Coffee & Bikes ;)

This weekend - I'll be riding 40 miles in the Tour de Houston and also checking out Doomsday Wrestling with my sons!  But first, how about some coffee?  

The last time I was in San Antonio, I stopped by Black Laboratory Brewing as I enjoy their stouts after a long bike ride.  While I was there, I also picked up a bag of their Ethiopian coffee that they have used in some of their beers - which I think is a brilliant idea to have both available.

First - the beer!  Their Vanilla Joe Coffee Stout is truly a beautiful brew.  It's made using Costa Rican coffee, which is an excellent choice for a smoother drink.  I find Costa Rican coffee has a bright, honey-like profile that's great for lattes, so blending it into a stout beer is a good choice in my book (blog).  And yeah, this beer delivers the goods.  It's smooth and delicious, dark but not heavy - as in filling.  A fantastic brew that deserves your attention.  :) 

Since I'm a fan of Ethiopian coffees, I couldn't resist picking up a bag of their light roast.  The Ethiopian Sidamo Natural is not a bean I'm very familiar with, although it's (apparently) commonly used by coffee shops.

I find the flavor profile of this bean to be not as robust as a Yirgacheffe (not many beans are) but still gives a distinct character... almost like a dark red wine feel. I also pick up hints of vanilla and smooth milk chocolate.  I'm not so sure about making a cold brew out of this roast... I think I need something a bit stronger for that... but overall, this is a great light roast for your morning routine.

Speaking of mornings... this Sunday I'll be biking 40 miles (maybe more if I'm feeling it) in the Tour de Houston!  I participated in this event last year as my first ever bike "race" and I loved it - although it was fucking grueling due to strong headwinds. This year, the route goes from downtown to Clear Lake, which is going to be great as I've taken that route before with the Saint Arnold's Bike Team.

I didn't pick up a bike jersey for this ride... but I might do it anyway as they look pretty slick this year.  But more importantly, I'm excited to be riding again and being a part of a larger effort.

I kind of wish I could listen to music while I ride as I want to keep listening to my latest demos of songs that I'll be recording in May.  Still a lot to do with these new batch of songs!