Odell Brewing Company's IPA

When I was younger, I'd drink just about anything. Milwaukee's Best? Fuck it. Tall cans of Coors Light? Duh. But as I've aged, a man now three decades deep, I've developed an appreciation for the IPA. To be honest, I'm not sure when or how it happened. I remember my first proper pint, poured at the Paragon on Queen Anne when I turned 21. It was an Amber Ale brewed by Mac & Jack's in Redmond, WA. Something you could only drink on draught, it was a beer that made me feel like an adult. "Here, look at me, man of 21 years, drinking this beer you teenagers can't acquire." And so for the next few years that's what happened. A slow and steady transition from malt liquor to craft beer. And then the IPA.

The first one that really grabbed me by the boo-boo was brewed by the Pelican Brew Pub in Pacific City, OR. I mean, I am sure there were others, but that's the first one I blogged about. Anyhow. Fast forward a few years and I am now an expert in the IPA, or so I tell myself. IBUs and ABVs... Yea, I know what that shit means. Cascade compared to Centennial hops? Yea, I can totally tell the difference (ahem, bullshit!). All of that to say, when I find an IPA that I can't stop swilling - pouring one bottle after another into my face (see: Sculpin) - I feel obligated to write about it... being an expert and all ;) So allow me to introduce my latest face-eating friend, Odell Brewing Co.'s IPA, a "bolder and more flavorful – American Style IPA" that is brewed in Fort Collins, CO. At 7% ABV and 60 IBUs, Odell's offering is nobody's bitch. But she goes down all-too-easy and will leave you looking for a place to purchase another six-pack. Also there is a man riding an elephant on the bottle - which obviously makes the beer better. So if you're an IPA expert like myself, do you really need an excuse to drink something different? I think not. Do yourself a favor and find a few.

Yamaha Serow Solo Camp Touring

One minute of motorcycle riding followed by five minutes of camping and cooking shots?! If you've been to Japan, or live(d) there, this video will probably make perfect sense to you. During our time on The Island, a few things became clear: the Japanese love Yamaha's 225cc Serow (they even sell a special 'Touring Edition' complete with a windscreen and tail rack), and they curate their camping kit the way some people color coordinate their closet. Everything has its place, everything has its purpose. Like most things in Japan, camping - especially motorcycle camping - is taken very seriously. Yes, fun will be had, but it will be perfect fun. Cut and pasted from the pages of GO OUT magazine. Garb'd and gathered, overlooked and organized, and then cleaned thoroughly and put away neatly. I both fear this efficiency, this absence of expression, and simultaneously miss those moments when the girl at 7-11 quietly wrapped my pork bun in wax paper, and then bowed graciously as she handed it to me.

Young Turks

What I've been listening to lately...

John Calvin & Thomas Hobbes

Additional words of wisdom can be found here.

Lucid Surf Dreams

This edit is most fucking excellent, as is the shredular-ness showcased within. Up your game, amigos!

Bousou Island - Vol. 2

Maybe a month ago, we loaded the van and headed east across Tokyo Bay in search of a south swell. The spot, a place affectionately known as J-Bu, is located on the Chiba Peninsula and breaks, as you may have guessed, a lot like it's namesake in the States. I'd go into more detail, but I don't want the Yakuza taking any of my fingers for spilling the proverbial soy beans. So you'll have to settle for a few photos. What I can say is that the surf did not suck, and although it rained like a bitch, we managed to find solace in beer and some kind of weird Japanese baseball game show thingy. Stay tuned! Our Bousou Island adventure is not over.

Poler Surf Stuff

Apparently Poler started making "surf stuff," and they sent Mikey and Trevor to PR to do some "testing."

I Have Always Lived Violently

“I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment.”

- John Steinbeck

Tropic Haze

As far as I'm concerned, wheat beers are only good if they're cold... Like really fucking cold. As soon as the sun hits them, they taste like warm bread paste, so I typically avoid them. Until I landed in the Philippines. Anything, and I mean anything, that is cold and tastes like beer is acceptable - sometimes. And this was one of those times. We'd been out and about all day, fulfilling family obligations, sightseeing, etc. Luckily, one of Kyra's cousins owns a bar, where we ended our evening. When we walked in, a young lady was chatting with her cousin. Turns out shes a rep for Nipa Brew, a Manila based craft beer producer. Small is one way to describe the company, tiny is another. Something like seven people! Anyhow. She had a few bottles of Tropic Haze, "a light and refreshing craft beer with tropical undertones, perfect for those who want to step into the craft beer experience!" Or so it's described on their Facebook page.

The reality is that Tropic Haze is similar to a lot of the wheat beers we have at home - Hoegaarden, New Belgium's 'Snapshot,' or the ever popular Blue Moon. But it's better. With an underlying citrus flavor, not to be confused with added fruit, or a lime wedge (who the fuck do you think I am?), Tropic Haze is mildly effervescent and goes down easy, too easy. As you can see, it's golden in color with a light mist I associate with all wheat beers, and even some IPA's (Fort George's Vortex in particular). I could go on about the nuances of the beer, the flavor, how it landed on my palate, or the after-taste. But that's more than you bargained for, isn't it? What you want to know is whether it's good, and how you can get some. Well, I'm sorry to say that you can't - get any that is. And yes, it is good, otherwise I wouldn't be writing about it. As of right now (July of 2015), Tropic Haze is only available in the Philippines, and mostly just Manila. But hopefully, that's about to change... Stay tuned!

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

What I've been listening to lately...

The Fjord

Finding surf in the Faroe Islands. The sort of shit that makes surfing more interesting than ice skating.

Bousou Island - Vol.1

I suppose these photos are a long time coming, seeing as how we've been living in Japan since April... But we've been busy! A three week trip to Italy followed shortly thereafter by my hasty return to the United States for the annual Touratech Rally. And now, a week into the month of July, we're trapped indoors, anxiously awaiting a reprieve from the rain. Work takes up a lot of our time, as do the daily tasks associated with living somewhere. But that hasn't stopped us from surfing. And while the weather hasn't been the best, the waves haven't been bad...

The following photos were taken during a two week period prior to our Italian departure, and highlight two spots; Kashima and Shimoda. The first of which is a rather exposed beach break with cement tetra-pod jetties at either end. The later is a white sandy beach that allows slow rolling swells to break over an assortment of sandbars and, as Chris and I discovered, includes a rather awesome little left that wraps around a rocky outcropping at one end. Your ability to distinguish the difference between these two spots, especially in the attached images, will be almost impossible. Which is alright, because surfing is subjective. So who gives a shit when or where? It was fun, which is what matters.