Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Summer of My Re-Content:

The sun is going aslant again, yellow and red are creeping into the green, and the hop harvest is in. Let us welcome back the best time of the year to enjoy beer and its close companion-- running up a monster appetite in pursuit of new performance horizons from 5k, to XC, to the marathon! But also, as an adieu to summer, let me tell you about my seasonal pilgrimages to the some of the continent's holiest sites, beer-wise.

You already know why late summer and fall are the best and most exciting season of the year to train and race-- perfect temperatures in which to enjoy your hard-won summer blood volume bounty, and a weekly cornucopia of great race opportunities at all distances, and on all surfaces, to test your mettle. But what, you may be wondering, is the beer angle? The answer is that fall, at most North American latitudes, is really the only true "all-styles" season. Until early October, most of us are still enjoying summer warmth in the day time, making Goses and other sours a great post-run choice. But the earlier sunsets and cooler evening temps make the thought of after-dinner desert stouts and Belgian quadrupels seem appealing again too (see my other posts for style notes). Then, of course, there are the lovely pale ales*, enjoyable all year round-- but all the more so when you are hitting your highest training volumes of the year. And, with the completion of the hop harvest, brewers have the full palate of flavour-colours with which to paint their masterpieces.

*When it comes to the pales, I suggest starting the fall with those hazy, juicy, astringent, mid-ABV offerings now going under the name of NEIPA-- North East/New England IPA-- and seeking out some of the maltlier, higher ABV IPAs of the "West Coast" or "American" IPA varieties as we move in to autumn-proper.

Hopping Along-- Summer 2019:

I left you with rapturous praise of Portland, Ore-- equally of its beers and its lovely running nooks and crannies. From the west coast, I went straight to Winnipeg, MB, where I had among the pleasantest beer and running travel surprises ever, I am pleased to report. Knowing I would be spending an entire week in this prairie town-- and right after having luxuriated in the bounty of west coast beer and trails-- it was with mild panic that I searched for some retail and tap options, my worst fear being that I would be arriving in a mid-continental beer desert, drier than the summer soil itself. But if proof were ever needed that the ongoing craft beer revolution has cadres everywhere, this capital-of-cold was it. Not only did I find a retailer with quality and freshness surpassing most of Ontario's government-run outlets (a low bar, but still), I found a couple of local micros offering 30/35min competitors. The best place to get fresh pours in the 'Peg turned out to be fancy little mall in the famous Forks area of downtown, a couple  hundred meters from Manitoba's famous Human Rights Museum-- and , as it happened, not far from a decent running trail running along the Assiniboine River, whose split from the famous Red River gives the Forks its name (I did not end up running this trail, but I walked it as far as I could in the direction of Assiniboine Park). The Winnipeg beer of the week turned out to be a hazy pale called Juicii, courtesy of Kilter Brewing. (My verdict was confirmed by veteran elite and low-key hopster Dylan Wykes and a couple of beer/run aficionados who were, like me, in town for the National Half Marathon Championships). Juicii was just that-- juicy, in the mode of the aforementioned NEIPA, which is to say thin and astringent on the palate, but not unpleasantly so, with prominent notes of grapefruit and lime, with a subtle malt undertow to maintain balance. This was a mid-summer beer to be sure; so if you're Winnipegger and haven't tried it, or are planning to visit, get it into you well before the snow flies!

The running revelation of trip was a conservation area in the south of the city called Assiniboine Forest-- as ideal an urban running location as I have seen anywhere in North America! The Forest is a preserve of native flora and prairie wildlife with a pond in the middle. It is, of course, very flat, with a grid of wide, well groomed trails, perfect for both easy running and serious workouts. And it has a rail-trail along its southern border that seems to go on for as many more miles as you'd need for even the longest of long runs. The Winnipeg climate being what it is, I'm sure this space is not runnable for much of the year. But, from April till the prairie winter begins to turn her screws, the running denizens of this hardiest of Canadian towns have themselves a proper oasis-- a quiet place to watch the trees fill in, then change colour, and a green shelter from the punishing mid-summer sun.

From here it was off to three of beer's most revered sites of worship and enjoyment, which just happen to be pretty great for running too!

The first was Waterbury, Vermont, the unassuming Northeast capital of the Revolutionary Republic of Beer. What is Waterbury, and what is the strategic nature of it geographical location, beer-wise? At a glance, it is nothing but a long-forgotten whistle-stop on a North-South rail-line near a bend in the serpentine Winooski River (which flooded it completely in the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy back in 2012). But, in beer terms, it is the birthplace of the Alchemist Brewery and its most famous product, the American Double IPA known as Heady Topper, the longest running #1 ranked beer on BeerAdvocate's famous Top 250. Today, Waterbury sits equidistant between the new Alchemist facility, 10 miles away in Stowe (relocated from it modest original site-- the Prohibition Pig pub and restaurant-- as a result of the flood of 2012), and the new Lawson's facility in Wakefield. A few miles to the north sits the Frost Beer Works, and, to the south, the River Roost Brewery, both newish purveyors of some of the finest examples of the style that has made the region famous-- the NEIPA. But there is perhaps nowhere better than Waterbury itself to actually drink all these fine concoctions, thanks to the existence of the Blackback Pub, situated near the town's principal corner. The Blackback is one of the best places I have ever been to drink and discuss beer. Serious patrons will sit at its rectangular bar, in order to confer with their voluminously informed servers over pour choices, or to perhaps chat about all things Vermont Beer (e.g. whether there is any Double Sunshine left at Lawson's, or the best way to get to Hill Farmstead) with fellow enthusiasts from all over the USA. To avoid the necessity of driving, I would recommend staying in Waterbury itself, with the best option being the reasonably priced (but often booked) Stagecoach Inn, one of the country's famous 19th C historic hoteliers. The Stagecoach serves a brilliant breakfast featuring Vermont farm products, as well as cans of the best known Alchemist and Lawson's brews-- Heady Topper, Focal Banger, and Sip of Sunshine-- any time of day (and I saw patrons quietly drinking these brews at breakfast). For your running needs, Waterbury has a recreation park out of which some lovely grass trails extend, and there are many miles of fairly quiet dirt or tarred roads within easy reach. And if you fancy a 2-3 hour moderate hike instead, the Camel's Hump Mountain trailhead is only 5 miles from the center of town. (Nursing a calf-strain, I hit this trail hard for two hours before hitting the Blackback equally hard!).

After Waterbury, it was off to Montreal. I love drinking beer and running in MTL, particularly in the summer, but this time the reason for the trip was the Canadian Track and Field Championships at the Claude Robilliard Centre in the city's north end, a little further north of which I found a very cool 5k gravel loop around what looked like an old open-pit mine site. My Strava friends told me it's well trod, with the loop record held by none other that Quebec's homegrown Olympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot! I did a few turns out there, but also did my obligatory run up Mount Royal-- a must-do any time of year, even in the winter, when the feet of many strolling Montrealers frequently flatten the snow into runability (provided there is no underlying ice). For beer, where else in the city but the Dieu du Ciel! Brassierie, maker of Canada's highest rated beer across styles-- the coffee infused stout know as Pèchè Mortel? But its the ambience of DdC! and Le Plateau de Montrèal/Mile End neighbourhood  where it is located that is at least half of the experience. DdC! beer is world class by any measure, but the pub itself is pure Montrèal-- cool, confident, and unassuming, even blasè, in its brilliance. The patrons know that their neighborhood bar makes killer beer, but they are not precious about it. On a given weekend night, you will see couples on dates, singles reading or working on laptops, and groups of locals, their tables festooned with the brilliant colours of the many varieties of beer (usually 10-15) on tap. Often, I feel like the only "beer tourist" in the place! On this visit, I made sure to have one of their seasonal classics, Solstice D'ètè, a sour wheat ale infused with raspberries, along with their plucky little pale ale Ultra Mosaika and, of course, the aforementioned Pèchè Mortel!

I capped the summer by making the second of my two annual visits to the Treehouse Brewery in unassuming Sturbridge, MA, a colonial-era town about an hour west of Boston best known for "antiquing", if it's known for anything much at all. For those very new to craft beer, Treehouse is the font of no fewer than 8 of Beer Advocate's top 50 and at least a dozen more in the top 250. Its flagship brew, Julius, is arguably the original template for the hazy, oat-infused, NEIPA. I had made stops (pilgrimages?) to Tree House several times, but this would be my first time since the completion of the major renovation of its astounding facility, and the regular availability of pours from its gorgeously appointed tasting room. The attraction for me on this trip was an opportunity to enjoy a glass or two al fresco, in one of its dozens of Adirondack chairs, situated on terraces overlooking the facility and valley below (and be sure to click the link above for a photo of exactly what I'm talking about!). I did this two evenings in row, just to confirm it as the sublime beer-drinking experience I drove all that way expecting to have. It did not disappoint! (Beers had were Very Hazy, Julius, Green, and Eureka! w/Citra). And a special gustatory shout-out to BT's Smoke House, which may have been established with Treehouse beer in mind (and they let you bring your cans in!).

The running highlight was the discovery of the beautiful Wells State Park and its network of well groomed trails a mere 5 minute drive from the centre of town. I logged a couple of hours total over several rolling loops and never felt like leaving!

Happy Thanksgiving, hoofers and hopsters!          









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Summer of My Re-Content:

The sun is going aslant again, yellow and red are creeping into the green, and the hop harvest is in. Let us welcome back the best time of t...