#i will miss you Glarus

[bike42]

PAWs Old World Wisconsin Ride

Saturday June 1, 2024

We’re no strangers to riding our bikes in the rain, in fact, we did it just two weeks ago on a training ride up north! We set out early this morning to try to get a bit ahead of it. We were riding by 7:30am, with just three other riders. Down the Capital City Trail, over the fantastic Lower Yahara River Bike Trail towards McFarland.

We’re on a 7-day ride put on by PAWs (Pedal Across Wisconsin), run by a family from northern Illinois. We’ve twice ridden their Northwoods Tour (Eagle River WI), as also their San Juan Islands (Washington State) tour. They do a great job with the logistics and we’ve met many like minded riders along the way. This is their Old World Wisconsin tour: starts in Madison, two nights in Whitewater, two nights in New Glarus, and two nights in Spring Green. If you know Southern Wisconsin, you know this is hilly territory!

The rain started as we were leaving McFarland. We had our cycling rain jackets on, tights over our bike shorts, and wool socks on with our bike sandals - so we were mostly ready. Jeff had dug out his booties, arm warmers and full-fingered bike gloves, but left them at home on the laundry room counter (along with his wallet!). It didn’t take long for me to realize that my 20-year old cycling rain jacket was no longer water resistant, and I got soaked through my layers. It was about 65 degrees, so not too cold, and thankfully not windy at all. We’ve had some terrific storms these past few weeks, but this was just steady rain, no thunder or lightning.

We rode through beautiful scenery on really good roads with very little traffic. After 24 miles we got to the food stop at a park in Cambridge. I’d been thinking of coffee shop instead, but the had the table under a shelter and it was actually quite pleasant to hang out there with about a half dozen riders (there are 90 registered riders but most were hanging out at breakfast when we left the hotel, and some were strapping their bikes to their cars having decided to sit today out I guess).

We left the food stop and headed down the Main Street of Cambridge - quiet on this early rainy Saturday morning, but fun to window shop the boutiques there. Doing so, we made our first navigational error of the day. They mark the turns with yellow paint which I can’t see from the back of the tandem. I have a plastic wrapped cue sheet in JT’s pocket so I generally know the name of the road for our next turn. We also have downloaded “Ride With GPS” and have the routes on our phones, but decided we didn’t need the turn by turn instructions. We turned around, and I pulled off my phone and found we were parallel to the route so it was easy to get back on course.

We rode along the shore of Lake Ripley, a beautiful cottage / resort area I didn’t know existed! Then through rolling hills, past pretty farms and into the town of Ft Atkinson. We got to Highway 12 and stopped, and I realized we’d missed another turn. We decided to detour into Downtown to find a cafe. I noticed a bike shop too, and suggested we stop there for a shopping excursion. There we bought a new rain jacket for me (I will get a lot of use out of it this week), a warmer shirt for JT (he thought it was too expensive, but I insisted … his rain jacket is working well, but he just had a short sleeved Jersey under it), and warm gloves for JT. We left our bike chained there and walked to a cafe I’d spied: Scottie’s Eat-Mor. Our kind of dive! There were about 12 stools at the counter, where 10 heads swiveled to stare at us as we walked in out of the rain wearing bike helmets covered with those disposable shower caps that we take from hotels (our secret weapon when riding in the rain!). We peeled off our wet layers and squeezed into the remaining two stools. The waitress, Jackie, was a hoot. A women of few words, and many facial expressions! Randy was the talented, multi-tasking cook. We saw that the portions were huge, so we tried to order a smaller sized meal, but one pancake was still more than I could eat! That was a great stop, and we were able to continue on after a nice break.

While in the diner, I researched how to get us back on course, and saw that the route was a bike trail just the other side of the bike store. We collected our bike, and then began to see a few other cyclists with orange tags identifying them as part of our group. We rode a few miles on the Glacial River Bike Trail, and it was really beautiful! Awesome sculptures and landscaping - raining too hard for photos though, we’ll have to go back!

Back out to country roads, about 10 miles of mostly gentle up and down until we reached the hotel in Whitewater. We’re at a Baymont Inn - not glamorous, but the front desk lady was friendly and helpful, offering old towels for people to wipe down their bikes. We collected our bags and brought them to the room - then back for the bike, carrying it up the stairs to our second floor room. We cleaned it up, and cleaned ourselves up. The hotel has a hot tub, but it’s out of order so I soaked a bit in the tub in our room. Felt fantastic!

We’d arrived at the hotel just before 1pm, so had lots of time to relax! Jeff walked to the hardware store, and when he came back he reported the rain had stopped and the crew was setting up the 4pm Happy Hour at the UHaul van. We went out and grabbed a beer and met a few more people. Just after 5 we were ready for dinner, and I suggested we walk the 1.5 miles down to a brew pub that had a good dinner menu. Along the way, we met Mary-Claire and Roger, and struck up a conversation with them. We walked quickly and were soon at the brew pub, so they joined us for dinner and we continued the conversation. They live in Delaware, and this is their first PAWs ride, although they have friends that have recommended the rides. They were really interesting and have done some awesome adventure, including a 10-Country Self-Supported European tour last year! Dinner was good, and we decided to walk back versus jumping on the shuttle bus they were running. Whitewater has a UW campus, and it seems this is the slow time between Spring and a summer session - town seemed quite, and just a few frat houses seemed occupied - one with kids outside playing Beer Pong. For some reason, it felt like TRAM to me (might have been the school bus shuttle), and I felt nostalgic for those fun times riding across Minnesota and searching for dinner in a small town.

We have a Culver’s just down the road, so JT and I deviated there for a small concrete mixer. We returned to our room for some cribbage before bed time.

51.6 miles, 1843 elevation gain

3 hours, 45 minutes of riding time (5 hours elapsed time)

[greenbagjosh]

Sunday 10 August 2003 - the rural towns of central Switzerland - Glarus, Biberbrugg SZ, Arth-Goldau, Erstfeld, Altdorf and Flüelen - the lucky arrow that missed the kid - lovely Geschnetzltes and liter of beer to end out the visit to Switzerland

Sunday 10 August 2003

Good morning! What a Street Parade yesterday. This one was hotter than the last one. Today we will visit some rural towns in Switzerland by town, particularly in the central part of the Deutschschweiz. First we go to Glarus via Ziegelbrücke, then Pfäffikon SZ, then Biberbrugg and Einsiedeln, then change trains at Arth-Goldau for Erstfeld and Altdorf. The last small town we visit is Flüelen, and then we go to Zürich for a relatively quiet(er) supper at the Brasserie Johanniter. It is my last full day in Switzerland for the year 2003, before going to Munich, Germany. Hope you will enjoy this story.

Guten Morgen! Was für eine Streetparade gestern. Dieser war heißer als der letzte. Heute werden wir stadtweise einige ländliche Städte in der Schweiz besuchen, insbesondere im zentralen Teil der Deutschschweiz. Zuerst fahren wir über Ziegelbrücke nach Glarus, dann nach Pfäffikon SZ, dann nach Biberbrugg und Einsiedeln, dann steigen wir in Arth-Goldau um nach Erstfeld und Altdorf. Die letzte kleine Stadt, die wir besuchen, ist Flüelen, und dann fahren wir nach Zürich für ein relativ ruhiges Abendessen in der Brasserie Johanniter. Es ist mein letzter ganzer Tag in der Schweiz im Jahr 2003, bevor ich nach München, Deutschland, aufbreche. Ich hoffe, Ihnen wird diese Geschichte gefallen.

Bonjour! Quelle Street Parade hier. Celui-ci était plus chaud que le précédent. Aujourd'hui, nous visiterons quelques villes rurales de Suisse par ville, en particulier dans la partie centrale de la Deutschschweiz. Nous allons d'abord à Glaris via Ziegelbrücke, puis Pfäffikon SZ, puis Biberbrugg et Einsiedeln, puis changeons de train à Arth-Goldau pour Erstfeld et Altdorf. La dernière petite ville que nous visitons est Flüelen, puis nous allons à Zürich pour un souper relativement calme à la Brasserie Johanniter. C'est mon dernier jour complet en Suisse pour l'année 2003, avant d'aller à Munich, en Allemagne. J'espère que vous apprécierez cette histoire.

Dobro jutro! Kakšna ulična parada včeraj. Tale je bil bolj vroč kot prejšnji. Danes bomo obiskali nekatera podeželska mesta v Švici po mestih, predvsem v osrednjem delu Deutschschweiza. Najprej gremo do Glarusa preko Ziegelbrücke, nato Pfäffikon SZ, potem Biberbrugg in Einsiedeln, nato prestopimo na vlak v Arth-Goldau za Erstfeld in Altdorf. Zadnje mestece, ki ga obiščemo, je Flüelen, nato pa gremo v Zürich na razmeroma mirno(er) večerjo v Brasserie Johanniter. To je moj zadnji cel dan v Švici v letu 2003, preden sem šel v München v Nemčiji. Upam, da vam bo ta zgodba všeč.

Dobro jutro! Kakva ulična parada jučer. Ovaj je bio žešći od prethodnog. Danas ćemo posjetiti neke ruralne gradove u Švicarskoj po gradovima, posebno u središnjem dijelu Deutschschweiza. Prvo idemo do Glarusa preko Ziegelbrückea, zatim Pfäffikon SZ, zatim Biberbrugg i Einsiedeln, zatim presjedamo u Arth-Goldau za Erstfeld i Altdorf. Posljednji gradić koji posjećujemo je Flüelen, a zatim idemo u Zürich na relativno mirnu(er) večeru u Brasserie Johanniter. Ovo je moj posljednji cijeli dan u Švicarskoj u 2003. godini, prije odlaska u München, Njemačka. Nadam se da ćete uživati u ovoj priči.

Buongiorno! Che Street Parade ieri. Questo era più caldo dell'ultimo. Oggi visiteremo alcune città rurali della Svizzera per città, in particolare nella parte centrale del Deutschschweiz. Prima andiamo a Glarona via Ziegelbrücke, poi Pfäffikon SZ, poi Biberbrugg e Einsiedeln, poi cambiamo treno ad Arth-Goldau per Erstfeld e Altdorf. L'ultima cittadina che visitiamo è Flüelen, e poi andiamo a Zurigo per una cena relativamente tranquilla alla Brasserie Johanniter. È il mio ultimo giorno intero in Svizzera per l'anno 2003, prima di andare a Monaco, in Germania. Spero che ti piacerà questa storia.

By the time that the other roommates returned last night, I was already asleep. I only woke up to use the bathroom. The room temperature was still hot during the night, and only at 3 AM did the temperature become comfortable. I woke up about 7:45 AM, took a shower and went to breakfast. There were not very many people in the breakfast room, so I could eat more peacefully.

After washing the dishes, I took my bag with me, and instead of walking up the steep path up to the bus stop, I walked under the Limmat bridge to a low covered foot bridge which was past the Landvogteischloss and the Baden historical museum. There was a mural showing sailors in court jester outfits, and the quote below the picture was a poem about the Narrenschiff, or the ship of fools. I was able to walk up the Grabenstrasse to Kirchweg and Mellingerstrasse, to turn right at Bruggerstrasse which led to the SBB rail station.

About 9 AM I boarded a Regional Express to Zürich HB, where I would transfer to another Regional Express to Ziegelbrücke and transfer again to a Regionalbahn for Glarus. At Zürich HB, there were a few people still in their costumes, waiting for their trains home. At least Zürich would shrink down to its usual population of about 800,000 inhabitants. My heart went out to the city workers who had to clean up the trash on the streets. They really worked hard to make Zürich look clean.

About 9:45 AM, the Regional Express, a Dosto, went on the route to Thalwil and Pfäffikon SZ, and went on to Ziegelbrücke. The train announcment went "Reisende nach Glarus sind gebeten hier umzusteigen", "Passengers for Glarus, please change to the connecting train". There would be a Regional Bahn train for Glarus and farther south to Linthal UR. Ziegelbrücke is right on the cantonal boundary in the St. Gallen canton next to Glarus, and is separated by the River Linth, which flows into Lake Zürich. Glarus is one of the original cantons, the other two being Schwyz and the other being Uri. The confederation began in 1291. Over the centuries, parts of adjacent land joined Switzerland, and the last canton, actually carved out of the northwestern part of the Canton of Bern, was Jura, in 1979.

At 10:30 AM, the train departed Ziegelbrücke for Glarus. The ride took less than 15 Minutes. Once I left the rail station, I walked south, towards Ennenda, crossing the Linth. I walked through the park next to Kirchweg. Kirchweg crossed the Linth into Ennenda. The mountains were very beautiful to see on a summer morning. At some stage, maybe when I was just six years old, so in 1978, my parents took me to see Elm in southeast Glarus. In that area, there is a point where St Gallen, Glarus and Graubünden meet. Also, one product that comes from Elm is the sparkling water. There even is a sparkling lemon drink called Elmer Citro, similar to 7 Up and Sprite. I was six years old when I first drank Elmer Citro. Somwhere I have the photo of me with a bottle of Elmer Citro.

At 11 AM, I walked back to Glarus and rode the next Regional Bahn to Ziegelbrücke and Regional Express to Pfäffikon SZ. I then changed to a train for Biberbrugg. I alighted at Biberbrugg to have a look at the rail station. It was one of the few stations on the SBB network that still had level rail crossings that people could legally cross. I suspected that Einsiedeln would be more of a modern station. Eventually years later, Biberbrugg was modernized and there is now an underground passage for pedestrians, and use of the level crossing is no longer legal.

The time came around to 12:30 PM. I boarded a train at Biberbrugg for Arth-Goldau. The train was a Regional Bahn train like the last one, and went through Rothenthurm, Sattel, Steinerberg and finally Arth-Goldau. The train arrived about 1:30 PM. The next train to Erstfeld would not arrive for another half hour, so I managed to explore the station. At Arth-Goldau, there are some cable car trains going southwest to Rigi Kulm. Rigi is just northeast of the cantonal boundary with Luzern. At 2 PM, there was an Intercity train to Erstfeld before it would climb the mountain to Göschenen, so I took it. The train went through Schwyz, Brunnen, crossed the Schwyz-Uri cantonal border at Sisikon, passed through Flüelen, Altdorf and stopped at Erstfeld. I waited on an S Bahn to take me to Altdorf. I arrived at Altdorf about 3:15 PM. The way to the city center was about a half mile long. At the end of Bahnhofstrasse was the Telldenkmal, or the William Tell monument. William Tell was a revolutionary in the Habsburg Empire, fighting for indepencence, and somehow he was forced to shoot an arrow at an apple on the top of his son's head without killing him. The son was not harmed but an apple was perforated. That incident led to eventual independence from the Habsburg Empire and in Altdorf, a monument was erected. It was a good walk from the SBB station to downtown.

There were some busses running on that afternoon, so I boarded a bus, paid a fare of about 4.50 Franken, and rode it to the Flüelen rail station. Flüelen is a lakeside resort on the southeast end of the Vierwaldstättersee, or Lake Lucerne. The lake is shared by the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Nidwalden and Luzern. On the lakeside next to the station, the flags of all the Swiss cantons can be seen. There is also a marina with space for thirty yachts in total. I spent about twenty minutes enjoying the scenery, before taking a train to Arth-Goldau and a faster train to Zürich HB. For years I had only passed through Flüelen, and on 10th August 2003, I had finally managed to stop there and spend some time.

It was just a little past 4 PM when the train arrived at Flüelen. The train arrived about 4:45 PM in Arth-Goldau, and about 5:15 PM there would be a connecting train which would get me to Zürich HB by about 6:15 PM. At Zürich HB, I walked across the Limmat to Central, and found the Polybahn station. On Sundays the Polybahn does not operate, and I did not have any need to visit ETH Zürich. Note on 24th July 1998, I made a selfie with my striped hat between the plant science center and where the Clausiusbar is located. Instead, I went to Niederdorferstrasse and entered the Brasserie Johanniter. It was good to be back, and my last visit was Sunday afternoon on 9th August 1998. This time they did not have the "Rösti Pizza", so I made do with a local Geschnetzltes and Spätzli. I also enjoyed a full liter of Cardinal beer. The beer really tasted good, just about like a Spaten Helles or Hofbrau Original, of which I would drink much of in Munich. That was a really good meal. I think it cost around 35 Franken with tip.

After supper, it bacame about 8 PM, and I walked around before returning to Zürich HB. I think I returned to Zürich HB about 9 PM. Then I took the Regional Express train to Baden, walked to the hostel and went to my room. I listened to some music before going to sleep. I would have to check out of the hostel in the morning and go on to Munich. Will I get to ride an ICE VT, that is, a diesel-powered Deutsche Bahn ICE tilting train, or will I have to ride the same type of train that I rode on 9th August 1998, namely a locomotive pulled train, called Lokbespannter Zug, in German?

Please join me tomorrow when I make one last walk along the General Guisan Quai, ride a conventional train to Lindau and Munich, ride the U Bahn to Messegelände Ost, then a train and bus combo to Studentenstadt as in Percy Adlon's "Sugarbaby" film, and watch TV in the hotel before going to sleep. Good night!

Bitte begleiten Sie mich morgen, wenn ich einen letzten Spaziergang entlang des General Guisan Quai mache, mit einem konventionellen Zug nach Lindau und München fahre, mit der U-Bahn zum Messegelände Ost fahre und dann mit einer Zug- und Bus-Kombination nach Studentenstadt fahre, wie in Percy Adlons „Sugarbaby“-Film. und vor dem Schlafengehen im Hotel fernsehen. Gute Nacht!

S'il vous plaît, rejoignez-moi demain lorsque je ferai une dernière promenade le long du quai General Guisan, prendre un train conventionnel jusqu'à Lindau et Munich, prendre le U Bahn jusqu'à Messegelände Ost, puis un combo train et bus jusqu'à Studentenstadt comme dans le film "Sugarbaby" de Percy Adlon, et regarder la télévision à l'hôtel avant d'aller dormir. Bonne nuit!

Prosim, pridruži se mi jutri, ko se še zadnjič sprehodim po General Guisan Quai, se vozim z običajnim vlakom do Lindaua in Münchna, se vozim z U Bahnom do Messegelände Ost, nato vlakom in avtobusom do Studentenstadta kot v filmu Percyja Adlona "Sugarbaby", in gledajo televizijo v hotelu pred spanjem. Lahko noč!

Molim vas pridružite mi se sutra kada budem zadnji put šetao General Guisan Quai, vozio se konvencionalnim vlakom do Lindaua i Münchena, vozio se U Bahnom do Messegelände Ost, zatim kombinacijom vlaka i autobusa do Studentenstadta kao u filmu "Sugarbaby" Percyja Adlona, i gledati televiziju u hotelu prije spavanja. Laku noć!

Per favore, unisciti a me domani quando farò un'ultima passeggiata lungo il General Guisan Quai, prenderò un treno convenzionale per Lindau e Monaco, prenderò la U Bahn per Messegelände Ost, poi un treno e un autobus combinato per Studentenstadt come nel film "Sugarbaby" di Percy Adlon, e guardare la TV in albergo prima di andare a dormire. Buona notte!

[inevitablerecursion]

Stress has taken me to exhaust my body in the mountains. From the sunny valley last weekend, I ran until my thoughts caught up to me. I found myself high in a mountain pass, snow up to my bare calves, two eagles circling in the blinding sun. I was under 200 m below the final pass, a shorter one around 1600 m, but the snow was too thick and squishy.  I was too heavy and kept sinking in deep and couldn’t determine where safe footfalls were. With respect, I turned around, retracing my steps.  All 25 km back to the train. An accidental ultra, under the limitations and view of the Alps.

[yesborg9]

Oktoberfest-Off 2019

The previous year’s Oktoberfest-Off was a smashing success, despite my vote being the only dissenting of the winner. Many of the contests were close and all of the top 8 were very good. 

I was looking back on my failure to log any results in 2017 but my attention to detail in the 24 beer bracket in 2016. I decided to bring back some of those eliminated and try to put more time into detailed descriptions of the beers this year. My wife did a great job cooking up sauerbraten, currywurst, and chicken schnitzel dishes for everyone, as well as decorating and cleaning up. Shout-out to sister-in-law Justine for pouring and serving our blind samples. 

Here are the sixteen 2019 Oktoberfest-Off contestants:

Ayinger (Aying, Germany) - This solid Bavarian brew finished in the final four twice including last year, eliminated by its big brother from Munich, Spaten.

Capital (Middleton, WI) - A multi-time champion looking to regain the crown.

Erdinger (Erding, Germany) - A newcomer to the ‘Fest-Off; a brewery that specializes in wheat beers. I went on a tour of the brewery two years ago.

Good City (Milwaukee, WI) - A newcomer that’s already building a reputation.

Lakefront (Milwaukee, WI) - A previous winner, but was eliminated early last year.

Leinenkugel’s (Chippewa Falls, WI) - Brought back despite my disdain for the product.

Odell (Fort Collins, CO) - Another newcomer to the contest from a city well-known for beer.

Potosi (Potosi, WI) - Eliminated early in 2016, this is too good of a beer to not give a 2nd chance.

Raised Grain (Waukesha, WI) - A newcomer from a fairly new brewery.

Revolution (Chicago, IL) - Our reining champion.

Spaten (Munich, Germany) - Last year’s runner-up.

Schell’s (New Ulm, MN) - A last-minute inclusion in the 2015 contest, and it did well.

Sierra Nevada/Bitburger (Chico, CA/Bitburg, Germany) - Sierra Nevada continues their tradition of collaborating with a different German brewery each year.

3 Sheeps (Sheboygan, WI) - A newcomer with some promise.

Titletown (Green Bay, WI) - Another early elimination from 2016 that deserves another shot.

Wisconsin (Verona, WI) - A slightly darker, maltier “Patron Saint.”

Some missing notables: 

O’so O’toberfest - While this was the first ever champ, it has failed to regain the crown in 5 attempts.

New Glarus Staghorn - This is definitely a local favorite and I often choose it when it’s on tap, but it has never placed in the final four. It’s a great beer, but a little light on flavor comparatively.

Paulaner Märzen - I strongly considered adding this one. I wish I had, as it placed well in 2017.

Central Waters Octoberfest - eliminated very early in 2015. Rather weak-flavored. I’ve seen it in other “best Oktoberfest beers” lists and I have no idea why.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest - My first ever Märzen. But it can’t hold a torch to the field.

Big Eddy Über-Oktoberfest - A defunct side project of Leinenkugel’s, it was put to bed by the lame stiffs in corporate. BRING IT BACK!

Round 1

I decided to split up the first round and the subsequent rounds, to avoid everyone being so drunk they couldn’t drive home. We would eliminate 8 beers, then come back a 2nd day to finish the rest and determine the champion.

The first matchup of the day was Lakefront vs Titletown. This was one of the more difficult choices of the day for most people, as both were very good. Lakefront seemed a little sweeter, to its detriment. Titletown “Bent Tuba” won 2 votes to 1.

The second matchup featured Schell’s vs Potosi. This was another close one where everyone liked both samples except for the tiebreaking judge, who voted for Potosi. It was very close but I went with Potosi as well. I did feel like both were good, but the 1st matchup was better. Little did I know, I was foreshadowing their matchup in round 2.

The next sample had Sierra Nevada vs Wisconsin Brewing Company. I chose WBC as I felt it was smoother, but everyone else voted for Sierra Nevada as it “felt like a solid lager.”

I was totally overruled again when in the following match I voted Odell but everyone else voted Ayinger.

The next battle was two German beers head-to-head, Erdinger and Spaten. The first thing I noticed was a big color difference. Erdinger was much lighter colored, and I felt it had less flavor so I voted Spaten. For the third matchup in a row, I was totally overruled. Erdinger moved on.

I felt bad for the next match, as it pitted together two great newcomers (3 Sheeps vs Good City) and one would have to be eliminated. This one was very close and ended up needing a tiebreaker, who chose Good City. 

The next matchup was odd in that no one really cared for either sample. There was even a debate to whether we should just eliminate both. We had no idea that one was last year’s champion, Revolution. Something that was not surprising was that no one cared for its competitor Leinenkugels. Revolution moved on by a 3-2 tiebreaker.

The final matchup of the day featured newcomer Raised Grain vs previous champion Capital. Knowing how hoppy many of RG’s beers are, I was a bit surprised when I wrote in my notes that it was smoother. I really didn’t like the Capital sample at all. The former champion was ousted by a 3-1 vote. What happened to you, Capital?

Round 2

We only had three judges the second day. Our first matchup was Revolution vs Good City. Everyone seemed to like both beers a lot and we agreed the choice was difficult, but Revolution won 2 votes to 1. Again, this was interesting because in the previous round everyone agreed that Revolution wasn’t good. Perhaps a bad can?

Our second sampling was Erdinger vs Sierra Nevada/Bitburger collaboration. While Sierra Nevada won in a rare unanimous vote, no one disliked Erdinger.

The next matchup was Titletown vs Potosi. This was once again a very close one for everyone to decide but Potosi won 2-1. Interestingly, I reversed my stance from the previous round when I said both Lakefront and Titletown were better than Schell’s and Potosi. That’s why we do this blind!

Our next sample featured Raised Grain and Ayinger. The German beer Ayinger moved on to the final four with a 2-1 vote.

Final Four

Sierra Nevada powered through the bracket and defeated Potosi with another unanimous vote. 

Revolution moved on to the championship round once again with a 2-1 vote over Ayinger.

Championship

For the second year in a row, Revolution is your Oktoberfest-Off champion. Also for the 2nd year in a row, my vote was the only one dissenting. Pretty impressive run after almost losing to Leinie’s, arguably the worst beer on the bracket. I also look back to when I voted against Sierra Nevada in the first round. If I did this whole thing myself it would have looked a lot different. But everyone’s tastes are different and that’s why I prefer to have more judges.

Some final thoughts: I’m not sure I’ll include Capital next year. What a fall from glory. I don’t really dislike Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest; I’ve had worse, but I just find it to be highly overrated much like Summer Shandy. Leinie’s will definitely not be included in future Oktoberfest-Offs. Aside from those two, I highly recommend each of the beers sampled in this contest. It really is difficult to decide which is the best when they’re all very good.

[wineanddinosaur]

Hop Take: Why Aren’t America’s Top 50 Craft Breweries Growing? It’s Complicated.

According to data published in the New Brewer, a Brewers Association publication, a majority of the top 50 brewing companies did not grow in 2018. This is the third year in a row at least half of the top 50 did not see growth, Brewbound reports.

Beer volumes declined for Yuengling (-2 percent), Boston Beer (-7 percent) and New Belgium (-11 percent), which are the Nos. 1, 2, and fourth-largest independent breweries, respectively.

Sierra Nevada, the third-largest craft brewing company in 2018, returned to growth in 2018 (+2 percent) after several years of decline. The fifth-top brewery, Duvel Moortgat USA, grew 5 percent, thanks to subsidiary Firestone Walker, which grew 12 percent. Duvel’s other acquisitions, Boulevard Brewing and Brewery Ommegang, declined 10 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Gambrinus, Deschutes, Artisanal Brewing Ventures, and Brooklyn Brewery also declined in 2018.

Top-50 breweries that saw single-digit growth include Bell’s Brewery (+3 percent), Canarchy (+3 percent), Stone (+3 percent), SweetWater (+2 percent), and New Glarus (+2 percent). Additionally, four top-50 breweries that saw double-digit growth include Rhinegeist (+16 percent), Three Floyds (+25 percent), Georgetown (+37 percent), and Two Roads Brewing.

At a certain time in my life, I was head over heels for Ommegang and its bright, balanced Belgian-style ales. And when the picturesque brewery produced an IPA with all-New York State hops, I was equally enthralled. But when better options became available in my own city at every turn, I lost interest. (Ommegang will forever hold a place in my heart, though.)

I’ll almost always choose a hyper-local option over a regional brand, and I know I’m not alone. Beer bars, bottle shops, and beer drinkers once excited by regional brands are putting our dollars toward smaller, local outfits because we can — and we want to support the quality beer that’s made right here in our communities. At the same time, we are always searching for something new.

Beer geeks are loyal to local, yet devoted to discovery. For top-50 regional beer brands to survive, they need to convince the general beer drinker that more flavorful (and more expensive) beers are worth deviating from the everyday Big Beer brands.

Craft Beer Moral Crime Blotter, June 6 Edition: Dempster Fire

There’s been an alarming amount of offensive social media announcements from breweries lately. On Monday, Southern Bay Brewery of Australia posted a meme on its Facebook page referring to non-alcoholic beer as “gay lemonade.” The brewery apologized, asking fans for forgiveness. Brewery CEO Nick Warming announced his resignation the next day, and the Southern Bay Brewing Facebook page has since been deleted.

On May 27, Mirage Beer Company posted on Instagram about an upcoming release of two companion beers: “Snitch Blood” and “Where You From.” The can labels depicted red and blue bandana designs, cementing the beers’ references to the Crips and Bloods, rival Los Angeles gangs responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans.

It’s beyond cultural appropriation at this point. Y’all suburban shitheads better be ready with a mf’n resume when the folks you out here mocking show up to collect. pic.twitter.com/aSrMPMd6Dc

— Urban Craft Curiosity (@tonitwopint) May 27, 2019

Mirage Beer swiftly apologized for its “dumb idea,” adding the company would “still … release the beers, but obv [sic] with new names, and all proceeds going to the Southern Poverty Law Center.”

“I feel awful that I hurt or angered anyone,” brewery owner Michael Dempster writes in a lengthier apology on Medium. “I also want to thank members of the beer community for forcefully saying, ‘check your privilege,’ as I clearly needed that check. Your responses give me hope for this industry, and kept me from making an even bigger mistake: actually using those stupid labels and letting them hit shelves, where they could then hurt, anger, or disenfranchise anyone who passed them.”

How did the beer community respond? Surprisingly, pretty well.

“For any breweries watching, this is an exemplary written apology,” Toni Canada, of Beer Kulture, wrote on Twitter. “[B]ut what happens next will be key, and we’ll be watching.”

Washington Beer Blog echoed, “Michael Dempster and Mirage Beer deserve our consideration and not our dismissal. We all make mistakes. What we do thereafter is the measure of our character.”

Mirage’s gang-themed beer labels may not have made it to store shelves, but they point to a glaring need for more eyes, ears, and input from people outside a company’s comfort zone to provide a perspective others may stupidly miss. There is no excuse for letting harmful ideas go this far, but there is potential for breweries to acknowledge their missteps and change their approaches. Mirage sets an example that I hope other breweries will learn from.

Aloha: Kona Owner Pays Up for False Advertising

After agreeing to settle a years-long class action lawsuit in April 2019, Craft Brew Alliance will partially refund Kona beer drinkers for leading them to believe its beer is brewed in Hawaii, Reuters reports.

Those who purchased Kona 4-packs, 6-packs, 12-packs, or 24-packs since Feb. 28, 2013 can be refunded $1.25 to $2.75 per purchase, with maximums of $20 per household with receipts, and $10 per household without receipts. Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) expects to lose a total of $4.7 million.

Kona is the main lifeline of CBA, a Portland, Ore.-based brewing company whose subsidiaries also include Redhook and Widmer Brothers breweries. CBA is itself partially owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, and a majority of its brands are brewed in Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire, and Tennessee. Kona draft beer sold in Hawaii is brewed there.

Class-action lawsuits are fun, but do they really get us anywhere? If this settlement raises awareness of false advertising, encourages big breweries to be less sneaky, or alerts more consumers to the devious tactics of marketers, great. I really don’t see that happening, though.

The article Hop Take: Why Aren’t America’s Top 50 Craft Breweries Growing? It’s Complicated. appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/hop-take-top-50-brewery-growth/

[expeditom]

Small and large stream fishing in the Canton Glarus.

Golf course in the Swiss Alps of the Canton Glarus?

Rivers or Creeks?

Having returned from Canada just a few days ago, I felt the urgent need to go fishing with my fishing buddy André again. This time in the Swiss Alps in the Canton Glarus. I actually was more into fishing some larger rivers after I have spent a lot of time in small streams in Canada. Additionally, there is a second reason why I preferred rivers to creeks, but more on that later. André convinced me with the report of his recent fishing trip. It was amazing.

Wonderful brown trout

Golf course?

Accuracy was key

Minute creek in the Swiss Alps

Casting precision fly fishing

Hence, André and I drove to the Canton Glarus, bought our license at the Glarnerland highway stop, and drove into the mountains. This is a very convenient place to go fishing: no long hikes required, though the scenery looks as if you were miles away from any major town.

I could live in this shack – forever.

No long hikes required, though the scenery looks as if you were miles away from any major town.

The creek was minute. It was even tiny for ExpediTom. Yet, this might be the reason there are some surprisingly large fish in there. At least in relation to the size of the creek it amazed me how many trout reached almost 30 centimetres (I hear you laughing). Although Switzerland has experienced an extremely hot summer in 2018, the water of this alpine creek was bloody cold and probably less than 10 degrees Celsius.

I missed the Alps

Following the creek upstream over meadows which looked as if it was a golf course, André and I made some new friends on the meadow.

Made new friends in the Swiss Alps Canton Glarus

Further upstream, the creek began to climb and made wonderful waterfalls. Needless to say, below these rapids amazingly deep pools formed and hold astonishingly numbers of trout (five – 4 on the dry, one on the nymph). It was just wonderful with the backdrop of mountains.

Scouting for a good frame to take some pictures with the creek and the mountains, I found this spot:

Scouting for photography composition I came up with this frame

After the rapids and waterfalls, the creek meandered evenly over a pretty wet meadow. The weeds in the creek moved gently in the slow current. It was more than once that one of us casted at one of these plants in the believe of finding the elusive 40+ trout.

Beautiful fish in the Swiss Alps Canton Glarus

We did not find any.

  Lake Trout in the Canton Glarus

Eventually, the creek divided in even smaller tributaries and fishing was not feasible anymore. We went back to the car, drove down the valley, and did some more casts in the Linth river. The reason why I would have liked to fish larger river, was the spawning runs of the lake trout in Switzerland. Whereas André caught at least some brown trout in the Linth, neither of us managed to catch the elusive lake trout – yet.

Wonderful brown trout from the Canton Glarus

Fly Fishing Swiss Alps in the Canton Glarus! #flyfishing #swissalps #trout #mountains #alps #switzerland Small and large stream fishing in the Canton Glarus.

[yesborg9]

2017 Beer in Review

To put it as nicely as possible, if you follow politics at all, 2017 was a year that encouraged drinking. Here are some of the beers that made 2017 a little more bearable for me:

I was saddened in 2016 when I found out that Leinenkugel’s Snowdrift Vanilla Porter was no longer available in 6 or 12 packs unless you bought a variety pack of Leinie’s. But in 2017, by popular demand, it’s BACK and just as good as I remembered it. In 2012 I hadn’t yet developed an appreciation for porters or stouts. Surprisingly, at Curly’s Pub inside Lambeau Field, the wife talked me into trying it for the first time and it’s still one of my favorites today.

Speaking of styles that I didn’t like so much just a few years ago and now I love, the first time I ever tried a bourbon barrel-aged beer was 2013, and I did not like them. I tried a few more in 2014 and still had little love. I remember saying to people, “if I want something that tastes like bourbon, I’ll just drink bourbon.” But times and tastes change and now the bourbon barrel-aged stout is now one of my favorite styles of beer. And the Citizen Kane of BBA stouts is Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout. I first tried this at a bar in Washington D.C. (The Exchange) just a couple blocks from the White House. I actually hated it because it was too strong (13.8%). I tried it again in March of 2017 (2016 vintage) and I loved it. It’s boozy, thick like molasses, and dark as night. It’s a very limited beer, so not only is it expensive but it’s hard to find. The 2017 vintage was released on Black Friday and I remember seeing on Twitter how long the lines were in Chicago to buy it. Many liquor stores sold out in hours. I happened to be at a bar in Plover watching the Badgers football game when I saw it on the menu, so I ordered it and took the bottle home. I drank it after a Packers win two weeks later.

Also only available on Black Friday, the Lakefront Black Friday Stout is known for [crazy] people lining up for miles around the brewery on the morning of Black Friday just to get a bottle. I was lucky enough to sample it at a warm indoor beerfest in Milwaukee. While it was absolutely amazing, I’m not sure any beer is worth waiting in line for hours in the cold.

Initially I wasn’t a huge fan of many Central Waters beers, but they rank up with Goose Island when it comes to bourbon barrel-aging. Over the Thanksgiving weekend in central Wisconsin we stopped at the brewery in Amherst. They had four different BBA beers on tap, but the winner by far for me and a friend was the Brewer’s Reserve BBA Scotch Ale. My friend probably had never even sampled a BBA beer, but after he did he wanted to take some of this stuff home.

Special shout-out to their Brewer’s Reserve BBA Cherry Stout, which wasn’t available at the brewery but I’d purchased a 4-pack of it earlier in the year and finished the last one off on New Year’s Eve.

In 2015 my favorite winter warmer was Lakefront’s Holiday Spice Lager. I was appalled when I found out that it was discontinued in 2016, to the point where I wrote the brewery to complain. They responded that it was replaced with Brandy Barrel-Aged Spiced Winter Lager. I sought out this beer, and it instantly became my new favorite warmer. Even smoother than the Holiday Spice (which the 2015 vintage is still available in 22oz bombers), the brandy flavor isn’t as strong as bourbon or whiskey-barrel aged beers...but it’s still very potent at 13.9%.

Southern Tier Brewing Co has been releasing 4-packs of dessert stouts (for a premium price). I tried a number of these, many being just too sweet for me to fully enjoy. But the Thick Mint is one that has me going back for more. It’s 10% ABV, very thick, and tastes just like a Thin Mint, which everyone knows is the best Girl Scout cookie (leave your incorrect opinion in the comments if you disagree).

We made two trips to NYC in 2017 and visiting Brooklyn Brewery were highlights of each trip for me. Very few beers by Brooklyn have disappointed me even just a little. My favorite was a R&D sour only available at the brewery called Funkmeiser. The fad of sour beers is still going strong, but noticeably ramping down (possibly giving way to the new fads of hazy IPAs and dessert/pastry stouts), at least for me. This beer, however, pleased me greatly as it seemed to get more and more sour the more I drank it. Sadly I couldn’t take any home with me.

One of our new favorite hangouts in the Milwaukee area is the Explorium Brewpub located at Southridge Mall. They have great food, an extensive taplist of their own brews, and bombers to go. The wife loves their Tiramisu Stout, while I’m partial to the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine, as well as the Cherry Chocolate Stout.

My favorite import I tried in 2017 was the Petrus Aged Red from Brouwerij De Brabandere in Belgium. Possibly the best fruit beer I’ve ever had not counting anything from New Glarus. It was purchased from a liquor store in Brookfield, so I imagine it’s not too difficult to find in Madison or Milwaukee. I’ve even had it on tap at World of Beer in Wauwatosa.

2017 will be remembered by me as the year New Glarus brought back a Cherry Stout. I bought some at the brewery and it was so good I later stocked up at the liquor store, knowing I’d miss it dearly when its availability ran out. This is easily my all-time favorite stout and my favorite beer of 2017. The cherry flavor is bold and tart while the beer is very dark and smooth. I hope they bring it back again soon, because I only have 8 left.

Other shout-outs from 2017 include a visit to O’so Brewing as well as an O’so tap takeover in Menominee Falls:

Fox River Brewing: Blu Bobber (blueberry ale)

O’so Tuppen’s Demise (wild ale)

O’so Rabbit Fighter (flanders red sour)

O’so Great Northern Dominator Doppelbock

O’so Tamarind Plum Sour

O’so Scarlet Letter

In 2017 I only attended two beerfests: Great Dane Bockfest for my 3rd straight year and Craft’s & Drafts in Milwaukee for the first time. C&D was an amazing fest but you have to pay additional money for the better quality pours.

2017 brewery visits:

Biloba (Brookfield, WI)

Angry Minnow (Hayward, WI)

Black Husky (Milwaukee, WI)

Central Waters (Amherst, WI)

Company (Milwaukee, WI)

Explorium (Greendale, WI)

Great Dane - Hilldale (Madison, WI)

Like Minds (Milwaukee, WI)

New Glarus (New Glarus, WI)

O’so (Plover, WI)

Viking Brewpub (Stoughton, WI)

350 Brewing (Tinley Park, IL)

Hailstorm (Tinley Park, IL)

Shoreline (Michigan City, IN)

City Built (Grand Rapids, MI)

Fireside (Holland, MI)

Greenbush (Sawyer, MI)

Greyline (Grand Rapids, MI)

Griffin Claw (Birmingham, MI)

Harmony Hall (Grand Rapids, MI)

New Holland - Knickerbocker (Grand Rapids, MI)

Roak (Royal Oak, MI)

Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)

Greenpoint (Brooklyn, NY)

Strong Rope (Brooklyn, NY)

Threes (Brooklyn, NY)

Folksbier (Brooklyn, NY)

Other Half (Brooklyn, NY)

Circa (Brooklyn, NY)

Heartland (New York, NY)

Cool Springs (Franklin, TN)

ABGB (Austin, TX)

Blue Owl (Austin, TX)

Hops & Grain (Austin, TX)

Lazarus (Austin, TX)

Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que (Austin, TX)

Zilker (Austin, TX)

Amsterdam Brewhouse (Toronto, Canada)

Goose Island Brewhouse (Toronto, Canada)

Mascot (Toronto, Canada)

Mill Street (Toronto, Canada)

The 3 Brewers (Toronto, Canada)

Erdinger (Erding, Germany)

Airbräu (Munich International Airport, Germany)

I feel like several beers I loved this year deserve an honorable mention:

Boulevard Whiskey Barrel Stout

Founders Rübæus

Founders Frootwood

Cool Springs Tennessee Black Hole

Vintage McLovin

And finally a solemn RIP to Leinenkugel’s “Big Eddy” line of beers. These were premium beers including Royal Nektar, Russian Imperial Stout, Über-Oktoberfest, and one of my perennial favorites, Cherry Doppelschwarz. Although I did hear from Dick Leinenkugel himself that there’s always the possibility of a return someday.

Also RIP to Karl Ratzsch, a downtown Milwaukee authentic German restaurant. I was only there once, but it was a great time with great food and great beer.