Scotch and Home-Brew Beer

I know I haven't written much lately, but that's because I decided to take a month off of drinking (I may have gone a little overboard partying for my birthday at the end of March). I decided to post a little somethin' anyway. I wasn't planning on posting about this since it's not really a brewery, but I'm gonna anyway.

A couple of my friends make their own home-brew beer, which so far has been pretty good.

The first beer they made was a European Bock which was really good. When their next batch was ready to be bottled I offered to help (since I helped them drink the last batch). So, I spent an evening washing out beer bottles (many of which I had donated to their cause) and putting caps on 3 cases of beer.

I capped those beers, go me!

And as my friend Tom told me that I would appreciate it more if I helped... I told him that I ALWAYS appreciate beer, but I was pretty proud of myself :)

Tom looking through the beer recipe book, trying to pick the next batch

After 2 weeks of waiting, not so patiently, the beer was ready to drink and it was delicious, tasted a lot like Fat Tire! So, we have this tradition of getting together on Friday nights and drinking the home-brew beer and as of late Scotch (since Tom is on a mission to become a Scotch aficionado).

 The official first taste of the beer I helped bottle.

I know, I know, the Scotch is not from Colorado, but not everything I drink can be from Colorado :) This is probably a good part of the reason that I needed a detox month, but it's always fun!

Deerhammer Distilling Company... Redux

For those of you who've been reading this for a while, maybe you will remember that I wrote about Deerhammer Distilling Company before and that I was not particularly impressed (you can read that post here). But I also promised to give them a second chance, it just took a little longer to get around to than I had planned on. I did finally get around to it though. And I am glad to say that this time around I can give them my 'seal of approval'.

Deerhammer Drink Menu

I went in there on a Thursday night, which in the winter in Buena Vista is usually a slow night wherever you go. So, still being a little unsure about the place when I was told they had a drink that wasn't on the menu which was a gin drink (I don't remember the name of it), I opted to give that a try, mostly because in general I prefer gin to whiskey. 

I may be letting my 'white-trash' side show a little bit here, but when I drink gin, I usually mix it with Squirt. This drink tasted a little bit like that, but with a little bit of a honey flavor. Not quite as sweet, but it was delicious! And since I've already admitted that I have a 'white trash' side, I may as well admit that I like 'girly drinks' too...

'High Roller'

So, for my second drink I had the 'High Roller' which is whiskey, coconut, pineapple, orange basically it is piña colada-esque. It was very tasty and I can see this becoming a favorite summer standby! After two drinks I was feeling pretty good and had to call it a night. So, I will give you a little heads up, if you ever find yourself at Deerhammer Distilling, the drinks are strong. Later I was talking to a friend and mentioned that I had two drinks, and his comment was that 'you only ever have one drink when you go there, even I know that'. So, yeah, pace yourself!

 

Also if you happen to be in the Arkansas Valley next weekend, check out the Ark Vally Libation Society launch party in Salida.

Ski Joring

In all of my years  of living in Colorado I have never actually watched Ski Joring, until yesterday anyway. So, what is Ski Joring?

"The sport of ski joring began several hundred years ago in Scandinavian countries as a way to travel during the long winters. Laplanders skied on Nordic skis holding the reins attached to reindeer. Ski joring found its way to North America, where ranchers attached a long rope to the saddle horn of a horse that was ridden at high speeds down a long straightaway. Currently, the sport of equestrian ski joring has become a highly specialized competitive sport, where competitors must navigate a course of jumps, gates and sometime spear rings. Competitive ski joring competitions are currently taking place in more than five states in the USA, and in several countries worldwide. In some parts of the world, skiers are pulled behind dogs, mules and snowmobiles. Whatever the means, the sport of ski joring is growing rapidly, and is just as much fun for spectators as it is for competitors. Courtesy of the North American Ski Joring Association." ~ from www.visitleadvilleco.com

Who knew spending the day freezing and watching people on skis being pulled around by horses could make for an entertaining way to spend a Sunday? But it was, and I guess I should also probably thank my neighbor for dragging a very hungover me out of my house, driving since I was in no condition to be behind the wheel, putting up with me and my camera and freezing all day! I have to be honest, I have lived a pretty short drive from Leadville for most of my life and I have never really spent much time there, I have driven through Leadville hundreds of times, but haven't really stopped to explore.

For once my driving pictures are taken while someone else was driving, 

probably safer that way...

I think every driving picture I take has a crack running through it... 

I guess I and everyone I ride with needs a new windshield.

 

Downtown Leadville, CO

 

 

A 'hair of the dog' morning vodka... to get me back to being my regular charming 

self instead of barely functioning hungover me ;) And it was f-ing COLD and a little
booze always warms you up! 

 And the Scarlet Tavern had the best no smoking sign ever!

 

Not the best quality cell phone video, but it's something.

Because apparently everyone has to make a 'Harlem Shake' video... 

yeah, I don't get it

 

Don't mind the beeping mid video, that would be my phone telling me it was 
dying and me being a long ways from my charger :)