Sprints at Hot Italian brought a crowd

Last Sunday the 23rd, was the third "Savage Sprints" roller racing event and the second one at the Hot Italian location. The organizer of the races, Dean Alleger, gets the cyclists names entered into the laptop and often uses a bullhorn to announce special guests or pertinent information about the racers. A decent crowd showed up to cheer on the racers that signed up.

The sprinters and spectators are an array of cyclists and bike envy peeps. From the fixster hipster to the commuter to the girl that takes her bike to Trader Joes on the weekend to a National Champion?! Maybe one reason for the crowd was to catch a glimpse of Team USA National Track Champion cyclist Kevin Mansker from Portland Oregon. Kevin went on to win this event Sunday with times in the low 8's.

4 more races are on the books at Hot Italian, Feb 6 & 20 and March 6 & 20. This is all to raise awareness and donations for the Sacramento Valley Velodrome Association http://sacvalleyvelodrome.org/?page_id=19
Come check it out!

This is the link to the previous blog on this site.

http://klimahandlebar.blogspot.com/2010/12/gold-sprints-at-rexs-tonight.html

Brewing with Coffee and Laurelwood's Espresso Stout

The New School Brew Blog

Recently there has been a spate of new Coffee Beer releases, like Bridgeport's Cafe Negro, Breakside's coffee-infused Dry Stout, and the newest version of Laurelwood Brewing's Espresso Stout. I recently picked up a few bottles of these for a review panel, but soon discovered that we had already reviewed the Laurelwood brew in the early days of The New School, way back in last March (it received a coveted 4.5 from the Yalie). Seeing as how we had reviewed it previously, I thought it would also be nice to chat a little with Laurelwood Brewmaster Chad Kennedy about the creation of the beer and how he approaches using coffee in beer.

Last year's Espresso Stout, photo by "SNOB" Ritch

Just the other day "SNOB" Ritch and I were talking about using coffee in beers and how it rarely seems to improve a brew. We are both coffee fans and stout fans, so combining the two has always been an obvious proposition. Having brewed at least half a dozen coffee beers myself using a variety of methods, I know how hard it can be to integrate coffee without adding too much roast, burning, or simply picking up too much acidity or oils. So I asked Laurelwood Brewmaster Chad Kennedy how he went about approaching making this brew:

"We chose a blend of coffee from Portland roasting called mocha java. I spent a good bit of time with the roasters there doing cuppings and trying different methods of making coffee before we came upon this blend for our beer. I didn't want to just pick a coffee or a roaster and go for it. Portland Roasting is a great local roaster with similar values to our company. They pioneered Farm Direct sourcing- paying farmers direct rather than diluting their profits through middlemen. Also, they do an incredible amount of philanthropy in areas where they buy coffee. These regions and their farmers have historically been quite disadvantaged- living without adequate water supplies, for example.

I believe this is the 4th year we've worked with Portland Roasting. I'm not sure how others do it, but we use a cold extract method in producing coffee to accentuate flavor and aroma while minimizing bitterness. In my opinion, this produces a smooth beer with loads of coffee character."

Cold pressing Coffee

Click here for the new school brew blog

Tristan Prettyman cycling

Click here for Bicycling Magazine site

When Tristans not touring the country with artists like G. Love, this 28-year-old singer-songwriter cyclist and surfer who is recently engaged to Jason Mraz, is helping to make San Diego more bicycle-friendly. Check out this awesome video and the Q & A from Bicycle Mag -

http://player.vimeo.com/video/13988951

What got you interested in riding?
It was through a combination of friends. I had been dating a guy from New York City who didn't have a car. Another one of my friends manages cellist Ben Sollee's bike tours along the East Coast. I started thinking, "I gotta get a bike!" I had a beach cruiser that my mom gave me a couple years ago, but it was pretty heavy. So last year I got a road bike from a guy who builds them from parts he gets at auctions. The frame says "Rahmen." I don't know a lot about bikes, or brands, but as soon as I got on this bike, I knew it was the one.

What's your typical ride?
My friends and I usually ride in the street. The downtown San Diego area is becoming more developed, so we're hoping that the larger crowds and heavier traffic will push people to ride more. We try to get out there as often as possible, so the city will realize that when you have more riders, you need more bike lanes.

After touring with G. Love & Special Sauce and the John Butler Trio, you took 2009 off.
It definitely allowed me to ride more. My friends often do a 25-mile loop up the coast to grab a beer, so I started joining them. My boyfriend [singer-songwriter Jason Mraz] lives a 40-minute car ride away, so I'll bike toward his house and he'll pick me up at Jitters, our friend Vallie's coffee shop. She does a mean breakfast.

Any chance you'll convince Jason to get a bike?
Actually, he really wants one. He wants to do a triathlon. The other week, we kept saying we'd go get a bike if the surf was flat. But the waves were really good.

How does catching a wave compare with cycling?
I've been surfing for a long time, so in the water, my brain goes on autopilot. Biking requires way more focus. I'm amazed by all the things I wouldn't have seen if I had been driving.

You went to New Orleans to help out after the BP oil spill. Did the trip inspire you to ride more?
You know, it's really easy to say "no oil," and stuff like that but I met guys who had been working in oil for 20 years; the industry was all they had. It's going to be a challenge for everyone on this planet to not use oil. But riding a bike on errands and on short trips is a step in the right direction.

Anything else we should know about your bike?
When I get on my bike after a couple of days without riding, I can't believe how much I missed it. I want to scream, "I love you, bike! Why don't I sleep next to you?" Biking equals freedom. It makes you realize how little you need to travel.

SMALL TALK
Last Ride
Sixteen miles to the beach, with my friend Tricia, who was staying with me after doing the AIDS ride from San Francisco to LA. When I got home, my tire was flat.

Alternate Fuel
On rides, I'll bring a bottle of half water, half coconut water. I eat a lot of hemp seed, vegetables and salads. But if I'm craving a cheeseburger and beer, I go for it.

Riding Kit
I don't really wear spandex. I just ride in jeans--and roll 'em up--and tennis shoes. I wear my Onitsuka Tigers because they're really light.

http://www.tristanprettyman.com/music

Magnified drinks of Art

Click here for Beverage Shots link

Alcohol under the microscope.

A company called Bevshots has produced a series of shots of booze under the microscope at the Florida State University's chemistry labs. This is Dry Martini at 1000x magnification.


This is the Irish Pale Lager above

Below is Vodka

The process consist of letting a droplet of liquor dry out completely on a slide in an airtight container, and photographing the result with a 35mm camera. The entire process can take up to three months and as many as 200 attempts to properly capture the drink's constituent parts.
Cocktails can have fruit and soft drinks in them which contain citric acids and complex sugars which dry out well and look great photographed. The incredible shapes and colours of the boozy artwork are highlighted by shining natural light on top and through the bottom of the slide. Just like images of snowflakes, each drink is different.
These images are available for sale at Bevshots. Open for business since August 2009, Bevshots estimate that they have sold over 20,000 examples of their alcoholic art works.

Below is Scotch

Original article published by Amusing Planet