5/31/18

Jacob Bromwell Vermonter Flask - Part Deux

28 months ago, Kyra gave me a gift. She had our friend Hobo Shane in Ohio carve a likeness of my little dual-sport - taken from a drawing our friend Doug in Denver had done about a year prior - onto a hand forged Jacob Bromwell flask. It was a gift unlike any other I'd received. I filled it with my favorite whiskey and took it with me everywhere. Across the country on motorcycles, twice. Off the coast of Africa. Into the Sierra Mountains where a friend poured hot sauce inside it as a prank. To the Bonneville Salt Flats and Baja, around England and just about everywhere else.

Then one night not too many months ago, someone broke into a friend's car and stole my stuff - camera equipment, clothing, riding gear and, perhaps most unfortunately, my beloved flask. Fuckers. If you're reading this, which I doubt, just know that if I see you sipping from that thing, you'll be removing it from your ass shortly thereafter. Anyhow... Fast forward to my birthday this year and guess what that goddamn woman got me, again? Yea, another flask to replace the one that had been nicked. This time, though, she had Shane carve a likeness of my Indian Scout sitting on the beach in Baja, from a photo I'd taken a few months earlier. Same Lana Turner quote, and same incredible craftsmanship, both from Hobo Shane and the boys and girls at Jacob Bromwell. So if you're in the market for an American made alcohol drinking apparatus, one that'll only get better with age, check out the Vermonter Flask.

Perpetual Motion | Baja Norte



In the last four years, Kyra and I have ridden more than 60k miles, explored 15 countries and been lucky enough to see the world from the seat of a motorcycle. Now with the help of our friend and filmmaker, Nathan, we've decided to create a new moto-travel series called Perpetual Motion.

In this episode, we go back to Baja on our Indian Scouts and spend three weeks exploring the northern half of the peninsula looking for waves to surf, tacos to eat and good times in a place we just can’t get enough of.

Brought to you by: WESTx1000, Indian Motorcycle, and Slabaugh Media.

With support from: SENA Bluetooth, Wolfman Luggage and Lost In Baja.

SUBSCRIBE and stay tuned for Tejas!

5/3/18

Cigar City Brewing's Jai Alai India Pale Ale

First time I had a pint of Jai Alai (pronounced hi-uh-lie) was in Key West, at the end of a rather long motorcycle trip (see: this). The second pint was at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida where I was accused of being a pimp by a gang of Gatorade employees (true story). The third time was in Paris (yea, that Paris), where a can sat serendipitously on the shelf of a small, but well stocked, beer store a few blocks from the flat we had rented. So to say my experiences with this illustrious IPA are extraordinary is an understatement. I could tell you that the fourth and fifth pints were also rather weird, but that's to be expected, no? Instead, what I should tell you is that this Tampa Bay creation is my absolute favorite at the moment, and offers the magic IPA equation I've come to discover: 70 IBU's and roughly 7(.5)% ABV. It's carried by citrus and fruit notes akin to my beloved West Coast IPAs, but is not a light golden color like its kinfolk. Instead, it's a more malty copper, perhaps thanks in part to the "bouquet of tangerine and candied orange peel." It is hop forward, though, proof of which came courtesy of my step-father Bruce's approval - a proper bitter beer fanatic. But it's also easy going for something that runs a cool 7.5% and has more hops than most. What was once hard to find, or at least offered an odd experience in the process, is now stocked at your local beer store (at least in Arizona and Texas). So if you see a can or tap of this tasty Tampa IPA, get after it. Assuming you like the same thing I like.

For those that give a fuck...

BeerAdvocate: 4.28/5

RateBeer: 99 Overall

Read more 'Brew Reviews' here.