe, Caribbean food, useful if you're there long enough to get sick of chile. Sadly may be gone, some old lady drove in and they didn't have insurance, this is from my mom recently.

Pantry, casual diner style breakfast spot, great for a quick breakfast.

Harry's Roadhouse, a little out of the way, but my favorite spot, mix of everything with awesome margaritas and a decent beer selection.

Cowgirl Hall of Fame, may actually be my favorite. Butternut squash casserole is kick ass, as is their barbecue. Good beer selection too.

Tomasita's, New Mex food served on cafeteria hot plates, but solid flavors and can be the hottest chile in town.

Upper Crust Pizza, near the square, good for a chile break and has a good patio and cheap pitchers.

2nd Street Brewery, good pub food and decent beer.

Chocolate Maven, another good breakfast spot, has tables that look over the bakery production line.

What kind of outdoor stuff? Hiking, bikes or other? There's a really good trail system, Dale Ball that keeps expanding and covers lots of town. The Winsor, Trail 254 runs from the ski hill all the way out to Tesuque and is our favorite bike trail. The South Boundary Trail connects Angel Fire to Taos and you can hire shuttles to take you to either end, or waypoints in between. You'll likely miss summer lift season for Taos, Santa Fe, Angel Fire and Pajarito, but trails are still open until snow starts to make them impassable or Thanksgiving, which is opening day for the ski season.

[benjaminpersitz]

Aug 4, 2017 10:08:53 GMT -6 nate001 said:

Aug 4, 2017 9:40:37 GMT -6 bentin said:

Your link's toast. But it's stupid down here, our governor's are a special kind of stupid and our weather largely sucks. Would love to get the kid closer to either mountains or the ocean.

The easy answer for brewing and kids is to go full mash, just up your game to seven gallons, giving half your garage over to the whole thing and still having a good chance of ending up with bad beer! So fun! And you're right, even though full mash is slightly cheaper than buying extract, it's no cheaper than just buying beer at the store.

I think I stopped brewing at just the right time, as the next logical step would have meant full mash, which, as you said, brings with it a ton of crap that ain't cheap.  Fortunately, once I stopped brewing, all I was left with was a few funnels, tubing, a stockpot and and a 5 gallon glass fermenter, most of which I could easily repurpose.  Even when you give a bunch away, you're still stuck with a couple gallons of the same beer, and frankly I got tired of it.  I don't even like to commit to a six pack anymore.  

5 gallon batch of pale ale, lager etc is only $40 all told. That's approximately 54 beers. Less than a dollar a beer...where are you getting 6 packs of craft beer for $5.99?

[benjaminpersitz]

Just returned from 3 weeks in Spain and Dublin. Missed the Barcelona terrorist attacks by two days. Felt so fortunate. Caught norovirus the day before we left Dublin for home. Been deathly sick for 4 days, but besides that it was an incredible trip