Here at Checkpoint Adventures, we like beer. Patrick and I are especially keen on our hop, barley, and malt beverages. With winter being a great time for beer, we thought we would point out some great seasonal beers that you might have looked over at your local beer cooler. These beers are great for after a hard workout, sitting down with friends, or anytime other time of day. Below are our winter seasonal picks, brought to you by the three of us at Checkpoint Adventures.

Patrick:

I’ve been a big fan of Pyramid beers for many years, but I only recently “discovered” Snow Cap Ale while on vacation in Washington. I’m not that great at describing the nuances of beer (my strong suit is the drinking part), so I’ll let the folks at Pyramid provide the “technical” description and follow up with my interpretation.

From Pyramid Breweries:

“[Snow Cap Ale is] a rich, full-bodied winter warmer crafted in the British tradition of holiday beers. This deep mahogany colored brew balances complex fruit flavors with a refreshingly smooth texture, making Snow Cap a highly drinkable and desirable cold weather companion.”

My interpretation:

Like all beer, Snow Cap Ale is a great beer for any season. This brew is on the dark end of the spectrum, but not opaque like a stout. Don’t let the color fool you, though. You won’t be overwhelmed by an overly sweet or bitter finish, making Snow Cap Ale highly drinkable.

In any case, if you find a sixer of Snow Cap Ale on the grocery shelf I recommend you give it a try. If you don’t like it, give me a call and I’ll be happy to properly “dispose” of what’s left.

Cathi:

I have sampled 3 winter brews lately this season:

Winters Nip (Big River Brewing Company, Chattanooga)
Winter Hook Ale by RedHook (Anheuser Busch)
Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale (Anheuser Busch)

I must say that I am not the connoisseurs Kevin & Patrick are, although I definitely enjoy a cold adult beverage, especially after a long day of training. I am always up for trying new brews and always hit the microbrews of cities I visit and start with their sampler. That being said, I have to say that the first 2 winter ales I tried didn’t stand out to me. They were both good and went down smoothly. Both were also full-bodied, something I would expect out of a winter ale. But I can’t get into any details about their various complex flavorings, etc. However, the Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale did stand out for its unique vanilla flavoring. The aftertaste was slightly reminiscent of root beer which was a refreshing change from many other beers. This being said, this isn’t something I’d pick up a 6-pack of and drink during a football game. After 1 or 2, I think I’d need a break from the sweetness. I’d definitely recommend adding it to your list of things to try before “the season” is gone!

Kevin:

Winter seasonals are generally on the darker side of the beer spectrum, and my two beer picks this season are no exception.

Cold Mountain Winter Ale, by Highland Brewing, is available in limited quantities at your local specialty beer retailer. Cold Mountain Winter Ale is a lightly hopped beer with spices that change on a year to year basis. The 2006 edition is a bit sweet with a vanilla finish that may surprise you if you aren’t expecting it. Though at first it may come off as sweet, this beer is highly drinkable.

Big Hoppy Monster, by Terrapin Beer (a Checkpoint Adventures sponsor), is available in 4 packs at your local specialty beer retailer. Released late fall, you should still be able to find it in stores. As the name suggests, Big Hoppy Monster is BIG on hops. BHM is an amber colored beer with a slight grapefruit finish. If you enjoy hops, this is a beer for you.

Feel free to share your favorite winter seasonal beer in the comments.

With few sidewalks, little shoulder, and a car loving community that would make Detroit proud, Atlanta has long been known for not being the most cycling friendly city. If it’s up to Cobb County, that friendliness could be taken down a huge notch. According to a report (free login required), the county is considering setting up a “cruising” ordinance, with fines up to $500, that looks to be aimed specifically at cyclist. Dennis Hoffarth, executive director of the advocacy group called The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, said he has checked with biking groups across the nation and none have heard of such a law as the one Cobb County is proposing.

I’ve been to Columns Drive many times to run but never bike. I’ve never had a problem with cyclists on that road but have seen instances at other areas where cyclists seem to have lost their cool. As cyclists we have a right to the road just as much as a car does. At the same time though, we need to realize that we must keep our senses keenly aware and defensive riding skills sharp, not only for our own safety but for the betterment of the cycling community. A few bad apples in the cycling community do a lot more damage than a few bad apples on the road. Voice your opinion tonight at the public hearing (no information on the location)!

Everytrail is a site where you share your adventures, trips, or workouts with the world. You can easily upload your GPS data and create waypoints which can have notes, photos, and more associated with them. You can leave comments or ask questions on each trip. The waypoints are plotted on a Google map and you can download a kml file to view the trip in Google Earth or download the GPX data to upload the trip data to your own GPS. This trip on Mt Tallac is a good example of what you can do with Everytrail. I’ve actually been on this trail to the summit of Mt Tallac and you can get a feel of the hike with this trip.

While browsing the Primal Quest forums this afternoon, I picked up on a few good articles.

It looks like Ian Adamson, perhaps the best adventure racer we have seen, has decided to retire. This article, says he recently announced his retirement but that’s about it. There’s nothing more about his plans or nothing on his personal website or the Team Nike website. I briefly met Ian at Primal Quest a few years ago, seemed like a pretty nice guy. I’m sure he’ll find something to keep him busy post adventure racing; best of luck!

On to Primal Quest, it looks like it’s definitely not going to happen in 2007. Martin Dugard, a long time adventure race author and participant, said the 2007 race was cancelled in late November. In the post, he also gives an interesting view on adventure racing and how it has changed. According to this “ad” (I took a screen shot since the file has been updated and no longer contains the PQ reference) on a sports and travel website, the 2008 Primal Quest location is also up in the air. If you pony up some cash Primal Quest just might head to your neighborhood.