Banff day 2 was more environmental than extreme sports, but the last film was a tour-de-force by Ryan Leech (similar video). In the Banff film, he jumped from a chain to a chain on his bike! On the way out, I was talking with Nick about it. I said, "I couldn't do that from my feet."
Nick said, "Neither could he."
This got me thinking about about some of my reflections from Brewfest. I was not impressed with the beers that the Lawrence Brewers Guild made for Brewfest. This could be a fluke of my choice (there were 97 beers of which I had 10-12 half beers) but I think that I started to see a pattern in the brews. Patient quality was sacrificed so that the beers could get consumed as soon as possible. They tasted sugary and like they weren't fully fermented. Wort tastes and unfiltered floaties ruined some creative brews.
This relates to Ryan Leech because I saw a group of people that I implicitly respected let me down. Leech is a giant in his craft, but isn't flawless.
When I strike out on this adventure, I am going to see the breweries close up and may see some negative aspects of the industry. I could become disappointed by this fact, or it could motivate me to be the Ryan Leech of brewing.
Either way, Banff and Brewfest were a good introduction to my trip.
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I'm glad things seem to be starting off well. Also: Thanks for commenting on my post about the health care speech. You also made me realize that I never actually finished that link, so now I have. I hope you're well.
ReplyDeleteI am anxious to see what you think of some of the beers in Portland. I have had some that were very hoppy with a strong fermented taste (in my opinion). I am curious if someone with more developed tastes would agree.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beer is brewed and served here: http://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/ . There is one just a few blocks from where we live; Erinne and I like to go there for happy hour.